3 Unconventional Ways to Find More Time to Exercise

We recently asked our members - “What is the one thing that gets in the way of you exercising regularly and making healthier eating choices?”

The overwhelming response was Lack Of Time.

So we thought we’d give you some tips that we use to make time to exercise. Now you may shake your head at some of these, but bear with us.

At the last Olympics, around 100 new world or Olympic records were broken. Athletes are getting better but the general population is getting fatter so what most people are doing right now isn’t working.

So therefore we ask that you take the Apple approach and “Think Different”.

See where it takes you.

Do Less

The thousands of adverts you’re exposed to each day encourage you to “buy more shit” to keep up with the Jones’s, otherwise you’re a loser.

Or that every day should be filled with adventure from dawn until dusk and that your life should be abundant all the time.  In reality, there are just some days you’ve got to cut off communication and binge watch House of Cards or Stranger Things on Netflix.

We’re taught to put our kids first too. And since you have to pay the bills and put food on the table, you can put “working” up there as well.

But we’ve got it all wrong.

Your kids don’t need to go to hockey on Monday, piano on Tuesday, soccer on Thursday and karate on Friday all at 7 years old to become well developed.

They also don’t have to go to Timmy’s 5th birthday one week and your third cousin’s baby shower the next. 

There are a few members who bring their kids to the gym who hang out at the front and watch their parent work out. That’s just as powerful a learning tool as taking them to soccer.

Kids develop through their environment at a rapid pace, so you can take them to sports and you can take them to your annoying cousin’s baby shower, but if you’re blowing out your ass just climbing up the stairs, quick to snap out (in your head as well as verbally) or would rather be anywhere else than in the moment with them, then that will affect your kids way more than anything else.

You can’t put your kids and work before your health - it has to run alongside it.

You have to set an example. By cutting out all the stuff that’s not important to you, so you can exercise more and eat healthier, you can become that example.

Take A Nap

Take a work day from hell, add 2 kids and a husband to it, add my own self-interests and you’re telling me that by taking a nap I’ll have more time to exercise? WTF!

If we were to tell the truth, it’s not really a lack of time you have to exercise, it’s a lack of mental energy. You see there are only so many BIG things you can give your concentration to in a set period of time, that’s why you feel unmotivated to exercise after an 8 hour shift; your mental energy hits zero.

Having a 15-30 minute power nap resets your alertness, relaxes you, makes you more productive and prevents burnout.
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How do you find time to nap?

It lurks in the cracks of your day. At your afternoon break. When the baby is asleep. On your journey home. Hide in a closet after dinner!?

Kevin takes one almost every day. Yes, he drools on the pillow, much to the disgust of Victoria. But there’s no way he could work out up to 5 days per week without it.

Invest in Done-For-You Services

This is an extension to number one. You’ve cleared out the unimportant stuff but still need to tackle everyday tasks like feeding yourself, cleaning and maintaining your house and wardrobe, and caring for the kids.

Consider hiring a housekeeper that can also do a bit of food preparation for you.

Have a meal box delivered to your house using companies like Mama Earth or Meal Angels. Get your groceries delivered to the house.

Use a babysitter for more than just covering your kids while you go out and get messed up drunk.

“Mom after one beer…”

Get them to take your kids to their sports or pick them up from after school club so you can stay and get your training in or prepare meals for the week.

Use a gym that looks after your kid while you get your workout in.

Obviously this costs money, but think of the benefits this will bring you. More time to exercise and de-stress, more time to take on passion projects.  More time to manoeuvre your way to that dream job. More quality time spent with your family.

So yeah, some unconventional methods that 99% of the population probably don’t even consider. But as we head to a population where 50% are overweight and out-of-shape, why would you do the same things as everyone else?

Athletes put themselves first, and they live an unconventional life where they strip away the non-essentials.

They become selfish.

It’s a paradox, but if you become that little bit more selfish, and take care of your essential needs, then you’ll be able to provide greater attention and help to other people.

Kevin & Victoria 

It Doesn't Have to Be Pretty

What a rollercoaster this pandemic has been. Just as we adjust to a "new normal" everything gets shut down again. We've had to move back to a 100% outdoor and online schedule (hopefully for just another two weeks).

We agree that the numbers need to go down and as we head into winter we're all going to be even more cautious - which is the right thing to do.

What's not getting discussed enough is the side effects, or as we like to call it, the collateral damage of restrictions, shutdowns and lockdowns.

💣 87% of people with eating disorders say their symptoms are worse during COVID (link).

💣 The #1 killer of men is not an increase in visits from their mother-in-law. It's not going to their doctor enough (also known as stubborn bugger syndrome). With restrictions in appointments and routine diagnostic work being delayed, this will surely rise (link).

💣 Big chains like McDonald's & Domino's are booming while neighbourhood businesses are sinking (link). And if they are booming, then so are our stomachs.

We could go on but the point is clear; there is a difference between being kept safe and keeping healthy.

The government may keep the virus away by forcing us to stay home, but nobody is coming to save your health - only YOU can take it back.

Your training and food choices don't have to be much, and they certainly don't have to look pretty.

💪🏽 If you have a 10ft x 6ft den, that's plenty of room to do a workout in.

💪🏽 Can't get your hands on any weights? Boulders from your yard or a Costco-size laundry detergent will do.

💪🏽 If you only have 20-30 minutes to spare, that's enough time to do a moderate-to-high intensity online or park workout.

💪🏽 Don't have time to shop in 5 local stores to get all your groceries? Choose one and shop there for 4 weeks, then spread the love to another store.

We're likely in an open-close-open-close loop for the near future so there's always going to be some excuse to hit pause on your health - "I'll get to that later."

But with no clue of when later will be, you have to do something. It doesn't have to be pretty but you have to move your feet. And now is the ugly, imperfect time to start.

Have a great week!

Kevin & Victoria

P.S. Maybe now is the imperfect time to check out our brand new Nutrition Challenge that begins on Monday, November 9th and comes with a delicious 5-day meal plan. Yum!

Gems of Advice from Shangri-La & Will Smith

Coming highly recommended for you this week is a 4-part docu-series about the creative process. Shangri-La profiles the irreverent music producer Rick Rubin, whose clients include The Beastie Boys, Eminem, Lady Gaga and every other popular musician that you've heard of.

A living gandalf right down to the bare feet, he told Adele that her album "23" was rubbish and to go back and work at it. It was delayed two years, became "25", and sold a trillion copies.

One particular episode (#3) is a beautiful piece of art. Rick talks about all the famous artists that come to him, many who have had their dreams come true, yet still feel unfulfilled - one, in-particular, was rapper Mac Miller, who had visited Shangri-La and overdosed in 2018.

"It's hard to get really depressed until your dreams come true. Once your dream comes true and you realize that you feel the same way as you did before, then you really get a feeling of hopelessness. Because, you feel like, okay, I have this empty whole in me, but if I get to do this thing, this is gonna fill that hole. And you know, one-in-a-million get to do that thing, and then you realize "Oh, I feel exactly the same." Most worldly things tend not to be that satisfying."

On a similar topic, Will Smith, dropped the gem of a lifetime...

"When I started, I had all these grand ambitions of what I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. I wanted to be the biggest movie star in the world... and when I achieved all those things, I realized, on the inside, I was still that same insecure, little boy. I was doing all this to prove something to all the girls that had cheated, to my father and everything else.

I realized that you can't out-achieve your childhood wounds and traumas. You can't fake it.

Then I made the shift and what I realized is that the only sustainable mission, throughout your whole existence, is to improve lives. And as soon as I made that shift in my mind, away from trying to be big, and making money, and being popular, to making sure I changed lives every step of the way on this earth, all of a sudden I started experiencing healing."

Two great things to consider. It might be awesome to earn $5 million and celebrate by going back to your hometown to give everyone on Main Street the middle finger from your Maserati. Chances are it will be fleeting - maybe enjoying the process of attaining that $5 million will feel much better.

And, as cheesy as it sounds, if you are in a bit of a funk, then maybe you've got to help someone else in order to help yourself.

Kevin & Victoria

Action Creates Motivation

Welcome to 2020! We're not going to argue whether it's technically a new decade or not, but it is a new year and so it's time to replace photos of festive cheer with glum, sweaty gym selfies.

What you will notice at this time of year is every person and their dog's view on new year's resolutions.

"You shouldn't need a new year to change your life," one will say.

"New year, new you!" another meme will proclaim, while everyone grabs their shotgun in response.

"Goals are overrated. You should focus on the process," is what we will say, because hitting a goal may get you one win, but if you concentrate on the process, you'll win again and again.

Regardless of which take you believe in, there's something about the energy that this time of year brings and you should jump all over it like gravy on biscuits.

A friend might take on a new challenge. You might try to work out what a Peloton is. Who knows, even your partner might decide to pull up their zipper and belt up their pants - big things are about to happen!

It doesn't matter, just pick something and go do it. Action creates motivation, not the other way around, and if everyone else is doing it too, that's just a handy-dandy bonus.

Kevin & Victoria

Three Podcast Episodes That Are Worth Your Time

We hope you’re enjoying the holiday season with friends and family or catching up with a book or TV show, in solitude.

If you’re heading out for a brisk walk with a coffee (or an eggnog mixed with the good stuff), we present three podcast episodes we heard this year that are worth joining you on the stroll.

These are not the most comfortable to listen to but will definitely get you to think differently about how to make healthy decisions and keep on top of your relationships.

#1 - How to Make Fat Loss Easy with Elizabeth Benton - Primal Potential, Episode 54

The presenter never specifically uses the word, but we are talking about mindfulness here. It’s the only real magic bullet, the one true gangster move, the deux ex machina, and it’s readily available 24/7… in your head.

This podcast is about putting mindfulness to practice, just as you would playing the piano or dunking free pointers on the b-ball court. We’re not totally into our mantras but “time to practice” seems like an apt prompt when important decisions come your way.

It’s also just 20 minutes long and walks a neat line between tough love and inspiration.

Top Quote

“If we really want change, we have to make peace with the fact that we cannot self-exempt every time the calendar offers us a more attractive alternative.”

Listen Here

#2 - Cracking the Code of Love with Dr. Sue Johnson – The Knowledge Project, Episode 62

Likely the best podcast we consumed this year, in part, because it can be an uncomfortable listen.

Sue talks about finding, sparking and rekindling connection with our partner, why emotional responsiveness is critical to a healthy relationship, and she shares the recipe to a great sex life that all the popular online and magazine articles are missing.

Top Quotes

“People think that conflict is the issue in distressed relationships. Conflict is the virus; the inflammation is emotional disconnection.”

“The main thing that gets in the way of sex is emotional distance. When emotional connection gets lost, the desire to be erotic dissipates (you’re not wired to deal with threat and be turned on at the same time).”

“The very best thing you can do for your kids is to have a good relationship with your partner.”

Listen Here

Bonus

In a similar vein, Esther Perel’s conversation is also highly recommended.

#3 – The Loneliness Epidemic with Vivek Murthy – The Ezra Klein Show, Episode 264

“So, you’ve recommended podcasts about a couple of touchy subjects, like fat loss and relationships, and now you want me to hear about loneliness! Which reindeer pissed on your lawn, pal!?”

Stay with us! This one’s really good and one of the reasons BOMB exists – to create relationships and community.

Top Quotes

“Loneliness isn’t simply painful, it’s lethal. Several meta-studies have found the mortality risk associated with loneliness is higher than that of obesity and equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day. So, Murthy decided to label loneliness a public health “epidemic,” a term that medical professionals don’t throw around lightly.

There’s a lot in this conversation. Murthy’s explanation of how loneliness acts on the body is worth the time, all on its own. It’ll change how you see the relationship between social experience and physical health.

But the broader message here is deeper: You are not alone in your loneliness. None of us are. And the best thing we can do is, often, helping someone else out of the very pit we’re in.”

Listen Here

Happy Holidays Y’all

Kevin & Victoria

Let Go of the Vine

A lady slips and falls off the edge of a cliff. On her way down, she manages to grab on to the end of a vine. As she hangs there, her grip begins to loosen. Desperately, she looks up to the clouds and decides for the first time to pray - to pray for her life.

“Is anybody up there?” she asks.

After a long silence, a deep voice bellows down from the clouds:

“Do you believe?”

Without a beat, she frantically replies “FFS, yes, yes I do! All of the yeses, and all of the beliefs!”

“Then let go of the vine,” says the voice.

The lady pauses for a second, looks down and then up again, and responds, “Is there anybody else up there?”

This is something that is hard to admit to ourselves after testing out a gym or investigating all the best ways to stay fit and healthy. We find out how hard it is and then look for a second opinion. This usually involves an alternative, subjectively easier solution - pills, surgery, workout dvd's, starvation (read: juice cleanses). It's overwhelming and some of us return to do nothing at all.

One reason is that "losing weight" or "getting fit" is not powerful enough to provide self-motivation when things get tough. One solution is to go back to a grass-roots level. Find out where your values and priorities truly lie and then figure out the next step or next habit change that you need to make, so that you truly live them.

You don't need a second opinion to ride out the rough times when solid, healthy values will drive you towards that next workout or healthy meal.

Kevin & Victoria

Three Factors That Will Decide How Long You'll Live

We hope you lived deliciously this summer. We're excited to get our full schedule and emails going again this month, with no less than seven workshops and programs in September alone!

Today, we want to talk about three factors that will determine how long and how healthy you'll live. In short, they are...

• #3 - Lifestyle (your eating and exercise habits)

• #2 - Genetics (how much you want to thank or get angry at your ancestors)

• #1 - Relationships (yes, lonely people die early)

The famed neuroscientist, Jaak Panksepp, believes humans need bonding and connection as much as they need oxygen. People who maintain relationships with friends and family are happier than those who isolate themselves. People who go to church on a regular basis will live longer than those who don't.

How much you serve and are invested in other people is another huge indicator. We joke that we take care of people who take care of other people. A lot of our members are teachers, social workers, doctors, nurses, and EMTs. And others, such as writers, artists, editors, and designers need to keep their creative juice flowing through exercise.

That's a huge the reason for why we created BOMB and specifically a group environment.

You can do push-ups at home in your basement. You can throw in your air pods, turn the music up to 11, and work out at an LA Fitness or Goodlife. That's amazing and you can see results, but you can get all that and so much more in a group setting.

A member recently mentioned that "while there's no pressure to make a new best friend in every class, it's cool to be part of a group that's working hard towards their own individual goals. The energy you get from that pushes me more than I ever could on my own."

When you connect with people - smile, high-five, notice their body language - it releases pleasure and antidepressant hormones, like endorphins and serotonin.

That's something you cannot get from a virtual high-five, a Facebook Like, a crying-with-laughter emoji, or a Whatsapp GIF parade.

It's something you can only get live and in person.

The robots are coming and they want us to hide in our semi's ordering Uber Eats, shit we don't need from Amazon, and communicating with our friends solely through digital devices.

It will make us miserable and we'll die early and lonely and the only way to stop it and save the world is to... come to Bootcamp?! Well, okay, at least it's a start.

P.S. A lot of this info comes from The Algebra of Happiness - it's a great, short read.

P.P.S. The Transformation Challenge begins on Monday, September 16th 2019 for 30 days and is back with a brand new look.

It includes a new Fall meal plan (and format), new challenges, a new accountability group that takes you away from the social media rabbit hole, and 4+ workshops and lessons - including...

💥 Four repeatable action steps to take to ensure you make good on your commitment.
💥 The best nutrition habits to make eating healthier a lot easier.
💥 How to work your hardest no matter your fitness level.
💥 How to sustain your exercise and nutrition habits outside of a short-term challenge.

Plus, the usual unlimited classes and support. Click the button below and head over to the TC page to sign up.

If you are an existing, committed unlimited member, you should use this link to sign up.

Keep Your Head Up, Kid

Coaching kids is a huge part of BOMB and this week we were reminded of this little nugget from the book Thanks for the Feedback.

"Speaking of little boys [or girls], when yours gets off the bus crying because a kid called him stupid, don't tell him he's not. That's just asking him to choose between your story and the mean kid's story.

Help him find his own story in which to stand. Help him think through the actual evidence. What might be going on with the other kid and what is actually true. If he can see for himself that he's not stupid, then he'll see that someone else's saying so, doesn't make it so."

Building a growth mindset like this and developing confidence and self-efficacy is a huge focus of our kids programs.

If you're interested, registration has opened for our Fall after school program at Danforth & Beach schools.

There's also a $239 weekly summer camp deal that ends on May 31st, 2019. Summer camp is available at all three locations.

How to Avoid Burnout

Last week, we took a much needed break to Puerto Rico to escape the long Canadian winter. We didn't go to just drink margaritas by the pool or get a sunburn on the beach; it was an important opportunity to renew!

Coincidentally, we also received a fantastic email from our coach, Mark Fisher, owner of North America's most successful gym. He discussed self-renewal - why it's not just about vacations, and why it's so important for it to be regularly scheduled.

We couldn't have written it any better, so he let us share it with you...

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"While anyone can benefit from taking renewal seriously, parents and leaders in particular face something called “power stress.” This is a particular type of stress experienced by those who feel responsibility for others. It can expedite burnout for those who don’t take the time to “refill their cup.”

Furthermore, renewal can’t effectively be “saved up” for the weekend. By thinking critically about which of the four renewal activities light you up, you can start to be disciplined about making sure you have time for it in your weekly calendar.

Remember, renewal is different than physical rest. They both matter.

According to Dr. Richard Boyatzis, you need to consider four key areas:

• Hope - a feeling of forward-looking optimism towards the future

• Compassion - connecting with other people

• Mindfulness - being aware and in the present moment; meditation, walking in nature, prayer, etc.

• Play - having fun and being joyful; humor

Each of us will get more or less “juice” from each of the four activities, so considering your personal preferences is important.

Additionally, some activities do crossover from “physical self-care” to “emotional self-care.” Low-intensity exercise (mindfulness, play) and meditation (mindfulness) are both great examples.

In addition to the list above, gratitude is another important renewal strategy. Creating small habits and rituals around daily gratitude is a powerful tool for keeping your “mind right.” This is important because modern brains have inherited something called “Negativity Bias.” The theory is that our ancestors were successful at surviving precisely because they were good at thinking about, identifying, and solving/ working around threats.

Although there’s debate about how strongly “negative” thoughts overpower “positive” thoughts, most social scientists put the number somewhere between three times to seven times.

Since the nature of your life often requires identifying, thinking about, and solving problems, creating daily gratitude habits can be a powerful source of renewal.

Regardless of which activities you choose, it’s important to emphasize the ones that truly fill your cup, and then have the discipline to regularly execute these activities.

If you find renewal by connecting with hope, it’s going to be very hard emotionally to justify taking time to daydream and spend time “visioning” on a regular basis. Nonetheless, this is exactly what you must do if you truly want to be a master of your time.

Like your core self-care habits, such as training and making good nutrition choices, renewal activities are the equivalent of putting your own oxygen mask on first if the cabin loses pressure while on an airplane.

If you don’t take care of yourself first, you’ll find you’re unable to effectively take care of anyone else as you spiral into burnout."

The Sliding Teacup

We're about 8% of the way through 2019 already. How's those New Year, New You (ugh, are we still using this term?!) coming along?

We find that 4-6 week period, where you are deep into an attempted transformation, is where things begin to wobble.

The tea cup slides towards the edge of the table.

The ship steers mightily close to the iceberg.

A highly-elected official enters "Ashley Madison" on Google and hovers their finger above the “Enter” button.

Suddenly, you realize you've picked the wrong target to aim for.

A quick fix is to start thinking about performance goals rather than superficial ones.

Superficial goals, such as losing weight or inches, are usually emotional and can consume us. Performance goals are a bit cooler and can take this pressure away.

Consider training for a 5km race, or one of those muddy obstacle courses.

Consider trying to deadlift 1.5-2x your bodyweight with barbell club or semi-private training.

Try to do 50 push-ups, or modified push-ups, every day for a month.

See what happens.

Because the magic, little droogies, is in the side effects.

Those emotional goals like fat loss, more energy for your kids, your partner jumping on your loins again... usually show up as you head towards those performance goal achievements.

And mentally, it's a relief. No worrying about scales or how tight your jeans feel.

So what performance goals can light you up and keep driving you forward into 2019?

Book a complimentary, no-waterboarding-until-you-sign-up-for-a-membership strategy session and tell us all about them!

Kevin & Victoria

P.S. Our clubs are looking ahead to their performance race season. The running club, East Side Snails, are looking at 5km, 10km and above races. Newbies and non-members are always welcome and it's just $50 per year!

How Small Actions Can Build into an Automatic Routine

James Clear recently published a great book called Atomic Habits. He writes about how small actions that you take every day can build into automatic routines that really shape who you are.

I got sucked into his ideas while listening to him on Jay Ferruggia's podcast (#264, if you're interested).

For the last 32 days, I have been putting James Clear's Atomic Habits book to the test...  

I was hopping on a plane to Montreal to take an army course that was taking me away from reality in exchange for my green uniform and 2 weeks of leadership training with 100 of my peers.  I was warned that the days would be long and that my nights would consist of homework and mandatory "networking".

So the goal that I set for myself was that I would run every day.  Maybe for a minute, maybe for an hour, and I could skip one day per week.  Running isn't brand new to me.  But over the last few years, it's turned into a more occasional, social activity.  

I got a LOT out of this book, but the two points I want to touch on with you are the ones that still sit with me a month after getting through this book and putting in an honest effort to create a new habit AND regularly evaluate it against James' ideas.
 
You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems. 
 
In my case, the system that I put in place was that every day when I got back from the school, I would immediately change from my uniform into my running gear.  I didn't stop at the bathroom, I didn't stick around to make dinner plans with my colleagues, I put my shoes on.  School started at 7am.  SEVEN!  My brain was melted by noon, and when we got out of class at 5, the idea of going to dinner and bed was super appealing.  My goal was simple.  Get off the campus.  Every night. If that meant putting on my gear and walking the 300m from my dorm to the gate and back, I would consider that a win. 
 
By the time I came back to Toronto just 2 weeks later, I had found enough value in my newly developed habit, that it made all sorts of sense to keep it up. The time has stayed the same, just the location is different.  I do plan to cut back the running days at some point, but continue to reserve a chunk of my afternoon for exercise.
 
How can I create an environment where doing the right thing is easy? 

You'd think that adopting a new fitness habit when working in a gym everyday would be easy, but being removed from my normal routine actually made it MUCH easier to adhere to.  I used every trick that I know of to make sure that I was setting myself up for success.

• I didn't feel the need to broadcast my goal when all of my colleagues, but living in a dorm (with shared washrooms), it was obvious that pretty quickly that I had a routine.  Within days, my colleagues (who probably think that I am this disciplined all the time!) wished me well on my workout, or asked how it went when I saw them in the meal hall or the pub later on.  

• It's so easy to let other commitments get in the way.  Because I knew that I would have several commitments after dinner throughout the initial weeks, I found a time frame where I was guaranteed to be available.  Sometimes we finished at 4, sometimes we finished at 6, but that time immediately after school was a time where there was no way in hell that anyone was going to be functional enough to want to start our homework.

• I found things to look forward to on my run.  Beautiful scenery, great music or an audio book, a chance to chat on the phone without my voice echoing down the hall.  I really set it up so that missing a run would be missing an opportunity.

This habit has definitely evolved from just "put on your shoes" to a gateway for a couple of more specific goals with measurable outcomes, but the takeaways from this book also really helped to shape where I'd like to take it next. (basically, all of chapter 19).

So what about you? What simple systems can you create to make your life healthier? And then how can you change your environment so those systems are easy to implement and repeat?

Let me hear about them!

Victoria

P.S. As a disclaimer, I have a decent amount of experience with running and exercise in general.  A daily running habit without a solid base is probably not an awesome idea!

Two Quick Ideas to Improve your Kids Well-Being

With school time back in rhythm and after school and evening activities picking up for the season, here are two quick things to consider for the mental and physical well-being of your little ones.

Remember that unstructured play time is just as important as structured training.

"Don’t ever say a child is “just” playing. That's like saying a surgeon is “just” operating or a pilot is “just” flying an airplane. Play is the essence of being a child." - John Rosemond

Sometimes parents are flummoxed when we don't have a strict plan laid out for our PA days, camps or our after school program. "So you don't know what you're doing this week?" they say.

The truth is that the structure is loose. It's usually based around a theme, and at the end of our programs the children have time to get curious and explore what they've just learned or get better at the things that interest them.

They can use their imagination, spontaneity and find self-motivation. 

As kids get older and become more socially trained to be another cog-in-the-wheel, unstructured free time becomes just as important as structured hockey practice and fills a hole that a strict school timetable may not be able to provide.

Stop thinking weight training will stunt your kid's growth

Strength and conditioning specialist Eric Cressey explains this better than we could...

"When your kid sprints, she encounters ground reaction forces several times greater than her body weight.

When he jumps out of trees, those numbers are even higher – and he’s probably landing on a more unpredictable environment.

When she wears a big backpack full of books, she’s actually lifting weights without any coaching whatsoever.

Doing a goblet squat with a 20-pound dumbbell isn’t going to stunt your 9-year-old’s growth. And it isn’t going to turn him into a meathead steroid abuser.

What it will probably do is teach them a lot about the value of hard work. It’ll demonstrate that consistently showing up and putting effort into something can lead to specific quantifiable improvements.
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It’ll make them more durable to participate in and enjoy sports – and do so at a higher level than they otherwise would have experienced."

You can read the whole post here.

We would add that most athletes, like wrestlers, tennis players or kick-boxers would rather face someone with slightly more talent than them but who's not as conditioned.

So strength-and-conditioning programs really matter, and yes, they should include lifting weights and unstructured play.

P.S. We have some after school Fit Kids programs across all three locations. You can check them out here.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

Since it's Halloween we thought we'd scare the sh*t out of ourselves and go listen to the most frightening podcast we've ever heard.

Studies on the effect of lack of sleep have blown up the health industry over the last year or two and so sleep expert and neuroscientist,  Dr. Matthew Walker, decided to watch the world burn as he unleashed the hell that lack of sleep causes.

If you're already depressed by the thought of Monday morning, this will cheer you up no end! Here are the cliff-notes...

* If you’re getting 6 hours of sleep or less, your time to physical exhaustion drops by up to 30%.

* If a surgeon is doing an important surgery on you and they had less than 6 hours sleep - the chances that they make a critical mistake, including death, goes up by 170%.

* The shorter your sleep on average, the shorter your life. Short sleep predicts all cause mortality!! Quote that to the "I'll sleep when I'm dead" person - because it will likely be next week.

* Insufficient sleep is the most significant lifestyle factor for determining whether or not you’ll develop Alzheimer’s Disease and is linked to bowel, prostate and breast cancer.

* Shift workers have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and cancer due to lack of sleep and consistent sleep patterns.

* Lack of sleep is a critical factor of the obesity epidemic.

* People sleeping 4-5 hours a night will on average eat 200-300 extra calories each day, which can lead to adding 10-15lbs on to your weight in just 12 months.

Have we scared you yet? No!? Okay, we'll carry on...

* Men who sleep 5-6 hours a night will have a level of testosterone 6-10 years their senior.

* Every 30 seconds, there is a car accident linked to lack of sleep. Drowsy driving kills more people on the roads than alcohol or drugs combined.

* Many children diagnosed with ADHD are just under slept.

* If you’re dieting, but not getting sufficient sleep, 70% of all the weight you lose will come from lean muscle, not fat.

* 1 in 20 medical residents will kill a patient due to a fatigue related error.

* After 20 hours of being awake, you are as physically and cognitively impaired as you would be if you were legally drunk.

We don't wish to end it on a Debbie-downer so here are some tips to help you sleep better at night.

How to create conditions where you can sleep better

* 7-9 hours is ideal.
* Dim the lights in your house 2-3 hours before bed.
* Black out light completely from your bedroom.
* Make sure the room is cool - your brain needs to drop its temperature 2-3 °F in order to sleep.
* Warm your hands and your feet to move the blood away from your core out to the surface or have a hot bath before bed.
* Don’t go to bed too full, and don’t go to bed too hungry.
* Don't look at a screen before bed, read a book.

We used to think that to live a healthy life it was all about diet then exercise, but study after study shows that sleep could now be the number one thing you should fix above all else.

You can watch the podcast here and it's on iTunes etc... Shout out to Podcast Notes for the show notes.