May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Many of my posts focus on physical health, training goals, and the like. However, our physical bodies are only one part of our overall wellness. It is awesome that in the past several years, more focus and attention has been brought to mental health and the impact it can
Heart rate, quite simply put, is the number of times your heart beats in one minute. This number is both a key indicator of cardiovascular health, and also an excellent tool for helping design your own exercise programs. Whether you choose to take your heart rate old school style or whether you embrace the technology
In the world of fitness trackers, you might be wondering why I am devoting a post to manually taking a heart rate. Two reasons: first, what happens when the battery inevitably dies during a workout? Second, fitness trackers are notoriously inaccurate. And, a bonus reason, I think it is important that if you are going
Strength training is a hugely important form of exercise. In fact, far too few people realize that and engage in this type exercise, but that’s a post for another day. One of the most important aspects of strength training is spotting. Spotting, if you are a complete newbie (and welcome by the way), is a
A story: several years ago (ok like, a decade at this point) I was strength training at my gym. You know, typical afternoon workout, headphones on, working my way through the free weights, minding my own business. I feel a tap on my shoulder, so I turn and remove said headphones and peer quizzically at
Confession… I like to people watch. It doesn’t come from any weird voyeuristic place; I am just genuinely interested in people. Given that part of my job entails me watching my clients to ensure proper form, I’m guessing that sometimes I just can’t shut it off. Over the years, I have come to notice one
In Part I, I covered some background on body composition “measurements” and talked a bit about two common techniques used in gyms and by fitness pros. In this segment, I want to address two other measurements that are typically assessed with and lumped into the body composition category but have absolutely NOTHING to do with
I have found that there is one constant in the exercise world. Regardless of gender, age, goal, or training status, e’erbody wants to know their body composition. Like, seriously, everyone. I have worked in several gyms and it is common for personal trainers to offer periodic events that are open to anyone and are free.
Goal setting is one of the least talked about, least thought about, least managed parts of most fitness or wellness endeavors. And, I know you’ll be shocked to read this, it is one of the most important.
