Nutrition

Skip breakfast? It’s not exactly what the doctor would normally recommend. But could it be beneficial to your health? Health experts and wellness enthusiasts are abuzz with talks of “intermittent fasting” – spending periods of time without eating. This notion has challenged our common tendency to eat every few hours to ensure the metabolism runs…

Carbohydrates What may be considered the best tasting macronutrient can sometimes be misunderstood. We’re talking about carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are a fundamental macronutrient. Each molecule of a carbohydrate contains three elements: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and are classified into sugars, starches, and fibers depending on their chemical makeup and digestive characteristics. Simple Sugars (simple carbs) Simple…

What Are Macronutrients & Micronutrients The food we consume contains molecules that build our bodies and support healthy cellular processes. Eating a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and healthy fats can provide the necessary macronutrients and micronutrients needed for healthy living. What are Macronutrients? Macronutrients are nutrients that our bodies use in…

Believe it or not, the holidays are once again upon us. And that means endless social gatherings with family and friends to exchange gifts and good wishes, and of course, lots and lots of food. From Aunt Carol’s famous chocolate chunk cookies you just can’t turn down to the ever-growing collection of treats at the…

Losing weight can be very difficult, but if it’s necessary to improve health or reach goals, it’s important to be equipped with the best tools available. One tool is a firm knowledge of your own metabolism. Everyone’s metabolism is unique to them, so each person’s approach to losing weight will be slightly different. Metabolic Testing…

In preparation for the launch of Composition ID’s revamped nutrition program, we decided to host a mid-summer Whole30 challenge! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Whole30, it is a 30-day elimination diet that contains whole foods like vegetables, fruit, protein, nuts, and even bacon, lots of bacon! Calorie counting is not encouraged –…

Putting in weeks of hard work sticking to a new diet or fitness routine and the scale still won’t budge? Not seeing results despite efforts can be demotivating, and in some cases, heartbreaking. However, before reverting back to old habits, it’s worth examining the top 5 common reasons why you may not be losing weight.…

Bacon, eggs, and side of toast: a classic American breakfast. With a few simple twists, it can be a healthy start to your morning. If you ditch the toast – oh, and hold the egg yolks. Or was it the bacon that we should avoid? No, bacon is good. In fact, pile on the bacon.…

Although we still have some time before the clocks need to roll backwards to account for the change in day/night cycles, the weather has already shown signs of easing up … and so too could your workout and diet routine.

Any well designed program should do everything possible to reduce the risk of injury and even prevent future injuries. But try as we coaches might, occasionally injuries happen. Often times they result from something we do outside the gym, maybe a prior history compounded with a few other factors, or any other number of things. I get enough questions about how to deal with bumps and bruises that I thought it may be helpful to put a few of the more common answers to paper, so here are a few quick guidelines and suggestions on how to deal with pain while training.

The art of listening is a huge part of what I do. Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to catch various perspectives of what fitness or wellness “should” look like over the years…and I’m finally able to start formulating my opinion on what’s actually happening when people “fail” at “getting in shape.” 

I just arrived back home from a night of camping with my boyfriend. He thought it would be SO romantic to take me deep into the woods, rent a cabin with NO electric or cell phone service and be COMPLETELY unassociated from all other living souls (besides Jason from Friday the 13th who was running around our cabin in the middle of the night).

Last month I outlined the various factors to consider when designing your own personal workout program, emphasizing that there is no one-size-fits-all exercise program. Over the next few months we are going to delve a little deeper into each factor so you can design the “perfect” workout program for you.

We all know some days are just a COMPLETE struggle— I’m just going to keep it real. Maybe you feel like pulling your hair out in the office one morning, maybe you are dreading your daily workout or maybe getting out of bed is a compete challenge for you some days.

As a personal trainer, I am often asked fitness questions by people I meet at parties or in normal daily encounters. I hear things like: “What is the best workout?”  “Is running good for you or is swimming better?” “Which group exercise class is the best?” “What about squats, are they good to do?” I barely know the person; we may have just met that evening, or five minutes before. They want a one word answer; one simple answer to solve their fitness-related problems.