JJFit in the News: Workout Programs vs. One-Off Routines: Which Is Best for You? (Openfit)

JJFit in the News: Workout Programs vs. One-Off Routines: Which Is Best for You? (Openfit)

Focusing on your health and fitness is an investment in your time, energy and money. And just like buying organic produce or wearing proper running shoes, it may be a worthwhile investment to get a professionally-designed workout program from a trained professional (like yours truly). But is it absolutely necessary? Especially when the internet is overflowing with free workouts from people who, if their defined abs are any indication, seem to know what they’re doing? Check out my interview for Openfit.com for tips to decide what’s right for you.

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JJFit in the News: Do You Know the 5 Components of Fitness? (Openfit)

JJFit in the News: Do You Know the 5 Components of Fitness? (Openfit)

The term “physical fitness” is used to characterize everything from a person’s physique to their general health and athletic performance. But while different definitions leave some room for subjective interpretation, most share five components of fitness in common. So, what are the five components of physical fitness and, more importantly, what can you do to develop them? Check out this article from Openfit.com for more on cardiorespiratory capacity, strength, endurance, body composition and mobility.

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Meditation 101

Meditation 101

Many of us know we should probably meditate more to help reduce stress, improve brain functioning and even to reduce pain. But like lots of good intentions we forget, get frustrated or just flat out don’t know where to start. Here’s a little secret: you can meditate for as little as two minutes a day and you don’t have to do it perfectly. In this post I share the highlights from one of my most popular corporate wellness workshops: Meditation 101. With an open mind, patience and consistency anyone can begin to benefit from this mindfulness practice.

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E-Stim, Cupping, Compression and K-Tape for Pain Management

E-Stim, Cupping, Compression and K-Tape for Pain Management

I suffer from occasional muscle spasms in my back, hip and leg due to an old injury. Years of mobility, strength and core training plus the care of some amazing chiropractors, physical therapists and CMTs have minimized my flare ups. As long as I’m careful and catch signs of trouble early I’m usually golden. But every once and a while I get a doozy of an attack and when I do, in addition to traditional chiropractic and massage, these four treatments help reduce my pain and get me back on my feet again.

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JJFit/CEB Attorney Wellness Webinar Jan 24 for 1 Hour MCLE Credit

JJFit/CEB Attorney Wellness Webinar Jan 24 for 1 Hour MCLE Credit

To maintain competence, it is crucial for attorneys to identify, manage, and reduce stress in a healthy manner. This JJFit/CEB webinar will examine the effects that chronic stress can have on your law practice, your health, and your life, and discuss ten simple and practical approaches to help deal with that stress. January 24, 11:30am to 12:30pm. 1 Hour MCLE Credit. Register with CEB here.

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JJFit in the News: How to Clean Up 8 Notorious Gym Moves (Oxygen Magazine)

JJFit in the News: How to Clean Up 8 Notorious Gym Moves (Oxygen Magazine)

When you arrive at the gym, there’s probably a lot on your mind — from stress over neglected emails to excitement about weekend plans. While you certainly get bonus points just for showing up, if you’re working out while distracted or haven’t been trained on proper movements, your workout could lead to unintended consequences. Based on years of observations, I've identified the main moves people execute incorrectly time and again — and provided instruction on how to perform them properly. Thanks to my amazing friend and writer Jill Schildhouse for including my tips in this Oxygen.com article and to my beautiful clients Erica and Sarah for demoing good form.

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JJFit in the News: 5 Workout Strategies for Trans Women (US News & World Report)

JJFit in the News: 5 Workout Strategies for Trans Women (US News & World Report)

Fitness can help empower folks who feel disconnected, hopeless and unhappy with their bodies. I work with clients who feel this way for a variety of reasons. Most common is being overweight or injured and feeling weak as a result. It's my passion to help them safely use exercise to make changes to their lifestyles and bodies to begin to love themselves. It's an amazing process. And I've been lucky to work with a hand full of gender transitioning men and women over the years and it's been a rewarding and beautiful experience. So I was stoked to be included in this important discussion in U.S. News & World Report.

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Crush Your 10K Goals with this 8-Week Training Program

Crush Your 10K Goals with this 8-Week Training Program

After weeks and weeks in the recording studio I’m STOKED to announce that my 8-week 10K training program is now available for free on the ClassPassGo app. Perfect for all levels, this audio training program includes three steadily progressive classes each week that will safely and effectively improve your speed, endurance and strength so you can crush it on race day. In addition to programming and instruction you’ll get plenty of form tips to make sure your strike and stride are on point, nutrition advice so you are properly fueling your body pre-/post- class and tips to prepare before the big race and how to recover after. Check it on the app.

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JJFit in the News: How to Work Out on the Keto Diet (LIVESTRONG.com)

JJFit in the News: How to Work Out on the Keto Diet (LIVESTRONG.com)

Following the low-carb, high-fat keto diet can have some desirable effects on the body. It’s been shown to accelerate weight loss, reduce seizures in children and help people manage diabetes. The keto diet will likely also affect the way your body handles a workout, though there’s some debate over whether exercising while in ketosis helps or hurts performance. Check out my interview for LiveStrong.com to learn how you may want to adjust your workouts if you go keto, how to survive the "keto flu" and other considerations when deciding whether keto is right for you.

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Flip Turns 101

Flip Turns 101

I’ve always wanted to be one of the cool kids in the pool and do those fancy flip turns while swimming laps. Turns out, flip turns not only look cool, but they’re also super efficient allowing you to improve your speed and save valuable energy. But like lots of things, they can be tricky to master and require practice and persistence. I was lucky enough to get a 1/1 lesson from the amazing Anne Kuenning and in this video she demonstrates how a good flip turn looks and then explains/demos the three most common flip turn mistakes.

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Inspiring Cycling Stories to Motivate You

Inspiring Cycling Stories to Motivate You

Sometimes, all it takes to get motivated is changing your internal dialogue, as was done by one of the clients here at Jonathan Jordan Fitness. Alejandro, explained that he had to “learn to change the inner voice from ‘Ugh . . .’ to ‘Come on! You can do it!’" And that worked! Other times, though, it takes a serving of inspiring stories to motivate someone. So without further ado, here are four similar stories that can motivate you to saddle up and get fit. 

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For the Healthiest Food in the FiDi Lite Bite Is Where It's At!

For the Healthiest Food in the FiDi Lite Bite Is Where It's At!

Finding TRULY healthy lunch options, especially in downtown San Francisco, can be a wild goose chase. The city is littered with quick serve restaurants and pop ups marketing themselves as “fresh”, “light” and “natural” but when you look closely you find hidden calories, astronomical amounts of sodium and food devoid of any real nutrition. But there is one option that stands out—Lite Bite. Having Lite Bite’s DELICIOUS proteins, veggies and salads as options for a quick lunch, snack or dinner, is a godsend.

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The Best 5 Minute Warm Up and 14 Other Running Tips

The Best 5 Minute Warm Up and 14 Other Running Tips

If you follow me on Facebook or IG you know I caught the running bug this year. I finished my first half marathon in under two hours and managed to log 13-20 mile runs four weeks in a row without injury. This is a huge change for me. Before this year I’d never managed to get more than 5 miles without pain. I credit my improvement to working on my ankle mobility, having my gait analyzed and spending just five minutes prepping my body to run with this simple, effective warm up routine. Check it out along with 14 of my other best running tips.

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Four Advanced Moves for Building a Strong, Balanced Back

Four Advanced Moves for Building a Strong, Balanced Back

Everyone loves a good chest workout, including yours truly, but you shouldn’t neglect your “posterior chain”. Ignoring back day can deteriorate your posture, lead to injuries and wreak havoc on your athletic performance. If your back program is in need of some inspiration, consider these programming tips and four advanced moves for adding functional strength and symmetry to your upper, mid and lower back. Oh, and they’ll help you look great in a tank top too.

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Roll Your Feet for Improved Mobility and Performance

Roll Your Feet for Improved Mobility and Performance

Too many people overlook the all important foot when warming up for cardio or lifting. Dysfunction in the feet leads to pain, injury, poor performance up the chain and a bevy of other nasty stuff. Simply rolling your feet for ~90s/day stimulates proprioceptors that send important information to the brain, fixes many common form issues and keeps the fascia, intrinsic muscles and joints of the feet mobile and healthy.

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Q: Can You Really Hit Your Ideal Protein Goal? A: Yes! Here's How.

Q: Can You Really Hit Your Ideal Protein Goal? A: Yes! Here's How.

Many of my nutrition and training clients find success in flexible dieting. If their goal is fat loss, the most important thing is to maintain a modest calorie deficit over time. But if maintaining or building lean muscle is also a goal, we have to make sure they are hitting their protein target. Sometimes this means aiming for ~175-200g protein in a day on a ~2,400kcal diet which can seem impossible at first. So here is a sample day for how that can be achieved that won't leave you starving and will likely leave you feeling full and satisfied. 

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Want to Grow Your Pecs? Try This Chest Workout.

Want to Grow Your Pecs? Try This Chest Workout.

In this video Marcia Robles and I demonstrate six movements that use a variety of modalities (dumbbells, cables, barbells), angles and rep ranges to maximize muscle growth in the chest. If you're looking to grow your pecs, give this program a look.

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Tired of the treadmill? Sick of the Elliptical? Try Rowing.

Tired of the treadmill? Sick of the Elliptical? Try Rowing.

Tired of the treadmill? Sick of the Elliptical? Try Rowing. If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, you need to be doing cardio. After cleaning up your diet and getting sufficient sleep it is one of the most important things you should be doing to stay healthy and fit. But I get it. You’re busy. So what form of cardio will give you the biggest bang for your buck? When done properly rowing is a metabolic, total body workout that strengthens a lot of areas the average desk-bound folks needs to work on. But without proper form you may find your lower back, hips and neck hurting. Check out rowing tips and videos from my latest Law.com Fit Counselor column

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