I was involved in a lot of exercise physiology & nutrition research that was being conducted at the University of Nottingham. Before I left the supplement industry we were deep into looking into cellular protein signaling and muscular growth…super interesting stuff.

Whenever I was in Nottingham I made a point to always stay at Hart’s Hotel.

No real gym, barely a lounge…and the rooms were of a mediocre size at best.

BUT, the garden rooms opened up to their garden terrace, essentially making your room “3 walled” – the perfect way to just relax and just chill after a long day of working and being “on”.

If you have ever traveled for work, then you know how tiring it can be to always be “on”.

You are “on” during meetings, “on” during the dinner after the meetings and you are even “on” during drinks, after the dinner, after the meetings.

If you can’t find a way to relax on business travel you will burn out quickly.

I’ve stayed in much fancier hotels, but Hart’s is my Best Ever hotel, simply based on atmosphere.

If you ever visit Nottingham I suggest Hart’s.

http://www.hartsnottingham.co.uk/

Best Restaurant Ever:

The three Chimneys, Isle of Skye, Scotland.

If I wasn’t in Nottingham for research I was in Glasgow, and I grew so fond of Scotland during my business trips there, my wife and I chose Scotland as our honeymooned destination.

During our honeymoon B&B and Distillery tour across Scotland, one of my favorite dinners was at the Three Chimneys.

If you ever get a chance to visit Scotland (go during the summer months) I highly recommend the Three Chimneys Restaurant.

http://www.threechimneys.co.uk/

(In North America, my favorite still has to be Dragon Fly Sushi and Saki Company. A Sushi Fusion restaurant in Gainesville, Florida.)

Best Tea Ever:

Hands down, runaway favorite has to be “Tea at the White House” in Waterdown Ontario…huge selection of tea, great people, great atmosphere…just a class act. Worth the visit, but you’d be best to make a reservation.

My advice would be to order the high Tea and split it between two people…with a pot of sticky toffee tea…( mmmmmmm..sticky toffee tea)

http://www.teaatthewhitehouse.com/

As a Simpson’s affectionado, I bet he immediately realized that I just quoted the Simpson’s in the title for this post.

And while watching the Simpson’s family form a Conga line and sing this song to mock Lisa for becoming a vegetarian was entertaining, salads are no laughing matter.

Most salads are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Let me explain..

Almost every big restaurant chain makes the nutritional profile of their meals available on the internet.

I highly recommend you do some surfing and check out the calorie content of some of the salads that are available at your favorite restaurants…of course, do it on your lunch break if you are at work…no slacking

You will probably be surprised when you find that most salad entres have just as much IF NOT MORE calories than many of the traditional entres (the main meals salads, not the appetizers).

My favorite Salad at Boston Pizza has over 1,000 Calories! The salad I like at Kelsey’s has over 800!

The bottom line is that a lot foods get a halo around them because they are ‘healthy’. When you hear people complaining that they “eat like a bird” but still can’t lose weight…typically this is because they are assuming some foods are healthy and low calorie, when in fact they are not.

Quick quiz, if you were to order a snack at Starbucks, which of these options has the least amount of calories

a) The blueberry Oat Bar
b) The Banana Loaf
c) The Espresso Brownie
d) The Multi-Grain Bagel

The answer is C) The Espresso Brownie.

Watch for wolves in sheep’s clothing when you are eating at restaurants and fast food places. These days the ‘healthy’ option isn’t always the best option.

BP

PS – Here is a great email that I received form Denise…

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve had real success with Eat Stop Eat in just a short time. I’ve lost 10 pounds since April by fasting 1-2 days a week. On top of that i’ve increased weights in my deadlifts and kettlebell training as well as increased in pullups. I plan on continuing the Eat Stop Eat program forever. -Denise

I love the fact that she is losing weight AND getting stronger! Keep up the great work Denise!