Recipes when I feel like it: Homemade Penutbutter & Banana Protein Bars

It's time again for another protein bar recipe.  My curious mind hasn't stopped racing with ideas since my last protein bar post.  Since then I've been experimenting with various recipes.  Here is my favorite out of the bunch.

Just like before, to make things easier, I will again separate the ingredients into a dry and wet bowl.  Remember  you will need two large bowls that make up your dry and wet bowls.  However, this time around your wet bowl may be metal as nothing will need to be melted.  Lets get started!     

Dry Bowl Ingredients:
2 cups Oats
1/4 cup Shredded Coconuts (Sweetened or Unsweeted, pick your poison)
1/2 cup Raisins (or dates, cranberries, dried fruits, etc)
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips or Chunks (Check out the benefits)
1/4 cup Almonds (shredded or whole, your choice.  Can also substitute for other nuts)
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Protein Powder (Natural, Vanilla or Chocolate are best for taste)

**Optional**
2 tbsp Flax Seeds (Check out the benefits)
2 tbsp Chia Seeds (Check out the benefits)
1/2 Apple (cut into small chunks)

Assemble everything into one bowl. Mixing everything up. Now put your dry bowl a side to make room for the next bowl.

Wet Bowl Ingredients:
1 Ripe Banana (mashed)
1/4 cup Maple Syrup (or honey if that is all you got) (Check out the benefits)
1/2 cups Peanut Butter (prefer natural but if all you got is skippy or Kraft - go with what you got!  Any other nut butter will work as well)
1 tsp Vanilla

Unlike the last bowl, where it was just collecting ingredients, the wet bowl will require you to use some "elbow grease". Before assembling the ingredients together, you will need to first place a pealed banana into the bowl and mash it up.  I found a spoon works best, but anything you find that you believe will get the job done will work.  After the banana is completely mashed, you can begin to assemble the remaining ingredients into the bowl.  Mix everything up! 

Now that you have your two bowls completed, pour the contents of your wet bowl into your dry bowl.

Now for the fun part (finally!). Time to get your hands all up in there and mix everything up.  Remember though, wash your hands first lol ;)


Once everything is mixed together, transfer the contents to a baking tray to be put into the fridge for an hour or two (or in the freezer if your in a hurry). I found long tupperware containers works well as well (so save those pastic chinese take out containers). Keep the tray in the fridge until ingredients have completely solidified.

Voila!!! The protein bars are done!!! I'll leave you with the freedom to decide how to cut into smaller bars.

Enjoy!!!  And again, don't be shy - If you have an input on how to make this better (or different, in a good way) send your thoughts my way :)

Adventures with the Go Pro: Amatuer Hockey at it's best!

For those that don't know, I am more than just a gym rat.  I know it must be hard to imagine with my last couple of posts.  In fact, as a personal trainer, I don't spend much time there at all.  Maybe 3-4 times a week (not including the time when I'm with a client).  Majority of my time is spent outdoors (or at a indoor arena) doing various activities (which is something I encourage all my clients to do). 

Recently, one of my fellow players on my Hockey team (James, our goalie) thought it would be fun to capture one of our games using his GO PRO Camera.  Oh man, was it ever a great idea.  We as a team learned so much from watching ourselves play this past week.  Here are the highlights from our game against our nemesis The Aviators.  Unfortunately it was a losing effort (4-3 OT).  Look out for me, number 11 in the white jersey.
      

If you ever get a chance to, I highly recommend that you capture yourself on camera doing the things you love.  Not only will you get a whole new level of satisfaction and appreciation for yourself, but you may also notice a few new things to change/add to help yourself improve to that next level.

Now, go play outside and push yourself to the limits no matter the conditions.  You won't be sorry you did :)

A Personal Trainers Workout: Day Five

So, it has been about week since I've posted another "A Personal Trainers Workout".  Some of you fitness enthusiast must be worried that I've dropped off.  Don't you worry, I am still going strong.  Truth be told, it's going so well that I've expanded my horizons into new a skill/hobby.  This week I took up knitting.  Man, for something that I deemed girlie in the past, I can say it is very peaceful and takes a lot of patience and discipline.  Reminds me a lot of  when I first started playing the guitar, patience and discipline were an issue.  But over time, with practice, I over came them.  And in a few weeks, I will I have myself a brand new scarf (that I made myself lol).  But, enough about that.  For those that are wondering, I have been in the gym four times since my last "routine post".  I did this routine Last Sunday: 

Body Ball Inner Thigh Squeeze and Bridge
Body Ball Hamstring Roll In
Single Leg Shoulder Raise with Single Leg Calf Raise (on yoga block) 
Single Arm Bicep Preacher Curl (I used a 45 degree bench, stood behind it with my arm resting against it)
Olympic Dead Lift
Tricep Dips (on Dip Wrack)
Bent Over Single Arm Reverse Fly (on Pully Machine)

Again, I did 12-15 reps and 3 sets each.  The workout took me about an hour to finish.  For the remainder of the week I revisited my previous two workouts and this one once more.  I will most likely be switching up my routines next week or the week after next so stay tuned.

As always, I dare you to try it if you think your ready for it lol :)  And like before, if your unsure about a exercise, msg me and I will give you feed back on how to achieve it.  Have fun, play hard, and remember to stretch for 10-30 min after your workout (it's just as important as the workout itself).  Stay healthy kids!

The Food Colour Wheel

Got this image from a friend of mine this morning.  After reading through it, I instantly knew I needed to share this everyone.  I'd give one of my usual descriptions, but I think the image speaks for itself.  Enjoy and share!

You Asked, We Answered: Answers From A Personal Trainer

Recently, me and my business partner DJ Mckay held a "ask a personal trainer anything"  over Facebook regarding health and fitness.  Here is one of the questions asked and answered.


Is the P90X program any good? 

Yes, and no.

The P90X program does a lot of things right. Its primary focus is “muscle confusion” which is great for breaking through plateaus. Its variety of exercises keeps things fresh and sustainable. The emphasis on the mid-belt (core) section is better than most other programs I have come across.

What this program does lack is that it only has one gear (overdrive). Training at a level 10 all the time is counterproductive to you achieving your goals not just because of “burnout”, but on a hormonal level as well (cortisol excretion).

Instead of “overdrive mode” all the time, a far more superior approach is to constantly train at various intensities (Eg. one day sprint, next day walk).

Another thing missing from P90X is the lack of training specifically for skill-based fitness. Along with toning/building/losing fat, training to improve speed, dexterity, balance, coordination and flexibility is a MUST. Skill-based training will have a serious positive impact on your life. Also, even better than just shedding fat is shedding fat and gaining flexibility and athletic performance (even if you are not an athlete).

Is P90X for you?

P90X is for someone who already has laid down a solid base of fitness. If you haven’t gotten your ass up off the couch since Adam Sandler was in a good movie, start with walking around your block a few times a week, doing some pushups and situps, and eating better. Begin at the beginning.

Verdict?


P90X is a good addition for someone who has a solid fitness base or is an athlete, however the program is not complete.


Hope this helps someone!


Stay tuned for more questions answered and for more information on when our next Ask a Trainer Anything period will be.
 
#DOSOMETHING #BREATH #MOVE #TRAINLESS #PLAYMORE #SYMFIT

A Personal Trainers Workout: Day Four At The Gym

With the success of my last workout I was very anxious to get back into the gym.  To make sure I did the workout (and push myself during it lol), I invited a friend along as extra motivation - thanks again Shannon!!!  Without further ado here is the routine we choose to do:

Warm Up:  Light Jog

Done Together:
Clapping Plank  (Need Partner for this)
V-Bend Sit Up (while supine) - 180 roll - Superman (while prone)

Alternating Stations:
1) Burpees with a 180 twist
2) Good ol' Fashioned Kettlebell Swing
1) Good ol' Fashioned TRX Row
2) Split Squat Double Kettlebell Press
1) Floor Side Oblique Crunches
2) Kettlebell Double High Pull

Done Together:
Kettlebell Turkish Get Up

We were both feeling tired and drained that day, so we only did 2 sets (will push for 3 next time), about 12-20 reps (depending on exercise, basically pushed till failure).  Best not to rush into things.  With the chatting, the routine took us about 45 min to complete.

Just like my last routine, I dare you to try it if you think your ready for it lol :)  And as always, if your unsure about a exercise, msg me and I will give you feed back on how to achieve it.  Have fun, play hard, and remember to stretch for 10-30 min after your workout (it's just as important as the workout itself).

A Personal Trainers Workout: Just getting back into the swing of things

So as some of you might know - I was down and out the majority of December with concussion issues and clod/flu symptoms (both together was a nightmare lol).  Long story short, I became a hermit (something that I am not too accustomed to).  Yes, it does mean an early Christmas break for me.  WooHoo, right!?!?  Wrong.  As many of us have come to realize, with good there is always a bad.  Bad in this case being melon collie (from boredom and being antisocial - social media doesn't count as social to me), bad nutrition, and no activities (ie. working out, running, swimming, yoga, etc).  

Thankfully, January has rolled in finally - it could not have come faster lol.  Over the past week I have been trying to get back into my normal routine.  I am a fairly active guy so it's very unusual for me not to perform.  Actually, frustrating may be a better suited. The first week was VERY tough for me (physically, mentally, & emotionally).  But I persevered through it (thanks to supportive friends - thanks fuckers!).  Now that I'm onto the second week, everything is moving along close to where I left off.  If I dare say it, I may be back into full fledged beast mood soon lol.

This is my first workout of the new year (third if you count my "shit the bed" workouts from last week) that I am proud to share with you.  I did it with no hiccups or rest in between.  Three sets each (except warm up), 10-15 reps (varies depending on exercise), took me just under an hour to complete.

Heavy Rope skipping (warm up)
10 min Row (not a warm up)
Prone Side 90 degree Rotator Cuff Raises on inverted bench
Prone Straight Arm Extensions on inverted bench
Hanging Lat Pull Ups
Hanging Straight Leg Oblique Crunches
Good ol' Fashioned Plank
Single Bottoms Up Kettlebell Clean and Press
Olympic Cleans

I dare you to try it if you think you can handle it lol :)  Please keep in mind that some of these exercise are a bit on the advanced side, so to forego injuries, msg me and I will send you an easier alternative which will help you get to the desired exercise.  Have fun, play hard, but be safe kids!