The age-old trick of crossing your arms to emphasize the biceps.

I just moved to Toronto two weeks ago, and with this change in scenery, I also set new goals and aspirations for myself. My first goal is to not get hit by a streetcar (I know this sounds like a joke, but you cannot even fathom how absent-minded I can be) and my second goal is becoming a healthier person.

I am currently reading a book called ‘Thrive Fitness’ by Brendan Brazier. This book is one of the most inspiring and easy-to-digest books I’ve ever read pertaining to health and wellness. It is not gimmicky; it presents no crash diets or bogus exercise routines. The premise of the book is that what we eat and how we exercise our body translates into better physical and mental health.

I know this seems obvious, but if it is so obvious, then why do so many of us continue to eat refined foods containing no nutritional value? Why are fifty-nine percent of Canadians overweight or obese? Why do we continue to rely on coffee to wake us up and sleeping pills to put us out?

The answer is simple. Even though it is obvious that we need to treat our bodies right to get the most out of them, everything around us, including mass media, the leading food companies, and cultural norms, makes it much easier for us to engage in destructive habits.

This is why transformative leaders like Brendan Brazier are so important in alerting us to the obvious truth: we are not living healthy, sustainable lifestyles. To give you a sense of how accomplished Mr. Brazier is, here is an excerpt of his biography that leads the book.

“Brendan Brazier is one of only a few professional athletes in the world whose diet is 100 percent plant-based. He’s a professional Ironman triathlete…and the creator of an award-winning line of whole food nutritional products called Vega. He is also a two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion.”

Not bad, I guess. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in leading a healthier, more productive life. This book can help you lose weight, manage your time more effectively, significantly reduce your carbon footprint, solve problems and be more creative, and anything else you want to improve. The reason it can help with all of these things is because Brazier espouses the benefits of a holistic approach. When we treat our bodies well, everything else will naturally follow.

I am not trying to be a preacher. I went out for a couple of beers last night and I enjoyed some comedy at this establishment. I am not a leader to whom you should look for guidance. I’m just the dude telling you about the leader so that you can implement his advice on diet and exercise.

I can tell you that I have exercised almost every day since moving to Toronto and eaten natural, nutrient-filled meals most of the time. I have woken up refreshed and ready to take on the day. In short, I feel healthy and alert.

This is important to me, because being alert significantly increases the likelihood that I will achieve my first goal of not getting hit by a streetcar.

Makes Cents (5)

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Eats, Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Tags: Brendan Brazier, D.J. Demers, Recession, Screw You Recession, Thrive Fitness