Here is part 2 of my favorite things in 2010 in the world of fitness, food, lifestyle and health.
9. The New Rules of Lifting For Abs- Gotta be honest, this book was just released, so I haven’t read it yet but I KNOW before I read it that it will be the best ab training book you will ever read. From two of the greatest fitness minds in the industry, Alwyn Cosgrove and Lou Schuler, they release their 3rd instalment in the New Rules of Lifting series. I have the first New Rules of Lifting and gave my wife the second release of The New Rules of Lifting for Women. From the sneak peek I did get this book will get you off the dirty gym floor doing crunches, show you how your abs should be trained to prevent back pain and give you ab exercises that you never heard of but will quickly make it’s way into your workout program. Available at Amazon.com for $15.
10. The Paleo Solution Diet- Did a blog post about this book awhile back and further confirms to me how better I feel and many others when you eat the way our caveman ancestors did back in the day. Keep it real by eating mostly naturally raised meats, organic fruits and veggies, ditch the grains and gluten and you will look and feel better faster than you ever thought possible. With my bookshelf bursting at the seams I read this on my iPhone Kindle app but the hardcover is only $14 at Amazon.
11. ZMA- This is one of the supplements that I don’t want to do without. Originally created by Victor Conte the “supplement” guru behind the Barry Bonds steroid scandal and the founder of SNAC systems. He did do something right when he created this natural combo of Zinc, Magnesium and vitamin B6 and it’s ability to naturally support healthy testosterone levels (which have declined 30% in todays men compared to 30 years ago!) Most men these days are deficient in Zinc which is the key mineral in supporting testosterone, the man maker hormone. From lifting to libido, ZMA is also known to enhance sleep quality. But the BIG reason why I continue to pop 3 capsules every night before bed, is as a long-time migraine sufferer I have gone the longest in my life without having a migraine and haven’t had ONE migraine since using this supplement in the last 6 months! For anyone with migraines that’s a godsend when even prescription meds don’t offer much in relief. After doing some research I discovered that Magnesium supplementation has been proven in many studies to offer relief in the prevention and duration of migraines due to it’s calming effects on blood vessel dilation in the brain That’s good enough for me! Available at most health food stores.
12. Caffeine/ L-Tyrosine- I am not sure if I am the only person out there these days who don’t drink coffee, as I haven’t drank a cup in my life, just can’t stand the taste. Green or peppermint tea is more of my cup of tea but sometimes I need a caffeine jolt just as much as the next guy. I don’t reach for canned energy drinks so as someone who likes early morning workouts I use pure caffeine for a pre-workout energy boost and L-Tyrosine for enhanced mental focus. Simple 100mg caffeine tabs are dirt cheap at $10 a bottle and the amino acid L-Tyrosine is usually $20-30 a bottle. Even some of the preworkout powder supplements on the market are great to jack up workout intensity but are really high in caffeine with some up to 300mg per serving, which leads to a hard energy crash. It’ all available at online supplement retailers.
13. Elite FTS Hoodies- From the best company is the world for workout gear and gym equipment I love the Elite FTS hoodies for wearing around during the day or to stay warm when heading to the gym on those cold winter mornings. Keep it on during your warmup as well to increase body temperature faster. Plus if you purchase the Lift Strong apparel the proceeds goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. $30 at Elitefts.com
14. Stainless Steel Shaker- With the popularity of stainless steel water bottles these days (My family all loves our Klean Kanteen bottles) it’s about time they started making shaker bottles for protein shakes out of stainless steel.With Kerplunk stainless steel shakers you avoid the BPA plastics and the fowl odour that plastic protein shaker bottles can have after frequent use. Got mine at Walmart for $8. www.kerplunkbottles.com
15. JA Henkels International Knives- As a guy who loves to cook I have gone through many knife blocks over the years only to be disappointed by the knifes sharpness and quality. My knives never seem to slice through food like the pro chefs on the Food network. That’s because they don’t use knives that you can get at Walmart or from a late night informercial. Despite what you may think, you have a greater chance of cutting yourself with a blunt knife than a sharp one. With knives you get what you pay for so that’s why this year for Christmas, my parents got me a set of JA Henkels German Steel International Knives. The quality is outstanding and they seem to melt through any food with sharpness and precision. Well worth the $200 investment.
http://www.j-a-henckels.com
16. The H2O MOP- If you’re a modern day dad like me you do your share of cooking and cleaning. Well, this mop might not cook dinner for the kids but it will clean up after them and (in my best English accent infomercial voice “this new H20 makes cleaning a snap!” The H20 mop with Built-In Portable Steamer is designed not only to thoroughly clean floor surfaces, such as marble, ceramic, stone, linoleum, and sealed hardwood floor, but get your entire house clinically clean! The H2O MOP sanitizes and increases cleaning power by converting water to steam. It also uses a microfibre floor cloth to enhance absorbency and throws right in the washer for easy cleaning. After all our family having the flu during the holidays we just quarantined and cleaned our whole house with this steam machine! We got ours as a gift but they retail for around $100 in stores.
17. Ryobi 300 pc Drill Set- When I asked Santa for some new drill bits, well, he delivered with the Ryobi 300 piece Mega Drill Bit Set. Tired of looking for the right size bit to hang some family photos or just looking to scare the kids into going to the dentist? Then this set has every bit, shape and size you will ever need to drill any hole or perform little Johnny’s root canal. Even comes with extra screwdriver bits and wall sinkers so you now have no excuse to leave the house before your wife puts you to work. Folds up to half it’s massive size into a neat carry case…white lab coat not included. Available in most hardware stores for $50.
Well, there you have it my favorite things of 2010 that I hope will help you be healthier and happier in 2011. Now if I could just figure out if I should spell favourite with a “U” I would be all set…
I would love to hear what some of YOUR favorite things were in 2010 so be sure to share them in the comment section of the blog!
Here is part 2 of my favorite things in 2010 in the world of fitness, food, lifestyle and health.
9. The New Rules of Lifting For Abs- Gotta be honest, this book was just released, so I haven’t read it yet but I KNOW before I read it that it will be the best ab training book you will ever read. From two of the greatest fitness minds in the industry, Alwyn Cosgrove and Lou Schuler, they release their 3rd instalment in the New Rules of Lifting series. I have the first New Rules of Lifting and gave my wife the second release of The New Rules of Lifting for Women. From the sneak peek I did get this book will get you off the dirty gym floor doing crunches, show you how your abs should be trained to prevent back pain and give you ab exercises that you never heard of but will quickly make it’s way into your workout program. Available at Amazon.com for $15.
10. The Paleo Solution Diet- Did a blog post about this book awhile back and further confirms to me how better I feel and many others when you eat the way our caveman ancestors did back in the day. Keep it real by eating mostly naturally raised meats, organic fruits and veggies, ditch the grains and gluten and you will look and feel better faster than you ever thought possible. With my bookshelf bursting at the seams I read this on my iPhone Kindle app but the hardcover is only $14 at Amazon.
11. ZMA- This is one of the supplements that I don’t want to do without. Originally created by Victor Conte the “supplement” guru behind the Barry Bonds steroid scandal and the founder of SNAC systems. He did do something right when he created this natural combo of Zinc, Magnesium and vitamin B6 and it’s ability to naturally support healthy testosterone levels (which have declined 30% in todays men compared to 30 years ago!) Most men these days are deficient in Zinc which is the key mineral in supporting testosterone, the man maker hormone. From lifting to libido, ZMA is also known to enhance sleep quality. But the BIG reason why I continue to pop 3 capsules every night before bed, is as a long-time migraine sufferer I have gone the longest in my life without having a migraine and haven’t had ONE migraine since using this supplement in the last 6 months! For anyone with migraines that’s a godsend when even prescription meds don’t offer much in relief. After doing some research I discovered that Magnesium supplementation has been proven in many studies to offer relief in the prevention and duration of migraines due to it’s calming effects on blood vessel dilation in the brain That’s good enough for me! Available at most health food stores.
12. Caffeine/ L-Tyrosine- I am not sure if I am the only person out there these days who don’t drink coffee, as I haven’t drank a cup in my life, just can’t stand the taste. Green or peppermint tea is more of my cup of tea but sometimes I need a caffeine jolt just as much as the next guy. I don’t reach for canned energy drinks so as someone who likes early morning workouts I use pure caffeine for a pre-workout energy boost and L-Tyrosine for enhanced mental focus. Simple 100mg caffeine tabs are dirt cheap at $10 a bottle and the amino acid L-Tyrosine is usually $20-30 a bottle. Even some of the preworkout powder supplements on the market are great to jack up workout intensity but are really high in caffeine with some up to 300mg per serving, which leads to a hard energy crash. It’ all available at online supplement retailers.
13. Elite FTS Hoodies- From the best company is the world for workout gear and gym equipment I love the Elite FTS hoodies for wearing around during the day or to stay warm when heading to the gym on those cold winter mornings. Keep it on during your warmup as well to increase body temperature faster. Plus if you purchase the Lift Strong apparel the proceeds goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. $30 at Elitefts.com
14. Stainless Steel Shaker- With the popularity of stainless steel water bottles these days (My family all loves our Klean Kanteen bottles) it’s about time they started making shaker bottles for protein shakes out of stainless steel.With Kerplunk stainless steel shakers you avoid the BPA plastics and the fowl odour that plastic protein shaker bottles can have after frequent use. Got mine at Walmart for $8. www.kerplunkbottles.com
15. JA Henkels International Knives- As a guy who loves to cook I have gone through many knife blocks over the years only to be disappointed by the knifes sharpness and quality. My knives never seem to slice through food like the pro chefs on the Food network. That’s because they don’t use knives that you can get at Walmart or from a late night informercial. Despite what you may think, you have a greater chance of cutting yourself with a blunt knife than a sharp one. With knives you get what you pay for so that’s why this year for Christmas, my parents got me a set of JA Henkels German Steel International Knives. The quality is outstanding and they seem to melt through any food with sharpness and precision. Well worth the $200 investment.
http://www.j-a-henckels.com
16. The H2O MOP- If you’re a modern day dad like me you do your share of cooking and cleaning. Well, this mop might not cook dinner for the kids but it will clean up after them and (in my best English accent infomercial voice “this new H20 makes cleaning a snap!” The H20 mop with Built-In Portable Steamer is designed not only to thoroughly clean floor surfaces, such as marble, ceramic, stone, linoleum, and sealed hardwood floor, but get your entire house clinically clean! The H2O MOP sanitizes and increases cleaning power by converting water to steam. It also uses a microfibre floor cloth to enhance absorbency and throws right in the washer for easy cleaning. After all our family having the flu during the holidays we just quarantined and cleaned our whole house with this steam machine! We got ours as a gift but they retail for around $100 in stores.
17. Ryobi 300 pc Drill Set- When I asked Santa for some new drill bits, well, he delivered with the Ryobi 300 piece Mega Drill Bit Set. Tired of looking for the right size bit to hang some family photos or just looking to scare the kids into going to the dentist? Then this set has every bit, shape and size you will ever need to drill any hole or perform little Johnny’s root canal. Even comes with extra screwdriver bits and wall sinkers so you now have no excuse to leave the house before your wife puts you to work. Folds up to half it’s massive size into a neat carry case…white lab coat not included. Available in most hardware stores for $50.
Well, there you have it my favorite things of 2010 that I hope will help you be healthier and happier in 2011. Now if I could just figure out if I should spell favourite with a “U” I would be all set…
I would love to hear what some of YOUR favorite things were in 2010 so be sure to share them in the comment section of the blog!