Toby’s Blog
Ultimate Reset Review
Now, when Beachbody launches a new product, I fully expect my husband, Redfield “Toby” Baum (you know, Ironman Dad), to use himself and his body as a guinea pig for testing purposes. So, when the Beachbody Ultimate Reset launched in late spring 2012, I knew he was excited. A week passes. A month passes. Hmmm, I think, where’s the big box of Ultimate Reset stuff? Where are the vegan meals? This is… different. But, then, I make a fateful mistake. I asked about it. Me: So, are you going to do that Ultimate Reset thing? Him: No. Me:...
read moreFish Taco Recipe
I decided I wanted a new recipe and something fun, light, and (hopefully) healthy to make. The Sprouts near my house, where I do almost all of my non-Costco shopping, recently began carrying individually-wrapped, single-serving pieces of wild-caught, frozen fish. They looked good and were reasonably priced, so I purchased a bunch and settled on making something with the cod filets. After an extremely exhaustive internet search (meaning, I used Google for about 10 minutes), I settled on a few recipes from which I would steal bits and pieces...
read moreDiet Soda, Weight Gain, and Fat
You have heard “Coke is bad for you” or “Soda is evil” right? So, what did you do??? Switch to Diet Soda. I mean, that’s got to be healthier. After all, it has the word DIET in its name! Diet always equals good so Diet Soda is basically Good Soda. Umm, wrong. All sodas are bad. Diets sodas are bad. Regular sodas are bad. Frankly, I would rather drink a sugar-laden regular soda than a “healthier” diet soda. At least the regular version has sugar. Pure, simple, and REAL sugar....
read moreInsanity: The ASYLUM Workout
When the Insanity program launched, I was mildly interested. (You can read my full review HERE.) However, when The ASYLUM workout launched during the summer of 2011, I was stoked. Insanity was amazing and I was confident that ASLYUM would be even better. Of course, by “better” you know I mean more difficult right??? Suffice to say, I was NOT disappointed. Here’s the official Volume 1 video: After I had recovered from a half-Ironman race (Boise 70.3), a buddy and I decided we would do the full 30 days, starting...
read moreP90X2 vs. P90X Workout
With the launch of P90X2 in late 2011, I have received many questions about the differences between the two programs. Is P90X2 more difficult? Are the workouts longer or shorter? Is it as good as P90x??? The list of questions never ends. So, to save time and some of my limited cranial capacity (since my kids demand nearly all of it), I thought I would quickly post about a few of the differences and my thoughts as well. Plus, I am including the Beachbody video of the man himself, Tony Horton, discussing some of the advances from...
read moreIronman Arizona 2012 Race Report
Well, another year of racing is in the books. If adversity is the best teacher, 2012 was my sensei. Practically race after race had some ridiculous set of unforeseen circumstances to test my mettle. From freezing, rainy, and/or windy conditions (e.g., Oceanside 70.3, Ironman St. George, Boise 70.3, and Lake Stevens 70.3); getting clipped and crashing on my bike (e.g., Lake Stevens 70.3); or mechanical issues on the bike (e.g., Mountain Man Olympic), I feel like I have now seen it all. (Note to The Race Gods, I know I have not in fact...
read moreStop Starving – Weight Loss Tips
You’ve heard it time and time again – to lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn off. ‘No problem,’ you think. You’re already burning at least a couple hundred calories with each workout session you perform, so now you’ll just cut back on your food intake and the pounds will melt right off. As the days pass by and you start seeing results, you start dreaming about just how much better results you’d get if you cut back even more. Before you know it, you’re trying to get through the day eating nothing but...
read moreDiet and Exercise
Do you think that avoiding food before getting on that treadmill, taking a spin class, or lifting those weight will cause you to burn more calories? Do you, instead, eat a protein bar, down a protein drink, or eat a piece of fruit to “fuel” your exercise session? When you are done, are you so ravenous that you inhale the first burger you see? Or, can you wait until you get home to start refueling? If you an answered yes to any of those questions and are one of the masses, those who exercise to stay healthy or lose some weight, you...
read moreVegetable Shake Recipe UPDATED
Kale? Check. Spinach? Check. Ability to add other leafy greens? Check. Fruit? Yeah sure, but the first three are the critical ones. The Vegetable Shake 2.0 is not only a smashing success but also a noticeable improvement over the prior version. I won’t retell the full original story (you can find that HERE). This healthy vegetable shake came to life as a solution for my stubborn daughter’s eating preferences. With consistent tweaks, it has steadily improved over time and not just in flavor but also in healthiness and...
read moreHBO’s Weight of the Nation Summary – Part Two
Welcome back. In Part One of my summary of HBO’s Weight of the Nation documentary (HERE), we focused on some simple steps one can take to improve their health. Let’s dig a little deeper now into some of the science and studies underlying the show, Weight of the Nation on HBO. Something critical to understand is what’s called your “Set Point”. The Set Point is, in a simple sense, where your body wants to be. This is the pull of your genetics. What this means is that two people who are exactly the same (e.g., age, gender, weight,...
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