Rolf Devinci

Discovered this on Mark's Daily Apple and I`m thinking it`s an ideal exercise to add to my winter running. I had started doing hill intervals last week and will now incorporate Tabata sprints as well. They certainly compliment my running goals of shorter, higher intensity efforts. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-are-tabata-sprints/ They should definitely improve my ball hockey fitness which is all about short hard efforts followed by brief seconds of recovery while on the floor. Tabata sprints can also be used on the bike as well. Nice! Post Script - Jan 4 2011 Did my first set of sprints.I didn't push too hard(icy conditions) but it still hurt.

 I have discovered the joys of winter trail running so today I opted to go for a much needed run.My route was through the Mainland Common and wooded environs out to the Bicentential Highway. Sadly it is all scheduled for development so it is only a matter of time before urban sprawl will consume the vast majority of it.  Under overcast skies with -4C temps(-14+ with windchill....46kph gusts) I headed out dealing with icy and crusty snow conditions. It actually was pretty good to run upon - yesterday's rain had melted the snowcover to a couple inches so it provided mostly staple footing with a little give that is easy on the body.The biggest challenge was determing where icy patches may be or semi frozen marshy sections that resulted in wet feet.   Dressed in running tights and a MEC mid weight jersey, PBK winter gillet and LG shell I was toasty warm even when idle and exposed to the gusting wind. The(new) winter gillet is fast becoming m...

 Well folks Christmas Day has come and gone and old grinchy Geo managed to retain some semblance of sanity despite reaching a peak weight of 200.3 pounds on December 24th. Lord have mercy and banish all sweets and carbs to the depths of Hades(wink).   Today I decided to stop the insanity and prepare for Gluten Free January. If anything it will be a tool to help me get back on a sound dietary footing heading into Spring 2011 and the cycling season. http://www.glutenfreejan.com/news   Why gluten free you ask?Even our national broadcasting company is spreading the news... http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/health/gluten-free.html  Whether you adhere to low carb diets or not limiting your use of products containing gluten may well be advisable. At least take the time to educate yourself as the one thing you CAN influence is your own wellbeing through the foods YOU decide to consume.  A perfect segway to the wonders of tu...

.....to reaffirm your commitment. Let me premise my posting by wishing everyone a Happy Holidays to you and yours. Best wishes!  The Christmas season always becomes my proverbial dietary Waterloo as the availability of snacks, drinks and other goodies seem to ambush me at every given opportunity. The stores are full of dietary temptations as are the workplaces and even within the confines of home.   My fall into the nutritional gutter has been akin to the most subversive insurgency...a snack here, a little ice cream there, an innocent cookie, a little chocolate........before long I am throwing cautions to the wind and over indulging in foodstuffs I usually avoid. In my defense I have tried to limit my exposure to junk foods and have continued to balance cheats with good foods.Sadly it has become a losing battle having picked up ice cream on sale(for the kids I told myself) this week. I have been unable to stay away from the freezer and the blueberry and cook...

 Having previously posted about my trial sample of Nova Greens Superfood Formula and finding the supplement quite tasty I went ahead and purchased the 30 sachets/box. For the record I firmly believe that good health is achieved through whole foods; the combinations and interactions of (phyto) nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that most specific supplements fail to offer.  That said Naturally Nova Scotia offers an organic product that is comprised of many beneficial foods and traditional healing herbs. A quick glance at the substantial ingredients list indeed supports the claim that it is a superfood and, in terms of paleo nutrition, quite friendly. No fillers, dairy, gluten and soy byproducts.  Supplements can be excellent stop gap measures or fill a (lacking) nutritional niche. These sachets are handy and portable and mix easily in water. Perfect for desk drawers, backpacks, purses and briefcases. Nutrition on the go f...

Awoke this morning to a beautiful Saturday morning....blue skies, -4C, no wind and a coating of gloriously white puffy snow over the HRM to add some color to the grey wet weather we have been experiencing of late. For a brief moment I planned on a bike ride but my fears of black ice upon wet pavement just does not thrill me as I have experienced that particular hazard one to many times for my liking.Instead I headed to the market for some grass fed beef and free range eggs while enjoying the atmosphere of the Seaport Farmer's market complete with a cup of French roast. Quick stop at the Virgin Mobile kiosk to pick up a gift for my daughter then home to gear up for a trail run. I have experienced a renaissance in my running after I decided getting "faster" and running "farther" was no longer my(only) objective. What I have been doing now is more akin to cross country trail running over undulating terrain, natural obstacles and fields at varying intensities. I...

It definitely bears repeating how simply wonderful the egg is in terms of health and nutrition. Forget what you have previously been told about the link between egg consumption and cholesterol. http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-eggs.html As one of my staples and a cornerstone of my diet I now consume eggs on a daily basis. Generally inexpensive, readily available year round, good refrigerated shelf life and so versatile they are packed with vitamins, good fat and essential minerals. Eggs as a wonderful source of Choline...... http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=92 Yet another excellent look at the impact of  carnosine upon aging, sport performance and overall health of which eggs are a whole food source...... http://primalmuse.blogspot.com/2010/12/latest-uh-oh-for-vegetarians-and-vegans.html I personally have switched to local free range eggs to ensure a b...

 While researching the whole issue of cooking oils and nutritional fats I was happy to see that good old fashioned butter, like coconut oil, has seen a resurgence and long overdue vindication. Although not considered paleo butter was one of the very first neolithic foods and, apparently, is quite nutritious and healthy.   I remember as a child actually helping my grandmother churn homemade butter at the farm using cream from their(grass fed)dairy cow. It was delicious. I have thrown out what remains of my processed vegetable oils and had ceased purchasing margarines...with the exception of some extra virgin olive oil.  I have since switched the family over to real butter but now have the task of trying to locate organic butter preferably from grass fed cows.Work in progress. Turning butter into Ghee does bring it closer to the basic premises of paleo nutrition and may also be an option....especially for my use. That said frying free range eggs in real butter...

That and some other angles of a typical ballhockey Sunday. Due to the fact we were missing some regulars the organizer arranged to have our Thursday night goalie attend so I could then play out to help mitigate the shortage of runners. I'm cool with that and actually enjoy playing both positions. Helps keep things fresh and fun. We ended up with two spares per side which was more than enough. In fact in our case it was one too many. I generally try and adhere to the school of short shifts - work hard, run hard then head off for a change. The advantages are that the game stays fluid, fast tempo'ed and dynamic.Some of the other dudes take the opposite approach - work only as hard as you must, run only when necessary and change infrequently.(wink). That is fine if we have only one or no spares but is frustrating when you have bodies riding the pine.A couple months into the season everyone is seeing much better fitness so that doesn't help spee...

 Headed off to Sunday ball hockey feeling quite good after a morning run of 4km with some rock(box) jumps and walking lunges. Had I known the outcome of the day's events I might not have been so eager to pound the pavement.  Having drafted teams from the attending players on paper the squads look quite even but it quickly became aparent that the opposing team possessed a stronger defense, balanced offense and much better work ethic than the squad in front of me. To put it simply....we got our asses handed to us by a superior team.  We originally jumped out to a lead in the first game but ended up dropping 3 matches;10-5,10-4 and 7-6. As the goalie I faced lots of this...( pictures speak louder than words)........ and quite a bit of this....... way too much of this...... and a full measure of this....... but this was the tale of the day........ that unfortunately led to this....... In the third game with about 20 minutes left to play ...

 Waking to another warm but grey wet December day I decided it was time to make the trip down to the Seaport Farmer's Market to restock my supply of paleo meats and other local goodies. I just didn't feel like a wet bike ride this morning and will go for a run later today to compensate. http://halifaxfarmersmarket.com/  First stop was at one of my fav vendors - Getaway Farms - for a couple pounds of medium ground grassfed beef(frozen) but picked up some fresh beef liver.Liver is a highly nutritious food. Once home I sliced off a sliver of raw liver(yeah...I know) to taste test the flavor and it was not objectionable. In fact it was tender and rather sweet. Now I just need to figure out how to cook it like mother did when we were kids.I was always concerned about the quality of store bought, feed lot liver but knowing this is from a local grass fed, high quality producer puts my mind at ease. http://www.getawayfarm.ca/ On my entrance I noticed Boates had a booth...