Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Exercise Update - May 2013 Edition

For the most part my fitness routine hasn't changed much from last month. I did decide to move all of my bodyweight leg work to the cardio days. I was often feeling tired and sore and my joints felt like they could use some extra rest. When I do Insanity on Tuesday and Saturday I do 3 sets of pistol squats during the stretching. Despite Shaun T insisting that the stretch is the most important part of the workout besides the warm up I disagree. I've started doing some dynamic stretching before going into the sets of the pistol squats.   I often found that the static stretching sequence was leaving me tired and not ready to jump back into the intense cardio. I also now spend more time stretching at the end of the workout.

I have been able to push much harder during the Insanity workouts since moving the body weight leg work to those days. I've been able to get my sustained heart rate very high, in the low 160's, which is about as hard as I can go. Overall this change has made me feel better about both my cardio and body weight resistance training.

I was doing yoga on some Thursdays but have changed that to active recovery days consisting of stretching and walking. I changed this because I felt like my body could really use the extra day off during the week. I've also become tired of the same yoga dvd routines that I own. Once a workout becomes uninteresting it is generally a good time to change it up. I do plan on continuing with yoga but I'll need to join a class or buy some new dvds!

Coming up in June I have some exciting stuff going on such as my birthday and a trip to Florence. I'm hoping that the added year and delicious carby Italian food don't doom my waistline. I'm sure I'll be doing lots of walking so I think I'll be fine (tell that to the pizza and pastries though). There is also a new beer store with great selection (by German standards) in Hamburg called Craft Beer Store so I'll also be battling temptation while at home to only sample a reasonable amount of tasty beers. I also started a new beer blog called, Average Guy's Guide to Beer, which you should check out. Don't worry though I will still update this blog with monthly beer reviews!




Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Beer Review May 2013: BQ Birra Artigianale di Qualità

You may be wondering why there is a beer review on a blog dedicated to fitness, diet, and health. I've loved beer and trying new brews for a long time and if I'm going to expend some of my precious daily calories on beer I want to make sure that it is worth it. I've nobly decided to share my experiences with you so you can make an informed decision about your precious calories. I don't have a refined set of beer tasting skills so, I won't be going on about bouquet and mouth feel. I may make a formal rating system at some point but for now I'll just go with my gut. Just because I like to exercise doesn't mean I have to stop liking beer!

This is a special beer review because I will be reviewing a beer bar instead of just beer! I'm hoping to add more  reviews of establishments that I visit for future beer review posts. I was in Milan last month with my wife and one night after a long day of sightseeing I wanted to check out a local beer bar and BQ Birra Artigianale di Qualita seemed like a great choice. There are five different locations in Milan, Italy and I decided to go to the one at Via Losanna 36 because it was closest to my hotel and with 24 taps and 200 different bottles it had the largest selection.

We got there early by Italian standards at a bit after 7p.m. and no one was in the bar besides two people working there. Neither of them were able to speak English and since neither of us could speak Italian our communication was limited but the waitress was extremely accommodating in translating and explaining beer and food to us using her smartphone. Most of their draft beers were 5 euro for 40cl which I felt was reasonably priced. I ordered a blue cheese burger with mushrooms and onions on it for 9 euro and my wife ordered a plate of fries for 3.50. There weren't many vegetarian options on the menu for her. We ordered a couple of draft beers to enjoy while we waited for the food. The beer was delicious and the room was filled with rock and pop hits of the last several decades.

I was slightly intimidated by the size of my burger when it arrived! I was a little hesitant to even order a burger in the first place because I often feel burgers are something that most restaurants outside of the U.S. don't really know how to do. I couldn't have been more wrong in this case. The beef was fresh and it combined overwhelmingly well with the messy wonder of blue cheese, mushrooms, and onions. It was hard to bite it because it was so big but it was definitely worth the struggle! I tried a couple of my wife's fries and they were also really good.

We ordered another 40cl beer and a tasting tray. The tasting tray was 4 euro for 3 glasses of 10cl beer but all of the beers we received had way more than 10cl possibly because they were served in 25cl glasses. We talked and savored our drinks. One aspect of the bar which was interesting was that some of their beers were named after famous people from history such as Genghis Khan, Tutankhamon, Cleopatra, and Attila. There were some other interesting names such as Gasoline Super and Mahogany. The bottle selection was fairly impressive with beers from Italy, Germany, Belgium, the U.K., and  the U.S. I think there is something here to interest any beer lover.

During the course of our time there a few people showed up and left but overall it was pretty empty the whole time. It isn't a very large bar and I'm not sure if it could hold much more than 50 people. I had a great time and I would definitely recommend stopping by one of the BQ bars if you are ever in Milan!

Overall: 9/10

I apologize that I didn't take notes about the specific beers I tried but I can tell you I liked everyone of the BQ drafts I tried - Mahogany, Zingibeer, Valchiria (which was my favorite), Cleopatra, Gasoline Super, and Genghis Khan.


















Bottle Selection 
Drinking is Bad and I've Found Proof!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Review: 7 Minute Research Based Whole Body Workout

I recently came across an interesting article on lifehacker. It was a quick whole body workout based on scientific research. If you would like to read the original journal article you can here. I can see several benefits from the workout although it is lacking if you are in better shape.

I think the strongest point of the workout is that it can be done in only 7 minutes. The article states that the routine should be done for twenty minutes but going through once to get acclimated would work if you haven't exercised for a while. Each exercise is done for thirty seconds with ten seconds of rest in between exercises (this actually comes to more than 7 minutes but I guess it sounded cooler like that?). This kind of high intensity interval training has been shown to be great for you. The exercises are setup to work different muscle groups in rapid succession. The most common excuse for not exercising I hear is that people don't have time and since this can take less than ten minutes I think most people could fit it into their schedule.

Another great aspect of this routine is that it only requires a chair. I think the next biggest obstacle that keeps people from exercising is the cost of equipment and gym memberships. I myself have avoided joining a gym recently do to the high cost of all the gyms in my area. Also if for some reason you don't have a chair only two of the exercises in the routine require one and you may be able to find other objects to substitute for the chair if needed. This routine could easily be done in a hotel room or while traveling. It is always good to have an idea of an easy body weight routine you can employ if you want to exercise and can't get to the gym.

This workout is obviously targeted towards a person who is sedentary. This isn't a negative if it fits your current level of fitness but I would also imagine that this routine could become unchallenging in a short amount of time. If it serves the purpose of getting someone motivated to exercise again than that is all that matters. It would work to do more rounds of the routine but that also has limited potential. I couldn't imagine someone doing this for more than three rounds before they would get bored and the workout wouldn't be short then either.

I think the largest shortcoming of this routine is the lack of back exercises. I can understand why they are left out. The two most common and effective bodyweight exercises are pull ups and rows and both of those would require more equipment than just a chair. It is possible to do bodyweight rows with a table or two chairs but it is difficult to grip the edge of a table and chairs often lack the weight and balance to be safe to do a row with. Also most people who are sedentary would lack the strength to do pull ups and rows with proper form. A pull up bar and a chair can be used to build up strength until you are able to do pull ups without assistance but once again that requires more equipment which doesn't work with the concept of this routine.

Overall the 7 minutes research based workout is a great routine for a sedentary person to start getting back into shape. Quick simple routines that don't need much equipment and use bodyweight are an excellent starting point for most people who don't exercise. The lack of back exercises is the main flaw I find with this routine. A pull up bar is a small investment and pull ups and rows could easily be added in the routine. Exercise is very important and if you are short on time or have been putting in too many reps on the couch this could help you get back up on your feet and full of energy.

One last question though ... does anyone actually do crunchs anymore? (The abdominal crunch is exercise four in the routine if you haven't check it out yet).




Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Do you Exercise while on Vacation or Traveling for Work?

While on vacation last week I was wondering to myself if other people exercise while traveling. I was already planning a week off from exercise so I didn't but I have in the past and sometimes I do enjoy working out while traveling. Looking back I probably should have spent some time in the evening doing some stretching or basic yoga but at the time I didn't feel like it.

I think the most significant obstacle to working out while traveling is having a place to do it. If your hotel doesn't have a gym your options are already limited. You could try your room but many hotel rooms lack adequate space for exercise. There is always the option of going for a run but for people such as myself who don't enjoy running this isn't much of an alternative. The next incumberance is time which stops many people from exercising while at home let alone on the road. Long days and modified schedules don't lend themselves to finding time for the gym but exercise can help to normalize your day and improve your sleep.

One factor which can keep me from exercise on vacation is all the walking I do during the day. My wife and I often rely on public transit while on vacation but still spend hours everyday walking from different sites and places to get food and drink. This is already a significant amount of exercise so additional cardio probably wouldn't be warranted. I still remember a few months back while in Stockholm I discovered that my gym had a large selection of free weights including a squat rack. I decided that I desperately needed to do some squats and went at it pretty hard and heavy. I found walking extremely challenging which made all the walking on vacation seem like a monumental task. Needless to say resistance exercise might not be worth it on vacation too (although I did feel more justified in savaging the breakfast buffet after my workout).

So do you exercise while on vacation or traveling? I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments.

And for your viewing pleasure a few pictures from my trip to Bergamo and Milan, Italy.









Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Recipe: Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash

I like to cook but, ultimately I prefer to make meals which are quick, simple, and delicious. Lunch time is often a difficult time to find a quick healthy meal. I have found a simple recipe that I often turn to for a quick healthy mid-day meal - Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash.


You will need tomatoes (I prefer cherry tomatoes).
Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe

One ripe avocado (it is difficult to find Hass avocados in Germany so I take what I can get). 
Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe

One can of tuna. 
Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe

I start by slicing the tomatoes. If you are worried about the avocado being bad then you can certainly start there because I know there isn't much sadder than cutting open an avocado to see it is bad inside!
 
Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe
Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe

Next comes the sliced avocado.
Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe

Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe

After the avocado drain and add the tuna.
Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe



Now that all the ingredients are in the bowl I like to add some seasoning. First I'll shake a little lemon juice over it. Then I'll pour some powdered garlic and ginger on. Finally depending on my mood and how spicy I want it I'll add red or black pepper. 
Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe

And now for the final step: The Mash!!!
Tuna, Avocado, and Tomato Mash Recipe

This simple delicious meal boasts the following nutritional information. 

Calories: 436
Fat: 24 (Don't worry this is the healthy fat that you want)
Carbs: 22g (It also has 12 grams of dietary fiber from the avocado)
Protein: 39g 

I like to enjoy this as a post resistance workout meal. You may want to add some extra carbohydrates if you are using this meal as your post resistance workout meal though. It is also a great recipe for anyone who is trying to limit their intake of carbs.