Changes to the site...

I have changed some of the links up there. The Photography tab will feature some of my photography. I have made the switch from my trusty Canon DSLR to using my iPhone 5 as my main camera.  Having a camera always with my and alway ready really changes how I see the world. Once I get Google+ working properly I hope to set up a gallery.  Training for 100km will feature my training program for a 100km bike race I will be doing in the fall of 2013.

I'm back....

It seems I ate a steak 2 years ago then disappeared. Well I didn't. I'm alive and well.

I used to be an avid bike rider, both road and mountain.  Twelve years ago I did a charity bike ride that took me from Montreal to Portland, Maine. It involved back to back century rides through the Appellation  Mountains. I did several Adventure Races around Ontario and Quebec. Every weekend I was out on some epic bike ride; riding to wine country, avoiding poison ivy in the Ganny, tumbling down Cardiac Arrest.  Then I lost my mojo...

My son just turned five and my in-laws bought him a fantastic new bike. I'm inspired.

Follow me as I train for a 100km mountain bike race scheduled for this September. Details to follow.

Perfect Steak

I cooked the perfect steak last night. I invited a friend over for dinner who I had put on a very low carbohydrate diet. I wanted to demonstrate that low carb eating can be glorious even without the bread, pasta, rice and other grains.

To get inspired about what to make for dinner, I had been surfing around my favourite food sites when I came across this on Serious Eats - The Food Lab: More Tips for Perfect Steaks.

It seems I had been cooking my meat wrong all this time. I used to season the meat and throw it in the pan for 3-5 minutes then flip for another 2-4 minutes, depending on the thickness. I like it rare, while Barb likes it medium rare to (gasp) medium. Well, not this time.

Back on Track

After a couple weeks of slacker workouts I got back on track this week.  I'm recovered from Vegas, and I have nothing to get in my way.  Also half my clients have gone away.  This is what I did:

H.I.T. Training

Well, Wednesday is High Intensity Training day.  I usually do some intervals on the recumbent bike or some sprints on the treadmill.  However, it was such a perfect day I decided to head to High Park to run up and down a steep hill.  After a 10 minute light jog to warm up, I walked down the north-end hill.  At the bottom I turned around and sprinted as fast as I could to the top.  I did this 5 times.  I felt way better than after a treadmill run.


Now here's the interesting part...

Back on the Program

I'm back from Las Vegas - and I don't need to go there again. It's Bizarro World to say the least. The conference was great though. Some of the highlights covered training protocols for weight loss, beta-alanine loading, creatine supplementation (and how it applies to various populations), sarcopenia, and a fascinating talk on botanicals. I'll be reviewing each of these topics in the next few weeks.

I'm fine tuning my diet now to facilitate muscle grown and fat loss. And I have really ramped up my training. More to come...

I'm Back

Well I haven't really been away, just outrageously busy.  All my spare time has been taken up with studying for the International Society of Sport Nutrition - Sport Nutrition Specialist Certification, or the ISSN - SNS, in Las Vegas.  It sounds good but Las Vegas is the last place on earth I want to go.  You can learn more at http://www.sportsnutritionsociety.org/.

Life's Mysteries Part 1: What Alcohol Actually Does to Your Brain and Body

Does alcohol help you sleep? Why do some people handle it better than others? Does it help or hurt the libido? Does it help you live longer? Here is a great article explaining in detail (with lots of links to great sources) the effect of alcohol on both your brain and your body. It should definitely help disspel some myths. Cheers! Via Lifehacker.

Being Fit For Golf Can Help You Be Fit For Life

A guest post from my colleague Eric Bols, Certified Titleist Fitness Instructor, who explains how being fit for golf can help you be fit for life.

High Fat Diet + Exercise = Rapid Weight Loss?

Researchers from Johns Hopkins have released interim results from a study which show that a high fat, Atkins-style diet coupled with an exercise regime can lead to quicker weight loss results. It took high fat eaters an average of 45 days to lose 10 pounds. Compare this to the low fat, high carb diet eaters (their diet being constructed using guidelines from the American Heart Association), who lost the weight in about 70 days.

Most significantly, the high fat diet participants lost more weight around their waistlines, which seems to be a key to preventing heart disease. The study continues, and we will be watching for the results, which will report on the overall cardiovascular health of all participants. More details on this study can be found on The New York Times.