Saturday, March 28, 2009

New addition to my daily treat


If you're a follower of my blog, you know by now that Greek yogurt is one of my favorite snacks. Over the years, I've used various items to flavor it up, from Stevia to blueberries to honey. This week, I tried some fresh pineapple chunks with a dash of granola. Yum! Give it a try and let me know what you think.


Pineapples are nutritionally packed members of the bromeliad family. This delightful tropical fruit is high in the enzyme bromelain and the antioxidant vitamin C, both of which play a major role in the body's healing process. Bromelain is a natural anti-inflammatory that has many health benefits and encourages healing. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, bromelain is very effective in treating bruises, sprains and strains by reducing swelling, tenderness and pain. This powerful anti-inflammatory effect can also help relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and reduce postoperative swelling. Additionally, the bromelain contained in fresh pineapple can relieve indigestion. This enzyme helps break down the amino acid bonds in proteins, which promotes good digestion.


Suggested Training Manipulations


Sometimes I get the random question, "What can I do to make my workouts a little more challenging?" Here are just a few examples:


  • Increase your training volume (that is, increase either the # of sets, reps, or weight lifted on a given exercise)

  • Decrease your inter-set rest periods (time it using a watch and you'll be amazed how FAST that 30-90 seconds elapses)

  • Use a heart rate (HR) monitor during the conditioning ("cardio") portion of your workout rather than simply judging how you feel.

3 Things I Hate


Random things I hate (I'm not being negative, I just had some random things to vent about :-)


  1. Perusing through other blogs of trainers, nutritionists, etc... and seeing that person's daily workout posted EVERY DAY. We get it- you work out. The whole world doesn't need to see it. I know it may motivate them to post it, I just don't care to see it.

  2. When people say things like "I work out 5 days/week," and clearly don't. There's a guy at my gym who does this and I'll give him that he "goes to the gym" a few days/week, but I hardly see working out, never mind training.

  3. When basketball players don't practice their free throws. Villanova clearly does!

Friday, March 20, 2009

He's Baaaaaaaaaaaack!!!


Kevin Garnett returned to the Boston Celtics' lineup Friday night against the Spurs after missing the past month with a strained right knee.

Don't Lose Sight


No matter how high you have to reach, keep striving to reach your goals. Don't let a minor setback here or there alter your focus. You can't ignore the past, but simply acknowledge it and move on as you only have control of the present. A long journey begins with the all-important first step.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Should you drink?


Good article in today's paper about whether or not drinking is a good idea. Check it out here: http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2009/03/16/should_you_drink/?page=1

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Off-Topic Product Recommendation


As I've mentioned in many past newsletters and blog posts, music is my favorite thing in life. That being said, I wanted to recommend a DVD/CD package produced by musical genius, David Foster. The following is the description of the product, courtesy of Amazon.com:


The spectacular one-night only concert of David Foster and Friends, featuring Foster, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Katharine McPhee, Celine Dion, Blake Shelton, Brian McKnight and Charice, is now available on CD and DVD. Spotlighting #1 hits, award-winning songs and other favorites-all but one originally penned and/or produced by Foster-the May 23, 2008 show at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas was unforgettable. Now 'Hit Man: David Foster and Friends' scores a direct hit with music fans at home.


To order this amazing DVD/CD, click the link below:



I'd love to hear what you think after you check it out.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Front Squats -vs- Back Squats

I've read a lot over the years on the pros and cons of back squats versus front squats. I've done both and prefer the feel of front squats- when using a barbell that is. My favorite squat is the 1-leg bench squat, AKA "Bulgarian Split Squats." More on those in a future post, but for now, check out this article on Front versus Back Squats, courtesy of Prescision Nutrition:

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Brown bagging it


Boston.com ran a piece today on packing a lunch that I thought was pretty good. See what you think: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/03/12/pack_a_lunch_save_a_bundle/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed1

Thumbs down for diet soda


A new six-year observational study in the journal Diabetes Care discovered that people who drink a daily diet soda have a 36 percent greater risk of metabolic syndrome when compared to those who pass on downing all soda. Regarding type-2 diabetes, the risk jumps 67 percent.


Check out the full article, courtesy of Core Performance, here: http://www.coreperformance.com/daily/news/is-dIet-soda-really-a-better-choice.html

Monday, March 09, 2009


Nutritionist Walter Willett and the Harvard School of Public health recently sponsored an invitation-only "Worlds of Healthy Flavors" conference. Willett is thinking about suggesting a regulation to mandate salt reduction in all packaged and processed foods. He's also suggesting a national tax of up to 18% on sodas and candy.

To read more, check out the following link: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/03/04/goodbye_trans_fats_now_its_salts_turn/

Golf Exercise


I had a client who just got back from golfing in California ask me what a good exercise was to improve his game. While a handful came to mine, one I like to perform are cable chopping patterns. They don't require much weight, yet are quite effective. There are different variations, and here's a nice video demonstrating such variations:

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Iraqi Weightlifting


The Boston Globe ran a good article the other day about Iraqis turning to weightlifting as a means of returning to a more normal life after recent newfound stability has entered their lives. There is an absence of militias and their markets are fully stocked, according to the article.


With all the violence that has gone on there over the last few years, many residents simply could not leave their homes. They reverted to huge amounts of watching TV, cigarettes, and high-calorie foods. Not surprisingly, many put on large amounts of weight and are now looking to work it off.


The article also talks about the emergence of supplement stores and a new generation of gym owners, once specifically who is a big follower of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The direct link for the article is as follows:

Still my favorite "old school" snack


For a period of 10 years or so, I probably had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch every day. Peanut butter packs a ton of nutrients- including plenty of good ("unsaturated") fat- and is very inexpensive. Use whole-grain bread and pay attention to the serving size.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Enjoy the snow everybody!


AARP had a good article on snow shoveling safety on their web site I thought was worth sharing, particularly on a day like today. Check it out here: http://www.aarp.org/health/fitness/work_out/a2003-10-23-a2003-10-23-shovelsnow.html


For those who don't have the day off, please be careful driving.


Have a great day...