Yota (l) with some other paleo peeps during our Easter Egg workout
I’m really happy to post some of our paleo success stories here. A little over a month ago, we challenged our members to “eat real” for one month, dropping processed foods, sugar and flour, grains, legumes and dairy. You guys not only took to the challenge, but you proved to yourself that it works! We’ve seen huge improvements in weight and body composition, energy, fitness levels and even in mood. Thanks for sharing your experiences; you will help inspire others to do the same.
Congratulations to Yota Lambrakos, who was the most paleo-compliant during the challenge (of those results we received)! Yota chose to track her results strictly with a diet-log so she could compare the way she felt with what she was eating. She learned that it was actually GLUTEN that was causing her stomach upsets, not tomatoes, as she originally suspected before taking the challenge (gluten has been implicated in a variety of modern health problems).
Yota mixed her paleo eating habits with some consistent exercise: MovNat (including swimming), kettebells, and StrengthBox workouts. Even in week one, she noticed that her digestive discomforts had disappeared and she had less water retention. Yota, you look great!
I really should have done measurements before I started because it would be nice to know that there were ‘measurable’ results…but I know that I’ve lost weight and feel much better. In week two I realised that I actually had a waist — who knew! Over all, I’ve noticed that I have a lot more energy — feel stronger/more able to perform physical tasks and don’t have any of the digestive discomfort that I did 30 days ago!
I really thought that I would miss bread…and cheese, but it turns out that I don’t! Once I realised how horrible I felt when I ate it, I quickly forgot any interest or desire I had to eat bread/cheese/pasta/etc. Its taken me 27 years to listen to my body — I don’t know why/how I could ever go back.
Thanks for helping my along my journey…
Yota, you’ve got a month of free training coming your way….
“I have made positive inroads in reducing my grains & sugar ladened food intake. I felt lighter, I’ve been able to tighten a notch or two with my belts!!“
Keep going Vito! Other mentions go to Peter Boterman, Garry Knifton and Christina Pagiatakis, all of whom were close to 100% compliant and who look great!
Andrew lost 8lbs even with being near-compliant at the start
Finally, we have to mention Terry McGurrin. While his numbers don’t reflect the official 30 day period in our EAT REAL challenge, they are too dramatic not to post:
Thinking of a Paleo diet? Here are the changes in MY blood work.
First numbers are from 11 months ago (not Paleo). March 26th I went 100% Paleo. New numbers are from last week (end of April).
CHOLESTEROL – went from 4.93 to 3.93
HDL (good cholesterol) – went from 1.22 to 1.36
LDL (bad cholesterol) – went from 3.25 to 2.30GLUCOSE FASTING – went from 6.7 (diabetes warning) to 4.5
Pretty awesome stuff! By the way, you can watch (or at least hear) Terry as his alter-ego Scaredy Squirrel on YTV, Sundays at 9:30am. Scaredy is paleo, isn’t he? Nuts anyone?
Tags: Eat Real Challenge, food, paleo, StrengthBox
Joe Rogan demonstrating a good KB lockout
Joe Rogan – stand-up comic, MMA fan/UFC colour commentator, and former host of TV’s Fear Factor – is in terrific shape. He’s functionally strong and super flexible, likely as a result of his Taekwondo and other martial arts training. Joe was in Toronto last week for his sold-out show at Massey Hall, and for UFC 129, where he came through with his usual detailed on-the-spot analysis. Earning his black belt in Taekwondo at age 15, and holding a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Eddie Bravo, this guy knows what he’s talking about!
Lately, Joe keeps up with his martial arts and supplements it with lots of strength training and yoga. When he’s on the road, he looks to the best to keep him in tip-top shape, and since renowned fitness coach Steve Maxwell was also in Toronto…the two got together at the StrengthBox facility so Joe could get in some training under Steve’s watchful eye.
Plank Kettlebell (Renegade) Rows
Clubbells - more old school training
Maxwell loves to use kettlebells (he was the first person to teach kettlebell classes in the U.S.), and used them to work on specific exercises before launching Joe into an intense conditioning circuit. Joe started slowly with “round the head” and “round the body” moves before moving onto more ballistic exercises like the one-arm swing. Coach Maxwell gave him some incredible windmill variations that really pushed Joe’s flexibility limits, and some specific kettlebell strength work.
Windmills
Getting the heart-rate up!
Once Joe had gotten comfortable with the movements and exercises, he went through several short (5-6 minute) workouts that really tested his conditioning. While these workouts were quick, they were intense — and it’s that kind of circuit that brings results. He would begin each one with some jump-rope (using a weighted rope) and then would go through a series of one-arm swings, deck squats, pull-ups, clean and presses, get-ups and more. The workouts all involved some kind of pushing and pulling motion, combined with some lower-body/hamstring exercise and some good core work. No isolation movements here, these were tough, full-body workouts that emphasized strength and endurance. Great training for grappling or any of the martial arts.
Whether you’re an MMA fighter or an average person just looking to get back into shape, kettlebells offer almost everything you could want for a functionally-fit body. Combine them with some intrinsic bodyweight exercises and some natural movement, and you’ll get an athletic lean physique and will see some great progress in terms of your work capacity.
With StrengthBox owner Greg Carver
Tags: celebrity training, Joe Rogan, Steve Maxwell, StrengthBox, training
Ready to devour
Ham hocks: from traditional German cuisine to American “soul-food”, they add some real smokey flavour to dishes and qualify as a definite comfort food. Hocks are cut from the ankle joint of a pig, and are sometimes referred to as knuckles. Smoked and cured versions are available from certain organic butchers, and you may find fresh ones as well. Used in soups and to season everything from kale to collard greens, they are fairly economical as a single hock will lend itself to several meals.
In creating a paleo version of hocks (they are often cooked with white or navy beans), I did bend one of the rules. I added a bit of potato to my stock, just to give it more body. I don’t eat them normally, but I was ‘gifted’ some beautiful spuds last week from a farm north of Toronto. I peeled them to remove the lectins and anti-nutrients common to most nightshades, so I was left with just the starch.
The cooked hocks
Ham Hocks and Greens
- 1 large ham hock
- 1 large carrot
- 1-2 stalks celery
- (1-2 large peeled and cubed potatoes, optional)
- 1 bunch kale or other greens, tough stems removed and roughly chopped
- whole peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- (1 leek, well cleaned and chopped, optional)
- bacon, cooked and chopped for garnish
Place the rinsed hock in a large Dutch oven or pot (skin and bones intact – they add much of the flavour), and cover with cold water. Add celery, carrot, bay leaves and a some whole peppercorns (up to 10). Slowly bring to a boil, cover and let simmer on low for about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool a bit and remove the celery, carrot and bay leaves (discard) and take out the hock, placing it on a cutting board to cool.
When the hock has cooled enough to handle, remove the skin and separate the meat from the bones. Cut the larger pieces of meat into smaller bits and place back in the pot. Add the potato pieces and leeks (optional) and kale. Return the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer, covered, until the vegetables are cooked (will take only 15-20 minutes).
When serving, you can add some chopped bacon to the top of each bowl. Delicious! I also like to add a drop of two of habanero or other pepper sauce for some kick.
Jenn gets ready to attack
We had a fun morning at the StrengthBox this past Monday with Jennifer Valentyne and the Live-Eye crew from Breakfast Television Toronto! A huge thank you to Jennifer for braving a few challenges and to the BT gang for cheering her on back in the studio. There were a few hilarious moments…
Push My Butt!
CityTV was kind enough to put three of the segments online for viewing (we filmed four, plus several promo teasers). Have a watch using the links below…
BT Clip One — Intro and Rope Climbing
BT Clip Tw0 — Jumping and Getting Over an Obstacle
BT Clip Three – Martial Arts with Jenn and Edward Wilson
The second and third clips were clearly the most entertaining. Thanks to Boris Terzic for swinging the pink kettlebell in the background. And a huge thanks to Liz McGurrin, Cynthia Roulston, Andrew McKee, and Amber Dunford for helping out in the segments! You guys rock!
Tags: Breakfast Television, BT Toronto, CityTV, Interview, StrengthBox
“Paleo Solution” author Robb Wolf was in town last week to deliver one of his awesome road-trip seminars here in Toronto, which he aptly sub-titled “Fad Diet since 3 Million BC!!” It’s always exciting when Robb is in town — he’s part educator, part mentor, part friend and all-round good guy. Once again I had the pleasure and honour of joining him with host Bryce Wylde on the popular CP24 show “Wylde on Health”. This was the second time that Robb and I have been on — apparently the paleo topic is catching on!
The latest show (March 25, 2011) consisted of four segments. It’s shot live, but if you didn’t have the chance to catch it on-air, it can be viewed at the CTV website (click on the links below):
Wylde on Health Mar 25 Part 1 — Robb Wolf
Wylde on Health Mar 25 Part 2 — Gary Taubes
Wylde on Health Mar 25 Part 3 — StrengthBox (Paleo Fitness)
Wylde on Health Mar 25 Part 4 — Robb Wolf & Greg Carver discussion
With Bryce Wylde, Nicki Violetti and Robb Wolf
Robb’s seminar was attended by well over 130 people, all keen to learn more. Robb covered some basic science, the topics of digestion, gut permeability and autoimmunity, metabolic derangement, and lifestyle. The science helped people realize that there was more to paleo than just performance nutrition or body composition — it’s about health and longevity too. And Robb’s section on implementation strategies was very helpful. First thing on my own personal “to do” list: get more sleep! Which is why I’m ending this post right now…time to shut down!
Tags: CP24, Interview, paleo, Robb Wolf, StrengthBox, The Paleo Solution, Wylde on Health
Bananas not included
What’s more fun that a barrel of monkeys? Why an adult jungle-gym to play on, of course! We’re big fans of climbing, an essential MovNat skill, and we’ve played around with everything in the gym from pull-up bars, climbing walls and even a log that hangs from the ceiling, but our new MovNat climbing platform really does take the prize for all-out fun.
The structure’s design was inspired by a temporary one built by Erwan LeCorre for his Brazil course last year at this time. Erwan had lashed several pieces of wood and bamboo into a fairly sturdy and flexible four-sided structure that offered quite a number of training possibilities. This was no simple pull-up bar — the grip was wide and sometimes slippery, and it proved to be quite challenging. I loved the multi-level options that it provided.
The structure in Itacare, Brazil
In designing our own, we faced several challenges. The structure had to be strong enough to withstand heavy use in a commercial facility, but we wanted to retain the natural feeling of real wood. And with cross-beams measuring 8-10 feet, we also needed something strong enough to hold quite a bit of weight. These horizontal bars needed to be of reasonably small diameter (so you could grip them), but still have enough strength to not break or splinter even with a fair amount of abuse.
Roughed up for a natural feel
The solution came from looking at the same technology used in long-bow construction. Kevlar (yes, the bullet-proof kind) was used in the construction of the horizontal bars to re-inforce their strength. Very little chance of them breaking, and certainly no chance in having them ever splinter. We love it! The upright posts are solid Western Red Cedar, and the horizontals are Poplar. The cedar is naturally resistant to fungus and bacteria, so very little maintenance is involved. The bars were lightly laminated with a non-toxic, matte finish just to seal in the wood and to further eliminate the chance of splinters. Each bar can be placed at a number of different heights for a variety of training options.
Pullups, toes-to-logs, muscle-ups, hip-overs, swings, vaults, duck-unders, balancing, climbing — really the only limiting factor with this new apparatus is one’s own imagination. This morning, we were practicing some squat-balances on one of the lower bars while catching PVC poles, sticks and medicine balls. It’s not just about pull-ups, it’s about MovNat playfulness. I’ll be thinking of more possibilities as we experiment more!
Some post-workout stretching
Ready for some action
Tags: climbing, climbing structure, MovNat, MovNat platform, natural movement, StrengthBox
Everyone can learn from the Paleo Solution
Spring has finally arrived, so it’s a perfect time to get serious about your diet. And since Robb Wolf will be in town next weekend to present his Paleo Solution Seminar, what a perfect time to launch another EAT REAL Challenge here at the StrengthBox. We saw some solid transformations from our challenge in 2010, and now armed with Robb’s book and seminar knowledge, we expect to see some great results again!
The Challenge will kick-off at 6:30pm on Friday, March 25th (the day prior to the Robb Wolf seminar). Immediately following our 5:30pm workout, we’ll be giving a small presentation on the basics of the Challenge, including some solid strategies for coping with Paleo requirements in a modern, and often busy world. You’ll receive a StrengthBox Strategies book, which not only covers the basics of the Paleo Diet, but contains some great tools for measuring your own progress. From visual assessment and measurement guides to diet logs and compliance sheets – the book is chock full of information.
For one solid month (until Easter Sunday, April 24th), you’ll commit to eating good-quality meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds and some fruit – while avoiding grains, legumes, dairy, salt, sugar and processed foods. You will log your compliance daily (using our compliance sheets), and will aim to keep at least 90% compliant for 4 weeks. At the end of the 4 weeks, we’ll draw for prizes among all those with top compliance scores. Prizes will include a free month of StrengthBox training, Schinoussa Sea Vegetables, and more. Of course, everyone will be able to celebrate an entire month of clean eating – and great results!
Paleo Solution Seminar March 26th
So what’s the deal with the paleo diet? Many nutrition scientists believe that it is a way of eating for optimum health, as the diet most closely mimics the way our Paleolithic ancestors ate. Over a two-million year period, our genes adapted to a diet in which all food had to be hunted, fished, or gathered from nature. Though the natural environment has changed drastically, the humane genome has changed less than 0.02 percent in the past 40,000 years. Thus, most of us eat a diet that is not in synch with their genetic needs, and sooner or later end up with with health conditions that would have otherwise been preventable.
Part of the key to sticking to a paleo diet is having both a strategy for eating, and a good support system. Doing the EAT REAL challenge will provide you with both. Why not take advantage and “spring clean” your eating with StrengthBox?
Note: Our regular 6:30 and 7:30pm classes will be cancelled on March 25th so we can kick-off this event.
For more resources on the Paleo diet, please visit www.robbwolf.com.
Tags: Eat Real Challenge, paleo, Robb Wolf, StrengthBox
Venison Roast, with Kale and Vegetables
Venison is as special as the word sounds, and any type of large antlered game is perfect for a paleo feast. While you might not be hunting your own wild booty, farm-raised deer and elk meat is available from select butchers, and the animals are raised without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones. Farm raised venison is naturally lean and tender, and it will cook faster than meats with more fat and connective tissue. Use the low setting on your slow-cooker, and please forget about all the venison recipes on the Internet that involve cans of cream of mushroom soup or dried onion soup mix!
- 3-4 lb Venison Roast
- 1 onion, sliced
- few stalk celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1/2 can Italian tomatoes
- 1/2 bunch fresh kale, tough stems removed
- 2 peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- bacon fat
Marinade:
- 4 T apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 c olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 T Tamari (wheat-free) soy sauce
- 1 t herbs de Provence
- 1/2 t dry mustard
- black pepper
High in protein and low in fat
Mix the marinade and rub into the roast well using the hands. Cut slits into the roast with the tip of a knife and insert pieces of garlic into the meat in various places. Add a bit of water to the remaining marinade and place the meat and the remainder of the marinade in a large glass bowl or container, and let sit overnight (in the fridge).
In the crock-pot, just before cooking
Brown the roast well in a cast-iron skillet, using a small amount of leftover bacon fat. Turn the meat from time to time so that all sides are well-browned (this will add a greater depth of flavour to the dish). While the meat is being prepared, place the tomatoes, onion, celery, kale leaves, carrots, herbs, bay leaves and peppercorns in a slow-cooker (crock-pot). Add the browned roast to the crock-pot with the vegetables, ensuring that it rests in the stoneware properly without touching the lid. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
The slow cooker must be 1/2 to 3/4 full to operate properly (otherwise it will cook the meat too fast). If you are using a smaller roast, alter the amount of tomatoes and other vegetables accordingly.
Fall and winter vegetables like turnips, mushrooms and even chestnuts are great accompaniments. So go ahead, give some large game a try!
Tags: crock-pot, deer, game meat, recipe, slow cooker, venison
Modern-Day Vitruvian Man
Attempting to represent a modern-day Vitruvian Man was quite the challenge, as da Vinci’s original sketch is based on the Classical concept of ideal human proportions. While I may not be the epitome of his “Canon of Proportions”, the illustration also relates man to nature, and that’s a concept I can certainly identify with. Leonardo believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the entire universe.
The original, named after the architect Vitruvius
Photographer Gary Hills of Fizzbucket came up with the creative concept for this photo, and together with his assistant Chester, they prepared the StrengthBox gym for the actual shoot. Using a black backdrop and a combination of natural and remote flash lighting, they got the look they wanted. I had to stand for two tricky poses, which were combined to create the final. Chester and Gary were sticklers for accuracy with the original; getting the angles of my arms and the positioning of my feet just right. My arms and legs extended had to fit perfectly within two geometric forms: a square and a circle. The result I think was worth it. After quite a bit of post-production processing in Photoshop CS5, the composite came to life.
One of many original set-up shots
Working on a portrait
We also worked on some portrait and action shots using some logs and other natural props that I use in the gym. Gary made me feel completely comfortable; he’s truly a professional and I would highly recommend his work. In fact, I can’t wait to do more creative stuff with him in the future!
Tags: da Vinci, Fizzbucket, Gary Hills, photo shoot, StrengthBox, Vitruvian Man
One of my clients trains precision jumping
What should the goal of an exercise program for seniors be? A study supported by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (funded by Fitness Canada) found that seniors engage in organized fitness programs for the same reasons the majority of the population does: they want to “feel better mentally and physically” and they want to “control weight or to look better”. Personally, I think the goal should be to improve quality of life. Too often, however, older people end up doing seated chair exercises or bicep curls with soup cans or water bottles – isolation movements that have little or no carry-over benefits to real life. Those exercises are fine when required as rehab or when someone’s physical capabilities are limited, but they shouldn’t be used if a person is capable of full-body movement on their own.
Functional skill training: Balancing
We know the benefits of regular exercise on wellness and health, but this message seems to get lost for people later in life. Risk factors are higher, and some might falsely assume that it’s too late. It’s a bit of a struggle to convince people 65 and older that they need to exercise, and sometimes a struggle with health-care providers and trainers to provide assistance due to safety reasons or for the same false belief that declining health trends are irreversible for the elderly.
The important thing for seniors is to start slowly, and to work on simple natural movement skills. Start with a skill that can easily be performed, like walking, and then progress to variations like walking on all fours, balancing on one leg or walking on a beam. If a person can’t safely squat, they can do assisted squats at home by hanging on to the kitchen sink as they squat, or by squatting to a chair and then standing up again.
Erwan LeCorre, founder of MovNat, often uses the phrase “strong to be useful”. This applies to anyone, of course, but in the case of seniors it’s particularly important. Erwan coaches people in all the natural movement skills: skills that humans have been doing for hundreds of thousands of years, and MovNat is therefore just as powerful for older populations as it is for the young. We need to practice the squat, for example, not only because it’s a natural position — but because the day we lose the ability to raise our own bodyweight off the floor is the day we might have to look into going into an extended care facility. Doing a scaled burpee (squatting, getting into a plank position and immediately standing up) isn’t so much of an exercise to train core strength and power, but is a way of training the ability to get off of the ground quickly. These aren’t merely skills that would increase one’s independence – they could literally save someone’s life.
I almost hate to use the terms “exercise” and “fitness” when it comes to seniors. It should be called “life skill training” or something more aligned with gaining and maintaining independence as people age in a healthy manner. This simple change of terminology would help get people away from the comfort of exercise machines and contrived isolation exercises and move them towards learning how to move, naturally.
Seniors wanting to start an exercise program should definitely consult with their doctor before proceeding. Working with a trainer is also a great idea, especially one who is experienced in working with older populations or who has experience in natural movement exercises.
We spend a ton of money as a society on prescription mediations to lower cholesterol, control blood pressure, and to keep diabetes in check. In that context, a session or two with a personal trainer certainly isn’t a big-ticket item, and the benefits are huge.
Tags: fitness, MovNat, natural movement, seniors
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