I get this question often, which is why I wanted to do a full length deep dive. I'm a huge fan of date night and it's good to be able to be able to get outside of our own kitchens to eat. Let me start with why macros alone provide flexibility versus just sticking to a calorie in goal and/or being restricted to only eating specific foods. With a macros baseline however, if I recommend 145g protein, 170g carbs, 60g fat, it’s a lot more specific. This helps individuals know they

“Abs are made in the kitchen.” Not true. I agree that lower body fat is heavily influenced by your nutrition, yes, but your abdominal wall still needs to be trained like any other muscle group. Strength, definition, and injury prevention all come from consistent training. FUNCTION: Rectus abdominis – attaches from the hip to the bottom of the ribcage; causes flexion of the spine. External oblique – starts at the lower portion of the 8 ribs, inserts into the hips; helps with l

Injuries happen to us all. Sometimes they’re minor, sometimes they’re severe. But when they happen, there are two main goals to focus on: Goal 1: Heal and recover fully. Goal 2: Maintain progress or even make new progress (i.e. don’t give up!!) First things first, always listen to your doctor or medical provider, like a physical therapist. Follow their recommendations and programming. When someone has an injury, I often see two mistakes: A) Not allowing enough rest/recovery f

In our society socialization is linked with food. At the same time, our culture’s focus is not on good nutritional practices. The need to be social is important (yes, even for you introverts, lol). When social events combine food, the goal is to be social but not completely fall off the rails. Here are the most commonly seen challenges: Poor food choices at an event. Often the only things available are carbs and fats—crackers, spreads, fried handheld options, ‘mystery’ meat.

Stress is a big deal, we all have it. This comes at us in multiple forms. The first thing that often is thought of is emotional stress. I don’t need to give examples here as I’m sure we all could do that. Physical stress isn’t always a bad thing. When we train or exercise, we are putting stress on our bodies, which then helps us improve and grow. However, it can go over the top. The obvious example is an injury. Nutritional stress shows up in what we eat. Seriously! If we eat

Training and intensity are certainly important, but recovery is a huge key to growth and progress and often gets overlooked (or ignored). When you train, you are causing micro damage to the muscles. Without proper recovery, not only do you maximize progress, but your risk of injury goes down substantially. How do you know if you’re not recovered? ● Soreness/aches/pains. ● Not feeling great in the gym/lack of progress. ● Injuries. ● Lack of energy. There are lots of variables

Mindset is important. It’s one of the reasons I started my weekly Monday Mindset videos as we all deal AND benefit from it. When we have a positive mindset, all else benefits: health, mood, relationships, performance. Let’s start with the WHY and kick it off talking about hormones. Cortisol is your stress hormone. When this is high, your other hormones take a hit (testosterone, endorphins). By maintaining a positive mindset, you can reduce stress which can improve cortisol an

I’ve talked in the past about keeping things together while traveling, using a hotel gym, or finding a guest membership. However, right now I have a number of clients who are traveling somewhere where a gym isn’t available. First, know that a few days or even a week away from the gym isn’t going to derail you. Next, the goal of days like this is to maintain your level of development. It’s surprising how little activity is needed to maintain progress. I remember back when I wa

Processed vs ultra processed foods… what’s the difference? Almost all food is processed. Even meat is processed because it has to be cut....

Let’s talk about the notorious drinks most of us come across: alcohol, caffeine, and soda. Why are these an issue? They’re everywhere in...