Happy Summer - Food Sensitivities

 Well it’s been a while since I’ve posted or emailed.  Although I wasn’t totally “off the grid” I have had an eventful Summer so far.  My son Sean got married last week to a wonderful young lady and it makes me so proud.  

I also had a food sensitivity test done as I’ve been having the occasional lower abdominal pain.  What I found out is that I have a sensitivity to  dairy, certain nuts (which I eat alot of), and gluten.  This is quite surprising for a guy that could eat almost anything - and lots of it…

Eating foods you are sensitive to will cause inflammation in the gut. For some it could cause skin problems, fatigue, headaches, brain fog, etc.  Continuing to consume trigger foods can lead to chronic inflammation in the gut lining, causing “leaky gut syndrome”, imbalance of gut bacteria and malnutrition.

I recommend everyone gets a food sensitivity test.  You may be quite surprised of the results.

Taking care of your body involves not only taking care of what you put in it, but how you use it.  So go out and enjoy the summer.  Use it Not Lose it!

Not sure what type of workout to do at the gym?

 When it comes to building muscle or maintaining strength there are two trains of thought.  

1) Doing an upper-lower split - which uses more volume but alternates muscle groups.

2) Doing a Full-Body Workout at every session.

Which one is best? 

The answer is not which one is better, but which one you will stick with and have the time for.  

You must enjoy, not loathe your workouts.  Plus they must fit seamlessly into your life…

If not, you’ll start skipping, get sub-par benefits and quit altogether.

If you want to be Built for Life, moving and being physically active is a must.

If you want to improve your strength, stamina, coordination and energy levels join a Dynabody Fitness class! Enjoy the challenge, camaraderie and quality workouts.  We start the spring sessions April 7 and 9th.

Cutting through the False Information - True Science Health Influencers

There’s a lot of false information and conflicting information about health, fitness and longevity.   From social media influencers, supplement companies and food marketers who seek fame and fortune.  I try to wade through the fluff and provide accurate information.  When it comes to your health, it’s a matter of adopting proper habits and eating nutritionally. 

Here are a couple of well known and trusted youtube/podcasters you may be interested in;

If you want to learn more about living young and dying old,  I recommend you listen to Chris MacAskill’s Viva-Longevity youtube channel.  https://www.youtube.com/@Viva-Longevity

I just finished listening to a Rich Roll podcast with Dr. Dawn Mussallem, a Mayo Clinic oncologist who survived stage 4 cancer at 26, heart failure, and a heart transplant—then became the first person to run a marathon within a year of receiving a new heart. In the podcast they discuss the integrative approach to cancer treatment, why exercise might be as powerful as chemotherapy, the power of mindset, and more.  The main takeaway she states is that no matter how old you are if you change your habits and start eating and focus on being more healthy, you can;

If you're 60, you can ADD 8 MORE YEARS to your life.  

If you’re 80, you can ADD 3.4 MORE YEARS to your life.

And besides that, you start feeling better right away.  You have more energy, start sleeping better and your mood is better.  Who doesn’t want to feel more joy in their life?

To listen to the podcast check it out here;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDQ4t4haMJc

Still skeptical?  

Diseases can be effectively treated by diet including;  diabetes, obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, colon cancer, prostate cancer, blood cancers, digestive cancers, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure.

Another reliable source is Dr. Michael Greger of Nutrition Facts and author of How Not to Die.  He just released a video emphasizing the best diet to treat these diseases:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2mevFTWsTM

Finally,  Jack LaLanne, deemed the “Godfather of Modern Fitness” believed every human being can attain maximum body health and fitness if they will practice moderation, eat the most natural foods, and exercise on a regular basis.  Jack LaLanne accomplished feats of super human strength through his life even into his 80’s. He showed the world that you can achieve anything in incredible ways such as swimming from Alcatraz to shore while having his hands cuffed and feet shackled.

Lalanne opened the first health club in 1936 and designed many of the familiar exercise machines and cable-pulley systems being used today.  Oh - and don’t forget “Jumping Jacks”....

Jack was very strict towards his diet and lived to age 96.His diet philosophy was that –“If man makes it, don’t eat it”. He was always i n favor of eating raw rather than eating cooked food. His diet included plenty of fruits and vegetables. He stayed away from meat and only ate fish. 

If it boils down to a true health influencer Jack LaLanne was the real deal.

https://jacklalanne.com/home-3046

Motivation - killing your New Years Fitness Goals

 Did you know that by now, most people will have already quit their New Year fitness goals.

Not because they don't want results.

Not because they're lazy.

But because they make one critical mistake:

They rely on motivation.

Here's the problem with motivation: it runs out.

You wake up motivated on January 1st. Ready to crush it. Going to be a whole new person.

Then January 10th happens. You're tired. It's cold. You don't feel like it anymore.

And just like that... you're done…..

The fact is,  the people who actually transform their health don't rely on motivation.

They rely on a system.

A structured program that tells them exactly what to do.

A workout that delivers a serious training effect.

A community that expects them to show up.

Accountability that keeps them going when motivation fades.

That's the difference between the 80% who quit and the 20% who succeed.

Dynabody Fitness & Health is not just about exercise.  It is about social connection, support, self discovery, community and belonging.

Become a Dynabod and rely on a system that works!

Merry FITMASS Challenge

Did you know that ParticipACTION has released its 2025 Report Card on Physical Activity for Adults,

and only 46% of adults in Canada meet physical activity guidelines.  32% of adults meet daily step

recommendations, a decline from 49% in 2021. More than 58% of people spend more than 8 hours

being stationary!  Physical inactivity cost the Canadian health-care system $3.9 billion annually.

To help change this the Manitoba Fitness Council has created the Merry FITMASS Challenge!

Buy a Merry FITMASS t-shirt or tank top from the MFC Store to receive one free entry into the challenge. 

The challenge runs December 8–20, 2025 featuring a different daily activity each day.
Not only do you get a high quality shirt are at cost, but you join in on a fun challenge that helps

keep you active! 

Perfect right around the holidays.  Let’s put the FIT into Xmas!
Here are links to the MFC store;

https://manitobafitnesscouncil.ca/Sys/Store/Products/403600

https://manitobafitnesscouncil.ca/Sys/Store/Products/403599

https://manitobafitnesscouncil.ca/Sys/Store/Products/404986

Junk Volume and the Grey Cup

 Happy Grey Cup!

“Junk Volume” does not refer to the amount of beer, chips, pizza and wings you consume while at a Grey Cup party.  

“Junk volume” refers to any training that adds fatigue without adding meaningful muscle-building stimulus.  This is a common phenomenon that I’ve seen time and time again.

Junk volume can be you doing extra reps in your workout where you feel productive but in reality, your muscles have already received the growth signal they need..  These reps past failure eat into recovery and joining health.

The most common case of Junk Volume is not working hard enough.  This is when you don’t use enough weight, or intensity to see hypertrophy gains.  Basically you are just “painting the ceiling” - getting sore with no muscle gains.

The worst case of Junk Volume would be over-training.  Overtraining can occur when you work out without allowing enough recovery time between sessions. After a certain point, too much exercise can be harmful to your health and hinder your results.  Those that over-train have the problem that they don’t realize it.  Recovery falls behind adaptation, performance drops, fatigue increases, you stop building muscle and start digging a recovery hole.

Doing junk volume doesn’t mean you’re being stupid or lazy – it just means you need to be more efficient.

To avoid Junk Volume, understand that the goal is NOT to do as much as you can handle. 

The goal is to do as little as necessary that gives you MAXIMUM RESULTS. That’s smart training, and it’s how you avoid turning productive work outs into junk.

Lest we forget - Remembrance Day November 11th

Take the time this November 11th to join in a Remembrance Day ceremony. 

Many young men & women died so that you and your family could live in freedom. The least we could do is brave the weather for an hour (or at least watch a ceremony) to commemorate the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  We will remember.

 In honor of Remembrance Day, there will be no Fitness Classes that day.