Liven Up Your Workout

Here is 5 ways to Liven Up Your Workout!

#1. Try Adrenaline High Weight Loss

Why? Because doing something scary like mountain climbing (or rock climbing inside with a harness) is both fun and the adrenaline kickstarts a huge energy burn.

#2. Take Up a Competitive Sport

It doesn't have to be anything special or super competitive. Just road hockey is still competitive because its you vs them.

#3. Hire a Personal Trainer

A personal trainer (*cough* like me, if you live in Toronto) can help make your daily workout more interesting by giving you additional challenges.

#4. Browse Exercise Blogs, Magazines and Books

Find new ways to spice up your exercise routine with a variety of different exercises.

#5. Try a New Activity with a Friend

Take up archery, boxing, swimming, ice skating or something you've never done before. Eg. White water rafting.

Motivational Quotes

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."
-Arnold Schwarzenegger

"Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential."
-Winston Churchill

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."
-Vince Lombardi

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

"My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength."
-Michael Jordan

The Vegan / Vegetarian Diet

I am "Veggie Curious".

Which is really a fancy way of saying I still eat meat, but I hang out with a lot of Vegans and Vegetarians. I believe in eating a healthy balance which includes lots of veggies of different colours (so I am getting a wide variety of nutrients and vitamins), nuts and berries, whole grains / whole wheat flour bread, muffins, pancakes, milk and cheese, and when it comes to protein I eat a lot of eggs (sometimes raw eggs), small to medium-sized portions of meat, green lentils (high in protein). I also supplement my protein intake on weightlifting days with whey protein.

And I do regularly stop to enjoy a sugary snack when offered one by a friend or family member. And I do so without feeling guilty because I know I exercise daily and my diet is pretty balanced that I can "take the hit" from cookies / doughtnuts on the rare occasions.

Lastly I also take a multi-vitamin twice per day, Vitamin D on a regular basis, and lots of water.

However my diet isn't for everyone. My diet is based on a very active lifestyle and varying degrees of self control and guilt-free treats. Not everyone can manage that level of self control.

Which leads us into the topic of Vegetarianism and Veganism - Two diets which require a lot of self-control if you love eating meat and are loath to give it up.

It would be one thing I suppose to be raised Vegan and thus never know what you are giving up, and a totally different thing to be raised in a "meat and potatoes" environment wherein bacon is the pinnacle of tasty delights.

However there are huge health and dietary benefits to going Vegan (or at least Vegetarian) if someone chooses to do so. And these benefits are difficult to ignore.

1. Avoids a lot of fried and fatty food

Meat-based foods tend to have a lot more fat on them and depending on preparation will be fried in grease. Pile on some cheese or butter or both and it will be tasty, but wholly unhealthy and fattening. By going Vegan you guarantee yourself that you won't be eating such fatty foods any more (unless you are stir-frying all your veggies constantly).

1st Note: Avocados are fattening. There are a lot of Veggie-eaters out there who get hooked on avocados and later discover they are fattening.

2nd Note: Some veggie eaters also end up filling up on bread, which means lots of carbs... and that is also fattening. So ideally you need to cut out bread and limit your carb intake to whole grains and small portions.

2. Less Option

Sine when is less options a good thing? Well when picking restaurants it really limits your options. You basically just look for the veggie items on the menu (sometimes marked with something green) and you're done making your decision while your omnivore friends are taking forever to decide.

3. Reduces Health Issues and Cancer Risks

The average human gets cancer approx. 40 times in their lifetime, but our immune system fights most of it off. As we get older our immune system becomes weaker and if we ate a lot of junk when we were younger we will have a build up of toxins and carcinogens in our system which will cause cancer tumours to become more serious.

4. Snacks are Easy

Just pack a few fruit when you go out and your snacks are all taken care of.

5. Increased Energy and Rarely Ill

If you cease eating meat for a month, just as a test, most people discover they feel more energetic. This is because their body isn't bogged down with all the negative things (fat, bacteria, etc) that come with eating meat. Meat is laced with bacteria and often when people get ill its due to a bacteria infection they ate. By cutting out this large source of bacteria your immune system doesn't have to work so hard and your body is ultimately rewarded with more energy.

Note: If you want to boost your energy levels even more you can take a daily Creatine supplement.

Conclusions

While it is true that humans are biologically meant to be omnivores, we should point out that when you look at our teeth most of our teeth are for eating veggies and its only the canines that are meant for ripping meat. Ultimately this means our diet is supposed to be 90% fruits, veggies, berries, etc and meat is supposed to be a rare treat.

So yes, you could stay an omnivore and embrace a healthier balance with more veggies in your diet, or you could go fully vegetarian or vegan and see if that lifestyle suits you.

Personal Note

Speaking for myself the vegan friends I like hanging out with the most are the ones who aren't trying to convert me. They recognize that I am an intelligent person who can make his own decisions and they're not pushing me into doing something. If asked, they will still talk about the benefits of their diet, but they aren't trying to ram it down my throat against my will.

Oh and vegan pancakes rock. :)

Nose Exercises Vs Rhinoplasty

Q

"Hello! I recently suffered an injury to my nose during boxing and when it was healing I noticed that my nose had become crooked. I was thinking about getting nose surgery [rhinoplasty] to fix the problem, but someone told me about nose exercises you can do that can fix various problems. Does nose exercises really work?" - J.F.

A

Hello J! Good news, yes, nose exercises may be the answer to your problem if the damage isn't too severe. And judging by the number of boxing related nose injuries you won't be the only one who will be interested in this solution.

Damage to the nose muscles on one side or the other can cause the tip of the nose to go crooked. It reportedly can also be caused by sleeping on one side of the face too much, overuse of the muscles on one side of the nose, or even something simple like losing weight and the muscles in one side of your nose losing some of its muscle density... and of course getting punched repeatedly in the nose.

Regardless of the cause of the damage, if the damage is minor then it can be fixed using a variety of nose exercises.

1. Squinting the Nose

Basically all you do is smile and try to squish your nose upwards using the muscles within your nose. No hands required. This upward "squinting" of the nose will add more girth to muscles in the sides of the nose and, assuming you do it evenly, both sides of the nose will auto-correct themselves with time until they're both equally muscular.

Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat 20 to 30 times daily until your nose muscles straighten out.

2. The Nose Shortener

This exercise isn't so much to repair damage as it is to prevent long term degradation of cartilage within the nose. As you get older your nose continues to grow, and the cartilage in the lower section may weaken and then separate from the upper part of the nose. This often gives the appearance that a hump has developed on the bridge of the nose. A plastic surgeon can perform surgery to improve the shape of your crooked nose or you can do this handy "Nose Shortening" exercise which will help to strengthen the muscles in that region of the nose.

Using your index finger, push the tip of your nose up. Contract the muscle by flexing your nose down against the resistance created by your finger. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat 30 times, each time concentrating on the muscle forcing your finger down. Keep your breathing steady while performing the exercise. To get the maximum results, perform the Nose Shortener exercise twice a day.

3. The Nose Shaper

The upper part of the nose is made of solid bone and the center part is made from cartilage, so there really is not anything that can be done via exercising. However the bottom part of the nose had several different muscles which can be exercised, and by doing so it is possible to change the general shape of your nose. The "Nose Shaper" exercise involves placing your index fingers down either side of your nose, and flaring your nostrils by using the muscles above and below your nostrils. Your fingers create resistance by keeping your fingers in place against the movement of the nostrils, sort of like weightlifting for your nose.

Repeat this exercise 30 times, twice per day. The end result will create a less droopy nose, but the nostrils will appear wider... so if you don't want wider nostrils maybe you should consider the exercise below instead.

4. Nose Narrowing

Want a more narrow nose? Lower your chin and mouth and narrow your nose in the process. This uses a different set of muscles inside your nose which will help tighten up and narrow the appearance of your nose.

Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat 30 times, twice per day, and observe the long term results as your nose becomes more narrow.

5. Nose Wiggling

This one is easier to do in front of a mirror. Wiggle your nose from side to side, without moving your lips/etc. Why? Well, if you can master it then it makes for an interesting party trick. Not sure if its useful in terms of improving your looks however, but presumably it helps build the muscles within your nose.

Update: Fixing a Crooked Nose

If you are looking for specific information on how to fix a crooked nose I recommend reading the following post: Fixing a Crooked Nose using Nose Exercises.

Maintenance

Keep doing the exercises regularly for maintenance (once per week or so). Like any muscle group, the nose muscles need regular exercise in order to keep their figure.

NOTE: For fun, make before and after photos to see the results over time.

SPECIAL NOTE: So if you thought that rhinoplasty was the only way to reshape and straighten your nose, huzzah, that myth has been busted!

PERSONAL NOTE: I did all of these exercises myself while writing this and now my nose feels sore from exercising it. Advice? Don't overdo it. Stick to the recommended 30 times, twice per day. I saw results within the first week of doing them.

FINAL NOTE: Yes, if you have severe damage to your nose then rhinoplasty is your only remaining option. But that kind of damage is more rare. You shouldn't feel self conscious about the nose you were born with just for society's unrealistic standards of beauty... And as Michael Jackson has previously proven, once you get surgery you can end up becoming obsessed with the shape of your nose and always looking to change it more and more.

PERSONALIZED HELP

I am getting a lot of requests from people wanting personalized advice about their nose and what nose exercises they should do, how often they should do them, special circumstances,  etc. My advice is to follow the instructions listed above and on other posts I have made about nose exercises.

If you are contacting me asking me for personalized help - basically asking for my services in aiding you with your nose exercises, then I will need to charge you my personal training rate ($50 per hour) for my services.

I know this is not the answer many of you are looking for. I have already answered many of the frequently asked questions below in the comments section, and answered many emails from people asking for help with their nose exercises - but I am a busy person and the emails have reached a point where I need to start charging for this service because I cannot answer all of them.

Best of luck with your nose exercises!

Gatorade Vs Powerade: Which is Better?

You may have noticed refreshment drinks like Gatorade and Powerade in your local grocery store / supermarket.

The main purpose of these drinks is to replenish your sodium (which is lost via sweat).

When you perspire, your body loses about 900 to 1400 milligrams of sodium per litre of sweat. Now a litre is a lot of sweat, but you might be surprised at how much you really do sweat during an intense workout. If you find yourself thirsty and drinking a lot, its because your body has shed a lot of water (and sodium) and is seeking to replenish it.

The problem however is that water doesn't have sodium in it, so you keep feeling thirsty because you are low on sodium.

That is where Gatorade and Powerade come in, by replenishing your sodium. However to taste well (instead of salty) they also add sugar and flavouring.

So which has more sodium in it???

Well Gatorade has 110 mg of sodium per 240 mL.

And Powerade has 100 mg of sodium per 240 mL.

So not much difference.

However sodium isn't the only factor. The sugar in the drink serves a 2nd purpose. Adding more sugar to a beverage increases the delivery of sugar to the blood, but slows the rate at which water enters the blood. So how much sugar is in the drink is a delicate balance.

According to two different studies by the American College of Sports Medicine and Coyle & Montain (1992) the optimal percentage is between 4 and 8% (of total mass) to provide adequate amounts of water and sugar to the body during exercise.

Gatorade is 6% sugar, whereas Powerade is 6% sugar. Both have 14 mg per 240 mL.

There is another factor: What Kind of Sugar is in the Drink?

There is a lot of research into whether glucose, sucrose, fructose, polymer sugars (eg. maltodextrin) or a combination of different kinds of sugars provide the best results. Various scientific studies have determined that a mixture provides the best results and the most energy boost.

In this category Powerade is the clear winner as it uses a mix of both polymer sugars and glucose. In contrast Gatorade uses mostly sucrose.

CONCLUSIONS?

They're both basically the same. While Gatorade may have 10% more refreshing sodium, Powerade uses better quality sugars that provide a better energy boost.

As for me, I am missing a drink they sell in Asia called "Pocari Sweat" which has more sodium in it than both Powerade and Gatorade. 117.6 mg of sodium per 240 mL, plus comes with added vitamins, minerals and electrolytes in it. You can find the drink in Canada, but you will need to shop at supermarkets which cater to Asians.