Tennis - and why I suck at it

I suck at tennis.

However I should note that I only tried tennis once back in university because a friend asked me to help him train - and he had years of experience whereas I had never even held a tennis racquet before.

And he thoroughly defeated me, as to be expected when someone experienced and skilled faces someone who is totally inexperienced and has no tennis skills yet to speak of. Plus he had one heck of a back-swing.

Thus my "suckiness at tennis" is really because I knew nothing about it, had zero experience and after that incident in university I never pursued tennis.

Had I actually pursued it however I could have gotten much better. No one near professional I would wager. But at least I would no longer suck at it.

And that really is the essence of dedication. In order to excel at a sport you really need to dedicate yourself to it.

Take archery for example. Ignoring a hiatus during university I have been doing archery for approx. 25 years. That is some serious dedication on my part. And to put my archery skill in perspective earlier today I shot a nice cluster of arrows at 50 yards (150 feet) using a 45 lb traditional recurve bow. That feat  requires some serious strength, dedication and patience. Lots and lots of practice, weight lifting and even yoga went into training to be able to do archery feats of skill and strength.

So my message for people out there exercising / seeking to try a new sport: Don't give up on the first day like I did with tennis. I acknowledge I suck at tennis and I know why I suck at tennis. But maybe someday I will get into it. There is a tennis court 3 minutes from my home so I could easily get back into it.

Or I could get back into baseball or hockey. There is also a baseball diamond and a hockey rink nearby too. Lots of options.

12 Things People do on their Lunch Hour - and how it benefits you health wise

People do lots of things during their lunch hours. But what they do during those 60 minutes can have lasting effects on your health.

#1. Leave the Office / Avoid their Desk.

= Less stress = Less over-eating due to stress and better quality sleep due to lack of stress.

#2. Eat Healthy.

= Healthier bones, muscles, organs. Lots of benefits.

#3. Workout / Exercise.

= Burns fat, builds muscle and reduces stress, causes healthier sleep patterns.

#4. Have a Nap.

= Better quality sleep, reduced stress. Naps also make you more productive and energetic.

#5. Run Errands.

= Light exercise and you feel better about yourself having accomplished lots of things today.

#6. Read.

#7. Unplug their Devices.

#8. Network with Colleagues.

#9. Enjoy time with Friends.

6, 7, 8, 9 = Less stress = Less over-eating due to stress and better quality sleep due to lack of stress.

#10. Plan their Afternoon, Evening, Weekend.

= A well planned out schedule with time for exercise, time for play, time to accomplish things, and time to relax.

#11. Working during your lunch hour...

= More stress will cause you to overeat and effect your sleep patterns. Your lunch hour is meant to be a break for a reason, so you can eat, relax and recuperate. If you just keep working during your lunch hour you are just hurting yourself over the long term.

#12. Smoke

= Lung cancer and a host of other physical problems. Seriously, do you really want to have your happiness to be based on a nicotine addiction? Do yourself a favour, throw away the tobacco and never touch the stuff again. If you tell yourself you're not allowed to even touch tobacco products and your willpower is strong enough, you can quit cold turkey.

8 Fun Exercises you can do in Toronto during the Autumn

Hey Toronto! Happy Autumn Equinox! It is September 21st and Fall is officially here.

Want something fun to do in the city for exercise? Well here is a list of 8 things you can do.

#1. Go Cycling on one or more of Toronto's cycling trails.

#2. Visit Toronto Island and go for a walk. Take the dog with you.

#3. Explore some of Toronto's many scenic parks.

#4. Sign up for a Yoga Boot Camp or similar exercise activity at one of Toronto's Recreational Centres.

#5. Go Kayaking or Canoeing on one of Toronto's rivers.

#6. Join a fitness oriented meetup group - there are many to choose from. eg. The Toronto Archery Club.

#7. Train for a local marathon in Toronto (Toronto has several different marathons and a number of marathon-like events every year).

#8. Take your horse for a swim. Okay, this last one is a joke. But you could still go swimming in one of Toronto's indoor pools which are open all year long. Or you could take up horseback riding. Both are good exercise.

Does Vitamin D help you lose weight?

Q

"Hello! I keep hearing that Vitamin D helps people lose weight and that a lack of Vitamin D causes people to gain weight. Is this true? How can a Vitamin make people lose weight?

Curious
Samantha"

A

Hey Samantha!

Well the good news is YES, Vitamin D does help people lose weight and yes it is equally true that a lack of vitamin D also causes people to lose weight.

How does it work? Well it is very complicated, but I will break it down for you so you can understand all the things Vitamin D does.

#1. Vitamin D regulates how the human body stores fat for the winter. During the summer when people are outside (hopefully exercising outside) their body absorbs sunlight on their skin and the human body absorbs that sunlight and then your kidneys creates vitamin D. You don't actually need to eat food with Vitamin D in the food, although that helps too.

#2. Whether you eat the Vitamin D, get it from sunlight, or even from a Vitamin D supplement, the end result is that Vitamin D triggers a fat burning mechanism in your body and gives you more energy. It basically acts like a catalyst causing your body to burn more fat, make you more energetic, and then the extra energy being used causes you to lose weight.

[What actually happens is our skin absorbs UVB radiation from the sunlight and uses that energy to make Vitamin D which goes into our blood; The liver converts the Vitamin D in your blood into Hydroxy D - and then Hydroxy D does the rest of the work.]

#3. When the human body has a lack of Vitamin D (from sunlight or other sources) what happens is the opposite. The human body starts storing up fat for the winter. Basically this is our Cro-Magnon Man genes at work, telling us that we need to store up fat for the winter.

#4. A lack of vitamin D also makes people more hungry. They start eating more than they need to in an effort to store up extra fat for the winter. You don't even consciously know you are doing it, but your body is sending signals to your brain (and vice versa) telling you to eat more because "Winter is coming."

And yes, that was totally a Game of Thrones reference.

Vitamin D also has numerous other health benefits including disease prevention by boosting your immune system, stronger bones, boosts insulin production, and helps prevent heart disease and diabetes.

Fish, vegetables, fruit and milk are all excellent sources of Vitamin D. So eat all those healthy foods during the winter and you will see results around your waistline. And if you get a chance to go someplace sunny for a vacation during the winter, take it!

To learn more on this topic I recommend reading the following two posts:

All About Vitamins - What do they do?

Winter Weight Gain and What to Do about It

Funny Quote about Exercise and Fat

Normally I don't post funny exercise quotes like this (because many of the images are anti-exercise), but I decided to make an exception for this one because it is actually pro-exercise.

I find it sad that there are so many anti-exercise cartoons / images out there - a reflection of people who have basically given up on exercising and being healthy. To those people who still have hope, you can do it. I did it. Others have done it. Once you start exercising, just keep doing it. You will never regret doing something that is good for you. You only regret NOT doing the things you knew was good for you but you didn't do because you lacked the motivation. Find the motivation. Find the time. Keep doing it.