Rolf Devinci

Decided to see what kind of progress I have made in my overall fitness this past winter so have opted to put myself to the test today. Not only will I attempt to complete a 24 hour fast but I also will cycle commute to/from work and participate in my usual Thursday night ballhockey for 90 minutes. No calories have been consumed since 8:00PM Wednesday evening. Non caloric beverages only since awakening this morning; coffee, black and Roosibos teas and water. Weight this morning of 193.4 pounds. 6:30AM - black coffee. 7:00AM - commute to work. 5kms. 7:30 - 11:00 AM - instant coffee, Roosibos tea, water. 11:30 - Noon  - Some food cravings. 12:30 - 1:00 PM  - Walked to  Superstore and bought some food for work station.No cravings. 1:00 - 3:30 PM - Some grumbles in the belly. Water and Roosibos tea. 3:30PM - Cycle commute home. No better or worse than normal. Legs felt good. 4:00 - Weight 190.3 pounds 4:00 - 5:30PM - Grocery shopping and drive to hockey. Black coffee. 5:30 - 7:

 Sitting in traffic leaving Bayers Lake I happened to glance to my left at the other lane of traffic only to shake my head in disbelief.There sat the ghost of my father behind the wheel of a white Chevrolet. I looked away then glanced back and if it was not his spirit it was definitely his dobbleganger. Same facial structure, nose and haircut...complete with the grey patches on his temples(age picture by thirty years)   Despite my stare his attention remained straight forward and did not waver in the slightest. What a weird feeling. Even the tan jacket seemed identical to the one my father used to always wear those last couple years before his death.   Now for the strangest part. Just as I took my double take the radio played 4AM by Our Lady Peace. That song always reminded me of my father after his death. The lyrics concerning the strained relationship between father and son; " I blamed my father for the wasted years...we hardly talked..." and specifically this line...

Having awoken to a beautiful early Spring day(sunny and 0C) but unable to get out on the bike due to ball hockey commitments this afternoon I opted to go for a short trail run, some intervals then do some bench/rock jumps. Since I decided early to do this I figured it would be a good idea to test the fasted training concept so I opted not to take any calories beforehand. A couple cups of coffee and I was good to go. The run portion was really just a warmup before I did some Tabata style interval sprints at the local softball field. Probably no more than three kilometers(of running) in total but the intervals sure hurt. I then did two sets of 8 reps of bench jumps that were surprisingly easy. My jumping was improving! Thats when I eyed one of the big rocks along the trail. I had noticed it before but the height was beyond my ability but today was another day. Almost flat on top it offered a stable platform.The ground was sloping away from the base of the rock so I estimate a jump he

 Last year I noticed a new sausage being listed at Sobey's. A local company the thing that jumped out at me at the time was that Cavicchi's Meats produced sausage without fillers, MSG and, most importantly, gluten. Since most processed sausages contain food additives and wheat it was a pleasant surprise.  In fact looking at the label I determined that it was pretty close to being a paleo product consisting of pure pork,water,sugar(3 carbs per sausage), salt and spices. I've purchased the product on occasion...usually during summer and the BBQ season but had a brainstorm today at the market.  Home in the kitchen I decided to mix up sausage cakes. Having purchased apple sausage rounds I mixed in grated turnip, potato(yeah...I know. not paleo but I wanted to try these on the family), broccoli, garlic and oregano. Mashed into patties I fried them in coconut oil till they were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Served on a bed of fresh baby spinach with a dollop

 Ever since I needed to take blade to face leaving any amount of facial hair was never an option. Even just skipping a morning meant I was scratching my face off by mid afternoon. It was itchy, my skin became oily and I usually ended up developing pimples. It became a given that Georgie boy needed to de-whisker every day....all 365 days.   One of the changes I noticed since assuming a low carb paleo WOE a year ago last month was my scalp issues improved greatly. The itching, flaking and inflamed patches basically cleared up with only occasional flare-ups(usually after cheating with bad caveman food).Interesting.   So I started wearing a goatee last summer and had no issues and the side of my mouth-chin has always been a trouble area. Last month, just for an experiment, I did not shave for three days to see what would happen. No oily skin, no blemishes and no itching.   Well I`m putting my face to the test again. For no reason I just didn`t shave on the past weekend. Come Monday I

 If I have a signature dish that represents what Primal-Paleo-Ancestral-Traditional nutrition means to me it is my caveman skillet. It meets all my requirements; (some) carbs, fat, protein and vegetable.Simple(fast) to prepare, inexpensive and tasty.   As a single pan dish you fry ground meat(beef, turkey, chicken, pork or lamb) in coconut oil then add in whatever veggies you have or desire. I usually use onions, celery,fresh baby spinach and mushrooms.The secret is broccoli slaw(shredded broccoli, cabbage and carrots)Added last to the stirfry it replaces traditional grain based pastas or noodles but still gives you a pasta/noodle feel to the dish. http://rolfdevinci.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-paleo-staples-slaws.html  Stirfry together and use whatever spices you want. That is the nice thing about it....you can vary the taste by opting for different combinations of herbs, meats, vegetables and spices. If I use ground lamb then I use rosemary to season the dish. If I use ground turke

With the exception of the Fall River hill and the entire length of Purcell`s Cove road Flamingo Drive is my favorite  love to hate training hill. Close to home it offers me the opportunity to sneak in some hill repeats at the tail end of a club ride or if my window of ride(time) opportunity is small or closing. Last summer I did some calculations on the gradient of the climb based upon an equation I found on Google. Cannot guarantee it is exact but it sure feels right when you are on the climb. Flamingo Drive.Description - 4 semi switchbacks and steep 1km climb till false flat for last.22km. Climb length - 1.22 km.Gradient@.25 km = 7.3%,gradient@.50 km = 12.6% and slope at.75km = 6.8%. At the start of the second switcback is where the hill really bites with the gradient spiking until you reach the stop sign.That middle section definitely tests your meddle. It is this section that is adjacent to Pioneer - the difference being is that Pioneer has no switchback. It is straight up so

 The wonderful pineapple! Sweet yet tart and juicy it is unique in the fact it is loaded with Bromelain, an enzyme that confers numerous health benefits. http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-283.html  It is rare that I enjoy fresh pineapple here in the Great White North, usually only occasionally when they are on sale at the grocery stores. They usually retail between $4-6 CDN. I do enjoy canned pineapple as long as it does not contain added sugars or other additives but it pales in comparison to the fresh fruit.  How floored was I when I discovered fresh pineapples on sale at Sobey's for $2 each today when I was out foraging. Score! Needless to say I walked out with four of them and quickly prepped and ate one with the assistance of my son as soon as I got home. Talk about a taste of tropical sunshine on a March day.Delicious.   

 It was another fun night at Thursday ball hockey. With at least a couple spares per squads it proved to be a fast, furious night in the gym. I was playing defense(black/white shirt) tonight which basically means you have a few key roles; move the ball to the forwards as quickly as possible despite usual forechecking pressure on the smaller playing surface, get the ball consistently on the opponents net from the point, block shots and covering your man down low in the slot.  Initially down in the first match we rallied for a 10 -6 win. The second match the other squad definitely wanted the win and dominated much of the game. With about six minutes remaining we were down 4-2. After a shift change of forwards I received a pass from Tim(blue shirt) on the right point. Having froze the defense with a feigned slapshot(out of frame) I passed the ball back to Tim as he was cutting toward the net for a nice tipped goal.  Once play began I intercepted a slap pass through mid court with the

 Let me preface my latest instalment of hateful hills with a personal observation. Being a clydesdale(affectionate term for us heavier roadies) I love to hate hills. I love them cause they challenge me, make me suffer and adds some "zest" to an otherwise routine bike ride. I hate them cause they challenge me, make me suffer and adds some "zest" to an otherwise routine bike ride. Yeah.....I know. A cycling paradox. Let me also take the time to officially declare today as my first Spring commute of 2011. Unlike previous commutes since the New Year this actually felt and looked like a Spring day. The sun was shining, the temps were hovering around 0C, last nights rain washed away the road salt and revealed grass.Spring was in the air and was infectious. I had a pickup truck(usually driven by anti cyclists from my experience) see me approaching in his rear view mirror as traffic queued up at a light and he actually shuffled his vehicle to the left to give me space!

Heading into todays matches I was a little concerned as my legs were still feeling the "love" from my bike jaunt yesterday, unkowningly suffering upon the bike for 30 kms with a mis-set rear wheel and subsequent brake rub. Early game form was pretty good after some extra pre game stretching. Managed to win the first game, despite having the(arguably) weaker team, 10 -5 which was a nice start. I was seeing the ball well and the legs were not an issue as my side to side mobility was good. The second match was a different story. The opposite squad were looking for revenge and dominated the second game. Facing a 4 - 1 decifit I gave up the ball trying to make something happen attempting a pass which led to a turnover and goal. Yes.....my head bob speaks volumes(wink) Losing 7 -2 I made a save but didn`t control the rebound which went right on the stick of the opposing player and I was unable to recover in time to prevent the goal.Rebound control is definitely a part of the ga

Under sunny skies and -2C temps I got out for my first club ride of 2011. Two kilometres into the ride I'm hurting and end up dropped before we even get to the first set of train tracks on Rocky Lake road.WTF! How can I be playing ball hockey with my best ever fitness yet suck so badly on the bike. How can I commute on a heavy MTB yet suffer so badly on a road bike? As I see the group cycle away I resolve myself to the fact my bike fitness is woeful and decide to carry on solo to start building some base miles before Spring. Out to Fall River then back via the Waverley road/Rocky Lake all the while cursing the headwind which seemed to have more effect than strength? Meanwhile I am second guessing my winter training, diet and fasting regimens. The return was brutal. My legs are buring and I'm struggling to maintain 20kph when I finally make Bedford convinced my cycling days are over and lawnbowling is indeed in my future. Open the hatch to throw in my bike when it occurs to

 It has been two weeks since I opted to try a personal experiment and commenced intermittant fasting. Since then I have completed one 18 hour and three 17 hour fasts. Surprisingly it was easy to do and did not entail the negatives I expected; hunger, irritability and mental fogginess. In fact it had the direct opposite effect in that I felt grounded, strong and alert. My vision seemed sharper and I felt "lighter" even though my weight has remained consistent.  My approach remains focused upon the Leangains model - a 16/8 split with my feeding window between 2pm-10pm. It has been such a successful start that I have decided to build my WOE around less meals and switch from the concept of "grazing" I have held as gospel for so many years. My new mantra (on non fast days) will be to listen to my body....it will tell me when it is hungry. For too long I ate by the clock and not necessary due to hunger, another legacy of abiding by the grazing WOE. A humorous view of

 Cycling home at 3:30PM from work and the beginnings of rush hour traffic means I will vary my route depending upon conditions and traffic. I don't mind rubbing elbows with cars as that is just a fact of life here in Halifax but I don't seek out traffic if I can avoid it without too much of a diversion. Going home is pretty much uphill regardless of my route so it can be a hill training session on an assortment of different hill options.  That is why I like School street because it is a dead end with a paved path leading to Dunbrack. As a result there is little traffic so I can ride the whole lane which is nice during the winter so I can pick my line past ice, snow and the omnipresent ruts and potholes.  The disadvantage is you are exposed with the open Bicentential Highway to your left and usually prevailing head or cross winds.Today was no exception with a steady headwind. It hurt....bad!Especially while riding my heavy Norco hardtail.Check out the tumbling litter at the