This will seriously change your life, I swear on my dog it will

First things first, I'm using a new format to try and post this blog, as the blogging service licks ass and doesn't save information. So I'm trying this via Microsoft Word (I know, I know….) and we shall see how this experiment goes.

Now I love food and thoroughly enjoy eating copious amounts of dead animal and their fleshes, fresh fruits and veggies that I have now been getting at the farmers market (gold mine for fresh produce by the way…..) and anything else that sounds really, really good. With the arrival of November also comes with it the welcoming back of organically canned pumpkin at Trader Joe's. I was a little apprehensive about eating this stuff last year, mainly because I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin anyways. Yet after hearing about how good it was from Leigh Peele on an edition of The Fit Cast, I decided to give it a try. Besides, Leigh sounds hot and with that southern accent, I would have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge if she told me it would get me an actual photo of her so I could verify my theory of hotness.

Anyways, after one dosing of pumpkin mixed in with my oatmeal that next morning I was hooked. Flash forward to about 30 minutes ago when I got home from teaching my bootcamp and I was starving. After scouring my kitchen I formulated a plan that would result in something my friend Roger coined – a foodgasm. Please enjoy the music:

2/3 C low-fat cottage cheese

1 scoop chocolate Whey protein powder

1 T natural chunky peanut butter

½ C organic canned pumpkin

4 shakes of ground cinnamon

Stir all that up together and you have one tasty snack. You get good fats from the natural PB, tons of protein and some good carbs in there in not too big of amounts. I know it probably sounds disgusting but seriously, it was f-ing amazing. As you can tell by the photo that I meant to take before the chaos of eating took place, I spared no prisoners.

Try it out and post a comment on this blog and I will send you a FREE thank you. Personally. Because I'm nice like that.

I'm still here, please dry your eyes

No I didn't move to Canada, all though I did hear they finally got high speed internet.

No I didn't drop off the face of North America, unless you count getting pounded by some waves while surfing, considering I wasn't techinically on the continent when it happened but it did happen just off the coast of the continent....oh hell I give up on that one.

I have actually been working on a really nice piece of literature for all 4 of my readers. I even spell checked it too, but for some reason, this lovely blogging service decided that after saving it about 999 times, that when I hit publish, it was going to lose all my data.

Hence the reason I have no hair. But that's a lie too because really that's just genentics and I shave my head by choice - all disucssions for a later time.

Once I wipe away these tears of sorrow and can refocus my energy on something other than sex, I will come up with a post that actually has something to do with health and fitness. Hell, I might even say something useful but I wouldn't put too much credit towards that.

Time to pimp out some s***

If you don't know who Leigh Peele is, you better take notice.

Leigh is one of the industries top fat loss experts and is someone whose work I have been following a lot closer lately, and with her new project, Body By Eats getting ready to drop, now is the perfect time to look at nutrition in a whole new light.

I was lucky enough to be one of the first to be able to purchase BBE and I must say I am stoked that I was. I am just starting to get into the nuts and bolts of her new book, but the message she is trying to convey is simple: love food.

Now that might seem contradictory since now a days we are taught that food is bad, that what we eat is evil and we are going to be fat slobs by the end of the day.



But I like what Leigh has to say. So far the message I'm getting is that food is our friend, that we shouldn't be afraid to eat good tasting food, that "dieting" doesn't have to be evil.

I'm no authority on the subject as my experience is still in the growing stages but I know something good when I see it.

Keep an eye out for a full review of Leigh's book and when it's back on sale, pick yourself up a copy. You won't be disappointed.

WHAD UP LEIGH!

This post has no method to the madness

-Whole Foods is quite possibly the greatest grocery store on the planet. For those few of us who try and eat and live a healthy lifestyle, that store provides everything you need to succeed. The only bad thing is its damned expensive. I can get way more food at Albertsons, Safeway or anyother knock off of those but you sacrifice in the quality of the food.

-Listen up major corporations, if you are going to put us on hold for an extended period of time, please play us some good music. Elevator music is not good for people who are already mad and since we have been on hold for over 30 minutes, do you really think that shit makes us calm? The answer is no. Play us some good music.

-Doing a superset of heavy front squats, followed by reping out that same weight with back squats will make your ass sore for 4 days.

-Unsweetened almond milk is my new crack

-See if you can find the irony in this: fitness clubs that have a beer bar on the way out. There is a place here in SB that serves not light beer or low-calorie beer (is there really such a thing?) but rather calorie dense microbrew's. I can see having a supershake bar but a nice hoppy IPA? No wonder your clients are fat.

-There is something much more inherently erotic about daytime sex. It has a much more taboo feel to it. People should have more daytime sex but that's just me.

-Getting barreled for the first time during the surf season is a great way to kick of the winter. Up next, powder day!

-New snack I'm trying out: greek yogurt, hemp seeds and goji berries. should be interesting.

-I bought Tofurkey sausages today. what the hell is wrong with me!

Training versus Workingout

Couldn't have said it better myself:

"Training is so much more than working out. It helps you get to know yourself better. It teaches you what you're really made of and how hard you're willing to work to overcome adversity.

Working out is what the general public does to get in a little better shape. They go to the gym because they have to. They don't have a passion for it, they don't love it, and they don't live for it.

These people go to the gym as a way to meet new friends or just to "stay in shape" and improve their health. To them, working out is a hobby or a necessary evil. But to those of us who are married to the iron for life and feel most at home pushing heavy weight in some hole in the wall hardcore gym, it's our passion. The squat rack is our church, the deadlift platform our temple."

Jason Ferrugia

A Product of Your Environment

This topic gets covered in great detail by everyone and their mother in this industry. You want to get strong? Find the best and most bad ass powerlifting club in your area and join. Want to get lean? Find the best and most bad ass fat loss program and do it. Why is that you might say? Well, people become a product of their environment.

Yet still some people do not believe what we have to say. You might hear something like "oh, those guys just listen to loud, heavy music (yes they do by the way.....), I can't be like them".

Why not? If you want to get strong, you can and will if you train hard and almost every gym I have been to where power, speed and strength's are the focus, those pep's are damn strong.

This past weekend I got to experience first hand what its like to train with (in my humble opinion) the most bad ass powerlifters in the game. Thats right, I made a pit stop in London, Ohio to train at EliteFTS.

First off, holy shit. That is what I call a gym. There is no better sound than that of clanging metal plates, loud heavy metal music and good amounts of swear words.

I walk in to met the patriarch of Elite, Mr. Dave Tate. I got there a little early and walked in the front door with the look of a deer in the headlights. I stood out like a sore thumb. Good thing is, Jim Wendler was there and he welcomed me in. While he looks uber scary, he is one hell of a nice guy and was dropping knowledge bombs all over the place. I just asked some questions and listened intently.

Then, the door swings open and in he walks. I knew it was him from the minute he walked in, just the presence he brings with him makes it unmistakable as to who he is.

After making the rounds, he walks over and sticks out his hand, "You Alwyn's guy?" I'm not sure what I said, maybe something stupid but I dropped my name and said it was an honor to meet you and he walks away. I continue my training and just watch and listen. He goes around to everyone and talks to them, coaches them and encourages them. After 20 minutes or so, he comes back over and starts telling me why he has them doing what they are doing since they are 5 weeks out from a big meet. I never really get to ask a question because he is talking and was not going to do anything to interrupt.

As I finish my session (5x5 glute/ ham raise, 5 warm up sets on deads, 5x3 speed pulls @ 315 with chains, 5x3 deads @ 405, 6x3 back squat @ 315) I walk over to ask a question and he is intently watching two of his lifters doing speed work on their squats. Nothing misses his eye and when he see's something he doesn't like, he lets everyone know. We talk shop for a bit, mostly about meets, Westside style training, why he hates having them train in their suits versus raw etc......

After about 2 hours in there, I had to go. While I didn't get as much time as I would have liked with Dave, when he shook my hand as I left, he flashed me a huge smile and said "you are welcome here anytime".

See those lifters, both male and female, train with Dave because they know he will bring the best out of them. That the environment he has instilled out there creates some of the strongest lifters around.

I have never wanted to live in Ohio so bad in my life.

Healthy, Low-Carb Pizza .

Everyone loves pizza or at least I haven't found anyone who doesn't. Problem with pizza, is that it's horrible for you. Bad starches, loads of crappy sauce and greasy cheese.....don't forget the meats that are super processed.

I think that most fitness professionals have a healthy pizza recipe in their nutritional quiver and here is mine.

I stole the crust recipe and I can't remember from who, so I'm sorry I can't give proper credit:

1 1/2 C flax seed meal
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 t oregano
1 T splenda
3 T oil
3 omega-3 eggs
1/2 C water

Nutritional information:
1525 calories
47 G protein
7 G carbs
130 G fat
52 G fiber

This makes enough to make about 2 good size pizza's. I just make small little personal ones, like the one pictured.

Pre-heat over to 425. Mix all dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and mix. Let sit for about 5 minutes to allow to thicken. Spread out on a pan and bake for 15-18 minutes.

For this night, I added organic red/green peppers, diced onions, sliced tomato's and turkey sausage. I drizzled EVOO on the crust before adding the goodies, put it back in the oven for 5-7 minutes.

Add whatever spices you like depending on the type of pizza you are making.

Enjoy