Advanced Diet and Sports Nutrition Blog

What I did on my summer vacation: Found out all about muscles as molecular and metabolic machines. Beats Disneyland any day!

The results are in…announcing the winners from our 2008 Lean Eating Body Transformation Challenge. Check out some of these awesome transformation photos.

What can you learn from these winners and true champions that can be applied to your own preparations and bigger journey? They exude “winnerness.”

When it comes to muscle building, leucine is the rock star of amino acids. It has its own VIP entrance to the cells, and the DJs mTOR and Rheb start the protein synthesis party when it arrives. But is leucine on its own better than whey?

PN Member Canada K just went the distance, dropping his body fat to an ultra-low 6%. How did he do it? And what can you learn from his experience? Click here to find out.

Kids these days, with their rock music and Frosted Flakes! Mr. Andrews learns ‘em good.

Are you the kind of person who loves a good marathon? Or are you the kind of person who prefers to watch the marathon on TV as you lie on the couch? Is there such thing as a “natural” exerciser or non-exerciser?

What if we told you there was a dirt-cheap source of protein, fibre, and vitamins that was as close as your pantry? Dig out that forgotten can of chickpeas and make room for legumes!

If you’re given more food than normal, would you notice? And would you eat the same amount you normally eat… or would you eat more? Researchers show that you might end up doing a Garfield and devouring a tray of lasagne without realizing…

Everyone wants to know: What is the best program for weight loss and performance? We tried to answer this question by comparing three programs in our Informal Experiment… and the results were surprising.

Gah! Food is sooo expensive now! Or is it? Although average Americans spend just 10% of their disposable income on food, we could be saving even MORE money. If you’re a PN eater, you might just end up richer than you think… and healthier too. We can’t promise you’ll be a millionaire, but your waistline AND your wallet will thank you. Nutrition coach and certified cheapskate Ryan Andrews hits the blue light specials.

Exercise provides a form of “good stress” that helps the body compensate and get stronger. But what happens when you “block” that natural stress process with antioxidant vitamins C and E? Is it good or bad? Well, this study suggests it might be both… and that if you’re concerned about insulin sensitivity, maybe you should hold off on that multivitamin for a little while.

What we eat can affect the way we feel, think, and behave. Indeed, the gastrointestinal tract has often been called the “second brain”. You’ve probably heard the phrase “gut feeling”. Actually, we don’t often feel our guts, until it’s too late. Here’s how to identify common GI disorders, and what to do about them.

Do you love chocolate? We do. As long as it’s a high % cocoa variety (85% or higher, preferably 99 or 100%). The only problem, it’s often hard to find. And can be expensive. Well, not if you make your own. Check out this awesome plan for making your own chocolate at home - posted by PN Moderator Kaisa.

At PN, we emphasize the importance of eating whole foods. And here’s a great set of tips for how to cook ‘em. Following our method you’ll get better quality grains faster and with less hassle.

It’s that time again. The next Lean Eating group is about to kick off. And we’re doing something extraordinary. We’re offering 20K in prize money. And while this prize money will go a long way toward getting you motivated to change your body, there are THREE THINGS that must come first. Click here to find out what they are.

It’s that time again. The next Lean Eating group is about to kick off. And we’re doing something extraordinary. We’re offering 20K in prize money. But that’s not all. We’re also planning on giving you access to the NUMBER ONE fat loss advantage. Click here to learn what that is.

It’s that time again. The next Lean Eating group is about to kick off. And we’re doing something extraordinary. We’re offering 20K in prize money. And while this reward is pretty freakin’ cool, reward only represents 1/2 of the fat loss equation. Click here to check out the other half.

It’s that time again. The next Lean Eating group is about to kick off. And we’re doing something extraordinary. We’re offering 20K in prize money. And in this video, I’m not only going to tell you why, I’m going to tell you how you can compete for it.

Whether you want to make like Rocky IV or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, sled pulling is a great way to help you run faster and improve your performance in many sports. But if you want to improve your sprints in particular, how fast should you run, and how heavy should the sled be?

We’ve all seen magicians defy gravity, find quarters behind our ears, pick out our chosen card, or vaporize themselves out of seemingly inescapable constraints. Looks easy, doesn’t it? That is, until you try it yourself, and realize that there’s a lot of hard work behind the “magic”. The same is true of bodybuilding.

Starting with a clean slate. It’s a simple thought. But it might have profound implications for your physique - and your life. The key is to learn how to stop fixating on your mistakes - we all make them. And to focus on the awesome stuff that lies ahead of you.

If you’re hoping to diet down to your ideal weight, then quit working on it, you’re in for a surprise. Just like you don’t brush your teeth once and then forget about it, research shows that staying at a healthy weight requires regular effort, exercise, and a long-term focus.

I have good and bad news. The bad news is that you have even more fat than you thought. The good news is that it might be helpful. Scientists used to think that a specific type of fat, brown adipose tissue (BAT), didn’t exist in adult humans. Turns out that adults have BAT. And it might just help keep us lean. Get ready for the “freeze yourself skinny” infomercial…

50 years is a long time for anyone except tortoises and rocks. It’s an especially long time for a country that’s used to winning. In 1959, the United States won its last title in men’s bobsledding. For 50 years, they were unable to repeat that feat. Until Steve Mesler and his team came along. Time to kick history’s butt, at 90 mph.

Nowadays when we hear about elite athletes testing positive for banned substances, we brace ourselves for the denials, we prepare ourselves for the blame to be shifted to faulty testing protocols, or to contaminated supplements. But what if some of the convicted cheaters didn’t cheat? What if it was a nutritional supplement?

I’m a huge fan of life coach Victoria Moran. One of my favorite books of all time is Fat, Broke & Lonely No More. (Laugh now, but call me in 2 years after you pull a 180 with negative habits.) I caught up with her just before she released two new books to talk about overeating, breaking negative patterns, and what helps her get up in the morning.

Winston Churchill once said: “Always remember, a cat looks down on man, a dog looks up to man, but a pig will look man right in the eye and see his equal.” When it comes to a recent flu strain that affects both porkers and people, it seems that the swine has indeed found its human match. But will exercise lower your risk by improving your immunity? Yes… and no.

Is there anything sweeter in life than having wonderful children? Well, maybe your blood glucose levels if you’ve developed gestational diabetes. On the bumpy road to wellness, Danielle’s discovered that being “selfish” is, in fact, the most UNselfish thing she can do for her family.

Want to give the “Infamous TRX Program” a try? Well, here’s your chance. JB, Alwyn Cosgrove, and Fraser Quelch collaborated to make this program one to remember. Rev that metabolism and get in awesome shape - fast.

After a move from the big city to a small town, Erin Weiss-Trainor started feeling a little far from her hunter-gatherer roots. Luckily, Forager Foods came to her rescue with a vast offering of locally produced and humanely raised products that included everything from wild game to lake trout to cabbage sausage. Erin is pleased that she won’t have to take to the woods wielding a crossbow any time soon.

Hey, Kool-Aid! What’s going to make us fatter and sicker: fructose or glucose? Oh yeaaahh!

Transforming one’s physique to be stage-ready is a challenging task. The training and nutritional diligence is arduous enough, but this transformation also challenges our self-esteem and the way we see our bodies’ natural flaws and unique features.

Guys, let’s face the facts. If you plan on spending the better part of your life banging away at the iron, you’re going to want your woman to join in on the fun.

Here’s a figure program that’s designed for results — whether you want to compete as a figure athlete, or just look and feel like one.

Revealed: JB’s magic secret for making nutrition and exercise knowledge stick to your brain like a barnacle!

Genetic destiny. It’s the new version of the “devil made me do it.” But how much evidence supports this theory? And if you have a given gene, should you give up hope and succumb to your eventual fate?

Pre-game plates of pasta and pitchers of sweetness, that’s not the diet that leads to eliteness. Shawn likes the mojo that eating well brings, now he finds mushrooms his favourite things. (Apologies to Julie Andrews.)

Purposeful rest and recovery. It’s an important part of the fitness equation. Yet it’s the one most of us neglect. If you don’t build in 30 min of parasympathetic activity per day, you need to come check out this article. It’ll show you how to build in restful, parasympathetic activities in order to help keep stress in its place.

Four years ago, our own JB was teetering on the brink of some big life changes. After years of toiling away in post-secondary education, he was forced to confront the nagging question: What do I want to be when I grow up?