Colin Sprake, a former rugby player in South Africa, came up with a business he calls “A Pole Lot of Fun”. Anyone who wants to buy into the business pays Sprake $5,000 and he sets them up with everything they need to start hosting their own “pole-dancing parties” for all of their friends. If you are interested in learning more about this lucrative business go to apolelotoffun.com.

I enjoy almonds, and other foods that contain “good” fat. Fat your body needs to be healthy. Greg, who is really thin - almost fat-free - believes there’s no such thing as good fat. Listen:

Good Fat Audio

Newsweek Magazine offered an article on The Nine Most Obnoxious Habits of Gym Rats. Highlights:

1. The Sauna Stovetop A manager at a New York Sports Club was walking through the women’s locker room a few years ago when she smelled cheese. Puzzled, she opened the door to the sauna, where a woman had placed bread and cheese on the hot rocks to make a postworkout grilled cheese sandwich. “Not only was it a health code violation, it was not really respectful to the other people in the sauna,” says NYSC PR director Linda Hufcut. “She said, ‘I do this all the time.’ That was, obviously, the last time she ever did it.’”

2. Nude Fitness? A couple of visitors to a Gold’s Gym in Paramus, N.J., decided to get naked and weigh themselves before they started working out. The two men didn’t seem daunted by the fact that the scale was outside the locker room. They hung out by the scale, in full view of the other, clothed patrons, until a manager asked them to put some clothes on. They told Mike Epstein, the gym’s owner, that they did that sort of thing all the time at their home gym. Perhaps they meant “home gym” as in the one in their basement.

3. Creative Blow-Drying A man in a California Crunch gym decided that the best way to dry out his sweaty shoes was to stick a hair dryer in each of them while he took his after-workout shower. He was shocked when managers asked him to cease and desist. “He said, ‘I didn’t even realize I shouldn’t be doing this’,” says Keith Worts, chief operating officer of Crunch, a national fitness chain.

4. Downward Dog? At another Crunch location a man had a habit of taking a yoga class while wearing shorts without underwear. He was more than happy to correct his faux pas as soon as managers made him aware that other members were uncomfortable with the view they were getting.

5. Work Out, Sleep In Some people get a little too relaxed at the gym. Gold’s Gym managers have reported finding customers who fell asleep in the tanning facility and didn’t wake up until the gym was closed, as well as customers who fell asleep on the bench press in between sets.

6. Killer Karaoke It’s common and profoundly annoying: gymgoers get carried away listening to their music players. Before they know it they’ve treated everyone in the room to an off-key rendition of “…Baby One More Time.” “I call it karaoke gone bad, because there is no background music and they’re singing at the top of their lungs,” says Harry Reo, a regional vice president for 24 Hour Fitness.

7. Talking (Too Much of) the Talk Fed up with people gabbing on their cell phones as they used the elliptical, many gyms have banned cell phones around workout equipment and designated areas for patrons to make calls. Still, people forget. “There’s nothing worse than running on the treadmill and having someone next to you conducting an extremely loud conversation,” says Hufcut, who’s seen some people use walkie-talkies while on the treadmill.

8. Sweat Sins It seems basic, but enough people forget to wipe down their equipment after using it that this was one of the four deadly gym sins included on an informational video NYSC taped a few years ago. During the segment a careless gymgoer didn’t dry off his machine; when he stood up, the entire machine was covered in dripping goo.

9. Scrimmage to Scuffle It’s only logical that testosterone can run high at the gym, and sometimes managers need to break up altercations on the basketball court, says Nancy Pattee Francini, co-founder and president of the Sports Club/LA, which has 10 locations around the country. “Those guys, when they’re playing basketball, can get into fights,” she says. “They’re not terrible fights—we’re a high-end club.”

Your calls on the matter

Greg Beharrell (X92.9 Evening/weekend guy) is a weird dude. He eats a diet consisting mainly of Diet Cola (4 litres daily minimum), dry cereal (no milk!) and chicken breasts. He doesn’t do any muscular or cardiovascular excercise. BUT….he thinks he’s in great shape. Not good shape, GREAT shape. Here’s the conversation:

Greg thinks he’s healthy audio

ATTENTION INSOMNIACS: HOW TO FALL ASLEEP (Cosmopolitan)

• Make a Plan of Action: When you’re stressed out about the gazillion things you need to accomplish the next day, jot your thoughts down. Seeing the list in writing will help you feel more in control, and knowing you can review it in the morning will help you push it out of your brain for the night.
• Create a Bedtime Story: If you can’t stop analyzing something that happened earlier in the day, distract yourself with some creative visualization. Picture yourself in a place that’s unrelated to whatever’s dominating your thoughts, and focus on the specifics of the scenario. This distracts you from your stimulating thoughts.
• Hide the Clock: When you’re wired, any sensory stimulation in the room can make it worse. The biggest culprit: the digital clock. One thing that contributes to sleeplessness is the stress of lying there at 3 a.m. and watching the time go by on the clock.
• Try the Comb Trick: While lying on your back with your eyes closed, take a comb and make short upward strokes on your right hand. Start at your fingertips, then gradually move to your palm, then to your wrist, then up your arm, all the way to your shoulder. Repeat on the other side.
• Soak in a Warm Bath: Once you leave the warm water, your core body temperature drops, which can signal the body that it’s time to sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. So if you suspect you’re going to have trouble nodding off, or if you’re in bed but doing more worrying than dreaming, hit the tub for about 15 minutes.
• Get Busy: The hormones produced at orgasm cause relaxation that often leads to sleep. You figure it out.
• Melt Into the Bed: Experts say this exercise is the gold standard in go-to-sleep techniques. When your sympathetic nervous system is activated, your muscles tense up, and that keeps you alert. Tame that tension with this exercise: Focus on your feet and try to make them feel very heavy, as if they’re sinking into the bed. Next, focus on relaxing your ankles. Repeat on one small area at a time as you very slowly work your way up your body, until you reach your head.

I’ve been in Calgary about a year and a few months now, and just today I noticed that Shoppers Drug Mart (and other Calgary pharmacies) sell cigarettes. In Ontario they haven’t been able to sell them for years…the theory being that a place that’s main purpose is health care, and helping people get better shouldn’t be in the business of selling a product that mostly makes people sick or kills them. What’s your feeling on this? We talked about it and got the alberta rules from a listener:

Smokes at Shoppers

#1.)  AVOID DRUGS.  Obviously, you wouldn’t want to do hard drugs.  We ALL know that stuff kills.  But if you can, don’t use antibiotics all the time, either.  It’ll weaken your immune system, so you’ll get sick a lot easier. 

#2.)  FLOSS (???).  Flossing actually SAVES LIVES.  It gets rid of plaque between teeth, which is basically a thick coating of bacteria.  Plaque has been linked with cardiovascular disease AND stroke in adults over 25.   

#3.)  HAVE LOTS OF SEX.  Sex is a great workout for your body . . . it makes you happy (–most of the time) . . . and it’s also is great for keeping your immune system strong. 

#4.)  PLAY WITH YOUR DOG OR CAT.  Pets come in contact with good germs that support your immune system . . . and these germs help you to be healthier and stronger. 

#5.)  EAT SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE DAY.  The whole “three meals a day” thing actually isn’t all that healthy anymore.  It’s better to eat MORE than that, but in smaller portions, because it keeps you from overeating and getting chubbier. 

#6.)  DON’T YELL AT PEOPLE.  Yelling at people tells your immune system that you want to FIGHT.  In some instances, this can make your immune system overactive . . . causing it to actually attack your own organs.  

#7.)  SLEEP.  This is really the only time your body and your immune system have to relax and repair.  So stick to the old rule of trying to get at least eight hours a night. 

#8.)  EXERCISE.  This one is pretty much a given.  When you exercise, your body is healthier, and you live longer. 

#9.)  EAT RIGHT.  You need to have all the right vitamins and minerals a day to prevent your immune system from weakening. 

#10.)  GET SOME SUN.  Don’t OVEREXPOSE yourself to the sun, but at least 20 minutes of sun exposure a day gives you enough Vitamin D for your body’s needs.

Well, today I am in studio until 6PM in my underpants. I lost the True Fitness challenge, but still feel pretty good about the progress I made. Here’s some hot amatuer pics, wash your eyes when you’re done:

And here’s audio of when Ken Andrukow from True came by to reveal the results:

Results

10 WAYS TO BE HEALTHIER WITHOUT EVEN TRYING

• Laugh out loud: It’ll make your body pump endorphins — chemicals that boost energy and alleviate depression. Stress hormones will drop too.
• Orgasms: They actually change your brain chemistry in a way that relaxes your body and relieves tension.
• Drink plain old water: You’ll feel good if you stay hydrated.
• Wash your hands: Up to 80% of all colds, flus and other common illnesses are spread through touching, and only 16% of people do a good enough job washing.
• Eat anything in the produce aisle: All of them are good — there’s no such thing as a bad-for-you vegetable.
• Floss: It’s one of the best ways to ward off gum disease and keep your smile intact forever.
• Deep breathing: It cuts stress instantly. Try six slow breaths per minute to lower blood pressure.
• Hang out with friends: People crave relationships; friends let you vent; and a study found that people with a strong network of friends outlived those without by 22%.
• Massage: It feels great and research shows a good rub may improve circulation and release feel-good chemicals like serotonin.
• Decent posture: Sit or stand up straight and you’ll magically look slimmer.

Lynch and I are in the midst of a big fitness challenge at True Fitness Spa and Wellness. We’re just about halfway through the four month program, and now we’re trying to figure out how to humiliate the loser. Or as I like to call it: humiliate Lynch. We’re looking more for embarassment than pain or gross stuff. Maybe run down 17th at lunch-hour in an X92.9 thong? What do you think?