Need a Boost in Your Mood? Take Your Workout Outside.
I was not surprised when I recently read that outdoor workouts actually provide a greater mental health boost over indoor workouts. Maybe it is the exposure to bright sunlight, or maybe it is just the fact that we are out in nature, part of nature. I notcie that I do feel happier when I can get my workouts done outdoors. Myabe it is the exposure to…
Tags: Fitness, Inspiration
My Favorite Exercises to Improve Posture
Good posture is important for so many reasons. Having good posture makes us look and feel confident, we are more balanced, stronger and can generate more power. Our modern life doesn’t exactly encourage good posture. We do way too much sitting usually with our head forward while we drive our cars, or stare at our computer screens, televisions and…
Tags: Fitness
Exercising Too Hard. Rhabdomyolysis
Intensity is in. Soul Cycle, Cross Fit, P90X, and HIIT workouts. Benefits of high intensity workouts health and fitness benefits such as, increased calorie burn, decreasing body fat, boosting metabolism, increased human growth hormone, and helps to build aerobic fitness. But there is also a risk in working out too hard. If a high intensity workout…
Tags: Fitness
The American College of Sports Medicine Announces Top Fitness Trends for 2017
Now in its eleventh year, a survey was completed by more than 1,800 health and fitness professionals worldwide. Forty-two potential trends were given as choices, and the top 20 were ranked and published by ACSM. The top 10 fitness trends for 2017 are: 1. Wearable Technology: Fitness tracker sales are expected to hit $4 billion in sales this year. 2.…
Tags: Fitness
Don't Make These Five Mistakes When It Comes To Your Health and Fitness
1. Too Much Too Soon This is the most common mistake I see people make. Change takes time, and making small, sustainable changes that you can stay with in the long run will get you where you want to go. Don’t over exercise and starve yourself believing that it will get you to a fit, healthy and trim body faster. I watch people get injured or…
Tags: Fitness
Weight Loss and Plant-Based Diets
I don’t like talking about dieting programs because they cause suffering and, simply, don’t work. You gain more weight back, negatively impact your metabolism, and you end up feeling like a failure. Dieting sucks on so many levels. Instead, developing healthy habits that you can stick with for life can create a happy, healthy and balanced person. We…
Tags: Fitness
Moderate Alcohol Consumption and Brain Health
There seems to be inconsistent advice on the issue of moderate alcohol consumption. The US government defines moderate alcohol consumption as one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Some studies show that moderate alcohol consumption is postive for heart health but risky for breast cancer and some other types of cancer. A new…
Tags: Fitness
Don’t Believe the Hype, Saturated is Not Good for You
Saturated fat is a major contributor to heart disease, and heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. There are too many “wellness experts,” and "sports coaches," who promote the idea that the science has been wrong, and that saturated fat does not cause heart disease. Saturated fat comes from animal fat and from tropical oils like…
Tags: Fitness
"Glute Amnesia." Yes, it is a Real Thing.
I don’t think it is too far of a stretch to say that your gluteal muscles, or your “butt muscles” are probably the most important group of muscles you have. They are responsible for keeping us moving well and with strength, and they are very important for stabilizing not just your back but your whole body. We spend way too much time on our glutes…
Tags: Fitness
Why the Term “Everything in Moderation,” is a Bad Idea.
I want to share a fantastic blog post by Shannon Harvey from “The Whole Health Life.” The statement, “everything in moderation” comes up a lot in my practice. The term “moderation” is hard to define and it means different things to different people. For example, The World Health Organization recently released a report calling processed meats like…
Tags: Fitness