Top 5 Olympic Games Commercials

With the Olympic Games coming to a close, I can't help but feel sad.  All the events, world records broken, legends cementing their statuses, and surprise medallists have not failed to impress in London.  In fact, I was eagerly anticipating the Olympics much more than the Euros.  The simple fact that all the Olympic athletes (bar the professionals that compete in the Olympics) are hungrier than most other athletes gives you this sense of fulfillment cheering them on.

That being said, the Olympic Games, as with any other major sporting event, is the time for commercials to shine just as much as the athletes.  Here are my five favorite commercials:


5. Visa Ads: Isinbayeva & Comaneci
There were plenty of great ads by Visa, but I had to choose my favorite one and ended up choosing my favorite two :).

 

4. Rona Olympic Relay
I'll admit, this commercial really cracked me up when they reached Montreal.  Great music too.

Smartphone your way into fitness!

Click on the link to see some of the best apps on Health and Fitness for your iPhones and Androids!
(Thank you "Rola")

Click here for Health and Fitness Apps

My CrossFit Experience

I've heard so much about this new sport of fitness called "CrossFit".  It combines weightlifting, strength training, and an elevated heart-rate with all the exercises.  I finally had the chance to try it out, albeit, after my friend (thank you Nazem!) somehow convinced me to do an hour of circuit training right before (not the best of ideas but a challenge nonetheless).

I tried it out at Inspire Gym in Blajat street in Kuwait.  Not the first place I would have thought to try it out in, since I've heard so much about it from Montreal already, but I am certainly glad I did it there.

The following exercises was the workout put together by the instructor:

1Km Run
90 Lunge Walks
80 Vipr Standing Overhead Shoulder Presses
70 Kettle Bell Swings
60 Back Raises
50 Air Squats
40 Sit ups
30 Vipr Leg Raises (lower abs and core workout)
20 Pullups
10 Burpees

All of these were to be competed within 40 minutes.  I managed to finish up in a little over 34 mins.  Oddly enough, the only two women in class completed it faster than I did (maddddddd respect!)

I was pleasantly surprised and really impressed with the intensity, tenacity, perfectionism, and professionalism  demonstrated by the instructor; always cheering you on, always correcting your form, never letting you cheat your way out of an exercise.  Moreover, the actual exercises themselves were quite rewarding once completed.  In other words, once you have completed one type of exercise, you genuinely feel a sense of accomplishment and motivation to carry on to the next exercise.  The biggest advantage of CrossFit-ing is the fact that the exercises are constantly varying; never allowing your body to grow accustomed to specific exercises and igniting the fat burning and muscle-building in your muscles.

All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend CrossFit to the following types of people:

1. Those who do not enjoy weightlifting
2. Those who like to take classes
3. Anybody looking to raise the level of intensity of their workouts
4. Those looking to reduce body fat %

I believe I have fallen in love with fitness all over again.

5 minute Breakfasts!

When it comes to eating habits, there are quite a few bad ones out there.  There are those that eat out all the time and rarely cook at home, there are those that do not eat enough protein/carbs/fats in their diet, there are those that eat too much of protein/carbs/fats in their diet, etc.  The list could go on and on, especially if you hail from the Middle East.

One of the most common bad habits stems mainly from the young professionals: early to mid twenties and working.  I'm pretty sure at least 7 out of every 10 do the following: SKIP BREAKFAST.  That is one of the most awful bad habits.

Why you should never skip breakfast:

1. It directly causes to more belly fat
2. Your awareness and concentration are affected 
3. It leads to binge eating in the evening
4. It distorts your eating at lunch and puts you in a "food coma"
5. It causes significant drops in your body's metabolism

I'm pretty sure I can dig up a few more reasons why you should not skip breakfast, but that's not the point of this post today.  The most common excuse made when people skip breakfast is the fact that "there is not enough time".

The following are 4 examples of breakfast meals that do not take longer than 5-10 minutes to prepare:

Motivation

What are you waiting for?

Thank you Roula Haddad.

Are your habits making you fat?

One of the main ideas I try to convince people to undertake and possibly the best piece of wisdom passed onto me is that being healthy is a habit and a lifestyle, not something you can do for a short while and reap the benefits.

David Zinczenko, Editor-in-chief of Men's Health Magazine, was one of the first people I chose to follow on Twitter.  Not only does he drop very wise words of wisdom, but he also authors the great "Eat this, not that!" books.  Click on the following link to see a list of habits that make you fat:

20 Habits that make you fat - By David Zinczenko

A few of these habits I would like to highlight:

- #1 Eating "Low-fat"
    Usually low-fat = more sugar to "enhance" the taste so be careful!
- #3 Sleep
  Remember that a lack of sleep is detrimental to your physical health!
- #5 Drinking Soda
  Diet is just as bad as regular.
- #6 Skipping meals
  Doing this makes the insulin spike the next time you eat a meal = more fat stored
- #11 Eating off large plates
  If you recall the Food Experiment YOU should try post that I put up a while back, this actually works
- #15 Not drinking enough water
  One of the biggest problems people have is not drinking enough water, how is your H20 intake?

10 Cheap Superfoods you want to make part of your diet!

First off, I would like to apologize for not having posted anything in the last month or so.  I really have no excuse but I will make a greater effort to make my posts a little more frequent!

Secondly, I've been known to bore people with all my health related babbling.  The only take home message I would recommend is changing little habits to your diet and lifestyle to improve your overall health.

The following is a list of 10 foods you should include as part of your healthy everyday diet.
I've highlighted a few of these foods as a short summary.  If you would like to read the full article, please click on the link at the bottom!

1. Sweet potatoes - despite the name, this veggie is nowhere near as full of starch and sugars as a potato.  Also, one of my favorites as a side dish!
2. Low fat Milk - try to drop the fat percentage in the milk that you choose to give milk that extra benefit it already provides.
3. Hard boiled eggs - The best source of protein.
4. Black tea - Caffeine is a good metabolism boost!
5. Mango - Filled with vitamins and plenty of phenols for your body to self-heal.

Read the the other 5 foods here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/07/cheap-health-food_n_919547.html#s323375&title=Kale

Superhero Workouts

Every time yet another superhero movie comes out, I always fantasize about how awesome it would be to actually audition and land the next superhero role.  Aside from the fame and fortune, what I am really looking for is to get paid to be in peak physical condition.  You can't really ask for more!

The reality is that it is very unlikely that any of us land a superhero role, but why not try to look like some of them?  Here is a compilation of all the superhero workouts that Men's Health Magazine and various other sources have to offer.  Pick your poison:

Immortals workout

Thor workout

Batman workout

Wolverine workout




















300 workout

Spartacus workout

My 3 week Gym Experiment

The first part of the series of 3 week experiments started off with the "3 week Food experiment" where I eliminated all types of simple carbs from my diet during the week, and thankfully got to gorge during the weekends.  The results were very astounding as I saw a major shift in body composition during those weeks.

The next experiment I took on was a very simple one in instruction, but was a challenge to stick to, especially in the first week.  The experiment was to perform the following exercises:

• Monday - Saturday, which was 6 consecutive days a week
• 50 pull-ups (or chin-ups)
• 100 push ups 
• To be completed throughout the day

The first few days were definitely the toughest.  I couldn't even extend my arms fully.  But by day 5, the soreness faded and performing the exercises was starting to get easier to do.

Immediately after the first week, I realized there were gaps in this workout:

1. No matter how much you work out, if you do not consume enough protein you will not grow to the maximum potential
2. The lack of squats/deadlifts and various other leg exercises
3. Engaging in intense conditioning/cardio 3-4 times a week was going to cause some muscle atrophy

With all the gaps mentioned, I did realize that although the muscle mass gain was not as high as I expected, the following results stood true:

•  A solid foundation was definitely built
• My chest and upper back have filled up a little more evenly rather than concentrated in a majority area
• Measuring the circumference of my arm pre and post experiment, I have gained a little under an inch

The Results

Remember, remember, the 5th of Movember!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is that time of year again.

Long before I was born, there was a time when men could do what they liked.  It was a time where no permissions were needed to go about one's own business.  It was a time when taking care of yourself as a man did not mean getting a manicure and pedicure.  It was a time when scratching yourself, spitting on the ground, and being vulgar was not only expected, but respected!  It was a time when men can guiltlessly sport a look that has long been frowned upon.  That time was the glory days of the MOUSTACHE!

When you stumble upon some Moustache-clad Montrealers, you find yourself encountering the Moustrealers.  That's right, a simple combination of Moustache + Montrealers = Moustrealers.

Please CLICK HERE TO DONATE to our team and help our cause in trying to find a cure for prostate cancer (the most common cancer in Canada) and testicular cancer.

Here is a sample of what our Team Captain Khaled Murywed, Georges Kazan, and I will look like as of Movember 1st, 2011 (if you like to join our team let me know and I will include your photo too):

Also some very important facts from the Movember Website :

There are 177,800 new cases of cancer and 75,000 cancer deaths expected in Canada in 2011.

The average life expectancy for men is five years less than women (presently 78 years old compared to 83).

In 2011 there will be more cases of prostate cancer diagnosed than breast cancer.

After prostate cancer lung is the most common cancer in Canada.

5% more men will develop cancer during their lifetimes in Canada than women.

Incident rates of cancer are highest in the Maritime provinces and Quebec.

After cancer the leading cause of death in men is heart disease.

Approximately 93,000 Canadian men will be diagnosed with cancer, and an estimated 39,900 men will die of cancer.

On average, 11 Canadian men will die of prostate cancer every day.

Testicular Cancer is the most common cancer in young men in Canada between the ages of 15-29.

Among Canadians of all ages 4 out of every 5 suicides are male.

Injured again? How to stop injuries!

There are so many factors these days that happen that can throw off your momentum; studying for tests/exams, a busy work schedule, lack of gym motivation, or even a night out having fun with friends.  One momentum killer you should do without is getting injured.


Not only do injuries kill your momentum, they could severely throw you off course from all the progress you have made by finally developing an exercise routine!

I should know!  My hip injury this summer kept me on the sidelines for over 2 months.  That resulted in a gain of 10lbs of fat and some major muscle loss.

Injuries are ... the worst!  Here are four ways to help prevent injuries:

Bigger arms with one easy change to your workout

Ever feel like you work-out your arms, yet you expect better results?

Personally, I've always found it hard to make my triceps grow despite being able to do 6 sets of 8 reps of 80lbs tricep extensions on a pulley.

Make one little modification to your bicep curls and your tricep workout and you will definitely feel the burn, not to mention see better results.

Aside from making your arms bigger, you can lower the weights and up the reps in order to give better definition to your arms.

Watch this short video and follow these simple workout altercations to fully benefit.

How bad do you want it?

The following is an inspirational video about success.

Do not think that the concept of success only applies to overall success.  Break it down into individual goals and use the same measure.  Whether it is your personal life, your health, your career, or anything else, you set your own scales.

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, you'll be successful"


How Bad Do You Want It from Greyskale Multimedia on Vimeo.

Thank you Ahmad Absi Halabi for the video!

Do you want it this bad?

A food experiment YOU should try

First and foremost, I know its been ages since my last blog post.  The combination of tons of people from out of town showing up and Ramadan has not been the easiest of combinations to juggle.  In the spirit of getting back into blogging, let's make this a short read and an easy task.

If you read my blog posts but find it hard to actually act on some of the advice, why not try an experiment that is easy to pull off?

You do not need to engage in any physical exercise for this experiment, nor do you need to watch what you eat or even break a sweat.  I stumbled upon this article while I was bored one day and I thought this may be very interesting for people to try.

All you need to do is...wait for it....Use smaller plates.
Thats right.  Studies have shown that your brain does not distinguish between the amount of food you eat, just whether or not the plate is full.


So why don't we pull a fast one on our brain and use smaller plates.!

http://lifehacker.com/5828866/switch-to-salad-plates-for-better-portion-control

How to fully benefit from your workout

I'm pretty sure everyone will have an answer they are pretty sure of when they read the title of the post.  Some might say that drinking a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, Isostar, etc) may be the best, others will say that a protein shake/smoothie (natural ingredients or not) may be improved choice, whereas other answers will definitely rise such as water, specific juices, milk or soy milk, or whatever else.

Then again you will have people that say forget drinks altogether, since they are mainly "empty carbs" that provide a reasonable amount of protein/salts/hydration but also have a downside of being liquid form = less digesting and absorption of nutrients.

By now you must be thinking: "enough with this intro, just let me know what it is I should be consuming right after a workout!"

So which one is it?

How to sleep better

 



Sleep is always one of the most important factors that people tend to overlook.  Not only is sleep crucial for recovery (healing your muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments after a workout), but sleep deprivation leads to an imbalance in your system from a health perspective.



 

 Sleep deprivation may lead to the following side effects :

• Increase in appetite => you experience so many lows due to a lack of sleep that your body starts craving foods that will give you a quick pick-me-up.  Foods that do that are usually high sugar/calorie/processed foods.
• Headaches
• Loss of memory
• Increased stress and irritability
• A general increased risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart problems
• etc

 

My 3 week food experiment

Total Exercise time Per week:    3.5 hrs


What I did not eat: 

• Bread 
• Pasta
• Rice
• Potatoes
• Junk food
• Beverages (other than water and black coffee)

What I ate: 

• Tons of meat (lean beef, turkey, chicken breast, tuna, etc)
• Lentils
• Beans
• Salads
• Steamed vegetables
• Eggs
• Plenty of water
• Black coffee

The Result

5 foods that will prevent cravings

One of the most common problems of binge eating is the fact that people don't know why they do it.
Binge eating is uncontrolled compulsive eating that leads you to eat that stash of M&M's, half a bag of chips, 3 donuts, or a full carton of gummy bears (insert any junk food here really).

Binge eating is a direct result of not eating enough protein and healthy fat.  Protein keeps you full a lot longer than fibres and salads.  Also, eating healthy fat during a meal (full fat cheese for e.g.) will naturally curb your appetite and make you want to consume less during your next meal.

Here are five foods that I guarantee will prevent you from binging:

Dr. Sous: Coffee before workout, yea or nea?

Great topic posted by a good friend of mine. Things to keep in mind while reading this:

1) This is a blog post about drinking coffee right before your workout, not coffee in general (as drinking coffee boosts your metabolism)

2) An adverse effect of drinking coffee before your workout is that it reduces blood being delivered to your heart, which is never a good thing.

Click on the link below and enjoy the read!

Dr. Sous: Coffee before workout, yea or nea?

Top 5 Practical Fat-loss Exercises

At some point in our exercise driven activities, we've all wanted to trim the fat and for various reasons.

The top 5 list provided below will give you the best sports that you can practice that will make you lose fat and not gain any more muscle weight.

Problem:  - Losing fat
                 - Gaining unwanted muscle weight/size

What this is good for:     - Losing fat
                                       - Lose weight
                                       - Showing off your six pack
                                       - Add tone and definition