FATHER'S DAY COMING UP
Fire up that grill with fitness!
Father’s Day is coming up this weekend. We’re also in the midst of Canadian Men’s Health Week. And, according to the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, guys may think they’re a healthy bunch, but new Canadian research shows otherwise. Recent stats show that 72% of men regularly indulge in two or more unhealthy habits, including a poor diet, smoking, drinking, not exercising or not getting regular sleep.
For Father’s Day this year, why not give the gift of good health — starting with fitness. It’s never too late to start getting active, says Ontario-based online fitness and nutrition coach Nico Alfieri, owner of Fit U Today (fitutoday.com). Alfieri says “many people get anxious at the thought of getting into shape, yet we are a collection of habits. Fitness can be easily incorporated as one of those habits.”
One place where fitness — and healthy eating — can start is in the great outdoors. We all know that, with Father’s Day coming up, many a dad will be found in the backyard, happily manning a grill and ... not doing much else.
Yet, “there’s so much activity that can take place while you’re waiting for your meal to cook,” says Alfieri, noting you can incorporate everything from “a tool box to a case of beer, even the edge of your grill,” to get in a good workout while you wait for the meal to cook.
If anyone knows about outdoor grilling and barbecuing it’s Canada’s famed griller, award-winning Chef Ted Reader (Tedreader.com) With dozens of cookbooks under his belt — not to mention close to 100 barbecues in his backyard — Reader, also a culinary instructor as well as a food product developer, is the definitive go-to when it comes to outdoor cooking.
He’s the first to admit that, throughout the years, he’s made drastic changes in his own life. A few health scares several years ago saw him switch up from an almost allmeat diet to plenty of vegetarian and vegan dishes he creates on the grill, as well as a 70-lb. weight loss.
“I made life choices because I want to be around for my kids for a long time,” said the affable chef, who was working a dozen of his grills and barbecues the day of our visit.
Did Reader want to take it a step further? With the help of trainer Alfieri, the answer was yes! “You can incorporate a great workout while waiting for your food to cook — and, when doing it in the great outdoors, you’ll feel even better,” notes Alfieri, who utilized a variety of outdoor items to help put Reader through his paces.
“Fitness is not complicated, and nor should it be, adds Alfieri, who has been a fitness expert for over 20 years. “We all lead busy lives, and the idea of changing up your routine can be daunting ... but it’s not complicated, and you don’t have to get stressed with setting yourself up with impossible goals."
Alfieri helped Reader with the exercises at right: