How to avoid BPA – An endocrine disruptor

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical used primarily to make polycarbonate plastics (e.g. bottles, food containers, processing equipment) and epoxy resins (e.g. protective linings in cans and bottles).  Worries about this product started back in 2008, due to BPA’s “hormone-like” properties. It was declared a toxic substance in Canada in 2010.

Eating for two?

It is a common misconception that once a woman is pregnant, she is “eating for two”.  This is a risky way to think, as in many cases it will lead to higher gestational weight gain than required or recommended. 

Checking in halfway - our progress!

Hey everyone,

We thought we should give a quick update on how our new workout and nutrition strategy is going, as it is already mid-January!  We have spent the first two weeks repeating three different workouts (see previous post for details). We have been focused on improving both our strength and form, with fewer exercises but more sets. We have definitely noted good gains in the program thus far!

Is it safe to eat fish during pregnancy?

Many women are leery to consume fish during pregnancy due to concerns regarding mercury consumption and the effect on their developing baby.

Studies, however, show that it important to consume fish which contain omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and when breastfeeding.  These polyunsaturated fatty acids are vital in fetal and newborn central nervous system (brain) and visual development.

Nutrition challenge - whey protein!

Hey everyone,

This week, we have decided to challenge ourselves with a new meal plan. After thinking about our holiday and daily eating patterns, we have realized that evening is often our weak point; where we are most likely to snack. We often find that we have a healthy dinner, but then snack throughout the evening.

A New Workout Plan

Hey everyone,

At the outset of 2012, we have decided to implement a new fitness plan, building on our five fitness principles (covered in a recent post).  We are streamlining our exercises (i.e. focusing on foundational exercises) and hope to really perfect these movements through focus and repetition.  As a result, we will be performing the same exercises repeatedly over a one month period (before re-assessing and modifying our program).  We will constantly critique our form to derive maximum results and minimize the risk of injury.

What type of exercise is safe during pregnancy?

This is a very common question from both women who are active and fit pre-pregnancy and those who want to get fit during a pregnancy.  The first question you need to ask is whether it is safe for you to exercise during pregnancy?   This is something that you should discuss with your doctor prior to continuing or starting an exercise plan.  For more information on this, please see a previous post under “Pregnancy” entitled: Is it safe for me to exercise during pregnancy. Once you and your doctor have determined that exercise is safe for you, you need to re-evaulate your fitness regime and potentially modify it to make if safe for you and your developing baby.

Happy New Year! Our 5 new fitness principles of 2012.

Hey everyone,

Welcome to 2012! The start of a new year is always exciting, as it prompts you to revisit your previous goals and measure your achievements, as well as establish new goals and resolutions for yourself. 

A Christmas Gift

Hey everyone,

We managed to do four bodyweight workouts while in Winnipeg.  Our third workout there was density training, using similar bodyweight exercises as in the last blog post.  The fourth workout was eight bodyweight exercises, performed once each, for maximum reps.  Even without equipment or much time, we continued to workout, offsetting some of that dreaded holiday weight gain!

Christmas holidays - bodyweight workouts

Hey everyone,

We are in Winnipeg for the holidays, to celebrate Christmas with Tannys' family.  It can be tricky to stick to your fitness routine while travelling and even more-so over the holidays, where there are constant temptations and distractions.  However, this is a critical time of year to maintain your fitness, which can help offset some of the (unavoidable) extra eating!


Aaaack!  Holiday weight gain!!!  Fight back with exercise!

Awesome new workout: 5 to 10 to 15!

Hey everyone,

It's tough to be original in the fitness world!  There are a ton of great ideas out there and people seem to have already tried/invented everything.  However, we did come up with a new fitness routine, which we tested out today.  It was a blast!  It's based on starting out with a strength exercise, then moving onward into a strength/conditioning, then finally a conditioning phase.  As with many of our routines, it is circuit-based.

Let's up the intensity...

Back at it - a hardcore 4X4 workout!

Hey everyone,

Today, Tannys and I did another 'quatro'-circuit workout, with four circuits of four different exercises (i.e. 16 sets total).  We really gave this one 100%.  Once we had finished and got over that "I'm going to die" feeling, we felt awesome - really satisfied with how challenging it was and how we performed throughout it.

I'm back in the game!

Hey everyone,

Today was an awesome day.  After a week of not working out, I (Alex) finally felt sufficiently healthy to do a workout!  I had planned the workout several days in advance, eagerly anticipating the moment...

Working out when injured or sick...

Hey everyone,

As Tannys mentioned in some earlier posts, I was sick this week.  Unfortunately, this impacted my training and I did not work out all week...

Morning Tabata

Hey everybody,

This morning I got up at 5:30 to complete another workout. We haven't been as diligent this week with Alex being sick, so I thought I would take this opportunity to challenge myself with an early-morning Tabata. Although it was tough to roll out of bed at 5:30 (especially while Alex kept sleeping!), knowing it was Friday, and I could sleep in the next day, made it easier.

Bodyweight Tabata Workout

Hey everyone,

Alex hasn't been feeling too well the past few days, so I decided to try a bodyweight workout on my own.  I chose to do this Tabata-style to get some cardiovascular benefit and kept my rest periods between exercises down to one minute.  I was thus able to complete my workout in 30 minutes.  At first, I didn't find the one minute rest too bad, however I struggled to recover between exercises once I hit the burpees. 

Can I exercise if I’m pregnant?

Many women believe that during pregnancy, they should stop their exercise routine or even restrict their normal day-to-day activities.  While this may be the case for a small portion of women, most can remain active and fit throughout their pregnancy. 

Workouts - Density-Training Videos and New Workout Ideas

Hey everyone,

We decided to continue our trend of pulling and pushing full-body workouts, to allow for back-to-back workouts.  We have also continued to experiment with metabolic finishers at the end of some workouts, including one of our favourite tools - battleropes!

Pulling and Pushing Circuits

Hey everyone,

We've decided to change things up again a bit this week and try to do some back-to-back workouts.  Since we're still doing full body workouts, we've split today's and tomorrow's workouts into "pulling" and "pushing" exercises.  We felt that this would allow us to target specific muscle groups each day, including both upper and lower body muscles. 

Workouts - Countdown plus battleropes!

Hey everyone,

For our Saturday workout, we did another 300 countdown workout.  However, this time we changed the exercises and included a bonus 5 minute metabolic finisher - battleropes!

Alex doing Bulgarian split squats (using a 32kg kettlebell)