5 Ways to Fit Fitness Into a Busy Schedule

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5 Ways to Fit Fitness Into a Busy Schedule

How many hours do you dedicate to exercise each week? Well, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults participate in moderate-intensity physical activities for 150 minutes per week or in high-intensity exercises for 75 minutes every week. Moreover, you should also be doing muscle-strengthening activities at least 2 days a week. There are a lot of strategies that can be employed so that busy professionals can incorporate a few minutes of exercise into their schedules. And here are a few of them.

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Bay Area FitFam "Gather" for a Virtual 10k March 14

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Bay Area FitFam "Gather" for a Virtual 10k March 14

I've really missed training for and experiencing races during the pandemic. And some of my clients and friends have expressed similar feelings. So we're banding together in true 2021 form and planning a VIRTUAL 10K on Sunday, March 14 (eight weeks away in case you want to do a formal eight week training program). Will provide more info as we get closer but for now, comment on the IG thread if you want in and you’ll be included on the list!

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Tights Shoulders and Neck? Channel Your Inner Scorpion!

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Tights Shoulders and Neck? Channel Your Inner Scorpion!

If you are feeling tight in the neck and shoulders from too much typing and texting (I know I am!) here is my favorite stretch for getting some relief. Channel your inner scorpion!

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In the News: 15 Expert-Approved Hacks to Maintain a Walking Habit

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In the News: 15 Expert-Approved Hacks to Maintain a Walking Habit

The body is designed to move and a daily walking habit is well-worth keeping up with for its physical and mental health benefits. But sometimes, despite our best intentions, getting out the door for a walk can feel next to impossible. To increase motivation when you’re not feeling it, try shifting your mindset with these strategies from me and 14 other fitness pros in this MyFitnessPal blog post.

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In the News: The 5 Best Weight-Lifting Exercises for Better Posture

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In the News: The 5 Best Weight-Lifting Exercises for Better Posture

Super proud to have collaborated with @krgrundy for Livestrong to show off my favorite posture improving strength moves. If you want to improve your posture to reduce pain, improve performance or just to look your best these five moves are a must.

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Three at Home Moves for a Strong Booty

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Three at Home Moves for a Strong Booty

If you are stuck at home with no squat rack or barbells and your legs and booty are missing deadlifts, leg press and squats all is not lost! These are three of my favorite moves that hit the glutes and quads and all you need is something to brace against and a smooth floor/hand towel.⠀⠀⠀

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Booty Poppin Birthday Flow

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Booty Poppin Birthday Flow

My beautiful and talented friend, trainer and yoga instructor Morgan McEvilly made me this AMAZING 50 minute yoga class as my 41st birthday present. It was the perfect practice to share with my friends on a recent camping trip to Mendocino and on my vacation to Stinson Beach. She incorporates my favorite style of flow which starts with a slow progression through each phase of a sequence and then builds to a faster transition. And lots of yummy foot and hand work. I just had to share it with you! If you're body, mind and spirit needs a reset, this beautiful woman and practice will do the trick!

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3 Free Ways to Get JJFit Safely at Home

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3 Free Ways to Get JJFit Safely at Home

Are you struggling to find a fitness routine during all this? Does your diet need help but you’re not sure where to start? Is your body crying out for more stretching and mobility? You’re not alone and I have three free ways to help.

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5 Strategic Strength Progressions Beyond “Just Add More Weight, Brah”

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5 Strategic Strength Progressions Beyond “Just Add More Weight, Brah”

The most common way to make an exercise harder is simply to add more weight. But adding more weight isn’t always an option, particularly if you are working out at home. And sometimes just adding more weight even if you have access to it isn’t always the best choice if you have injuries or joint issues. There are several strategic ways you can progress exercises to challenge your body and avoid plateaus in strength-building.

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The Brettzel Stretch: You're Welcome!

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The Brettzel Stretch: You're Welcome!

The “Brettzel stretch”, which appropriately enough sounds like the “pretzel stretch” is one of my favorites for thoracic mobility and tight hips. Check out this video demo and give it a try for 30-60s on each side making sure to breath deep through your belly for maximum benefit.

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So Your Gym's Closed? You Got This. 7 Ways to Move at Home.

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So Your Gym's Closed? You Got This. 7 Ways to Move at Home.

Since sheltering in place and social distancing have become the new normal for the time-being, most of us are working more, moving even less and are definitely feeling more anxious. Though your routine may be shot, it’s not too late to create a new one. Just because your gym is closed doesn’t mean you can’t work out. Now’s the perfect time to get started. Not tomorrow. Today! When all this is over, you can look back and say you stepped outside your comfort zone and did something amazing for yourself.

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7 Awesome Kettlebell Alternatives You Already Have at Home

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7 Awesome Kettlebell Alternatives You Already Have at Home

Thanks to their incredible combo of simplicity and versatility, kettlebells are a hugely popular home fitness item these days. But if you’ve gone shopping for them online recently, you may have noticed that the wonderfully handled weights are a little, umm, scarce. Perhaps even worse, some are being sold for the gouge-iest of prices — as much as $3,000 on Amazon for a product that won’t arrive until the end of next month, at the earliest. Check out this post from my pal Steve Mazzucchi at GearPatrol.com who interviewed me and other fitness pros across the country for the best DIY solutions and homemade hacks that can mimic kettlebells in a pinch.

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The Best At Home Yoga Classes

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The Best At Home Yoga Classes

Though our gyms and yoga studios are closed many of the Bay Area’s top yoga professionals are offering live and recorded classes online through Facebook Live, Instagram Live and other web sites. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite yoga instructors in this post. These instructors are offering amazing free/donation-based classes appropriate for all levels. If you want to feel and perform better check them out. Namaste!

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At Home Monster Band Strength Workout

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At Home Monster Band Strength Workout

I’ve been doing a lot of virtual training sessions with new and existing clients over the past few weeks. We’ve been experimenting with different free and affordable equipment options from recycled water jugs to adjustable dumbbells and kettlebells and all sorts of resistance bands. For clients who want to work on building strength and muscle and mimic heavy barbell and dumbbell moves they’re used to in the gym but don’t want to spend a fortune I recommend getting a set of monster bands. In this post I’ll show you 15 videos for how you can still lift heavy at home including squats, deadlifts, lunges, lat pull downs, reverse flies, rows, presses and core work.

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Dr. Ashton Perroni, ND Explains How Naturopathic Medicine Can Strengthen Your Immune System

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Dr. Ashton Perroni, ND Explains How Naturopathic Medicine Can Strengthen Your Immune System

Now more than ever it’s critical that we practice preventative care to boost our immune systems, manage stress and tend to our body’s needs. I’ve been curious for a long time about Naturopathic Medicine and how/if it integrates with traditional Western Medicine. Can Naturopathic modalities help reduce our chances of contracting COVID-19 or minimize its impact if we do contract it? I interviewed Dr. Ashton Perroni, ND to help shed some light on these questions and more.

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The 10-Minute Total Body Workout You Can Do Anywhere

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The 10-Minute Total Body Workout You Can Do Anywhere

A lot of folks are staying home and practicing social distancing during this scary time. I've been getting a lot of questions from JJFit.com readers who want to workout at home but have limited equipment. In this blog post I show you 10 total body exercises you can do at home using this hip band and a basic resistance band. If you can't make it to the gym hopefully these will keep you fit and sane for the time being.

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Ranking Exercises by How Useful — or Dangerous — They Are

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Ranking Exercises by How Useful — or Dangerous — They Are

Over the past 20 years, almost one million Americans were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to weight training. I was asked by my friends at MEL Magazine "which exercises will get me ripped, and which will literally rip my body apart?" Nowadays just about anybody can toss on a microphone and lead a group fitness class. And Instagram is crawling with “trainers” telling folks what they should be doing in the gym. It can be hard to tell what’s based on facts and science and what’s bunk. So here's a ranking and explanation of an assortment of exercises by how beneficial they are — from muscle-building to (literally) back-breaking.

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Consider Offset Training for Core, Stability and Athleticism

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Consider Offset Training for Core, Stability and Athleticism

“Offset training” when you perform a complex exercise carrying weight on just one side of your body can be a great way to challenge your core, build stability and improve athleticism. Bracing your core, locking in your shoulders and maintain tension are key for successfully performing any offset exercise. In this post I share three videos of my favorite offset exercises which, depending on your goals and baseline fitness, are perfect as a primary exercise, warm up or finisher.

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3 Next-Level Moves: Time Under Tension, Eccentrics and Planes of Motion

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3 Next-Level Moves: Time Under Tension, Eccentrics and Planes of Motion

Hitting the gym hard but not seeing the results you want? You might assume it’s time to add heavier weights to your bar or increase the amount of time you spend at each session — but that’s not necessarily the case. Check out my interview in Oxygen Magazine by Jill Schildhouse to learn how to implement three of my most effective training variables: time under tension, eccentrics and plane of motion training. And to see these moves demoed by my amazing client Sarah Henderson checkout this video library.

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