6 Myths About Diet and Exercise

We've all heard it and we've all had our own theories about fad diets and fitness trends. From no carbs to CrossFit, everyone is an "expert" on fitnessology (just made that up. Sounds legit, doesn't it?).

The following is a quick list of myths that circulate the health and fitness world that just aren't true:

1. Chemicals are bad for you
     -Tricalcium phosphate, Disodium Phosphate, Mono and Diglycerides, Carrageenan, Sucralose,        
     Acesulfame, Potassium, Vitamin A Palmitate, and Vitamin D3

If that all sounds scary to you, then you should send your mother an angry text message before reading on because what I just listed there are the ingredients found in milk. That's right, the same chemicals that your parents force fed you as a baby. I'm not quite sure where the origin of this fear for chemicals came from, but I think what people mean by chemicals is pharmaceuticals. If that's the case, then I can see the argument. But it's because of blurred lines that we've arrived to the point where "chemicals" just means bad stuff. Everything is made out of chemicals, so don't be so quick to dismiss something just because someone told you that it's a chemical.

Mmm, Tricalcium Phosphate 

2. Squats are bad for the knees

Truth be told, the reverse is actually true. NOT squatting is bad for your knees. And really, the issue isn't with the exercise, it's with improper form. Which can be said about anything mechanical you do with your body. Seriously, try getting out of bed without bending your knees or only using your arms. That would be bad form. Any exercise (or movement) when improperly executed is a dangerous one and the reason people get hurt when they squat is because they try and pack on more weight on the bar than they can handle, have improper form, or are not flexible enough (yet) to execute it. There are dudes squatting 700lbs and somehow they are not wheel-chair bound.

Looks like the dude can walk just fine to me!

3. Stretching before a workout is bad for your joints

This one is a pretty heavily contested issue in the sports world. In my experiences, doing dynamic (moving around) and static (paused, holding a stretch) stretching before a workout actually increases my range of motion during an exercise. The critique is often that when you are not warmed up and begin to stretch, the muscle/joint will tweak and you'll hurt yourself. This is very true in fact that going from a state of inactivity to stretching can irritate or even injure you. The solution to this however is to warm up. Routine can go: 5 minute cardiovascular work, 2 minutes dynamic stretching, 15 minutes deep/static stretching, then weight-lift. You'll feel a lot better and find your range of motion dramatically increased. Doing so over time will grant you flexibility that pays off big time in the weightroom.

Mr. Olympia Competitor Kai Greene certainly takes advantage of stretching for flexibility

4. Fats make you fat

Fats do not make you fat. Eating healthy fats promotes good blood flow, is anti-inflammatory and actually has cognitive (your head muscle) benefits. Behind carbohydrates, fats are actually the second easiest of the macronutrients (carbs, protein, fats) to be converted into energy (which is good in case you wanna, you know, do stuff). You get fat by eating more calories than you burn. 1 pound of body fat is made from 3500 excess calories. Therefore, if you eat roughly 500 more calories in a day than you burn off, you'll be gaining 1 pound a week. This is how you get fat. Leave the fats out of it.


5. Doing a million sit ups will give you abs

Abs are made in the kitchen. Simple as that. While training your core and abdominal will build mass and give you strength, if your body fat % is too high then they just won't show. This is tied to the above myth. It's why really skinny guys can have a 6 pack and dudes like Bill Kazmaier (below) - who was a strongman competitor - do not.

Behold! The muscle gut! 

6. I'm a girl and lifting heavy weights will make me bulky like the Lost Batman

This one is a shame and I feel for you ladies. There aren't a whole lot of girls that I know that want to have massive shoulders, wide backs, massive arms and a muscle gut like our friend Bill above. Thankfully for most of you, there are a bunch of physiological differences for women that aren't necessarily nurturing of the Schwarzenegger look. One of which is testosterone. Female bodybuilders (the really really really big ones) take testosterone and human growth hormone boosters to get that big. Naturally, the female body typically does not produce even CLOSE to the amount of testosterone needed to develop muscles that are huge and clunky and monster-like. Instead, lifting heavy weights will make you 1) Harder 2) Better 3) Faster 4) Stronger. Strong is sexy, ladies. Don't be afraid to build power and explosiveness while toning up by pulling heavy weight

Unfortunately, the form isn't the greatest in the world, but it still delivers the same message I'm trying to. You can lift heavy weight and not be bulky. You go girl!

These are my sincere conclusions and insight into these topics. Of course, I would love to support my claims with evidence if asked of me but in the end you must realize that these are MY thoughts and I would never claim to be an expert on the subject or some sort of information wizard (although I am pretty dang good). Open to debate and discussion! 

Workouts For Burning Fat and Gaining Muscle; Diary of a Fat Kid (Part 1)

As a quick disclaiming statement: I use a pretty harsh tongue about some issues including obesity, self-disrespect, pity and indulgence in this post. Although I  may come off as overly critical and cruel, this is a very sincere reflection of experiences I have had with battling weight and delusion for a pretty difficult time in my teens.
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A lot of what my posts are going to be about will reflect my philosophies about working out and more importantly: training. Firstly, there is not a distinct method of training or workout style that I personally view as supreme or even my favourite. I respect all disciplines whether it's bodybuilding, powerlifting, athletics, general fitness, or whatever. What I get most excited about is using the body and seeing just how much it can improve day-by-day. Testing the limits that you are capable of reaching and then breaking past what you thought was possible is an event so gratifying and powerful that it is often electric. Those of you who have set fitness goals and achieved them know exactly what I mean.

This improvement is not just physical for me. When I first started working out I was a bucket of lard. Weighing in at 275lbs at the start of my senior year in high school, I reached a breaking point where I told myself that living that way was just not an option anymore. I was done telling myself that I was an athletic fat guy or that my genetics were to blame for my appearance. These were just lies that I used to try and mask my laziness and fear to commit.

Ask me 5 years ago what I see in this picture? I'd say a worthless, volatile human being.

The fear to commit is a very real phobia. When you're that out of shape and you feel as disgusting as I did on a daily basis, you're essentially in a state of constant vulnerability. Sure you can try and mentally train yourself to ignore the fear of rejection - tell yourself that you're beautiful on the inside and that's all that matters. I did that and sometimes it worked. The lies made me feel less vulnerable for a stretch of time. I had been able to develop a comfort zone where I was content being as obese as I was where any infraction on my comfort zone only lasted a few minutes before I found peace in the lies again. These infractions were very simple and happened semi-frequently throughout a normal day.

Standing up from your seat and seeing it pooled with sweat even though you weren't doing anything strenuous at all was an infraction on my comfort zone I faced more than a couple times a day. It really is embarrassing and I would pray to god that no one else sitting near me noticed the sweat on my seat. Or the hope that no one dared have a conversation with me while we were walking up a flight of stairs - breathing was hard enough. Or being the guy who didn't do grade 9 gym because it was co-ed and got butterflies in the stomach every time the grade 10 all-boys gym class interacted with the grade 10 all-girls gym class. Being too afraid to talk to the girl you like because you know you're nothing but an instant rejection waiting to happen.

Of course, those infractions may not be as simple as I first mentioned. There clearly is a range of embarrassing elements to hating your body. And I use the word hate very carefully here. It really was hate. I speculate that people who never hit rock-bottom about their body image may find it hard to understand such a silly concept. How could you hate your own body? Believe me, it's possible. I would tell myself: man, if I wasn't so fat I would be the most popular kid in the school.; Look at that guy over there! He sucks. If I had a body like his I would get every single girl in my grade lining up to be my girlfriend.; People only like me because they need a fat guy in the group. Every group of friends needs a punchline and I'm a self-bullying fat kid; You're going to die alone. No one could ever love you. How could somebody love you if you don't even love yourself?; Don't bother trying to achieve anything, fatass. You've failed so many times before at losing weight, what makes you think you can accomplish anything real in your life?; You'll be dead by 50.; I wonder what my toes look like?

That last line was a joke but still serious. I could not look down in a natural position and see my toes (or my manhood) until halfway through grade 12.

These are all very real and just one person's experience of hating their body. And hate is one of those emotions that transcend what it means to be an emotion. Feeling joy or gloomy or bitter or mad is very non-threatening to your self-respect or the state of your mental stability. Hate consumes you. A lot of days, the only thing I could think about was how disgusting everybody probably thought I was. I would starve myself for a day and then pig-out the next. I had no idea what I was doing and all that I knew was that my shirt size was XXL and my pant size was 44 inches (and that was without needing a belt).

This was my breaking point.

This is when I started researching. Reading. Watching videos. Buying weird foods (tofu anyone?). I didn't know what the hell I was doing but all I knew was that something had to be done. I started working out twice a day. An hour before school and an hour and a half afterwards. My weightlifting technique was wrong for just about every lift and I had zero coordination necessary for a treadmill but goddammit I put all my effort into it. I still have nagging injuries from all the rookie mistakes I made by putting more effort into my exercising than I did brains. But I'm so much better now because of it. It wasn't the right way to do it by any means but it was something. I had tried and given up so many times before but not this time. This time was different. This time I had hate and I realized this hate.

--------------------------------TIP FOR CRAZY FAST WEIGHT LOSS----------------------------------
This is one of the few times I'll probably pause from an abstract conversation and be more practical, but if you're overweight like I was - the scale is your enemy. If you check that thing day to day or even week to week, you're guaranteeing your own heartbreak. After I decided to change my life, I waited 3 months before checking the scale and it was at this time that the number I saw in front of me was 35lbs less than what I started out with. Focusing on doing the right thing, eating the right thing, following a reasonable set of lifestyle changes will allow the results to come and the weight to drop.
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These are my experiences but as a human being, I am not just the sum of my individual parts. I am greater than this. Everybody is. This was a very difficult understanding for me to come to and it was only after I had a birth, rebirth, and death of my ego did I realize that my weight - just like any other part of me - was not something to identify myself by. However, this does not mean that I am immune to improvement. Nobody is. Conversations about fat-shaming and loving your body can only extend so far before the serious question must be asked: am I healthy? And this question is only partly directed towards your physical body. Some of the most able-bodied people I know suffer from afflictions that move beyond a muscular frame and an impressive exercise routine. Mental and spiritual health are just as important. Ignore any one of these 3 important parts of what you are and you find yourself sick and lacking. This is what training helped me realize. It was through exercising my body, reaching goals but still not seeing the results I wanted mentally and spiritually that I realized fitness can only go so far. But this conversation is better left for part 2 of this post.

I conclude this with the sentiment that I could not have achieved what I did without help. It was friends and family that supported me and my journey that are to thank for my accomplishment. I encourage everyone to take the first step in identifying what issue they have that might be affecting their health. But more-so, I encourage everyone to try and help other people find theirs. A little support and encouragement can go a very long way to inspire someone to fix whatever injury, be it bodily or other, may be harming their life.

Extending your hand and grabbing another may be someone's saving grace. Do not hesitate to help someone hanging on by only a thread. The man on the right in the picture above did just that for me and saved a life. You can too.

Why Competition Is Important & You Shouldn't Feel Bad For Losers

No words necessary.

If you live on planet earth chances are you remember seeing the adrenaline junkie depicted above doing the incredible and jumping from space. You laughed, you cried, you cheered, you felt good about humanity for 10 minutes - marveling at what the human spirit is capable of when you set aside fear and embrace challenge. Of course, you liked it, you shared it, you tweeted about it, and like me you might have even set it as your profile picture on Facebook. Although I do not wish to turn this into a  conversation about social media (that's better left for another day), I do wish to talk about how this jump was possible.

What's the first thing you notice in this picture after the surreal placement of a single man hovering above the Earth? Is it the glow of sapphire blue you see in the distance hugging the edge of the planet? Is it the somewhat emptiness and vastness of space that you know surrounds this man? Maybe, but not what I'm getting at.

I see a red bull. I see Red Bull. And it's slapped all over this man for a good reason.

The power of sponsorship is one you really don't understand until you think about it. Money talks in our society and unless someone is willing to fork over the cash to fund a project (like a skydive from outer space) then it's not going to happen. The moment you accept this is the moment you can start to really dream big.

I'm not here to argue about what is right and wrong or discuss why money should or shouldn't be the primary method by which things get done. This is not a dialogue about politics (directly at least). We are simply going forward with the understanding that money is the fuel for things getting done in the Western, Democratic, Capitalist world in 2013.

Science badass Neil DeGrasse Tyson made a clear distinction between art and science. He said that the difference is that in art: If you don't do it, no one else will. And in science: If you don't do it, someone else will. The example he gives for art is Beethoven's 9th symphony. Creation versus discovery. If he didn't create that music, no one before him or after him would have either. In science, it's different. Science is discovery and if North America doesn't discover something, then Europe will.

Life and living embodies both of these principles to some degree. I argue that being on earth is both creation AND discovery. Firstly, I'll be using Life to be meaning your own individual experiences. Secondly, I will be using Living to be meaning your interaction with other Lifes (that is to say, other people and things in society).

I have spoken to this idea before, but you are the catalyst for everything you experience in Life. If you don't project a positive, successful image of yourself for your future, then it simply won't happen. If you're stuck in the why me, oh god, why me mode, then chances are you will not be able to fish yourself out of that hole. If you have any person you idolize, be it a movie star, singer, writer, scientist, athlete, whatever, you can be absolutely sure that they have always believed that they would get to that point in their lives. This is exactly why if you have a dream, chase it. If you don't have a dream because you're too afraid to think big, then get one. There is nothing easy about this. I know that "getting a dream" isn't as simple as getting up and grabbing one. It takes serious soul searching. Really, it is the most important thing you'll ever do. If you've read my other blog posts, you'll already know that I'm not a big fan of blindly accepting goals and values people put on you to shape what you want to do. Sometimes what you actually want to do fits in with the standard and that's okay. Just don't lie to yourself. Because if you don't take charge of your own life, shape what matters most to you, dream big and persist after what you love, then no one will take charge for you and help you realize your dream. If you don't do it, no one else will. That's creation. Dreaming is creation. Dreaming is art. Your life is art.

Brilliant clip from Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Protect your dreams.

Here's where competition and that initial spiel about money and sponsors and space-jumping comes into play. Living. If having a dream and creating your Life is the why, then competition is the how. This is where your being experiences science. This is discovery. In the business world, an entrepreneur is fueled by a vision but will only last as long as his competitive edge allows him to. Competition is the reason everybody prefers the iPad over the Sony Tablet. Competition is the reason you can buy cheaper doesn't always mean better, or pricey doesn't always mean best. Competition is how you live or die in the real world.

A lot of people confuse competition with being evil or corrupt or greedy. A lot of people can and sometimes are right. But these are not synonyms for competition. It's what happens when people forget the why and focus solely on the how. And those types of people are exactly why there is such an irrational and blind hate towards rich and successful people. How many people reading this would hate to be rich or successful? None I'm sure. And how many people reading this would be convinced that they would be the outlier? If you won a million dollars today, I guarantee that you still wouldn't fit yourself in with those "greedy", "evil", "corrupt" other millionaires, would you? You wouldn't. And that's because you haven't been detached from your initial dream yet (assuming you have formed one since reading the last paragraph).

For simplicity sake, we'll use 2 examples of rich and successful people. One will be used to demonstrate what people think about when they think rich, successful, greedy, evil, corrupt billionaire and the other will be the prime example of someone who has not yet lost their why. First, you have a person obsessed with money. So much so to the point that their end goal isn't boats, mansions, jewelry, fame, or any other luxury - it's money. That's their motivation and their passion and they're willing to do anything to obtain it. This type of person is most competitive but least fulfilled. They have no why, only how. And this is the type of person that the internet labels the "1%" and are evil and corrupt and whatever. We hate them because we know we wouldn't be as corrupt if we had their resources - or at least we think so. This is fine and dandy and you can believe this as much as you want if it helps you reject the idea of competition. If you feel that you don't want to accept current cultural hows then by all means hold on to the fantasy that success and evil are necessarily paired together. Or, you could look at example 2.

This adorable nerd.

Bill Gates is everything any person who wants to be successful should hope to emulate. This guy had a dream and he protected it. He followed it and did everything necessary to realize it. He took his why, mastered the how, and achieved the what. Before I explain the what, I'll talk more about the 4-eyed bowl-cut for a minute. That melvin above is probably the most recognized billionaire on the planet. It doesn't matter who you say "Bill Gates" to, they know exactly who you're talking about. The man made computers part of the culture. I'd even go as far to say that the man is the father of our current culture. You can throw a rock anywhere in North America in any direction and be damn sure it lands within 30 feet of a computer. What did this man do with his billions? It's one Google search away, but his philanthropy is really his trademark that you should takeaway from his riches and success. For example, he's got this list of billionaire buddies that he made sign a document saying that a large portion of their wealth gets donated to less fortunate peoples as soon as they die. The man has donated over $30 billion (thats billion with a BIG B) to charity and has his own set up charity which would take an entire novel-length of talk about (so here's a link to the wikipedia page instead http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%26_Melinda_Gates_Foundation).

Point is, Bill Gates has evolved his why. That's the cool thing about your dream. It doesn't have to be an achievement. In fact, his how helped him discover what his why actually was all this time - helping people. If it was to make computers, his why was done before he made a single penny. If his why was being rich, he would have stopped working once he made a million. His science helped him discover the true creation within him and that's helping people. Simple enough, right? Helping people should be the route of everyone's why.  Bill Gates found purpose in his Life and it stemmed directly from his why. Yours doesn't have to be on the global scale like Bill Gates, but it has to positively affect the people you love. This is that what I talked about earlier. The what is finding purpose in your time on earth. 

And the what can only be achieved with equal focus on the why and the how. Equal effort put into art and science. Equal passion for Life and for Living. 

To say everything I have to say about this conversation would take up much more space than a blog post should, but above is a brief of what needs to be said about competition and why you should accept the challenge of competing with the world. It may be your only chance to help it.

And what of those who try and fail? Well, to all you losers out there I give you a big thank you. I give you a hug and a kiss. I envy you for you have lived a life far more significant and important than many people will. You have discovered your why, embraced the how and fell victim to whatever obstacle came your way. But it is because of you that people who succeed in their what truly appreciate and understand what they have accomplished. And through them, you find meaning and significance. You have found purpose. Your why is truly revealed. Your failure has bred victory and you are just as important in someone else's achievement as they are. Without you, we all fail. Without someone coming in second place, there is no first place. Without you, there is no reason to try. And when the people in first place get old and reflect on their "accomplishments" and all the money they saw and all the prizes they won, they'll realize that their dream wasn't the finish-line. Their dream was the race. 

And you ran that race with them. Thank you.