30 runs in 30 days
Written by Mike Cheliak on October 30, 2009 – 7:44 am -My friend Arthur is a talented athlete who competes in numerous Triathlons. He caught my Facebook post (http://www.facebook.com/mike.cheliak?v=feed&story_fbid=191291465882#) where I admitted that I can’t run worth crap (I really can’t).
Arthur being the nice guy that he is suggested I take a 30 day challenge. The challenge is to run for at least 20 minutes every day for 30 days. You don’t need to break any land speed records (as slow as 4MPH on a treadmill is fine). The key is to run every day whether on a treadmill or on the road.
Since I do 20 minutes of interval work on most workout days and some kind of activity on off days, I decided that I could fit this in to my routine.
I am about at the end of my “Get Big” stage and now sit at 215 pounds which is about 20 pounds heavier than my happy place. I am just shy of 5’7” and built like a fire hydrant. You can see where my lack of running ability is rooted! 30 days of running will lean me back to my Greyhound like physique (HAHAHAHAHAHA), OK my leaner fire hydrant look. I don’t figure to cut down 20 pounds in 30 days but 12-15 is likely.
I am going to switch off my current 4 day split routine and start the Turbulence Training 2K9 Fusion workout which is a 3 day split (Mon, Wed and Fri). The only thing I am changing (sorry Craig!) is that I am running for at least 20 minutes after each workout instead of doing the intervals, which by the way are a LOT of fun!
Nutrition wise, I won’t change much except eating less. I do lose the processed food when I am am leaning down and don’t eat any bread or pasta at all. I get all my carbs from veggies including potatoes and yams and whole grain like brown rice. The key (YA, NO, DUH) when leaning out it to EAT LESS! I also practice an intermittent fasting routine called Eat Stop Eat. I do two fasts per week when cutting down.
I love a challenge and this one is going to be tough. Not because the task is so daunting but because this is something that I am not very good at and something that I just don’t do very often.
It may not be pretty but I can promise you one thing… I will do it!
Thanks for the inspiration Arthur (I think).
In happiness and health as always!
Mike C.
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Princess Margaret Hospital 5K Your Way
Written by Mike Cheliak on October 18, 2009 – 3:04 pm -VISIT THE PHOTO GALLERY
How do you Conquer Cancer? You do something about it! I cover a number of events for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and it NEVER ceases to amaze me the amount of truly inspiring people who are among us.
Today was no different. In the midst of one of the largest Marathon Races in Canada, the PMHF held the 5K Your Way to Conquer Cancer. Add around 3000 dedicated Champions of this great cause and what do you get? Over $900,000.00 of money raised to help Conquer Cancer in our Lifetime!
The math is simple but the formula is not. To put on an event such as this you need to have a highly dedicated, motivated and talented group of people. The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation is lucky to have these people! Participants, volunteers and sponsors complete the equation and the result is once again; a beautiful dedication to a most worthy cause.
Congratulations to all!
In happiness and health as always.
Mike C
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Easy Curried Chick Pea and Vegetable Stew
Written by Mike Cheliak on October 9, 2009 – 6:33 pm -The one thing you will start doing as you begin exploring spices and different cultural cuisines is experimenting with spices. Curry for instance is a very diverse spice mixture. It varies from region to region, from country to country and even from family to family.
Curry is all about your preferences, spicier, more aromatic or more savoury and the list goes on. Most recipes of curry powder usually include coriander, turmeric, cumin, and fenugreek in their blends. Depending on the recipe, additional ingredients such as ginger, garlic, fennel seed, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, mace, nutmeg, red pepper, long pepper, and black pepper may also be added.
If you don’t feel quite that adventurous, just go to your local East Indian or Asian Grocer and ask for a good curry blend based on your preference. If that fails, you can find a decent curry in most grocery stores. You might even find a decent imported curry powder in some grocery International sections.
INGREDIENTS
14 ounce can of Chick Peas (Rinsed)
2 TBLSP oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 finely diced hot Asian Chile Pepper (Asian food market – very hot! And optional)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 TBLSP chopped fresh ginger
3 TBLSP Hot Curry Powder (or your own curried spice mix)
1 20 ounce can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1 cup vegetable stock
METHOD
Heat the oil over medium heat in a med-large sauce pan. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the hot pepper, garlic and ginger and continue to sweat the mixture for another 2 minutes. Add the curry powder and mix very well. Continue to heat and stir constantly so the curry becomes very aromatic. Add the vegetable stock and mix to loosen the veggies and spices. Add the chick peas and the diced tomatoes.
Cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes. At this point, you can adjust the salt seasoning if needed. I always let this sit off the heat for a little while to let the flavours mingle. I store this in the fridge in a glass container with a lock top. It lasts for at least a week unless you eat it all!
Serve with an aromatic Basmati rice (add some whole cardamom seeds and cloves to the water when you are cooking it. Remove the seeds and cloves after cooking…YUMMO!
In happiness and health as always!
Mike C.
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My guide to a better quality workout
Written by Mike Cheliak on October 5, 2009 – 1:09 pm -Quality Workouts
Everyone who works out will tell you that they have “on” and “off” days at the gym. Sometimes you just don’t feel it and sometimes you do.
Is there a magic formula to getting that edge we all look for? Not exactly, but there are a few things you can do to give yourself the best possible level of energy to complete a good workout.
Pre-Feeding?
Most gym goers think that you need to “fuel the fire” before you hit the iron. While it’s true that you need energy, the worst thing you can do is scarf down a big meal before going to work out.
Eating anything substantial less than an hour before working out is a recipe for a bad workout. Why? The digestive process requires energy and the initial stage of digestion (which takes the most energy) lasts anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on your meal.
What does this mean? The best likely scenario is that you get a chance to feed a few hours before working out. If this isn’t possible, you should limit the amount of food you intake prior to your gym time. Have some yogurt, fruit or something relatively simple with some basic carbs to fire you up.
Pre-workout/workout drinks
I am not a HUGE fan of fitness supplements but they do have a place in any fitness regimen to some degree. I have a little concoction that I use when I work out. This is a nice little mix of carbs, protein and supplements to help you last through your workout. Is if for everyone…NOPE…I just happen to think it works for me.
10 ounces of good quality pure Orange Juice (I like Tropicana)
2 ounces of POM (Pomegranate Juice)
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1 Scoop Creatine
1 Scoop Glutamine
Ice cubes to make your liquid fill a 20 ounce hydration bottle
Before you go to the gym, drink a good 16 ounces of water (room temp – don’t ask why just do it). Start sipping your workout matrix very slowly about 15 minutes before you hit the gym. Continue drinking it slowly as you workout. Make sure you have some water set aside for post workout hydration.
Stimulants
Can you say controversial? Yep! I don’t really have any opinion about stimulant use except to advise that you should really be careful with them. Even the garden variety “over the counter” brands have potentially nasty side effects.
I don’t do the pill form stimulant thing anymore, but I DO LOVE COFFEE! I have one large coffee in the morning and before I go to the gym I have a single espresso (made on my nice old Bialetti stove top espresso maker) before I head out to the gym. I find it really makes a difference in the energy of my workout and my overall focus. You may not, I DO!
Quality before quantity
This is likely the most important thing you need to adhere to. Whether you are a true iron pumping meathead (like I tend to be), a fit and lithe woman looking to tweak her look just a little more or just an average person looking to get more fit; YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU DO THE EXERCISE PROPERLY!!!!
You can completely sabotage your results by doing half assed reps of exercises you can’t even pronounce while rushing through your routine to get to the open cardio confessional (that is for another day).
Quality over quantity pertains not just to the amount of reps but also to the weight you use. You need to study the correct movement of the exercises you are doing. There are THOUSANDS of sites online that show you how to do it right.
My suggestion is to book a Personal Trainer for about 10 sessions to really explain the correct way to do things. A good PT won’t just sit you on a machine and say do it; they will build your plan according to your needs and will explain and teach you how to do it right.
Get Mental
Not GO mental…get mental. Sometimes you just need to get your head around it. My suggestion is to schedule your weekly calendar including your work schedule, personal events, family time, party time and without a doubt…WORKOUT TIME!
Nothing gets you prepared for a good gym session than knowing well in advance when it is going to be. Make it an appointment that you can’t break…PERIOD!
NUFF SED?
While I am not a certified expert, I have studied and educated myself over a long period of time. What works for me may not always work for another person. The thing to remember is that you are learning and educating yourself and there is always value in trying something new (as long as it isn’t REALLY weird or dangerous).
Keep learning…I do!
In happiness and health as always!
Mike C.
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