Chin-ups are as old as time. They are great for strengthening most upper body muscles, especially the biceps and the latissimus dorsi, (lats), also known as the climbing muscle. They are an excellent exercise, but to do them right, they are really tough. Because just achieving one correct chin-up can be a challenge, often people leave them out of their workout.

But working toward a correct chin up can be an effective workout in itself.

A correct chin-up starts with a complete arm extension. Arms are slightly wider that shoulder width apart and palms are turned in toward you. These are not to be mistaken for the pull-up, where arms are wider and palms face away from you. (those are even harder!) Pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar you are holding.

Here are a few steps you can take to work up to a full complete chin up:

The double leg assisted chin-up: stand on a chair or bench, which is placed beneath the chin-up bar. Use as much upper arm strength as you can to achieve your chin-up, but use your legs to assist you. Work toward 12 repetitions, completing each with fully extended arms.
The single-leg assisted chin-up: just like the double-leg assisted chin-up, but this is the next progression. Use just one leg to assist you in your chin-up. Continue to try to use as much of your upper body strength as possible.
The reverse (eccentric) chin-up: In this exercise, start in the end position with your chin over the bar. You can hop up or step up into this position. Lower yourself out of the chin-up slowly, using a count of 5. Using muscle while it elongates the is called an “eccentric contraction”, and is an effective way to improve strength.

After some effort practicing these assisted and alternative techniques, try just one chin-up. You will be surprised at how quickly you can improve your strength!

I encourage you to invest in a chin up bar that you can easily install in a door way.  They are easily removed and you will tend to use them when you walk through the door!

It was an early Sunday morning after a late Saturday night.  The Vancouver summer morning was perfect.  My friends picked me up in their truck, towing their gorgeous “Ski Nautique”, a speed boat specifically made for waterskiing, and we headed up to Deep Cove.

I did not grow up waterskiing, but I loved it when I learned how.  It suited me: outdoors, oceans and lakes, a sport that required strength and a little courage… and the feeling of the wind whipping by.  If you’ve done it, you know how exhilarating it feels.  I was never a pro, but could get up on one ski and hold my own for a good ride.​

On this particular morning the ocean was like “glass” as the water-skiers like to call it. Before I knew it I was floating behind the boat, arranging the rope and shouting “Okay!” The boat roared as it pulled me out of the water and I was zipping around the cove like nobody’s business. It was one of those moments you could take a snapshot of that depicted living life to its fullest; joy, courage, freedom…But it didn’t last more than a few minutes.

Out of no where I was hit with an asthma attack. Not very glamorous, right? A giant squid or an orca attack would have made for a way better story. But it stopped me dead in my tracks. In an instant I couldn’t breathe. I dropped the rope and waited for what seemed like an eternity for the boat to come around. I have no words to describe the fear I experienced in that moment. Imagine taking a breathe and your trachea closing up, over and over. My friends could see I was in trouble. They pulled me in and dug for my Ventolin, that drug in the blue dispenser that had saved me time and time again. Somehow I recovered.

In those days it was not uncommon for me to go through an entire Ventolin every couple of weeks. As well I took Flovent, an inhaled steroid, and occasionally Prednisone.

What amazes me is that in all of the visits to emergency, to respirologists, family docs and other health care professionals, no one ever asked me “What are you eating?”

I harbor no ill will, pass no judgement nor do I intend to criticize these people in any way! I know their intentions were good. They were just doing their job, the way they were taught. It is true I never made the connection myself!

It’s just that schools generally do not include education on the power of food. The good news it that is changing. Its been a slow-go, but there is a movement toward the consideration of good nutrition as it relates to health…and health recovery. Thank goodness!

Within three days of eliminating animal-based foods and most processed foods, the asthma slipped away. It rears its ugly head now and again, if something slips into a restaurant meal or if I have processed foods that contain animal products or other specific ingredients. Its not just me. Pediatricians who recommend asthmatic children go plant based barely see asthma in their practices. If you know someone struggling with asthma, you could send them this video from Dr Gregor:

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-asthma-and-eczema-with-plant-based-diets/

Did you know:  that Hippocrates first observed and wrote about negative reactions to cow’s milk around 370 BC

Tomatoes contain high concentrations of  lycopene, a dietary carotenoid which is an antioxidant that fights free radicals that can potentially lead to cancer, heart disease and  premature aging.  Cooking tends to release the fat-soluble lycopenes from the fruits cell, making these antioxidants readily available.

Tomatoes are also high in vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K, and are great sources of potassium, iron, folate and phosphorus.  A medium tomato has as much fibre as a slice of whole grain bread, and contains about 35 calories. The tomato is a luscious fruit we know fondly as a vegetable.

Selecting your Tomatoes… There are over 7,000 varieties of tomato, with colours ranging from green stripes to dark purples.  They can weigh several pounds and they can be as small as a grape. Look for heavy tomatoes that are fragrant.  Heirloom varieties look a lot less perfect and tend to be fragile  Because of this, you probably won’t see them in the grocery store.  The heirloom tomatoes I buy at my farmer’s market are by far the tastiest I have ever had.  Don’t store tomatoes in the refrigerator.  The cold will render them bland and makes the flesh kind of pulpy.

If you want to peel a tomato, here is a neat trick:

-cut out the stem

-using tongs or a slotted spoon, dip the tomato into boiling water for 15 seconds.

-remove and place in ice water to cool.

-the skin should slip off easily!

If you want to remove seeds: cut tomato in half and gently squeeze over a bowl. Use a spoon or your finger to help detach the seeds.   The Wolf Peach:

Tomatoes are native to western South America and Central America.  In 1519 Cortez discovered tomatoes growing in montezuma’s gardens and brought seeds back to  Europe.  They were first planted as ornamental plants, but not eaten.  In Spain and Italy they were known as pomo d’oro, meaning ‘gold apples’, and the french called them pommes d’amour, or ‘love apples’, as they were thought to have aphrodisiacal qualities. French botanist Tournefort provided the latin name for tomato: Lycopersiconesculentum, which translates to ”wolf peach”; round and luscious like a peach, but thought to be poisonous: “poison in a palatable package which was used to destroy wolves”.

Tomatoes were once thought to be dangerous; up until the 18th century, physicians warned that tomatoes could cause appendicitis and stomach cancer.  But Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson of Salem, New Jersey had brought the tomato home from abroad in 1806.  He had been offering a prize yearly for the largest grown, but the public considered the tomato an ornamental plant.  On September 26, 1820, Colonel Johnson stood on the steps of the Salem courthouse and consumed an entire basket of tomatoes to prove they were safe.  He attracted over 2,000 people who were certain he was killing himself!  By 1842 farm journals of the time were touting the tomato as the latest craze….