Holiday Gift Guide 2017 for a Healthy and Happy Season

Well...it is here. We are now in the thick of the holiday season.

If you're like me, you haven't gotten all your gifts yet. Fortunately, we live in an age of extra-fast shipping, so there's still time (but not much). 😳

To save you from coming up with ideas, I've compiled my top 15 gift recommendations for this year. All of these ideas are designed to improve the health and happiness of its recipient, and all are an excellent value - well worth their price point. Ranging from $5 to over $1000, there are options for everyone on your list and every budget.

fitness, food, mindsetThe Gym of LifeDecember 14, 2017gift guide, shopping, resources, holidaysComment

Pain Is a Signal. Are You Listening?

“Pain is weakness leaving the body.”

If you’ve been training for a while or you follow “fitspiration” accounts on social media, you’ve likely heard this phrase and all of its various incarnations many time over. Perhaps you too are motivated by the concept of being so hardcore that even pain doesn’t stop you.

The thing is, it should.

mindset, fitnessThe Gym of LifeApril 26, 2017discomfort zone, numbing, depression, anxiety, mindfulnessComment

Resolutions, Goals, Intentions...Oh My! How I'm Gearing Up for 2017

Starting around December 26th, there is a dramatic increase in talk about resolutions, goals, and intentions - particularly in the fitness world. Different folks will use different terms, and almost everyone has an opinion on if you should or should not set resolutions at this time of year, or ever. Instead of contributing to the noise by telling you guys what I think you should or shouldn’t do, I thought - maybe I would just share exactly what I’m doing this year and why.

mindsetThe Gym of LifeJanuary 12, 2017mindset, mindfulness, goals, intentions, lifestyle, progress not perfectionComment

Emotional Eating: Both Sides of the Coin

I’m going to come right out and say it: Sometimes, emotional eating gets a bad rap.

Emotions are an inherent part of life. Some of us (*ahem* me) are more emotional than the average person, but we all experience emotions...and we all experience all emotions at some point or another. At times, we can feel ruled by our emotions. At others, we can seem like we are void of emotion altogether. Regardless, learning how to read our own emotions, understand what they are trying to tell us, and then choosing our response (versus simply reacting) is a powerful way to both acknowledge and address our emotional lives. Of course, this is far easier said than done.

food, mindsetThe Gym of LifeOctober 17, 2016emotional eating, empowerment, mindfulness, mindful eatingComment

How to #GSD...When You Really Don't Wanna (or Are Too Overwhelmed to Start)

#GSD means get shit done, and is a hashtag/attitude that has been recently popularized to describe taking purposeful, complete action. It's really pretty straightforward.

In theory it is, anyway. In practice? Not so much.

After all - how often is it straightforward when you try to GSD? More accurately stated, how often does it seem really freakin' hard when you try to GSD?

mindsetThe Gym of LifeJuly 27, 2016GSD, practical strategies

The Yoga Your Life Needs: Introducing #norulesyoga

Yoga. I’m a big fan. In fact, people often assume that I am a yoga instructor, which currently is not the case. While lifting weights has literally changed my life, yoga has been a constant for over 13 years. Sometimes I feel the need to apologize for my yoga practice, because with such a lengthy history I feel like I should be able to perform some super-cool inversions or arm balances. (Nope.) Truth be told, I held myself back for most of that time. Why?

fitness, mindsetThe Gym of LifeMarch 9, 2016yoga, norulesyogaComment

Blog