Myths and Truths on Juicing

Many people tout the health benefits of adding freshly squeezed juice to our diets, but with all the conflicting information out there it can be hard to know what is true and what is not. When talking about adding fresh squeezed juice (fruit or vegetable), we are referring to the fresh juice that you can easily make at home if you have the right equipment. Juicing gets rid of the toxins in your...Read more

Get the Warm up Low-down for Kids

When playing sports, warming up is a must and with kids there's an entirely different approach to coaching them through warm up drills . The value of a warm up created for children is that it raises the body temperature and heart rate, prepares the muscles and joints for activity, and helps to prevent injury. However, most people aren't aware that proper warm up also sets the mood and pace for...Read more

Fighting Fatigue

Fatigue seems simple: your body has reached its limit, you're tired. The current understanding is that we feel exhausted because of physical factors . Not enough oxygen and fuel to the muscles and decreased blood flow to the brain means that your muscles are no longer able to generate power no matter how hard you try. While this is true, it may not be the only factor in feeling fatigued. A recent...Read more

Icing on the Ache!

Icing an injury is one of the oldest and best known injury treatment strategies, yet there is often confusion among athletes and coaches as to what injuries they should ice, how often and for how long. Based on current research there are no definite answers to these questions however here are some basic guidelines you can follow: 1. Always ice an acute injury involving muscle tears and joint...Read more

Take a deep breath

Breathing is intuitive so most people probably feel it doesn't require special training to get it right. However, it's easy to form bad habits as a result of poor posture, movement patterns and even stress. For athletes, these bad habits can affect the nervous system, contribute to muscle fatigue, and decrease performance, so it's worth taking the time to learn some To learn optimal breathing...Read more

Avoiding painful side stitches

Side stitches or exercise-related transient abdominal pain (ETAP) is not well studied, but it is thought to be caused by a lack of blood flow to the diaphragm which causes pain in the side or shoulder area. While side stitches occur more frequently in people who are out of shape, most of us have experienced pain in our sides at one point or another. One study found that although many people...Read more

Do I really need a personal coach?

For experienced athletes who wish to reach higher levels of competition, hiring a personal coach may be necessary for continued success. Most people assume that since they've done it on their own so far, they can continue do so, but good coaches do more than just hold a stopwatch. How do I find a coach? Keep in mind that you're probably not going to find the perfect coach in your first Google...Read more

Reflecting on Night Safety

The days are getting shorter, which means that any outdoor workouts done before or after work will probably be done in the dark. For the next few months it's important to take some time to make sure you are prepped to ensure your safety when training at night . Remember to: Dress to be seen - The biggest difference between exercising at night versus during the day is visibility. This is an...Read more

Can Omega-3 fats aid performance?

Omega-3 fats are a type of polyunsaturated fat found naturally in fish oils, which have long been thought to be good for general health. There are claims that it improves everything from brain function, to cardiovascular health, but does it give athletes an edge? A recent study found that Omega-3 fatty acids may increase physical conditioning by improving the efficiency of the cardiorespiratory...Read more

Exercise is a brain booster!

One of the most interesting findings in the last few decades is that the increased oxygen that the brain gets while exercising is almost always accompanied by an upswing in It is interesting to note that these studies determined that the intensity of the exercise mattered less than the frequency. It was found that you don't even have to go for long periods of time, any amount of movement creates...Read more