In other news… After 34 years since the Montreal Olympics, Canada has finally won its first Gold Medal on home soil in men’s moguls today! Congratulations to Alexandre Bilodeau for his achievement at Cypress!

Also of note, Canada’s Kristina Groves won bronze in the 3000 m speed-skating and Jennifer Heil won silver in women’s moguls. Good work and keep on doing Canada proud!

Image Credit: telegraph.co.uk and GETTY IMAGES

Sorry for the late update, but here it is… my adventures and misadventures yesterday at Canada Hockey Place (aka GM Place to local Vancouverites). Since I had only just received my work schedule, I began the day with a trip to the Olympic Accreditation and Uniform building up at Hastings Park to pick up my ID card. After seeing the waves of people heading to the Colosseum, I also discovered I made the right choice in walking rather than taking the bus =).

My shift as a cleaner began at 2:30 pm and lasted ’til 9 pm. Although the job itself was quite uneventful, except for some spills every so often, there were quite a few perks attached. Notably, I got to watch the highlights of the women’s Canada vs Slovakia hockey game in between my work tasks Admittedly, I did take a longer than intentioned break to watch the final 5 minutes of Canada’s victory (18-0). The second incentive came in the form of some yummy food. I didn’t quite expect the Thai curry rice, chicken onion soup, and shepard’s pie to be part of my employee dinner menu, but I didn’t regret it. =D Here are some snapshots of the event:

@ Mainstreet. Across the street from the Ruskky Dom (Science World).

Outside Canada Hockey Place / BC Stadium. I saw some interesting rock formations I believe were set-up to look like the Inuit Inukshuk Olympic logo:

Pre-game. Preparing the ice:

I believe this was taken during first period. Canada scores 3 goals within the first 6 minutes! What an amazing crowd… It was nearly a packed stadium. Go Canada Go!

Post-game – the Zamboni cleans the ice for tomorrow’s game. I kind of wished I asked if I could tag along…

That’s all for now. I do have more photos, but I’ll probably upload them at a later time.

I’m scheduled to work for more hockey games at Canada Hockey Place (and potentially the gold medal matches), so what out for more posts! In the meantime, I think that I’ll be exploring Vancouver Livecity to check out its many Olympic venues.

So it’s finally settled into reality for me… after witnessing the arrival of the Olympic torch last evening, it’s dawned to me that the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic / Paralympic Games are here!  Of course, this wake-up call was probably reinforced by the musical accompaniment of Said the Whale =) What can I say about the Torch relay?

Pure awesomeness. It was great to see so many people out, especially in the rain, cheering on Canada and our athletes. Most memorable moment was probably seeing the torch bearer run across while everyone sang the national anthem.

Unfortunately, the video I caught on my cell phone was very blurry (to say the least), so I found a another video from a fellow student on Youtube. Video credit goes to “Dewerthut”.

I also thought it would be appropriate to share the CTV Winter Olympic Theme Song – “I Believe” sung by Nikki Yanofsky:



Well that’s all for now. Make sure you check back soon for more updates and photos!

Wow… It’s hard to imagine that the Olympics are only two days away! Things are picking up right now: I’ve noticed more promotional banners for the event are scattered through campus and even buses have donned new headings like “Welcome World” and “Go Canada Go”.  The Olympic Torch is scheduled to come through UBC Campus tomorrow, so I’ll make sure I grab some snapshots and post them up. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like I’ll make it to the opening ceremonies, but I am booked for some shifts at GM Place so I might be able to catch several hockey games =)

Watch out for more Olympic blogs soon!

Howdy folks! It’s been a while… unfortunately I haven’t been able to update since Christmas on my fitness journey, but be assured that I’m still on track! Since then, I have added Kendo, a Japanese form of martial arts, to my exercise regime. I’ll be filling in the details in the upcoming weeks when the Olympics come to Vancouver and I get off school.

That aside, I would just like to point out that Total Fitness Guide, my personal project, has been updated… sort of =)… More like an aesthetic uplift. I’ve cleaned up a bit of the page coding, worked on several new articles and created a new banner.  Be sure to check it out. I’ll be adding more features to it over the break… and possible blog about the Olympics.

Mike

www.total-fitness-guide.com

I’ve been an avid weight trainer for about four years now. In that time, I’ve been to an assortment of local gyms here in Vancouver and so decided to compile a list of what I found makes a great (or not so great) workout gym. I will try to refrain from mentioning any specific locations.

Some Universal Qualities to Look for:

-Lighting and Ventilation: I think that these two factors are quite important in making first impressions for a gym. Not only do they serve aesthetic purposes, but they are also indicators of the gym’s commitment to the hygiene, comfort and safety of its clients.

-Cleaning supplies / Sanitation: Along the lines of the last point, few things turn away clients like sweat crusted equipment.  Proper gyms should provide cleaning supplies for customers to wash down equipment after use. At the least, the facility should put up a notice asking clients to clean up after themselves.

-Locker / Storage space: The gym should have a designated area for the safekeeping of gym user’s belongings. Ideally, this should not interfere with the workout space.

-Equipment Quality / Diversity: Unfortunately, simply because there is equipment available does not mean that it will provide an effective workout. Indeed I have been to gyms where the machines were faulty and posed safety threats (ex. electricity , jamming weights, etc.). On that note, gyms should provide a variety of workout equipment that would allow clients to work on all components of fitness. For starters, some things to look for are: a range of free weights, cardio equipment, weight machines, mats, medicine balls, and BOSU, etc.

-Supportive Staff: This is more of a perk, but good gyms are distinguished by a group of supportive staff on standby that would provide help as necessary. There should be staff responsible for cleaning, weight-room supervision, and possibly instruction.

-Affordability: Perhaps not so much of a concern for some, but fitness related bills can build up to a sizable sum. As expected, more affordable gyms may offer fewer services… It is really up to you to find a balance between how much you are willing to spend and what you look for in a gym.

-Accessibility: Good gyms should have a visible entrance area with a good interior layout plan that allows you to find whatever it is you need (ie. cardio, free-weights, and machines in separate sections)

While I cannot personally afford those higher end gyms, I have had the pleasure to visit several with guest passes. Only real difference I’ve seen that differentiate these gyms from community gyms is the superb quality of the equipment, ritzy locker rooms and the provision of towels.  If you are in Vancouver and would like to see some of these upper class gyms, I highly recommend are the Steve Nash Sports Club and Gold’s Gym.

Well that’s my two cents for choosing the right gym. Obviously there are a great number more factors to consider, but I think I’ve covered most of them here. In the end, you’ll know if you’ve made the right decision when you can leave the gym satisfied with a well-balanced workout each time.

Alrighty… I was supposed to post this last night, but things didn’t go as planned… nonetheless here it is:

As promised earlier, I will be embarking on a renewed fitness journey over the next few months. My plan? A combination of select Tony Horton’s P90X workouts with some cardio thrown in for fun. Given my slightly hectic commitments however (ex. school, family, travel, etc.), I won’t be following the prescribed P90X schedule. Instead, I will be designing my own workout plan and make modifications as necessary (recording this of course!).

In the interest of charting my progress, I will be blogging information on what I eat, my daily exercise routines, how I am feeling physically and mentally, and any other relevant details. For the moment, here’s my current fitness rundown and an image (face blurred for confidentiality):

-I am a 18 year old, 5′11” male of Asian descent

-I haven’t touched junk food (ex. soda, candy, anything from a fast-food chain, etc) for the past 5 years

-I have been a weight trainer for the past 4 years (unfortunately I’ve only been able to commit ~2 days a week since school started in September)

-I like to have a balanced lifestyle that incorporates time for socializing, work and family

Why I am doing this / My Goals:

-Ultimately, by dedicating myself to this effort, and hopefully seeing progress, I would like to show everyone that fitness can indeed be obtained, but only through hard work.

-I would like to be more defined In particular, I’m looking to develop my cardio fitness and lean muscle mass as opposed to muscle bulk

That will be all for now. I will be posting again very soon to share my experience.

Mike

Hi everybody,

First of all, I must apologize to everyone for the 2 month hiatus. A lot has been going and life has been simply hectic for the past while…

On that note, with university final exams quickly rolling in, I thought it would be appropriate for me to blog a bit on coping with stress, especially for the university students. I’ll be sharing  some of the adjustments I’ve had to make since starting at UBC and how I’ve been able to adapt. Here’s the run down:

• Getting enough sleep! You hear this one from pretty much any student… unfortunately I’m no exception. As expected, everything was quite manageable for the first few weeks of school (a time when I had still been clocking 8 sweet hours of sleep), but then came the midterm exams, incessant studying, extracurriculars,volunteering,  social life… reality. I quickly found myself immersed in much more than I had time for. At my lowest point, I had sunken to 3 hours of sleep.In response to my constant power naps (often at my expense; ex. nobody waking me up for a meeting) I decided to make it a priority to address this issue  and so far it has been working. So what is this miraculous solution? It is little friend called time management. Eventually, I ended up making a list of distractions that consumed my precious time: Youtube, facebook, etc. and downloading the proper programs to block these sites during my weekday. Low and behold, I found myself with an extra 2 hours for productive work during the day.
• Where did all the workouts go? This has been one of the more depressing changes I’ve had to make in my schedule. Where I use to fit 4 workouts a week, I’ve been reduced (if I’m lucky nowadays) to frequent the gym once or twice a week. In many ways, this is inevitable, with a more erratic course schedule than high school. As a recent resolution however, I’ve decided to take up the P90X program once more and fit in workout sessions at home in between my study sessions. I’ll be posting more on this in the future.
• Eating balanced meals. The list just doesn’t seem to end for the health woes of the student, but this will be the last for me. Eating healthy while at a university just seem to be existent… at least not yet in my limited undergraduate experience. As of yet, I’ve been greeted by a disproportionate ratio of oven fryers to organic foods. True there are dedicated food bars for the health conscious, but they are by and far less accessible. For me, the only viable solution has been packing my own lunch from home. A bit time consuming, yes, but at least I know what I’m putting into my body. If any students out there have any other suggestions please feel free to share!

I realize I’ve probably gone off on a tangent from my original topic of coping with stress, so I’ll share five points of advice now.

1. Stretch, walk around and do shoulder shrugs every 15 minutes.
2. Take a 10 minute break for every hour of work / study.
3. Pat yourself on the back after completing an exam. Do not brood over it, this will simply cause anxiety and reduce your performance. Instead, reflect over what you did well and what points you can work on for next time.
4. Avoid secluding yourself in your room. A well-rounded social life works wonders in relieving mental tension.
5. Here’s a something my Dean told me: “Study Hard, Play Hard… In that order.”

That will be all for now. For all you students out there, you have my sympathy. Good luck on those final exams!

=) Mike

(Image Credit: University of Florida)

When I go to fitness advice forums these days, I’m all too often greeted by posts made by young females reading: “Help! Please! I need to lose weight quick!” or “I’m too fat! Will starving myself or trying “xyz” pills help me?” or “Must get thin!!!”… You get the image. If you don’t, then simply go to the Health (Diet and Fitness) section of Yahoo Answers and you’ll see what I mean.  Each time that I catch a glimpse at these headings, I can feel myself sighing, more so from frustration than grief … but I’m sorrowful nonetheless. There are three critical issues on this topic that I feel compelled to point out:

#1 – Our society places too much emphasis on physical appearance, especially interchanging thinness with beauty. It’s hard today to turn on the television or take a drive without seeing an advertisement featuring a thin model to promote a product.  How often do magazines fawn over the thinness of celebrities and thrust it into the faces of naïve teens? Is it any wonder that North America has a glaringly high proportion of its female populace suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia? The trouble seems that there’s no effective opposition against these subliminal adverts of unrealistic thinness that so willingly taken up by the public.

#2 – The online community is not the place to ask such questions. More likely than not, one would receive uneducated responses and marketers of “miracle weight loss” products that simply do not work.  Such advice should not be taken seriously as they can be quite harmful to one’s personal wellbeing and waste of time.  If one seeks advice, look towards a health professional such as your family doctor, counselor or a qualified nutritionist for sound solutions as opposed to the internet.

#3 – Too many people are willing to take short-cuts to reach an unpractical goal of thinness (magical pills, machines that do the work for you, etc.). What’s more, these individuals seem all too ready to sideline healthy eating habits and consistent exercise for these unconventional methods. Yet, it is also exercising and good eating plans that are the best and proven ways to attain fitness and, if so wished, a better body image.

Evidently, I am a proponent against this modern infatuation with thinness. For those of you who are troubled by self-consciousness by your physical appearances, I’ll repeat, the best answer lies within a qualified health professional, not online. Don’t resort to easy methods advertised on television that could easily do more harm than help. If you want long-term, achievable results, then educating yourself on fitness would be the first step. After that, it is simply committing yourself to healthy eating and a workout program that you enjoy.

Article Written By Chad Thackett

Avoid Over-Training

If you feel burnt out, weak and/or sore, you are probably over-training. Not providing your muscles with enough rest will often prevent you from making improvements. Training the wrong muscle groups on consecutive days will also counteract your good results. Doing too many sets and exercises per muscle group will also cause overtraining.

Remember that weightlifting, especially in an intense program, produces tissue microtrauma, those tiny tears in the muscles that temporarily decrease strength and cause varying degrees of muscle soreness. It is absolutely necessary to provide ample rest time between successive training sessions. Muscles generally require about 48 hours for the resting and rebuilding process before you work them again.

You should never train the same muscle groups on two or more days in a row (abdominals are the exception). Hypothetically then, you would do your chest, shoulders, triceps, and abdominals on Monday; on Tuesday you would train your legs, back, biceps, and abdominals; you would take Wednesday off to give all your muscle groups extra rest; on Thursday you’d do chest, shoulders, triceps, and abdominals again; and on Friday you’d do legs, back, biceps, and abdominals again. This would allow two days (48 hours) of rest for each muscle between training days.

Those of you who train very intensely, would benefit greatly by taking even more rest time between sessions. A week does not have to be limited to only seven days–you can expand it to eight, nine, or even ten days. Think about it: why not? Day one could consist of chest, shoulders, triceps, (pushing muscles) and abdominals on Monday. Take Tuesday off. On day two, Wednesday, the routine could consist of legs, back, biceps, (pulling muscles) and abdominals. Take Thursday off. On Friday you do chest, shoulders, triceps, and abdominals again–and so on. This is especially important when mixing pushing and pulling muscles for different sessions. For example, if you train your chest on Monday and then triceps the next day, your triceps never really get a complete rest because they are indirectly trained with your chest on Monday and directly trained on Tuesday. But if you split up chest/shoulders/triceps or back/biceps, working them on different days, you can implement this eight day program for maximum muscle resting time. Remember: always allow your muscles a chance to grow, especially when you are feeling overtrained. If needed, give yourself an extra day off to grow. Never feel guilty about skipping a workout. That extra rest could be exactly what your body needs.

Many people make the mistake of doing too many sets per exercise, and/or doing too many exercises per muscle group. It’s very common for people who want great muscle size and strength gains to simply do too much for each muscle group and overtrain to the point where they do more harm than good. A common weightlifting recommendation is to do at least four sets for each exercise and at least four exercises for each muscle group. This idea that “more is better” is a big misconception in the strength training industry and is recommended in many “muscle magazines” and other sources.

But when you see Mr. or Ms. Olympia in muscle magazines describing their workouts of four to five sets per exercise and four to five exercises per muscle group, do not be fooled into thinking that if you want their results you have to do what they do. These are professional body builders, quite likely to be on steroids; they can get away with these very intense long programs because their muscles are able to rebuild very quickly. If you are not on steroids–and for the sake of your health I hope you are not–your muscles will not be able to rebuild themselves quickly enough to make gains.

For each of the large muscle groups in the body such as back, chest, shoulders, quadriceps, and hamstrings, two to four exercises for each muscle is enough. For the smaller muscle groups such as biceps, calves, trapezius, etc. one to three exercises are enough. Because your back, for example, has specific muscles that need to be isolated, it is important that of the three exercises you perform, you do one that primarily targets each of the three areas: upper-middle back, lats., and lower back.

When you’re doing two to four exercises for each muscle group, make sure you don’t duplicate movements of specific muscle groups. For example, it makes no sense to do three sets of Bench Press using a barbell and then do three sets of Bench Press using dumbbells or Push-ups. Each of these exercises requires exactly the same movement and works the same specific muscle. Instead, it would make much more sense to do bench press for overall middle chest (either barbell, dumbbell, or machine); do incline bench press for upper chest; and do dips for lower-outer chest.

One point–maybe the most important of all for ongoing strength training programs–that is absolutely imperative to understand and implement into your training regimen is the need to overcome training plateaus. Ideally, you want to always be going through a momentum phase in which you try something new and “shock” your muscles, forcing them to make gains. Eventually however, you will come to a point in your training where you either get bored or stop seeing results.

When this happens it is absolutely crucial that you change what you are doing; this is when you need to get creative by incorporating something new into your program. You can make effective changes in your program in many ways: try new or alternate exercises, change the order that you train your muscles or the order of the exercises, and so forth.

I hope you have found the information in these five part series of articles helpful. You now have the knowledge to achieve the results you desire and the benefits your body deserves. Your greatest challenge, however, is not learning new exercises or the proper technique; it’s not learning how many sets or reps to do or how much weight to use. Nor is it deciding when or how to change your routine. The greatest challenge facing you at this moment is deciding whether you are willing to take action and make strength training a priority.

When you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make the change well worth the effort. Action creates motivation! Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of an effective strength training program.