Strength training plays an important part in your health and fitness, but you may be concerned about injuring your joints or other body parts. By concentrating on proper technique, you can tone your muscles, enhance your posture, and reduce discomfort and stiffness in your joints. Let’s delve deeper…

Athletes, clients and trainers recognize that mental preparation is just as important as physical preparation to achieve athletic excellence and life balance. They are turning to mindfulness practices to enhance workouts, recovery and performance in competition, and to cope with daily life pressures. Fortunately, there are numerous resources available featuring a variety of practices that can be used to support all of us in our quests for peak performance in sports, activities and LIFE .

Metabolism is a complex biological system in the human body that is often exploited by the diet and weight-loss industries. In fact, it’s a billion-dollar business that’s growing each year, as people look for ways to rev up their body’s natural ability to burn fat. There are, however, ways to maximize metabolism naturally and without a lot of extra time, money or effort. It’s the sum of small things that creates an efficient and healthy body that burns more calories and fat.

Summer workouts do not have to come to a screeching halt when the temperatures rise. Aquatic fitness is the coolest summer workout for summertime fitness! Many of my personal training programs can be modified to do in the water. Doing any type of resistance workout in the pool creates a safe and low impact environment that helps to protect joints and decrease the risk of sports injury. Try some of these aquatic workouts that are fun and safe for a change of pace:

We often need to be reminded to stay hydrated during training. Many individuals feel they need to wait until they are thirsty to drink fluids. But let’s face it, if we wait until we feel thirsty, we are already dehydrated. Remembering to drink fluids keeps us healthy and supports our training.

Low impact exercises can burn calories similar to high impact exercises, but without the wear and tear of your joints. Low impact exercises are great for overall fitness and individuals that are new to fitness, aging or prone to sports injury…

What do Personal Trainers eat, and what do they recommend for others? Well, this I know, we master snacking before and after exercise. Just like everyone else, we face cravings throughout the day. Try these trainer tips the next time you have a long day at the gym or at work…

Preparing to work out requires more than lacing up your sneakers and filling your water bottle. There’s a mental aspect too. You need to prepare your mind as much as your body. In many ways, it’s your attitude more than your muscles that determines whether you’ll make it to the gym and stick to a consistent schedule. If you want to reap the benefits of an active lifestyle, try these strategies for overcoming some of the most common mental barriers to exercise.

How would you like to burn more calories without spending more time at the gym? You don’t need any magic formula to break through a weight-loss plateau or slim down faster. A few simple changes can make your workouts more efficient. Burning more calories is a matter of what kind of exercises you do and how you do them. Read these tips before your next workout.

Do you know how critical healthy feet are to a successful training program? Your feet and ankles make up your body’s foundation and act as “shock absorbers” when your body interacts with a surface. The feet transmit weight from our body to the ground, allow us to balance in static posture, and propel our body forward, back and laterally in dynamic activities. Let's get serious about taking care of our feet and take a closer look at how we can train them effectively...

Workout buddies and group fitness classes make it easy to stay motivated. You feel accountable for showing up, and it would be a little awkward to lounge around when everyone else in the room is doing pushups.

Still, there will probably be times when your schedule or other events require you to exercise on your own. When spin class is cancelled, or you’re stuck at home, try these ideas to help you push yourself when you’re working out solo…

We have all heard the standard list of benefits of a consistent Pilates regimen. Highlights include long lean muscles, better posture, a nice butt and – gosh, I hope so – a six-pack wall of abdominal muscles. However, there are numerous huge benefits that nobody really talks about. So aside from the aesthetics and the hype (albeit well-deserved and the truth), what other rewards can your Pilates workout give you?

I don’t need to tell you how strength training can make you look and feel amazing. It’s something that hundreds of women have experienced first-hand, pushing dumbbells and heaving barbells on their way to transforming their bodies. There are so many benefits that women can enjoy through resistance training with weights. Here’s the proof that there’s more to health and fitness than fad diets and endless cardio…

If you are looking for the most effective way to achieve your fitness goals, you need to try high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT workouts are a proven way to improve endurance, burn more fat faster and minimize training time, while still increasing strength and power.

Step aside, exercise bands and basic balance balls! The TRX Suspension Trainer is here to stay—and for good reason, too. Now considered a mainstay at most gyms and health clubs across the country, the TRX suspension workout system was developed and utilized by the Navy SEALs. It is hands down, my favorite training tool as a personal trainer.

The more convenient it is to start exercising, the easier it’ll be to actually do it. Seems obvious, but how is your planning for a healthy lifestyle going? I am sure there are good days and bad. We are human and life happens, right? So, let’s have a plan to set us up for success in our daily lives.

Let’s face it, the elevator gets used more than the stairs in most places. The elevator may be faster and more convenient, but taking the stairs can have a big impact on your overall health. I used to look at stairs as menial exercise, but now I am convinced it can deliver benefits that last years. Plus, it is super simple to add to your daily life. Stairs are everywhere for the taking. How often do we walk right past them? Now I Make it a game to hit all the stairs in my path, and here is why.

We all have to MOVE daily and what better way to get our MOVE ON than in the great outdoors! Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall….every season has its beauty and fitness opportunities. We play outside....why not work outside? Workout that is! Ever since I was a kid, I couldn’t get enough of being outside. Play is how I exercised then and why can’t I do it now? I choose to tap into my inner child and keep the fit fun alive. Let me share some of the best benefits I have experienced “playing” outside.

We all have goals. And usually a big one is how fit we are. I think every year when I look over my goals, I push my fitness goals to the top of the list because I know my health is my first wealth. But, I still find myself wondering why my nutrition and workout routines seem to fall short by the end of the year. Well, here’s the answer: commitment.