Exercise

Post Holiday Reset

Here we are a bit more than a week removed from the new year and the holiday season. Hopefully routines are returning to normal, or new normal as the case may be with workouts and eating habits. Sometimes the sluggishness that we acquire with all...

Workout Frameworks

In Cardio, Planning and Programming, Strength Training • by Melissa, January 2, 2019 •

Happy New Year! If you are new to this little corner of the interwebs, welcome! If you are old hat, welcome back. I hope everybody had a safe and festive holiday season. And since it’s the New Year and I know you have resolutions, I’m...

Fitness Looks Different on Every Body – Training

In Body Positivity, General Fitness • by Melissa, November 14, 2018 •

Last week I mentioned that the folks at Fitness Blender had posted a motivational quote on their Instagram, “Fitness looks different on every body,” and talked about the body image and positivity undercurrents that it had for me. There were a few other significant thoughts...

Eating Crow

In Yoga • by Melissa, October 24, 2018 •

I practice yoga, or I at least try to, regularly. I am a big believer in the Eight Limbs and I have seen how thoughtful practice of each has positively affected my life. As with all yoga practice, there are aspects of it that can...

Exercise Recommendations for Long Term Health

In General Fitness, Planning and Programming • by Melissa, October 17, 2018 •

It should come as no surprise that one of the questions I field most has to do with how much exercise one should be getting. Truth be told, it’s actually a fairly complicated question to answer. It involves figuring out what the individual’s goal is,...

Demystifying the Eight Limbs of Yoga

In Yoga • by Melissa, October 3, 2018 •

Yoga as a Western practice and yoga as a traditional practice are typically quite different. The majority of people walking into a Western yoga class are looking for the asanas to help with their flexibility, strength, or in some cases rehabilitation. And while there is...

2-2-2 Format for Planning and Flexibility

In Planning and Programming • by Melissa, September 19, 2018 •

As anyone who has been around here will tell you, I like to take a whole life/whole person approach to exercise. While this approach allows for a lot of flexibility, it also breeds a heck of a lot of confusion. I use what I call...

Benefits of Strength Training

In Planning and Programming, Strength Training • by Melissa, September 12, 2018 •

I gotta be real, I am actually a little surprised to need to be talking about why strength training is awesome, for everyone, in 2018. Seriously. When I started working as a personal trainer (possibly before some of you were born), this was a conversation...

An Integrated Self

In Yoga • by Melissa, August 15, 2018 •

In addition to talking about training goals and planning, I have written a bit about Dimensions of Wellness. The National Wellness Institute has a wonderfully researched model, and it has made its way into “pop” culture via Hal Elrod’s Level 10 Life. While I enjoy...

Seeing the Six Pack

In General Fitness, Strength Training • by Melissa, July 25, 2018 •

You want six pack abs? Of course you do. I know you do, don’t try and brush it off like you are above it. I do, I can admit it. We all like to see the results of our hard work in the gym. But...