The Beauty of Commuting

I have to say it is a bit of a piss that my car is still not fully functioning. But everything happens for a reason. Not having a car has forced me to man up and put my aerobic motor to work. Commuting on my single speed for the last 2 months.

In the beginning it was a bit of a hassle, but eventually like anything else it becomes a habit and you work out all the kinks. You almost become attached to it. I began to really pride myself on riding to and from work everyday rain or shine. It also becomes a bonus hour of aerobic work everyday. Now hitting 3hrs a day of training was no problem. I was already down one hour by the time I got home. Not to mention I haven't spend a penny on fuel in 2 months.

There was also a much needed mental shift. I was getting on a bike for transportation, not speed. I turned my brain off and just enjoyed it. Sprinting from light to light or get around a car, just having fun with it.

I feel that after 2 months I developed a good system that was working for me. Here are a few tips I came up with that helped to reduce any stress or excuses that come with bicycle commuting.

• The first couple rides are difficult because your not set up yet........... get over it
• If your tired after work or its windy or raining....... enjoy it, eat some extra dinner.
• Set up a commuter basics bag (back pack)
• Flat kit(separate bag)
• tube
• lever
• pump
• Sealant for speedy repair if in a hurry
• Lock and key
• Throw over slush pants
• Thermals
• Light Rain shell 
• Some change in case you need to hope on a bus
• Leave lots of time enjoy the ride at least the first time you ride. Arrive early so you can change
•  If you can leave work cloths at work do it. In fact leave a couple sets. So you dont have to worry about packing work clothes.
•  Wear the same stuff everyday reduce your un needed stress      

That is pretty much it. After a week you should be pretty set up and your only concern is the actual ride itself. If your in the city you might even notice its the same time if not faster to ride a bike!!

Feel free to leave your comments and experiences.

Hope you are all fighting fit!

Davis

The Power of Maca

I have tried a variety of supplements in the past, but nothing has come close to the effectiveness of Maca powder by Navitas. Maca is a potent, superfood which claims to increase stamina, boost libido, and combat fatigue. It contains a wealth of nutrients including amino acids, essential minerals, fiber, plant sterols, phytonutrients, vitamins and fatty acids.

After making just one morning shake and adding Maca I immediately noticed a boost in my energy levels and mood.  As someone who suffers from depression, I will have to say as of right now it has been more effective then any anti depressant I have taken. I also noticed increased endurance performance.

The powder has a fantastic yet mild taste and adds a nice texture to my smoothies. The 90 serving package of powder by Navitas was reasonably priced at $29. I would recommend this product to anyone even if you are not an athlete. It boosts your mood and will give you enough energy to kick that caffeine habit in the morning.

Lean Green Mean Morning Smootie Mix
1 Banana
1 cup blueberries
1 Scoop  Protein powder
1 tbsp Navitas Cacao
2 cups Spiniach
5g Navitas Maca Powder
1 cup unsweetend almond milk


Enjoy!

Crowdfunding

Well I have successfully gone through my first bout of crowd funding thanks to swaggercap.com.  I made a video, ran a campaign, and now its time to fill the rewards. One of my sponsors was a site called www.starstreet.com.

Starstreet.com is a site which takes fantasy sports teams to a new level. It allows you to make some cash with your prized picks. . You can bet on all major sports leagues including NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL. They have three systems of betting Pick 5, the Stock Market, and The Daily.

First of all I will say it was extremely easy to sign up and depositing money is done securely through pay pal.

Pick 5:

Pick five is simple and you can get a free trail when you sign up. All you need to do is make 5 correct picks as to who will score more fantasy points between 2 stars on the opposing teams playing in the game.

The Sports Stock Market:

This is a truly revolutionary idea that allows you to buy and sell sports teams in real time, and watch as there value changes depending on there performance. Just like trading actual stocks.

The Daily:

The daily contest works like this:

1. Draft your team.
2. Enter contests for tomorrow.
3. Score more fantasy points than your opponent(s) and win. 
   
   There are different tournaments you can enter at different wager levels, which allow you to manage your risk.
   
   This is a new fresh idea to the hold patterns of sports betting. Starstreet also makes it easy to play from the comfort of your own home. 
   
   For more information please visit starstreet.com   also see this clip presented by CBC News.
   
     
    CBC News review
   http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/business/2010/06/02/kosik.sports.stock.cnn#/video/business
    /2010/06/02/kosik.sports.stock.cnn

On, Off, and Grey

Endurance athletes are a breed of there own as we all know, and beyond that they develop  individuals quarks, and mental games to continue to get the work done.  At this time of year I find I struggle with validation. I am getting the work done there are some tests which allow me to see improvement, but there is not a race in sight. I am dieing for some validation that my work is paying off. Why am I so attached to results? Why can I not just be happy with getting the training done?

For me it becomes a flip flop argument in my head. If I relax I don't get the best effort from myself, if I come in with intense focus I will eventually burn myself out and yell and scream at everyone around me because I begin to think they are "in my way". I become a light switch I am on or off.

I am not sure where this mentality came from. But I have come realize that it is only my opinion and not an absolute truth. Yes it is important to get the most of yourself when you are in the middle of a set of intervals, but it is also OK to enjoy the warm up/cool down and you need to BELIEVE that. Even though you are going slower then the old guy 3 treadmills down. Are you trying to impress him?

Moving forward and shifting focus off of base training, and into higher intensity, will require yet another level of focus. This can spin off a couple of different thought trains. One you look back and think " I should have been preparing for this". Two good old self doubt comes in "Am I going to be able to deal with this pain? Have I lost my ability". No you haven't, how just haven't been there since last season. And this year is different anyways. As long as you are aware of that, when the time comes hit it....... hit it, my guess is you will surprise yourself.

That said there is no On or Off Black or White. Last year is not THIS year your a different person. Throw your old light switch out and get a dimmer switch, and toggle the crap out of it. Keep your goals set and use the focus you need to get where you need to be. But there is no need to kill yourself on a recovery run.

Have fun stay focused ( however much you need) and keep moving forward.

D

What are you doing?

Over the last few years health & fitness has blown up on all levels. Concepts about strength training, endurance training, nutrition have all gone through total overhauls. With the help of the internet there is more available information then ever, compound that with social media and it spreads faster then warm organic butter on spelt toast. You can see this in the gym if you pay attention, there are people training specifically and they are consistent in how they approach workouts, then there are those who have dressed the part and are following what ever came up that month in Men's Health.  With all this information out there it brings the question, are you doing to much? Too little? What exactly are you doing?

As a recently graduated Kinesiology major, and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. I find I look at my workouts differently.  I analyze movement on a different level, as any good trainer should. There are a lot of movements, (despite what we may think) that are not natural. 

We have seen this with the blow up of barefoot running. Pretty much telling everyone they are running wrong because of there shoes. I guess this may be true to some point but on the other side we don't all have the flat feet required for efficient bare foot running.


Then there is crossfit. Getting anyone and everyone to do power lifting. Which in turn has brought on an obsession with the squat. And these gym produce some nice squats and dead lifts. You can go to any gym take a seat and watch a variety of horrible squat techniques. Just another example of a functional movement that we take for granted and are probability doing wrong.

This is where an educated trainer can be helpful, even if you don't need or want someone in the gym with you. I am not talking about the guy that took the weekend course or was a model or competes in fitness competitions. I am talking about some one educated. Someone that knows how to do research and can filter through what is valid for you. Having someone with an in depth understanding of physiology can help you to decipher the myriad of information and help you to set proper realistic goals, and make sure your doing the appropriate work to get there. The same way you go see a physiotherapist or masseuse during rehab why wouldn't you see a professional when getting bigger stronger faster?

This is where I hope we will see some regulation in the personal training field. Not because I don't think some of those "other" trainers are not good, some of them have more experience then me, and you could argue that this is more valuable. But I do believe that there should be one step in the certification process that teaches trainers how to do research. As I am beginning to work in the field I really see the value in being able to back up the programs your prescribing with some reason why. Sure you can get people moving and get them to loose some weight, but why not teach them how the body is loosing the weight while its happening? I think being able to do research and educate clients will only help the whole industry, and moving forward to make the profession of training people more professional. Because it should be. As a trainer your working with peoples most valuable asset there health. So next time you have a workout with your trainer or if your just hitting the gym on your own I challenge you to ask why? Why am I lifting in this rep range? What are my goals? Is what I am doing now moving me closer to my goals? If you cant answer your own questions with some confidence, go out and find the answer. Skip the mess that is on the internet, skip the local macho man at the gym and speak with an educated professional they would be more then happy to help you out, and who knows maybe you will pick up a new training partner to push you farther then you thought possible.

Go out there and get after it!


D


Free press article:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/brains--or---brawn-188634221.html

How I Beat Christmas, Newyears, and Mexico, The Power of A List

Christmas, New Years, and Mexico, nice life whats there to beat right? Well when you want to race at a higher level you need to ask yourself how bad do you want it? Are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want? I knew I wanted it bad so I need to come up with a way to get through these events without wrecking some of the fitness I had gained. Not to mention I was still battling with my increased weight from the accident which seemed to settle around 185lbs, 15lbs up form race weight. much higher then I would like it do be. So here are the strategies I used to stay on track.

Take some time before the event when you are calm and undistributed and make the conscious choice about how YOU want to fell about the event or situation. Write this down. Then go though situations that may cause you to sway from what you want. Others that are treating it as all you can eat and drink buffet, traditional pastries after dinner. Yes it is the holidays but why does that mean YOU have to be glutinous to the point of sickness? Is that inline with YOUR goals? Probably not. But the choice is up to you! That's the beauty, and now you have made the choice that your not going to let that happen.

Now make a list of these situations or triggers, and write out exactly how your going to combat them. Yes COMBAT your going to war with your own mind. Remember it is lazy and will always take the easy way out.

Once you have this list set up some kind of a check in system. I just used the reminder app on my iphone that came on at times when I knew I would need it. But this could be a writing on your wrist, or a blue dot on the wall. What ever is going to remind you of end goal.

Then at the end of the night come back to your list and check to see how many of the battles you were able to win. Be accountable but make a game out of it. This is fun now, everyone likes games. Your only bettering yourself.

I will admit Christmas was hard I got beat on one of the occasions and had a turkey hang over. But then New Years got easier, and when my dad sprung a spontaneous trip to Mexico on me with one week notice after Banff. I looked at it and said lets F@&king go! In the end I was able to come out of the three weeks down to my goal weight of 179.  This was all because I decided I had enough, and it was time to take control. Not only do I fell great but it is a big mental boost moving forward into more focused triathlon training.

So the next time you have an event or situation coming up that may be challenging mentally ie: race, social event, whatever your vice is. Make a list and show that sucker whos boss. Dream it List It DO IT!!


D

The Rest Of The Trip

Dec 10,

After my visit with Bryan I was back home with the boys, doing two back to back long rides I needed the day off. I did what you do on holidays kicked back watched breaking bad and made sure the boys were taken care of so they could focus on studying. It took me a while to develop some flow but of course by the time I was leaving I had a routine started. Figures.

I was going to leave to Montreal today but it was the teams wine mixer and I got an invite! I know hockey teams can be a tight knit bunch but Paul pulled some strings and they let me squeak in. I made one of Kelcies delicious sangrias, and it was a hit. It was nice, party I fit right in a lot of the team related to me. I like to think that I keep well red and I can have a decent discussion on a variety of topics.  Its university level hockey so the egos are faded and they are focused on school. They are grown ass men. I had to go downstairs with the girls when they did there secret santa gift exchange as some kind of penalty. Here take your drink and go hang out in the basement with all these girls..........Ok.  Actually there was one other guy down there. His name was Evan, we got talking, asked him if he played hockey and he said ya but for a couple years he was on the U23 cycling team!!! What are the odds. We really hit it off great dude, I don't think he expected to meet another endurance athlete at a hockey party haha. It was cool to hear what its like on the inside of elite level cycling. He said he rode on team Team Garneau, but didn't want to commit for another year he had, had enough. Although he said some of his friends were riding pro, in Europe this year. The night ended well, didn't drink too much wine, but I did have a few too many cookies.

Dec 11.

Woke up groggy with a red wine hangover, toughed a run which was good got most of the booze out of the system before the train ride. Before I knew it I was packed up and headed down town to catch the VIA rail to Montreal.

Trains are awesome! Enough said right there. Easily the best form of travel, round trip was $88, and I couldn't believe the amount of space I had in there. On board free wifi, and 4 hours went by like nothing. Got tons of work done, booked my hotel, and some reading done as well.

I turned to the guy beside me and what are the odds,  but he's going for his PHd in nutritional sciences at McGill.  I thought perfect I can figure out why I keep gaining weight. It turned out I knew almost more then he did. He was really just getting started in nutrition, his main background was chemistry. Long distance triathlon should be a prerequisite for nutrition. He was still a nice guy we exchanged numbers.

I was in the hotel by 9 and I finished up some work in the room and then headed out for a walk. It was a nice night so much nicer then Winnipeg. I thought wow you don't need to go to Florida to get away from winter WTF am I doing in Winnipeg. Walked through old Montreal very cool, but it was Tuesday night and everything was pretty much dead.

I walked back up St. Laurent and walked into a Hookah bar. Thought why not. Had a read and a lemon hookah what was absolutely delicious. Read my book for a bit and just hung out.

I was out of there by 1 and sleeping by 1:30 or so. It was a laid back evening.

Dec12.
 My day in Montreal I needed to seize it. But I was having some lower leg pain. So running was out I needed to find a pool. The first order of business was a nice french breakfast. There was no way I was going to eat at anything remotely franchise like so I walked around until I found a nice little cafe and grabbed some bacon eggs fruit and a crepe. It was fantastic.

From there I took the subway to the old velodrome which in now the Biodome. Yes the biodome like the movie with Paully Shore.  Great experience and a good bang for your buck at $25. I cant say anything really stuck out I just took a lot of pictures and took it all in. I did learn however that there are no penguins on the north pole. So the Coke commercials with polar bears and penguins are 100% false.

Included in my entry was also a ride up the elevator in the Sportex. As I walked in I could smell the pool, and sure enough it was open to the public, so I knew I needed to get back here for a swim. After getting a sky high view of Montreal I ripped back to the hotel did a 180 and got back into the pool for a swim. It was a really nice pool, duh. But everything about it, nice big lanes, perfect temp, and everyone had great pool etiquette.

After the swim I needed to refuel. What better way to refuel in Montreal the with a poutine. The bartender at the Hookah bar had recommended La Banquise a 24h place so I made it a mission to get down there. During the walk I started to think what I was going to do for the evening. I also managed to find a little pastry shop and blew $25 on a small box of french pastries. Which was well worth it. I figured get a bottle of wine eat some chocolate head downtown and see where the night takes me. I got to La Banquise  and ended up getting a chicken and pea poutine. Phenomenal. Great service I was in and out of there quick.

On the way back I grabbed my wine and chocolate along with a pile of vegetables to wash down my poutine. Got back to the hotel and had a quick chat with a friend form Winnipeg that ended up suggesting a few places to check out. So that was a start.

I ended up heading out but it was still only Wednesday, and still not much going on. I went from bar to bar having beers and just talking. Saw a cool art display downtown with some musical lights that you controlled by walking in front of them. At 1 AM I decided it was time to get to bed.

Dec13
This was a pretty uneventful day and can be summarized fairly quickly. I woke up grabbed breakfast walked around McGill campus, tried to get some shopping in and then was on a train for the next 7 hours until I was back in the apartment at around 8. And I think I got to bed around 10.

Dec14
Back in Toronto and back in the routine. Hit the pool nice and early, because the guys team was playing the girls team as a fun christmas event. So I got back in time for that.  At the game I talked to the team AT and she agreed to come check out my leg to see if I had any injuries to be worried about. So she swung by later on told be I needed to start stretching more because my lower leg muscles felt like guitar strings. I will attribute some of that to sleeping on a couch for 2 weeks. But nothing serious and she said it probably wouldn't hurt to try running.

Dec15
This was another filler day. Just focused on getting my sessions done and reading. Paul had his final exam tomorrow.

Dec 16
This was it Paul was finished today. It was an exciting day for him. I went for a run early and felt good I had been taking an Iron supplement and I was able to get my heart rate up and my legs felt good.

Paul finished his exam around 8 and we made the trek into downtown Toronto and hit a bar called Tattoo. For Sunday night it wasn't bad. We had fun, Paul was just relieved to be finished exams. I know the feeling. It was nothing special we spent too much money and drank too much. Grabbed late night falafel to soak up the booze and crashed.


Dec 17

Well they say you save the best for and that couldn't be more true for this trip. After a good Sunday night out in Toronto I kicked Paully out of bed and we were rollin by 9:30. We were just going to go to Yorkdale mall but once we were on the subway we were in one, and decided to go all the way downtown.

We got down to union and did a coffee comparison Paul got Tims I got Starbucks. I still find Starbucks has better quality and service compared to Tims. Not to mention they also keep you hooked with the Starbucks card, which if you only drink black coffee like me it ended up making Starbucks the same Price.

Once we had coffees we walked over to the Eaton Centre, and just soaked up downtown. During the walk we came across a Bixie station. All I have to say about Bixie is WOW.  What an awesome concept. It was a super smooth super fun experience and definitely deserves its own post with an in depth look at the experience.

We got a solid shop in at the mall and found a place that serves all day breakfast. Just what the doctor ordered. By that time we had done some good walking and had a half our of riding downtown. Absolutely perfect way to spend an afternoon. Besides the mandatory Christmas shopping it was also a fairly cheap afternoon. From there we snapped a few pics at Dundas Square and hit the subway home for a quick nap before the late night flight.

Pauls captain Jesse Messier drove us to the airport. The guy is a absolute gem. He was also studying Kinesiology, and we started shooting the shit. Asked him what he was going to do when he was finished. He was in the same spot as me, a little unsure. He mentioned he had some friends that were working with high level coaches, which I thought was  pretty cool.  We also started talking about fitness testing he was telling me he did a VO2 test and scored 86!!!! Thats insane. I don't know if they messed up the numbers, but if thats legit the guy needs to start doing some endurance stuff.

The airport was pretty standard we saw some family friends Paul went and had a drink. I just couldn't take it any more, and wanted to be home. Flight was standard and we were sleeping by 2.



Next up Christmas...... Brace yourself


D