Whether you want to get in shape as part of a new year’s resolution or for some other reason, starting an exercise program is a daunting prospect. The thought of getting up every day and heading to the gym just to sweat and pant for an hour is not something most people aspire to. However, the benefits of exercise are numerous. Exercise has been associated with improved cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and total body health. In fact, exercise is so beneficial to our health, that some researchers consider sedentary behavior to be a risk factor for more serious health issues. Granted, it’s

Activating specific muscles is one of the hardest parts of core exercise. For instance, if I asked you to contract your glutes and abs at the same time to tilt your pelvis backward, I imagine you might have some trouble. Furthermore, if I then asked you to contract these muscles while performing another task, like cooking, I think you might struggle even more. Pilates, and other exercise schools that deal with core activation and strength, focus on the activation of individual muscles throughout the body (1). For this reason, core exercises, such as those seen in a Pilates class can

If you find yourself leaning towards the treadmill and podcasts, but secretly crave a workout that sculpts, tones, and ignites those muscles, these 30 Dumbbell Exercises are your perfect cardio-strength fusion! Say goodbye to the monotony and hello to a dynamic, engaging routine that promises results you can see and feel. It’s time to elevate your workout game and unleash the power of dumbbell exercises for a sculpted physique and a boosted metabolism! But resistance training is incredibly beneficial for everyone, no matter their age, gender, or other demographics. Best of all, a simple set of dumbbells can help you

When you hear the term “core exercise” your mind often goes to the abs. To be fair, this isn’t necessarily an incorrect way of viewing “the core” but it is perhaps a bit incomplete. For most fitness professionals, the core consists of the abs (all four of them), lower back, glutes, and a few other minor muscles.  Of particular importance (and interest to many gymgoers) are the abs and glutes. These key muscles are crucial for both function and aesthetics. Best of all, when you learn to co-contract your abs and glutes (work them at the same time), you can

Power up your low back with these essential core-strengthening exercises! Back pain is one of the leading causes of doctor’s office visits. In fact, an often-cited statistic states that more than 80% of people will develop back pain at least once in their lives.  One of the ways to overcome back pain is to strengthen the core muscles. However, there is much confusion about the best way to strengthen this region of the body. Should you hold planks for 10 minutes? Or perform weighted situps to failure? Or do dragonfly legs lower like Rocky’s? To be fair, those might be

If you’ve ever mentioned to a coworker or friend that you’re feeling stiff, you’ve undoubtedly received some sage advice: try stretching. As simple as it may sound, stretching really can address a host of different ailments, especially those related to tight muscles (1). However, for the layperson, it can often be hard to find a solid stretching routine that will help them recover and reach their goals. This is especially true for those individuals who require an individualized plan to address their specific deficits.  If you are someone who has very specific concerns and considerations, it’s critical that you visit

Old age comes for us all. But while we can’t yet affect the progression of time, we can take steps to mitigate the effects of aging on our bodies and minds.  When it comes to keeping the mind sharp later in life, it’s clear that having good social relationships and performing mentally taxing activities such as reading and completing puzzles, help in numerous ways. Of course, there are many other ways to stay mentally strong as well. With regard to maintaining a strong body, the name of the game is exercise. Exercise, in any form, has been shown to be

The hip joints connect our spines to our lower body. For this reason, these joints are very strong and sturdy. But as a result of their role in providing us with stability, they often become very tight and immobile. Immobile hip joints are problematic for tons of different people. One example that is easy to imagine is the athlete. Athletes who have limited hip mobility are at high risk for injury. Think about it: if a running athlete can move their hips very far in any direction, they won’t be able to maintain a proper gait and they are likely

Poor posture becomes a more prevalent problem as you age. Maintaining a slumped posture with rounded shoulders can not only cause pain and dysfunction for the musculoskeletal system, it can also make it hard to take full, deep breaths (1). But good posture is often more of a buzzword or colloquial term than it is a scientific measurement. There is no uniform standard for good posture. In fact, some “poor postures” might actually be good postures, depending on the situation. That being said, we can say with confidence that the postures sustained for 8+ hours per day by office workers,

The hips are an incredibly important part of the body. These crucial joints provide us with stability and mobility, and they are involved in nearly every functional movement we perform on a daily basis. Therefore, when the hips are tight and immobile, it can be hard to complete our daily tasks.  Stretching is one of the best ways to easily and safely mobilize the hip joints. I will often prescribe a hip stretching routine for clients who experience hip pain, low back pain, and lower body issues in general. In this post, I’ll provide a 10-stretch program for loosening up

Working your abs (and working out in general) can feel like a chore when life gets busy. Finding an hour or more for a lengthy gym workout for the ab exercises can feel impossible some days. But there are many ways to consolidate your workouts so that you can get more out of them. For instance, by performing high-intensity interval training (HIIT), you will get much more bang for your buck from your workout (1). However, HIIT workouts are not for the faint of heart. These workouts force you to work near your maximum intensity for a period, then allow

A dowager is an antiquated term used to describe an older woman who has been widowed. Unfortunately, this term then came to describe a characteristic hyperkyphosis or hump on the back of the neck, which often affects older women. This orthopedic problem is especially prevalent in today’s society. Working on computers and phones forces us into a forward head posture which may increase the likelihood of developing a Dowager’s hump.  There are a number of options for the treatment of Dowager’s hump. But one of the easiest, safest, and most effective ways to address this issue is through exercise. In

The iliopsoas is a group of muscles found on the front of the thigh. These muscles work as a team to bring the thigh up and forward (biomechanically speaking, this is known as “hip flexion”). Due to our largely sedentary lifestyles, many of us maintain extremely tight, problematic iliopsoas muscles. For this reason, it’s critical that everyone implements a PSOAS mobility and flexibility program into their lives. In this post, I’ll provide some background on the iliopsoas muscle group and outline 10 great starting exercises to loosen up these chronically tight structures.  Iliopsoas 101 As was mentioned in the introduction,

Including some stretching in your daily morning routine can help energize you for the day. It not only gently wakes your body up but also helps you go into the day with higher levels of confidence. Stretching daily can also lead to better health like proper posture, increased mobility, and better blood flow. Perhaps best of all, stretching just feels amazing! Even though it might hurt and burn a bit while you’re doing it, you’ll feel so much better for hours after you’re done with your stretching session. In this post, I’ll outline 8 morning stretches that you can perform

If you spend extended periods sitting, you may be suffering from anterior pelvic tilt. Try these easy at-home exercises daily to correct this misalignment of your hips. Anterior pelvic tilt is a condition in which the pelvis is rotated forward from its natural position.  This issue affects about 75% of women and 85% of men (1). When left untreated, this misalignment can lead to health issues, including excessive lower back curvature, weakness, and hip pain. Pelvic Alignment and Posture Your pelvis plays a pivotal role in activities like walking, running, and lifting. It’s also what helps maintain proper posture. An anterior

Excess belly fat poses a serious health risk. To be clear, when I’m talking about belly fat in this context, I’m referring to the fat that lies close to the internal organs, not the fluffy fat that lies just under the skin. This dangerous fat in question is known as visceral fat and excess amounts of it have been associated with increased risk for a number of different diseases and health conditions.  Losing this fat, or any fat, requires you to burn more calories than you take in through food. In other words, you need to create a caloric deficit.

Does it really matter what time you exercise during the day? As with all questions related to fitness, the answer is: it depends. To be clear, regardless of whether you sweat it out in the morning, afternoon, or evening, you are taking a great step to improve your health. However, those who exercise in the morning may realize a greater benefit with regard to weight loss specifically. So, should you set the alarm an hour earlier than usual to make it to the gym before work? Let’s take a closer look at this issue so that you can decide whether

Getting started on a strength training journey can be humbling. Often, the weights feel heavy, your body feels uncoordinated, and you generally feel intimidated by all the experienced pros in the gym (1). But all of these problems are easily solved if you stick it out through the first few weeks of your program. Plus, you can totally bypass the gym, if you want, by simply purchasing a few sets of dumbbells to use at home! In this article, I’ll review a killer 30-minute dumbbell workout you can do anywhere. All you need are the dumbbells and the will to

Stronger knees with 10 exercises! Knee pain is a ubiquitous issue today. In fact, knee issues are some of the most common problems seen by doctors today. But while knee pain can be a serious hindrance, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce the strain your knees experience during exercise. One thing that helps a lot to reduce knee pain is exercise, and strengthening exercise in particular (1).  In this article, I’ll highlight 10 of my favorite exercises for increasing knee strength and decreasing knee pain (2).  10 Best Knee Strengthening Exercises You Should Be Doing

Flexibility is somewhat of a black sheep when it comes to exercise.  In most gyms, you’ll see tons of people hitting their cardio goals. Likewise, you’ll witness lots of gymgoers lifting weights and performing other strengthening exercises. But you’ll rarely see people devoting much energy to their flexibility training.  Being inflexible is a big problem. It can put you at risk for a variety of issues, one major issue being the increased possibility of tearing a muscle. In this article, I’ll review some of the top exercises and stretches you should include in your routine to keep yourself limber. Plus,