Weight Loss Testimonial

The following was sent in via email. Congratulations on your weight loss!

"Dear Charles Moffat of Cardio Trek!

I live in San Diego California and I read your website every day. I started reading it about a month ago when I was looking for weight loss tips and a lot of the information on your website has been extremely usefult to me - even the weightlifting posts, even though I am not into that.

Since reading your website I have enacted a number of the tips from your site, including morning jogs (I only jog for 10 minutes, but I find it helps a lot), counting calories and tracking them in a journal, stretching and whenever I am bored I try out some of your frugal exercise ideas. As a result I've lost almost 10 lbs in the last month.

I am trying to lose weight slowly so I don't end up with loose baggy skin, and the prevention information on your site on that topic is very useful too.

I guess what I am trying to say is THANK YOU for offering lots of free advice on your website. I know I am not one of your clients, but I hope you will post my testimonial anyway.

Also one little question / suggestion, why don't you have more information about yourself on this website? A profile? I know a lot of personal trainers out there are egotists who love talking about themselves and are shameless self-promoters, but I couldn't find one single photo of yourself on your website and there is very little else about you. Maybe you are camera shy? Or maybe you're just not an egotist? Sorry if I seem overtly curious.

Thanks again!
Samantha K."

Hello Samantha!

I am happy to hear my writing has had such a profound effect on you and has been so useful to you. I too have an inspiration for my exercise - Sylvester Stallone and his Rocky Balboa film series, which he both wrote and starred in. If I were to ever meet Sly I would be sure to shake his hand and thank him for his inspirational films.

Plus anyone who can fit both Mr T and Hulk Hogan into the same film series deserves some kudos. Mr T was my hero when I was 5 years old.

Yes, its true I don't like putting photos of myself online, but I don't mind talking about myself. My interests include languages, traveling, freehand mountain climbing, cycling, archery, boxing, painting, photography, sculpture, fixing things, writing and perfecting various recipes in the kitchen. Truth be told if you Google the name Charles Moffat you will find a lot of information about my artistic career, my website design business, books I've written available on Kindle/Kobo and a lot more.

I don't like to talk too much about my artistic talents and other things on this website however because I feel it would distract from the purpose of this website, which is to promote exercise, healthy eating, and of course my personal training business here in Toronto.

I am planning to have a professional photoshoot done in 2013 which will be used to promote my talents as a personal trainer, but you're right, I am none too excited about being recognized on the street. I have already had my encounters with fame with respect to my artistic career and I have learned to value my anonymity online. (Because fans are crazy...)

I wish you continued success with your exercise goals and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too! Let me know if you have any specific exercise questions and I will be happy to answer them and post the results.

Sincerely,
Charles Moffat

Whey Protein Questions and Answers

Below are some Frequently Asked Questions about Whey Protein:

#1. What is Whey Protein and where does it come from?

Whey Protein is one of two types of protein that comes from milk (the other type is casein protein). Whey Protein is made during the process of cow's milk being turned into cheese, wherein the whey protein is a by-product of the process. The great news is that Whey Protein is a rich source of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), containing the highest known levels of any natural food source.

Thus its good for vegetarians too, but not for Vegans because its made from milk.

#2. Do any other Foods contain Whey Protein?

No, its only found in the by product of the cheese making process. You can find different kinds of protein in other foods (especially meat). There are a variety of different foods that contain high levels of protein, but they're not as high in protein as you might think.

    Lean red meat (20% protein)
    Chicken/turkey (20% protein)
    Fish (20% protein)
    Eggs (6-10% protein)
    Cheese (10-30% protein, but also high in fat)

Thus if you get Whey Protein Powder you're consuming something that is often 50 to 90% protein, depending on the brand. You will need to read the label and possibly do some math to discover the exact percentage. eg. Six Star Muscle Professional Strength Whey Protein is 66.6% protein.

#3. What Types of Whey Protein are There?

There are 2 major types of whey protein:

Whey protein concentrate, which also contains some lactose and fat and is roughly 75% protein by weight. Its cheaper to buy whey in this form, but you'd better be feeling energetic and not be lactose intolerant.

Whey protein isolate, the purest form of whey protein has been processed to remove fat and lactose. Typically whey protein isolate is about 90%+ pure protein by weight, and this is the type commonly used in whey protein powders.

There is also whey protein blends, a mix of the above two, and is typically used for making protein bars and whey protein powders. A blended mix is slightly cheaper than pure isolate, but still boasts a good chunk of protein.

#4. What does Whey Protein do?

Whey protein provides the body with the necessary amino acids for muscle building, strength and recovery. Bodybuilders and professional athletes use whey protein supplements to help increase size, strength and speed up recovery times.

Whey is also easy and fast ingesting, meaning it gets to where it's needed in the body quickly. It is best used right after a weightlifting workout as it plays a huge roll in post-workout nutrition, when your body is in a catabolic state and needs a fast injection of protein.

Whey protein also works as an antioxidant to boost the body's immune system, helping to create a stronger immune system. The end results include: Increased lean muscle mass; Decreased recovery times and faster muscle repair; Reduced post-workout muscle breakdown; Increased metabolic rate.

#5. Are there any side effects?

None whatsoever. Its protein, a necessary amino acid that your body needs.

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. :)