Sometimes people fail at their fitness goals because their fitness goals are crap. You can’t achieve something that’s vague, too difficult, or not worth achieving. Please, do yourself a favor and avoid craptastic goals like these: “Lose Weight” Oh, like five pounds? Or 50? And is it really weight you want to lose, or is […]
How to Prepare for Your First Yoga Class
Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to jump in and take your first yoga class, no matter how nervous you might be. It’s okay to be scared and do something anyway–in fact, I think it’s good for us. But you can do a lot ease your anxieties by following these easy steps to prepare for your […]
Bad Reasons to Walk Out of a Group Fitness Class
One of my biggest pet peeves as a fitness instructor was watching people huffily put their equipment away and storm out of a group fitness class. Luckily for my self-esteem, I’ve been teaching long enough to know this is a problem with them and has very little to do with me. However, walking out is […]
Travel and Exercise
If you travel a lot for work or fun, your exercise routine can take a hit. The idea is to make movement such a huge and wonderful part of your life that it’s inconceivable to skip it entirely just because your conference ran late or you’re on vacation. Travel and exercise can go together if […]
Why Your Weight Loss Plan is Failing
The sad truth is that most of us have been unhappy with our bodies at one point or another, and most of us have wanted to lose five or 25 pounds. Did you succeed? AWESOME. If not, this could be why your weight loss plan is letting you down. You’re overestimating the effectiveness of your […]
Skip the Too-Big T-Shirts: Wear Fitted Clothing to Exercise
When we feel self-conscious about our bodies, our first instinct is to cover it up, usually in loose, baggy clothing that totally disguises our silhouettes. If you’re planning to workout like that, I’ve got to ask you to reconsider. There are actually a lot of good reasons to wear fitted clothing while you exercise. I […]
Understanding Your Abs
Abs are the darlings and gold standards of fitness. Almost everyone covets a six-pack or at least a sleek-and-smooth, lightly defined torso. Fine. But if abs had feelings, they would be incredibly offended by this oversimplification and superficial consideration of who and what they are. Chasing a six-pack can be a frustrating endeavor and is […]
Two Reasons I’m Not Into Triathlons
When it comes to my own workouts and challenges, I’m not really into the triathlon. Here’s why: Swimming Biking My past is sprinkled with moments wherein I, ever the athlete, entertained thoughts of becoming a TRIathlete. I admire triathletes. They’re fit and ridiculously tough. (You know that in triathlons you swim then bike then run […]
Yoga Poses You Can Do in Your Chair
Sitting all day sucks. It’s not good for you. They’re saying now that even if you exercise regularly, it doesn’t fully make up for sitting for hours on end. But, you’ve got the desk job. I get it. And until you break free, you’ve got to make do. First, get up and walk around. (Officially […]
Pilates in Daily Life
I discovered pilates the summer after I graduated from high school. I had learned to lift weights my senior year, and we were guided into the sort of lifting I have no desire to do anymore, like maxing out on squats. Thanks to that and stuff like it, I was an 18-year-old with back pain. […]