During graduate school in 2005 I led weekly Stomp classes on stair master machines in San Diego. They were intense, but short and putting the music playlists together for them was so fun for me.

After class one day..

Cueing with - open your chest doesn't always cut it when it comes to mindful movement and relief for muscles like pectoralis minor.

No worries if that's how you cue. It's a starting point. Much like using the ever so common door stretch for addressing chest tightness, it is helpful. 

The pectoralis minor is a shoulder muscle that connects the scapula to the ribs, effecting scapular motion and breathing when the scapula is fixed. It is active anytime we need stabilization of the shoulder girdle with the arms in front of us.

The deltoid is a shoulder muscle that connects the clavicle, scapula and humerus together, allowing the arm to move freely in many directions. It is active most of the day in most movements that we do - even when walking!

We all have those days, when it seems impossible to get exercise, even though we know we need it. Physical activity benefits mood, digestion, immune function and more. Peruse these ideas to see if something sparks you to get going again.

What happens when we attempt to release energy without storing enough?

I’ll let you in on a little secret: Sleep can’t clean up all the messes of the day.

10 years ago I was volunteering in the home office for Idea Health and Fitness Association with a mouth-watering craving to become a presenter myself someday. I wanted to be as inspiring, as captivating, and as skilled as the presenters I admired.

Getting there has been quite the journey. And this year is more special than ever.

Sleep has the potential to help people lose weight, but not just any sleep will do. It’s important to get an adequate amount of deep sleep every night, as it is the most restorative, providing both mental and physical recovery benefits, which supports the weight-loss journey.

New years resolutions are all the buzz right now. How to. How not to. Is anyone else feeling the pressure? How about instead of resolutions that last an ENTIRE YEAR, we work on setting intentions that last a month, a week or even just a day! 

My approach this year is simple. Partially because I'm a new mama that views a hot shower as a luxury vacation and also because of a book I recently read...

It happened to me. My abs separated while pregnant. Stretch marks took the place of my six pack. It's something I've heard about many times in my years as a fitness teacher. When I stepped into the role of anatomy educator, the questions arose even more frequently during abdominal muscle courses and workshops.

Has anyone told you to “warm up” before you exercise or play sports? It seems simple enough, doesn’t it? What’s easy to do is also easy not to do, and the biggest mistake people make is skipping this important component of exercise. Here’s what you need to know to warm up properly (and why it’s so important) so you can be more effective with your physical activities. 

Have you ever had a client complain of soreness on only one side of her body? Or had someone blame his workout for an injury? Exercise and sport are both potential culprits, but sometimes there’s more to it.

I'm constantly reminded of how intelligent our bodies are.  They hold all the answers, if we just take the time to listen and explore.  Body awareness and anatomy are the two tools that I find invaluable when investigating a body complaint.  

Once in awhile I get really extra lucky with a client.  I find the answer in one session and never have to see them again.  It's times like these that keep me going and wanting to help people with their bodies. 

Do you ever feel energized from exercise?  Or, exhausted?  What about your clients?  Do you wonder if what you're doing could be hurting your body?  Exercise is a form of stress and there's a balance to be found.    

If you live near a lake, river or oceanfront, you’ve undoubtedly seen increasing numbers of people on stand-up paddleboards (SUP). This popular activity is super fun and provides a great workout. You can make the experience even more rewarding, however, by using your off-the-board workout time to strengthen those SUP-specific muscles. 

Starting over is hard.  Especially when you were so in love!  Did you ever have to take a break from your favorite sport?  Have you injured yourself and had to stop doing something you really enjoy?  Injuries are a set-back no one wants to experience.  Yet we all know what pain feel like.

It's natural to store fat for winter.  Living up here in Montana has made that even more clear to me, with all of the animals that hibernate in this part of the country.  If you've been watching the news, you know that some of the bears came out of hibernation early.  

Are you ready to come out of hibernation mode?

Do you or your clients have tight muscles?  Have they been injured?  OR Are they injury prone?  While we cannot diagnose or treat injuries, we can suggest recovery strategies that can alleviate discomfort or possibly prevent injury.  Encourage your clients to apply one or more of these strategies after every workout!