HEALTHY BODY: HEALTHY MIND Hockey arena food

So here's my excuse for not adding another in depth report about the Ultra Mind Solution program I am on: I've just spent the past weekend in a couple of sports arenas during the annual Legacy Hockey Tournament and yes, I succumbed! It's the smell I've decided. French fries, hamburgers and all sorts of other deep fried goodies - geez, what's a guy to do???? Thursday night I was good - didn't order anything other than green tea - a rare sight in a hockey rink. Friday is a longer evening and so I ordered the clubhouse sandwich - with a green salad though instead of fries. That is the first bread, mayo and bacon I've had in over 2 months. The sluggish feeling on Saturday morning could be attributed to the 6 hours of standing on my feet the night before and then getting up at 6 AM Saturday for another round of the same. I did have a very healthy protein shake before leaving home and that held me in good stead until late afternoon when I went home to get ready for that night's alumni party. I must admit that I needed a nap after working out and before showering and having something to eat at home, then off to spend the evening catching up with old friends and drinking wine.
It was a little harder getting up Sunday morning to head out and it wasn't helped by the fact that I had to shovel 10 inches of wet snow off the driveway that had fallen overnight. When I got to the rink about 9:15, the smell of breakfast wraps was too much - yep, had one of those too, followed by a turkey and Swiss sandwich about 2:00 - more bread. The truth is, I was pretty sluggish all day Sunday and I know it was the combination of a lot of hours in the rink but also the food that I was eating. It is probably the proof that I required to show the powerful benefits of following Dr. Hyman's program. So now a couple of days of healthy food, working out, supplements and I should be as good as new. It really is interesting how food creates low energy and a certain fog-like haze in our brains. I would not have noticed that before going on this program but now it really is easy to see. I got home from the tournament on Sunday around 5:30, made a healthy dinner and fell into a vegetative state of mindless TV for the evening. Here's to a return to more energy!

YOU CAN TAKE THE BOY OUT OF A SMALL TOWN BUT...

you can't take the small town out of a boy

This week I have had the pleasure of interviewing several young hockey players for a project I am working on for this year's Legacy Tournament. By coincidence, both boys spent some of their formative years in small towns in Western Canada and you can tell. There is a difference with these kids, a certain "gee whiz, golly, aw shucks" innocence that pervades their speech and thought process. I must admit that I like it. It's not hard to see why team general managers and coaches look to the rural areas to supply so many players. The kids are respectful, willing to listen and in short, coachable.

I would guess that there is a lot less MTV and Wii and a lot more muckin' out stalls and fishin'. They are a little quieter about themselves and their accomplishments and the work ethic takes form on the ice. In interviews with rodeo contestants, the same sort of shy determination tends to come forward and has an instant appeal to most of us. By contrast, I listened to a radio interview of an ultimate fighting participant the other day who hails from LA. This kid, who has lost 4 of his last 6 fights was very full of himself and how good he was. He never missed an opportunity to put down his opponent and declare himself almost invincible.

Sure I am generalizing and we all know people who are the exception to the rule that I am trying to establish but in the long run, it's not hard to see why the NHL is populated by so many small town boys.