Mike

That extra bit of energy you get even after a short, intense workout.

I find that one of my favourite types of cardio is the cross trainer. Sometimes I have sore joints (a lot less since joining Simcoe Health & Fitness) but with the cross trainer, none of that matters, low or no impact is the name of the game here, while simultaneously racking up those calories.

Here’s how I like to Cross Train:

1st:

20 minutes BACKWARD

Starting at the default difficulty and incline, slowly increasing the incline by 1, every minute until it is maxed.

Once there is no more incline to raise I start increasing the resistance up by 1 every minute until reaching the max, so both incline and resistance are maxed out.  I also try and “sprint” for about the last 15 seconds of each minute. when I am around the 19th minute, I lower everything back to or below default and “run it out”

2nd:

I then repeat this for another 20 minutes going FORWARD. (If the gym is busy you can do something in between to give other people a chance)

Trust me when I tell you that at the end of this you will be completely wiped! I’ve burned upwards of 700 calories in 40 minutes doing this.

Now for those of you hardcore runners who would tell me the benefits of the treadmill or other such things I completely agree, and variety -especially in the gym is important. But as a wise, extremely fit, person once told me: “A calorie is a calorie is a calorie”.

Mike

Quick tip: Start slow, you don’t need the biggest Kettle bell in the place, just do what you feel comfortable with (you know your body) and don’t worry about the rest.

I’m at that age I guess where one by one my friends are dropping off the singles charts and quite honestly it kind of scares me. Don’t get me wrong, one day I’d like the whole 9 yards. The House with the white picket fence, my beautiful (to me) supportive(very), kind, loving wife, and my awesome kids, who only get in trouble for doing funny things that we can all laugh about around the dinner table.

 Sound too good to be true? Maybe it is, but i’d like to think that there is someone out there for all of us. A few potential someones even…

So tomorrow when I’m at the church seeing my good friends Tony & Karla tie the knot I will remember that good things come to those who wait, and love can be found where you least expect it.
Maybe it’s a good thing I’ve been heading to Simcoe Health & Fitness.. ‘Cause it’s really corrected my posture and improved my sense of well-being. Who knows, maybe the future Mrs. Badaway will be found this weekend.

Only time will tell. 

Peace.

Anyhow, now that I’ve got the whining off my chest I guess it’s time to suck it up and head back to Simcoe Health & Fitness tomorrow. It has actually become a part of my life now so much that I miss it when I am unable to make it out.

Don’t get me wrong, it can still be a very painful experience when you’re there, but it is far less painful than watching all of that hard work fall apart. In my experience results come quick, but also fade away quick if you don’t watch it..

We’ve still got 3 months to go. Just the right amount of time to fully develop a new lifestyle.  So come down to Simcoe Health & Fitness and Hopefully I’ll catch you at the beach this summer

After that, I’d say the second answer is probably Autumn. They’ll say things in fall like “ooh look at how nice all the different coloured leaves are”. Personally, that’s not my cup of tea.. First of all, those non-green leaves are indications to me that the tree is not doing so well and second-freezing times are ahead (except in Southern Ontario for the ’11-’12 winter, which as we previously discussed, didn’t actually happen -temperatures IMHO need to dip below 0 in order to be classified as winter).

Spring is by far the best of all. Everything is coming back to life, you can hear the birds chirping, the sun is warm, but not too hot, and the air has never been as fresh as it is right around now. Maybe it’s because I was born in May, or maybe because I know my least favourite season -winter is furthest away, but its just a really good time to be.

For those of you who have Summer as your favourite season, I will tell ya, you’ve got exactly 3 months now – that’s how long they say it takes to get into a new habit, like I dunno? Coming to the gym maybe? Simcoe Health & Fitness, 4++ days a week. Makes you feel good.

Michael

For example, if you go anytime before 8:30 am it is the 9 to 5rs. They’ve got to get in that time before heading off to their job so it is a very fast pace for them. Working out at this time can be a bit overwhelming if you are trying to ease your way into things, but if you just want to jump in with both feet, there are a lot of very motivated individuals in the early day to help get you motivated if that’s your time..

Myself for example, I like to get things done usually around 10-30ish. The morning rush has cleared, and a new group usually starts trickling in around this time. Funny enough it has quite the mix too.

See, Marcy has a little day care thingy set up so that Moms with little ones to take care of can come down to the gym if they like as well. I think this is really awesome as there aren’t too many Health clubs around with daycare facilities. I know for example, my sister who has two of her own children to look after, would probably jump at the opportunity just to have a little slice of time for herself – were such a thing available in her town!

In addition to the new mom (parent) crowd we’ve also got another type of person coming in at this time. I guess some of these people own their own businesses and others still are retired.. These people come; I would imagine; purposefully after the morning rush has wrapped up. Usually this is my personal favourite time to work out. I do enjoy the motivational mornings, but the calmer, mid morning I find I can go at more of my own pace and that’s always nice too.

There really is something for everyone at Simcoe Health & Fitness. I’ve been a member of more than a couple of gyms in my time, and as a new member, I can say I’m impressed.

Michael

P.S. Here is the link to their class schedule if you are interested:

http://www.simfit.ca/class-schedule.html

 But I decided that chicken was getting a little old, so I went down to VG’s the other day and bought myself a cross rib roast (my mom says that’s the kind that the longer you cook it the more it falls apart) Boy was she ever right! 10 hours in the slow cooker worked a miracle on that piece of meat as it literally falls apart in your mouth. Here’s how I did it:

Just dump everything into the slow cooker, hit the button and walk away…

1 cross rib roast

1/2 a large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1/2 a carton of beef broth

2 apples, chopped (for sweetness)

and that’s all!

I turned it on around 10pm and by early the next morning the smell found its way to my nose, waking me up. No knife was even required to separate the meat..

I hope you’ve enjoyed my recipe, and maybe I’ll see you over at Simcoe Health & Fitness, where you can always approach me, I love to talk food!

Not only that, I feel much better too! All of those old aches and pains (and even some new ones that I’ve started getting) have been fading away.  Someone commented on my last blog that it is not a competition. I agree in that your should not compare your fitness level to the level of others around you, but for me the real competition is against myself. It is an ongoing process to make the right choices for a (hopefully) healthier and happier tomorrow.

Peace.

Well, I’ve been in the Simcoe Health & Fitness 50 day challenge since midway through January and I can say, things are finally seeming to be turning around.. a bit.

For starters, I am now capable of doing just about all of the different things I’m supposed to be doing at the gym (pushing, pulling, twisting, turning, running, walking, jogging, rowing, rocking, ok maybe there isn’t any rocking involved, but you get the point) Most of that rust I talked about in a previous post has finally started coming off and I am no longer dreading going to the gym.

Yes, I said it.. the “D” word.  

I am finding I still have to push myself to get going in the morning, but I no longer have that feeling of “Why, did I say I would do this”? or some other whiner (if that’s a word) phrase that seems to enter your mind when you aren’t “feeling” it.

Finally I am at the point where I know I have to go tomorrow and it’s all good! No problemo… Sure, I’ll be a little hurting first thing in the morning, but that feeling of accomplishment and mental clarity I get after it’s all said and done is WELL worth it!

What I would like though is to really integrate this working out stuff fully and completely into my life, so that it’s like brushing my teeth, or taking a shower, just a part of the routine which ought not to be avoided.. I mean, how often do you opt to skip brushing your teeth because “you weren’t feeling it”? Exactly. That’s what I’m going for here.. Just like brushing my teeth.

I read a book once that basically said that your attitude in life is everything. It can make you, or break you. Just some food for thought… Mmmm, pizza……………….. BTW, thanks Marcie for letting me try your homemade pizza, it was great!

Michael