Great day today. Got up at 6am and went through my morning routine.
Then had some breakfast and started writing and working on a few projects that are coming up.
Here's how today's gone down thus far...
7:30am: The NEW Breakfast of Champions (see the video HERE)
10am: 2 homemade buttermilk pancakes w/farm fresh maple syrup (made by my beautiful wife)
12:30: Apple & pecans; 2 double espressos & lots of water
2pm: WORKOUT - Ran hills at Riverdale Park in Toronto (13 reps)
2:45: 500mls coconut water, bowl of berries
4pm: Late Lunch - spinach, red peppers, wax beans, black beans cooked w/tomato, onions & garlic
AJ's got a game tonight, so I'll be with the family for dinner. Not sure if I'll eat anything though b/c the beans filled me up. I may have a shake later on.
CL
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Tuesday's Journal
Got to bed really late last night. My wife was up working on a project, so on those nights, I like to stay up with her and get some stuff done as well. It helped that I didn't have an early client this morning, so I slept in until 7:30am.
Here's my nutrition for the day...
7:45am Breakfast: Ezekiel cinnamon & raisin cereal, banana, cocoa nibs, coconut, pecans & strawberry kefir
11am Early Lunch: Brown rice, (more) lentils & green beans; lots of water & 3 fish oil caps
1pm Snack: apple, more pecans & a double espresso (from Dark Horse Cafe in Toronto)
4pm workout....
started with some joint mobility and upper back stuff then...
1a) Chin-ups (on my door gym) 15, 12, 12
1b) Decline Push-ups (with my feet on a chair) 35, 25, 25
2) 5 minute KB Snatches: Finished with a total of 88 in 5 minutes (then did another 12 to get to 100)
3a) Towel KB Curls 3 x 10
3b) Close grip push-ups 3 x 20, 18, 23
5:30pm Dinner: Black beans cooked with onion, garlic, wax beans, red pepper & spinach; 3 fish oil caps and more water
6pm DESSERT: 1 scoop of President's Choice "Loads of Chocolatey Almond Bark" ice cream
That was a great way to finish off dinner...although I think my stomach will be paying for it in a few hours.
Here's my nutrition for the day...
7:45am Breakfast: Ezekiel cinnamon & raisin cereal, banana, cocoa nibs, coconut, pecans & strawberry kefir
11am Early Lunch: Brown rice, (more) lentils & green beans; lots of water & 3 fish oil caps
1pm Snack: apple, more pecans & a double espresso (from Dark Horse Cafe in Toronto)
4pm workout....
started with some joint mobility and upper back stuff then...
1a) Chin-ups (on my door gym) 15, 12, 12
1b) Decline Push-ups (with my feet on a chair) 35, 25, 25
2) 5 minute KB Snatches: Finished with a total of 88 in 5 minutes (then did another 12 to get to 100)
3a) Towel KB Curls 3 x 10
3b) Close grip push-ups 3 x 20, 18, 23
5:30pm Dinner: Black beans cooked with onion, garlic, wax beans, red pepper & spinach; 3 fish oil caps and more water
6pm DESSERT: 1 scoop of President's Choice "Loads of Chocolatey Almond Bark" ice cream
That was a great way to finish off dinner...although I think my stomach will be paying for it in a few hours.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Weekend's Workout and Today's Nutrition and Training
I ran hills this Friday and then hit the KBs on Saturday for this workout...
Plank: 2mins
Side Plank R:60s L:60s
Hip Bridge: 3mins
Walking KB Press: 16, 16, 20 (w/24kg KBs)
OH Walk Back x 3
Inverted Rows: 12, 15, 15 (using my blast straps attached to the frame of the gate in my backyard)
KB Swings x 100: 50, 50 (w/32kg KB)
That was it. A nice light workout.
Sunday, I focused on just doing some yard work and some demo on the old shed in the backyard. Very unstructured.
Nutrition today...
7am - Breakfast - Green Tea; Bowl of Ezekiel Cereal w/banana, walnuts, cocoa nibs, coconut & kefir and then I downed 3 fish oil caps
11am - Bowl of Lentils cooked in low-sodium chicken broth and then sauteed with onions, garlic, tomatoes & tomato paste.
Then training. Today's workout...
1) KB Push Presses 5 x 5 @ 24kg
2a) KB Front Squats 10, 12, 16 @ 2x16kg KBs
2b) KB Windmill 6, 8, 8 @ 16kg KB
2c) Renegade Rows 16, 20, 20 @ 16kg KB
2c) Renegade Rows 16, 20, 20 @ 16kg KB
3) 2-Arm Swings x 100 @ 32kg KB
Post workout: coconut milk, banana, vega supplement
Dinner: chicken breast, steamed green beans & lentils
Dinner: chicken breast, steamed green beans & lentils
Friday, June 26, 2009
Baby #5 is a.......
Check out the video that I just posted to find out the gender of FitAndBusyBABY #5....
=>The FitAndBusyDad BIG Announcement
It's our 9th Wedding Anniversary this weekend, so that my mean that I'll be indulging in some cheesecake.
I'll keep you posted.
Happy Friday!!!!
CL
=>The FitAndBusyDad BIG Announcement
It's our 9th Wedding Anniversary this weekend, so that my mean that I'll be indulging in some cheesecake.
I'll keep you posted.
Happy Friday!!!!
CL
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday Training & Nutrition
I packed my trunk this morning with my 40lb rope, a 70lb sandbag, a 24kg kettlebell and my blast straps and now I'm off to Oakville, Ontario (about an hour outside Toronto) for the day to meet with some of my fitness business buddies to go through a crazy outdoor workout and then some business brainstorming.
It should make for a good workout and a great day.
Any chance you get to train (and meet) with a group of like-minded individuals, I suggest you take it. It could make the difference in your obtaining results and acehieving your goals or just staying where you are right now (both in your fitness efforts and your business success).
Yesterday's training day went quite well. I didn't have a lot of time (surprise, surprise), but was still able to get a great workout in. Here's what went down...
1) BB Push Press - worked up to 2 sets of 8 @ 135lbs
2) DB Row - 8 x80, 8 x90, 8 x 100 (my gym doesn't have anything higher than 100lb dumbbells, so it looks like I'll be trying to rep out with the 100s until I get bored)
3a) Close grip chin-up - 4 sets of 6
3b) DB Tricep Ext - 4 sets of 6 @ 35lbs
4) 200 KB swings w/a 36kg kettlebell
Nutrition yesterday was pretty routine as well.
6am - apple, blueberries, peacans, cocoa nibs & 2 cups of green tea
9am (post workout) - 2 sweet potato pancakes w/butter & maple syrup; 1 bowl of Ezekial cereal with 1/2 cup coconut milk & a banana
Then I FASTED until I woke up this morning and had a 3 egg omellette w/mushrooms, onions & peppers and 1/2 an avocado w/salsa. I also had a lot of water and a double espresso.
I'll be sure to film some video of the crazy stuff we're doing for our workout today.
Stay tuned for that, I'll post it for next week.
Have a productive day. I'm off to MASTERMIND now!
Chris
the FitAndBusyDad
It should make for a good workout and a great day.
Any chance you get to train (and meet) with a group of like-minded individuals, I suggest you take it. It could make the difference in your obtaining results and acehieving your goals or just staying where you are right now (both in your fitness efforts and your business success).
Yesterday's training day went quite well. I didn't have a lot of time (surprise, surprise), but was still able to get a great workout in. Here's what went down...
1) BB Push Press - worked up to 2 sets of 8 @ 135lbs
2) DB Row - 8 x80, 8 x90, 8 x 100 (my gym doesn't have anything higher than 100lb dumbbells, so it looks like I'll be trying to rep out with the 100s until I get bored)
3a) Close grip chin-up - 4 sets of 6
3b) DB Tricep Ext - 4 sets of 6 @ 35lbs
4) 200 KB swings w/a 36kg kettlebell
Nutrition yesterday was pretty routine as well.
6am - apple, blueberries, peacans, cocoa nibs & 2 cups of green tea
9am (post workout) - 2 sweet potato pancakes w/butter & maple syrup; 1 bowl of Ezekial cereal with 1/2 cup coconut milk & a banana
Then I FASTED until I woke up this morning and had a 3 egg omellette w/mushrooms, onions & peppers and 1/2 an avocado w/salsa. I also had a lot of water and a double espresso.
I'll be sure to film some video of the crazy stuff we're doing for our workout today.
Stay tuned for that, I'll post it for next week.
Have a productive day. I'm off to MASTERMIND now!
Chris
the FitAndBusyDad
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
California Sandwiches
OK, so in an effort of full disclosure and transparency, I'm not going to hold back and I'm telling you EVERYTHING that I ate for dinner last night.
No back ground story.
No excuses.
Here's what I ate...
-1 full spicy steak sandwich loaded with tomato sauce, hot peppers, mushrooms & onions on a big a$$ kaiser bun from the famous California Sandwiches in Toronto.
-Then I downed about a cup of chocolate milk (it was Frankie's, she didn't finish it, and I like chocolate milk).
It was delicious.
I ate it absolutely guilt-free without hesitation. It's nice actually having a good relationship with food and to not be stressed about what I eat.
I've seen too many clients (women especially) stress themselves out about eating a rice cake or a piece of FRUIT(!!!!) that it makes them crazy.
The last thing I would want my girls (by that I mean my 4 young daughters) to see how stressed we are about eating. That doesn't really pave the way for a good food-self relationship for them later on.
There's enough concern today with eating disorders and self-image issues, that the last thing I would want is for my kids to see their healthy, fit, lean parents fretting over eating a sandwich.
So, I enjoyed a great family meal (my kids love California Sandwiches) after AJ's game (she lost unfortunately) and then we headed home.
I finished the night off with some carrots & hummus while I tied up a few loose ends.
Up this morning at 6am. I had some blueberries, walnuts, coconut & cocoa nibs for breakfast and am ready to hit the gym early for a quick upper body session.
More nutrition and the workout summary later today.
Enjoy your day!
Chris
E
No back ground story.
No excuses.
Here's what I ate...
-1 full spicy steak sandwich loaded with tomato sauce, hot peppers, mushrooms & onions on a big a$$ kaiser bun from the famous California Sandwiches in Toronto.
-Then I downed about a cup of chocolate milk (it was Frankie's, she didn't finish it, and I like chocolate milk).
It was delicious.
I ate it absolutely guilt-free without hesitation. It's nice actually having a good relationship with food and to not be stressed about what I eat.
I've seen too many clients (women especially) stress themselves out about eating a rice cake or a piece of FRUIT(!!!!) that it makes them crazy.
The last thing I would want my girls (by that I mean my 4 young daughters) to see how stressed we are about eating. That doesn't really pave the way for a good food-self relationship for them later on.
There's enough concern today with eating disorders and self-image issues, that the last thing I would want is for my kids to see their healthy, fit, lean parents fretting over eating a sandwich.
So, I enjoyed a great family meal (my kids love California Sandwiches) after AJ's game (she lost unfortunately) and then we headed home.
I finished the night off with some carrots & hummus while I tied up a few loose ends.
Up this morning at 6am. I had some blueberries, walnuts, coconut & cocoa nibs for breakfast and am ready to hit the gym early for a quick upper body session.
More nutrition and the workout summary later today.
Enjoy your day!
Chris
E
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tuesday's Eating For Energy
Up early again this morning (although it was really tough getting out of bed). Tuesday mornings are always hard because there's usually a boat load of stuff I need to do...
-get breakfast ready for myself, Rozanne & the kids
-get lunches ready
-pack my snacks
-get the garbage sorted and out to the curb
I did all the above this morning EXCEPT the garbage (the city workers here in Toronto are on strike, so nobody's collecting garbage right now). Just in time for the summer weather. Now the entire city will smell great.
On a brighter note, I just put a downloadable interview up on my other BLOG with my friend Yuri Elkaim where we really break down plant-based diets. You can download that interview for FREE HERE...
=>FitAndBusyDad Interview with Yuri Elkaim
I've implemented several of Yuri's strategies to get more plants (fruits & veggies) into my diet with great success. I suggest you listen to the interview (you can download it onto your iPod) and see what you can pull out of it.
No workout today. AJ's "5th Grade Graduation" is this afternoon, so my day is cut short. I've done a lot of walking and am on my bike today (it's beautiful outside), so that'll count for my activity.
Here's what I've eaten today so far...
5:30am - Bowl of Ezekial cereal w/1/2 cup organic cocnut milk & a banana
8am - handful of pecans, an apple & green tea
11am - double espresso from Dark Horse Cafe in Toronto & lots of water
I'll be heading home as soon as I finish some studying and then I'll have lunch before we head over to AJ's school for graduation.
Tonight will be challenge because AJ has a game and we always go out afterwards to celebrate (it's also my father-in-law's birthday today). Either way - if I eat crappy or not - I'll let you know.
Have a great day,
Chris
PS Don't forget to check out that interview...
=>FitAndBusyDad Interview with Yuri Elkaim
-get breakfast ready for myself, Rozanne & the kids
-get lunches ready
-pack my snacks
-get the garbage sorted and out to the curb
I did all the above this morning EXCEPT the garbage (the city workers here in Toronto are on strike, so nobody's collecting garbage right now). Just in time for the summer weather. Now the entire city will smell great.
On a brighter note, I just put a downloadable interview up on my other BLOG with my friend Yuri Elkaim where we really break down plant-based diets. You can download that interview for FREE HERE...
=>FitAndBusyDad Interview with Yuri Elkaim
I've implemented several of Yuri's strategies to get more plants (fruits & veggies) into my diet with great success. I suggest you listen to the interview (you can download it onto your iPod) and see what you can pull out of it.
No workout today. AJ's "5th Grade Graduation" is this afternoon, so my day is cut short. I've done a lot of walking and am on my bike today (it's beautiful outside), so that'll count for my activity.
Here's what I've eaten today so far...
5:30am - Bowl of Ezekial cereal w/1/2 cup organic cocnut milk & a banana
8am - handful of pecans, an apple & green tea
11am - double espresso from Dark Horse Cafe in Toronto & lots of water
I'll be heading home as soon as I finish some studying and then I'll have lunch before we head over to AJ's school for graduation.
Tonight will be challenge because AJ has a game and we always go out afterwards to celebrate (it's also my father-in-law's birthday today). Either way - if I eat crappy or not - I'll let you know.
Have a great day,
Chris
PS Don't forget to check out that interview...
=>FitAndBusyDad Interview with Yuri Elkaim
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday's Workout & Nutrition
Yesterday was my first workout back in the gym after a couple of weeks of bodyweight, kettlebell & sandbag workouts.
I really focused on taking things nice and easy really "re-introducing" my body to squatting again.
Here's what went down...
1) Front Squats - worked up to 3 x 8 @ 135
2) Chin-ups - 5, 5 @ 35lbs, 4 @ 45lbs, 10
3a) Dips - 2 x 12
3b) BB Bicep Curls - 2 x 12 @ 75lbs
Done.
Training time (including warm-up) = 32 minutes
Here's what I ate yesterday...
530am - Organic sprouted grain cereal w/coconut milk & banana; 2 cups green tea
730am - 1 tsp coconut oil
1030am - apple, cashew butter, coconut flakes, cocoa nibs, pecans
1pm - 1 banana, 1 double espresso
330pm - 500mLs coconut water
5pm - carrots & hummus
Tonight, I get a treat because Rozanne's making dinner -
Lasagne from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook (I think it's got cauliflower & sweet potato in it?). I'll have that w/an arugula salad and 1/2 an avocado.
Practice with AJ's team tonight and then an early bedtime. Up again at 5am tomorrow.
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
I really focused on taking things nice and easy really "re-introducing" my body to squatting again.
Here's what went down...
1) Front Squats - worked up to 3 x 8 @ 135
2) Chin-ups - 5, 5 @ 35lbs, 4 @ 45lbs, 10
3a) Dips - 2 x 12
3b) BB Bicep Curls - 2 x 12 @ 75lbs
Done.
Training time (including warm-up) = 32 minutes
Here's what I ate yesterday...
530am - Organic sprouted grain cereal w/coconut milk & banana; 2 cups green tea
730am - 1 tsp coconut oil
1030am - apple, cashew butter, coconut flakes, cocoa nibs, pecans
1pm - 1 banana, 1 double espresso
330pm - 500mLs coconut water
5pm - carrots & hummus
Tonight, I get a treat because Rozanne's making dinner -
Lasagne from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook (I think it's got cauliflower & sweet potato in it?). I'll have that w/an arugula salad and 1/2 an avocado.
Practice with AJ's team tonight and then an early bedtime. Up again at 5am tomorrow.
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
17 Exercise Hacks.
I got up extra early today because I was supposed to take a client earlier than usual. I wake up and the gift of time is given to me because I check my email box, and he's cancelled for the morning.
Sweet. I just gained an hour.
So, at 5am this morning, I make myself a nice breakfast of whole, sprouted grain cereal with coconut milk & a banana and a cup of green tea and I write this article...
=>Exercise Hacks: 17 Ways to Get Results FASTER
I'll have the rest of my nutrition and training information for you later today.
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
Sweet. I just gained an hour.
So, at 5am this morning, I make myself a nice breakfast of whole, sprouted grain cereal with coconut milk & a banana and a cup of green tea and I write this article...
=>Exercise Hacks: 17 Ways to Get Results FASTER
I'll have the rest of my nutrition and training information for you later today.
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
Friday, June 19, 2009
Happy Father's Day, Guys
I got nothing today.
It's been a tiring week full of ups and downs.
Just watch this video...
=>FitAndBusyDad "no-pitch, no-sales, no-gimics" Father's Day Video
Enjoy and relax this weekend.
You deserve it, Pops!
Happy Father's Day!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
It's been a tiring week full of ups and downs.
Just watch this video...
=>FitAndBusyDad "no-pitch, no-sales, no-gimics" Father's Day Video
Enjoy and relax this weekend.
You deserve it, Pops!
Happy Father's Day!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
Thursday, June 18, 2009
What Do You Guys Want For Father's Day?
I just posted my "wish list" for Father's Day on my NEW BLOG.
It's nothing huge, and there's nothing out of the ordinary. Hopefully my wife will read it and get some ideas. (Although, somehow I don't think she'll be able to transport the 300lb tractor tire). Check out the list HERE...
=>FitAndBusyDad's Father's Day Wish List
Yesterday went as expected. No workout, just a nice 30 minute walk in downtown Toronto while I was running some errands.
Nutrition-wise, I had an apple, some berries, a banana and a couple of handfuls of walnuts for breakfast.
Lunch was a chick-pea salad that I made in 5 minutes.
I had a snack of carrots and hummus around 4pm .
And then my father-in-law took us out for dinner where I had 3 fish tacos with fresh guacamole and I split a steak with my oldest daughter.
Good stuff. REAL Food. Nothing Better.
Today, I'm experimenting with a new workout. I'll be back on my regular schedule of workouts next week.
Enjoy Your Day!
Chris, the F&BDad
P.S. Apparently there are a lot of wives out there that haven't bought a Father's Day Present for their husbands yet. As a result (and a request) I've extended the FATHER'S DAY PROMO until tomorrow at midnight!
=>Pick up your copies of the EXCLUSIVE BONUSES for the FitAndBusyDad Father's Day promo!!!
It's nothing huge, and there's nothing out of the ordinary. Hopefully my wife will read it and get some ideas. (Although, somehow I don't think she'll be able to transport the 300lb tractor tire). Check out the list HERE...
=>FitAndBusyDad's Father's Day Wish List
Yesterday went as expected. No workout, just a nice 30 minute walk in downtown Toronto while I was running some errands.
Nutrition-wise, I had an apple, some berries, a banana and a couple of handfuls of walnuts for breakfast.
Lunch was a chick-pea salad that I made in 5 minutes.
I had a snack of carrots and hummus around 4pm .
And then my father-in-law took us out for dinner where I had 3 fish tacos with fresh guacamole and I split a steak with my oldest daughter.
Good stuff. REAL Food. Nothing Better.
Today, I'm experimenting with a new workout. I'll be back on my regular schedule of workouts next week.
Enjoy Your Day!
Chris, the F&BDad
P.S. Apparently there are a lot of wives out there that haven't bought a Father's Day Present for their husbands yet. As a result (and a request) I've extended the FATHER'S DAY PROMO until tomorrow at midnight!
=>Pick up your copies of the EXCLUSIVE BONUSES for the FitAndBusyDad Father's Day promo!!!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Kettlebell Workout for Fat Loss
Well, things yesterday didn't shape up quite the way I had planned. But truthfully, when does it ever when you've got kids?
<***That's one of the things about being a parent...You can plan and prepare and ready yourself for the day, but nobody knows what kind of pitch you're going to get. It's just a matter of being reactive sometimes and just rolling with the punches. We don't have "help" (re: a nanny) at home (nor do we want one). So when someone's sick, I luckily have some flex in my schedule to stay home with the kids if Rozanne has an important appointment.***>
It turned out that AJ and Joey got bit by some flu bug and as a result, I ended up staying home with them (and Frankie & Mikey who aren't in school yet) while Rozanne went to the ultrasound appointment by herself.
It was nice spending time with the girls. After a few stories in the afternoon, they all ended up taking a nap in my bed...all 4 of them in one bed.
When the baby arrives in November, we're going to need a bigger bed.
While they were napping, I was able to get in "Day 1" of the KB Crusher Program. You can watch a video of Day 1 on my NEW BLOG HERE...
=>The EXCLUSIVE FitAndBusyDad KB Crusher Program: Day 1
Nutrition yesterday was pretty good. I woke up and had an apple & banana with some pecans and washed that down with a really good Organic Jasmine Green Tea that I got from the Tea Emporium here in Toronto. Then I made myself and Frankie a veggie omelette and took some fish oil caps with it.
For Lunch (and after my workout) I had some of the left over spaghetti from the night before.
And then for dinner I had one of those Organic Grass Fed burgers from the Burger Shoppe on Queen East here in Toronto.
Today, I think I'll take it easy. I'll probably go for a walk with the family later on in the day and maybe do some work on the deck when I get home.
Enjoy your day!
Chris, The F&BD
P.S. Today's the LAST DAY for the Great Father's Day Giveaway Promo on FitAndBusyDad.com. Make sure to grab your 3 Bonuses before they go back in the vault at midnight tonight!
=>Grab the FitAndBusyDad Father's Day Giveaway EXCLUSIVE Bonus Package!!!
<***That's one of the things about being a parent...You can plan and prepare and ready yourself for the day, but nobody knows what kind of pitch you're going to get. It's just a matter of being reactive sometimes and just rolling with the punches. We don't have "help" (re: a nanny) at home (nor do we want one). So when someone's sick, I luckily have some flex in my schedule to stay home with the kids if Rozanne has an important appointment.***>
It turned out that AJ and Joey got bit by some flu bug and as a result, I ended up staying home with them (and Frankie & Mikey who aren't in school yet) while Rozanne went to the ultrasound appointment by herself.
It was nice spending time with the girls. After a few stories in the afternoon, they all ended up taking a nap in my bed...all 4 of them in one bed.
When the baby arrives in November, we're going to need a bigger bed.
While they were napping, I was able to get in "Day 1" of the KB Crusher Program. You can watch a video of Day 1 on my NEW BLOG HERE...
=>The EXCLUSIVE FitAndBusyDad KB Crusher Program: Day 1
Nutrition yesterday was pretty good. I woke up and had an apple & banana with some pecans and washed that down with a really good Organic Jasmine Green Tea that I got from the Tea Emporium here in Toronto. Then I made myself and Frankie a veggie omelette and took some fish oil caps with it.
For Lunch (and after my workout) I had some of the left over spaghetti from the night before.
And then for dinner I had one of those Organic Grass Fed burgers from the Burger Shoppe on Queen East here in Toronto.
Today, I think I'll take it easy. I'll probably go for a walk with the family later on in the day and maybe do some work on the deck when I get home.
Enjoy your day!
Chris, The F&BD
P.S. Today's the LAST DAY for the Great Father's Day Giveaway Promo on FitAndBusyDad.com. Make sure to grab your 3 Bonuses before they go back in the vault at midnight tonight!
=>Grab the FitAndBusyDad Father's Day Giveaway EXCLUSIVE Bonus Package!!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday Training & Episode 2 of My Home Gym DIY
Training went well yesterday. I'm in the process of revamping what I'm doing for training these days so I'm messing around with a bunch of different things. Yesterday's workout was pretty unstructured. I did it outside (it was beautiful yesterday)...
1a) Sandbag Clean, Squat & Press x 45s x 3 sets
1b) Chin-ups using my blast straps x 3 sets (16, 12 & 12)
2a) Decline Close Grip Push-Ups x 30s x 3 sets (37, 30 & 26)
2b) 100 KB Swings with a 72lb KB (50, 30, 20)
Afterward, we took Frankie to the doctor to get a shot (ouch!) and then I enjoyed a nice lunch of fresh PEI mussels in a really spicy tomato sauce with garlic bread & a salad on the side.
Dinner last night was homemade spaghetti in meat sauce (the beef I used was grass-fed and I loaded the sauce up with red peppers, mushrooms, zucchini & shredded carrots).
We're off to the hospital today for an ultrasound to see the new baby!
The backyard project is going well. Here's how the progress is coming along...
=>My Home Gym DIY Project: Episode #2
Enjoy your day!
CL, The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Have you picked up your EXCLUSIVE FATHER'S DAY BONUSES yet? Go get'em because they're gone on Wednesday @ midnight!
=>Pick-up the FitAndBusyDad EXCLUSIVE FATHER'S DAY BONUSES
1a) Sandbag Clean, Squat & Press x 45s x 3 sets
1b) Chin-ups using my blast straps x 3 sets (16, 12 & 12)
2a) Decline Close Grip Push-Ups x 30s x 3 sets (37, 30 & 26)
2b) 100 KB Swings with a 72lb KB (50, 30, 20)
Afterward, we took Frankie to the doctor to get a shot (ouch!) and then I enjoyed a nice lunch of fresh PEI mussels in a really spicy tomato sauce with garlic bread & a salad on the side.
Dinner last night was homemade spaghetti in meat sauce (the beef I used was grass-fed and I loaded the sauce up with red peppers, mushrooms, zucchini & shredded carrots).
We're off to the hospital today for an ultrasound to see the new baby!
The backyard project is going well. Here's how the progress is coming along...
=>My Home Gym DIY Project: Episode #2
Enjoy your day!
CL, The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Have you picked up your EXCLUSIVE FATHER'S DAY BONUSES yet? Go get'em because they're gone on Wednesday @ midnight!
=>Pick-up the FitAndBusyDad EXCLUSIVE FATHER'S DAY BONUSES
Monday, June 15, 2009
Father's Day Comes Early!!!
The past couple of weeks have been crazy for me. My workouts have suffered a bit as far as performance and consistency is concerned. It's all because of the various projects that I've been working on.Nonetheless, my nutrition has been good and I still have been able to get my workouts in.
For example, Saturday afternoon, outside on the new deck I did the BRAND NEW FitAndBusyDad KETTLEBELL 300 workout. This workout combines some of the toughest kettlebell exercises in a high-rep timed workout format similar to the original 300 workout. I did...
-Turkish Get-Ups (or TGUs)
-Front Squats
-Snatches
-1 and 2-arm swings
-Windmills
It was pretty tough and I wanted to quit...but I didn't.
And it felt great!!!
You can get the KB 300, in addition to 7 other new FitAndBusyDad Workouts, in the new FitAndBusyDad 300 (& Beyond) workout manual that I released today.
From now until Wednesday at midnight I'm offering the FBD 300, the new Kettlebell Crusher workout and the much anticipated FitAndBusyDad Meal Plans Book for FREE when you get the complete FitAndBusyDad Workout Package!
=>Pick-up the FitAndBusyDad Father's Day Package with the 3 EXCLUSIVE BONUSES!!!
So now it's back to regular workouts trying in an effort in trying to add some meat to my frame.
I'll let you know tomorrow how I do with it all. It should be an interesting week!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Don't forget that my EARLY FATHER'S DAY PRESENT giveaway ends on Wednesday at midnight, so...
=>Grab your copy of the FitAndBusyDad Workouts today!!!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Video Friday!!! My DIY Project - I'm Building a Home Gym
I'm sitting at Darkhorse Espresso this morning enjoying my first (and only) espresso of the day.
It's been a hectic week because I've had several projects on the go and one major one is just coming to completion.
As a result, I haven't been able to get to the gym. Nonetheless, I still managed to get my workouts in yesterday and on Tuesday using kettlebells and the cool sandbag that my buddy Josh Henkin from Arizona gave me. (I'll have a video up of what I did with the sandbag next week).
Nutrition has been great as well. Because I've been working so much, Rozanne (my wife) offered to make "breakfast for dinner" last night. So we enjoyed a feast of pancakes, blueberries & farmer's sausages and pure maple syrup from our friend's farm! It can't get any better than that!
Anyway, one of my major projects has been turning my backyard into a livable and functional space for our family. Check out my NEW BLOG and see what I'm doing with my backyard...
=>The FitAndBusyDad DIY Backyard Home Gym Project: Episode 1
Have a great weekend, guys!!!
Make sure to check back on Monday for an early Father's Day Gift!!!
Chris
It's been a hectic week because I've had several projects on the go and one major one is just coming to completion.
As a result, I haven't been able to get to the gym. Nonetheless, I still managed to get my workouts in yesterday and on Tuesday using kettlebells and the cool sandbag that my buddy Josh Henkin from Arizona gave me. (I'll have a video up of what I did with the sandbag next week).
Nutrition has been great as well. Because I've been working so much, Rozanne (my wife) offered to make "breakfast for dinner" last night. So we enjoyed a feast of pancakes, blueberries & farmer's sausages and pure maple syrup from our friend's farm! It can't get any better than that!
Anyway, one of my major projects has been turning my backyard into a livable and functional space for our family. Check out my NEW BLOG and see what I'm doing with my backyard...
=>The FitAndBusyDad DIY Backyard Home Gym Project: Episode 1
Have a great weekend, guys!!!
Make sure to check back on Monday for an early Father's Day Gift!!!
Chris
Monday, June 8, 2009
23 Rules for Living a FitAndBusyDad Life
We just finished another crazy weekend. AJ had a soccer tournament. We took the kids out on Saturday night to watch fireworks. Frankie had a huge birthday party yesterday.
Family life is fun...but it's tiring! My weekends seem to be busier than my work week!
Over the past 11 years, I've noticed some things. Observations, if you will. Things that I have had to learn the hard way, but eventually have led to a somewhat successful life. (Keep in mind that success is defined differently for different people. My definition of success is a little unconventional).
Over this time, I've compiled a list of 23 things that are now almost a manifesto on how I live my life. I haven't mastered life by any means. But these 23 "rules" are what have lead to me living a happy, healthy and somewhat sane life as a FitAndBusyDad to a beautiful family.
I'd like to share these things with you now...
23 Rules for Living a FitAndBusyDad Life
1. Train with intensity and don't waste your time with cardio if you want to lose weight and stay healthy.
2. Eat REAL food.
3. Your family comes first. Not money, not work, not unnecessary things.
4. Years 1 thru 5 are the MOST IMPORTANT in your child's life (developmentally). Make an effort to be there as much as you can and to build their self-esteem and character. These years will determine who they are as a person.
5. Always continue to learn and enrich your mind with good books, continuing education courses and seminars...try to spend at least 30mins per day reading (you should always try to have the answers to questions your kids will ask you).
6. Practice short term intermittent fasting...it is, by far, the best way for FitAndBusyDads to eat.
7. Make time for personal relationships - especially the relationship with your wife/spouse/partner. It's too easy to get caught up with family life/commitments...you'll need these relationships as life goes on and the kids get older.
8. Drink only water and organic tea & espresso limiting or eliminating unnaturally sweetened and preserved drinks & juices and alcohol consumption.
9. Eat the majority of your food from plants, but don't give up meat entirely if you don't have to.
10. Read to your kids so that they can learn to enjoy the benefits of reading.
11. Make sure your kids bare witness to you being active, they in turn, will be active themselves.
12. Master bodyweight exercises (chin-ups, push-ups, dips, pistols, lunges & squats) before picking up weights. Teach your kids these exercises too.
13. Master some form of deep breathing/mediation or stress relieving exercise that you can turn to when things start to get hectic...trust me, you'll need it.
14. Be conscious of everything you do because someone is always watching.
15. You are a role model to your kids, empower them and build their confidence through encouraging words and actions.
16. Walk everywhere or ride a bike for transportation. Conserve energy as much as possible.
17. Give your kids more time and less "things".
18. Train outside when you can and as often as you can.
19. Lift heavy things and get stronger. You want your kids to think you're Hercules or Superman.
20. Enjoy what you do for a living. If you're passionate about work and love what you do, the money will come.
21. Train when you are in the fasted state (don't eat 2-3 hours before training). There's something primal and intense about lifting/training when you're hungry.
22. Don't drink or eat anything from plastic containers. There's too much research out there on the dangers of this.
23. Smile more...it's old school thinking that smiling isn't "manly". This is the New School.
So what do you think? Did I miss anything?
Or even worse, did I completely get anything a**-backwards?
I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions and hear what some of your "rules for life" are!
Please leave a comment and let me know.
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. The SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT for today was the supposed to be the launch of my new blog over at FitAndBusyDadBLOG.com . I'm having some technical difficulties right now, but would love for you to check it out and let me know what you think.
=> Go To The NEW FitAndBusyDad Blog - www.FitAndBusyDadBLOG.com
Monday Deadlift Workout & Nutrition
***My NEW BLOG is now up and running at FitAndBusyDadBLOG.com. Please excuse the mess as it will be a constant work in progress. I'll be posting articles and videos there quite often, so please check it out HERE. I'll still be posting on this blog, but it will be more of my everyday stuff - mainly workouts & nutrition - just so I can stay accountable to you guys. So, make sure to bookmark both so that you get the most out of your FitAndBusyDad Experience***
I just got back from the gym and am about to break my 24hr fast.
I like fasting on my deadlift days because I always seem to be able to go heavier on no food. Huh?
Hey, I'm no rocket scientist so I won't bother explaining why. It just works, so I do it.
Nothing, obviously, to report on the nutrition front today other than a cup of green tea in the morning around 5:30am while I was sitting on the porch writing an article. And then a double espresso @ 2pm from my favorite cafe Dark Horse Espresso Bar on Queen East here in Toronto.
After that, I hit the gym for this workout...
Hang Clean - 5 @ 135; 5 @ 155
High Pull - 7 @ 165; 7 @ 175
Shrug Pull - 7 @ 225; 7 @ 245
Deadlift (mixed grip) - 5 @ 315 x 2
135lb Deadlifts - 1 x 25
Then I finished with some facepulls and some dips for fun...just 2 sets each with no rest in between.
I'm home now and just made myself a shake...
-1 cup organic coconut milk
-1 cup blueberries
-1 banana
-1 tsp maca powder
-1 tsp cocoa nibs
-1 scoop Vega vegetable protein
-water
Now I'm going to hit the road to pick-up Rozanne and the girls and then I'll take AJ to soccer practice. Maybe grab some gelato with her afterward. I'm packing some carrots & hummus for the drive.
CL
the F&BD
I just got back from the gym and am about to break my 24hr fast.
I like fasting on my deadlift days because I always seem to be able to go heavier on no food. Huh?
Hey, I'm no rocket scientist so I won't bother explaining why. It just works, so I do it.
Nothing, obviously, to report on the nutrition front today other than a cup of green tea in the morning around 5:30am while I was sitting on the porch writing an article. And then a double espresso @ 2pm from my favorite cafe Dark Horse Espresso Bar on Queen East here in Toronto.
After that, I hit the gym for this workout...
Hang Clean - 5 @ 135; 5 @ 155
High Pull - 7 @ 165; 7 @ 175
Shrug Pull - 7 @ 225; 7 @ 245
Deadlift (mixed grip) - 5 @ 315 x 2
135lb Deadlifts - 1 x 25
Then I finished with some facepulls and some dips for fun...just 2 sets each with no rest in between.
I'm home now and just made myself a shake...
-1 cup organic coconut milk
-1 cup blueberries
-1 banana
-1 tsp maca powder
-1 tsp cocoa nibs
-1 scoop Vega vegetable protein
-water
Now I'm going to hit the road to pick-up Rozanne and the girls and then I'll take AJ to soccer practice. Maybe grab some gelato with her afterward. I'm packing some carrots & hummus for the drive.
CL
the F&BD
Friday, June 5, 2009
Day 4 Video And My Futrue Hollywood Star
I'm sitting at the car dealership this morning waiting for service to get done on my car.
It's been a fun morning. (Literally. I'm not being sarcastic this time.)
I got up at the usual 5am this morning to get some project work done. As I was finishing my first article of the morning, I hear the pitter-patter of feet running to the bathroom, giggling and then running back to her room. Then, tiptoeing in stealth, ninja-like fashion, I hear someone slowly creep down the stairs.
"It's my birthday today", she whispers.
"Are you sure", I say.
"Yes. I counted my sleeps and the sun is up and now it's morning, so today is my birthday. I'm 4 now, so you have to do everything I say today!"
So today is Frankie's (my #3 daughter) 4th birthday.
We affectionately call her "Sparkles" or "Frankie Goes To Hollywood" or "Frankie From NYC" or, her latest nickname "The Meal Ticket".
See, this kid's different. My oldest, AJ, seems to be the jock. My 2nd daughter Joey is somewhat shy, but is an intellectual marvel. Mikey, the baby, we can't quite figure out yet. But Frankie... well let's just say that she memorized the lyrics and dance moves to "Boom, Boom, POW" by the Black Eyed Peas 2 days after the song was released.
(****As an aside: I don't label my kids or pigeon hole them into certain roles in our family. My wife and I just believe in driving them towards their strengths and what they're comfortable with at any given point in time in their lives. AJ's shown a propensity to sport, Joey is picking up a 2nd language right now like she putting her socks on and well, Frankie...Frankie believes that they will re-do the movie High School Musical and cast her as "Gabriella". That just the way we roll in our house.)
Happy Birthday, Frankie!!!!
Here's the last installment of June's program for Busy Dads...
Have a great weekend and make sure you check back on Monday for a special announcement!
Chris, The FitandBusyDad
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Day 3 Video of The Fat Loss Stimulus Package
Sorry guys, short post today. Frankie's got a bladder infection, so we're off to the doctor this morning. In the meantime, enjoy today's workout. This is Day 3 of our 4 day program.
I'll have the full program layout and the last video of the program tomorrow.
Have a great day!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
I'll have the full program layout and the last video of the program tomorrow.
Have a great day!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
No More Back Pain, Better abs & a Perfect Golf Swing
A few years ago, I added an exercise to every client's warm-up that I thought was incredibly essential for their success. It was called "the Scorpion". What it involved was having my client lay on his/her front, extend one leg in the air (while they were squeezing their butt) and then rotate their leg across their body to touch the floor on the opposite side.
I thought this was cutting edge. I thought I was doing stuff that nobody else was doing and that it could have been the missing link in getting my clients mobile, injury free and free of back pain.
Boy, was I wrong.
In fact, after reading Dr. Stuart McGill's "Ultimate Back Fitness And Performance" and attending one of his seminars, I realized that what I was doing was not only wrong, but dangerous. Needless to say that I changed things right away.
What I learned is that the vertibrae & discs in your lumbar spine (your lower back) are only meant to take 2-3 degrees of rotation. More than that is excessive, creates sheer force and could potentially harm your lower back later on in life.
OK, so what does this all mean?
It means that...
-We need to focus more on bracing our abs and keeping our lower back as stable and rotation free as possible.
-We should be using our abs the way they were meant to be used - for stability and as ANTI-rotators - not as a means to bring our chest to our hips (as in a crunch or sit-up).
-We should be focusing more on rotating through our UPPER BACK and HIPS as opposed to our fragile lower backs.
-And that a poorly executed golf swing is a chiropractor's and orthopedic surgeon's wet dream
(See above: Felxion & Rotation is a recipe for disaster. Stick to gambling & basketball, Charles.)
The solution?
First, do ab exercises like planks, side planks, and hip bridges to keep our abs strong and stable.
Second, work on the mobility in our hips.
Third, focus on keeping our upper backs - and the muscles surrounding and supporting them - knot free and mobile so that our lower backs don't make up for it.
Here are a couple of exercises that you can do to keep your upper back loose and mobile...
This one uses a foam roller and is great for posture...
This one teaches you how to rotate through your upper back while keep your lower back stable...
If you do anything to keep your low back healthy, make sure to let me and everyone else know and leave a comment below.
Enjoy your day!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. You can get rid of your low back pain, get ripped abs and get a better golf swing all with one program...
=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad Workouts Today
I thought this was cutting edge. I thought I was doing stuff that nobody else was doing and that it could have been the missing link in getting my clients mobile, injury free and free of back pain.
Boy, was I wrong.
In fact, after reading Dr. Stuart McGill's "Ultimate Back Fitness And Performance" and attending one of his seminars, I realized that what I was doing was not only wrong, but dangerous. Needless to say that I changed things right away.
What I learned is that the vertibrae & discs in your lumbar spine (your lower back) are only meant to take 2-3 degrees of rotation. More than that is excessive, creates sheer force and could potentially harm your lower back later on in life.
OK, so what does this all mean?
It means that...
-We need to focus more on bracing our abs and keeping our lower back as stable and rotation free as possible.
-We should be using our abs the way they were meant to be used - for stability and as ANTI-rotators - not as a means to bring our chest to our hips (as in a crunch or sit-up).
-We should be focusing more on rotating through our UPPER BACK and HIPS as opposed to our fragile lower backs.-And that a poorly executed golf swing is a chiropractor's and orthopedic surgeon's wet dream
(See above: Felxion & Rotation is a recipe for disaster. Stick to gambling & basketball, Charles.)
The solution?
First, do ab exercises like planks, side planks, and hip bridges to keep our abs strong and stable.
Second, work on the mobility in our hips.
Third, focus on keeping our upper backs - and the muscles surrounding and supporting them - knot free and mobile so that our lower backs don't make up for it.
Here are a couple of exercises that you can do to keep your upper back loose and mobile...
This one uses a foam roller and is great for posture...
This one teaches you how to rotate through your upper back while keep your lower back stable...
If you do anything to keep your low back healthy, make sure to let me and everyone else know and leave a comment below.
Enjoy your day!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. You can get rid of your low back pain, get ripped abs and get a better golf swing all with one program...
=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad Workouts Today
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
June 2009 Workout - Day 2
It's been a dreary past few days here in Toronto. It's been cold and rainy...feels more like fall than it does spring.
Nonetheless, it's June and we've only got 31 days left until the July long weekend (Canada Day for my fellow Canadians, 4th of July for our American friends).
I'm putting together a full month's worth of FitAndBusyDad Workouts for you guys to do and get yourself in gear over the next 4 weeks (that's 4 workouts per week for 4 weeks...not 30 days of new workouts, sorry!). If you missed yesterday's workout, you can find it HERE.
=> FitAndBusyDad June Fat Loss Stimulus Package - Day 1
Have you written your GOALS down yet? Have you made 3 copies and put one copy each on your fridge, your dashboard and in your wallet?
If not, why not? Make sure you do it today!
Today, we've got a bodyweight based workout that will get your heart rate up and get your blood pumping. It's the perfect compliment to yesterday's strength/resistance based workout.
The beauty of bodyweight training is that it can be done ANYWHERE. At the park, in your basement, in the living room, at the office. All you need is an 8 x 8 area and the drive to work hard and get it done.
Our workout schedule for this week looks like this...
Monday - Strength Workout 1
Tuesday (today) - Bodyweight Workout 1 (see below)
Wednesday - optional foam rolling/mobility or DAY OFF
Thursday - Strength Workout 2
Friday - Bodyweight Workout 2
Saturday/Sunday - Active Family Lifestyle Days!!!
I filmed today's workout in the park with Joey (she's on the swing in the background) and AJ (she's holding the camera). I love doing anything active or exercise related and having my kids around to watch or to participate. I think that is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to having an active family lifestyle - having your kids witness you and your healthy and active habits. Kids learn more through example than they do through verbal instruction.
Here's today's bodyweight circuit...
Enjoy your day and workout!
Chris
FitAndBusyDad
Nonetheless, it's June and we've only got 31 days left until the July long weekend (Canada Day for my fellow Canadians, 4th of July for our American friends).
I'm putting together a full month's worth of FitAndBusyDad Workouts for you guys to do and get yourself in gear over the next 4 weeks (that's 4 workouts per week for 4 weeks...not 30 days of new workouts, sorry!). If you missed yesterday's workout, you can find it HERE.
=> FitAndBusyDad June Fat Loss Stimulus Package - Day 1
Have you written your GOALS down yet? Have you made 3 copies and put one copy each on your fridge, your dashboard and in your wallet?
If not, why not? Make sure you do it today!
Today, we've got a bodyweight based workout that will get your heart rate up and get your blood pumping. It's the perfect compliment to yesterday's strength/resistance based workout.
The beauty of bodyweight training is that it can be done ANYWHERE. At the park, in your basement, in the living room, at the office. All you need is an 8 x 8 area and the drive to work hard and get it done.
Our workout schedule for this week looks like this...
Monday - Strength Workout 1
Tuesday (today) - Bodyweight Workout 1 (see below)
Wednesday - optional foam rolling/mobility or DAY OFF
Thursday - Strength Workout 2
Friday - Bodyweight Workout 2
Saturday/Sunday - Active Family Lifestyle Days!!!
I filmed today's workout in the park with Joey (she's on the swing in the background) and AJ (she's holding the camera). I love doing anything active or exercise related and having my kids around to watch or to participate. I think that is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to having an active family lifestyle - having your kids witness you and your healthy and active habits. Kids learn more through example than they do through verbal instruction.
Here's today's bodyweight circuit...
Enjoy your day and workout!
Chris
FitAndBusyDad
Monday, June 1, 2009
Today's The Day
It's Monday, June 1st 2009.
It's the first day of a new month and it's a Monday. The weather is better, the days are longer and with the new season, you feel a refreshed and ready to go.
There's about 4 weeks until the July long weekend (the "official" start of summer, in my opinion, if you live on the East Coast).
So why not set your sights on that weekend, take the next 4-5 weeks to work your tail-off, and get in great shape - lose some fat, put some muscle on, get your strength up and just feel better and more energetic overall!!!
Here's your SIMPLE 4-Step Action Plan...
1. Write your goals down. Pick 2 or 3 REALISTIC and SPECIFIC goals that you'd like to achieve over the next 4 weeks, write them down and make 3 copies...
-stick one copy on your refrigerator door
-stick the second copy on the dashboard of your car
-put the final copy in your wallet
Your goals could be anything from...
"Over the next 4 weeks I will exercise and/or be active every day" to
"I will lose 2 inches off my belly" to
"I will spend at least 1 hour of devoted time with my son everyday"
It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's specific and it's something that you feel passionate about and motivated to accomplish.
Review these goals daily, if not more. Come back to them as often as you can to keep you focused with your eye on the prize.
2. Tell somebody about what you're doing and why you're doing it. Tell your wife, your boss, your best friend or tell US. You need a support system to hold you accountable and to help you get through those times that you don't want to do things even though you KNOW you should.
Having that support system will pull you through.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP.
If you need to turn to a group of like-minded individuals, sign-up for the FitAndBusyDad Community. We're just a bunch of busy dads, just like you, who focus on staying in shape, living healthy and being there for our families.
=>Sign-Up for The FitAndBusyDad Community
3. Get your nutrition in check. When you get home from work tonight, go through the pantry and the fridge/freezer and get all the indulgent crap out of your face. Fine, if you want to give the kids a treat now and then.
But if it were me, I'd just throw it all out. Teach your family how to eat well too.
Ice cream, chips, cookies, crackers, gummy bears, rice cakes (yes, even rice cakes)...get rid of it. These types of foods WILL NOT help you achieve your goals over the next 4 weeks.
Instead, you'll be focusing on eating a lot of fresh fruits & vegetables, lean protein (chicken, fish & some red meat) and healthy fats (like nuts, avocados, seeds, olive & coconut oil).
Try to buy whatever's fresh and in-season. Peppers & asparagus are great this time of year. Strawberries & blueberries are good, and if you really want a treat, grab some mangoes from the supermarket. They are ridiculously sweet this season!
Over the next 4-weeks (and hopefully the rest of your life), you'll be focusing on eating REAL FOOD. Nothing packaged, no GMOs, nothing processed or unnatural. Eat foods the way Mother Nature intended and you will lose weight and be healthier.
Guaranteed.
4. Do this workout. It will take you about 21-minutes. If you like it, come back tomorrow and I'll give you one to do for tomorrow (Tuesday)...
Helping you get your best phsyique this summer!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Want more workouts like these? Check out the entire FitAndBusyDad System
=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad workouts today
It's the first day of a new month and it's a Monday. The weather is better, the days are longer and with the new season, you feel a refreshed and ready to go.
There's about 4 weeks until the July long weekend (the "official" start of summer, in my opinion, if you live on the East Coast).
So why not set your sights on that weekend, take the next 4-5 weeks to work your tail-off, and get in great shape - lose some fat, put some muscle on, get your strength up and just feel better and more energetic overall!!!
Here's your SIMPLE 4-Step Action Plan...
1. Write your goals down. Pick 2 or 3 REALISTIC and SPECIFIC goals that you'd like to achieve over the next 4 weeks, write them down and make 3 copies...
-stick one copy on your refrigerator door
-stick the second copy on the dashboard of your car
-put the final copy in your wallet
Your goals could be anything from...
"Over the next 4 weeks I will exercise and/or be active every day" to
"I will lose 2 inches off my belly" to
"I will spend at least 1 hour of devoted time with my son everyday"
It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's specific and it's something that you feel passionate about and motivated to accomplish.
Review these goals daily, if not more. Come back to them as often as you can to keep you focused with your eye on the prize.
2. Tell somebody about what you're doing and why you're doing it. Tell your wife, your boss, your best friend or tell US. You need a support system to hold you accountable and to help you get through those times that you don't want to do things even though you KNOW you should.
Having that support system will pull you through.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP.
If you need to turn to a group of like-minded individuals, sign-up for the FitAndBusyDad Community. We're just a bunch of busy dads, just like you, who focus on staying in shape, living healthy and being there for our families.
=>Sign-Up for The FitAndBusyDad Community
3. Get your nutrition in check. When you get home from work tonight, go through the pantry and the fridge/freezer and get all the indulgent crap out of your face. Fine, if you want to give the kids a treat now and then.
But if it were me, I'd just throw it all out. Teach your family how to eat well too.
Ice cream, chips, cookies, crackers, gummy bears, rice cakes (yes, even rice cakes)...get rid of it. These types of foods WILL NOT help you achieve your goals over the next 4 weeks.
Instead, you'll be focusing on eating a lot of fresh fruits & vegetables, lean protein (chicken, fish & some red meat) and healthy fats (like nuts, avocados, seeds, olive & coconut oil).
Try to buy whatever's fresh and in-season. Peppers & asparagus are great this time of year. Strawberries & blueberries are good, and if you really want a treat, grab some mangoes from the supermarket. They are ridiculously sweet this season!
Over the next 4-weeks (and hopefully the rest of your life), you'll be focusing on eating REAL FOOD. Nothing packaged, no GMOs, nothing processed or unnatural. Eat foods the way Mother Nature intended and you will lose weight and be healthier.
Guaranteed.
4. Do this workout. It will take you about 21-minutes. If you like it, come back tomorrow and I'll give you one to do for tomorrow (Tuesday)...
Helping you get your best phsyique this summer!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Want more workouts like these? Check out the entire FitAndBusyDad System
=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad workouts today
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Living With The Essential: A FitAndBusyDad Interview with Author, Blogger and Father of 6, Leo Babauta
I've been reading ZenHabits.net for over a year now and I get great and RELEVANT information each and every time I read a new post.So, when Leo Babauta came out with a book, The Power of Less, earlier this year, I was there the Tuesday it came out to pick-up a copy. Since then, I've bought copies for several of my family and friends.
I've been using it as my guide for 2009 to SIMPLIFY my life and to teach me how to FOCUS ON JUST THE ESSENTIAL.
Check out this review that I did for the book, and then make sure to download the NEW interview that I did with Leo where we apply THE POWER OF LESS to living as a FitAndBusyDad (it's FR*EE)....
Download the FitAndBusyDad Interview with Leo Babauta HERE...
=>FitAndBusyDad Interview with Leo Babauta
Enjoy your day!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
Monday, May 11, 2009
How to get 6-Pack-Abs....That Actually Work
The gym that I train at here in Toronto doesn't have any foam rollers. So, prior to my squat and deadlift workouts, I have to head over to the "abs & stretching" area of the gym to use a medicine ball to knead out my glutes & IT bands.Without fail, every time I get to the open floor area, I've got to step over or around some poor trainee trying to chase his abs by doing crunches (or even worse, sit-ups) until he "feels the burn" - what is this, 1983?
If only he knew that there was a better way to get those six-pack-abs and burn fat that is actually safer, less boring and more effective.
I wish I could have told him to use big, bang-for-your-buck exercises like squats, deads, lunges, chins, rows & dips that require more abdominal work than your average crunch or sit-up.
I wish I could have told him that his 6-pack will come a lot faster if he were to limit his sugar intake and eliminate all junk food and just focus on eating fruits, vegetables, lean protein & healthy fats.
I wish I could have told him to make sure he gets enough rest and manage his stress to reduce the amount of cortisol (a belly fat loving hormone) he produces.
I wish I could have told him all those things, but I made a pact to myself never to give advice to another trainer (yes, he was a trainer that works in the gym that I go to) unless I actually know him or unless he asks....long story short, the last time I "made a suggestion" to another trainer, I almost got my a$ kicked because he thought I was being arrogant.
So, in dedication to all crunch-happy gym-goers who are in search of that "burn", here is a great ab exercise circuit "finisher" that I did on Friday after my squat workout.
It's called a "finisher" because...
1. You should always do your ab exercises at the end of your training session and
2. After you do a few of rounds of this circuit, you will be "finished".
Make sure to give this one a try and let me know how you feel tomorrow! If you do this right, I guarantee you'll be so sore that it'll hurt to cough.
FitAndBusyDad Intermediate Ab Finisher
1a. Ab-Wheel Roll Outs x 15
1b. Lower Ab Reverse Curl x 15
1c. X-body Climbers x 20 total
Repeat the above circuit 3 times with NO REST between exercises, then finish with...
2. 100 x KB or Dumbbell Swings (Complete the swings in as minimal sets as possible resting 45s between sets...remember to brace your abs HARD on these)
This circuit should take you about 6-8 minutes to finish and uses so many muscles that it could be considered a workout by itself!
Tack this onto the end of one of your FitAndBusyDad workouts and you'll be shedding the fat and getting 6-pack-abs that work in no time.
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Stop wasting your time with useless crunches and sit-ups. Stop buying $50 ab-gadgets. Stop looking for the magic bullet. Work hard, train hard, eat REAL FOOD - and use FitAndBusyDad Workouts!
=>Get started with the FitAndBusyDad Lifestyle
Friday, May 8, 2009
Video Friday: 2 LAST MINUTE Mother's Day Gift Ideas
By this point, I hope you know NOT to buy your wife a vacuum cleaner for Mother's Day, right?
You do know that Mother's Day is this weekend, don't you?
Forget the nice clothes, the pearl necklaces and the household appliances. I took a survey of all my Twitter Followers, all my Facebook Friends and all the folks that subscribe to my Newsletter and asked them what "the absolute best" Mother's Day present they have ever given or gotten was.
Surprise, surprise...most moms don't want the fancy things.
The 2 most popular answers will cost you little to NO MONEY AT ALL!!!
Just watch the video, and then head back to WalMart and return the frying pan set, will ya.
I hope you kept the receipt!
Happy Mother's Day!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
You do know that Mother's Day is this weekend, don't you?
Forget the nice clothes, the pearl necklaces and the household appliances. I took a survey of all my Twitter Followers, all my Facebook Friends and all the folks that subscribe to my Newsletter and asked them what "the absolute best" Mother's Day present they have ever given or gotten was.
Surprise, surprise...most moms don't want the fancy things.
The 2 most popular answers will cost you little to NO MONEY AT ALL!!!
Just watch the video, and then head back to WalMart and return the frying pan set, will ya.
I hope you kept the receipt!
Happy Mother's Day!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Injury Management for Busy Dads: How to Make Yourself UNBREAKABLE- An Interview with Physical Therapist, Keith Scott
I don't know about you guys, but as a result of years and years of competitive sports, I've got some nagging ailments that have really annoyed me over the past 5-7 years.My right shoulder is incredibly volatile from about 15 years of playing indoor and beach volleyball and being a baseball pitcher (with a wicked fastball, I might add...although my mound dominance ended when I was about 14:-).
My left knee has a tendency to get a little sore every now and then because of some degeneration due my obsession with being able to dunk a basketball...that obsession still continues today (in highschool I dunked once in a game and several times in practice...I haven't dunked a basketball in the past 11 years).
And just recently, since I've been dabbling a little on the "interwebs", my upper and lower back haven't been feeling as strong...probably from sitting at my computer for hours on end.
Sound familiar? I know it does. Nagging injuries are something that plague us as busy dads.
Before I really started to educate myself on how to alleviate (and then prevent) my nagging injuries, I used to just "LIVE WITH THE PAIN" thinking that it was just a part of life and of getting older.
All of that changed when I met Keith Scott, a physical therapist from New Jersey, at conference a while back. Keith convinced me to pick-up a foam roller and taught me how to incorporate soft tissue, mobility and injury prevention techniques INTO MY CURRENT LIFESTYLE AND TRAINING PROGRAM.Since then, I've managed to stay (relatively) injury and pain free and in the instances that I do start to "feel" anything, I know exactly what to do.
It was a no-brainer, then, for me to interview the man, Keith Scott, himself and get him to divulge some of the secrets he gave me that's allowed me to be a FitAndBusy - and Injury Free - Dad for the past few years.
Read on and learn how to be UNBREAKABLE...
CL: Keith, having chronic or nagging PAIN (as in low back, neck, hip, shoulder, knee, etc) is so common today that people think it is normal. Why is this such a dangerous way of thinking?
KS: First of all, people have to stop playing the “victim”, where they think they’re supposed to have pain and that it is just a “normal part of life.” Once you give in to that kind of thinking, you lose the ability to do the things you want to do, because you are a prisoner of your body.
Having pain is a normal thing when you have physical issues; however living with it is not.
When people “give up” and just figure they have to deal with it or ignore it, more problems are sure to begin. For example, if you hurt your lower back, and just think “well, I am getting older, this is just part of getting old” you will automatically stop doing anything that causes low back pain, or might cause low back pain. I see dads do this all of the time. They can’t play with their kids, they have to stop working out, and they just wind up living on the couch. Pretty soon, they lose important strength, lose their mobility everywhere, sustain other injuries and the cycle continues. In no time at all, they just feel “old!”
Most dads just want to be healthy, look decent and take care of their families. You can’t do that unless you are physically healthy. I work with dads that come to me just because they want to be able to play with their kids, work in the yard and look good too. Their knees, low back, shoulders, etc… are hurting them so badly, they had to give up on doing all of those things. There is no need for that, and no need to think that way. Within a month of working with my UNBREAKABLE system, they get their lives back and can start doing all of the things that are important to them.
CL: OK, so one of the obvious symptoms of being injured is PAIN. What is pain really? And why is popping pills for pain not a viable solution to the problem?
KS: Pain, simply put, is just your body’s way of telling you that you’ve got a problem. It's a signal that is put into place so you don’t do anything to mess yourself up more. The important thing to remember is that pain is also the body’s way of letting you know that you need to do something to correct this issue. Some people tend to skip that part. They feel pain, and just stop doing things and never address the problem.
The solution for a lot of people out there is to just pop some over-the-counter medication until the pain goes away. There are many problems with doing this, but the biggest problem is that taking pain medication is only treating the symptoms, and doing nothing about the problem. Even if they do take away some of the pain, the problem(s) is still there and will eventually come back…usually worse.
The other problem with using pain meds all of the time is that it will start to mess up your stomach and cause other side effects that are very serious. Not something anyone wants or needs. Finally, I have witnessed many people use so much pain medication that it totally masks the pain to the point where the person injures him or herself even more because they could not feel anything. Remember, pain is there for a reason. Without it we would be hurt all of the time. You have to address the issues.
=>Click HERE to become pain-free and UNBREAKABLE
CL: One of the biggest things that plagues us is having bad posture. Why do you think that is and what can we be aware of/fix in our everyday lives to help us stand/sit more erect and alleviate the strain that bad posture has on our bodies?
KS: I think the biggest reasons are sitting so much. Dads tend to sit at work all day, come home and then sit some more. Go to bed and repeat. The low back and hips get tight, the shoulders get rounded, and those things pull the body into really bad posture. Having bad posture is a marker for a lot of pain and problems.
A big way to correct some of these issues is just to get up from your desk every 20 minutes and stretch. It doesn’t have to be long either. Just a quick break to stretch out the back, hips and shoulders, and that can prevent a lot of the stiffness and tightening that occurs. The other thing that dads can do is to make sure they are aware of their postural problems in the first place. You would be surprised at how many dads out there think they have NO issues with their posture, until you do an assessment on them and show them just how bad it is.
Until you become aware of it, you cant fix it. That is the biggest step. I have fixed a couple of postural things in some dads and in a matter of minutes pain started to disappear.
It is really that simple sometimes.
Until you become aware of it, you cant fix it. That is the biggest step. I have fixed a couple of postural things in some dads and in a matter of minutes pain started to disappear.
It is really that simple sometimes.
CL: OK, last question. A lot of guys, when they think about "injury prevention" work, they think that they have to put everything else (ie. their muscle-building and/or fat loss goals) on hold. Is there any truth to that? Can you prevent injuries and still go hard with your goals without suffering any set backs in either?
KS: Absolutely! That is the whole point of my UNBREAKABLE system. Too many people separate the rehabilitative side of things with their regular fitness programs. I don’t know too many people that never have pain or physical problems. So when they do, most people stop their program completely until the pain goes away and then resume in a few weeks, only to have the same issues again. Why? Because they never really solved the problems in the first place.
Its important to understand that you can continue to train AND work on your physical issues at the same time. Actually, this is the best way to go about things as long as you do it the right way.
Lets say you have a shoulder issue. Why should you have to stop training completely just because one joint in your body is injured? You shouldn’t...and it really doesn’t make sense to do that. However, this is exactly what most people do. My system is set up so you can address the shoulder problem AND continue to workout, around your problem. That way you are still burning fat, still building muscle and you are taking care of your issues at the same time.
I spent 15 years dealing with athletes and their injuries. Athletes don’t have the luxury of taking a lot of time off…the season is only so long. It was my job to find a way to get them back in the game as fast as possible, while keeping them strong and fit. I was able to do that by combining a sports medicine approach with a conditioning approach. They were training while rehabbing. There is no reason that “non-athletes” cant do the same.
CL: Awesome info, Keith. Man, I'm glad I sat beside you during that conference! I think I learned more chatting with you than I did during the actual presentation that we were there for!
Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. If you're looking to 1. Take care of those nagging injuries that keep on flaring up on you and 2. Stay on track with your Fat Loss Goals, then using Keith's "plug and play" UNBREAKABLE system in conjunction with your FitAndBusyDad Workouts is probably the best and safest way to stay healthy and get lean for the summer.
=>Become an UNBREAKABLE DAD!!!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Friday Video: What're You Making For Dinner Tonight?
Since it's Friday and we've probably all had enough of reading long-winded posts and are maybe suffering from a bit of information overload, I've decided to post my "Simple Salmon" recipe video.
"Simple" because you need 4 ingredients - salmon, olive oil, salt & pepper.
Remember, the key to eating well and enjoying it is to get GREAT QUALITY food (if you're making this tonight, pick-up either SASHIMI GRADE or WILD CAUGHT salmon.
If you're food is of really good quality, then you don't have to overwhelm it with added flavors or sauces, etc. It'll be delicious on its own with just the basics.
Happy Friday. Have a great weekend!
CL
P.S. Let me know how it turns out!
"Simple" because you need 4 ingredients - salmon, olive oil, salt & pepper.
Remember, the key to eating well and enjoying it is to get GREAT QUALITY food (if you're making this tonight, pick-up either SASHIMI GRADE or WILD CAUGHT salmon.
If you're food is of really good quality, then you don't have to overwhelm it with added flavors or sauces, etc. It'll be delicious on its own with just the basics.
Happy Friday. Have a great weekend!
CL
P.S. Let me know how it turns out!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Do Cheat Meals Really Work?
My stomach is turning. Not because I'm nervous or anxious or anything like that...although, I have every reason to be freaking out.No, my stomach is literally turning, because I had a cheat meal last night - Penne a la Vodka from a small Ma & Pa Italian eatery around the corner. They use really fresh ingredients - flavorful olive oil, ripe red tomatoes and fresh cream...YES, CREAM.
Big deal right? Well for me, yes it is a big deal. I'm lactose intolerant (so if you see me on the street today, it's best not to come within a 5ft radius...if you know what I'm sayin').
Anyway, back to my point...As far as cheat meals are concerned when it comes to getting a strong and lean body, I think they're very necessary.
There are physiological benefits to cheat/REWARD meals (which I'll get to in a second), but for me, it's all MENTAL. It's a HUGE mental strain for anybody to be dieting and cutting your calories for long periods of time (even the most pleasant of folks can get a little cranky on 12-weeks of calorie restriction). So allowing a cheat meal of some food that I enjoy once per week really allows me to mentally reset my efforts in staying clean with my diet. (And by clean, I mean fresh fruits & veggies, healthy fats, lean protein and minimal, if any, grains, dairy & crap food products).
Mind you after years & years of eating healthy fresh food - I was telling AJ this yesterday - my body can really tell when I'm eating crap by giving me really bad stomach pains and indigestion.
So even on my cheat meals, I still eat relatively well opting for a grass-fed beef burger & some fresh cut sweet potato fries from my favorite burger shop (ironically called "The Burger Shoppe"), rather than something from a big chain fast food restaurant.
As far as the physiological benefits go, I received an article from my buddy, Joel Marion, a nutrition expert in New Jersey, explaining the physiological benefits of cheat meals. Please take a few minutes to read on and listen to what Joel has to say about the benefits of cheat meals and how they affect your hormones...
*********************
The Most Important Hormone You Never Heard Of By Joel Marion, CISSN, NSCA-CPT
LEPTI-WHA??
It’s name is Leptin (derived from the Greek word leptos, meaning “thin”), and it’s without a doubt the most important hormone you probably never heard of.
You see, leptin was only first discovered just over 10 years ago, and as far as weight loss is concerned, that’s extremely recent.
Leptin’s function? To communicate your nutritional status to your body and brain.
Leptin levels are mediated by two things. One is your level of body fat. All else being equal, people with higher levels of body fat will have higher leptin levels than those with lower levels of body fat and vice versa.
Because leptin is secreted by fat cells, it makes sense that under normal conditions there is a direct correlation between leptin levels and the amount of fat you are carrying.
Unfortunately, when you’re attempting to lose fat and begin to restrict calories, conditions are anything but “normal” and the body responds accordingly by lowering leptin levels.
This is because the second mediator of blood leptin levels is your calorie intake. Lower your calorie intake and leptin will fall, independent of body fat.
So, yes, you can be overweight and still suffer from low leptin levels – just go on a diet.
So what happens when leptin levels fall and why the heck does it matter?
Again, under normal conditions leptin levels are normal and the brain gets the signal loud and clear that nutrition intake is adequate. Metabolism is high and the internal environment of the body is one very conducive to fat burning.
Until you start dieting.
Go on a diet and leptin levels quickly plummet (by 50% or more after only one week), sending a signal to the body that you’re semi-starved and not consuming enough calories.
This puts the breaks on metabolism and creates a hormonal environment extremely conducive to fat storage. Thyroid hormones (hormones extremely important to metabolism) respond by taking a dive and the abdominal fat-storing stress hormone cortisol skyrockets measurably.
HELLO belly fat.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the appetite stimulating hormones ghrelin, neuropeptide-Y, and anandamide all hop on board to make your life even more miserable.
You don’t have to remember any of those names, just remember that when leptin drops, you get seriously hungry.
Despite having a pretty good reason for its reaction, it’s pretty ironic that our bodies are primed for fat loss at every other time except when we are trying to burn fat.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could maintain high leptin levels and a body primed for fat burning while dieting? It would seemingly solve all of our problems.
But in order to do this, we’d have to somehow keep leptin levels high as we attempt to lose those extra pounds.
“HOW ABOUT “SUPPLEMENTING” WITH LEPTIN?”
A couple of problems here: First, leptin is a protein based hormone, which means that it can not be taken orally (otherwise, it would simply be digested). So that rules out a leptin pill.
This leaves the method of “supplemental” leptin administration to injection. And leptin injections DO indeed work, reversing the metabolic adaptations to dieting and “starvation” even while continuing to restrict calories.
In 1996, Ahima et al. used leptin injections to reverse starvation-induced neuroendrocrine adaptations in mice.
“Well, that’s nice and all, but I’m human.” Point taken; research with rodents doesn’t always correlate to similar findings in humans, however…
In 1999, Heymsfield et al. performed a double-blind placebo controlled study analyzing weight loss over a 24-week period in 73 obese humans. Subjects either injected daily with leptin or a placebo (i.e. bogus alternative). At the end of the 24-week period, the leptin group lost significantly more weight than the placebo and a higher percentage of fat vs. muscle.
In 2002, Rosenbaum et al. administered low-dose leptin to subjects (male and female) who had dieted to a 10% decrease in body weight. During the diet period, thyroid hormone levels, 24-hr energy expenditure, and other metabolic markers substantially decreased. The result of the leptin replacement therapy?
“All of these endocrine changes were reversed…”Thyroid output and daily calorie burn increased back to pre-diet levels.
In 2003, Fogteloo et al. showed that leptin injections “tended to reduce the decline of energy expenditure associated with energy restriction, whereas the tendency of energy intake to increase back to baseline levels in placebo-treated subjects was largely prevented in subjects treated with leptin.”
Yeah, that’s a mouthful. Let me put in simple terms: not only did the leptin group experience less of a decline in metabolism, but they were also less hungry, allowing them to more easily stick to the prescribed diet.
In 2004, Welt et al. reported that leptin given to a group of women with thyroid disorder immediately raised circulating concentrations of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.
In 2005, Rosenbaum and company were at it again, again showing that energy expenditure and circulating concentrations of T3 and T4 all returned to pre-weight-loss levels with regular leptin injections.
So, as theorized, keeping leptin levels high during a diet does indeed solve our dilemma by avoiding the negative metabolic (and perhaps behavioral) adaptations that calorie restriction perpetuates.
The problem?
Daily leptin injections are far too expensive, costing thousands and thousands of dollars per week. So, we can pretty much forget about supplemental leptin as a solution (which is probably moot anyway considering that not too many people are going to voluntarily plunge a needle into their skin daily).
A REAL Solution
Now that we know that leptin injections aren’t going to save us, let’s talk about the possibility of manipulating your body’s natural leptin production.
And I’ve got good news – this can indeed be done, and without involving needles or thousands of dollars. In fact, we’ll swap the injections and mounds of cash out for two things I can guarantee you’re absolutely going to love: more calories and more carbs.
We know that leptin levels decrease by about 50% after only one week of dieting, but fortunately, it doesn’t take nearly that long for leptin to bump back up with a substantial increase in caloric intake.
In fact, research has shown that it only takes about 12-24 hours.
So, the answer to the fat loss catch-22? Strategic high-calorie, high-carb CHEATING.
By strategically cheating with high calorie foods (and yes, even stuff like pizza, ice cream, wings, cookies, burgers, fries, etc), you can give leptin and metabolism a major boost mid-diet which sets you up for plenty of subsequent fat loss when you resume your reduced calorie eating regimen.
This means greater net fat loss week after week, and ultimately, a much more realistic, maintainable way to bring you to the body you truly want and deserve.
So what’s so special about carbs?
Well, leptin, carbohydrate and insulin have been shown to have very strong ties.
Calories alone don’t get the job done, as research shows that overfeeding on protein and fat has little effect on leptin.
In order to get a strong leptin response from overfeeding, there needs to be plenty of carbs in the mix. In fact, the relationship is SO strong that research conducted by Boden et al. at the Temple University School of Medicine shows that leptin levels will not fall even in response to all-out fasting so long as insulin and blood sugar are maintained via IV drip. That’s CRAZY.
Because of this carbohydrate/insulin-leptin relationship, it makes sense that foods combining both carbs and fat (like pizza, burgers, cookies, ice cream, etc) work best for reversing the negative adaptations caused by dieting because of the BIG-TIME insulin response they produce.
THIS is why strategic cheating with your favorite foods is so powerful. THIS is why you truly can use your favorite foods to lose fat faster than you ever could with restrictive dieting. THIS is freedom.
Essentially, it’s everything “typical” dieting isn’t.
With regular dieting, come week two, you’re screwed.
With strategic cheating, you can literally use ANY food you want to *ensure* that you never go a single day without a body primed for fat loss.
The cheat or not to cheat? I think the choice is clear.
*************************************
To learn more about how to strategically use cheat/reward meals to your advantage and lose weight, you should DEFINITELY check out Joel's Cheat Your Way Thin program.
In fact, it's available for 1/2 price until tonight at midnight!
=>Joel Marion's Cheat Your Way Thin Program
If you haven't used cheat/reward meals yet, you may want to consider it.
Who knows? This could be the game changer in your quest to lose those last 10-15lbs.
-Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
7th Heaven
People said we were crazy.
They said it couldn't be done.
They said that our house was too small, that we couldn't afford it, that life was already nuts and that we weren't thinking things through.
Great advice from a business coach and mentor immediately came to mind...
"To be successful, find out what the general population is doing right now AND DO THE OPPOSITE".
OK, so we didn't do it to spite people. And as complete as we were already feeling, we still felt like something was missing. We both wanted to be done by 30, but big deal, we'll be 32 and 31 respectively.
Our family mantra has always been: WE'LL FIND A WAY.
And now, we'll have to find a way to fit another little baby into our hearts, lives and mini-van!
Yes, Rozanne & Chris Lopez are expecting #5....
In November, the Lopez Family 6 will be THE LOPEZ FAMILY 7.
That's right, we're expecting our 5th (and FINAL) installment.
Truthfully , I had a vasectomy booked last summer...3 TIMES! And I'm proud to say that I didn't chicken out at all, for any one of those times...
Booking #1: My Dr. cancels last minute because he has to go to Japan to speak at a Urology conference (they actually have those?).
Booking #2: Rozanne ends up with some crazy skin infection that has her in the hospital for 4 days being pumped full of anti-biotics through IV!
Booking #3: The infamous plumbing fiasco in our basement where we got flooded and needed to call in Butt Crack the plumber himself to tear up our basement and reinforce the sewage pipes. Lovely.
So this time around, I'm definitely getting snipped...and have absolutely no issues about it at all!
I'll book it for some time late this summer when the schedules start to die down and I can afford to take a weekend off work and full week off training.
It might make for an interesting/funny video series..."The FitAndBusy-BlankShooting-Dad" or something like that.
Truthfully, after the initial SHOCK of it all, we're really quite excited. Frankie is busy thinking up names for the new addition...I think her last suggestion was "Rainbow Cupboard Espresso Machine Lopez"...I think we'll have to sit on that one for a bit.
Happy Times.
Chris
the FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Maybe it'll even be a boy.
They said it couldn't be done.
They said that our house was too small, that we couldn't afford it, that life was already nuts and that we weren't thinking things through.
Great advice from a business coach and mentor immediately came to mind...
"To be successful, find out what the general population is doing right now AND DO THE OPPOSITE".
OK, so we didn't do it to spite people. And as complete as we were already feeling, we still felt like something was missing. We both wanted to be done by 30, but big deal, we'll be 32 and 31 respectively.
Our family mantra has always been: WE'LL FIND A WAY.
And now, we'll have to find a way to fit another little baby into our hearts, lives and mini-van!
Yes, Rozanne & Chris Lopez are expecting #5....
In November, the Lopez Family 6 will be THE LOPEZ FAMILY 7.
That's right, we're expecting our 5th (and FINAL) installment.
Truthfully , I had a vasectomy booked last summer...3 TIMES! And I'm proud to say that I didn't chicken out at all, for any one of those times...
Booking #1: My Dr. cancels last minute because he has to go to Japan to speak at a Urology conference (they actually have those?).
Booking #2: Rozanne ends up with some crazy skin infection that has her in the hospital for 4 days being pumped full of anti-biotics through IV!
Booking #3: The infamous plumbing fiasco in our basement where we got flooded and needed to call in Butt Crack the plumber himself to tear up our basement and reinforce the sewage pipes. Lovely.
So this time around, I'm definitely getting snipped...and have absolutely no issues about it at all!
I'll book it for some time late this summer when the schedules start to die down and I can afford to take a weekend off work and full week off training.
It might make for an interesting/funny video series..."The FitAndBusy-BlankShooting-Dad" or something like that.
Truthfully, after the initial SHOCK of it all, we're really quite excited. Frankie is busy thinking up names for the new addition...I think her last suggestion was "Rainbow Cupboard Espresso Machine Lopez"...I think we'll have to sit on that one for a bit.Happy Times.
Chris
the FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Maybe it'll even be a boy.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Are You Doing This Yet?
Well, it seems the post from yesterday struck a bit of a nerve for some folks, huh?
If you have an opinion, make sure to leave a comment after you read yesterday's post HERE.
Now, back to some fat burning advice.
I filmed this video this past Saturday @ about 630am just before Rozanne and I took the kids to Canada's Wonderland for the day.
It was early in the morning so please excuse my 1/2 open eyes and swollen lips...
...And here's a video of the dinner we had the night before!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Let me know if there are any other exercise/health/fitness/nutrition videos you'd like me to film! Hit me up at info(at)fitandbusydad(dot)com!!!
PPS You can also do interval training using kettlebells or just your bodyweight! Click HERE to find out how and to get started with FitAndBusyDad workouts!
=>FitAndBusyDad Interval Training For Fat Loss Workouts
If you have an opinion, make sure to leave a comment after you read yesterday's post HERE.
Now, back to some fat burning advice.
I filmed this video this past Saturday @ about 630am just before Rozanne and I took the kids to Canada's Wonderland for the day.
It was early in the morning so please excuse my 1/2 open eyes and swollen lips...
...And here's a video of the dinner we had the night before!
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Let me know if there are any other exercise/health/fitness/nutrition videos you'd like me to film! Hit me up at info(at)fitandbusydad(dot)com!!!
PPS You can also do interval training using kettlebells or just your bodyweight! Click HERE to find out how and to get started with FitAndBusyDad workouts!
=>FitAndBusyDad Interval Training For Fat Loss Workouts
Monday, April 27, 2009
The 3 Foods Busy Dads Should Never Eat. EVER.
I got into a heated discussion with some of my clients after one of my bootcamps last week. The topic of "discussion" was healthy food OR what one perceives to be healthy food.
Big business does a great job of running genius marketing campaigns telling you what you should eat and what you shouldn't eat. As a result, we've relied less on logic and more on commercialism to decide what we put in our bodies.
It makes you wonder if the goal of some of these food companies is to really provide us with the best quality nutrition (probably not) or to just push mass amounts of FOOD PRODUCT on us by telling us we need it so that we can pad the wallets of their share holders (most likely).
The next time I see a commercial that says that some boxed, preservative-laden, high-fructose-corn-syrup cereal has "7 Essential Nutrients" and is "part of a daily healthy diet", I think I'm going to puke!
In saying that, I've outlined below the 3 Foods that us Dads should NEVER, EVER consume. EVER. (Oh yeah, and DON'T feed your kids this stuff either!)
1. Soy. Soy is a phyto-estrogen ("phyto" meaning plant based) and can be found in pretty much EVERYTHING - hot dogs, breakfast cereal, processed cheese, cookies. In ancient Japan, soy was used as fertilizer before big business got a hold of the stuff and started turning it into food products. Now it's found everywhere and, next to coffee, is the most sprayed and chemically treated crop.
The problem with soy is that if consumed excessively, strapping virile men like you and I start to turn ESTROGENIC - both from the natural estrogen from the bean itself and from the reaction that our bodies go through when we consume the food products with all the chemicals it's been treated with.
And when I say ESTROGENIC, I mean Man-Boobs and Belly Fat and a prescription for little blue pills because certain things don't function properly.
Now I don't know about you, but with a wife and 4 daughters there's already enough estrogen in my house and I don't need any more.
Let me make a point here to emphasize that this isn't a knock against vegetarianism. Quite the contrary, I've recently been learning the benefits of consuming a plant-based protein diet and supplementing with animal protein here and there. However, many vegetarians believe that soy is one of the ONLY ways to get protein in their diets. Not true, as there are many legumes, vegetables & nuts that contain adequate amounts of protein for our diet.
Also, there has been some speculation as to HOW MUCH PROTEIN we actually really need...long story short...WE DON'T NEED AS MUCH AS SUPPLEMENT COMPANIES & BODYBUILDING MAGAZINES LEAD US TO BELIEVE (surprise, surprise).
2. Commercially raised meat. If you've been reading my blog, you probably know how and why I feel this way already, so let's look to Dr. Johnny Bowden, Author of "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth", and see what he has to say....
"The hormones in factory-farmed (feedlot) meat can have all sorts of effects on the body, none of them fully understood and almost certainly none of them good. And it's not just the hormones. These miserably treated animals are shot full of antibiotics and fed an unnatural diet of grain, which makes them sick and tilts the balance of their fat towards inflammatory omega-6's."
OK, I understand that with the state of the economy more people than less are struggling financially and when regular meat goes on sale at your local supermarket you probably stock-up because it's cheap. Just remember, it's cheap for a reason.
Cheap meat = cheap (low quality, mass produced) meat.
Cows were meant to graze in a pasture and eat grass, not be cooped up in a barn and fed saw dust and grain fillers to fatten them up. Even beef that claims to be organic usually means that the cows were fed some type of organic grain/feed. When choosing your beef, choose GRASS-FED CATTLE.
Same goes for chicken & their eggs. Chicken were also meant to run around and get some exercise and lay their eggs wherever they darn-well please. When buying chicken or eggs, FREE RANGE is best.
For fish, go for the WILD/CAUGHT variety and not farmed fish that get fed grains and anti-biotics and live in closed tanks no larger than the size of my bathtub with 5000 other fish.
3. NON-organic Coffee. (You know I HAD to have coffee in here somewhere). As mentioned above, coffee is THE MOST COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED SPRAYED CROP in the world. The coffee industry is a booming business and the pressure is on for farmers to produce, produce, produce!!! But at what cost? Our health?
It's reality that 3 out of 5 North Amercians drink coffee daily. So for me to tell you to give up your daily cup of joe wouldn't be very realistic. Heck, I enjoy my daily double espresso more than most people.
My tips?
Try to get your coffee ORGANIC from a specialty shop where the baristas (the cool folks behind the bar who make the drinks) actually CARE about what they do. Have you ever tasted the difference between freshly pulled coffee that comes right from the bean and coffee from the corner store that's been sitting on a burner for 1/2 an hour? You can actually taste hints of caramel or blueberries in finely pulled espresso by people who know what they're doing.
OR
Buy ORGANIC coffee beans yourself and brew your own coffee at home. Everyone is trying to save money these days, so buying a 1/2lb bag of good organic coffee beans and then grinding them and brewing them at home will actually save you about $25-$35 a week if you usually indulge in a Venti-1/2 caf-no foam-2 raw sugar-latte at the local big chain coffee place.
My point to all of this is that we should be demanding better, high-QUALITY, REAL FOOD for ourselves and our families. I'm not saying that we shouldn't indulge here and there and be so anal about what we eat that we end up driving ourselves crazy...BUT, I just think that our primary focus should be on eating REAL FOOD the way Mother Nature intended...no preservative, no pesticides, no anti-biotics, no crap.
CL
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Are there any foods that you feel strongly about that I should have put on this list? Weigh-in, leave a comment and let me know please!
Big business does a great job of running genius marketing campaigns telling you what you should eat and what you shouldn't eat. As a result, we've relied less on logic and more on commercialism to decide what we put in our bodies.
It makes you wonder if the goal of some of these food companies is to really provide us with the best quality nutrition (probably not) or to just push mass amounts of FOOD PRODUCT on us by telling us we need it so that we can pad the wallets of their share holders (most likely).
The next time I see a commercial that says that some boxed, preservative-laden, high-fructose-corn-syrup cereal has "7 Essential Nutrients" and is "part of a daily healthy diet", I think I'm going to puke!
In saying that, I've outlined below the 3 Foods that us Dads should NEVER, EVER consume. EVER. (Oh yeah, and DON'T feed your kids this stuff either!)
1. Soy. Soy is a phyto-estrogen ("phyto" meaning plant based) and can be found in pretty much EVERYTHING - hot dogs, breakfast cereal, processed cheese, cookies. In ancient Japan, soy was used as fertilizer before big business got a hold of the stuff and started turning it into food products. Now it's found everywhere and, next to coffee, is the most sprayed and chemically treated crop.
The problem with soy is that if consumed excessively, strapping virile men like you and I start to turn ESTROGENIC - both from the natural estrogen from the bean itself and from the reaction that our bodies go through when we consume the food products with all the chemicals it's been treated with.
And when I say ESTROGENIC, I mean Man-Boobs and Belly Fat and a prescription for little blue pills because certain things don't function properly.
Now I don't know about you, but with a wife and 4 daughters there's already enough estrogen in my house and I don't need any more.
Let me make a point here to emphasize that this isn't a knock against vegetarianism. Quite the contrary, I've recently been learning the benefits of consuming a plant-based protein diet and supplementing with animal protein here and there. However, many vegetarians believe that soy is one of the ONLY ways to get protein in their diets. Not true, as there are many legumes, vegetables & nuts that contain adequate amounts of protein for our diet.
Also, there has been some speculation as to HOW MUCH PROTEIN we actually really need...long story short...WE DON'T NEED AS MUCH AS SUPPLEMENT COMPANIES & BODYBUILDING MAGAZINES LEAD US TO BELIEVE (surprise, surprise).
2. Commercially raised meat. If you've been reading my blog, you probably know how and why I feel this way already, so let's look to Dr. Johnny Bowden, Author of "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth", and see what he has to say....
"The hormones in factory-farmed (feedlot) meat can have all sorts of effects on the body, none of them fully understood and almost certainly none of them good. And it's not just the hormones. These miserably treated animals are shot full of antibiotics and fed an unnatural diet of grain, which makes them sick and tilts the balance of their fat towards inflammatory omega-6's."
OK, I understand that with the state of the economy more people than less are struggling financially and when regular meat goes on sale at your local supermarket you probably stock-up because it's cheap. Just remember, it's cheap for a reason.
Cheap meat = cheap (low quality, mass produced) meat.
Cows were meant to graze in a pasture and eat grass, not be cooped up in a barn and fed saw dust and grain fillers to fatten them up. Even beef that claims to be organic usually means that the cows were fed some type of organic grain/feed. When choosing your beef, choose GRASS-FED CATTLE.
Same goes for chicken & their eggs. Chicken were also meant to run around and get some exercise and lay their eggs wherever they darn-well please. When buying chicken or eggs, FREE RANGE is best.
For fish, go for the WILD/CAUGHT variety and not farmed fish that get fed grains and anti-biotics and live in closed tanks no larger than the size of my bathtub with 5000 other fish.
3. NON-organic Coffee. (You know I HAD to have coffee in here somewhere). As mentioned above, coffee is THE MOST COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED SPRAYED CROP in the world. The coffee industry is a booming business and the pressure is on for farmers to produce, produce, produce!!! But at what cost? Our health?It's reality that 3 out of 5 North Amercians drink coffee daily. So for me to tell you to give up your daily cup of joe wouldn't be very realistic. Heck, I enjoy my daily double espresso more than most people.
My tips?
Try to get your coffee ORGANIC from a specialty shop where the baristas (the cool folks behind the bar who make the drinks) actually CARE about what they do. Have you ever tasted the difference between freshly pulled coffee that comes right from the bean and coffee from the corner store that's been sitting on a burner for 1/2 an hour? You can actually taste hints of caramel or blueberries in finely pulled espresso by people who know what they're doing.
OR
Buy ORGANIC coffee beans yourself and brew your own coffee at home. Everyone is trying to save money these days, so buying a 1/2lb bag of good organic coffee beans and then grinding them and brewing them at home will actually save you about $25-$35 a week if you usually indulge in a Venti-1/2 caf-no foam-2 raw sugar-latte at the local big chain coffee place.
My point to all of this is that we should be demanding better, high-QUALITY, REAL FOOD for ourselves and our families. I'm not saying that we shouldn't indulge here and there and be so anal about what we eat that we end up driving ourselves crazy...BUT, I just think that our primary focus should be on eating REAL FOOD the way Mother Nature intended...no preservative, no pesticides, no anti-biotics, no crap.
CL
The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Are there any foods that you feel strongly about that I should have put on this list? Weigh-in, leave a comment and let me know please!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Who's Got Your Back?
If you're a busy parent then you can understand the importance of having a great support system.We have 4 kids. All are relatively low-maintenance in that they enjoy playing with each other, are independent in their own little ways and each is incredibly self-sufficient.
***Case in point...When my 18-month-old, Mikey, is hungry she has now taught herself how to get a bowl (our dishes are in a low cupboard), open the door to the pantry and grab herself a snack of Whole Grain Cheerios. And she is able to do that with minimal collateral damage.***
Back to my point....Sometimes, trying to do everything can really take it out of you and you'll need a break. You'll need to go into the bullpen because your starters are getting banged around or are just on short on fuel from having to pitch on minimal days rest (how's that for a baseball analogy!?!).
If that's the case, then we go to our support system (our bullpen, if you will) - my parents and in-laws.
This weekend, the kids stayed over at my parents house and that gave Rozanne and I time to catch-up on laundry, housework, reading, sleep and R&R. So now today, we feel refreshed, rejuvinated and ready to take on the organized chaos that has become our lives!
So let's apply this support system to your fat loss goals and take a look at its importance.
Who do you have in your bullpen?
Days will (or have) come when you don't feel like getting out of bed 30-minutes earlier to do your workout.
Or when the kids the don't finish their chicken nuggets and you're tempted to not wrap them up for later but to eat them all yourself.
Sure, we're grown adults and we make our own decisions. But it helps us that much more when we're accountable to another person (or people) whose goals are congruent with ours.
Fat loss is easier in a household when both partners are involved in the process. When both you and your wife have each other's back.
Fat loss for dads is a lot easier when you can share your experiences with other dads who also want to lose weight.
So with summer right around the corner, isn't it about time that you took control and made sure all your stars are aligned?
Get your fat loss workouts together and know what you're doing in the gym today.
Plan your meals and snacks for the week so that your better prepared if you get thrown a curve ball.
AND
KNOW who your support system is and don't be afraid to call on them for help if you feel you're getting knocked around too much.
We've got 2 months left until the official FIRST DAY OF SUMMER.
That's more than enough time to get your butt in gear and be confident when you take your shirt off at the beach.
Need help, encouragement and support?
We can be your bullpen....
=>Sign-up for the FR*EE FitAndBusyDad Community on Ning
Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad
p.s. With 2 months left until summer, do you have your workouts all lined-up?
=>Get started with FitAndBusyDad workouts
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