The first thing most of us do in the morning, after silencing the alarm, is put our feet on the floor. Before the coffee brews, our feet and ankles take the body’s weight and get us standing. The feet are the first part of the body to react to the ground, and the ankles just …
Category: Training and Fitness
Oct 12
Staying Limber Throughout Your Travels
At the end of September, I had the privilege of visiting a few friends in Portland, Oregon, for about three days. The weather was the quintessential Pacific Northwest climate. It was a little colder, the air a little wetter, and some drizzle had already started in the latter half of the month. This was a …
Sep 12
An Overlooked Vitamin for Strong Bones
“Have you read anything about vitamin K2?” asked a client of mine at the end of a training session. She found an article written for endurance athletes about the nutrients that support bone health, and she wanted to know what I thought. The article made a good case. It walked through calcium, vitamin D, and …
Aug 28
Strong Legs Get us Up and Down From the Floor
When was the last time you got down on the floor and back up again without reaching for a chair, a coffee table, or a nearby wall? For some of us, we might not think twice about this. A new grandchild might change that. Toddlers and boisterous seven-year-olds don’t do their business at table height. …
Aug 08
Exercise Gives Us Something to Look Forward To
“It’s kind of like going to the dentist,” exclaimed a gentleman who was interested in our personal training services. We offer two complimentary training sessions to potential personal training clients. These sessions help ensure our coaching style, environment, and plan are a good fit before anyone commits. When this gentleman arrived for his second session, …
Jul 25
The Muscles Behind Our Everyday Grip
From the moment we pick up a toothbrush in the morning, our hands go to work without a second thought. We turn doorknobs, tap and swipe across phone screens, twist the lids off water bottles, thread a key into the front door, and carry bags of groceries from the car. By the afternoon, some of …
Jul 10
Stay Fit for Recreational Sports
An engaging and fun activity after a day of labor is playing a recreational sport. Golf, tennis, pickleball, running, and biking are some of the most popular sports among our personal training clients. Engaging in sports requires physical capabilities and athleticism, including the ability to endure long periods of potentially strenuous activity, consistent practice to …
Jul 03
Complexities of Core Strength
“Imagine if your arms and legs magically disappeared from the armpits and hips. All the muscles in the region between the armpits and hips are your core.” These were the words of the fitness director who supervised me at a gym I worked at many moons ago. I was selected to teach a small-group fitness …
Jun 05
Building a Strong and Resilient Lower Back
“All I did was bend over to pick up a bag of dog food,” Wolfgang explained as he eased himself onto the bench at the beginning of his training session, clearly wincing in pain as he put his hand on his lower back. “I hear about people throwing their backs out moving couches or refrigerators. …
May 31
Strong Calves help with Balance and Coordination
“I almost went down stepping off the curb at the grocery store last week,” Frieren mentioned as she laced up her shoes for her morning training session. “I caught myself, but for a second I really thought I was going over.” She laughed it off, but the look in her eyes told the rest of …