5 Gym Mistakes You’re Probably Making

Just writing me a check won't  get you fit

“I showed up. What more do you want?” my client smugly announced, trying to impress me while sipping a soy latte.

“Give me a second while I reach into my desk and get your trophy,” I wanted to say.

But I didn’t, and maybe I was being a little hard on her. She did show up, yes, and “only” five minutes late. (Starbucks being the priority.)

Give me a break though, people do harder stuff every day. Brave soldiers go overseas for months. Scientists toil for years trying to find a cure for cancer. Octogenarians run triathlons. Just showing up wasn’t going to get the results my client wanted.

I might sound a little mean here, but only because

Everything You Need to Know about Natural Sweetener Alternatives

...but there are not calories!...

“Come on, it has zero calories, and besides, aren’t there bigger fish to fry in this whole freaking health-whatever echelon?” my friend said, casually gulping her diet soda while I reviewed her pre-workout performance chart.

As a personal trainer, I get the is-the-artificial-sweetener-thing-OK? question a lot. Don’t shoot the messenger, but I’ve got a rather dismal, science-based answer.

They’re all awful.

Sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium... They sound innocuous but aren't.

Where do I start? 

3 “More” Hacks to Become Your Leanest Self in 2016

Realistic goals have the best chance to succeed

“I admire your lofty ambitions, but your reach far outweighs your grasp,” I said matter-of-factly to a client who recently showed me her 2016 resolutions list.

Among her herculean goals included ditching 20 pounds, putting on muscle, constantly changing up her workout regimen with her trainer’s help, getting therapy for a recently terminated,  messed-up relationship, and…

Well, I stopped there. She had about 20 goals listed. I felt overwhelmed just reading them.

During my two decades coaching clients, I’ve learned rather than implementing a bound-to-crash Lose 10 pounds by this weekend! mentality, successful people create

7 Science-Based Benefits of Essential Oils

Cinnamon, Clove, Rosemary, Lemon: Thieves is my favorite essential oil 

"Kind of woo-woo, huh?" I said sarcastically, turning to my friend and rolling my eyes skeptically as the New Age-infused aroma engulfed our senses.

Admittedly, I wasn't keen about visiting this new Silver Lake massage place, especially after I learned the owner heavily promoted a crappy supplement line (decidedly not Thorne Research) and, even worse, essential oils.

Full disclosure: I had long ago dismissed essential oils as un-scientifically proven.

But I did remember something about their use in the recovery of my friend JJ Virgin's son. An MD that we know had brought them in to help Grant heal from his life-threatening injuries

That massage actually ended fabulously. I felt

9 Ways to Get Lean, Toned & Happy… By Fixing Your Gut

An icky tummy WILL mess up  your workout

Recently I worked with a 30-something female client who unenthusiastically was seeing a functional practitioner to fix her leaky gut.  I get it. In the echelon of sexy, stimulating health concerns, digestive health falls somewhere above the normal-bowel-movements category.

“What if I told you when you fix your gut, you’ll also become lean, toned, and happy?” I asked.

Understandably, that got her attention.

Listen, indigestion, heartburn, constipation, and bloating hardly become sexy topics, but digestive issues have become far too common in our mindless-junk-stressed-eating society. We’ve all experienced their miserable aftermath, craving the couch and Sex and the City reruns over hitting the gym or otherwise being our best selves.

Even when you’re not belching, passing gas, or

Water...It Isn't Boring!

Water "service" break at a conference  at an upscale, L.A. hotel

I graduated from high school in 19XX.  The actual year isn’t important (I keep telling myself.)  

That year, our yearbook was titled “It’s the Water.”  I remember thinking to myself at the time, “what water?”  Our school wasn’t located near a beach, lake, river or other waterway so why was water so important that it had to be our yearbook’s theme?  

I never found out why it was chosen for The Quixotion that year.  It might have just been a random title for the Agoura High School yearbook but I actually wondered about that...

Time went on and I couldn’t read anything health without hearing about the importance of water. Most articles touched on keys points such as how important staying hydrated is to your health, or the 

7 Strategies to Not Screw Up Halloween

Treats: They're ALL tricks

“I hate these childhood memories and all their enabling consequences,” my client told me recently, clearly perturbed that a few bites of her favorite Halloween candy (not naming any names, but it goes after a particular Peanuts character) became half the bag.

These days, early October seems to initiate the holiday season’s official start. You know, the one where every “special occasion” becomes an opportunity to indulge in some sugary-sweet concoction that provides a few blissful moments but inevitably leave us cursing the scales and stalling our workout.

Part of me wants to scream, Come on! You’re a freaking adult. Pull yourself together with that high-fructose-corn syrup, rot gut-ingredient stale candy that populates every dentist office, drugstore, and office space come October.

But that