Often overlooked, deliberate breathing can be an extremely useful tool when it comes to strength training. Not only does it help coordinate our movements, but it can be critical for exercise safety. The general rule of thumb is to inhale during the eccentric/ lengthening phase of the exercise (i.e. the downward phase of a squat) and exhaling during the concentric/ shortening phase (i.e. the upward phase of a squat). When we inhale, we create rigidity in our torso and a sort of protective barrie...

Nutrition: are we as compliant as we think we are? With formal diets fading out and the idea of implementing sustainable lifestyle changes on the rise, the phrase “it’s all about balance” has been thrown around quite a bit. As someone heavily involved in the health/fitness industry, but also someone who enjoys high calorie beer as much as the next person, I couldn’t agree with this more. The question is: are we truly being honest with ourselves about how balanced we act...

We are all born with the working parts for perfect alignment. Unfortunately, most people (including myself) do not have it. After diving into Katy Bowman’s “Alignment Matters,” I have somewhat shifted my view on what ‘healthy’ really means. We tend to think of heath in terms of diseases and/or fitness level. However, what if I told you that someone with plantar fasciitis or chronic low back pain is just as unhealthy as someone with high blood pressure or someone wh...

How To Maintain Your New Year's Resolutions Every year, we tell ourselves that next year will be better. We will eat cleaner, exercise more, get enough sleep, meditate…the list goes on and on. When the new year comes, we are motivated to shift our habits from eating and drinking our way through the holidays to really honing in on our goals. Unfortunately, this motivation doesn’t always last. Eventually, the concept of ‘starting anew’ wears off and we resort back to our ...

The First 8 Weeks of Training: Getting Started and Staying With It Strength training can be intimidating when you are starting from scratch. Your body has become comfortable with not having to constantly adjust its physique in response to external load, and it is happy that way. But you shouldn't be. The longer you wait to begin strength training, the more quickly your body will more or less “age.” When you reach a certain age, your body naturally looses muscle mass (a process calle...