Your stronger, leaner, and you look younger than you have in years.

If you’re ready to take it to the next level, then the upcoming Spartan Race, at Morin Heights this May 25 and 26 weekend is for you. Custom Conditioning is putting together a team and would like you to stand up and be counted.

Me? Yeah…I’d love to, but you know, my neck and shoulders are playing me up, so I’ll have to take a raincheck this year. I’m more than happy to let you take my place.

 What’s involved? Check out the vid here.

To be honest, it looks like a whole lotta fun, no? For more information, ask the guys at the club for details.

Isn’t it time you put all that training to good use?

Actually, this week is full of tests. Tomorrow I have to have more blood tests, and the day after that

I’m having a sperm test.

Yep, not content with the speed that our tousled-hair bundle of joy is destroying our home, my wife and I have been trying for an accomplice.

But it’s not happening as quickly as last time, so we’re getting checked out. There’s a chance that my underperforming thyroid has had an effect on my swimmers. It might be that that these days they’re more content to tread water than do laps.

On Wednesday I have to take matters into my own hands and produce a sample. Where oh where DID the romance go?

Yeah, and while I’m on the subject, I have a question: How long should I take to produce said sample? Will it look bad if I reappear just 30 seconds after being left to my own devices? Will the staff nod knowingly at one another before chuckling about my speed on the job?

And what if I get stressed out, can’t perform and I’m there for hours? Finally I exit and scurry past a long line of men, all clutching an empty specimen container. “You should’ve knocked,” I’ll squeak as I head for the door.

Between looking for a new job, the blood and the semen, I don’t know if I’m coming or going.

I’ll let you know how I get on…or off…next week…but don’t worry, I’ll spare you the gory details.

Meantime, have fun and train hard.

I think he found it, and there wasn’t a grain in sight. Protein, baby…meat protein all the way.

Check out a good review of the movie here. 

What really sealed the deal for me were two scenes in the movie. The first was on a football field. Using the distance markers as visuals, the host and his interviewee detailed when agriculture arrived on the scene in human development. It wasn’t very long ago, and the evidence suggests that this was when we began to get things wrong.

The second scene was at an archaeological dig in France. Animal bones in abundance, and carbon blueprinting of human bones also found at the site showed massive amounts of animal protein. It’s suggested that our brains grew around 25% when we began consuming meat and fish, and this is what elevated us to the top of the food chain.

Right now, it looks as though we’re heading for a fall off the cliff of obesity…or have we learned enough to stem the tide?

Just a note to let you all know that the Member Appreciation Cocktail scheduled for this evening has been postponed.

With so many people away on vacation or with other commitments, it just wasn’t fair to carry on and hold the event.

The Member Appreciation Cocktail will now be held on:

Friday, February 22

Thanks in advance for your understanding, and have a wonderful weekend.

Happy New Year, everyone. How is 2013 shaping up for you so far?

I was talking to a buddy over Christmas, and he mentioned that he had ditched his Teflon coated non-stick frying pan in favor of a cast iron model.

He said that possible health concerns had prompted his decision.

Now I know I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I had never considered that Teflon coated pots and pans carried any risks but. However, after a little research, I have to say I’m a little worried, too.

Going out to get my cast iron frying pan this weekend.

Thing is, I always lauded the old Teflon pan for giving me the opportunity to cook with a lot less oil and produce beautiful fried eggs, omeletes and a host of other meals that would otherwise end up a sticky, burned mess.

But now I’ve discovered that you can ‘season’ a cast iron frying pan to become virtually non-stick, too.

Never knew that.

Cool.

As I battle thyroid disease and psoriatic arthritis, I’m placing ever more focus on fighting inflammation through strength training and diet.

And I’m convinced that the less environmental toxins I have floating around my system, the better I’ll be.

So, what are your health and fitness resolutions for the New Year?

Here’s the Holiday schedule for the club:

December 24:    Closed
December 25:    Closed
December 26:    11-5

December 31:    Closed
January 1:          Closed
January 2:         11-5

It’s been a funny year for me. Feel better than I have in years, but my thyroid disease continues to advance and I never did lose the weight I was hoping to.

But that’s okay, I’m learning all the time, and with the help of the guys at CC I am moving in the right direction—albeit a little slower than we would have hoped.

Learning really is the key—for all of us—all the time.

So, here for your reading pleasure are the top ten things I have learned in the past year:

10. The benefits of getting some sun far outweighs the negatives.

9. There is a huge variety of lean meat to enjoy. This year I’ve tried bison, elk, ostrich and kangaroo…yum.

8. Staying positive—no matter what comes your way—really does work.

7. Following a low carb high protein diet is a recipe for feeling great

6. Train hard and you can still rock when you get old—Jacob’s ladder anyone? Party, Louis?

5. Vitamin B12 is a great mood and energy booster—especially if you are anemic.

4. Omega 3 is an amazing anti inflammatory supplement

3. Sacrificing good form for heavier weights is never going to end well. Better to lift light but properly to get stronger.

2. Just because he or she is your doctor, it doesn’t mean that he or she is right….or any good. I don’t think my doctor has studied much since she received her license to practice. Much of the advice she gives me regarding thyroid is either old, wrong or both. It pays to research and take ownership of your health.

1. When you begin to lose your health it can be real hard (not impossible) but real hard to get it back. Best thing to do is to eat well and train regularly and make informed lifestyle choices that will keep you in top shape for as long as possible.

What have you learned this year from a health and fitness perspective?

No blog last week….sorry. I had the screaming ab-dabs…gastro to you.

I read somewhere that I should be happy for having the opportunity to enjoy gastro, because it helps to build the immune system. Can’t say I felt particularly wonderful during the episode, though all that dry heaving after the contents of my stomach had been evicted did give my abs a stellar workout.

Anyway, tiz the season—only 13 days till Christmas. And speaking of dates, today is the twelfth day of the twelfth month in 2012….12/12/12. Cool. This is the last time we’ll have a matching triple date like this for close to a century. Guess I won’t be seeing the next one, then.

Thought I’d close out this year with a couple of top 10 lists, starting today with my top 10 health and fitness related gifts. Cheap, not-so cheap, fun, sensible and quirky.

So, in no particular order, here we go—10 Christmas gift ideas for you or your nearest and dearest.
1. A yoga mat. Everyone should have one. Yoga is fun, relaxing, strengthens your core and helps to keep you supple.
2. A copy of the book Wheat Belly by William Davis. A stunning read which will truly revolutionize your diet for the better.
3. A consultation at Custom Conditioning—It works for you, right? And sharing is always good
4. A jar of Poliquin Omega 3 supplements. The ultimate inflammation busters, and the perfect foil for all the rich Holiday food to come.
5. An exercise ball. Another must have in every home. Great for stretching on or working your core. You can even use it while you watch TV.
6. A BioSignature Modulation assessment. Find out where your hormonal imbalances are and set out on the road to losing stubborn body fat and getting your energy levels and sleep cycle back on track.
7. A massage (also available at Custom Conditioning). The perfect gift to smooth away the stress after the busy festive season is over.
8. A jar of coconut oil. Seriously. For cooking at high temperatures, coconut should be your go-to oil. And taking a teaspoon a day of an extra virgin coconut oil offers a host of health benefits from firing up your metabolism to helping improve focus and brain function.
9. A copy of the book The Great Cholesterol Myth by Jonny Bowden and Stepen Sinatra. Read about the real culprits behind North America’s heart disease epidemic.
10. A  good quality stainless steel water bottle. The safest way to stay hydrated during your workouts in 2013.

A spice used in curry can help quell the flames of inflammation.

Yep…some of the most famous Indian restaurants and delicious food is back in Blighty. And I can confirm that after enjoying many a Friday night curry after a few  pints when I was growing up over there.

There’s something special about Indian cuisine—spicy and warming, but not in a tabasco-hotter-than-Hell-just-for-the-sake-of-it-buffalo-wings-way. No, Indian food has a unique, savory taste that is flavorful and warming in a more subtle way.

It’s all about the spices.

Curcumin is being hailed as an anti inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic super spice. Check out this Poliquin article on the subject.

The evidence of chronic inflammation as a precursor for disease is mounting up, and I gotta tell you that following an anti inflammatory diet has meant dramatic improvements in my quality of life. Less than 50% of people with psoriatic arthritis are still working ten years after diagnosis. I’m now in year three, and I’m stronger and more mobile than I was at diagnosis, and I’m on half the meds.

If you’re training at Custom Conditioning, you’ll already be getting plenty of invaluable nutritional advice, but for those of you that aren’t, here’s a few pointers. An inflammatory diet involves:

• Eating plenty of fresh vegetables—especially dark, leafy greens
• Cutting back on foods made with wheat flour and sugar, especially bread and pasta
• Getting plenty of protein from lean meats such as bison, chicken or salmon
• Drinking plenty of water
• Aiming for a low carb and high protein diet that, by nature of the foods consumed, is anti inflammatory

Quitting bread was the big one in that list for me…I found it hard to do, but very easy to maintain once I got there.

Are you a bread monster? Do you think you could cut bread from your diet?