Pain can have a lot of different causes—connective tissue, nerves, muscles, and more. If your pain or soreness is coming from your muscles (especially after a hard workout), you can alleviate a lot it through proper self care. Self care after the gym consists of myofascial release, active release technique (ART), and stretching.
Read MoreMost athletes spend just as much time recovering from their workouts as they do actually working out. Many of them have weekly visits with a a tissues masseuse who specializes in active release technique (ART) or a chiropractor. It helps their bodies handle the physical stress they are under.
You and I may not have an ART practitioner on retainer, but there are numerous things we can do after working out to improve our recovery.
Read More“I’m not sure I want to work with you. You’re really muscular, and I don’t want to get bulky.” I hear this sometimes from women who are thinking about training with me. I always tell them that it’s totally fine with me. You actually can’t build my kind of muscle by accident. It’s actually harder to build muscle than it is to lose weight!
When you train with me, you’re achieving your goals, not mine.
Read MoreFoam rolling removes knots and tension, much as a massage would. The pressure from your body weight against the roller forces the knot out, leaving you with muscles that are less sore, more mobile, and less prone to injury. Over the years, a number of new product have come out that work off the same principle as the foam roller, but feature different designs. These products tend to be more packable and can help you target different body parts with greater effectiveness. You may want to have a few different rollers available, so you can mix things up depending on how sore you are and which areas need targeting.
Read MoreI found a wonderful recipe for pork chile verde on Tastes Better from Scratch earlier this year. I rarely cook pork, mainly because its so fatty, so I modified the recipe to feature chicken instead (and also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil). The result was nothing short of fantastic. This recipe has become one of my family's favorite dinners, and it's now part of our regular rotation of recipes.
Read MoreI love soaking in an Epsom salt bath after a hard workout. Most of the time, I keep it simple with a couple handfuls of Epsom salts and 1 to 2 drops of essential oil. For those days when I really want to pamper myself, I blend up this bath salt mix from Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles. The recipe helps with muscle aches and has the added benefit of leaving my skin super soft.
Read MoreThere are so many fitness supplements on the market, and it can be confusing to know which ones to take—and when! My research and 20 years as a personal trainer proves that supplements do make a different, especially when you’re losing weight as part of a cohesive fitness program.
Read MoreCalling all mamas! Whether her little ones are 2 or 20, now is the time to get fit. As a personal trainer, I see a lot of women struggling with weak glutes and abs. Many also have weak pelvic floor muscles from childbirth. It’s no surprise then that these three areas get most of our attention during sessions. Here are a few Mother’s Day gift ideas for the mama in your life as she works to get her body back.
Read MoreConsistency is really important when you’re building strength or cardiovascular fitness. In fact, as little as a two week break can significantly diminish your hard-won gym abilities. But sometimes the last thing you want to do is lace up and hit the gym. What should you do? Here are a few ways to push yourself when you’re not feeling like sweating.
Read MoreOne of the things I love about living in San Marcos is that there are so many things to do with my family on the weekend. Lately, we’ve been busy with jiu-jitsu competitions, but you better believe the wildflowers and mountains of San Diego County are calling my name.
Whether you’re a San Diego native, new to the area, or just visiting for a few days, here are my top picks for hikes in the area.
Read MoreI grew up eating Southern classics like dirty rice, a Creole dish made from white rice, small pieces of meat, and aromatic vegetables like green bell peppers, celery, and onion. Dirty rice gets its name from being cooked with these ingredients plus seasonings like cayenne and black pepper. Dirty rice is a comfort food that was a must-have in my family. So I decided to come up with a new way to cook my family’s dirty rice recipe that makes it healthy without sacrificing flavor. The result was so good that my family now prefers it over the original recipe.
Read MoreI love this dressing! It made the rounds on the Internet several years ago and was featured in Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Good cookbook. I still find myself making it every week. The recipe is packed with flavorful and super healthy ingredients like fresh ginger and white miso. Try it on mixed greens with avocado, red onion, and tomato.
Read MoreWay to go--you’ve decided to lose weight, you’ve picked a weight-loss plan, and maybe you’re even a few weeks into your diet (and a few pounds down). Whatever program you’re doing, here are a few easy tweaks you can make to your lifestyle to support your weight loss.
Read MoreInstead of going right from Christmas dinner to the couch or rushing to the mall first thing on the 26th, take 10 minutes to treat your body right.
This quick shot video features exercises that will raise your heart rate, tone your glutes, and strengthen your core. You may not burn off everything you ate on Christmas Day, but it's a great start!
Read MoreIt’s hard to find a healthy dessert that everyone will enjoy. This easy recipe for Berries and Whipped Coconut Cream is Paleo, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, and vegan. If you’re serving this to someone who is nut free just omit the almonds (people who are allergic to tree nuts can usually eat coconut). NOTE: Make sure to put your can of coconut milk in the refrigerator at least four hours in advance of making the whipped cream.
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