Morning Has Broken...5 Ways to Fix It

Start the morning out right!

“This is the 4th time this month you’ve cancelled our plans, we can’t go on like this.” I texted. “I know, and I’m sorry...It’s just that, well, I have to work late. Again.” He responded.  What at one time had been such an amazing relationship had begun to unravel. He had finally been promoted to his dream job and the corner office. With that change however, things that were once a high priority began to take a backseat. I was determined to save what we had though. It was time to make (what some people may consider) an indecent proposal. “For us to continue, we need to move your sessions to first thing in the morning,” I said. 

I know a lot of people would rather sell their soul than entertain the thought of throwing the covers off and getting up before the sun is out. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that 

5 Reasons I Love My Coffee (Number 5 is Amazing!)

This is no cup 'o average Joe

“There desperately needs to be a separate line at The Coffee Bean for people who have their life together!” I muttered under my breath to my friend while patiently (okay, maybe not-so-patiently) waiting to order my organic, dark-roast dose of caffeine. Either there were way too many people who had never actually ordered coffee before, or I was just in a particularly cranky, java-deprived haze.

As a personal trainer, smoking, booze, and recreational heroin use (ha ha) or, any drugs for that matter! are obviously things that are not part of my life. However, admittedly, coffee is definitely a vice of mine… but one that I am unapologetic about.

Let me clear up any misconceptions about what I mean by consuming coffee.

Quality is key! Choosing

5 Common (and Important) Workout Mistakes

Not getting fit

As she strolled in with her soy-latte-whatever, gloating that she made it (OMG!) for the third time this week! I think she wanted me to shower her with accolades when what she really needed was a reality check on the wonders of soy.

Here’s where I’m going to dispense some tough love.  If your hour gym visit consists of

The One Thing You’re Not Doing that Could Jeopardize Your Workout Success

Getting that warrm-up in...for all the right reasons

“What do you MEAN we haven’t even started the workout yet?” my client breathlessly asked me, wiping her forehead with her sleeve. “This couldn’t just be the warm-up!”

I attempted a mischievous smile. Admittedly, I derive a modicum of pleasure knowing even my warm-ups begin to push and challenge my clients. I explained that this was her chance to get the blood flowing, muscles moving, and her head in the game.

I cry a little bit on the inside every time people run into the gym and immediately start throwing a bunch of weight around (and I see it ALL the time). Their only warm-up entails putting on headphones and filling up a water bottle. If you want a surefire way to guarantee injury, head straight into some deadlifts.

If you asked me the most important part of a workout, without hesitation I would reply the warm-up.

Every session I do includes a dynamic warm-up, which involves moving while you’re stretching compared with

5 Ways to Cultivate More Gratitude in 2016

Living in gratitude

“How can you be so freaking positive at 5 a.m.?” a client recently asked me as we finished warming up and proceeded into the weight room. I took a big swig of my Starbucks dark roast and gave that query some thought.

Full transparency: Most days I want to punch my alarm clock. Plus, come on, it’s almost 2016. We can send vacationers to the moon; can’t we have our dark roast door-delivered?

But you know what? I always show up with a smile, a kind word, and a let’s-get-it-done attitude no matter how lousy I might be feeling.

Even a top-shelf trainer has days where we want to punch the alarm clock or, nothing  goes right so we want to crawl back in bed with a pint of Chunky Monkey and fantasize about running away to a secluded hammock on some remote North Shore cottage.

What’s the difference between not being able to crawl out of bed and face the day and feeling like you can tackle the world and come out on top?

Gratitude.

And I’m not talking about some rah-rah forced version of gratitude. I’m talking about

Can A Fitness Tracker Change Your Life...and Do You Want It To?

Fitness gadgets: help or hinder?

“Fabulous bracelet,” I recently remarked to my best friend while enjoying a mostly healthy lunch. (Sometimes you have to get the mixed berry cobbler or what’s the point of living, right?)

She quickly pointed out it wasn’t just a bracelet; it doubled as her latest fitness device that tracked precisely how many calories she burned, how many steps she took, and whether or not she needed to reapply her lipstick.

OK, I might be slightly exaggerating about that last part, but it certainly seemed to do everything else.

While I fully support optimizing health and getting in better shape, sometimes these gadgets bring with them, a certain

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