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The Importance of Mobility Training
One of my newest certifications and endeavors has been in functional movement and mobility training. As a part of a proper recovery routine, adding in mobility and functional movement allows the body to integrate all the strength training and muscle gains more efficiently, and allows people to gain a deeper range of motion, better joint mobility, and avoid unnecessary injuries. Throughout incorporating mobility into my movement routine, my arthritic joints feel no pain from the arthritis and are as able bodied and mobile as ever. I don't worry about over twisting or extending my joints as I know through my mobility practice they can handle it. It’s also allowed my muscles to properly recover and build back even more sculpted and toned. Now with my certification in teaching functional movement, I’ve been blessed to bring this practice to the local Tampa weightlifting gym, Bayshore Fit.
Where I Teach: The Rock, Youth Athletics
Throughout my time as a fitness instructor I’ve been introduced to many different demographics to whom yoga and mobility can benefit. One of the biggest introductions to this fact has been my time teaching yoga and mobility to the youth of the local Tampa gym, The Rock. Within this community I had the privilege to run a 5 week program with a large group of 10-13 year old athletes looking to better their athletic performance. This coed group of about 15 of Tampas youth embarked on a challenging 5 weeks; testing their flexibility, mobility, and ability to rest. It reminded me of why I began practicing yoga in the first place; to find challenges while simultaneously finding peace.
Where I Teach: Hotels/Resorts
As I’ve continued along my journey of teaching within the Tampa/St. Pete community, I’ve had many incredible opportunities come my way. Teaching amongst so many unique and diverse communities has only expanded my teaching capabilities, and grown my appreciation of the practice of movement and how it does not discriminate on the lives it can positively impact. Recently I’ve received the opportunities to teach regularly at two well known area hotels / resorts; The Don Cesar on St. Pete Beach and The Edition Water St. in Downtown Tampa. Both of these opportunities have introduced me to people I would have never met otherwise, from all walks of life and corners of the earth.
Yoga For Everyone: Special Needs Yoga
I believe that yoga is meant for everybody and doesn’t discriminate against who it can help. There is scientific proof that moving your body improves neurological development and quality of life, and if anyone deserves that it’s children with special needs.
Join The Crew; Why You Should Row
There are many forms of exercise that are beneficial for the body. There's exercises that test strength, some that test cardio, but there’s not many that test both at the same time. One of my favorite forms of cardio strength is rowing.
Reset Your Nervous System With Restorative Yoga
There are a wide variety of yoga classes for people to choose from. Most studios offer a vinyasa style asana practice, where you flow through an hour or so of various standard yoga postures, and restorative yoga, where you settle into relaxing postures to tap deeper into relaxation. Today I want to dig deeper into the benefits of restorative yoga, not that it needs any more validity than it already has. If you've ever done restorative yoga you know, the proof is in the pudding. Walking out of any restore class I take has me feeling as if I've become a cloud myself.
The Grain Truth
As we all know, each one of us is wildly unique. Each one of our bodies reacts to things differently. The best way to truly decipher what your body prefers is through trial and error. Once you are patient in trusting your own intuition, the rest falls into place. Recently I've been confronted with the conflict that grains bring into my life, so I thought it’d be helpful to share my findings to help those also questioning if grains should be a part of their regular routine or not.
Real Talk: Supplements
Unsure if your current diet is getting you an adequate amount of nutrients? We can’t all be perfect, after all. It’s unrealistic to expect the modern way of living to promote that kind of perfection. Because of this, the pharmaceutical world created supplements to help offset what's lacking in the modern diet. A theory that seems harmless and almost bulletproof in helping people reach adequate health, but a lot more goes into it than we’d think. Let’s take a closer look at the topic of supplements and how you can best intertwine them within your health practices.
Don’t Stress, Digest!
We’ve all heard the expression “you are what you eat”. While that holds validity, as the food you use as fuel for your body gets broken down and becomes a part of your cells, it’s not all true. Many people who eat clean diets and live holistic lifestyles but don’t feel and / or see the results may suffer from issues in absorbing and digesting the nutrients. You may be eating the kale, but it doesn’t do you any good if you're not absorbing its benefits. We are only as healthy as the food we can digest.
Sauna and Heat Therapy
As per my previous post on cold water therapy, we know that exposing your body to various extreme temperatures has its benefits. When it comes to the cold, the body sends certain signals. With the heat, it’s various others. When it’s them both combined, the pair is complete. Let's learn more about why you should consider using sauna and heat therapy in your regular wellness routine.
Real Talk: Proteins
We all know of the three main macronutrients; carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Proteins are to some believed to be the most important macronutrient, but some disagree. What are the actual benefits of this macro and why should I incorporate more into my daily diet? Let's look further into protein and why it's always good to consume.
Cold Water Therapy
Something that has become a popular trend in recent years, but has been so beneficial to the human body for generations! Coldwater therapy and utilizing ice baths have numerous health benefits that athletic humans have been enjoying for years, but recently have become more mainstream for the average human usage. Why is that? Should it be something you incorporate into your wellness regime? Let’s look deeper into its benefits and if it aligns with your health goals.
How to Optimize Your Protein Shakes Benefits
We all know protein, that good ole macro that's so beneficial for the body. It helps satiate you, build back muscles, and build strong cells. As those who have been on their health journey in some capacity know, having increased amount of protein helps with weight loss and muscle gain.
My Favorite Strength Training: Pilates
We all know by now that movement and exercise are crucial pillars in maintaining optimal health and wellness. For some, exercising may be a normal part of their regularly scheduled programming. For others, not so much. Regardless of your opinion, there’s no getting around the fact that you must exercise.
Spring Has Sprung…& So Have My Sinuses
Hay fever catching up to you this spring time? You’re not alone. Allergies to pollen have increased significantly over recent years, and even though the bloom of spring is beautiful, it can cause serious disruptions to your health. What are allergies? Why do they develop? Is there anything I can do to ease symptoms? Let’s dive deeper into why we suffer and how we can suffer less.
Listen to Your Gut
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying your gut feeling, or trust your gut, but what does that even mean? Is it really mentioning our gut and digestive system? The discovery of the gut-brain connection has helped unlock many answers as to why your gut can literally sense when something is good or bad. A form of intuition, when our gut can sense unease, it can help guide decisions moving forward. Let's dive a little deeper into what really happens within the body when you start to get that gut feeling.
Ayurveda: The Science of Life
Our bodies crave equilibrium, a steadily balanced life in which to thrive. When our bodies are out of balance, symptoms may begin to pop up making it increasingly difficult to thrive within yourself. We try to find anything to help with the bloating or acne or whatever the issue may be, but without finding the issue's root, we will continue to put band aid after band aid on it. The key is to find the root, and that’s where Ayurveda comes in.
Understanding Autoimmunity
The immune system is a widely understood concept of how it is a system within us that helps to defend from harmful bacteria, but what people don’t always realize is that our gut houses about 70-80% of our immune system. The physical barrier of our gut is lined with immune cells to help process out the good versus the bad in what we’re feeding to our bodies. A beautiful symbiotic relationship, our immune system and gut work tirelessly for our benefit, but sometimes the wiring gets twisted, and immunity goes into overdrive.
The Happiest Healthiest Yoga
You’ve heard it everywhere, you should be doing more yoga! But why? Let’s dive deeper and discover why you should be incorporating more yoga into your daily movement practice, and how we can flow together!
Time To Shit Talk … Literally
We all do it daily (or we all should do it daily), but rarely do we get the chance to talk about it or ask the question, is my shit normal? Taking a moment to notice your poops can help decipher what's going on in your digestional tract, and answer some questions you couldn't find the answers to otherwise.