High Intensity Interval Training – Too Good to be True?
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a workout that includes bursts of high intensity followed by low-intensity rest periods. It's a system used by athletes since the 19th century (1) to improve performance, speed, power and cardiovascular fitness. Now,...
What’s Hot In Exercise: The Rise of High Intensity Intervals and the Fall of the Fat Burning Zone
The fat burning zone was quite a myth. One that lasted for too many years. It's based on a concept that you should keep your workout at a very low intensity so you will burn more fat and less sugar when you exercise. You'll still find the "fat burning zone" on...
Setting Goals and Setting Yourself Up for Success
Happy New Year!! What are you doing to help yourself reach your goals this year? Books are written and courses are taught around what successful businesses and successful people do to bring goals (and dreams) into reality. As I write this post I keep thinking ...
Does Stretching Really Work?
A Wall Street Journal article on December 2, 2014 (1,2) prompted a client to e-mail and ask: "Does stretching work?" I took a look and thought the article to be one of the best so far written in a major media source regarding stretching. Stretching has gotten a...
Abdominals 101
Effectively working the abdominals requires a specific mind-body connection. This is a video I use in my MindBodyBlast class to get people started on abdominal exercises. It's also how I teach my one-on-one clients to start out with. No...
Fit while on Vacation in Italy
I'm posting some pics of my latest trip to Italy in a fitness themed way. I hope you enjoy! The above picture is the French Riviera while flying out of Nice. It's not difficult to keep up the workout while on vacation. In fact, it's easier to exercise on vacation than...
How Much Exercise Do You Need to Dramatically Improve Your Health?
Many people feel overwhelmed with the idea of fitting regular exercise into their life. Not many people know the small time investment in exercise that's really necessary in order to make a big difference in one's health and future. That's probably why 60% of...
The Challenges of Leading a Balanced Life: Rest and Recovery
In order to be optimal in any area of life, we need to have a balance of work and recovery. If we don't give our bodies rest after intense exercise, the body will not repair and we won't reap the benefits from our difficult workouts. The...
Three Secrets to Make Exercise More Enjoyable (and Less Painful)
The New York Times posted a great article last week "Losing Weight May Require Some Serious Fun". The article featured recent studies finding that people reward themselves with more food and calories after exercise - if they don't consider the exercise to be...
The Truth about Motivation to Exercise
Are you having a difficult time finding the motivation to exercise? There's a big myth about motivation to exercise. If you believe it, it can prevent you from reaching...
Look Younger Through Exercise
When I speak in public about the benefits of exercise I often highlight research studies that correlate exercise to aging. For years now we've seen 60 year olds who exercise regularly with the internal physiology (muscle, blood chemistry, blood sugar metabolism...
What’s Your Passion? Here’s a Little Story About Mine
Here's the link we refer to in the video. Being able to nurture your passions adds a fullness and satisfaction to life that's on a different level from work or any other activity. In turn, it can boost brain chemicals that reduce your...
The Single Leg Squat for Strength and Balance
If you've been doing squats for a while and feel you're pretty good at them, it may be time for you to move up and try the single leg squat. This great exercise works your entire leg - hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps,...
Three Ways a Well Rounded Fitness Program Helps You Play Great Golf
The amount of improvement a well-rounded fitness program makes to all areas of life usually surprises my clients and students. If they're involved in sports they're usually even more surprised at how much their performance improves after they adapt a...
For Healthy Knees Exercise your Glutes and Hips
If you swim, bike, run, walk, climb stairs or use an elliptical for exercise, no doubt you're fully aware of the big muscles of your leg that you're working. Those quads, hamstrings, glutes, and even calves use lots...
Turn Your Dreams into Reality: As the Last Sun Sets on This Year… What Will You Say You’ve Done?
Do something small today. Send a message out into the world, send a message to your SELF, that you’re serious about making this change.
For a Strong Back and Great Posture: The Swimmer Exercise
An excellent exercise for a strong back and great posture, the swimmer is a must-do exercise for your regular routine. This exercise works all the muscles along the spine to hold the back up strongly. It also works...
What Causes a Heart Attack – Things You May Not Know
Out of the blue I began having pains in my chest. When I ran, when I walked, sometimes even when I sat quietly. Of course, it worried me. Women's heart attack symptoms are different from men's and since we've only begun to study them we don't have all the information...
What’s the Best Way to Warm Up for Exercise?
In the last few years there’s been a lot of controversy around what’s considered the best way to warm up for exercise.
Short Cardio Warm Up
Here's a short cardio warm up for you! It's a great way to warm up at home for a run, a bike ride, a strength training session, or any other workout. Active stretching is built in, but if you need to focus on...