Exploring the role of feasts throughout history, highlighting how they foster connection, reinforce cultural values, and celebrate abundance, this post examines our evolutionary tendency for overconsumption during feasts and offers strategies for enjoying these occasions mindfully without compromising health. By approaching communal meals with intention, we can maintain balance and celebrate without overindulging.
We had a great turnout for the first-ever BTG Baby Barkley this past Saturday, with eleven people participating. The weather was beautiful, and actually was quite comfortable for most of the duration, only getting really hot in the afternoon hours. Read the full post for my recap of my (just under) 6 hours’ effort on the mountain!
Kicking off the 2024 race season and the ultra training plan…and then getting COVID! Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face, as “Iron” Mike Tyson used to say. Here’s what I’m doing to keep moving forward.
Embarking on a transformative journey in 2024, I'm taking on two monumental challenges: my first 50K mountain ultramarathon and my first Spartan Race Ultra on my 50th birthday. Despite recent health setbacks and injuries, I'm determined to reach peak physical condition. Join me as I document this journey of resilience and self-discovery - it won't be boring!
One common thing people mention as a goal when we first talk about trying to eat better is weight loss. For some, it's just "a couple of pounds" and for others, it's pretty significant. The reasons behind wanting to lose weight may be to improve some health markers, to move better and feel less day-to-day aches and pains, to "look better naked" or for similar aesthetic reasons, or simply because of some preconceived notion of what they "should" weigh. Some of those reasons also feed into emotional and mental well-being, and can affect our self-confidence, self-image and happiness.
The truth is, most people don't NEED to lose weight to be healthier, and with the right mindset, they don't NEED to lose weight to be happier or more self-confident either.
Read more…
At The BTG, the majority of our members are not competitive athletes, nor do they have jobs that require them to maintain a high level of fitness year-round (E.G. front-line first responders, active duty military, etc.). As a result, we’ve often had folks ask “what the heck do you guys train so hard for?”
The short version is pretty simple - to just kick ass at life, able to meet any challenges that come our way with a balanced spectrum of physical abilities, and to maintain those abilities for as long as possible. To borrow a phrase from Dr. Peter Attia, our aim is “to be the most kick-ass 100-year olds possible.”
Where that gets a bit more complicated is in the details. What constitutes a “balanced spectrum of physical abilities”? If we have no specific demands from a sport or our work, how do we determine where we need to focus our energies?
To understand that, I need to tell a different story…
Coming from a guy whose business is training others and coaching them on their nutrition and lifestyle habits, what I'm about to tell you may be a bit of a shock. I am unhealthy and out of shape, and it's exactly because I haven't been eating right or exercising enough in the last year or so. I have not been "walking the talk" as the saying goes.
I put on a pair of 34" waist cargo pants - barely - and thought, "WTF has happened to me?" I mean, I had to full-on suck in my gut and worry the button was going to break off squeeze those suckers on.
Let's not sugar coat it - nothing I have ever experienced or could even have conceptualized in my mind can compare. This was easily the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.
Having never done anything like this before, we thought a 4-1/2 to 5 hour estimate to complete the 21+ km course with 34 obstacles was feasible. 7-1/2 hours later, the four of us (myself, Coach Julia, and brothers Scott and Dillon) were about as broken as we've ever been.
The obstacles were no big deal, really - but the terrain! Oh, the terrain! Did I mention the terrain?
Great job by Raina on her return to sprint triathlon competition. For those of you who didn't know, Raina was out of commission and barely able to walk back in late January of this year with a herniated disc, and wasn't sure that she'd ever be able to run again at all, never mind get back to her favourite event, sprint triathlons.
Through great work by physio Chris Zwicker at CBI Sport & Spine Railway, and Raina's determination to get better, she came back to run a 5K at the Run for Water in May, and compete in today's Abbotsford Triathlon.
Raina was the 4th woman out of the water (swim time 15:07), 8th coming off the bike (bike time 46:39), and 12th at the finish (run time 31:54) with an overall time of 1:33:40. She was 4th in her age group.
Awesome performance, particularly considering where she was just seven months ago, barely able to walk to the end of our driveway and back - we're super proud of her!
UPDATE 2020-07-24: Copied this over from the old blog for posterity. My super-wifey continues to be super awesome five years down the road. ;)
Easy, right? Everyone knows what “real food” is, don’t they? Sadly, not. It is not labelled “all-natural”, or “made from whole grains” or “fortified with vitamins and minerals”. It usually does not come in boxes, or have an indefinite shelf life. Just because something says “organic” on the label, don’t be fooled!
Real food is a nutritious, edible plant or animal product in its least-processed available form. It is usually perishable, does not have an indefinite shelf life (though there are some exceptions!), and must be kept refrigerated, frozen or at the very least in a “cool, dry place”.
Let's also get this out of the way right at the start - if it has added sugar, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucralose, or some other refined sweetener added in any way, shape or form, it shouldn't be going in your body.
But let's give you a bit more info on what Real Food really is
