Lemon Dill sockeye salmon

Here is some great Sockeye Salmon from a client of mine, straight from the Pacific Ocean. Simmered in lemon juice and dill, served with some brown and wild rice. The other side was a delicious cucumber/tomato salad with some feta cheese, oregano, basil and green and black olives.
Note that the photo is two meals!
Keep the diet clean, but enough fuel to make it through your workouts. Talk to an exercise physiologist or dietician for an accurate calculation of calories you should be intaking.
Stay strong YYC!!

20131023-164120.jpg

Quinoa patti recipe

Here is the recipe for some really great tasting quinoa patties. I think I have it down. Of course you can add/subtract whatever you like.
Ingredients:
3-4 cloves garlic
1 cup onions
3 cups fresh spinach
2/3 cup sundries tomatoes
2/3 cup feta cheese
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken stock
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs or substitute
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook quinoa as per directions, using chicken stock instead of water- cool.

2. Sauté onions garlic and spinach together until translucent/soft-cool.

3. Chop sundries tomatoes and feta finely.

4. Mix everything together, add bread crumbs, egg and salt and pepper.

5. Shape patties and place on cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 350 for approx 20-30 min.

I hope you enjoy!!
Stay strong YYC!!

20131022-185559.jpg

Exercise Program Progression

Continuously altering your exercise regime is important for growth. Not only as a whole, but quite literally. Now, this blog is general as it would be quite impossible to write one blog about all of the possibilities of exercise change based on type of program, individuality, level, strength, cardiovascular ability…..etc.
The important thing to take from this is that you need to change your program every 6-8 weeks, as a general guideline.
Basically, your body adapts to stress that is put on it, ie. exercise. And the frequency, intensity, type and time you put in are all factors deciding what the stressors are. In other words the FITT principle. Changing one principle every 6-8 weeks helps to keep your body moving forward with stress adaptation and allows for increase in muscle gains or cardiovascular improvements. The only caution is that you should not increase intensity and time(duration) at the same time. It is just a potential injury and health risk.
Feel free to send me any questions regarding your program (as long as it is not a weeks worth of work for me!!).
Thanks and stay strong YYC!!

Thanksgiving eating tips

Here are a few tips from my colleague and friend Carmen Prion-Frank, RD (Registered Dietician), on how to manage thanksgiving dinner.

1. Eat a healthy snack before heading to dinner. Going hungry will lead to overeating, eating to fast and bad food choices.

2. Eat slow and enjoy time with family and friends. Chew your food thoroughly and take your time. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to receive the signal that you are full. By that time you could have had seconds or even thirds which is a large surplus of calories.

3. If you know there is dessert, save some room.

Now this next one applies to me personally. Growing up Italian and marrying a Greek woman have certainly made for a lifetime of people telling me to eat more!! This is great advice.

Do you feel guilty not going for seconds or are you guilted into eating more??
Here is how to avoid the guilt trap.

1. Compliment the food and cook through the whole meal process. During preparation and meal time.

2. Eat slow so you do not have an empty plate sitting in front of you.

3. When pressured to go for seconds let the cook know that you are looking forward to their delicious dessert(s) and want to save room.

I hope that everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend and you all get to spend some quality time with the ones you love.
Stay strong Calgary!!

Active rest

Remember that we heal and grow during sleep and rest. Overtraining is a huge problem in athletes, and can impede on strength and power gains. Take an active rest day. Go for a walk, easy bike ride or just enjoy playing with your kids at the park. An easy swim or a light yoga class are also great forms of active rest.
Don’t forget about massage! A great deep flush can help to revitalize the body and improve healing time!!
Stay strong YYC!!

High protein chili

Here is a high protein chili with beans, lots of veggies. More of a sweet chili, the kids aren’t to fond of spicy chili, will add some Sriracha hot sauce to mine before eating!!
Here it is.
5-6 cloves garlic
2 onions
2 tbsp olive oil
1 orange pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
Lots of mushrooms (1/2 bag)
1 jalapeño (if desired)
2 cans mixed beans thoroughly rinsed
1 lb lean ground beef
2 large skirt steaks chopped
1 large can tomatoes
Chili powder to taste
Salt and pepper
Ground cumin
3 tbsp syrup
3 tbsp vinegar

Oil in pot, add onions, sauté til translucent, add garlic, cook a few minutes.
Add ground beef, while browning chop peppers and mushrooms.
Add spices
Add peppers and mushrooms and tomatoes. Bring to boil.
Cube steak and add.
Cook on medium for 30-60 min. Cook longer if time permits.
Stay strong YYC!!

20131006-222744.jpg