Warrior Blog

 Metabolic Damage - Fact & Fiction Have you been doing hours of cardio with no change in your weight? All of the math suggests a calorie deficit and your body should be shedding fat... and yet... nothing... Don't worry - it's not hopeless - in fact, you're not even that "special". And, you haven't damaged yourself beyond repair! There are lots of reasons that weight loss can slow down or plateau. And the first places to look are at your "compliance levels". have your activity levels dropped off from the period when you were losing weight regularly? how is your overall calorie consumption and macronutrient balance? Even small changes in these 2 factors (which are 100% in your control) can impact the pace of weight loss or stall things out totally. So always start there an be in the enquiry of your patterns. Next we'll turn our attention to your metabolism. The human body has an amazing potential to adapt our metabolism to diet and exercise

Eggs Fried on Tomatoes with Tuna WHAT YOU NEED • 1 large tomato • 1 tsp. coconut oil • 2 eggs • 3 oz. (80g) tuna in brine • a pinch of oregano • a pinch of chilli flakes • parsley, chopped, to serve WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Peel the tomato and chop into cubes. Heat the oil in a small frying pan, add the chopped tomato and fry over a high heat for about 3 minutes. Create 2 gaps in the tomato and break the eggs into them. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange pieces of Tuna on top. Then sprinkle with dried oregano and optionally chilli flakes.  Fry for a further 3 minutes or until the egg whites are cooked. Serve with fresh parsley. Tips: Replace tuna with feta or Gorgonzola cheese For an extra carbohydrate boost serve with  toasted bread or millet as a gluten-free option Download a copy here : 

 Does your weight loss plan have an alcohol problem? "Can I have wine with dinner on the weekend?" "I'm not giving up my vodka!" "The weight I gained last summer was the from the alcohol.." These are all real world quotes from clients as we work to demystify alcohol, weight loss, strength training, and living a healthy lifestyle. There's lots of myth and confusion in the world about alcohol and how it is "fattening". Lots of this stems from the fact it shows up in most food tracking apps as a carbohydrate...  BUT Alcohol is actually its own macronutrient (mind blown yet?) and contains 7 calories per gram (yes 7 ... not 4 like carbs and protein, or 9 like fats). Since it's not essential for survival (and a whole lot of other healthy reasons) it's not usually presented with the core 3 of protein, fat and carbs. This is also why, if you do find an alcoholic beverage with a nutrition label, and for lots of drinks in food trackers, t

Training Tuesday - Endurance Training for endurance - that is - training the muscle mass you have to perform more work effort before failure. This is your ability to repeat an exercise without tiring. It's not about building mass or strength - but rather doing more with what you have. This type of training is often thought about in the context of preparing for a race (road or obstacle), but this training is just as relevant for preparing you to play more effectively in your pick-up league, running or cycling for fun - and even for daily living tasks. For endurance athletes, incorporating strength training in your endurance training programs, often leads to increased energy, speed and fewer injuries. To train your muscles for endurance, you want to be taking on 14 - 20+ repetitions using 30 - 50% of your 1 rep maximum weight. This will allow your muscles to improve their capacity for continued repetitions of a given movement and overall endurance levels. You can also integrate e

How Much Protein for Muscle Gain? We’ve covered before that protein is an essential nutrient for life, playing a critical role in building tissue, cells and muscle.  All proteins are made from a collection of up to 20 amino acids.  The different collections and structures of the various amino acids determines the proteins role and how it manifests as muscle or other tissue.  Muscle protein makes up approximately 50% of the total protein in the body and adequate muscle growth is dependant on sufficient levels of protein (and the underlying amino acids).  When you workout with heavy weights, your muscles will get forced into a protein breakdown state - your body will actually split up amino acids to be transformed into energy and/or used to synthesize new protein.  Therefore to realize muscle growth, you have to combine weight training AND maintain a positive protein balance (that is your protein intake and synthesis is greater than your protein breakdown).     While all this might sugge

Muscle Monday - Triceps Brachii The triceps brachii is responsible for extending your forearm at the elbow. The muscle has 3 heads - the long head and the lateral head are visible at the back of the upper arm and the two heads are responsible for the desirable horseshoe shape when flexed. The medial head lies deep beneath the long and lateral heads. Check out your triceps by fully extending your arm at the elbow against resistance - you'll be able feel your triceps on the back of your upper arm! #HealthyLivingWarrior #GayPersonalTrainer #GayTrainer #PersonalTrainer #Trainer #PersonalTraining #Training #OnlinePersonalTraining #Fitness #FitnessGoals #WarriorWorkouts #GymMotivation #Exercise #Workout #Active #ResistanceTraining #LiftHeavy #DoYouEvenLift #TrainHard #WorkoutRoutine #MuscleMonday #Anatomy #Muscle #MuscleGain

 High Protein Blueberry Pancakes WHAT YOU NEED 1/4 cup liquid egg whites (around 4 eggs) 1 scoop (25g) of vanilla whey powder 1/2 banana, mashed almond milk, if needed 1/4 cup (25g) fresh or frozen  blueberries 1⁄2 tsp. coconut oil WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Whisk together the egg whites and protein powder. Stir in the mashed banana and add the blueberries. If the pancake mixture seems too thick, add a splash of almond milk to thin it. Heat the coconut oil in a pan to low-medium. Pour in the pancake mixture and cook until little bubbles form (about 5 minutes). Make sure the pancake has set enough before you try flipping it, then flip over. Cook the pancake for another 2-3 minutes. You can also make 3 small pancakes instead of 1 large. Serve with your favourite toppings.   Download your copy at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1snhv0AE1tJkljpOfKuyj2w3

Warrior's Why - Personal Values It's time to take a giant step back - to get grounded.  Today, take a few moments to reflect and consider your personal values.  We normally take this on in our personal yearly planning cycle in December - and if you haven't done it lately, now is a great time to get started!  Our values ground us - and can serve to guide as as we choose between different opportunities, games we play and actions to take when breakdowns occur.  It is said that we don't "select" our values - but rather that we "discover" them.  Take on reviewing the list of personal values and see what you discover around your own values.   We'll build more on them inside this series each week.   Download your Warrior Why Values List to get your juices flowing here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12DRjHw9oiEU8l3EqesGeDMS_KvBWVwdm/view?usp=sharing #HealthyLivingWarrior #GayPersonalTrainer #GayTrainer #PersonalTrainer #Trainer #PersonalTraining #Train

Strength Training - Repetition Range   You're on a mission to realize gains in your overall strength.  Don't get that confused with getting bigger - although you will likely notice some mass increase as well as you continue to training.  This training is focused on being able to generate more force (lift more weight) with your lean muscle mass - generating (and increasing) the maximal force your muscle cells can generate. This type of training requires heavy lifting - pushing a weight that you can lift a maximum of 6 times.  With that said - this doesn't look like going into the gym 5 days a week and grunting out heavy sets of 6.  In strength training programs, proper periodization is critical to balance progressive overload and muscle recovery to allow the body to continue to grow stronger and prevent injury. If you've been training for strength, and not happy with your results - either lack of progress, overtraining strain, or injury - reach out and we'll chat abo

 Context is Decisive Context is decisive.  Your mindset and mental chatter (your created context) creates the world that you experience every day.  The good news is that you get to create your context - and that you are always creating your context.  And the bad news is that oftentimes, we are not consciously generating our an empowered context to live inside. Consider a weight loss goal.  What is your context around losing weight?  Does this journey occur as hard, depriving yourself, feeling hungry, being different from others?  Take a few moments to look at what comes up for you?  Maybe you're light up by the journey - the opportunity to be more active as you drop the weight, discovering new healthy foods, sharing your journey with friends and contributing to their health and wellbeing. Consider that all of those things are true - and none of them are true at the same time.  You get to create your context - and it will drive your experience of the world.  Take on being in discove

 Glute Stretches Your glute muscles are critical to your every day life!  They support hip rotation, walking, running and tackling stairs.  Your glute muscles are also connected to many other muscles - so tightness in the glutes can manifest in tightness or pain in your in your leg, back, hip and pelvic regions.   Take on stretching out your glutes regularly with the Pigeon Pose - which works out your gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, hips and your piriformis (there is nothing worse than a tight piriformis ... watch for it in an upcoming Muscle Monday). Start from a  downward dog position,  bend left leg and drop knee to left.  Next, extend right leg behind you.  Press right hip towards the mat. Inhale, then exhale as you walk your palms as far forward as is comfortable.  It’s very important to keep your hips squared away in this pose.  Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then repeat on the right leg. #HealthyLivingWarrior #GayPersonalTrainer #GayTrainer #PersonalTrainer #Trainer #PersonalTrain

 Labelless Foods Psst.... want the secret to healthy eating, more energy, weight loss and weight maintenance? Wait for it... Label-less foods.  Yup - that's right.  Eating whole foods, straight from the earth without processing is going to drive forward your results for your goals.  People I work with often complain about tracking their food - it's hard, a nuisance, a little bit confronting.  And here's a trick I've learned - I can actually have you skip tracking whole fruits and vegetables without having any impact on your nutrition goals (within reason of course... if you're eating 12 whole pineapples a day or something like that... the deal is off). The thing with whole foods is the body uses them efficiently - drawing all the nutrients out of them and processing the waste material efficiently.  Take on boosting your daily intake of food that don't have a label.  If it's got a bar code, it's processed - you get to track it and also be present to the i

  Smoked Salmon Feta and Asparagus Omelet What you need: 4 oz. (125g) asparagus 1 tsp. coconut oil 3 large eggs 5 tbsp. (70ml) milk, plant or dairy 2 oz. (60g) smoked salmon, cut into pieces ¼ cup (30g) feta cheese (or brie, camembert), cubed 4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved dill, to serve What you need to do: Wash the asparagus, break off the hard ends the discard (they will break themselves in the right place). Cut the softer stalks diagonally to about 1/2 cm pieces.  Boil in lightly salted water for about 2 minutes, then strain and set aside. In a bowl, whisk eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. Add asparagus, salmon and cubed cheese, mix everything well. Heat the oven to 350F (180C). Heat the oil in a pan (diameter of approx. 24 cm) over medium heat, and pour in the egg mixture, rearrange the toppings if necessary. Top with the halved cherry tomatoes (cut end up). Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the mass is set for about 5 minutes. Then place in the oven (without cover), and coo

 Endurance - Repetition Range You're on a mission to boost your endurance through your time in the gym!  So - what does your endurance based workout look like?  How many reps are you doing inside your workout to train your existing muscle mass to work longer?  Endurance training is intentional - you are focused on boosting the performance of your existing muscle mass.  This isn't about getting bigger - or even stronger!  This is about performing consistently - for the long haul.  Inside this goal - you'll discover that you are going to be lifting lighter weights.  You know that showing off your endurance doesn't happen in the gym - it happens out in the world - inside your event, sport or challenge.  The gym is your playground to build. The general rule of thumb... for endurance results, you want to be pushing a weight that allows you to complete 14 - 20 plus reps of each selected exercise.  If you lift heavier than that, you'll be building muscle mass (remember hyp

Begin Where You Are! This is the first post in our Body Image series - and we're starting right at the beginning.  For clarity - that's where you are now!  "Begin Where You Are"  is the foundation of all my client work and program design.   This means getting in touch with what is so - right now.  We are less concerned with "how you got here" and we'll look at that as we look at building new habits.  Start off with just getting what is so at the moment.  We'll take on weight, body fat percentage, and measurements - without any judgement or significance - these are only numbers - and they will help us to evaluate your accomplishments along the journey.  P rogress pictures (before / during / after) are also a great way to document your journey and be with where you're starting.   The key here is to get that there is nothing wrong with where you're starting.  You may have all kinds of thoughts about your body image - and we'll work to really

 Cardio for Weight Loss Let's talk cardio intensity for weight loss.  There are two things to consider here - first - for weight loss, you have to generate a calorie deficit (burn off more calories than you consume) on an ongoing basis.  The deficit can be generated based on reducing the calories consumed - and also by burning more calories by engaging in physical activity. And - too often, people hop onto cardio equipment or activities and crank it up full blast, exhausting themselves in an attempt to "burn off as much fat as possible" What's missing is the second factor... when the body most efficiently burns fat.  The body access and burns fat stores most efficiently at light levels of exertion. This looks like exercising at 60% - 70% of your maximum heart rate for 40 - 80 minutes.   If you're going beyond 70% of your maximum heart rate, you'll be requiring energy at a rate faster than the body can breakdown and access fat store. You'll be improving you

 Hypertrophy - Repetition Range You're on a mission to gain size and muscle mass in the gym!  So - what does your workout look like?  How many reps are you doing inside your workout support maximal muscle hypertrophy?  Let's start with the general rule of thumb... for hypertrophy results, you want to be pushing a weight that allows you to complete 8-12 reps of each selected exercise.  If you lift heavier than that, you'll be building more strength / power.  If you lift lighter and get more than 12 reps, you start to move into building muscular endurance.  Nothing wrong with either of these ranges - they just aren't aligned with your hypertrophy goals. Next - you want to take on creating and periodizing your hypertrophy phase to keep your muscles reacting to the stress imposed by the workout.  You don't want to take on the same exercises / workouts over your whole building phase - you'll plateau out.  Consider taking on a 12-week Hypertrophy build phase, broken d

How Much Protein Do I Need for Weight Loss? I liken protein to the almost magical component of training, muscle building and weight loss!  It's critical to the point where it is the starting point for macronutrient meal plan planning.    For weight loss goals, adequate protein is critical as protein is "muscle sparing" - you want to lose fat mass - not just weight.  You want to retain the lean muscle mass you have on your body - and for that you want adequate levels of protein. So how much you ask?  For weight loss programs, you want to make sure that you're consuming 2 g of protein for every kilogram of body weight.  So a 180 pound male (81.65 kg) should be consuming 164 grams of protein each day.  Since protein has 4 calories per gram, this means that 656 calories of their daily food consumption should come from protein sources.  Does that seem like a lot to you?  Chances are that you haven't been getting enough protein during your past weight loss adventures -

Egg & Turkey Stuffed Peppers  WHAT YOU NEED 4 eggs 4 egg whites 2 tbsp. almond milk 1 tsp. coconut oil 1 small onion, chopped  1 lb (450g) lean ground  turkey 2 tsp. oregano 1 tsp. cumin 2 cups (60g) spinach,  chopped 4 red medium bell  peppers 1⁄2 cup (50g) cheese  (dairy or plant-based)  parsley, chopped to  serve  WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Heat oven to 400F (200C). Beat the eggs, egg whites and milk, then set aside. Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 mins until softened and browned. Add in the turkey, oregano and cumin, season with salt and pepper. Cook until meat is cooked through, about 5 mins. Then add the spinach, and mix until it wilts about 2 mins. Increase the heat and add in the eggs. Pull the eggs across the skillet with a spatula. Repeat for about 3 mins until eggs are cooked. Then set aside.

 Omelet Wraps WHAT YOU NEED 7 oz. (200g) cottage cheese 4 handfuls watercress 1 lemon, peel only 6 eggs 1⁄4 cup (60ml) soy milk • 1 tsp. mixed herbs 4 tsp. coconut oil 3.5 oz. (100g) smoked  salmon, chopped WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Place the cottage cheese, watercress and lemon peel in a high bowl and puree with the hand blender (or food processor) until smooth paste forms . Beat the eggs with the milk and herbs in a separate bowl. Heat 1 tsp. of oil in the medium size frying pan and fry 1/4 of the egg over medium heat for 2 minutes until the egg solidifies, then turn around. Bake the other side for 1⁄2 minute. Remove the omelet from the pan and set aside. Fry the other omelets with the rest of the oil. To serve, spread the cottage cheese paste over the omelets and top with smoked salmon. Roll up the omelet as a wrap and cut in half. Love it? Download your

Hypertrophy - Expectations & Goals So you've set your sights on muscle gains! What should you expect - how does the human body respond to hypertrophy training - were we are intentionally working to damage, repair and grow our muscle tissue? As with most external stressors, our bodies respond and react differently to the stress of hypertrophy training over time. You will greater gains in the early phases of your training period. We reference this as your "training age". During your first 6 months of training, if you're working a rigorous hypertrophy program, you can expect to gain 2 1/2 pounds per month for males and 1 1/4 pounds per month for females. As you progress on in your program, during months 7 - 36 you could expect to gain 1 pound per month for males and 1/2 pound per month for females. As you become a more experienced lifter, beyond 36 months of progressive overload training, you can expect to add 1/2 pound of lean muscle mass per month for males,

  Protein for Training After water, protein makes up the second largest percentage of bodily material.  Humans need protein for growth and repair of bodily tissues, formation of components necessary for bodily functions, and for energy. Proteins are made up of amino acids, often referred to as the “building blocks” of protein.  Proteins are made up of 21 amino acids - 9 of which are considered essential, which means they must be obtained through dietary sources.  Exercise is a form of stress for the body - those who exercise regularly, or at higher intensity or for longer durations, will have higher needs for amino acids, both essential and non-essential.  Protein is essential in the process of losing excess body fat because it is muscle sparing. When you embark on losing weight, you want to work to retain your lean muscle tissues.  If you do not consume sufficient amounts of protein, the body will breakdown muscle and you will experience a loss of muscle mass, rather than fat mas

Muscle Monday - Biceps Brachii Biceps brachii is one of the main muscles of the upper arm which acts on both the shoulder joint and the elbow joint. It derives its name from the fact that it consists of two parts (heads).   The Long head is on the outside area of upper arm, and the Short head is on the interior area of the upper arm.   Muscle Origins (proximal attachments) a. Long head: supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula. b. Short head: coracoid process of the scapula. Muscle Insertion: (distal attachments) a. Radial tuberosity. b. Bicipital aponeurosis to the fascia on the medial side of the forearm. Actions - Both Heads: a. Flex the arm (weakly) at the shoulder b. Flex the forearm at the elbow c. Supinate (inward rotation) of the forearm at the elbow

 Healthy Habits - Portion Control One of the key foundations of a strong nutrition plan is understanding portion control.  Today's post looks at a basic visual portion guidelines.  Depending on your program goals and design, your portion control could be based on basic visual guidelines or a more detailed macronutrient portioning and tracking.  When you're not on a measured plan - take on using these visual cues to frame out your meals. The visual guides vary for males and females based on genetic metabolic differences can be used for everyday meal planning.  Follow along in the nutrition and healthy habit series to discover all the background calculations and discover how to refine your portions for your personalized exercise goals and plans! 

 Strength Training Strategy Are you out to cause a breakthrough in your strength levels? What goals do you want to take on inside building your muscular strength?  Discover the program design elements to maximize your strength goals. Learn the number of repetitions to maximize muscle strength.  Learn program periodization and cycling to boost your strength levels - and discover what you want to eat to support building  strength levels.  Learn how to build your plan to build up strength and size if that's your goal! Follow along our strength training series to discover the elements for a successful Muscular Strength Training Strategy! Want to get started right away - book a free consultation at HealthyLivingWarrior.com to discover what your personal Muscle Strength Program could look like!

 Endurance Training - Strategy Are you out to improve your overall muscular endurance?  Do you want to take on competing in some sort of event / course or program?  If it's not about getting bigger, but rather building more endurance with the muscle you have - then you want to take on a program designed to deliver muscular endurance results. Discover the number of repetitions to maximize muscle endurance.  Learn program periodization and cycling to boost your endurance - and discover what you want to eat to boost endurance without gaining fat or bulking up. Follow along our endurance training series to discover the elements for a successful Muscular Endurance Strategy! Want to get started right away - book a free consultation at HealthyLivingWarrior.com to discover what your personal Muscle Mass Program could look like!

 Spanish Zucchini Tortilla What you need: 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 small potato, peeled, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 1⁄2 small zucchini, thinly sliced 6 eggs  What you need to do: Heat oil in a non-stick pan and sear the potato and onion over medium-high heat, for about 4 minutes. Next, add the zucchini and sauté for another 4 minutes. In a bowl, whisk eggs and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the vegetables from the pan into the bowl and mix well. Using the same pan, add the egg mixture on low heat and make sure everything is evenly distributed. After about 3 minutes, run a spatula through the outer edges of the tortilla to make sure it does not stick to the pan. After 8-10 minutes, flip the tortilla (this might take more or less, depending on heat, size and pan), using a plate over the pan. Slide the uncooked part back into the pan. After another 5-6 minutes, the tortilla s

 Hypertrophy - Muscle Mass Strategy Are you out to pack on more muscle?   Have you got plan in place to achieve that goal? There's more adding lean muscle than showing up every day at the gym.  You want to take on a targeted program design to maximize lean muscle gains.  This includes an exercise program that progresses weekly to break down muscle and promote both muscle cell repair / growth and new muscle fibre creation! It also includes a nutrition program that is geared towards hypertrophy.  In order to build lean muscle mass you need a calorie surplus - your body needs more energy than maintenance level in order to create.  Here's the critical part - you want to make sure your program is designed to provide "extra" calories without providing "too much"!  The goal here is lean muscle gain, without packing on fat at the same time.   You'll always gain some body fat as the lean muscle is added - and we want to keep that to a minimal level that can be ea

How Much Water Should You Drink? Many health authorities and popular literature recommend drinking eight, 8-oz glasses of water (about 2 litres) per day.  However, this number is completely random. As with so many things, water requirements depend entirely on the individual. For example, people who sweat a lot or exercise regularly may need more water than those who are not very active. Older people and breast-feeding mothers also need to monitor their water intake more closely. Keep in mind that you also get water from many foods and beverages, such as coffee, tea, meat, fish, milk, and especially fruits and vegetables. As a good rule of thumb, you should always drink water when you're thirsty, and drink enough to quench your thirst. If you find you have a headache, are in a bad mood, are constantly hungry or have trouble concentrating, then you may suffer from mild dehydration. Drinking more water may help fix this. Based on the studies, drinking 1-2 litres of water per day shoul