If you need more convincing, I think a conversation about the benefits of overnight oats is in order. These pumpkin overnight oats are a quick, easy, and healthy breakfast option packed with protein!

I have a real tendency toward anxiousness. I think a lot of people do, especially in our modern-day society. Regular mindfulness exercises combined with a casual exploration of the topic (reading books, articles, listening to podcasts, etc.) have made a huge difference in the severity of my worried thoughts.

The snatch is taking an object (Usually a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell) from the ground to overhead in one movement. Generally, people are most familiar with the barbell version because of the Olympics and more recently Crossfit and related activities.

I’ve been running for about 40 years now. Long-term wear and tear led me to an altered gait. Which in turn led to lots of pain when running. Personal trainer and gym co-owner, Tom Duer, gave me exercises to strengthen my weak hip flexors. Suddenly, running seemed possible again. It was time to try training for a race!

Whenever you go on vacation it’s really easy to make excuses when it comes to diet and workouts. “There wasn’t much equipment.” “We did a lot of walking.” “I didn’t feel like it.” It may seem hard to believe, but it is definitely possible to get your workouts in while you are on vacation. Read this article before you go out of town and you’ll be all set workout wise before your next vacation!

Office jobs keep many people sitting for most the day. Prolonged inactivity like that can have serious health consequences. But not just consequences on our muscles. Inactivity affects our brains as well. Do you find yourself achey, sluggish, and not as mentally sharp as you used to be? Those symptoms might have something to do with your activity levels.

Nothing is more refreshing after a grueling workout than a fruit smoothie. One of my all-time favorite summer smoothie recipes is a super fresh peach banana smoothie. After a workout, however it is important to make sure you are supplying your body with adequate protein. Rather than just mixing protein powder in water I turn it into a smoothie which then fills me up for several hours afterwards.

Food combinations are a great way to add in fruits and vegetables that you wouldn’t usually eat alone. For example, I don’t eat plain carrots very often but if you give me some hummus I could eat an entire bag! This being said, it is important to eat everything in moderation and to be mindful of when you are genuinely hungry and when you are full.

Failing. I don’t care who you are. But we all fail. Some of us fail big. Some of us fail small. And while failure is perceived to be this super negative thing, it’s actually the biggest learning tool we have. Today I want to share my story of failure. And how I used the concept of “fail, fail often, and fail forward” to reach my ultimate potential.

I needed to write this blog after missing my meals and an entire week of meal prepping. We reverted back to our old pattern of buying Subway subs or going out to eat. My pocketbook took a beating, and I knew I had to get back onto the Meal Prep bandwagon.

I was enthusiastically telling a friend about Meal Prep and all its benefits. He said, “Yeah, that sounds great, but I really don’t think I have the time.” I argued that it took us 2 – 3 hours. But we were set for lunches and dinner for an entire week. In the end, we ended up saving time between nightly preparation or even just stopping and ordering food.

It’s allergy time again folks. As a fellow allergy sufferer, I can appreciate the struggles of allergy season. But I’m here to help give you a few pointers for allergy season.

It’s difficult staying mindful in the midst of a busy season. One of the major barriers to incorporating mindfulness in people’s’ lives is simply having too much to do. Sometimes this calls for cutting back and decreasing any unnecessary activities. A lot of times, though, this situation cannot be avoided. Whether it be raising small children, a demanding job, sickness, or any all-consuming situation, hectic times often spring upon us and it is all we can do to simply tread water, let alone add in mindfulness practices.

Out of some economic necessity, I decided it was time to bite it (so to speak) and go on my own meal prep adventure. I was a bit nervous about it. I wasn’t sure how I would be able to get through an entire week of the same meals. Not to mention, getting everything to taste just right!

The concept of meal prep has become very popular in the past few years, because it solves all of these problems. Although, it takes more work on the front end, when it comes down to feeling healthy and energetic or lethargic and slow, no one would outright chose to feel the latter.

I am humbled to share with those who continue after (and beside) me along this path. Zoom in, zoom out. From the trenches of tender and tired newborn days, to the intoxicating exhilaration of firsts, there is an unrivaled frenzy that motherhood introduces. When your baby becomes your world, the experiential shift that occurs is powerful. It is equal parts beautiful, yet also raw, primal, and crushing.

Mindfulness is essentially just awareness. Being in tune with how you feel, what is going on around you, and not letting time simply slip by. This practice can help reduce stress, increase happiness, and minimize the anxieties of life. What does mindfulness look like in one’s everyday life? How exactly does one begin to be mindful?