1. Check the Weather Network

Know what the weather is going to be like and be prepared for the worst. I regularly check the forecast on The Weather Network.com and I have a weather app on my phone as well. If a storm rolls in be prepared with a battery powered radio and flashlights ready.

2. Shovel Smart

When snow is heavy and hard to throw grab a can of Pam, and spray your shovel with it. Now your shoveling blade will be the proper weapon in the war against precipitation.  If you are older and not used to daily exercise I recommend investing in a snow blower, or getting someone else to shovel for you, because year after year I hear of people who have heart attacks and die from heavy shoveling.  Don’t be one of them.

3. Build a Fire

Dateline NBC Winter Survival Show with survival expert Cody Lundin explains a few winter survival tips in the video below.  First, don’t panic.  Remain in control and work at about 60% of your peak energy level to set up a place to sleep and build a fire.  Gather all of the wood you will need first and build a ti-pi to allow the oxygen access to the fuel to get the fire going.  Make sure you bring a lighter, or some form of fire starter if you are going out into the woods.  After your fire is looking healthy, start to build a larger, smokey, signal fire that you can use to show a search party where you are located.

4. Get Geared up for the Cold

First of all, make sure you are wearing a hat. Between 7 percent and 55 percent of total body heat can be lost through the head. The amount of blood going to the head is controlled by the intensity of your heart rate. The harder your body is working, the more blood is circulated to the head, and the more quickly heat will be radiated away without a hat. Dress in layers, and make sure you have plenty of warm gear until the snow starts to clear.  The North Face, and Columbia are two of my favorite winter brands.

5. Carry a Cell Phone

If you are lost out in the cold communication is essential.  Make sure you bring your cell phone with you.  If you are going to be traveling somewhere that may not have service call someone first and let them know where you are going to be, and when you should be back, so that if you lose your way someone will soon be on their way to find you.

Hopefully these five tips help you stay warm and alive this winter.  Don’t let the fact that hundreds of under prepared people die stop you from being smart and having a great time.  Exercise outdoors is a good thing, don’t believe the myth that exercise in the cold is bad you you, and get out there and have some fun outdoors!  That’s what the winter is for.

Feedback

Share some of your winter survival tips in the comments below!

I recently checked out an interview Kevin Rose did with Dr. Weil, and I found the video so worthwhile that I had to write this post about the nutrition and health knowledge it shares. Since watching this interview I have implemented a few supplemental suggestions from Dr. Weil into my own life. After having made these changes I’ve noticed an improvement in my overall health and mood.

The two supplements that I purchased and have started taking since watching this video are fish oil, and vitamin D. Some research suggests that a vitamin D deficiency might underlie seasonal depression and I certainly agree that there is a correlation here. On some winter days when the sky is dark and my body is deprived of vitamin D I can feel the bleakness of the weather in my body. I have found that supplementing vitamin D and trying to get as much sunlight as possible has really helped with this. Exercise, of course, is another method I use to turn my mood around on any given day.

If you are wondering how much Vitamin D to take, according to Dr. Weil:

“More than 70 percent of the U.S. population is D-deficient, I recommend that everyone take a daily supplement of 2,000 IU. Don’t be concerned that 2,000 IU will give you too much. With exposure to sunlight in the summer, the body can generate between 10,000 IU and 20,000 IU of vitamin D per hour with no ill effects. In addition, no adverse effects have been seen with supplemental vitamin D intakes up to 10,000 IU daily.”

Fish Oil makes the claim to improve brain functioning, and also helps to regulate cholesterol levels in the body. The reason for these benefits is due to the high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that fish oil contains.  In addition, studies published in 2004 and 2009 suggest that fish oil may reduce the risk of depression.

One cool tip that I liked from this interview was the advice to “Eat across the color spectrum.”  This is simple advice, and yet effective. If you consider any rich colored fruit, like blueberries, or pomegranates, these contain antioxidant rich poly-phenols. It makes sense that food of different natural colors will have unique health benefits of their own so I have tried to integrate this tip into my diet whenever possible.

Since it is impossible to eat every type of food in a single day I recommend that you take multivitamins as a way to ensure you get your daily intake of nutrients. Multivitamins are not created equal and I recommend spending enough to get a good quality multivitamin as it will easily pay for itself in the health benefits you will receive.

Dr. Weil also recommends drinking a fair share of high quality Green Tea, and this is a practice I also stand by.  Green tea has antioxidants and really helps to cleanse an over caffeinated system.

For more cool health tips like these follow @DrWeil on Twitter and check out the website DrWeil.com.

Feedback

Do you take any supplements or vitamins? What have been the health effects for you, and what do you recommend?

The Longest way is a video of the epic one year adventure of Christoph Rehage. Christoph did not shave or cut his hair during his adventure and managed to grow a beard as epic as the adventure itself. Here is the long red line showing the distance that Christoph traveled on foot.

I found a great quote from his travel blog:

It doesn’t matter what dream you choose to follow, as long as you have one. Go follow your dream, and laugh while you’re doing it!

I love how at the end of this video he asks “who was this person”…”was it really me?” The video seems to me to do a great job of showing how Christoph was able to grow from his adventurous experience.

Adventures help shape who we are. Our will power gains strength as we conquer the challenges we create. Adventures are expressions of freedom.

Here is a glance at the comment wall from Christoph’s Blog. This was the first time I had seen a commenting system like this. It resembles a cork board with a thousand post-its, one piled on after the other.

I want to have an epic adventure of my own.  The most adventurous challenge of my life was when I decided to run 100 laps of my high school track for the terry fox run without training.  It’s amazing what can be accomplished when you refuse to allow a single shred of doubt to enter your mind.  This May I will be running my second marathon and I am looking forward to it, although my body is already wincing from the agony I will force it to endure.

While discussing my recent decision to take on the P90x challenge and do 90 straight days of exercise on my quest for ripped abs, the topic of mountain biking came up.  I think if I were going to undertake an adventure such as Christoph’s I would like to do it on bike rather than on foot. It simply makes more sense to me to cover more country in less time.

Chris Sacca recently biked from coast to coast across America.  I would love to take up the challenge of going coast to coast as well, only in Canada.  Is there any better way to get to know this country I was born in?  If I take on such an adventure I would love to do so for a great cause, and I would follow Sacca’s lead by raising awareness for Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG foundation.

Feedback

Are you planning any adventures? What was the most epic adventure of your life?

As you can see from the image and video above, using City Move is a really simple process. I have moved twice in the past two years and I have been frustrated with outrageous and nonnegotiable moving costs.  I really like how CityMove gives the power back to the consumer, and provides the opportunity to negotiate a great price.

A Directory that will Move you

Another cool feature that makes CityMove the New York Movers website of choice is the Find Movers directory. Here a complete directory of the 390+ movers that use CityMove can be found. The best part about this directory is that you can check out the Top Rated Movers over the last 90 days, or for all time.

The site seems very straightforward and easy to use, but if you have any questions there is a video tours section of the site that goes through exactly how you can use this service.

The other day I had a chance to visit the coffee shop that trumps all coffee shops, and there I drank the best coffee of my life! The Merchants of Green Coffee is tucked in beside the DVP just off of Queen st. East, in Toronto. For coffee lovers such as myself it is well worth the journey. The Merchants make the claim that 99% of all coffee is stale, and after tasting theirs, I agree.

View a Large Google Map of the Merchants of Green Coffee

Why is all other coffee stale?

The reason why 99% of coffee is stale because roasted coffee has a shelf life of about 5 days. To maximize efficiency most large coffee corporations roast coffee in bulk at roasting facilities, and then ship it out to their different franchises. This is the case with Starbucks, Tim Horton’s, Second Cup, etc. Unfortunately this mass roasting process means that most coffee has been sitting for months by the time it is brewed, instead of days.

Where do green beans come from?

Merchants of Green Coffee buy their green coffee beans direct from the growers, who are found in different countries near the Equator. Coffee beans are grown in countries like Columbia, Hondouras, and India. Where coffee is grown has a direct effect on the taste. Coffee pulls it’s flavor from the soil in which it grows.

Not only are the beans green, so is the business. The farmers that these beans come from are paid a fair wage so that they can continue to live and farm coffee the way it should be grown; naturally, and without pesticides.

Roasting Instructions

When I bought my first bag of green coffee beans I got a quick lesson on how to roast them. The directions are simple: 10 to 15 minutes dry roasting in the oven at 450 degrees. Once you hear the beans start to pop they are ready, but you can tweak the roasting process depending on the flavor you are seeking.

What are you waiting for?

The cost of these beans is slightly more than average, but easily comparable to other fair trade coffee, and the product is far superior. If you do procure for yourself some of these delicious coffee beans make sure to consume your coffee with caution. This coffee is so delicious that you can easily drink far more than you are used to.  So take care, and enjoy!

Since then I have found that the other important responsibilities in my life have become easier to achieve, as my body and mind have been stress free.

I have my first child, a son, on the way in about seven weeks and to say that I have had to deal with a little bit of stress is an understatement.  Daily exercise has really helped and I have found that any stress I have seems to sweat itself away.

My secret to exercising regularly, without getting bored or discouraged, is doing exercise that I enjoy.  In addition to the fun and engaging P90x, I also focus on strength training at the gym, and play sports.

Sports are another way to make exercise fun, and if you are playing a sport you love it probably does not seem like exercise at all.  I play on a hockey team, but our season just wrapped up.  I also belong to a broomball team, the shockers, but I am taking the rest of this season off so that I can focus on work.  Sports are also a great way to socialize, and some of the best friendships I have were started on the hockey rink, or on the soccer field.

I decided to write this post so I can share with you five of my favorite exercises from the gym.  Here they are:

1. Running

Running is probably the best exercise on the planet, and certainly my favorite.  There are few activities that really allow me to take it to the limit, and running is one of them.  Running burns almost twice as many calories as biking does, and once you break through the 8 minute barrier it’s the most enjoyable exercise there is.  The secret to running is those first 10 minutes, because once you break through them your endorphins will kick in and you’ll have runners high to help you fight the rest of the way.  Set goals and try to beat them every time.

2. Bench Press

Some people have certain chest days when they will work on their chest, but I like to workout my chest every time I hit the gym.  I usually start my workout with bench press because the chest is a major muscle group and working it really gets the pump going.  Bench Press works best with a spotter, but even if you don’t have someone to spot you, you can use the [name of bench machine], free weights, or simply do push ups.

3. Bicep Curls

Bicep curls are encouraging as they isolate the bicep, which is the most noticeable muscle in the arm.  There is something about being able to see your muscles working that I find makes it much easier to work them out hard.  I curl 60lb dumbbells at this point, and hopefully I can get that weight even higher over time.  I remember seeing a teacher (Mr. Niel) at my highschool curl 80lbs, but that is the most I have ever seen anyone do.  Curl machines and preacher curl stands are also great if you want to really isolate the bicep.

4. Chin Ups

Chin-ups work more of the upper body than few other exercises.  Doing these work the back, arms, and forearms.  With chin-ups I find that it is very difficult for me to increase my maximum, since I am lifting 200lbs, but I enjoy them nonetheless.  The best way to improve is to either use an assisted chin-up machine, or to have a friend hold your feet once you can no longer lift your full weight alone.

5. Tricep Dips

Tricep dips are fantastic and I do them every time I hit the gym.  If you have two chairs at home you can use them to do this exercise, but the best way is with the two bars at the gym.  I have found with this exercise that I am able to increase my maximum quite regularly, and now I can do thirty in a row. The ability to improve with this exercise has given me significant encouragement to keep trying my best and pushing my max.

Hopefully looking over these exercises encourages you to go and try them out for yourself.  If you do, best of luck!

Feedback

What are some of your favorite exercises? What did you think of the videos? What exercises do you hate?

I met Jared shortly after I strolled through the front doors of The Drake Hotel at 1150 Queen st. west.  I would have remembered to check in on foursquare but the conversation was too captivating for my attention to wander away from my hosts to my iPhone.

Jared came from Chicago with Emanuel, and both were here to appreciate what the city has to offer, and to do a spot for jettisonquarterly.com.  Jettison is a quarterly online arts, music, fashion, and design magazine, with an average issue containing between 200-300 pages.

Emanuel is a co-founder of Jettison, and I can tell he is exceptionally passionate about his publication.

Jared is a performance artist, and has some exceptionally bold pieces on his website JaredHatch.com.  We had a cool conversation about the different types of work we do, and I had a chance to talk up my love affair with Twitter and my upcoming book The Ultimate Twitter Toolbox.

The manager from the Drake made sure we were set up with everything we needed for the shoot to go off without a hitch.

Jared’s piece for Jettison is all about showcasing hidden venues of culinary excellence from around the world.  The Drake Hotel may not be hidden, but it is certainly one of Toronto’s culinary and cultural gems.

We ordered a few different colorful drinks, mostly to make the pictures look artsy and interesting (I’m typically a draft beer kind of guy) and Emanuel took a bunch of pictures of me and Jared. For some of the pictures Jared put on an orange hat and “paparazzi sunglasses” that looked like they were stolen from Lady Gaga. I wonder how the pictures turned out!  I had to stop myself from laughing because the glasses were so outrageous.

I also had some solo photos taken, and I was told they will make it into the publication too.  We took pictures until the memory cards were full and then the guys had to get going.  It is a long drive back to Chicago tonight for them (8 hours at least).

Look for the pics and an article about my upcoming Twitter Tools book in the March edition of Jettison Quarterly, they’ll be sure to make you smile.

I have spent the last week working my butt off on this ebook, and I hope you find it useful!

The Ultimate Twitter Toolbox will feature a more in depth look at the 15 top tools from this ebook, and many others. Feel free to share this report around and help build the hype for my coming book release!

Cheers,

Garin Kilpatrick

@GarinKilpatrick

I take my health to heart, and am always looking for interesting and fun new ways go get and stay fit. Last week when my friend Joel told me about how using P90X could help P90X “eradicate every fat cell in the body” I decided it was time I try it out for myself.

So far P90X is fun, and intense. The video recommends taking “before” pictures when you start, so I did, and I have included them in this post.

P90X does not confuse the fact that fitness is part exercise, and part healthy eating, although it focuses on the former.  Due to this truism of fitness I will be fighting a battle to improve my health on two fronts over the next three months.

The Goal

My goal from this fitness experiment is to attain an undeniable six-pack.

Exercise Plan

My exercise plan for P90X is to use the videos, or hit the gym, at least 6 times a week. and stick to an entirely healthy diet, with no exceptions. If food does not advance my health I will not put it in my body.

Any day that I go to the gym I will not worry about completing a video. I’ll allow myself one day of rest a week. Although the P90X program is intense, I still feel that I get more from hitting the gym, and being surrounded by other people working out. When I do hit the gym, my plan is to do at least 30 minutes of cardio while I am there.

Healthy Eating Plan

P90X makes it quite clear that healthy eating is a part of a healthy exercise plan, and towards this initiative my goal is to eliminate sugar wherever possible (without substituting for aspartame) and to also eliminate fatty, fast, and junk foods altogether.

When eating on the go I plan to eat almost exclusively either a sub or a pita. Despite eating several of these a week already, I find that there is enough variety to keep me from getting bored. I love subs and have often considered going on a subway diet of sorts. It worked for Jared!

I am going to avoid soda with no exceptions. My plan is to drink mainly plain H2O, or vitamin water. I carry a stainless steel water canister so that I can stay hydrated wherever I am. I drink plenty of coffee and I recently bought a Mr. Coffee espresso maker for under $70. The best part of this machine is that is has a milk steamer on the side. Coffee with steamed milk is divine. Not only does adding steamed milk to coffee make it taste much better, it also removes the need for sugar!

Here are my before pictures. I’ll be posting again in 90 days (April 21st) with my after pictures, and my thoughts about the effectiveness of this P90X fitness experiment.