"I'm going to cut carbs to lose weight"
Thousands of dieters have muttered those few words, many of them en route to a quick relapse into a tub of ice cream. The reason for this is that your body needs carbohydrates to fuel daily activities. Depriving your body of carbs is like depriving your car of gasoline (hence the fuel reference). The reality is that carb consumption is very important to achieving your fitness and dietary goals.
For fitness, carbs are the most biologically available energy that make your muscles perform. Without carbs, you won't make any progress in the gym. In fact, your performance will likely suffer.
For diets, carbs play a tremendous role in regulating your metabolism. When you stop taking in energy, your body realizes this and gradually slows its energy expenditure. Another name for this slowing your metabolism, and that is NOT great for those who want to lose weight. The problem with carb intake is that too much can lead to fat deposits. Therefore, we recommend to eat carbs earlier in the day, and gradually tailor them off towards the afternoon. Eating too many carbs at night can result in excess energy and fat storage.
Make sure that you get your carbs from whole grains and vegetables. That way, you reach your daily intake of fiber, and also maintain your blood glucose levels to reduce cravings to snack later in the day.
Of course, you will lose weight if you decrease your intake of carbohydrates. However, the most effective way to lose weight and prevent relapses is to moderately decrease carb and fat intake, maintain protein levels and a balanced overall nutrition (possibly with the help of a multi-vitamin).
Good luck, and if you have any questions feel free to comment.
Cheers,
CNC Fitness Team
For more tips, follow us @CNC_Fitness
Saturday 17 December 2011
Friday 16 September 2011
Should you be taking a multi?
Hi again followers,
Sorry for the short hiatus. I guess we've been trying to savour the last of the summer which, unfortunately has come to a close all to fast AGAIN. How have you been progressing since the last post? Have you been able to stick to your workout plan? Are you seeing results? Feeling better?
Today's quick post is about multivitamins. If you're currently taking a multivitamin, great! If not, hopefully by the end of this post I will have convinced you to at least take a look through our selection of products.
This may start to sound repetitive, but in previous posts I have mentioned that anyone increasing their level of activity also increases their nutritional requirements. This principle holds true for multivitamins. If you're not getting enough vitamins and minerals following a workout, your body is not going to be able to repair itself optimally. Plain and simple.
Multivitamins are recommended by nutrition specialists for everyday use, even in those who aren't increasing their level of physical activity. Folks at Harvard have concluded that the folic acid and vitamin D found in multivitamins can help with cardiovascular health, and lower the risk of several cancers. Folic acid is also incredibly important for young women and pregnant women, as it lowers the risk of developmental defects in newborns. Also recommended by Harvard, are these 5 tips for selecting a multivitamin:
Essentially, the average person should be on a multivitamin in addition to consuming a healthy diet. A multivitamin fills in the potential holes in your diet. For example, adult women require a lot more iron than adult men and many women fall short of their daily requirement. Look for a vitamin containing iron (for example http://completenutritioncanada.vitahub.com/Multi-For-Active-Women-120-Vegetable-Capsules.html) to help supplement your diet.
Men should try Opti-Men, its a great way to improve your diet and provide an energy boost to get you through the day. http://completenutritioncanada.vitahub.com/Opti-Men-Multivitamin-90-or-180-Tablets.html.
Again, for those with higher nutritional needs (you know who you are) we also carry vitamins that go above and beyond the daily dose that regular multivitamins get you. For example, Orange Triad is a best seller http://completenutritioncanada.vitahub.com/Orange-Triad-270-Tablets.html.
Hopefully this helps clarify what to look for when selecting a multivitamin. If you're still unsure, feel free to post questions to this blog, or talk to your healthcare practitioner.
Until next time, keep healthy.
The Complete Nutrition Canada Team
Sorry for the short hiatus. I guess we've been trying to savour the last of the summer which, unfortunately has come to a close all to fast AGAIN. How have you been progressing since the last post? Have you been able to stick to your workout plan? Are you seeing results? Feeling better?
Today's quick post is about multivitamins. If you're currently taking a multivitamin, great! If not, hopefully by the end of this post I will have convinced you to at least take a look through our selection of products.
This may start to sound repetitive, but in previous posts I have mentioned that anyone increasing their level of activity also increases their nutritional requirements. This principle holds true for multivitamins. If you're not getting enough vitamins and minerals following a workout, your body is not going to be able to repair itself optimally. Plain and simple.
Multivitamins are recommended by nutrition specialists for everyday use, even in those who aren't increasing their level of physical activity. Folks at Harvard have concluded that the folic acid and vitamin D found in multivitamins can help with cardiovascular health, and lower the risk of several cancers. Folic acid is also incredibly important for young women and pregnant women, as it lowers the risk of developmental defects in newborns. Also recommended by Harvard, are these 5 tips for selecting a multivitamin:
- Maintain a healthy diet
- Choose a daily multivitamin
- Think about vitamin D (aim for 1000-2000 IU per day)
- Don't need "megas" (unless you're doing intense resistance exercise)
- Avoid "super foods"
Essentially, the average person should be on a multivitamin in addition to consuming a healthy diet. A multivitamin fills in the potential holes in your diet. For example, adult women require a lot more iron than adult men and many women fall short of their daily requirement. Look for a vitamin containing iron (for example http://completenutritioncanada.vitahub.com/Multi-For-Active-Women-120-Vegetable-Capsules.html) to help supplement your diet.
Men should try Opti-Men, its a great way to improve your diet and provide an energy boost to get you through the day. http://completenutritioncanada.vitahub.com/Opti-Men-Multivitamin-90-or-180-Tablets.html.
Again, for those with higher nutritional needs (you know who you are) we also carry vitamins that go above and beyond the daily dose that regular multivitamins get you. For example, Orange Triad is a best seller http://completenutritioncanada.vitahub.com/Orange-Triad-270-Tablets.html.
Hopefully this helps clarify what to look for when selecting a multivitamin. If you're still unsure, feel free to post questions to this blog, or talk to your healthcare practitioner.
Until next time, keep healthy.
The Complete Nutrition Canada Team
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Changing Beverage Habits
Hi followers,
First, I'd like to thank you for sticking with us during our developmental stages. We've been trying hard to get our name out there in the health supplement industry, and know that our readers are a big part of that. Feel free to refer your friends to this site. With a larger community, our content will only get better. Thanks again for your support so far!
Now, lets get down to the beverage talk. I was inspired to write this post because of a recent article I read from Men's Health. The fact is, most North American's have significantly changed their beverage consumption over the past half century.
I've checked the literature, and some researchers have found that we consume nearly double the number of calories from beverages than our relatives did mere decades ago. That's a few hundred extra calories a day! Now, we haven't evolved an increasing need for fluids over the years, so what's up? Well, the main reason is the increasing popularity of soft (sweetened) drinks.
Soft drinks are mainly composed of high fructose corn syrup, which is sweet tasting, but is also a top source of empty calories. Empty calories refer to calories consumed that have little or no nutritional value. Cutting down on empty calories is one of the simplest modifications to your diet, because you're not depriving your body of any real nutrition.
So what can you substitute your soft drinks for? ANYTHING else. Have a glass a day of any of the following (no huge tricks here). Milk is an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals that are crucial to bone health, and is also shown to decrease your risk of some cancers. Juice that is NOT FROM CONCENTRATE and that has no added sugars, is usually a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin C (don't go drinking a litre of this a day). Tea/coffee can provide antioxidants and caffeine to your diet. Antioxidants, as I'm sure you've heard, are important for overall health and can reduce your risk of several cancers. Caffeine can provide a mental and physical boost for athletes in an armchair or on a field. Last but not least, water. I shouldn't have to explain this one to you.
Cut soft drinks from your diet and save having to work off the thousands of extra calories you consume in a year. I recommend substituting any of the above in place of that can of pop. Why not combine a few with a scoop of protein and make a shake?!?! Keeps you fuller for longer, and won't make you crash like that high fructose corn syrup does.
Until next time, keep striving for that healthier you!
Cheers,
Complete Nutrition Canada Team
First, I'd like to thank you for sticking with us during our developmental stages. We've been trying hard to get our name out there in the health supplement industry, and know that our readers are a big part of that. Feel free to refer your friends to this site. With a larger community, our content will only get better. Thanks again for your support so far!
Now, lets get down to the beverage talk. I was inspired to write this post because of a recent article I read from Men's Health. The fact is, most North American's have significantly changed their beverage consumption over the past half century.
I've checked the literature, and some researchers have found that we consume nearly double the number of calories from beverages than our relatives did mere decades ago. That's a few hundred extra calories a day! Now, we haven't evolved an increasing need for fluids over the years, so what's up? Well, the main reason is the increasing popularity of soft (sweetened) drinks.
Soft drinks are mainly composed of high fructose corn syrup, which is sweet tasting, but is also a top source of empty calories. Empty calories refer to calories consumed that have little or no nutritional value. Cutting down on empty calories is one of the simplest modifications to your diet, because you're not depriving your body of any real nutrition.
So what can you substitute your soft drinks for? ANYTHING else. Have a glass a day of any of the following (no huge tricks here). Milk is an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals that are crucial to bone health, and is also shown to decrease your risk of some cancers. Juice that is NOT FROM CONCENTRATE and that has no added sugars, is usually a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin C (don't go drinking a litre of this a day). Tea/coffee can provide antioxidants and caffeine to your diet. Antioxidants, as I'm sure you've heard, are important for overall health and can reduce your risk of several cancers. Caffeine can provide a mental and physical boost for athletes in an armchair or on a field. Last but not least, water. I shouldn't have to explain this one to you.
Cut soft drinks from your diet and save having to work off the thousands of extra calories you consume in a year. I recommend substituting any of the above in place of that can of pop. Why not combine a few with a scoop of protein and make a shake?!?! Keeps you fuller for longer, and won't make you crash like that high fructose corn syrup does.
Until next time, keep striving for that healthier you!
Cheers,
Complete Nutrition Canada Team
Monday 15 August 2011
One Simple Diet Change You MUST Make
Hi there fitness fans,
This post is for those of you who are new to the health supplement industry and are unsure where to start. In the past, "supplements" were only even considered by professional bodybuilders and highly trained athletes. However, over the past decade or so, research has shown that one supplement in particular has helped promote healthy weight loss and increase strength. I'm going to recommend this supplement to anyone who is beginning to increase their level of physical activity. Wondering what it is?? Whey protein!
As mentioned, the published postive effects of whey protein are well-known. A diet higher in protein helps you feel fuller for longer, makes your body work harder to digest, and helps build and repair skeletal muscle (burning more calories for longer). What more convincing do you need?
I recommend starting with one protein shake in the morning, either to complement or replace your breakfast. If you plan on using it to replace your breakfast, I suggest using a recipe that includes fruits, milk and a scoop of protein. Having protein in the morning will help you eat less throughout the day.
As far as types of whey protein are concerned, there are generally two kinds; whey isolate, and whey concentrate. The only difference is % of protein per scoop. For example, isolate may be 90% protein (27 g in 31 g scoop), whereas concentrate will be lower 60-80% protein (25 g in 31 g scoop). Price wise, isolate is slightly more expensive because of a more refined manufacturing process. For beginner to intermediate levels, I'd recommend a mixed protein, and for more experienced folks, an isolate would be better.
As always, make sure to read the labels before you buy the product. Per scoop, your protein should have less than 2 g of fat, and no more than 5g of carbohydrates.
One of the most popular whey protein products on the market is Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Gold Standard. Whey Gourmet is a great tasting product. A fantastic Canadian made product is Strive nutrition's PRO-ISL. Ultimately, you may need to try a few different products to find one that works the best for you. For more information on any of these products, or to research additional whey proteins, visit the Complete Nutrition Canada website at http://completenutritioncanada.vitahub.com (or find the link on the bottom of this blog).
Good luck and keep working hard to get healthier!
Complete Nutrition Canada team
This post is for those of you who are new to the health supplement industry and are unsure where to start. In the past, "supplements" were only even considered by professional bodybuilders and highly trained athletes. However, over the past decade or so, research has shown that one supplement in particular has helped promote healthy weight loss and increase strength. I'm going to recommend this supplement to anyone who is beginning to increase their level of physical activity. Wondering what it is?? Whey protein!
As mentioned, the published postive effects of whey protein are well-known. A diet higher in protein helps you feel fuller for longer, makes your body work harder to digest, and helps build and repair skeletal muscle (burning more calories for longer). What more convincing do you need?
I recommend starting with one protein shake in the morning, either to complement or replace your breakfast. If you plan on using it to replace your breakfast, I suggest using a recipe that includes fruits, milk and a scoop of protein. Having protein in the morning will help you eat less throughout the day.
As far as types of whey protein are concerned, there are generally two kinds; whey isolate, and whey concentrate. The only difference is % of protein per scoop. For example, isolate may be 90% protein (27 g in 31 g scoop), whereas concentrate will be lower 60-80% protein (25 g in 31 g scoop). Price wise, isolate is slightly more expensive because of a more refined manufacturing process. For beginner to intermediate levels, I'd recommend a mixed protein, and for more experienced folks, an isolate would be better.
As always, make sure to read the labels before you buy the product. Per scoop, your protein should have less than 2 g of fat, and no more than 5g of carbohydrates.
One of the most popular whey protein products on the market is Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Gold Standard. Whey Gourmet is a great tasting product. A fantastic Canadian made product is Strive nutrition's PRO-ISL. Ultimately, you may need to try a few different products to find one that works the best for you. For more information on any of these products, or to research additional whey proteins, visit the Complete Nutrition Canada website at http://completenutritioncanada.vitahub.com (or find the link on the bottom of this blog).
Good luck and keep working hard to get healthier!
Complete Nutrition Canada team
Wednesday 10 August 2011
The DL on BMR
Hi again followers,
Sorry for the brief hiatus. Had to take advantage of these hot summer days!
We briefly mentioned BMR (short for basal metabolic rate) in my last post about natural energy balance, and we thought we'd give you the quick run down on what exactly it is, and how you can manipulate it to look and feel better.
First and foremost, everybody's BMR is different. I'm sure everyone can identify a friend (or enemy) that seems to be able to eat anything and never gain any weight! Some refer to this as a "high metabolism", which basically means that they burn more energy at rest than the average person.
Let's think about our daily energy expenditure as a whole. Standing, sitting, walking, preparing food, and even typing on a computer can contribute to burning calories. BUT only 20% of the calories you burn in a day are attributed to physical activity. The largest portion of calories that you will burn daily are due to basal life processes. For example, breathing, your heart beating, and your kidney and liver function all burn calories. Together, all these processes represent a resting metabolic rate, because your body will consume this energy regardless. A great part about our resting metabolic rate is that it CAN be changed. Skeletal muscle makes up a large percentage of our resting metabolic rate, because it consumes energy even at rest. Therefore, adding more skeletal muscle to your frame can help you burn more calories even on days you aren't exercising. This is why many fitness trainers and health care professionals recommend resistance exercise for everyone.
Finally, the last 10% of calories you burn are due to thermogenic processes of digestion. Literally, your body spends energy breaking down the food you eat. Protein, by far, takes a lot more energy to break down. Therefore, a diet high in protein not only helps you build and repair muscle, but it takes more energy to digest! I strongly recommend adding whey protein to your everyday diet for this reason (check out our store for some great deals!).
I hope this helps clear up any questions you had about basal metabolic rate. The take away message is to add a little resistance exercise to your fitness plan. Adding more protein to your diet is important as well. Building skeletal muscle will not only make you look great, but it will help burn more calories in the future.
Stay healthy friends,
Complete Nutrition Canada team
Sorry for the brief hiatus. Had to take advantage of these hot summer days!
We briefly mentioned BMR (short for basal metabolic rate) in my last post about natural energy balance, and we thought we'd give you the quick run down on what exactly it is, and how you can manipulate it to look and feel better.
First and foremost, everybody's BMR is different. I'm sure everyone can identify a friend (or enemy) that seems to be able to eat anything and never gain any weight! Some refer to this as a "high metabolism", which basically means that they burn more energy at rest than the average person.
Let's think about our daily energy expenditure as a whole. Standing, sitting, walking, preparing food, and even typing on a computer can contribute to burning calories. BUT only 20% of the calories you burn in a day are attributed to physical activity. The largest portion of calories that you will burn daily are due to basal life processes. For example, breathing, your heart beating, and your kidney and liver function all burn calories. Together, all these processes represent a resting metabolic rate, because your body will consume this energy regardless. A great part about our resting metabolic rate is that it CAN be changed. Skeletal muscle makes up a large percentage of our resting metabolic rate, because it consumes energy even at rest. Therefore, adding more skeletal muscle to your frame can help you burn more calories even on days you aren't exercising. This is why many fitness trainers and health care professionals recommend resistance exercise for everyone.
Finally, the last 10% of calories you burn are due to thermogenic processes of digestion. Literally, your body spends energy breaking down the food you eat. Protein, by far, takes a lot more energy to break down. Therefore, a diet high in protein not only helps you build and repair muscle, but it takes more energy to digest! I strongly recommend adding whey protein to your everyday diet for this reason (check out our store for some great deals!).
I hope this helps clear up any questions you had about basal metabolic rate. The take away message is to add a little resistance exercise to your fitness plan. Adding more protein to your diet is important as well. Building skeletal muscle will not only make you look great, but it will help burn more calories in the future.
Stay healthy friends,
Complete Nutrition Canada team
Thursday 28 July 2011
Natural Energy Balance
Hi friends,
Today I'm going to talk breifly about nutrition, and how your body's requirements change according to how much additional exercise you WILL be doing. I've had the opportunity to take a few university level nutrition courses, and one of the most important (and basic) concepts that they teach is about natural energy balance.
Now what is natural energy balance? In truth, it's exactly as it sounds. It is all about intake (calories you eat) and output (calories you burn).
If Intake = Output, weight is maintained;
if Intake > Output, weight is gained;
if Intake < Output, weight is lost.
Simple, right? If your goal is to lose weight, all you need to do is make sure that your natural energy balance is negative. That is, your intake of calories is less than the calories you burn.
However, it is very important to understand that for healthy weight loss, you don't always need to change both sides of the natural energy balance equation. If your intake remains the same, but you increase your calorie burning activity, you're still in a negative energy balance, which means that you'll be losing weight.
If you want an extreme example, think of the Michael Phelps (Olympic swimmer) diet. He consumes 12 000 calories a day! (If you don't believe me check out this link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403803,00.html
To put it into perspective, the average adult male should consume no more than 2500 calories a day. How is Phelps still so fit? He spends a stupid amount of time in the pool and gym. His calorie expenditure in the gym, plus his basal metabolic rate (BMR; to be discussed in a future post) is equal to or greater than 12 000 each day. Now think of that next time you stop the treadmill early!
At first, try to make moderate changes to both sides of your natural energy balance. For example, switch out one soft drink a day, and take the stairs, and you're already on your way to losing a few pounds and getting healthier!
Until next time,
Ben
Complete Nutrition Canada
p.s. Feel free to comment on posts or ask questions!
Today I'm going to talk breifly about nutrition, and how your body's requirements change according to how much additional exercise you WILL be doing. I've had the opportunity to take a few university level nutrition courses, and one of the most important (and basic) concepts that they teach is about natural energy balance.
Now what is natural energy balance? In truth, it's exactly as it sounds. It is all about intake (calories you eat) and output (calories you burn).
If Intake = Output, weight is maintained;
if Intake > Output, weight is gained;
if Intake < Output, weight is lost.
Simple, right? If your goal is to lose weight, all you need to do is make sure that your natural energy balance is negative. That is, your intake of calories is less than the calories you burn.
However, it is very important to understand that for healthy weight loss, you don't always need to change both sides of the natural energy balance equation. If your intake remains the same, but you increase your calorie burning activity, you're still in a negative energy balance, which means that you'll be losing weight.
If you want an extreme example, think of the Michael Phelps (Olympic swimmer) diet. He consumes 12 000 calories a day! (If you don't believe me check out this link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403803,00.html
To put it into perspective, the average adult male should consume no more than 2500 calories a day. How is Phelps still so fit? He spends a stupid amount of time in the pool and gym. His calorie expenditure in the gym, plus his basal metabolic rate (BMR; to be discussed in a future post) is equal to or greater than 12 000 each day. Now think of that next time you stop the treadmill early!
At first, try to make moderate changes to both sides of your natural energy balance. For example, switch out one soft drink a day, and take the stairs, and you're already on your way to losing a few pounds and getting healthier!
Until next time,
Ben
Complete Nutrition Canada
p.s. Feel free to comment on posts or ask questions!
Tuesday 26 July 2011
Getting into a Routine
Hi folks,
One of the most important steps towards exercising more regularly is finding a routine that works for you. For some, this could mean waking up a half hour earlier a few days a week to walk or run. Others find it more convenient to exercise after work or later in the evening. The key message is that if you set a schedule, you'll find yourself making your appointments, instead of finding excuses not to. Personally, I prefer to go to the gym in the morning, and do outdoor activities in the evening. Some products, such as the Nike plus pedometer, can generate a schedule for you through its "coach" feature. It will let you know which days of the week you need to run, and for how long, to achieve your goals.
In future posts, I will elaborate on setting goals and how often you should exercise each week to achieve those goals. Until next time, try setting a schedule and sticking to it. For beginners, get out for a half hour walk on 3 mornings a week. If that's not enough for you, go for a run, or hit the gym! If you still find that you're having trouble getting motivated to exercise, I've found it extremely helpful to have a "workout buddy". Whether it's a friend, spouse, pet, or group of people, it's a lot harder to cancel on other people's efforts to get healthier. Make a competition out of it and watch your results soar. Get out there and be active!
Cheers,
Ben
Complete Nutrition Canada
One of the most important steps towards exercising more regularly is finding a routine that works for you. For some, this could mean waking up a half hour earlier a few days a week to walk or run. Others find it more convenient to exercise after work or later in the evening. The key message is that if you set a schedule, you'll find yourself making your appointments, instead of finding excuses not to. Personally, I prefer to go to the gym in the morning, and do outdoor activities in the evening. Some products, such as the Nike plus pedometer, can generate a schedule for you through its "coach" feature. It will let you know which days of the week you need to run, and for how long, to achieve your goals.
In future posts, I will elaborate on setting goals and how often you should exercise each week to achieve those goals. Until next time, try setting a schedule and sticking to it. For beginners, get out for a half hour walk on 3 mornings a week. If that's not enough for you, go for a run, or hit the gym! If you still find that you're having trouble getting motivated to exercise, I've found it extremely helpful to have a "workout buddy". Whether it's a friend, spouse, pet, or group of people, it's a lot harder to cancel on other people's efforts to get healthier. Make a competition out of it and watch your results soar. Get out there and be active!
Cheers,
Ben
Complete Nutrition Canada
Friday 22 July 2011
Welcome to the CNC Fitness blog!
Hi fellow fitness enthusiasts,
I'm very happy to introduce you to the first of hopefully many posts here at CNC Fitness blog! I guess my first post should tell you a little about who I am, and why I chose to start up this blog.
In my brief online profile, I mention that I'm a recent grad, and have a keen interest in both health promotion and physical activity. During my undergrad, I was by no means a gym rat, but I tried to spend a couple of hours a week doing resistance training, and another few playing various sports. The thought process was that all I had to do was spend a few hours a week doing "good" stuff for my body, so on weekends (and the odd weekday) I could enjoy more of the "bad" stuff, like drink beer and have all you can eat wings! They cancel each other out, right??
Look, I'm not going to discourage being physically active for most of the week so you can eat bacon on the weekends. At least that's a starting point! As long as your motivated to get to the gym and not sit at home watching Seinfeld reruns all night, I'm happy. And yes, there is something wrong with that!
That brings me to the purpose of this blog. One thing that I've noticed about online fitness materials and magazines is that a lot of them focus on high-end athletes, and have little or no instruction for beginner or intermediate exercisers. My goal is to provide some insight for people simply trying to get healthier. I'll do my best to touch on all aspects of fitness, including proper exercise techniques, nutrition, and even mental health. I may throw in a rant or two about various fad diets or fitness products as well. I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out!
What you'll notice about this blog is that I'll write it in easy to understand language that doesn't leave you scratching your head wondering what a latissimus dorsi is. And the absolute best thing about this instruction/opinion is that it's absolutely free! Even more, you're welcome to post comments on topics that you would like to hear about, and I can do my best to address them.
Thanks for reading, and keep pushing yourself to be healthier!
Ben
Complete Nutrition Canada
I'm very happy to introduce you to the first of hopefully many posts here at CNC Fitness blog! I guess my first post should tell you a little about who I am, and why I chose to start up this blog.
In my brief online profile, I mention that I'm a recent grad, and have a keen interest in both health promotion and physical activity. During my undergrad, I was by no means a gym rat, but I tried to spend a couple of hours a week doing resistance training, and another few playing various sports. The thought process was that all I had to do was spend a few hours a week doing "good" stuff for my body, so on weekends (and the odd weekday) I could enjoy more of the "bad" stuff, like drink beer and have all you can eat wings! They cancel each other out, right??
Look, I'm not going to discourage being physically active for most of the week so you can eat bacon on the weekends. At least that's a starting point! As long as your motivated to get to the gym and not sit at home watching Seinfeld reruns all night, I'm happy. And yes, there is something wrong with that!
That brings me to the purpose of this blog. One thing that I've noticed about online fitness materials and magazines is that a lot of them focus on high-end athletes, and have little or no instruction for beginner or intermediate exercisers. My goal is to provide some insight for people simply trying to get healthier. I'll do my best to touch on all aspects of fitness, including proper exercise techniques, nutrition, and even mental health. I may throw in a rant or two about various fad diets or fitness products as well. I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out!
What you'll notice about this blog is that I'll write it in easy to understand language that doesn't leave you scratching your head wondering what a latissimus dorsi is. And the absolute best thing about this instruction/opinion is that it's absolutely free! Even more, you're welcome to post comments on topics that you would like to hear about, and I can do my best to address them.
Thanks for reading, and keep pushing yourself to be healthier!
Ben
Complete Nutrition Canada
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