Hey everyone, I know it's been a week since my last post and I feel really, really bad.  Ok, so not that bad, but I do want to write a lot more frequently.  Just getting into the swing of this blog thing.

I just want to do a simple post today.  A few unwritten etiquette practices for anyone going to the gym for the first time and feeling a little uncomfortable.  Hopefully these can make you feel a little less self-conscious, because let's face it, going to the gym for lots of people is hard enough without worrying about doing something "wrong".  Also a lot of people just have no idea because no one has told them these esoteric set of "rules".  Use them or not, that's up to you.  But you may suffer some evil glares if you choose to ignore them.  You have been warned.

1.  This one is pretty basic, but you would be surprised by the amount of people who seem to forget.  Take the weights off any plate loaded piece of equipment and put any dumbbells back where you got them from.  If you are strong enough to use them, you are strong enough to put them back where they belong.  This ties into my next tip.

2.  If you see weights on a barbell or machine, it usually means someone is using it.  Wait a few minutes to see if someone comes back or ask someone in the area if they have seen anyone on it.  This is also another reason to put your weights away.  A non-verbal message to let other gym goers know you are finished.  Also, as a side note, if it looks like you just had a bath on the bench/equipment; wipe it down.

3.  Another one is don't grab a set of dumbbells and then stand RIGHT in front of the rack where you got them.  That really annoys people and it's just plain inconsiderate.  Move at least 5 feet back.

4.  Don't walk in front of the mirror if someone is clearly using it.  I don't really recommend relying on a mirror to know if you are doing an exercise correctly or not, but nonetheless it can be dangerous and aggravating to the person lifting.  Using a mirror is fine to check your form or depth but there is something called proprioception which is essentially the awareness of your own body in a spatial domain.  So it is a good idea to try and develop that as you get more advanced.

5.  Don't be afraid to ask someone for help on how to use a machine or even do an exercise properly.  The guy with his headphones in and smashing his head off the barbell is probably not the guy to ask.  Most people, however, don't mind answering a question or two.  Also, don't ask someone as they are in the bottom position of a squat... that may be slightly distracting.

6.  Be safe and have fun.  These things aren't something to really focus on, just be aware of and hopefully make you a little more comfortable around the gym.  As a final thought about being safe, please don't do this exercise or anything that looks remotely similar.

Thanks guys and leave a comment about things that have made you squirm a little bit at the gym or a question you have about anything gym related really.  Bye for now!

Salmon for dinner, mercury toxicity for desert? (part 2)

This post will be a brief nutritional breakdown of the dinner I had a few nights ago.  I think for my next few posts I'll be going over a few more fundamental things about macro nutrients (fats, carbohydrate and protein) and what effect they have on your body and your health.  So with that out of the way, lets get this show on the road.

Starting with the pumpkin, it's chock-full of B vitamins, vitamin C, super high in vitamin A, magnesium, potassium, soluble fiber, low glycemic starches, and the seeds contain one of the highest natural sources of zinc.  Who knew pumpkins were so good for you and NOT just for carving at Halloween.  Throw some pastured butter on top and you have some healthy fats, more vitamin A and some vitamin K2.
 
As for the kale, as many of you know, it has a LOT of antioxidants and amazing anti-inflammatory properties that aid in a variety of disease prevention.  It has a lot of the same micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as pumpkin with a lot more vitamin K.  Kale is rated as one of the most nutrient dense foods because of its low caloric content and high nutrient value.  Making kale chips in either melted coconut oil or olive oil is another source of healthy fats.  Many of the vitamins you get from veggies are fat soluble, which means you actually NEED fat in order for your body to absorb them.  So when you order your next salad, make sure to NOT avoid the full fat dressing. 
The salmon in the meal is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and a very well absorbed form of vitamin D.  Our bodies need Vitamin D for almost every cellular function in the body and thus for those cultures living in a place of little sunlight, eating cold water fish is a very effective way to keep vitamin D levels up.

Now I wanted to share a bit of information I myself just learned.  I was listening to the weekly podcast from Chris Kresser about mercury toxicity from eating fish.  I'll try and keep it fairly simple and understandable.  Firstly, mercury itself doesn't cause so much direct damage to your body, but remember all those anti-oxidants in the meal above? Well for your body to make use of anti-oxidants (which help prevent or reverse damage from various oxygen related processes) it needs enzymes from selenium.  Therein lies the problem with mercury, it binds to the selenium so there is none available to help your body make use of those beneficial anti-oxidants you guys are eating, right?.  Fish is pretty high in mercury so that must mean then, that you shouldn't eat fish, right?  Not so fast.  Ocean fish, and most fresh water fish, actually have much more selenium than mercury, thus providing more than enough selenium for the mercury's use while leaving plenty for your body to use for the assimilation of anti-oxidants.  The good news for us is that most fish you find in your local grocery store or market has more selenium than mercury.  So believe me, the benefits of eating fish FAR outweigh any negatives.  There is a great documentary about 20 minutes long, from the University of North Dakota, that does a great job of explaining in more detail if anyone is interested.  It can be found by clicking here.  So basically I am saying, stop reading this and go eat some fish.. 2-3 times a week at least. 

 All the best,

Matt

Salmon for dinner, mercury toxicity for desert? (part 1)

So it's my second post and it was just going to be a short and sweet recipe of what I had for dinner last night, however it just so happened that today I read some studies and listened to a few podcasts and the issue of fish and mercury toxicity was discussed at length.  I decided to go into detail with a nutritional overview of the meal tomorrow and discuss why mercury levels aren't typically a concern when eating fish, but for today I'll stick to my original plan of last nights dinner.

I like to base my meal around what protein I'm going to be using, because well... I love meat.  Last night I decided to have salmon as it was basically all I had left and I was far too lazy to go to the grocery store.  I recently bought Practical Paleo, a nutritional reference guide and cookbook, written by one half of a duo of girls who have a great wellness blog/podcast called balanced bites - check them out!  There was an amazing recipe for lemon rosemary broiled salmon.  It was delicious and super easy.  As you can probably guess the ingredients are: Salmon(preferably wild and sustainably sourced), dried rosemary, sea salt and fresh lemon.  That's it.  The only other thing you need is a source of fat to grease the pan and put a little bit on top of each filet.  I would suggest butter or coconut oil - I opted for butter(from grass fed cattle ideally).  Pop in the oven Broil for 10-12 minutes and that's all folks.

Next I typically make a random assortment of sides usually consisting of a slightly starchy vegetable and something green.  Last night was pumpkin pancakes with banana and cinnamon, again from Practial Paleo.  I don't want to give all their recipes away but I will say these was completely grain free and DELICIOUS.  My green tonight was kale chips.  If you haven't tried these they are super easy, nutritious and really satisfy that chip craving of something crunchy and salty.  I will do another post about how to make your own kale chips - perfect late night snack.  Some pictures of each below...  I am going to assume you can tell which ones are which.  If not then I give you an electronic smack.  Partially joking of course.  Don't forget to check back tomorrow to see the nutritional benefits of this meal! 

What's your favorite way to make salmon? Leave me a comment and let me know!

It's late and I'm tired so talk at ya tomorrow people! Have a good one!

Matt

Hello, World!

Hey everyone out there in internet land, my name is Matt Thatcher, a personal trainer located near Toronto, Ontario, Canada and I am attempting to finally start my own health and fitness blog (as I'm sure you have guessed if you are reading this).  My family and friends have been telling me for quite some time now that I should get this show on the road and share my passion with as many people as possible.  However, I not so secretly believe that they are actually just sick and tired of listening to me talk about the latest research on nutrition or the next physical goal I am attempting to achieve.  So now, hopefully, you will all be my willing audience.  I really hope I can share some insightful information and help people no matter where they are on their own personal journey; from the beginner who thinks a calorie is a planet in another galaxy, to the advanced athlete who wants to squeeze out that last 1% of performance.

I want to keep this first post fairly simple, just like my training and nutrition philosophies.  I believe that living a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be complicated at all.  In fact, I believe it has to be simple and straightforward for long term success.  You don't need fancy equipment or special powders and pills.  The message I want to send isn't fancy, it is just to eat real food, move heavy things in a safe and effective way (even our body is pretty heavy so move that!) and take care of stress in our lives.  I know that may sound too easy, but in today's society it is equally easy to be stressed and confused as to just what exactly real food is and what exactly the best method of working out is.  While I believe there is no one "BEST" method for everyone, I do believe certain principles are the best starting point for almost everyone.  I myself follow a Paleo lifestyle and have never felt or looked better.  Do not confuse this way of eating with a focus on eating low carb or Atkins, to put it simple, Paleo is a way of eating that shifts the focus to consuming the most nutrient dense food that YOUR body assimilates the most effectively.  

I wanted to keep this first post short and sweet.  Nothing I do is too sweet, and this isn't that short. I have some ADD issues so that probably doesn't help the situation any.  Don't judge me as I run off on a tangent in my first post.  I will now attempt to bring this back to health.  There are just so many ideas, topics and information to discuss and I assure you future posts will be more pointed and specific... I hope.  Future posts will include tips and information on workouts and exercise, nutrition and recipes and various other lifestyle factors that relate to health.  For now I will leave you with a few sources of my own inspirations and people that I look up to in the industry.  Some of my favorite health and fitness blogs that I get a lot of my information and inspiration from include Robb Wolf, Charles Poliquin and MarksDailyApple.

I'm really looking forward to sharing my wealth of information on health and fitness as I continue to always learn and evolve myself.  Hopefully you guys can help me continually improve and learn new information as I want to encourage you to leave a comment or question and I'll do my best to answer it. 

Looking forward to hearing your feedback! 

Matt.

Typical day: Log clean and press at a local strongman competition.