Daniel Wilkins
Bio
I am a NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) Certified Personal Trainer, MMA Conditioning Specialist and Youth Exercise Specialist. I have been competing, and coaching both children and adults, in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) since 2009.
Stories (10/0)
Trouble Getting Enough Servings of Vegetables?
Yes, you read that correctly. It is true that fresh vegetables have slightly higher nutrient densities than their frozen counterparts; however, have you ever thought about how "fresh" your fresh vegetables actually are? The vegetables that you get at your local grocery store are generally far from fresh. Unless you are picking your fruits and vegetables directly from a garden or buying them from a locally sourced farmer's market, your produce is not as fresh as you think it is, and the nutrient quality and density have likely suffered greatly. For example, lettuce from your local chain supermarket is washed in a solution of chlorine and preservatives before being put in cold storage for up to a month. Potatoes can be stores for up to a year in a temperature controlled environment before they hit the supermarket shelves. Many types of produce are coated in wax to protect the outside of the vegetable and make it look nice on the shelves. Wax is not digestible by the body and you cannot wash off the wax with just water. In order to get the wash off, you must peel the vegetable, which removes the most nutrient dense part of the produce. In a truly global economy, where Americans demand to be able to buy any type of produce they want, any time of the year, supermarkets import produce from all over the world. If you are consuming a vegetable that is not in-season in the United States, it is guaranteed that it has gone through a preservation process and spent a long time in transit to land in your local supermarket. This says nothing about the fact that we buy produce and don't use it for a few days. This adds further to the natural nutrient decay that starts the moment produce is picked.
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Feast
Four Reasons Why Proper Form is So Important
You've probably been here before. You are deep into a workout. Maybe it is your near to last, or last, set. You are thinking about how close you are to being done with a hard workout. You're happy with the work you've put in so far and just need to get those last few reps in. You aren't focused on maintaining proper form because it's all about those last reps and being able to count them and cross them off the list as completed. You use your last bit of energy to get those reps in and then you're done. You pat yourself on the back for banging it out and getting it done. You go on with your day. The next morning you wake up and your lower back is sore. It isn't the normal muscle soreness you feel after a good workout. No, this is different. You tweaked something. Bending over is painful. Twisting is painful. The next day, it isn't any better. You didn't sleep well because you were uncomfortable. Your recovery is effected and the work you did yesterday is wasted. Now you have to skip today's workout. Double loss.
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Longevity
How to Jump Start Healthier Choices in 2021
Canyons are dug slowly over time. These huge, magnificent changes are the result of small, incremental changes, over a long period of time. When it comes to our health and fitness, it is hard to get the ball rolling back in the right direction. I don't care who you are or how disciplined you are (or were). It is easier to eat that shitty food, have those couple extra drinks, and binge watch another show on Netflix instead of exercising. Maybe it was the pandemic that knocked you off your good habits. Maybe it was your first baby, or a promotion at work that now takes up all your time. Whatever it was, it can seem too daunting, too hard, too uncomfortable to get back on track. We have all been there.
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Motivation
SMART Goals
We all make goals, right? At least, we all think about things we'd like to achieve or do in the future and call them "goals". If you're serious about setting a real and objective goal for yourself, and you want to increase the likelihood that you will achieve said goal, following the SMART Goal process will definitely help.
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Motivation
Maintaining Bone Health
Gnarly fact: Pound for pound, your bones are 4x stronger than concrete. Pretty cool, right? Now for the downer, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, peak bone density is reached between the ages of 25-30 and by age 40, density starts to decline. Even worse, our best opportunity to influence peak bone density occurs in early childhood through early adulthood, when the greatest amount of growth is occurring. If you're reading this and you are over the age of 30, you may be asking what the hell you can do about that now then.
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Longevity
Progression is Mandatory
Let's talk about the concept of "progression". In order to get the most out of your workouts, they must be progressive. By progressive I mean that your routine should get harder over time. There are plenty of ways that you can increase the difficulty of your workouts. Before I get into the them, I want to make one clear caveat to all of this. I cannot stress how general my examples are below. While the concept of progression is simple, the execution of effective progression in a workout program is nuanced. This is where personal trainers come in. A personal trainer has studied how to progress clients through each period of their program in a safe and effective way, based on the goals and objectives of the client. That's not to say you cannot learn it on your own, but please don't let the simplicity of the concept lead you to think that executing progression effectively is necessarily easy. Different progressions and combination of progressions elicit difference adaptations in the body. Knowing what to change, when to change it and how to change it takes experience and every person's body is different and adapts differently.
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Longevity
Get Your Butt Moving Again
Here we are. Day 1,234,293 of a global pandemic. You still don't feel comfortable going back to a gym, but you know you need to start moving again and get back into shape. You don't own any workout equipment and you've looked online, but everything is either still sold out or marked up 500%. You don't want to run because running is boring and it hurts your knees. You don't want to cycle because drivers are idiots and you don't want to end up as a hood ornament while someone checks a text instead of paying attention to the road. What should you do?
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Longevity
HIIT vs. Steady-State Cardio
First, let's define what HIIT and Steady-State Cardio are. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It is characterized by short bursts of all out max effort (on a scale of 1-10 of your perceived effort, a 7+ or 70%-90% of your max heart rate), followed by a short period of rest where your heart rate drops to 60%-65% of your max heart rate, repeated over and over. HIIT workouts are generally 20 minutes in length, but can vary depending on the person and what they are training for. HIIT activities can include running, cycling, rowing machine sprints or heavy weight lifting. These types of workouts are anaerobic ("without oxygen"), meaning the workout is generating more demand for oxygen than can be supplied. To compensate, the body breaks down glucose stores for energy, which leads to the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles. Lactic acid causes the "burn" you feel in your muscles during a hard workout.
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Longevity
Conquer the Morning, Slay the Day
There are a few specific things we can do to help set ourselves up for success each day. These aren't "cure all" hacks that are guaranteed to dramatically change your day, every day. They will, however, help you get going in the right direction and to give you some small wins to start the day with.
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Longevity
Protein For Gains
Anyone who has ever spent any time in a locker room, reading Men's Fitness or any other fitness related magazine, or chopped it up with the boys over how so-and-so got so ripped, the topic of protein probably came up. When it comes to building strength and size, protein is at the top of the list of things to make sure you are addressing and optimizing around.
By Daniel Wilkins3 years ago in Longevity