As runners, we all know we should be doing it. It should be as much a part of our training as speed drills and the long, slow run. No, I’m not talking about stretching (even though we should do that, too). I’m talking about strength training. A few weeks ago, Lululemon reposted this article on…
The Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson uses it with his players to prepare for NBA games. Top mixed martial arts fighters like Georges St-Pierre and Diego Sanchez use it to calm the mind and enhance focus before fights. Even the U.S. Army uses it to increase mental toughness. Since endurance sports takes a whole lot of mental…
I know what you’re probably thinking. 15 simple steps? Losing weight isn’t easy like that. You’re absolutely right. Changing your body composition is not easy. Losing body fat and gaining muscle; getting stronger, faster and more flexible; and changing your habits to get there is HARD. And it can be even harder to know where…
It’s been six months since I declared my 2014 personal and fitness-related goals for this year: become a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), get published in a print publication, and qualify for the Boston Marathon. So how’s that all going, you ask?
I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to explore this park. Francis/King Park is only about 15 minutes from downtown Victoria, just off Munn Road near Prospect Lake. There’s a nice little trail system within the park that connects to Thetis Lake Regional Park in the Highlands, so you could easily make this…
Frozen bananas + food processor = ice cream. How did I not discover this sooner? With summer now well underway, nothing is as delicious as a big bowl of cold, sweet, creamy ice cream after dinner. Unfortunately for me, and for many others who can’t tolerate dairy, a big bowl of ice cream = writhing…
These are seriously amazing. I was looking for a good veggie burger recipe last week, as I realized that buying Green Cuisine tempeh burger patties was not only getting expensive, but also that I should probably cut down on my consumption of processed food and make something fresh to take for lunch. I used to…
Confession: I haven’t spent a whole lot of time running on trails lately, partly due to my crazy work and study schedule, and partly because I’ve actually been enjoying my urban runs and strength training workouts at home. Granted those urban runs are alongside the ocean in beautiful downtown Victoria, so they aren’t quite as…
Up until very recently, I thought I had pretty decent form when lifting weights and doing core exercises at the gym. I’ve been studying the instructions in fitness magazines and following along carefully to workout DVDs for almost nine years now, all the while thinking I was working the muscle groups I was trying to…
If there’s anything better than chocolate and peanut butter, I have yet to discover it. (Okay, wine is pretty great, too). I’ve been tweaking this recipe for about three weeks now, and I think I’ve found the perfect flavour/consistency for these bad boys! If you want to make them really low calorie, you can omit…
Last month, I did a little experiment with my FitBit Flex to see if being in a 250-calorie-per-day deficit actually does lead to half a pound per week of fat loss (because there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so 7 days x -250 calories less per day = -1,750 less per week).…
I’m not an expert in nutrition. I’m not an expert in running, either. And it’ll be a lonnnnnng time before I can call myself a “specialist” in anything. (I’m taking my certified strength and conditioning specialist exam in May, but in my opinion, that designation won’t mean much until I have years of experience behind…
Has it seriously been 365 days since my last non-New Year’s resolution post? It felt like 2013 flew by in a blur of awesomeness. A lot of wonderful, fun and challenging things happened for me in 2013, including getting a full-time, permanent job with the government (medical and dental FTW); going on vacation with my…
After almost eight months, I finally mapped the last trail I wanted to feature in my “7 Trails to Run Before You Die – Vancouver Island Edition” series. I was thinking about featuring Elk/Beaver Lake, but it didn’t quite meet my twisty-windy-fun-trail-with-nice-views criteria. It’s a great place for long, easy runs, but I find I…
If you’ve ever wanted to slog your way through a mud pit, splash through a smelly swamp and bound through an ice cold lake during a race–and also NOT get electrocuted/bruised shins/etc. in the process (a la Tough Mudder)–then Gunner Shaw is the race for you. Not only is it affordable with a $25 registration…
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