Chop Wood Carry Water is an incredibly special program to me. It’s rooted in a book my mother once recommended when I was younger — a book that opened my eyes to a new way of seeing life: the understanding that mastery over hard things requires patience, consistency, and a system for weathering life’s inevitable storms.

It is imperative that our body be able to rest and repair itself between training sessions in order to truly get stronger from exercise. When we take part in any demanding physical activity, the exercise-induced stress placed on our bodies produces tissue damage, causes the depletion of our energy stores and a loss of fluids- all necessary factors that must happen in order to reap the benefits of exercise.

This is the year where we are finally realizing the importance of sleep. If your eating and exercise are on point, but you still don’t feel or look the way you want, poor sleep may be to blame. Plus, sleep affects everything from your hormones, to your metabolism, mood, and recovery.

We make the mistake of thinking that in order to boost our health, we need to completely makeover our life. Trying to do this often leads to overwhelm, feeling frustrated, and then giving up. Let's not waste our time going through that cycle. Instead, let's do it right the first time! By starting small, with one habit, and building from there. Progress is STILL progress even if it happens, one baby step at a time.

Give the people what they want! I asked you guys to email me with the type of content you wanted to see, and here it is! I’m making my way through all of your requests and we are continuing on with how to build your own home gym.

You made the promise to yourself that this is your year! Your year to take care of you. So to help you with this promise, here is your step-by-step plan to get on track for the mind, body, and life you’ve always dreamed of. You start today!

There is no doubt that exercise and physical activity can be stressful for your body. The physical demands placed on our body during training sessions initiates the stress response, consumes a substantial amount of energy and fluids, and, of course, contributes to those tiny muscle tears that we intend to grow back stronger and more powerful.

Alright Squad, Let’s talk about the world of health (and, by extension, fitness and wellness). After a long career in the industry, here are 4 things I have learned about health and fitness that I wish I knew earlier. I hope that these truths can help you move forward in your own health journey.

I was inspired to write this piece because my Chief of Operations, Connie, started using a Whole Body Vibration (WBV) platform to help alleviate her chronic back pain due to, sadly and heartbreakingly, over a decade of child abuse. It has worked so well for her as a natural pain management tool, and I myself use WBV with my clients to enhance their sports performance, that I wanted to coach you on this topic in case it can benefit your life in some way.