Like all O’s, if I don’t do some strenuous exercise 3 to 4 times a week, I’m a wreck and in several ways…my sleep patterns go amok….I reach for the sweets(chocolate mostly) to raise my endorphins and lastly my adrenaline levels go up and with no release, whacks my emotional well being.

I thought I would give you my weekly exercise routine. I prefer to exercise out side but with a full three-month winter up here and cold, running outside for me is out of the question…the cold is to hard on the lungs. I prefer bike riding and roller blading as my aerobic exercises. In the winter I have what’s called a dry trainer (about $200.00 in any bike store and sure beats spending another grand on a stationary bike), which I hook my regular bike to. In the winter three to four times a week first thing in the morning, I am on the bike for 30 to 40 minutes (usually listening to the White Stripes or something very upbeat). Before I get on, I fix myself a glass of Harmonia, which is a “green drink Dr. D has come up with…this is my morning pick me up. For those of you who need coffee to get you alert in the morning, try weaning yourself off and have a glass of the green stuff with a beneficial juice (usually cherry for me) and see how wide awake you feel in 5 minutes. Anyway one drink and my body is ready to work out hard. After I work up a good sweat (one of nature’s great ways to detoxify yourself) for a half hour to 45 minutes, I follow up with a Type O protein shake, which I mix with fresh pineapple juice. The two are great together because the bromelin in the juice helps break down the protein and secondly it’s great for sore muscles especially after workout. I read that the bromelin and protein help your muscles recover faster. I would recommend anyone who wants to enjoy beneficial juices the way nature intended to, to go out a buy a good juicer…canned or bottled pineapple juice just doesn’t cut it because usually the juice is boiled before it goes in to the can or jar and the boiling destroys all the good enzymes from the fruit…. most bottled or jugged juices are devoid of their natural enzymes. If you decide to buy a juicer, make sure you buy one that has a large enough hopper to accept a whole fruit like an apple…this will involve less preparation and cutting.

On the off days that I’m not bicycling, I work my upper body. I personally do not use weights of any kind but let gravity and my own body weight dictate how much weight I lift. In my case, all I do is three sets of 40 pushups…just pushups, nothing else. The pushup, if done right without your back slouched and done slowly, will work every muscle in your upper body including your stomach muscles. My intention with the pushups is not to bulk up but to keep my muscles toned and looking natural…I like buying my suits off the rack…42 regular is where I like to stay. Note…since being on the BTD diet, I have to get the pants altered with 42 regular suits because my waist went from a 35 to a 32” waist…my “love” handles disappeared.

Spring weather here in Toronto is not far away and I live by the lake. There is a lakeside bicycle/blading/runners path that goes from one side of the city to the other and I am anxiously waiting so I can unhook my bike from the dry trainer and make like Lance Armstrong for 20 miles or so 4 times a week.

If you see a bald man screaming by you on a bike…say hello…it just may be me.