
Nutritional Overview - an Introduction
There are a number of articles preceding this one that helped set the Physical Activity foundation of our Performance Pyramid. Now, we move on to nutrition. Before we get into any details, I want to reiterate something important: "Life is for living." When it comes to eating that can be interpreted as, "food is to be enjoyed." Over the years, as I have counseled with great success countless people from top CEO's and business owners to teenagers on their exercise nutrition, co

Proprioception and Closing Notes on Physical Activity
Happy Summer! Wow, that was fast. The NBA Finals were over in five games, the Tennis's French Open and Golf's US Open came and went, and we are already nearly through June, heading towards MLB All-Star weekend. We must be having fun! Can't wait to see who is named NBA MVP tonight (better be Westbrook!). Quick Finals recap: "May the most proprioceptive team win" isn't exactly a battle cry, but wow, the level of fine- and gross motor skills and agility is at an all-time high in

Aerobic CV Exercise and Toys
As a youth, my philosophy on communication was simple: speak the truth. In recent years as a health professional and college educator, the value of situational euphemisms has become more apparent. Now, a healthy communications outlook may be, "Try to say things nicely, but above all speak your truths." Besides, if we sugar-coated everything, we would all have cavities and diabetes! With that being said, let's be politely blunt. Strap on your helmets! We're going full-on esote

Hips Don't Lie
I love this time of year. Regardless of your favorite team, or even if you are not interested in the sport of football, the Super Bowl is exciting (what does that have to do with Shakira?!). As a young kid, I learned to read starting with the scores in the sports section of the newspaper, and then took to a book my parents gifted me on the Super Bowl. I memorized that book at one point. Football became an obsession. "Ok, great, Tim. What does that have to do with our hips?" I

It's all about that base: Here's why you need a better butt
Strutting your stuff or losing your butt? All that sass but no ass? Okay, enough with the corny one-liners and let’s get down to the BASE-ics. Ha. Ha. Ha. Okay butt seriously… Getting a hint as to where this one is going? Yes, it’s the butt. I promise I have a lot more coming your way other than notes about the booty, but they always say write what you're passionate about, right? One of my absolute favorite areas to work out is my butt. Yes, I do my squats, lunges, and donkey

Specifics of Movement Prep
Any good at Legos? Great! Then you can excel in fitness. A good fitness regimen is all about degrees of freedom. Minor constructions and deconstructions to your plan that keeps the whole thing going smoothly. I remember being 16 and learning how to be an ocean lifeguard during our "hell week." One of our instructors taught us, "Slow is smooth; smooth is fast." It's a tried and true military quote. Often, the very impulse that drives us to improve our fitness can be the same o

Actions for Movement Prep
There are only good reasons for starting or changing an exercise regimen. One of the most common reasons people give me for starting or changing their exercise routines is being tired of feeling the same old way. Perhaps you have been enduring some pain from a previous or existing injury or a chronic ailment. Maybe your doctor told you to start exercising more in order to improve lab markers such as your sugar- or lipid levels. Or, you want to look and feel great! Starting an

Physical Therapy is for EVERY body
When I say "Physical Therapy" or "Physical Therapist", what do you think? Massage? Pain? Gentle stretching? Personal training? Physical torture? Unless you have been to physical therapy (PT), those might have popped into your head. Based on my experience, the understanding of our profession is actually quite limited. To put it simply, we are "Movement Specialists." Our governing body, the APTA, provides an excellent summary of our education history and background. One snippet

Mental Prep for Movement Prep
All movement originates in the mind. If we wanted to get philosophical, we could say that all of reality originates in the mind. All it takes is a focused effort, and you can learn anything new in 20 hours. That is what I learned from this really entertaining and enlightening Ted Talk by Josh Kaufman. According to Mr. Kaufman, once we get over our initial fear of feeling stupid for not already knowing something, get over our pride, we can learn anything! Imagine all of the th

Get it right, Get it tight (Pt 1): Form your body!
Who knew that Bubba Sparxxx and the Ying-Yang Twins would speak such noble words. Turns out, that advice could not be more true. You must get it (your form) right, to get it (your body) tight…and then yes, you can be that Ms. (or Mr.) New Booty. Let me paint the picture for you. You are pushing through that HIIT class. You can barely breathe. You’re working as hard as you can until the timer is up. You’re performing squat after squat with hopes of building a booty as round as