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Vegan Smoothies and Rock Climbing

One of my personal hobbies is rock climbing. Thus when I found the video further below about an indoor rock climbing vegan who makes vegan smoothies and enjoys rock climbing, well, I just had to share it.

Now obviously freehand climbing (with no rope) is more dangerous, so I don't recommend it for amateurs. If you are new to rock climbing I suggest sticking to easy to climb areas, indoor rock climbing, or climbing with all the right gear and a friend who is an experienced climber.

As exercises go rock climbing is fairly frugal and isn't going to cost you a lot to get into it. Compared to a 1-year gym membership it is quite cheap.


Wow! That girl drinks a lot of smoothies!

Personally I add skim milk to my smoothies for the added protein and milky goodness. Sometimes I also make high protein smoothies by adding whey protein powder.

My favourite smoothies to make are strawberry / raspberry with vanilla flavoured whey protein.

December Exercise Motivational Quotes

"I hate saying, 'I like exercising.' I want to punch people who say that in the face. But it's nice being in shape for a movie, because they basically do it all for you. It's like, 'Here's your trainer. This is what you can eat. ... I don't diet. I do exercise! But I don't diet. You can't work when you're hungry, you know?"
- Jennifer Lawrence (star of The Hunger Games)

"I don't really diet or anything. I'm miserable when I'm dieting and I like the way I look. I'm really sick of all these actresses looking like birds... I'd rather look a little chubby on camera and look like a person in real life, than look great on screen and look like a scarecrow in real life."
- Jennifer Lawrence

"One time I actually used it for defense. I pulled into my garage and I heard men in my house. And I was like, 'I'm not letting them take my stuff. I had just gotten back from training, so I had the bow and arrows in the back of my car. I went to my car and I put this quiver on me and I had my bow and I loaded it and I'm walking up the stairs. And I look, and my patio doors were open, and there were guys working right there, and I was like, 'Heyyy, how you doin'?' They [her friends] were like, 'We've got to stage someone to break into your house and you can kill them!' That would be the funniest news ever. Katniss Everdeen actually kills someone with a bow and arrow!"
- Jennifer Lawrence

"I eat like a caveman. I'll be the only actress that doesn't have anorexia rumors! I'm never going to starve myself for a part. I'm invincible. I don't want little girls to be like, 'Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I'm going to skip dinner!'"
- Jennifer Lawrence

"For 'X-Men' I was lifting a lot of weights. I actually lost a lot of mass when I quit 'X-Men' because I was working out so much and very muscular and strong."
- Jennifer Lawrence



"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be."
- David Viscott

"Living a healthy lifestyle will only deprive you of poor health, lethargy, and fat."
- Jill Johnson

"Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality."
- Ralph Marston

"You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance."
- Lee Iacocca

"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there."
- Unknown Author

Calorie Crunching in 6 Minutes

Lets pretend you weigh 200 lbs and you want to lose some weight - specifically fat off your belly, thighs, under arms, etc.

But you aren't sure what exercises you should be doing. Weight lifting or cardio? Or both? And if so, how much? And which exercises produce the best results?

Well when it comes to weight loss your primary goal is to have a caloric reduction. So you should be doing approx. 70% cardio exercises (because cardio exercises burn more fat) and 30% weight lifting (to maintain muscle tone).

So for example if you had 9 minutes to exercise you might do 6 minutes of cardio and 3 minutes of weight lifting. Which is a tiny amount really, but lets do the math anyway. You have 1,440 minutes in a day so 9 minutes is really only 0.00625 of your day.

So in 6 minutes the most calorie intensive thing you could do is bicycle as fast as you can - approx. 20 mph - which would burn 145.4 calories if you weigh 200 lbs.

In contrast 6 minutes of vigorous weight lifting would burn a mere 54.4 calories. So half that if you did it for 3 minutes, so 27.2 calories.

Grant total for 6 minutes of bicycling + 3 minutes of vigorous weightlifting is 172.6 calories.

It is not a lot. But lets pretend you did that every day for a year. 364 x 172.6 = 62,826.4 calories. Just under 18 lbs of fat. (Exact results will vary on the weight of the person.)

Do that 9 minute exercise routine every day, 2 or 3 times per day and you would lose between 36 and 54 lbs in 1 year. Likely more if you add in the Afterburn Effect and a healthy balanced diet. As your endurance builds and weight drops you will start going faster and pushing yourself harder, possibly exercising for a lot more than 18 or 27 minutes per day... In which case you will reach your exercise goals faster than expected.

27 minutes is less than 2% of your day. Isn't it worth 2% of your day to achieve your exercise goals?

INTERESTING NOTE: Compare below the stationary gym bicycle calories burned vs cycling on a real bicycle. You burn way more calories on a real bicycle because you are moving your own bodyweight, whereas on a gym spinning stationary bicycle you aren't moving any weight. You burn way more calories on a real bicycle - which means the people shelling out money for spin classes would be better off just buying a normal bicycle.

The chart below shows many different activities a person can do and how many calories a 200 lb person would burn in 6 minutes doing those activities. The two best for burning calories (and therefore losing weight) are running and bicycling.


Gym Activities Calories Burned in 6 Minutes (calculated for a 200 lb person)
Aerobics: low impact 45.4 Aerobics: high impact 63.6
Aerobics, Step: 6" - 8" step 77.2 Aerobics, Step: 10" - 12" step 90.9
Aerobics: water 36.3 Bicycling, Stationary: moderate, 150 watts 63.6
Bicycling, Stationary: vigorous, 200 watts 95.4 Calisthenics: Vigorous, jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, pullups 72.7
Calisthenics: Moderate, back exercises, going up and down from the floor 31.8 Circuit Training: w/some aerobic, minimal rest 72.7
Elliptical Trainer: general 65.4 Riders: general (ie., HealthRider) 36.3
Rowing, Stationary: moderate, 100 watts 63.6 Rowing, Stationary: vigorous, 150 watts 77.2
Ski Machine: general 63.6 Stair Step Machine: General, without supporting any bodyweight on hand rails  81.8
Stretching: Mild, Hatha Yoga 22.7 Teaching aerobics 54.5
Weight Lifting: Light, free weight, nautilus or universal-type 27.2 Weight Lifting: Vigorous, free weight, nautilus or universal-type 54.5
Training and Sport Activities Calories Burned in 6 Minutes
Archery: non-hunting 31.8 Badminton: general, social 40.9
Basketball: playing a game 72.7 Basketball: wheelchair 59
Basketball: shooting baskets40.9 Basketball: officiating a game 63.6
Billiards22.7 Bicycling: BMX or mountain 77.2
Bicycling: 12-13.9 mph, leisure, moderate effort 72.7 Bicycling: 14-15.9 mph, leisure racing, fast, vigorous 90.9
Bicycling: 16-19 mph, very fast, not drafting 109 Bicycling: > 20 mph, racing, not drafting 145.4
Bowling 27.2 Boxing: sparring 81.8
Boxing: punching bag 54.5 Boxing: in the ring 109
Coaching: football, soccer, basketball, etc. 36.3 Cricket: batting, bowling 45.4
Curling 36.3 Dancing: Fast, ballet, twist 43.6
Dancing: disco, ballroom, square, line, Irish step, polka 40.9 Dancing: slow, waltz, foxtrot, tango, fox trot 27.2
Fencing 54.5 Football: competitive 81.8
Football: touch, flag, general 72.7 Football or Baseball: playing catch 22.7
Frisbee: general 27.2 Frisbee: Ultimate 72.7
Golf: carrying clubs 40.9 Golf: using cart 31.8
Golf: driving range, miniature 27.2 Golf: walking and pulling clubs 39
Gymnastics: general 36.3 Hacky sack 36.3
Handball: general 109 Handball: team 72.7
Hang Gliding 31.8 Hiking: cross-country 54.5
Hockey: field & ice 72.7 Horseback Riding: general 36.3
Ice Skating: general 63.6 Kayaking 45.4
Martial Arts: judo, karate, kick boxing, tae kwan do 90.9 Motor-Cross 36.3
Orienteering 81.8 Polo 90.9
Race Walking 59 Racquetball: competitive 90.9
Racquetball: casual, general 63.6 Rock Climbing: ascending 100
Rock Climbing: rappelling 72.7 Rollerblade / In-Line Skating 113.6
Rope Jumping: general, moderate 90.9 Running: 5 mph (12 min/mile) 72.7
Running: 5.2 mph (11.5 min/mile) 81.8 Running: 6 mph (10 min/mile) 90.9
Running: 6.7 mph (9 min/mile) 100 Running: 7 mph (8.5 min/mile) 104.5
Running: 8.6 mph (7 min/mile) 127.2 Running: 10 mph (6 min/mile) 145.4
Running: training, pushing wheelchair, marathon wheeling 72.7 Running: cross-country 81.8
Running: stairs, up 136.3 Running: on track, team practice 90.9
Scuba or skin diving 63.6 Skateboarding 45.4
Skiing: cross-country, light effort, general, 2.5 mph 63.6 Skiing: cross-country, vigorous, 5.0 - 7.9 mph 85.7
Skiing: downhill, moderate effort 54.5 Skiing: downhill, vigorous effort, racing 72.7
Sky diving 31.8 Sledding, luge, toboggan, bobsled 63.6
Snorkeling 45.4 Snow Shoeing 72.7
Soccer: general 63.6 Soccer: competitive play 90.9
Softball or Baseball: slow or fast pitch, general 45.4 Softball: Officiating 36.3
Softball: pitching 54.5 Squash 109
Surfing: body or board 27.2 Swimming: general, leisurely, no laps 54.5
Swimming: laps, vigorous 90.9 Swimming: backstroke 63.6
Swimming: breaststroke 90.9 Swimming: butterfly 100
Swimming: crawl, moderate, 50 yds/min 72.7 Swimming: treading, moderate effort 72.7
Swimming: lake, ocean, river 54.5 Swimming: synchronized 72.7
Table Tennis / Ping Pong 36.3 Tai Chi 36.3
Tennis: singles, competitive 72.7 Tennis: doubles, competitive 45.4
Tennis: general play 63.6 Track & Field: shot, discus, hammer throw 36.3
Track & Field: high jump, long jump, triple jump, javelin, pole vault 54.5 Track & Field: steeplechase, hurdles 90.9
Volleyball: non-competitive, general play, 6 - 9 member team 27.2 Volleyball: competitive, gymnasium play 72.7
Volleyball: beach 72.7 Walk: 2 mph (30 min/mi) 22.7
Walk: 3 mph (20 min/mi) 30 Walk: 3.5 mph (17 min/mi) 34.5
Walk: 4 mph (15 min/mi) 45.4 Walk: 4.5 mph (13 min/mi) 57.2
Walk: 5 mph (12 min/mi) 72.7 Water Skiing 54.5
Water Polo 90.9 Water Volleyball 27.2
Whitewater: rafting, kayaking 45.4 Wrestling: one match = 5 minutes 54.5
Outdoor Home Maintenance / Improvement Activities 
Calories Burned in 6 Minutes
Carpentry, installing rain gutters, building fence 54.5 Carrying & stacking wood 45.4
Chopping & splitting wood 54.5 Cleaning rain gutters 45.4
Digging, spading dirt, composting 45.4 Gardening: general 36.3
Gardening: weeding 40.9 Laying sod / crushed rock 45.4
Mowing Lawn: push, hand 54.5 Mowing Lawn: push, power 50
Operate Snow Blower: walking 40.9 Paint outside of home 45.4
Planting seedlings, shrubs 40.9 Plant trees 40.9
Raking Lawn 39 Roofing 54.5
Sacking grass or leaves 36.3 Shoveling Snow: by hand 54.5
Storm Windows: hanging 45.4 Sweeping: garage, sidewalks, outside of house 36.3
Trimming shrubs/trees: manual cutter 40.9 Trimming: using edger, power cutter, etc. 31.8
Watering plants, by hand 22.7 Workshop: general carpentry 27.2
Yard: applying seed or fertilizer, walking 22.7 Yard: watering by hand, standing/walking 13.6
Indoor Home Repair / Improvement Activities
Calories Burned in 6 Minutes
Carpentry: finish or refinish furniture or cabinets 40.9 Caulking: bathroom, windows40.9
Crafts: Standing, light effort 16.3 Hang sheet rock, paper or plaster walls27.2
Lay or remove carpet/tile 40.9 Paint, paper, remodel: inside40.9
Sanding floors with a power sander 40.9 Wiring and Plumbing27.2
Home & Daily Life Activities Calories Burned in 6 Minutes
Child-care: bathing, feeding, etc. 27.2 Child games: moderate, hop-scotch, jacks, etc. 36.3
Cleaning House: general 27.2 Cleaning: light dusting, straightening up, taking out trash, etc. 22.7
Cooking / Food Preparation 18.1 Food Shopping: with or without cart 20.9
Heavy Cleaning: wash car, windows 27.2 Ironing 20.9
Making Bed 18.1 Moving: household furniture 54.5
Moving: carrying boxes 50.9 Moving: unpacking 31.8
Playing w/kids: moderate effort 36.3 Playing w/kids: vigorous effort 45.4
Reading: sitting 9 Standing in line 10.9
Standing: bathing dog 31.8 Sleeping 8.1
Vacuuming 31.8 Watching TV 9
Office Activities Calories Burned in 6 Minutes
Driving vehicle to work 18.1 Sitting: light office work, meeting13.6
Standing: filing, light work 20.9 Riding in a bus or vehicle to work9
Typing: Computer, electric or manual 13.6 Walking: work break31.8
Occupational Activities Calories Burned in 6 Minutes
Bartending/Server18.1 Bakery: general, moderate effort36.3
Building Road: hauling debris, driving heavy machinery 54.5 Carpentry Work 31.8
Coaching Sports 36.3 Coal Mining 54.5
Computer Work13.6 Construction: outside, remodeling50
Custodial Word: general cleaning, moderate effort 31.8 Electrical Work31.8
Firefighting109 Forestry, general72.7
Forestry: planting trees by hand54.5 Heavy Equip. Operator22.7
Horse Grooming54.5 Light Office Work 13.6
Locksmith 31.8 Masonry 63.6
Masseur, standing36.3 Moving / Pushing heavy objects >75 lbs. 68.1
Patient Care: Nursing 27.2 Plumbing 31.8
Police Officer: making an arrest 36.3 Printing: operator, standing 20.9
Sitting in Class 16.3 Shoe Repair: general 22.7
Steel Mill: general 72.7 Theater Work21.8
Truck Driving: loading and unloading truck 59 Welding 27.2

Exercise Vs Bullies and Depression

Exercise is an amazing thing for the human body.

It builds self-confidence. It keeps away depression. It burns calories. It builds muscles. It promotes better sleep.

And it deters bullies in school.

If the photo of the kid on the right looks familiar that is because it is a young Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was 14 years old.

He didn't start weight lifting and weight training until he was 15 years old. Before then his favourite sport was soccer.

And it certainly did not stunt his growth either. Weight lifting took a skinny teenager who had confidence issues and turned him into a weight training champion and later a Hollywood success story.

Parents these days worry about their kids a lot. They worry because their kids are being bullied in school, because their kids are moody and depressed, and they think they can solve these problems by taking the poor kid to a psychiatrist.

A psychiatrist who will often prescribe anti-depressants designed for adults for children.

I would argue however that teenagers are already going through enough hormonal problems that throwing anti-depressant medications into the mix causes a lot more harm than good. If anything anti-depressants are probably stunting their growth, contributing to childhood and teenage obesity rates - and worse - creating a culture of drug addiction within the child's mind.

In contrast exercise (not just weight lifting, any kind of exercise) is a natural remedy for depression. Exercise boosts a person's sense of well-being, their metabolism speeds up, they burn more fat, build more muscle, sleep better, and feel more positive about themselves.

That increased self confidence also means they can stand up to bullies / ignore bullies more easily, without feeling like a loser because they know they are better than the bully. (Bullies are inherently filled with their own feelings of inadequacy and usually take to bullying because they have troubles at home, have weight issues, feel they are less intelligent compared to other students, any number of causes.)

In other words thanks to boosted self-confidence and an increased lack of bullying the child becomes ever more confident in their own abilities - and yet often has a degree of humility because they remember where they once were in life.

Many parents often get their kids martial arts lessons when they discover their kids are being bullied, but honestly any kind of aggressive exercise would help dramatically. I say aggressive with respect to exercises that utilize weightlifting and resistance training, including many kinds of sports. So for example jogging simply isn't aggressive enough because it would only build leg muscles and endurance and would not build the same amount of self confidence that came with learning a sport like caber tossing.

Now admittedly your kids probably won't get into caber tossing. But this is just an example of many of the sports that kids can get into that are more physical and require a bit more brute strength and effort compared to other exercises that are comparatively not that difficult. Parents need to encourage their kids to try these more difficult sports so the kids have a chance to try something they might like, and the boosted confidence from doing it (even if they didn't like it) will stay with them for years.

Some parents even hire personal trainers for their kids in an effort to encourage their kid to enter a life of healthy exercise which will keep their child on a healthy track all their way through life. It probably won't lead to the Olympics or professional sports, but the child which grows into an adult will have many years of happiness and health ahead of them thanks to the parent who planned ahead and put some thought into their child's exercise regimen.

Speaking for myself my parents put me through numerous years of ice skating, swimming, boy scouts, and as I got older and started making my own decisions I got into cycling, archery, boxing, tae kwon do, freehand mountain climbing, and many other physical activities long before I became a personal trainer.

I am very thankful my parents took an active interest in my physical and mental well-being.

In our day and age, with the USA and Canada's cutbacks on physical education, the lowered interest of children with sports (and increased use of computers / electronic gadgets), it has become ever more important for parents to encourage children to engage in sports and physical activities.

Find something that your kids enjoy and encourage them to keep doing it. It doesn't matter whether it is ballet or parkour (although I recommend wearing a helmet for parkour) and find ways to add such activities to your child's weekly schedule so they are guaranteed to keep doing them for years to come.

And if it is an activity that both parents and child can take part in, so much the better!



Variants on Classic Weight Lifting

Chin Ups, Dips, Bicep Curls, Push Ups and Squats are five commonly used classic exercises that you can do at home and you won't need much in terms of equipment to do them. However if you are looking for more of a challenge you can also ramp up your workout a bit by trying new things.

Chin Ups

What do you need? A chin up bar.

Try lifting your legs up and pulling your knees in closer to your chest while in the middle of a chin up. Alternatively, try doing your chin ups really slowly - up slowly and down slowly. Or try doing chin ups with your legs at a 90 degree angle. Experiment with it and see what you can do! You can also do reverse grip chin ups, pulling behind your head chin ups, moving your legs backwards at the knees, holding your hands closer together or further apart...

Or even one handed chin ups!!!

Dips

What do you need? A chair or bench or table.

Dips are very easy to do, but if you want an extra challenge try raising one of your legs up and pulling your knee in towards your chest using your ab muscles.

Other variations include putting your feet on a stability ball or basketball, so you need to concentrate on your balance at the same time. (To make it easier in the beginning try wedging the stability ball into a corner so it doesn't shift around so easily.)

Bicep Curls

What do you need? Dumbbells.

Try the classic bicep curl with one foot raised or down on the floor balancing on both knees. By weight training and balancing simultaneously the entire core is worked, in addition to improving balance.



Push Ups

What do you need? Nothing really, just some empty space.

There are literally hundreds of ways to modify the classic push up. From speeding up or slowing down your usual pace, holding the "down" position for five seconds on every rep, touching your nose to the ground each time, to fingertip pushups, or simply elevating your feet. Changing up your push up is easy, and important. Other variations include: Using a stability ball under your hands or feet (or both), doing one push up and then alternating with one stability ball leg tuck. Also, push ups with alternating dumbbell rows for the back, or alternated with mountain climbers for an intense cardio and upper body workout. 



Squats

What do you need? Standing room.

Squats are safe, easy and work your core muscles plus most of your lower body. Squats can be combined with other exercises such as: overhead extension, bicep curls, and front raises. Squats can be made into cardio and co-ordination training by moving with your squats. To do this simply take a side-step, the squat, and repeat taking a step and squatting all in one direction, and then coming back again. You could also try plyometric squats. This power training exercise should only be attempted by intermediate exercisers with no lower body injuries. Go into a squat and when in a seated position, spring up by focusing the force in your quads and glutes. Your feet should come off the floor in a small but powerful jump.


Looking to sign up for archery lessons, boxing lessons, swimming lessons, ice skating lessons or personal training sessions? Start by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com and lets talk fitness!

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