The Handful Tool for Portion Control

The Handful Tool for Portion Control Contributed by: Shellie Billingsley, NASM-CPT, NPTI For many of us, the daily routine of work, cooking, family and other priorities can cause a great deal of stress. And if you’re trying to exercise and eat correctly, counting calories can sometimes feel like an added stress to your already busy …

Food can be Contributing to Your Chronic Pain

Contributed by: Michaela Scroggins, M.S., CPT-NSCA Do you suffer from chronic aches and pain? Did you know you can escalate pain within the body by simply consuming the wrong foods? Foods that are processed, have preservatives, sugar, or hormones will cause inflammation in the body. In fact, these foods can be the root cause of …

Get Your 10,000 Steps in While Staying at Home

Contributed by: Amanda Albiar, NCSF-CPT Sometimes you are so busy at home and/or running around the house with kids that it feels like you have run a marathon. You look at your FIT-BIT, pedometer or phone app to track your steps and see you still have steps to catch up on. Here are a few …

The Benefits of Self-Myofascial Release

The Benefits of Self-Myofascial Release Contributed by: Shellie Billingsley, NASM-CPT, NPTI You may have seen people laying on long cylinder-shaped pieces of foam and wondered, “What in the world are they doing on them?” These dense pieces of equipment are called foam-rollers and are very beneficial for almost everyone. It is a great tool to …

Cortisol: The Stress Hormone

Contributed by Laurel Dierking, M.Ed., NFPT, 200YT Most have heard of the infamous ‘cortisol’, and there may be some negative associations with the stress hormone. However, cortisol does have many beneficial responsibilities. Healthy and regulated levels of cortisol production are initiated during acute stress situations in which the body responds chemically and adapts to a …

Sweet Potatoes

Contributed by: Carol Kline Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet AND they help improve regulation of blood sugar. If you’re trying to cut down on sugar, the sweetness of a sweet potato may fool you into believing it’s bad for your pancreas; however, sweet potatoes can help improve blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, …

Drinking Water with Lemon Juice

Contributed by: Michaela Scroggins, M.Ed., CPT-CSCS Are you suffering from allergies, the common cold, or are your mornings lacking energy? Here is an easy tip that is just a squeezes away; by simply adding lemon to your water every morning you can bring numerous benefits to your body. Lemon is rich in nutrients like potassium, …