I have worked in the health and fitness industry in some capacity for the last 11 years. I’ve worked as a personal trainer at multiple large chain gyms, coached people on nutrition, and I’ve started my own gym. […]
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Some people want to lose weight. Some people want to gain weight. I used to be the worst of both worlds- really skinny, but not lean. Instead I had some extra padding, and a sizable beer gut. I
How I Trained Myself to Eat Healthy, Hit the Gym, and Love Staying Fit Read More »
“Fitness is not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be.” Most of you know by now that exercise is good for you. What most people fail to understand is just
10 Ways Regular Exercise Can Make You a Better Person Read More »
“To find real peace you have to let the armour fall.” – Jim Carrey This is a different kind of story; it’s about my decision to workout less. Before I get to why, I’ll go back to how I
How I Became Happier from Working Out Less Read More »
I spent close to ten years of my life searching for the one piece of magic that would turn me into a thin, lean person. Was it cutting out carbs? Going on an incredibly low calorie diet? Paleo?
Body Transformation Starts With the Mind Read More »
I have spent the last two weeks recuperating from a shoulder surgery after being injured for half the year. The time away from exercising, a hobby which in the past four years has turned from a distant source of woe to something I look forward to on a daily basis, has given me ample time to think about the benefits of exercising.
These benefits extend far beyond getting a Hot Bod or Rock Hard Six Pack Abs. The stigmatized cultural approach to the exercise obsession is that it’s an aesthetic practice, and will make you look like a celebrity or instantly become a Better Person. We’re sometimes told to exercise for the wrong reasons, to use physical discipline as an ends to something other than itself. The truth is that imposing a culturally-defined idea of vanity on something as basely beneficial as physical activity is outrageous.
8 Lessons in Change from Exercise Read More »
I ran my first kilometre when I was in Grade five. I hated it.
I was in Mr. Pawlak’s class that year. Mr Pawlak was the resident health nut at our school. He wore gym clothes when he taught us Math. It was 1981, right before the huge Adidas bag craze that hit in grade six in 1982. He wore Adidas short shorts – the ones with the white stripes down the sides – and he paired them with a tight striped polo t-shirt.
He created something he called the Health Hustle for gym class, which was essentially low impact aerobics set to music. Personally, I blamed this new daily physical torture on Olivia Newton John’s “Physical” album. Fitness – and 1980s workout wear – were all the rage back then and Mr. Pawlak wanted to make sure we were fit. I was a skinny kid when I was 11, but I wasn’t fit. Seriously, whenever I heard “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” or the instrumental “Popcorn” songs outside the four walls of our school gym, I would start to sweat involuntarily and breathe heavily like a Pavlov dog.
Running to Save My Life Read More »
Learning martial arts – not the most orthodox way to gain a promotion I know, but martial arts can change your life in a variety of ways. Martial arts can turn you into a fighter in all elements of life and it will give you respect for yourself and others, and improve your health and well-being.
If you’re not the athletic type consider this: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is often referred to as a “human game of chess” and is renowned for attracting computer geeks, accountants and all other types of intellectuals. Still not convinced? Okay, well consider the following eight benefits to training in martial arts.
How Training in Martial Arts Can Further Your Career Read More »
In 1952 a young English runner named Roger Gilbert Bannister found himself in the 1500m final. The race was to prove one of the most dramatic in Olympic history, and the outcome was not decided until the final metres. Bannister finished a disappointing fourth. Over the next two months Bannister considered a number of dramatic changes to his training; and even the idea of giving up running altogether. To say he was frustrated is an understatement. Ultimately, he decided on a new goal – he would run a mile in less than four minutes. At that time, nobody had ever achieved this. In fact, this was several seconds faster than the world record. Over the next couple of years he gradually took slices off his times. By the start of 1954 he was running a mile in just over 4min2secs. The day that was to change his life came in May 1954, during a meet in Oxford. In front of 3,000 incredulous spectators, Bannister ran the mile in 3min 59.4sec. He had finally done it.
A new way of thinking
The astonishing part is not just Bannister’s achievement (although that’s a big thing in itself); it’s how quickly other runners were breaking the same barrier. Just 46 days later – in a meet in Turku, Finland – Australian John Landy broke the record with a 3m57.9s . Others soon followed. This to me outlines the power of a mental barrier to limit goals; particularly when it comes to fitness. The fact that something hasn’t been done certainly doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It also highlights the importance of putting hard numbers in the goal. Whenever I’ve tried to ‘lose a few kilos’, ‘increase my overall strength’, ‘run without gasping for breath’ I’ve seen slight improvements at best. Aiming to ‘lose 10kg’, ‘deadlift 200kg’ etc has proven far more effective.
Change Your Thinking, Change Your Fitness Read More »
If you’ve ever tried a bit of body transformation (losing weight, gaining weight, redistributing it), you know what it’s like. It can be a frustrating, disheartening process. Still, it doesn’t have to be that way. As with anything, a bit of preparation makes all the difference. No matter what your body transformation goals are, here are the components of kitchen success.
Clean out the cupboard
You know what it’s like. You’ve been sticking to the plan for a while now, eating healthy meals and steering clear of the bad stuff. One day you notice a lonely packet of potato chips in the back of the cupboard, and it’s game on. Before you know it you’re scouring the room for the simplest, tastiest ready-made snack you can find. Solution : clean out the cupboards before you start, and remove anything which doesn’t fit in with your intended eating plan. No need to go overboard here, just get rid of the obvious ‘shouldn’t have’ items. NB : if you’re sharing the kitchen with others, just put your food – as much as possible – in a separate place.
Kitchen Success: How to Plan for Body Transformation Read More »
Are you overweight? If your life never quite satisfies you – if you don’t feel you’re as confident, productive, motivated or enthused as you could be, try kick-starting the changes you want to make by beginning with your body.
Seven years ago, I was shy, chubby, lacking in confidence, and struggling to think beyond my immediate future: going to Cambridge University. I’d been fatter than my classmates since the age of nine or ten. Finally losing that extra thirty or so pounds I’d been carrying around has had a tremendous impact on my life over the past seven years.
7 Benefits of Losing Weight Read More »
