I reserve the right to change my mind on things the way I change my underwear, once every few years or so. Failure to do so results in a whole build up of disgusting crustiness.

Real, whole foods.  That has always been my stance on nutrition.  I was never a supplements shill.  I still believe that whole, unprocessed foods should be the foundation of your fitness plan and that each meal should be built around protein.

What does that look like for me?

Meal 1: eggs
Meal 2: grass fed beef or bison or elk
Meal 3: chicken
Meal 4: salmon

Each protein is accompanied by a selection of vegetables, blueberries and dairy in the form of yogurt, cheese, kefir or water buffalo milk.

Change #1: HEAL Meal Replacement
In 2019 I added HEAL meal replacement to my post workout feeding as a hedge against deficiencies in trace vitamins and minerals.  It has proven very effective and we stock it at Empower for members who find it helpful and because my family continues to use it daily.  HEAL is the best in class meal replacement with no comparable products available on the market.  I know the owner, I know his story and I know the company’s profound commitment to excellence.  I never imagined myself using a product like this but sustaining my training regimen as an older athlete requires me to do things a bit differently than I did when I was young.  Do you know if you are getting your required daily dosage of cadmium or manganese?  I sure didn’t.  HEAL is my hedge against unexpected deficiencies.  It is a meal replacement designed for medical settings where patients are tube fed and rely on this as their sole source of nutrients.  That’s why HEAL is required to be third party tested to contain all the macronutrients, micronutrients and trace minerals required to survive.  Over the years I’ve discovered that hoping my daily meals were sufficiently balanced was not an effective strategy.  With HEAL I am assured all my bases are covered.

Order your HEAL here.

Change #2: Electrolytes
We have Mr. Fantastic to thank for introducing us to the miracle of electrolytes.  For most of my life I have suffered from chronic muscle cramping after intense training sessions.  Sports drinks do not resolve this.  I know, I have tried.  At the 2022 CanWest Games Mr. Fantastic had us using pedialyte to prevent cramping and speed recovery and it worked brilliantly.  The problem is it is very high in sugar.  Shades got us switched onto Robb Wolf’s LMNT electrolytes which are the best in class.  Robb Wolf is uncompromising when it comes to standards and his sugar free LMNT is formulated for maximal potency.  Since adding this to my post workout feeding I have enjoyed a cramp free lifestyle.  LMNT is not available for wholesale in Canada so as much as we love this product we cannot stock it at Empower but it is easy to order online at Amazon and delivers within 1 to 2 days.  I like the flavourless and the raspberry salt. 

You can purchase LMNT here.

Change #3: Body Composition Scan   
Because of my hate-hate relationship with scales I have long avoided body composition scanners.  Last summer we decided to invest in the InBody scanner because we saw how it could benefit our Empower athletes.  When we made the purchase, I had no intention of using it.  In fact, I only got on the machine as part of my training demo to learn how to operate it.  It was hard to argue with the value of the data it provided.  Maintaining lean muscle mass as we age is one of the keys to increased healthspan, decreasing all cause mortality and increasing quality of life.  How do you know if your training and nutritional regime are working if you are not measuring changes in body composition?  The scale tells you nothing at best and can be misleading at worst.  The InBody scan provides much more actionable feedback.  For example, over the past six weeks training I have added 0.6lbs of lean muscle mass or a tenth of a pound per week.  For a fit athlete over 50 that is a pretty incredible accomplishment and tells me that my training and nutrition are right on track!  I’ve gone from “I don’t want to know” to measuring my progress every 6 weeks and making micro adjustments to my training and nutrition based on the results.  As they used to say at the end of each animated G.I. Joe episode: “Knowing is half the battle!”

You can purchase an InBody scan here.

Change #4: Protein Powder
After my illness in November of last year I saw a troubling decline in muscle mass.  Studies suggest that after age 40 we lose 1% muscle mass per year.  Loss of muscle mass being a major contributor to increased risk of all cause mortality and a significant factor in loss of quality of life, any sudden loss in muscle mass is concerning.  When my InBody scan indicated this negative trend, I determined to take action to reverse direction.  I have always poo-pooed protein powders but desperate to reverse the loss of muscle mass and unable to pack more protein into my meals, I resorted to the previously maligned whey powders as a way to increase my daily protein intake.  Despite all the aspersions cast by my former self, it has worked like a charm.  Not only have I regained the lost muscle mass, I have increased my muscle mass beyond where it was one year ago.  As I fine tune my nutrition and training I see the possibility of regaining some of the strength I have lost over the years.   

You can order BioEdge protein powder here.  Discount code: Empower

Adapting
As we age our bodies change.  What once worked may not always.  Above are four ways over the recent years that I have done an about face on previously held beliefs changing my habits to produce better outcomes.  Another example: for 15 years of my life I was vegetarian.  It worked until it didn’t.  When my health and performance declined, I was willing to reassess my belief system in the face of measurable facts and overhaul my lifestyle in order to recover my health and vitality.  The lesson learned was to commit to results, not beliefs.  Paleo worked for a while.  And then low carb was more effective.  Until it wasn’t.  I am always willing to experiment and then preserve what works while discarding what doesn’t.  There is no one size fits all, different things will work for different people.  But what works for a time may not always work.  You need to be willing to objectively measure and adapt as needed. 

The Muscle Milk Story
When we first opened on Dunbar we were visited by a sales rep from Muscle Milk with a case of their product as free samples for members.  Looking at the ingredients I handed him back the case and told him we weren’t interested. 

“It’s free,” he insisted. 

“It’s poison,” I replied. 

“Your local CrossFit competitors are earning great monthly revenue selling this in their gyms,” he argued.

“But I actually like my members,” I replied, “I don’t care how much you pay me, I am not giving poison to the people I love.”

We didn’t make any money selling Muscle Milk to members.  I refuse to sell anything that I wouldn’t use for myself and my family.  I share this story because last week Shades and I decided to partner Empower with BioEdge and to promote their products. 

BioEdge Partnership
Shades recently introduced me to BioEdge, a Canadian company that produces top of the line, third party tested protein powder.  We were interested because we have had a lot of success recently transforming body composition for members by simply adding protein powder to their daily regimen.  It’s such a simple change for such amazing results. 

The problem is athletes often don’t know which product to get or where to buy it.  Most of these products are not third party tested and when studies have been done few of them contain the protein quantities advertised.  Or maybe the salesperson at Popeye’s insists you should get the product with “Mass Builder” (true story).     

The HEAL we sell is a great product but it does not contain enough protein to be a replacement for protein supplements.  If you have a good protein powder that works for you, carry on.  I have been using LeanFit whey protein powder from Costco and think it is pretty good but I will be switching to BioEdge’s whey protein formulation which we will carry at Empower for the convenience of athletes looking for a good product.  They also have a Vegan option.

We will also carry other products in the BioEdge line because they are of high quality and thoroughly tested to deliver what they promise to deliver.  They have an electrolyte formulation that I will use in addition to LMNT (not instead of - I still believe that LMNT is the best electrolyte formulation on the market).  They have a greens formulation that I will test because it just tastes so good and refreshing!  There are several other products (pre-workout, gut health, etc) that you can buy with our discount code: Empower.  But I am sceptical not of the quality but the utility of these additional supplements.  If you try them we would love to hear your feedback and recommendations if you think we should test them out.

Full disclosure, Empower will earn money on every BioEdge product sold but that is not why we have decided to partner with them.  Just like the HEAL, we will not push BioEdge products on anyone but we will make them available for those who are interested.  We will only stock them because I believe in the quality and my family and I intend to use them ourselves. 

If you’re interested, place your order here: https://bioedgesciences.ca/collections/all-products

Discount code: Empower

Friday Make Up Day

1) Working for the Weekend
30 min AMRAP
20 Ring Row Squats
10 Judo Push Ups
200m KB Farmer’s Carry

2) Daniel
50 Pull-ups
400 meter run
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
800 meter run
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
400 meter run
50 Pull-ups

3) Randy
75 Power Snatches