The holiday season is right around the corner, starting with Thanksgiving and generally running through the New Year. You need to look no further than your local grocery store to see our cultural dictate that this season is “supposed” to be happy, merry, and bright. One needs only to explore the myths around the first Thanksgiving feast being a peaceful gathering setting off a mutually beneficial relationship between the Native Americans and the pilgrims to see the historic

There are so many exercise trends to choose from these days! What is deemed the “in vogue” or most effective type of workout at any given time changes, much like clothing or hairstyles. There is HIIT, CrossFit, Beach Body, Soul Cycle, adventure racing, hybrid workouts, bodybuilding, and more. This is all great if it motivates someone to exercise in a way that is safe, appropriate, and fun. I would use caution, however, before diving headlong into one of these, especially if y

This post is the second part of a 2-part series. “Training for Elderhood – Part 1” brought together the voices of several wise elders in my wellness community to discuss their mindset on active aging, wellness practices, and the most important things to keep in mind to live one’s best life. Part 2 will address our culture’s deep-rooted ageism, provide science & research that contradicts the associated conventional beliefs, and suggest a more empowered perspective. Each of ou

Our culture is not necessarily known to embrace older adulthood with all its potential in terms of growth, health, and meaning. Nevertheless, I have witnessed some awesome examples of older adults living their best lives with good health and longevity. By capturing and sharing this, my objective is to offer hope and optimism for what is possible later in life . People of all ages can benefit from the knowledge of strategies to optimize their quality of life along the journ

The cyclist dipped the back wheel of his bicycle into Lake Huron and then lined up for the 6AM start of the event. Cyclists at this event, which is held in late June, aspired to ride from the east to the west coast of Michigan traversing mainly gravel roads, totaling 210+ miles in one day. This rider had left nothing to chance. He planned and exhaustively prepared for every contingency of this race. He had subjected himself to countless progressively longer training rides

We may have important health, fitness, or life goals. But what life is requiring of us can throw us off, making it difficult to create the necessary changes. Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. - Allen Saunders We need to consider how the nervous system works when it comes to handling a given amount of stress. It reads our reaction to a given stressor and launches the appropriate response in order to meet the demands of that situation. We go

Are you actually taking care of yourself with your exercise? This means moving your body in a way that it needs in order to be healthy and that also feels good and life-affirming. You might have the discomfort a burning sensation in your working muscles or some good old fashioned muscle soreness following your activity. Even so, at the end of the day, you feel invigorated by what you are doing. You know that you are not doing damage to yourself. You are doing an activity

At this point in the year, many people are typically beginning to lapse on exercise and wellness commitments made in the New Year. Attendance at fitness centers typically drops off as the weather improves, motivation wanes, and life seems to take over. You may have previously committed to yourself to stay engaged in your exercise program only to, in dismay, see another season pass in which your resolve has faltered. You swore it would be different this time. Nevertheless

The past 2 years have been challenging for all of us on many levels. Whether or not we have experienced COVID-19 first-hand, we have at minimum had to tolerate some major inconveniences in our lives. These have often resulted in significant disruptions around our own self-care both physically and emotionally. Being a parent or a grandparent has taken on a whole new meaning, for example, as families have scrambled to find solutions for child care and adapt to virtual learni

As a personal trainer and health coach, I am often privy to the most sensitive information that clients and share. As I listen, I get a better understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and how they treat themselves. There is the obvious kind of self-care that we encourage across many levels, including physical activity, nutrition, adequate quality sleep, hydration, and social connection, among others. There is a common game-changer, however, and that is how we talk to our

The pandemic is not something any of us could have predicted. It has disrupted our way of life, placing certain aspects of life on pause and taking us out of our usual routines for over 2 years thus far. The new variants have further prolonged this period, making it almost impossible to predict when things will shift. There is an important conversation regarding the pandemic, however, that we are missing. While this is not something we ever would have chosen to have happen