Walking, getting in and out of cars, going up and down stairs, or kneeling to pick up objects are common activities in our everyday lives that our lower extremities allow us to do. However, activities that seem simple enough that someone should be able to do it with their eyes closed can be cut short …
Tag: Napa Valley Fitness
Sep 19
The Art of Putting on our Underwear and Everyday Functionality
“They all put their underwear the same way,” my high school football coach proclaimed during his pre-game motivational speech. This seemingly off-topic comment, a nugget of wisdom from our leader, left my teammates and I pondering its relevance to our upcoming game against Vallejo High School. We were preparing to face a team known for …
Sep 04
Staying Fit to Manage Arthritis
General age-related breakdown occurs in many aspects of our lives, including the wear and tear of the engines in our automobiles, the scuffs in our hardwood floors, or the chipping of paint on the side of our houses facing the hot afternoon sun. These repercussions of being present in the world for years can’t necessarily …
Jul 26
Making Unhealthy Food Decisions a Sacred Experience
A hidden treasure exists in Napa Valley in the form of a twelve-inch piece of cooked dough produced by R+D Kithcen’s take-out menu. Better known as Hawaiin-style pizza, this masterpiece of American-Italian fusion displays a pillowy, yet structurally sound, dough that has been meticulously measured out by the R+D culinary team that creates an identical …
Jul 17
Exercising in the Heat of the Summer
The nights are hot, people are sporting tank tops in the morning, and flip-flops have replaced the usual foot attire for the standard grocery store visits. As temperatures rise to the mid to upper nineties later in the afternoon and kids on summer vacation run rampant as raucous laughter fills the streets, we know it’s …
Jul 02
Managing Arthritis with Skillful Exercise and Rest Decisions
“Once we get over the age of thirty, we’re pretty much diagnosed with arthritis.” These were the words of a physical therapist who mentored me during one of my many internship experiences. Arthritis appears in a multitude of presentations based on an individual’s history of injury, adherence to exercise and physical activity, or through a …
Jun 18
Reducing Risk of Falling with a Strong Core
“I read some research that one of the biggest factors causing falls is related to having a weak core,” expressed Dutch during one of his weekly personal training sessions. Dutch expressed this as we performed an exercise involving balancing on one leg as I threw a la crosse ball, bouncing it off of the ground …
Jun 01
Fend off Arthritis by Managing Stagnant Joints
As I was meandering through my garden over Memorial Day weekend, basking in the glowing Napa sunlight and enjoying the refreshing Northern California breeze, I went to move my wheelbarrow away from one of my garden beds. The bok choy in my garden was thriving. However, something disturbing residing within the bed of the wheelbarrow …
May 23
Choosing the Best Foods at the Right Times
Eating decisions can create resolutions to circumstances that make us feel better and more productive. Weight loss, gaining lean muscle mass, and fending off illness are commonly sought-after purposes of adhering to healthy eating habits. Maintaining an optimal weight for our body type assists in managing a healthy fat mass to lean muscle mass ratio. …
Apr 30
Get a Grip: Hand Strength
Forearms, wrists, fingers, and thumbs are features humans possess that separate us from the upper and lower classes of the animal kingdom. Our ability to grab objects with our hands and manipulate them to produce an environment that benefits us goes hand in hand with the intricate features the human brain offers our everyday functionality. …