Day 108 - Coconut Water?

I have said it before, and I will say it again; in a free marketplace where companies are (for the most part) permitted to market and sell you whatever products they wish, you are bound to have products that try and cash-in on unsuspecting victims.

Unfortunately, I find that the health and fitness is especially bad for this, as nearly everyone, it seems, is looking for the newest and best way to get "fit, lean, and healthy!"

Oftentimes, in order to stand out in a crowded marketplace, you need to present something drastic to the public that is either a better formulation/product than what is currently out there, or come up with something different with (apparently) better qualities.

Case in point: Coconut Water.

In case you haven't heard, various brands of coconut water are appearing on store shelves promising to deliver better and faster "results" than traditional sports drinks.

Your traditional sports drink dates back to the 60's, and although not necessarily needed by everyone (will get to that later), do a fine job at replenishing fluids and "electrolyte" loss in athletes.

I don't need to discuss the various brands of sports drinks on the market, as I am sure you are all very aware of what is out there, but if you an up-and-coming product manufacturer, or one that already has a decent foothold in the marketplace, you have 2 options. You can either try and compete head-on with the likes of the "big guys" in the marketplace by putting out your own brand of sports drink, or you can put out something else, and claim that it is better.

Coconut water seems to be part of the latter group.

Manufacturers of various brands of coconut water claim to have superior results when it comes to replenishing lost fluids in athletes, which may not be the case.

More often than not, coconut water is pricier than other forms of hydration as well. Take this piece from another site:

There’s no convincing evidence to suggest that coconut water is a superior beverage for hydration. Coconut water has no magical properties which make it more effective or superior than water or sports drinks. Having said that, many love the taste of coconut water. As a low calorie option, it may be preferred by some over carbohydrate-containing sports drinks. Or you can stick with zero-calorie water, and eat something to replenish electrolytes. Coconut water or any other beverage, it doesn’t seem to matter for hydration.

When it comes down to it, as I said previously, I find that companies try to market to folks who have that desire or thirst (pun intended) for the "next great thing" to help keep them strong and motivated. Truth is, unless you are exercising intensely for longer than 60 minutes or so at a time, your body is incredibly effective at utilizing the nutrients that it ingests throughout the day.

In other words, if you consume a well-balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, and proper amounts of water, you will be absolutely fine exercising for extended periods of time with absolutely no need for any fancy "magic drinks".

That goes for your traditional sports drinks as well. Sure, there are many high-end athletes that use and need products like a sports drink to stay hydrated and performing at peak levels, however, companies try and market to those weekend warriors, trying to convince them that their 40 minutes of flag football should also be followed up with a half a litre of salty, sugary sports drink.

Keep in mind that energy drinks, sports drinks, and the like are all full of calories that are not needed, especially if you are trying to lose weight and are not exercising intensely for more than an hour. Stick to your good ol' calorie-free water and some fruit to help you recover and replenish those electrolytes of yours.

Quote of the day:
"Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination." 

~ Roy Goodman

Day 107 - Ego Check

As I am writing this blog, I have reached the mid-way point of my training for the upcoming Tough Mudder. I have also just woken up and am feeling sore and worn down. To some, the feeling of being worn down and sore can be downright miserable, however, in order to sufficiently prepare for an event, you need to break your body down so that it can repair, recover, and return stronger than it was previously.


After I finished one of my training runs the other day, I made a comment to my wife that I feel like I am in the best overall shape I have been in my life. I wasn't lying either. I am training multiple body systems at once, while maintaining my strength and endurance, not to mention eating quite well, sleeping well, and maybe most importantly, enjoying my training thoroughly.


One downside to being in such tip-top shape, and something high-end athletes must watch out for is overtraining. I am by no means comparing myself to high-end athletes, but whenever an individual reaches new highs in their fitness progress, overtraining becomes a very likely scenario.


The trick is, to be able to push your hypothetical "line", or fitness level higher, but not to cross that line, as overtraining can cause setbacks or injury.


When I woke up this morning (Sunday August 5th), I definitely felt as though I needed a day of recovery, so I took one. Today is exactly 2 weeks until my event that I have been training for, and feel as though I am in great shape, so I have no worries that the next week and a half of training that I have left on my schedule will be used to push my fitness even further.


Having said that, recovery days, at this point in the game, can be just as important as training days because my body needs that time to recover so that I can come back for these last 11 days of training as hard as I can.


So, below is a list of my last 11 days of training before I taper for a few days prior to Tough Mudder.


August:


5 - Recovery
6 - AM: 14km Run, PM: Hockey
7 - Asylum Speed & Agility and Overtime
8 - Asylum Game Day and Overtime
9 - AM: Asylum Vertical Plyo and Overtime, PM: 8km Run
10 - Yoga/Relief
11 - Asylum Strength and Overtime
12 - 10km Run
13 - AM: Asylum Speed & Agility and Overtime, PM: Hockey
14 - Asylum Back to Core
15 - Asylum Final Fit Test
16 - Recovery
17 - Recovery
18 - Recovery
19 - Tough Mudder


Quote of the day:

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
~ Theodore Roosevelt

Day 106 - My Current Fitness Progress

Today is the last day of week 2 of my Tough Mudder Training. This also means that I will be racing in exactly 2 weeks today. Since I haven't done a training update in a little bit, I figured I would keep everyone up-to-date with my progress thus far.

My training program right now essentially consists of 2 programs. Firstly, I am using Shaun T's Insanity Asylum program. For those of you who follow my blog and/or follow me on Facebook/Youtube, you more than likely are already familiar with this program. On top of that, I am also dabbling-in some distance running, ratcheting up in distance.

Last year, I used Asylum, in combination with some distance running to train for my half marathon. Although Asylum helped my 10k time in the half, I came to the conclusion later that Asylum truly is more meant for anaerobic conditioning as well as sports performance, both of which aren't entirely needed or beneficial for a distance of 21km.

So, the question then arises, why use Asylum to prep for Tough Mudder if its total distance is approximately 18km and a half marathon is 21 km?

A half-marathon road race is straight running. Depending on where the race is held, most marathons are fairly flat-terrained as well. Because of this, the race is almost entirely aerobic-based. Primary training should therefore be distance running with some various intervals and pacing runs dabbled in. Not only that, but upper body strength is essentially not required.

With Tough Mudder, however, not only is upper body strength needed to complete many of the obstacles, but some anaerobic power is also required to be able to power through some of these obstacles, namely scaling "Mount Everest".

A program like Asylum, combined in training with my distance running is currently allowing my to train multiple energy systems at the same time, while also maintaining my upper body strength. I personally feel as though I am some of the best overall shape I have been in my life and am incredibly excited to put that to the test 2 weeks from now!

Quote of the day:

"Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat."
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

Day 105 - Motivation Saturday

I posted on my Facebook page the other day: "Holy crap these Olympics are inspiring. If someone is sitting at home watching the dedication of these athletes from their couch, and aren't inspired to get active, they must not have a brain..."

I find the athleticism and dedication in the Olympics to be downright motivating. For me, one of the premier events is the 100m sprint. The forces these guys produce to propel themselves down the track is just awe-inspiring.

Just in case you were wondering the 100m men's final will take place Sunday evening at 4:50pm.

Quote of the day:
"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."
~ Henry David Thoreau

Day 104 - Distinction in Diet vs. Exercise

If you haven't already, I strongly suggest you check out Yoni Freedhoff's blog Weighty Matters.

About Yoni: Family doc, Assistant Prof. at the University of Ottawa, and founder of Ottawa's Bariatric Medical Institute - a multi-disciplinary, ethical, evidence-based nutrition and weight management centre. Nowadays I'm more likely to stop drugs than start them, and love going to work in the morning.

One of his recent blogs discusses the topic that "Weight is food. Health is fitness." I have discussed this topic before, although not everyone reads my blog, so hopefully Yoni's readers will also get the hint.

In other words, for proper weight management, diet is the key. Sure, exercise helps, in some ways, to maintain a healthy weight, but in general, the obesity epidemic is not due to the fact that we are moving less, but that we are consuming more.

On the flip side of this coin, exercise is health. Don't lie to yourself and think that exercise is not needed for a healthy lifestyle, because it is absolutely necessary. Just remember that exercise keeps the machine (your body) running smoothly while the fuel (food) you put into the machine, is what (primarily) keeps the weight at a proper level.

What I personally get a kick out of is the constant "promise" nearly everyone in the fitness industry touts. I personally see advertisements from personal trainers all the time promising that their fitness program will help folks "lose weight in 4 weeks, guaranteed!"

I am sure many of you have heard of these sayings before, but just in case you haven't, here are a few "sayings" tossed around in the health and fitness industry that are spot-on with this information:

"Abs are made in the kitchen."

"You can't out-work a bad diet."

Quote of the day:
"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true."
~ Leon J. Suenes

Day 103 - Grow Younger Every Day Summary

If you have been following along, you have now completed what I believe are the most crucial aspects to living a healthier, happier, and maybe most importantly, a younger life. These tips and pieces of advice can be used to live with more energy and feel better about yourself.


Just in case you missed any of the "steps", I have included the list below, with a short synopsis of each.


Step 1: Exercise - Plain and simple, stay as active as possible, exercise with intensity.


Step 2: Eat Naturally - Stick to the outside walls of your grocery store (for the most part). Eat things that have as few ingredients as possible.


Step 3: Believe in Yourself! - Don't think that any magic exercise fad or diet is going to make you any more successful than just plain and simple hard work and dedication.


Step 4: Enjoy What You Do - Find a way to make healthy foods enjoyable and eat those instead of processed junk. Find activities and exercises that will challenge you, but that you also find enjoyable, and do them often.


Step 5: Exercise with Purpose - Whether you are training for a specific event or just focusing on your goal(s), don't just "go through the motions", make every single minute of every single workout count!


Step 6: Spend Less Than You Make - Different than many of the other steps on this list, this one is pretty basic, even though there are many folks that have problems with this one. Spending money that you don't have on luxury or cosmetic items will not necessarily make you a happier person, despite what you may think.


Step 7: Diet Flexibility - There are plenty of people who will tell you that you need to be 100% with your diet in order to succeed. Sure, there are times when you want to be as spot-on as possible (training, trying to lose a lot a weight, etc.), but once you hit your ideal weight, have indulgences now and then, it will keep you human!


Step 8: One Size Does NOT Fit All - Similar to Step 3, fads will come and go. Just remember that there are plenty of diet and exercise styles out there that work great for many, but are certainly NOT required for all to succeed.


Step 9: Yin and Yang - Exercise and Recovery - Sure, exercise is important, and exercise intensity is especially important, but you also need to give your body sufficient time to rest and recover as it is during the resting periods when your body adapts and grows (improves).


Step 10: Sleep - Get your sleep, simple enough. There are few things in this world that have as profound impact on your body as your ability to get proper sleep.


Step 11: Be Honest with Yourself - Don't lie to yourself if you fail to meet your goals. Following through the motions is not enough, you need to give your absolute best effort when required in order to succeed.


Step 12: Failure is Not Final - We all have road bumps or obstacles in our way. If you make a mistake or fail, learn from your mistakes and move on.


Step 13: Consistency - Above all else, stay consistent. Sure, you can get in phenomenal shape in a few months of hard work and dedication, but what happens after that? If you go back to your old ways of doing things, you are just going to end up back at square one. Remember that a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong full-time job!


Step 14: Stop Worrying - No matter where you turn, there are "experts" everywhere giving advice on when you should eat, how much you should eat, how many grams of protein should be in every meal, what you should eat following a workout, etc. etc. etc. Follow the simple steps on this list as consistently as you can and you will be a happier, healthier person.


Quote of the day:
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 102 - Grow Younger Every Day Step 14: Stop Worrying

Step 14 is the last step on my "Grow Younger Every Day" list, and is related to every other step on this list.

Sure, we should all try and exercise intensely, stay active, eat healthy, get lots of sleep, take some time to recover, and find foods/exercise that we enjoy so that we can stay consistent, but all of these previous "steps" are pointless if we don't stop worrying about being so perfect!

I get questions from folks all the time asking about "When should I take protein?""Should I do this workout?" "How much should I eat?" "How do I drop these last 2 pounds?" etc. etc. etc.

People are constantly worrying about doing everything perfectly. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we are inundated with health and wellness information every single day from a number of sources and "experts" who claim to have the "new secret" to healthy living.

Let me be perfectly clear here. There is no final answer when it comes to anything in the health and fitness industry. Research is constantly being changed and updated, not to mention everyone living different lives, working different jobs, etc.

Sure, there are things you can do that can improve your likelihood of living a healthy life, but being 100% regimented is not necessarily the end-all, be-all way to do it.

Eat healthy, get lots of sleep, exercise intensely, and most of all, enjoy what you do. Do all of these things 80-90% of your time, and you will be a far more happier and healthier person!

Quote of the day:
"That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger."

- Friedrich Nietzsche