The feeling of ‘Losing Your Mind’ is normal. Especially these days. We have not even made it through one worldwide crisis when all of a sudden the entire world has busted loose (rightfully so) into next level social upheaval. While we maintain civility both in our homes out in public, there is something that has been brewing and festering in our bodies for months now… stress. Yes, stress. The silent killer, the scourge of performance, the strainer of relationships, the most deadly symptom of the COVID. But yet we carry on, maintaining our nutritional routines; often to the detriment of our health.
0040520 "Which Butter is Better? Almond of Peanut.."
SNACKS!!! Oh man if there is one thing that I do a lot of in this time of quarantine.. its snacking. A great way to kill some time and satisfy my hunger in-between the many workouts Im doing every day; snacking has become a real part of my routine. One item that both myself as well as my two teenagers have been ferociously consuming is Peanut Butter and Almond Butter. Each has their place but which is better for me ?
281019 "Self Doubt: The 4 Ways to Overcome it"
I woke up this morning with the 1997 movie, Grosse Point Blank on my mind. If you are old enough to remember it, the scene Im thinking of is right before the High School reunion and John Cusack is stewing in his hotel room. In an anxious panic John picks up the phone and calls his Psychoanalyst and asks for help. His analyst (Alan Arkin) gives him the mantra to recite, "I am home in the ME, I am Rooted in the ME, This is ME Breathing...". Well, this classic centering mantra got me thinking about the concept of SELF DOUBT. This very human feeling is a hinderance that 99% of us have and if we can conquer it, the world will literally open up before us and goals can be met with force! Today lets dive in on understanding and moving past SELF DOUBT.
160919 "3 Reasons why Meal Delivery is a Win"
Ill admit that I live in a bit of a bubble. Meal Prepping, Farmers Markets and Nutritional Awareness is kind of my thing and Its so engrained in my lifestyle that there really is little to think about each week. When I engage with y’all in and out of the gym this confidence in my meals and nutrition is certainly not the norm. Nerves, Fear, Confusion and Wishful Thinking are just some of the topics that come up when we talk about feeding ourselves correctly. Thank goodness we live in the most efficient time in history because I have 3 Reasons why Meal Delivery Solutions are right for you.
010719 "The GUT Bacteria that Can help Beat Fatigue"
Its not just your lung capacity that you are developing during training. Its not just how big your muscles are getting that make you stronger or get that one last rep. A new study Published in the Nature Medicine journal may shed some more light on just how important your GUT is in relation to your overall athletic ability.
240719 "Timing is Everything; Especially Supplements"
If you care about your health and performance enough to supplement with Vitamins and Minerals, then you should be paying attention to when and how to take them. Lets face it, Supplements are expensive and most of us take them without REALLY knowing the What, Why and How for each. Because the marketing machine behind supplement sales is strong, we just buy and consume. So lets put all of our bottles on the table and dive in on some important timing aspects to your daily SUPP game.
170619 "Salty or Sweet.. The Science behind your Taste Preference"
What do you crave at the Movies? Are you a Salty Popcorn lover or a Sweet Candy person? For me, its all Popcorn. The sweet nature of anything but Chocolate or raw honey is quite distasteful to me. But why is this? What makes my brain go for one thing over the other? Well, It turns out that ‘TASTE’ is both premeditated and genetic. Where some of our taste is learned through exposure and through the make up of our GUT, there is also some imprinted tastes that are bestowed on us while we were in the womb!
041218 Save Money, Time and Perform well: 5 Holiday Meal Prep Ideas
It is no surprise that fitness and training can fall off the rails during the holidays. If you are like 90% of us, I feel like the days are busier now than they were when we chased every minute of summer. Much of the problem is not only the race to get ready for the upcoming holiday but we also have less hours of daylight which really can mess up your schedule and drive. But, we can always get a win if we plan our Nutrition. Here are 5 of my top tips you should use to be successful.
030918 "Fact OR Fiction: Sex and Athletic Performance"
I vividly Recall one of my Head instructors at Fire Academy. He always gave it to us straight, whether it was techniques on popping a door or how to angle my hose for optimal knockdown on flames. Another piece of advice he gave me was to 'never have sex the night before a practical exam, it will kill your aggression'. I dont know why but this has always stuck with me and today im going to dig into the research behind sex and performance, because we ALL want both!
130818 "Mobility Vs. Flexibility; The Big Difference you Might Be Missing."
Without going any further.... Which would you be? Flexible? OR Mobile?
As an athlete and Gym owner I hear the two Terms Flexibility and Mobility used with very little regard for differences. But there IS a huge difference and today I am going to shed light on this so YOU can change the way you think about your daily training. This under appreciated distinction is literally the linchpin of athletic performance. Have I peaked your interest? Lets get bendy today and develop a greater understanding of what it actually means to be a functional athlete.
070818 "5 Reasons Why; Vital Proteins Sports Greens"
If you are like me, the hunt is always on for the 1 whole food supplement that can capture all the benefits without shaking up multiple concoctions or swallowing heaps of pills. The Vital Proteins Brand has consistently been a brand that I use because of #1 the Collagen and #2 the Beef Liver. Well I now have a #3... The Sports Greens. Today on the 5 reasons WHY, we are going to deconstruct this killer supplement and show you why you need to keep it on your counter.
230718 "2 Proven facts about Oral Health and Performance "
Did you know that at the 2012 Olympic games the most sought after medical consultation by athletes, after Musculoskeletal repair, was Dental Checkups and treatments? !! In a Continuing Quest to have everyone of you think before eating, I wanted to talk a bit today about the importance of your Mouth... Yes that place where your food comes into contact with the body first... Lets dive in on a couple proven facts about how the health of your mouth can effect your performance in the gym and competition.
040618 "Which Nut is Better for You, Almonds or Walnuts?"
Each morning as part of my daily Nutrition routine I eat a handful of Nuts with my coffee. To some that may sound quite out of the ordinary but starting the day with a good amount of fat allows me to 'break-my-fast' and get fuel my brain and body for morning training. As most of us, I am blessed with choices. Choosing which nut to fuel my morning with is sometimes a question so I thought I would dig into it a little bit more this week. Do I go with the walnut? A nut that I literally grew up on, coming from Linden CA where we lived on 12 acres of walnuts. Or the Almond? The creamy and dense nut that my grandfather and uncles grow and tend to be the kale of the burgeoning Nut business! Lets find out.
280518 "3 Proven Fat Burning Cardiovascular/Strength Training Tips"
Ill be honest with you, if you didn't start building you beach body a few months ago you are playing catch up at this point. Fat Loss and performance are built over the course of months and not weeks. But there is hope to get your body dialed outside of instilling a proper nutrition plan into your lifestyle. It is going to take work, the pain face may come out a lot but I promise the following Cardio/Strength training tips will work 100% of the time. So throw out your ideas on what you should be doing and listen to what you ought to be doing!
210518 "Top 5 Veggies for Detoxification and Cellular health"
How often are you questioning Normalcy? Do you look at your life, your routine, and truly examine how it can be given a boost? Not surprisingly, the benefits begin with your nutrition. There is a class of vegetables you should be eating daily called "Crucirferous" (cru-sif-erous) vegetables that can do more to detoxify your organs, and reduce the oxidative stress associated with training and lifestyle. These vegetables are ones that your probably pass by in the store because its not potatoes, or spinach but I am encouraging you to do a double take and do your health a favor. As Ill explain you can be creating big hedge against cancer and the silent killer, Dementia. Lets get into it!
260218 "Reishi: The Secrets you haven't heard yet"
For as long as I can remember I have said, "it isn't about how you are performing, its about how you are recovering". I have studied this 'chicken or the egg' conundrum in training for years. The debate about what we as coaches should put an emphasis on, expectations in the gym or expectations of the immune system. There is growing evidence from some of the best science minds in the world that your immune system is the key to athletic performance. As the focus shifts, so does the nutrition. And for this, we surprisingly find mushrooms hold treasures that have been yielding gold medal results for millennia.