Almost everyone has hard of reflexology. But what you may not know is just how simple it is to incorporate into your daily life with simple techniques that can be done anywhere. First, what exactly is reflexology? It's all about the various pressure points of the body. Applying pressure to the hands, feet, and ears in the correct way can relax your body, relieve pain, and relieve stress.   For this post, we'll focus on the hands since your hands are always right there out in the open and can easily be done anywhere. Even if you're on a subway or a…

Let's face it. Anxiety and stress is a part of life. Not a particularly pleasant part of it, but if you don't learn to cope with it somehow you're going to have a very hard time to say the least. Now I'm sure we've all heard that we need to live a stress free life. However when you hear some bad news, that may prove to be a little difficult. What we need therefore is a way to cope with it and even better than that, eventually not even needing to turn it on and off.   We all know about the valuie of…

Although Doug Hepburn may not be as common a household name like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he certainly deserves to be. Born in Vancouver, BC, Canada in 1926 with a club foot, he may not have seemed at first like a future strength legend. But he did just that. At a height of 5 foot 8 and a half, he weighed in at 300 lbs of power! And he had the numbers to back it up!    For one thing, he was the first man in the world to bench press 400, 450, and 500 lbs! Here are some of his other lifts and…

I'm sure we've all been there. We've seen cookbooks with some great recipes, but when we look at the huge ingredient list we decide not to do it. This isn't only for fitness enthusiasts, but for all working professionals, parents, etc. who don't want to spend hours preparing meals for their families, yet don't want to take the easy (and unhealthier) way out and get take out!   So here are some of my favourite recipes with only four ingredients. Perfect for meatheads like me!   BREAKFASTS BIRCHER MUESLI (serves 1) 1/2 cup natural muesli 1/4 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons plain yogurt 1 apple, grated Soak the muesli in…

Your body needs dietary fats in order to function in optimal health. While it can be unhealthy to eat too much or not enough of some fats, if your body doesn't have healthy fats in it, it will not be able to work properly. Fat keeps your hair and skin healthy, helps your body absorb critical vitamins, and it insulates you to help keep you warm. Because there are some fats that your body cannot make, they are essential to add to your diet.   Fat is also used for brain development and reducing inflammation in the body. It also helps blood…

I'm pretty sure most of you have done Paint By Numbers art projects before where a number corresponds to a specific colour. With punching in Boxing and Martial Arts, it's the exact same thing. Except that the number corresponds to a punch! This can really help in a number of ways. It helps familiarize yourself with the punches and also when hearing combos being called out spontaneously, it's much quicker to just say the number than the words. It makes things a lot easier when you're taking notes as well. Another benefit is that of having to think and respond quickly.…

Of all the various muscle groups on the human body, the core and abdominals are quite possibly the ones which cause the most confusion and has the greatest number of misconceptions as well. Needless to say, it's also one of the most improperly trained muscle groups as well. Let's cut the BS and go over the facts about the core and abdominals (or Abs if you prefer).   First, what are the abdominals and core not? It is NOT some magic muscle that you can train every day for hours without risk of overtraining. Seriously I've heard many people over the years…

One thing I've seen a lot in the fitness industry is trainers giving everyone the same workout regardless of their goals and needs. For the most part, this is a bodybuilding style split routine. You know the ones I'm talking about. The programs where you train different muscles on different days. You may have an upper body day and a lower body day, or you may do your chest and back one day, legs and abs, one day, arms and shoulders one day, etc. And depending on your goals, that may be the right program for you. Or it might not…

There are tons of different opinions on this. All I can do is give you my opinion as well as the reasons behind it. Hopefully it will make sense to you. It certainly does to me, but you'll have to decide.   So to start with, I remember I used to work at a gym where there was this other trainer about the same age as me. He always changed his client workouts every workout. I don't know if I every saw his clients doing the same thing twice. He would justify it by saying that it's for muscle confusion and to…

A question I get asked sometimes is whether or not I feel the time and effort invested in fitness is worth the sacrifice. It's true that I do spend a great deal of time working out, researching, pondering, etc. As a result, I'm not able to spend as much time doing other things such as watching tv shows, gaming, and other similar activities. I'm very selective about which shows I watch as I only have limited time. I do however make time for playing music, spending time with my family, art, and some other interests. But nonetheless, there are things…

Weights are great to use, but it's entirely possible to get a full body workout using nothing but your bodyweight, a few simple pieces of equipment, and a lot of heart! It can be done right in the comfort of your own home, on vacation, or anywhere else.   So for today's workout, I have a combination of supersets and trisets. For those that don't know, supersets is a technique where you take two exercises and perform them back to back. Trisets is the same thing, but it involves three exercises. More than three exercises becomes a circuit, Here's the program   SUPERSET 1 TRX Rows Clap Pushups   TRISET 1 TRX Lateral…

Just about everyone who's been training for a while has heard of periodization. However like many other things, there is a ton of misinformation about it. There are of course many different methods and possible training cycles that can be used. Far too many to list here, but I want to provide a basic overview of what it's all about.   So to put things simply, periodization is all about the fact that you can't train at the same level all the time. Back when I was first learning about working out, the gym rats I was working out with had no…

Body conditioning is an exercise that is traditionally done in the martial arts. There are numerous benefits of this. One is obviously conditioning your body so you won't bruise or feel as much pain. Another is that you'll be able to strike harder. However one more benefit to it and one which is important regardless of your fitness goals is increased blood circulation! In fact the effects are similar to getting a massage. Also there is a ton of myofascial release. Watch the video to learn more!  

No matter what activity you engage in, footwork is buy far the most important thing. In today's video, I demonstrate some martial arts footwork and body connection drills, but they can be applied to any activity. Remember that without good footwork and strong legs, it is very similar to a car with a pitiful engine. It may look fantastic, but if the engine is useless you won't be going very far or fast.   In the video I go over a few exercises. The first two are Qigong exercises taken from the Bagua system of Chinese martial arts. The third is a…

There is a lot of confusion about what makes a good workout program. Unfortunately part of the problem is just plain old misinformation. I'm sure you've heard the terms "toning" and "shaping". But the fact is that both of those terms are meaningless, and there have been countless people who've simply done poor ineffective workouts in the name of shaping and toning.   You have control over exactly two things as far as your muscles and body composition are concerned. They are: 1) BUILDING MUSCLE 2) LOSING FAT   When people look at a so-called toned body, they are looking at someone who has added muscle…

Nowadays we hear a lot about pre-workout drinks. People like the idea of getting an energy boost before a workout. Unfortunately there are also some ingredients in these drinks that may not be the best for your health. In addition, many of their supposed benefits are not backed by research. Also, why would you want to resort to stimulants or other questionable supplements when natural approaches can get the job done safely?   Dried fruits (or regular) have been used for centuries for an energy boost and a source of quick fuel. They are probably the richest natural foods on earth in…

One of the things that everyone just "knows" these days seems to be that carbs are the enemy. Everywhere you turn, you hear about low carb, no carb, high protein, high fat, keto, paleo, etc. The thing about all this that many do no realize is that low carb diets have been around for an unbelievably long time. Since the 19th century in fact! And every so often, it comes back in vogue only for people to realize that it may not be the healthiest way. Then the cycle repeats. It's actually kind of funny when you look at it!   The…

The youth of today are our future of tomorrow. Therefore it's  super important for them to be healthy and fit. There are of course many distractions that exist today that didn't when I was a kid. Internet, video games, social media, etc. Unfortunately as a result of this, kids are now more sedentary than they've ever been before. So there's the problem.   HOW DO WE GET KIDS INTERESTED IN FITNESS?   Of course as I'm sure you already know, people won't do something unless it's fun. Hardly a revelation, but it still needs to be pointed out. Personally I think the best way is…

Ask 10 trainers for their favourite workouts and I'm sure you'll get 10 different answers. There are many ways to train and they all hold value. It really is impossible to name one workout more effective than any other. The goals you're trying to achieve, physical limitations you may have, your personality, preferences, and other factors all play a role in figuring out the best plan for you.   So while it may be impossible to name one absolute best workout, I have discovered one plan which seems to work quite well for most people, is easily customizable, and can be trained…

With 70 to 80% of the adult population suffering from lower back pain, it's essential to learn how to exercise properly to train it. It isn't as hard as you might think, but what it does require is consistency. I had the pleasure recently to meet up with Ian Edmondson who is a personal trainer from Ottawa, Ontario. He is also and Active Aging Specialist dealing with many clients with lower back pain. He himself is no stranger to it since he's had several severe care accidents.    Anyway the exercises he demonstrated today were: 1. The Angry Child 2. The Sphinx 3. The Cobra 4.…