Why I Keep Writing My Newsletter (And Why You Might Like It)

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Why I Keep Writing My Newsletter (And Why You Might Like It)

I’m not an “influencer,” and I don’t love influencer language. But honestly, I was just working out when a friend I’ve known at the gym for years came up and told me how much he liked my latest issue. Hearing that in real life makes me really happy—because I worked hard on it. So if you’re curious about fitness, nutrition and health, I’d love for you to read it. This month’s newsletter includes agility tests for all ages, tips on how to avoid overtraining, and 10 lessons from my 10+ years as a pre- and postnatal personal trainer. Hope you enjoy it! Read it here, and sign up for future newsletters from me here.

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Video Interview: What to Do About Achilles Pain with Guy Delia, PT, DPT, COMT

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Video Interview: What to Do About Achilles Pain with Guy Delia, PT, DPT, COMT

I sat down with one of my favorite physical therapists and movement gurus Guy Delia, PT, DPT, COMT of Renew Physical Therapy to do a deep dive into causes, cures and prevention of common Achilles tendon injuries. 

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What is a healthy amount of alcohol to consume?

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What is a healthy amount of alcohol to consume?

“What is a healthy amount of alcohol to consume?” Here’s a shorter clip from a longer conversation I had back in October with registered dietician Tarah Valenti from CustomFit. She sheds some light on this important topic perplexing lots of folks.

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Can I Exercise if I Get COVID?

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Can I Exercise if I Get COVID?

It’s definitely COVID and flu season. And despite all our best efforts some of us are going to get sick. A handful of my virtual clients and friends have come down with mild (thankfully) COVID cases already this month. Some feel crummier than others. In my universe no one has (knock on wood) had a super rough go of it. They describe it mostly as a general nuisance and a foil to their plans of being productive and active. Folks have asked me “can I still exercise?” I can’t answer that for anyone. There is no universal guidance on whether one can/should exercise with COVID. Obviously one should avoid the gym and other people so as not to spread their germs. I’ve dug around trying my best to get an answer and like so many things in the realm of health and wellness, “it depends”. 

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Embrace Your Inner Kid with an Adult Coloring Book

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Embrace Your Inner Kid with an Adult Coloring Book

I’m loving my new adult coloring book that Peter got me for my birthday! It's a nice way to start the day instead of immediately slamming my brain with texts, emails, alerts, beeps and boops. I've heard that adults can benefit from "silly" activities like coloring. Turns out it's true! According to the Mayo Clinic coloring can be good for your health by promoting mindfulness, relieving stress and embracing the imperfect. Although, I'm pretty sure MY coloring is perfect. 

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What Happens When You Take a Social Media Break?

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What Happens When You Take a Social Media Break?

Have you ever gotten that weekly ping from your phone to look at your screen time stats for the week and cringed? I rarely look. I know my screen time has creeped up to an unhealthy level. And shocker! While my screen time, particularly social media time, has creeped up, my sleep quantity has creeped down while my stress and blood pressure have creeped up. I finally admitted ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. And in an act of dramatic desperation I declared on Instagram and Facebook that I was signing off for the month of June as an experiment to see what life, and my health, would be like without social media. 

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3 Easy Ways I Improved Sleep QUALITY

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3 Easy Ways I Improved Sleep QUALITY

I had an “ah hah” moment last week while on my long run. I was listening to the Whoop podcast with Dan Churchill. It takes a lot to impress me. And this guy is impressive. He has a busy, physical day job (chef at a fancy Brooklyn hot spot), is on a book tour and oh yeah, no big deal, just finished the Boston Marathon. He talked about his challenge with getting his ideal QUANTITY of sleep based on his activity and how he focuses on improving his sleep QUALITY. I’ve been so hyper focused on extending my sleep that it never occurred to me I could “cheat it” by improving the quality. 

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What is Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)?

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What is Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)?

I am a big fan of my Whoop wearable. It has helped me better understand how exercise, sleep and stress impact my body and mind. I also love the Whoop podcast. This month it included a really lovely guided Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) session. Yeah, NSDR may just be a fancy name coined for the simple, "duh" concept of a lie-down. But if you only have a few minutes and don't love traditional meditation it's a great thing to try!

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At The CCC Podcast: Mind and Body Connection

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At The CCC Podcast: Mind and Body Connection

I've been having a lot of conversations this month with clients about alcohol, epigenetics and the physical effects of stress on the body. So when I came across this podcast that covers all these topics and more I was fist pumping the air in delight. So if you're interested in the latest science of stress and possible ways to tackle it, give it a listen.  

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What Happens to Your Body When You Give Up Alcohol?

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What Happens to Your Body When You Give Up Alcohol?

I work with loads of successful, social and often high-stressed professionals who enjoy the occasional (or more than occasional) glass (or two or three or four) of wine (or cocktails) at the end of the day and especially at work events. Sometimes they want to talk about it. Sometimes they don’t. But usually at some point (typically during a plateau) I end up being asked what a reasonable alcohol intake looks like for their fitness and health goals. I don’t tell people what to do. I provide them information and tools and serve as a resource to hold them accountable to what they decide.

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Huberman Says! View Morning and Afternoon Sunlight for Health

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Huberman Says! View Morning and Afternoon Sunlight for Health

As I hinted about in my September newsletter, I’ve been following Andrew Huberman’s protocols for using morning and afternoon sunlight to support mental and physical health, improve sleep and regulate circadian rhythms. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at its effectiveness and simplicity.

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What's the Best Position for Sleeping?

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What's the Best Position for Sleeping?

Most people know that muscle and joint pain, particularly in the lower back, can be linked to chronic sitting, a weak core, lazy glutes and poor form in the gym. But the very thing that is supposed to restore and regenerate our bodies (sleep) can also contribute to pain and injury. Poor positioning of the legs can further compress already tight hip muscles. Twisting of the spin or pelvis can cause fussy muscles like the quadratus lumborum to become hypertonic. And acrobatic-like arm contortions can cause nerve pain. I asked my physical therapist and friend what the "best" position is for sleeping for most people.  

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Strategies to Overcome Burnout and Fatigue

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Strategies to Overcome Burnout and Fatigue

Chronic burnout, stress, anxiety and even pandemic-related PTSD are real. And so many folks, myself included, are wondering how best to deal with it. So I reached out to Dr. Ashton Perroni who is medical director and naturopathic doctor for Thyme Health to discuss proven and practical ways to address it.

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Why "Natural Sounds" Like Birds and Rain Calm Us Down

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Why "Natural Sounds" Like Birds and Rain Calm Us Down

I recently spent the night in a noisy hotel. And it STRESSED me out. I was exhausted from the flight and the thought of a sleepless night from the raucous noise of my neighbors was causing my heart to race and my blood to boil. I remembered hearing in a podcast recently that birds singing have a calming effect on humans due to an evolutionary signal of safety (birds don't hang out and sing when threats to humans are around). I started poking around on Spotify looking for nature sounds and found this lifesaver playlist of rain sounds.

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Should You Exercise When Sick?

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Should You Exercise When Sick?

It’s that time of year. Everyone around you is getting sick. Again. Those who were once your family, friends and colleagues are now the enemy. They’ve become evil germ zombies from The Last of Us come to destroy your gains and screw up your perfect rhythm of work and life. Like death and taxes, it happens to us all and despite your best efforts, you may get sick at some point. I am frequently asked whether working out will help or hurt when under the weather. So I’m sharing my go-to references for deciding.

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Get More Mobile Ankles and Stronger Feet in 3 Minutes

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Get More Mobile Ankles and Stronger Feet in 3 Minutes

I’ve had multiple clients ask me this week how to take better care of their feet. Whether you have joint pain (foot, knee, hip or back) now or simply want to avoid it in the future, here’s my gameplay for healthy tootsies.

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Tight Neck and Shoulders? Try These Wall Angels!

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Tight Neck and Shoulders? Try These Wall Angels!

If you have a tight neck and shoulders, doing a stretch like this scorpion opener and combining with these wall angels may be the winning combo for better mobility and posture. As always, consult a physical therapist or medical professional for any pain and stop any stretch or exercise right away if it doesn’t feel safe for you.

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Five of My Favorite Fitness Trackers for Optimizing Health, Performance and Diet

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Five of My Favorite Fitness Trackers for Optimizing Health, Performance and Diet

There are SO MANY trackers on the market. And the landscape changes all the time. The ones discussed in this post are the ones I have personally used at various stages of my fitness journey and have seen work for many of my clients. If you have something that is already working for you, GREAT! Don’t fix what ain’t broke. But if you are looking for something to aid you along in your wellness journey maybe one or some of these can help.

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Dr. Mark and JJ Discuss and Demo the Latest Uses for BFR Training

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Dr. Mark and JJ Discuss and Demo the Latest Uses for BFR Training

I’ve written about BFR (“Blood Flow Restriction”) or “Occlusion” Training on and off since 2017. This modality of resistance training has been clinically proven as a way to effectively and safely “hypertrophy” muscle. So when I was recently visiting my AMAZING physical therapist Dr. Mark Bautista, I was surprised to see patients being treated with BFR cuffs. I asked Dr. Mark about it and I learned about the deluge of recent clinical studies that have broadened the usage of BFR to include injury-specific rehab/prehab, sports performance, endurance, strength as well as traditional hypertrophy.

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