If you’re looking to trim down, figuring out the secret sauce for saving muscle while losing fat can feel pretty overwhelming. For the best science-based, medically reviewed advice from me and other leading experts give this Greatist article a look and let me know if you have any questions.
Read MoreFoam rolling is a great way to take care of tight tissues and to mobilize your joints. But there are some things to avoid. Check out my latest collaborating with LiveStrong for tips from me and other fitness pros. And check out all my LiveStrong interviews here.
Read MoreNothing like waking up and finding you’ve been quoted as an expert in virtual fitness coaching in a US News & World Report story!
Read MoreNow 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.
Read MoreEtiquette aside, some evidence suggests that a hot shower before exercising can increase your body temperature, encouraging blood flow and loosening any tense muscles, which should theoretically result in an easier workout. Unfortunately, though, since your body temperature will be higher to begin with, the chances of you burning out earlier in your workout are also higher. On the flip side, studies indicate that taking a quick cold shower, particularly before some cardio, can help the body withstand prolonged exercise at higher intensity levels, since the cold temperature lowers your heart rate, leaving both your muscles and heart with more room to keep on pumping during a workout before they inevitably overheat. For more on this “heated” topic, checkout my interview on the DSC Blog.
Read MoreWhen it comes to exercising, a morning workout has several advantages. Shift your workouts to the a.m. hours to reap the rewards with these simple strategies from me and other leading coaches in this RealSimple.com article by my pal Karen Asp. And check out these posts from the JJFit.com archive for more advice on improving your sleep.
Read MoreConventional wisdom — and that weird librarian from middle school — say reading books is the best way to become smarter. But new research shows that pumping iron can also bring about significant cognitive gains, and the more you exercise, the smarter you become. Check out my interview in MEL to learn how to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) for increased neuronal plasticity through a mix of HIIT and long duration training. Gotta get those brains, bro!
Read MoreMany lawyers know they should be taking better care of themselves but don’t have enough time and aren’t sure where to start. Lawyers struggle with long hours spent in client meetings, in court, at computers, and hunched over mobile devices. This all takes a painful toll on their bodies. Checkout my guest post on the CEB Blog for some of my most impactful, realistic tips, which have helped hundreds of lawyers make small, manageable changes to improve their health. And you can experience my wellness advice to lawyers in CEB’s program Attorney Wellness, available On Demand.
Read MoreMany of us could benefit from more "planes of motion" training in our workouts. In a nutshell, the body is designed to move in three planes of motion: sagittal (like in a squat or bicep curl), frontal (like in a lateral lunge or side cable raise) and transverse (like in a "curtsy" lunge or a bicycle crunch). Most of us live almost exclusively in the sagittal plane limiting our functional mobility, strength and performance. Read more about the importance of planes of motion. in addition to standard sagittal exercises (which are still great) consider layering in more frontal and traverse moves to your program for your lower body, upper body and core.
Read MoreMany 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.
Read MoreI 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.
Read MoreYou’re not doing your arms any favors by taking long breaks between sets. Checkout my interview with tips on timing your rest and proper gym etiquette in this MEL Magazine interview by Andrew Fiouzi.
Read MoreI get so tired of gimmicky, unsafe and ineffective products promoting unrealistic promises of trim waistlines and washboard ads. While fat loss is generally a function of "calories in, calories out" there are some helpful cardio and nutritional methods for helping stimulate fat loss. These five methods have helped many of my clients over the years get lean and more healthy safely and with minimal kicking and screaming.
Read MoreCurious why the scale can be such an unreliable tool for measuring your progress? Checkout my interview in MEL Magazine for some better ways.
Read MoreThere are a lot of nutritional strategies being popularized in the news and on social media these days: fasted cardio, macro tracking, elimination diets, keto, etc. It can be hard to make heads or tails as to whether these are legit or just some whacky protocol designed to sell you supplements and pipedreams of ripped abs. In this post we’re going to talk about one very legitimate strategy for fat loss, digestive health and improved energy that has been around for quite some time but may be misunderstood: Intermittent Fasting.
Read MoreWhen it comes to losing weight, there are things we’ve been told over and over again. While certain things hold true (calories matter, interval training works and deprivation doesn’t), there are other long-held beliefs that recent research has shown to be a little iffy. In some cases, things we’ve always thought to be true about weight loss have turned out to either be wrong or vastly oversimplified. I was honored to be asked by Moira Lawler to shed some light on some of these topics for her article on LiveStrong.com where we dive into three common misconceptions and explore what the latest research says. Spoiler: There’s still no magic bullet when it comes to losing weight.
Read MoreI'm a big fan of knowing what's going on with my body. And if there are simple, affordable tests I can take that can give me useful, actionable data to improve my health and inform my fitness program I'm all for it. So I recently engaged a local office of DexaFit to obtain a Dexa Scan Body Composition Analysis, RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) Test, V02 Max Test and Fit3D Posture Scan. In this post I outline what I learned from these tests and how I am applying that knowledge to optimize my fitness program. I've also included links to my full reports and photos from my experience to help you decide if similar testing makes sense for you.
Read MoreI'm not one to jump on every cockamamie fitness trend that crosses my Instagram. Quite the opposite; I base my training recommendations on science and experience. Everyone knows I'm a fan of high intensity workouts. They are excellent for time-strapped professionals with hefty goals and not a lot of time. But it's important to ensure you're not abandoning lower intensity, steady-state work. If your goals include losing body fat, managing stress hormones and injury/overtraining prevention then check out my interview with LiveStrong.com.
Read MoreWith all the hype and media attention given to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) over the past few years, you’d think everyone was doing it—and maybe they are. If they’re not, they may not be doing anything, believing if they’re not killing themselves during a workout, they’re not really gaining any benefits. But here’s the thing: Recent studies show that moderate-intensity activity still has many benefits. Check out my interview in the August 2017 issue of American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified News for details on the latest research and tips for now to incorporate steady-state cardio back into your program.
Read MoreWearables and fitness trackers can provide the motivation and accountability many people need to become less sedentary and lose excess weight. But for those prone to obsessive thoughts and behaviors, the same tools can turn dangerous. How do you know if you've crossed the line? Checkout my interview in Prevention Magazine for signs that you may be taking your pedometer checking, calorie counting, and other health tracking too far.
Read MoreOnce a month I gather the best fitness and nutrition news, tips and videos from my blog into one handy email. I never share email addresses with third parties and you can unsubscribe at any time. Check out past issues.
