Blog

I just recently finished the latest book by Dave Asprey of Bullet Proof Coffee fame. If you read some of my previous reviews on his other books, you know that I have followed him for a long time and even occasionally buy some of his products.

Super Human is a book about anti-aging and longevity. This topic connects with me as I have goals to be a highly functioning centenarian and beyond, and longevity is something I work on with my clients and publicly speak about. 

I am not going to give anything away as I think you should read this book too, if you are interested in anti-aging and longevity.

The book is basically broken up into three parts. The first is titled Don’t Die, and lays out the basic foundation for healthy living, the four biggest killers and how to mitigate those. For the vast majority of people these will be new thoughts and ideas, but for myself or people who work with me, it is a refresher.

The second part of the book is titled Age Backward, and gets more into the advanced topics for premium health. Things like brain health, heavy metals and your nervous system. Many of these topics are not hard nor expensive to implement, but you first need to master the strategies in the first section.

The final part of the book is titled Heal Like A Deity, and gets into the most recent and cutting-edge science regarding longevity. These are a little bit more exclusive and expensive techniques for the time being. Things like stem cells and peptides will become cheaper in time and hopefully become the standard of care or everyone.

In my own personal journey for Exceptional Health and Longevity, I would say I am right on the cusp of entering this third phase of progression.

This book is highly sourced with the research which I appreciate so I can look up these studies and research papers for myself.

I feel that if you end up highlighting, flagging and making notes on a book, it was worthwhile.

I fell this way and if you want to learn more about Longevity, this book is for you.

If after reading the book, or if you want to skip the book altogether and get right to work implementing your longevity plan, but need guidance, please reach out to me.

I would be pleased to grow old with the Exceptional You!

All the articles for the trends heading into 2020 have been coming out, some have their top 10, some the top 20 and so on. I have done my best to aggregate the ones I have seen into a top 10 for simplicity. So lets take a quick look and you can compare to last years listing.

1. Wearable Technology

It is no secret that I am in to quantification, I have written posts about my Oura Ring experiment and wear a Garmin and have used a Fitbit. Looks like more people are getting in on this to track, HR, sitting time, steps, sleep and much more. I don’t require my clients to use wearable technology, but if they already have it, we definitely incorporate it.

2. Group Training

Defined as greater than five participants group training is a fantastic way to motivate you to get out with friends and build comradery with others. These could include cardio-based classes, indoor cycling or dance classes. Group training is also more cost effective for you.

3. High-Intensity Interval Training

These programs typically involve short burst of high intensity (about 90%) of maximum followed by short rests. These can also be broken out to be individual or group training. This is the type of training I personally do myself and incorporate with my clients. It is more time efficient.

4. Training with Free Weights

This type of training includes Barbells, Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Medicine Balls etc. Some might consider this to be “old school” strength training. When training with Free Weights, proper form is very important. I view Free Weights as something that can be added in occasionally for myself or clients, but not a staple.

5. Personal Training

One-on-one personal training by a professional. This is growing with quality on-line coaches, and more worksites incorporating fitness facilities. I do not do a lot of personal training on its own without the rest of my coaching program, but when I do, I work with clients one-on-one.

6. Exercise is Medicine

This is a movement where primary care physicians and other health-care providers include physical activity assessments and treatment recommendations as part of patient visits and work with and refer to fitness professionals. This is a step in the right direction, but I don’t feel this has gained enough traction yet. In my community, only a few private clinics offer this option. I am lucky that I have the opportunity to consult part-time at one such clinic to round out patients care.

7. Body Weight Training

A combination of variable body weight resistance and neuromotor movement using multiple planes. Using only body weight or minimal equipment is an inexpensive way to exercise effectively. This is what I use for myself and my clients; Body weight training incorporating high intensity interval training. I also tend to stick to functional movement exercises only.

8. Fitness Programs for Older Adults

This will only continue to grow as Baby Boomers get older and people are living longer, working longer and remaining healthy and active longer. I believe movement and strength training is important for healthy aging, and most of my personal training clients have been over 60 years old.

9. Health and Wellness Coaching

This is the integration of behavioral science into health and lifestyle promotion. This can be both small group and one-on-one. This is my bread and butter of what I do with my personal coaching clients. We work on mindset, nutrition, movement, sleep, stress and other issues that come up. I feel that you need to take a holistic view on your health and that fitness is just one aspect of it.

10. Functional Fitness Training

This is using strength training to improve balance, coordination, muscular strength and endurance to improve activities of daily living. It is usually geared towards older adults, but I feel it is important for everyone. As mentioned above I incorporate Functional Fitness with body weight training in a HIIT workout for my clients as well as myself.

A lot of the same themes year over year which is not surprising. There are many other popular modalities that work for many people in addition to those above, so find what works best for you and get the help of a professional.

I am always happy to discuss your Health and Fitness needs. Feel free to reach out.

The average Canadian/ American gains between 2 and 5 lbs during the holiday season. This isn’t short-term water retention or inflammation muffin top, this is real weight gain, that unless you counter it now or early in the New Year, you will be keeping it on.

Do you have a game plan?

Many people find healthy eating difficult during the holiday season. The holidays revolve around sharing food with friends and family, and temptations are everywhere. The good news is that you can enjoy the holidays without guilt and weight gain. A few indulgences will not sabotage your healthy eating goals. Here are some tips for a guilt-free and healthy holiday.  

1. Be Mindful and Eat with Intention

Know that you are going to be eating foods that may not be serving your long-term health goals. Be mindful of the situations you will be in, the relationships you are fostering or building. Have gratitude for the position you are in to even be sharing a meal with people you love. Going into the Holiday season with the right mindset will keep you on track.

Remember it is not necessarily what you do from Thanksgiving to New Years, but what you do from New Years to Thanksgiving. Build your healthy habits now or continue with your healthy habits through the holiday season.

2. Bring your own Dish

This is probably my most used strategy. Sometimes we don’t know what will be at a potluck or someone’s house. So offer to bring a dish that you know is healthy and serves your health needs. That way you know there will be at least one thing you can for sure eat without guilt or second thought.

3. Eat your favorite foods (within reason)

Closely related to point one, be picky when choosing which foods to indulge in. If your Aunt B, makes the best pie ever, fine go ahead and have a piece, knowing that it may not serve you in the long-term, but you are choosing it right now. So have your favorite but pass on the other treats that are just ok or you could really care less about. You DO NOT need to try one of everything. Try and keep the indulging of your “must-have” foods to one or two things.

4. Pay attention to portion sizes

Besides the types of food being consumed, we often tend to eat too much. Again, you DO NOT need to try everything. You could try using a smaller plate and always make sure half of it is filled with vegetables or other foods that work for you and your long-term goals.

5. Avoid going back for seconds

Trust me I know, it can be tempting to go back for seconds, but try to avoid this unless you are truly still hungry. Instead, try to slow down when you are eating and enjoy each bite. Plus, if you are making the conscious decision to indulge in those one or two things, typically desserts, leave some room for those.

6. Listen to your Body

Learn to listen to your body cues. When you are no longer hungry, stop eating. Ask your body whether it wants more because you are still hungry, because you are dehydrated or if it is because it tastes good. If you are still hungry choose the healthier items on the menu to go back for. If you are feeling bloated, gassy, pains or tightness, those are signals that your body is already telling you have overdone something. Listen to your body!

7. Don’t skip meals

It is important to keep a consistent healthy eating routine during the holidays. Unless you are already adept at fasting, skipping meals can cause overeating later. Eating a healthy snack before a party will help curb the appetite and make it easier to make healthy choices. This is another one of my go to strategies when I am not sure what I will be getting myself into.

8. Avoid leftovers

Send your guests home with leftovers or freeze them for a later date. This will reduce temptations and overeating after the party. And do the opposite and do not accept leftovers from the Host either.

9. Get Moving and Keep Moving

We typically have more time during the holidays since we have some days off. Make sure you get some exercise in. Go for a walk, play with the kids etc. Exercise can also help reduce holiday stress. I strive for low levels of movement everyday and only do a couple harder workouts a week, but on the days in question, I always do a hard workout to deplete my glycogen stores, so that the first carbs are going to refuel me instead of being in excess.

10. Stay Hydrated.

Be properly hydrated before you head to an event, have a glass of water upon arrival before any festive spirits, have a glass or two of water before eating, and a glass of water for every drink of alcohol. Also, drink alcohol in moderation. These tips are really for year-round living, not just the holiday season.

11. Dress for Success

During the holiday season it is helpful to wear outfits that are tailored to your body or a bit tight. It is much easier to overeat when you are wearing loose fitting clothing, such a leggings and pants with elastic bands, as they keep stretching right along with you. Wearing fitted pants can help discourage overindulging as it is a constant physical reminder.

12. Don’t wait until January to start your New Year’s Resolutions

Instead, make a Healthy season resolution. Get a head start on your goals so you do not have more work to do in January by procrastinating.

Work with a Health Coach or another professional like myself.

Happy Holidays!

There is so much divisiveness in the world right now. And no I am not talking about politics or religion.

I am talking about diets.

Vegans & vegetarians on one side, carnivore & keto on the other, and every shade of HFLC, paleo, calorie counting, as long as it fits your macros, pescatarian etc in between.

And don’t get me started on where the SAD (Standard American Diet or Canadian or Australian Diet) fits in.

What is the best diet?

First of all, let’s drop the “diet”, Health is a “lifestyle”.

Second, there is no best way of eating for everyone.

It depends. It is very individualized.

What are your genetics, your epigenetics, your ethnicity, your culture, your sex, your age, are you on medication, do you have other health conditions or concerns?

One thing I can guarantee, if you cut out inflammation, you will be healthier, no matter what you eat.

Inflammation comes from many sources, and food is one of the biggest sources of inflammation.

What are the biggest Inflammation culprits?

Again, this is individualized but let me list off some of the big ones:

Processed Vegetable cooking Oil- nearly everyone

Sugar – nearly everyone

Grains (and there are many types) – a lot of people

Gluten -many people

Dairy -many people

Legumes – some people

Nightshades – some people,

…and it can get very granular to your specific genes and gut microbiome

There is no easy, one size fits all answer for everyone.

Stop pretending that there is?

Cut the inflammatory foods and other inflammation sources and have better health, less pain, less fat and lose weight

I work with my clients to cut inflammation for their individual needs, what is best going to serve and suit them.

Having battled obesity, back and joint pain, I know what works for me, but it would be Arrogant to think exactly what I follow will work for every one of my clients.

So those Health professionals planting a flag in one camp or basing your identity on one philosophy, Get Over Yourselves. Yes, I am calling you out!

I encourage you to checkout the rest of the website or other social media (click the icons at the top of the page) to see some more posts on some of my struggles, experiments and to see how I could possibly help you reach your goals.

As many people who are reading this know, either from visiting my website and reading about my journey or having personally talked to me before, I struggled with my weight and health for most of my life, up until till about 5 years ago when I lost the last 40 lbs of fat I had been holding on to, for a total loss of over 100 lbs from my top weight.

And while I have become certified and have been coaching people to their health for three years now with great results, I still run into the resistance from people who don’t believe that the ideas I have adopted can be healthy. Why don’t they believe? Because it flies in the face of what their doctor or the medical system has told them, what the media has told them and the folklore that has been passed on from their families.

The documentary details the completely true history of how the United States and thus nearly the entire western world became so unhealthy. Some quick facts: In 1970, just over 1. 5 million people had been diagnosed with Diabetes in the United States. The number is now over 30 million. Even more concerning is that 100 million people, nearly 1 in 3, have Diabetes or are Pre-Diabetic, not to mention the 40% of the population that are obese. Ask yourself, how is it possible with the non-stop flow of new diet advice, exercise advice and our general obsession with weight loss we are as unhealthy as ever? The truth is that we have everything completely upside-down and backwards. This documentary follows a detailed history spanning 150 years to show how misinformation and outright lies have become the “truth.”

When I was doing chronic cardio to try and loose weight, and become a faster runner, all the while becoming sicker, I started listening to various podcasts and came across a number of people who I have taken inspiration from and modelled some of my personal practices on.

One of these people was Vinnie Tortorich and his “No Sugar, No Grains” (NSNG) approach to eating. I have been listening to his podcast for six plus years.

Over a year ago, he started talking about this movie he was making. He knew that most people don’t have hours to listen to each minute of every podcast, so he decided to make a documentary to sum everything up.

He chose to crowdfund the film and took no money from corporate sponsors so that no one can accuse him of being biased or influenced by industry. Over 3000 people whose lives were transformed by abandoning the traditional dieting advice contributed.

The funny thing that happened to me, when I released the last 40 lbs of fat and my health greatly improved, and I have kept it off for 5 years, friends, family, doctors and the like would tell me I looked great, but that I wasn’t being healthy or that I was strange or that I was harming myself etc.

Sorry, but what makes you an expert? And only now you are concerned with my health?

After trying to explain to my friends, family, strangers and clients why what they have been led to believe is actually wrong, I now have a movie that they can watch to learn the actual “Truth”. Heck, you can borrow my copy if you want.

This film begins with a very touching interviewing with a dad who’s one-year old son had a severe case of epilepsy. Not to ruin anything for anyone, but I will say, that by bucking the conventional treatments the doctors wanted to prescribe including brain surgery, this father was able to stop his son’s seizures in two days of following what is discussed in this movie.

The movie then goes on to interview doctors, researchers, journalists, and other experts to explain: 

• How many of the nutritional myths we have all heard began
• How the science behind the current dietary guidelines is extremely flawed
• How the media contributes to the confusion surrounding nutrition and health
• How the food industry is only interested in selling food and isn’t concerned with your health.
• How the medical community is set up to treat sickness with drugs, as opposed to prevention with food

The movie shows how politicians in the late 1970’s decided to recommend a low-fat diet to prevent heart disease even though the science was far from settled and has since been proven wrong.

It was a great big experiment where the American public (and now everywhere else) were unwitting participants and the experiment was a failure. Ever since the US government recommended people cut back on fat and increase their consumption of sugar and grains, the diabetes and obesity rates have skyrocketed in a matter of one generation, my generation.

Some key things this movie will make you think about: 

• There is not a single shred of credible evidence showing that saturated fat or cholesterol causes heart disease. Absolutely none.
• Cholesterol is essential. If you eat less cholesterol, your body will make more. If you eat more cholesterol, your body will make less.
• LDL cholesterol is not a good marker of a person’s risk for heart disease. The ratio between HDL and Triglycerides is a much better predictor.
• The American Heart, Diabetes or Cancer associations should not be trusted. This goes for all similar groups in most western countries. FOLLOW THE MONEY!
• There is no such thing as heart healthy whole grains. Sure, you can make the argument that whole grains are better for you than refined white flour, just as filtered cigarettes are better for you than unfiltered cigarettes, but that doesn’t make them good for you.
• Cancer cells feed on sugar.
• The media cannot be trusted to tell the truth. All they care about are ratings/traffic and pleasing their advertisers. FOLLOW THE MONEY!
• The government policy to recommend a low-fat diet was a flawed idea.
• The medical community views you as a customer. If you get healthy, you will be worth a lot less to them over the course of your life.
• Most doctors don’t have a clue about nutrition and are not taught about it in medical school. I know and have personally asked doctors myself.
• There will never be a day where the government or any of those associations mentioned above come out and admit they were wrong. Could you imagine the class action lawsuits that would arise?
• It is up to you to take matters into your own hands and take responsibility for your own health.

As I mentioned earlier, I have followed Vinnie Tortorich and others like him for many years, so I already knew these facts, and thus am bias towards it. The facts presented line up with what I already believed, follow myself and teach to my clients.

I suggest you watch the film with an open mind and consider the possibility that what you think you know about health and nutrition may have been not be based in solid science and have been wrong all along.

I have known that the conventional wisdom surrounding diet and health is completely backwards and this documentary does an excellent job explaining how they got it wrong. You owe it to yourself to watch this.

P.S.

I got a little behind in writing this review and this movie has been out for a few months already and climbed into the top 10 on iTunes for all movies and number one for documentaries. Also, top ratings on Amazon and other outlets.

Have you seen this movie mentioned once in the mainstream media?

I have not heard a peep about this movie. It’s like no one wants you to see this film and that should make you wonder?

Big business does not want you to see this film and they certainly don’t want you to adopt a healthy lifestyle. When you adopt the lifestyle described in the movie or what I follow and have my clients follow, you’ll end up spending a lot less money on processed food and you end up spending a whole lot less on health care over the course of your life. I will say it one last time: FOLLOW THE MONEY!