For decades the word "tone" has been used to describe a svelte type of figure. However, in more recent years I have found the word to become a bit toxic and leaning toward the meaning skinny-fat. 

Hold on, before we continue let's address the elephant in the room. We are all for healthy bodies here. Those healthy bodies do not all look the same and we recognize this as well. We are here to help change the wording we use on a daily to describe and erase toxicity from diet culture. If this is not something that jives with you, you do not need to read any further. 

I have been a dancer for nearly 28 years now. I began classes at age five and again in my very early teens. I continued on my own from here. What is my point? If you know anything about the dance world, ballet in particular, they are a very toxic weight culture. Resulting in many individuals, especially young women, to become anorexic or bulimic. (Black Swan is a great reference to this world) This continually tells girls and young women they need to be "fit" in order to leap about on the stage and move gracefully. While many male ballet dancers harbor much muscle, females are often told to restrict and diet down. Limiting energy and muscle engagement as well as emotional, spiritual, and mental damage. 

This mindset has been around for decades and it is a part of more than just the world of ballet. This is quite heavy on social media, in fitness, beauty, and fashion. This also affects individuals of all ages. My goddaughter is about to be 11 and just a few years ago she was telling her mother and myself that she was ugly and nobody wanted to be her friend because her teeth were too big. 

We all need a very important reminder that children are little adults who have no world experience. They learn from what they see. They react upon that and continue based on the reaction they in return received. Children bully when they are not taught compassion at a young age, amongst a few other important morals I think we can save for another time. 

So you see, it is everywhere. I recently left a group on Facebook because of the backlash I received from posting that as professionals we could change the dialogue by not using the word "tone" anymore to describe a physique. Oh. My. GOODNESS! The hate that is in my own field for this! 

"How dare you even think this would happen! The entire industry would cease to exist!" 
"I don't see how this is toxic if clients only know how to describe using this word."

Those two statements alone tell me that people are closed-minded and very unwilling to see change happen. When we can change the dialogue, we change the mindset, we change the outcome. Removing the word "tone" from our vocabulary can change the way we view a healthy body. 

When I hear toned I think of printers, colors, and hair dyes. Not bodies and muscle. When someone says they are "defining/developing" I often think of muscle, weight lifting, being active. The wording and the delivery do matter! Skinny-fat is a term used to define a body that is lean yet harbors little to no muscle. These bodies are often softer due to holding water weight and copious amounts of inflammation. Both doing damage to the body inside and out. 

So, you see, "tone" is really a toxic word when it comes to describing a physique. 


Don't forget to find us on YouTube and hit that subscribe button to follow for more topics just like this! 

We're excited to be working with Elite Sports and Born Tough to try out their products!
We will come up with a review post once the product testing is done
Keep an eye out for these updates! If you guys would like to check out more from them, in the meantime you can head over to one of the links listed below and check out their great products! 

Check them out here:
https://www.elitesports.com/products/elite-sports-bulgarian-sand-bag
https://www.borntough.com/collections/mens-workout-shorts

    It's been a long day, time to go home and kick back. Maybe put your feet up, eat a little, and relax in front of the tv or video games. However, let's explore something real quick. 

     You've just spent, we will say on average, 9 hours sitting or standing at your job all day long. Hardly moving your body, the muscles become stiff and rigid from lack of blood flow. Joints begin to ache, then your head, then your feet or knees. 

     It is very counterintuitive to add even more stagnant movement into the day. The body is designed to move, to build, to transport and to carry. If it's continually in the same positions day in and day out we end up building movement patterns that come with major risk of injury. 

     Here are    things you can do before sitting down in front of the tv to binge your favorite show! Get your blood flowing first and give your hormones some room to run. 


    1. Let it out & write! Work is an often stressful event for many of us. Allowing yourself time to decompress and let your thoughts from the day flow onto the page. This allows you to say whatever you want without consequence, however also allows you mind to let go of the things that maybe didn't go the way you expected. Being able to express yourself in some form will help to relieve some stress from the day. 

    2. Get moving! Exercise may feel like the last thing you want to do after being at work all day. However, exercise not only builds strength, functionality, and keeps joints protected; we also get more balanced hormones, which in turn can lead to better mood, sleep, and cognitive functioning. Get your blood flowing before sitting back down. 

     3. ​Read a book rather than turn on the tv. You have more than likely been staring at a screen all day at work, give you eyes a break from that blue light and your brain a break as well. The blue light causes some major implications with the frontal cortex. Give yourself a little time and let your mind calm down and eyes relax from that light. 

     4. Talk a hike/walk. You've probably been inside for your work day, let yourself out and enjoy the sunshine. Replenish your vitamin D and your mood. Recharge your soul and your body. This is also a great way to help relieve some stress and get a nice tan in the summer time. 

     5. Spend time on a hobby. Just because we are finished working doesn't mean we can't get home and sit down to indulge in our favorite hobby or activity that doesn't involve a screen. 

    These are just a few ideas to get you started on some better after work routines. De-stressing comes in many forms outside of the screen. It's a great idea to contribute to your health and wellness routines by incorporating some of these elements into your daily life. 

    Lowering stress lowers and brings hormones back to a level homeostasis basis. This wards off sickness, inflammation, excessive fat gain, mood swings, lack of sleep, lagging cognitive functioning and even digestive issues. 

    Next time you get home and kick off those shoes, I hope you pick up a pen and paper or book instead of reaching for the remote. Healthy begins with the smallest of steps and changes. They lead to great results over time. 

   You woke up this morning, eye wide looking at the clock... 6am. Comfy in bed. Not wanting to move from your warm position.... Get up! Let's go and get the blood flowing! 

   These are days we all have had, it's okay! Let's explore some ways to master each workout. 

   Things to do the day before: 
   1. Eat plenty of calories. When you're building muscle AND burning fat in the beginning, you still need sufficient amount of fuel to do both. Eating enough is also fuel for a great workout session. Don't skip the kcals!

   2. Drink plenty of water. ​Clients LOVE to come in dehydrated! Wooooweee! Let me just say, this is worse than coming in with only a protein shake in your stomach. The body is highly depleted upon waking. It's needs to be replenished before you conduct any intense and rigorous activity. 

   3. Catch plenty of zzz's. I know this is a tough one for many of us, however, over the years of being a trainer I find this can improve with small routine tweaks in the evening. Leaving you with better and deeper sleep. You can see some of those changes here in a previous post I did talking about sleep. 

     4. DON'T SKIP THE WARM UP. This is so important to me being an injury prevention specialist. If you are jumping right into the workout as soon as you enter the gym, you are putting your body at risk for injury. Many times a client will walk in without first truly waking up. What do I mean by this? I wake up at least 1 hour before my day begins, this is to ensure that my mindset is right, I have prepped meals and myself for the day, and my body is also awake and has had time to move and replenish with nutrients before I begin any kind of physical activity to work my body. Warming up severely lessens the risk for injury and increases your gaining power. 

      5. Workout with purpose and intent. This is a big one. I see many individuals, not just clients, who come into the gym and don't know what they are doing or why they are doing it. They just want to be stronger, faster, look great naked, etc. However, this is not a true intention. This is a societal standard. I train with purpose to keep my body healthy and strong for my career and daily tasks. I train with the intent to strengthen joints, the immune system, and then for aesthetics. (I will always train for aesthetics for as long as I am competing.) At one point I trained to heal from injuries. So make sure that you have a purpose and good intentions with you workout. 

       6. Finally, plan out your workout. Going into the gym and aimlessly wandering not only makes people stare because they are curious about what you are doing and why do you look like a lost puppy. It also gives you direction and will save you time. Write it down in your phone, on your hand, whatever you need to do to remember it. Do not rely on your memory for this, you could miss an important movement you may need to be working on. 

     Alright Warrior, now you have some great tips and tricks to help you have a much more successful workout session for yourself. If you are still unsure of what to do, INVEST IN YOURSELF WITH A TRAINER. There is no shame and yes you can afford to invest in your health for at least one month. Find a knowledgable trainer who will teach and educate you on movements you need, movements you want, and how to take care of yourself. Let's face it, none of us have been properly taught how to do self-care. This is a great beginning point for creating a self-care routine. 

    Happy lifting! 

   Stomach bloat is no joke and pretty common. It can cause a lot of pain and discomfort. So how do we eliminate it altogether? There are some pretty simple ways that we can do this. 

1. Eat less processed foods, including dairy. I said it, dairy is a culprit here as well as the McDonald's you had for breakfast, the bag of chips you had for "lunch" and the take out you ordered in for dinner because work left you too lethargic to cook. Processed foods also harm our gut microbiome. This is how we digest well. When I lessened the amount of processed foods and take out foods I was consuming, I noticed a lot more than bloat disappear from my body. I also noticed inflammation lessen, aches and pains lessened, and my brain fog even lessened. Now that isn't to say I never do, I just moderate. In the beginning, I eliminated to heal my body. Allowing detox to take over, this can take years to fully detox from processed foods. One last point about processed foods, the chemicals, emulsifiers and preservatives used in them block the neuroreceptors to the gut liner that communicate with the brain. They tell the brain that you are full and satiated and to stop consuming whatever you are consuming. When we ingest processed and chemical-filled foods we  block this step and tend to overeat. Left wonder why we are feeling bloated, hurting and still hungry.

2. Moderate that dairy or eliminate it. Why? It's just as processed as the other foods. Filled with emulsifiers and fortified with vitamins because they were stripped from it during processing. Unless you are consuming RAW cheese and milk, or goat or sheep milk, it's best to steer clear. Milk in the use tends to turn straight into sugar as well and mess with our glucose levels. You can also end up ingesting and absorbing whatever hormones went into that cow during their raising, this will mess with your body's own homeostasis levels. And lastly about dairy here, I found this highly fascinating and they are still researching more into this. Antibiotic resistance. When a cow gets sick it is given antibiotics, just like a human would be given. This going right into the milk you consume, making it impossible for the antibiotics to work when you are given them during your own time of illness. 

3. Exercise and get movement in daily. This seems to be the toughest one for us all. We go to to work, usually sit at a desk many of us. Then we arrive home and sit more telling ourselves this is "relaxing". While it can be relaxing to sit in front of the TV and veg out while you shut your brain off for the day, movement is medicine. Movement and exercise keeps our bodies healthy and strong, with even stronger immune systems. Exercise balances hormones, forces the body to use the fuel it was given for movement and recovery of muscles. It also helps with digestion! When you exercise you are moving your blood around a lot more, the flow increases and particularly to the peristalsis of your gut. This causes it to move around and digest food more and more efficiently by massaging your food. This in turn breaks down your food and is absorbed by the gut liner and dispersed throughout the body. 

4. Drink more water. Water is such a powerful force, not only in nature but within the human body as well. As we are made up of mostly water, we need it to maintain our complexion, transport nutrients and other important elements around the body and for proper digestion and bowl movements. Without water we also, die. Water helps break food down and move it through the body in they way that it was meant to be moved. Drinking water after a meal helps to do this and keep you satiated and full, preventing over-indulging moments. 

   Now that you have four simple steps to relieve your body of the bloat, you're ready for the next steps. To take them. 

    Many of us are continuing to workout at home since COVID hit us all square in the face. This is great! Staying active is a great step in preventing yourself from any kind of illness or disease.  Some of us may be wanting to begin an at-home regimen however aren't sure where to begin. I just want to take a few moments and cover some basics, some do's and well not don'ts necessarily. More like some guidelines to keep you on track with your goals. 

   1. Make time. This is the toughest thing for everyone to do, nobody has the time, we have to make the time. While this is tough for us in the beginning, after staying consistent for at least 90 days it begins to become routine and habit. A good habit! A helpful habit that will keep you going day in and day out. 
 
   2. Healthy has no pause button.  I know, I know, you're tired of me saying this. However, it's very true! Healthy doesn't care that we have children, a career and house to maintain. We have a modeling gig coming up or we are traveling for a year just to connect with ourselves. If you do not maintain the vessel, these things can become difficult to continue to do. This is not a scare tactic, but some plain hard truth. I love to hike, if I did not continue to lift and do cardio my body would start to deteriorate and the muscle becomes stiff and immovable. That hike just became a lot tougher, especially on the hips. So I stay healthy, limber, and strong so my body can handle whatever I throw it into! 

   3. You don't have to workout three hours a day to obtain your goals.  There is a stigma behind bodybuilder aesthetics, while many of them will spend many hours in the gym studies are finding and have found now is that an intense short, 45-90 minute workout burns and builds more than a long drawn out 3 hour workout. If you're working out at home, start small and go for only 20 minutes. Work your way up to doing an hour of movements. 

​    4. Not every workout needs to be "Go big or go home". A short quick workout is going to offer just as much benefit, if not more, as a longer and more intense workout session. Also, you don't have to lift heavy to go hard. Intensity is based on the pace in which you perform your movements. 

    5. Plan ahead. It is easier to conduct your workout and want to do the workout to begin with if you already have planned out what you are going to do. Find a good app, a program to follow, a trainer, or a YouTube video you have wanted to try. Whatever you do, plan it out and make it happen! 

    6. There will be days you don't want to move, do it. Not every day is going to feel amazing and like you want to be there, trust me I have had my fair share of downer-days. If you're already in front of it, just begin to move. Don't let yourself talk yourself out of a workout that could better your day. Happy bodies produce happy hormones. Happy people have more energy as well and focus better throughout the day. Don't skip the workout. 

     7. Days off aren't going to make you lose gains. This is a big no-no. We often times begin a regimen and sometimes we become obsessed with seeing results and want to go hard everyday. The body needs time to rest in order to recover. That recovery is going to fuel your next workout, your next recovery session, gain you more muscle and burn more fat than if you go 7 days a week/365 per year. So relax! Kick back and enjoy some yoga or just the stairs for the day. Nobody said you had to be a potato on the couch. Active rest days are a great way to let your body recover and still move. 

     8. Support is crucial! I am emphasizing this one because without the right support we fail. If you're family or roommate or partner doesn't agree with you working out in the house, find somewhere else to do it! Ask them to join you. Offer to teach them something new. Share the progress you've made. Share how it has changed ___________ in you. Without loving, compassion and encouragement from those around us, gaining a healthy routine can be tough or even non-existent. 

     9. Lastly, you don't need a full gym to begin! You just need a body and having a couple of mini bands, handled bands or even some free weights does not hurt in the strive for progress! 
​
   There you have it! The do's and guidelines for starting your at-home program! Still need some inspiration for you next workout? Check out our programs on Trainerize! Follow along with videos, get progress updates and even access in-app coaching communication. 

    Recently I was contacted by a company called Emerging Green. They were sweet and sent me an at home kit! This kit was really great for the most part. Providing equipment for a full body workout or being able to split it up into sections. It was great to provide a kit that was easily portable as well. Traveling after COVID? Take this with you and keep up on your fitness. 

    Let's begin with the bad. The band, not a good band. This was the only disappointing piece of this kit. The band moved around too much and did not provide enough tension. It was difficult to do many exercises that could have been done with a mini band much easier. Mini bands are flatter and less likely to roll up the legs or arms. This band also felt flimsy and as though it may snap at any moment. 

     Push-up grips. These are a great tool for beginners to advanced gym-goers. They can be used for a variety of push-ups, core work and more. 

     I haven't jumped rope in years, when I say years I mean since I was a kid. Not a teen, a child. So after decades of not jumping rope I had some fun doing it again. This rope was perfect for me, I am nearly 5' 11 and it can be difficult to find a good and long jump rope. This was perfect, the thickness of the rope is also great. The smaller the rope, the more it hurts if you mess up. (Don't mess up and wack yourself, that sting stays for about five minutes! Yikes!) Jump ropes are a great way to add fun and cardio to the mix of your workouts as well. 

     Finally, the best piece in here (IMO), the ab wheel! I was more excited about this due to the structure of it. The larger wheel give s a much more stable base, especially for those who are new to using an ab wheel. This piece comes with a little foam mat to put under your knees. Protection of the patella is vital. This pieces is also very sturdy, my partner uses it nearly every workout. He is 5' 7" and 230 of nearly solid muscle. This is also a great piece to take with you on road trips. Having a nice active, strong core is great for posture and long car rides or plane rides. 

    With all other excuses out the door this kit is the bees knees! Never miss a workout again with this great kit. My only suggestion would be to add a different band or two to this kit as the band that comes with it is not suitable for any movement. 

     You can find their kit on their site or through Amazon! Stay healthy Warriors! 

  Our world is constantly changing and evolving. We are always learning new information and making new discoveries. One of my recent favorite discoveries has been how powerful Vitamin D is. Personally, I knew it was vital! It is in fact a hormone and not a vitamin. 

 Vitamin D plays a vital role in many functions and organs in the human body. There are benefits and there are major consequences for deficiency. Let's take a look. 


  1. Healthy skeletal structure. Everyone needs strong and healthy bones to support the muscle, organs and everything else we carry with it. Providing Vitamin D to your body can help to strengthen the bones in our bodies by playing a vital role in calcium and phosphorus regulation. When this does not happen and the body has a deficiency of Vitamin D the kidneys begin to excrete Vitamin D that is not being absorbed.

  2. Healthy children. Children are often fed and told they are getting enough. Unfortunately with the soil content nowadays this is no longer true. Giving your children a Vitamin D supplement could save them from things such as high blood pressure and rickets. There is also connection to low Vitamin D levels and asthma in children. 

  3. Mood regulation. Vitamin D is a regulator of happy hormones as well. When we do not have enough, our brains produce less serotonin and we can become fatigued, brain-fog, and more. 

 While there are great benefits to all, there are major downfalls to having a Vitamin D deficiency more than there are benefits. (This is not to scare you into rethinking your supplement regimen, but rather to educate so we can better our regimens.) 

• Heart disease 
• High blood pressure
• Infections
• Weaker immune system that cannot fight off viruses and disease
• Falls with the elderly
• Certain types of cancer such as colon, breast cancer and even prostate cancer
• MS or Multiple Sclerosis

    Wondering where you can get great sources of Vitamin D? Here are some great ways to get Vitamin D into your daily routines. 

• Get at least 15-20 minutes of sunshine per day
• Through specific foods
• Through supplementation

   Sources of food for Vitamin D: 

• Cod liver, swordfish, Salmon, Tuna, Sardines
• Milk, greek yogurt, orange juice
• Beef liver, egg yolk
• Cheese

  So don't skip that walk with your dog and let them in the backyard, take them on a walk and soak up some sun! There are many ways for us to stay healthy that can be incorporated into our daily lives without disruption to other things we enjoy.


Sited Sources: 
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15050-vitamin-d--vitamin-d-deficiency 
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161618#benefits​

    In 2020 we were hit pretty hard with COVID and a quarantine to last nearly a year now. Here we are in 2021 and the country, especially Texas, is dealing with some crazy weather. If you are in Texas, then you know what's going on. If you aren't from Texas you may know how to handle what is going on. If you aren't from Texas and have never experienced a winter snow storm before, your anxiety may be through the roof at the moment. 

     I spent the majority of my childhood and late teen years growing up in Oregon and Idaho. Both places reach temperatures well below freezing and into the negatives. We had to learn how to live with the snow for up to six months of the year, the upside is that those states are set up to handle that temperature drop. Texas and its residence are not. Let me share with you how I learned to handle the anxiety and boredom that comes with freezing temperatures. 

    **If you are unaware of how Texas works, its power system is not connected the way the rest of the country's system is. Texas is separate and decides to do everything differently than everyone else.They also had this exact situation happen in the 80's and weren't prepared then. They learned nothing from that experience, so let us now be the ones to take initiative on how to handle any situation that comes up like this again.**

  1. My dad taught me to always be prepared no matter what. If the situation never happens, at least you had what you needed to survive it. My partner and I will grab a little extra food at the store, a little extra toiletries and supplies. We do not over-buy and stockpile. This is a way to prepare for any situation. This could have helped many who lost power to still have foods they could eat cold or even cook on their gas stove top for a short period of time to gain some sustenance. Over-buying and panicking only causes MORE issues for the rest of us. Things restock and most situations/circumstances are not forever, only temporary. 

   2. There is plenty to do that does not require technology or the internet! I grew up in a house where we were only allowed 1 hour of television, a movie or 1 hour of video games per day. The only time our computers were on was if we had school work to do. In the early '00s that wasn't even heard of yet. Here are some fun things we did even when the power was out. 

1. Play a board game
   
2. Tell ghost stories with s'mores, our flashlights, & a fort
   
3. Play int he snow, sledding, snowball fights, snowboarding, build and igloo (We actually did this once, took us all day and you could stand up inside of it!)
4. Read a book or write your own story
5. Give someone else a massage or spa day facial
6. Have an art day! Create a piece of art, paint, draw, sculpt, crochet, sew something. Art comes in many forms and there's no wrong way to do it. 
7. Take a wintery hike or go winter camping. Sometimes when you have no power, the best thing to do is to get out in nature and enjoy it. 
8. Play tag around the house or the yard
9. Play the questions game, this is a great way to get to know other people. Even if they are relatives or your significant other, there is always something new we can learn from them or about them.
10. Clean areas of the house that don't require power
11. Rearrange your room/furniture in your house
12. Deep clean and rearrange the cabinets and cupboards in your kitchen
13. Meditate
14. Yoga
15. Learn a new skill

    I grew up in a very loving and supportive home, any time one of us had anxiety we were there to hold, help, and guide them through it. When this happens my mum would hug me, tell me everything was going to be okay, then ask me how I was feeling and what she could do to help. That last step is very crucial. If you don't ask the anxious party how they are and what you can do to help, you may worsen their anxiety as they came to you seeking help and solace. 

     Any time my partner has an anxiety attack or emotional trigger, I hug him, we lie down on the bed and breathe together while he tells me what he is feeling or going through. Just that act of listening to someone or being heard can relieve much stress and anxiety from our nerves. 

     This is not the answer some want, however, meditation is a fantastic way to calm the nerves, return hormones to their proper levels and over time you will be able to handle stressful and anxious situations much easier. It takes practice and patience for this to occur, be patient and kind to yourself through this process. Meditation also allows us to compartmentalize easier over time as well. Being able to dissect a situation while it is still happening and keeping your wits about you is highly beneficial and healthier on the body, mind, soul, and nervous system. 

      
      When the power does come back on, don't overload by turning everything on and the heat up. It's always a good idea to keep the heater down around 68 anyways. Your body can become ill if you are going from extreme cold to hot too often. We keep our house around 68 and have extra blankets and clothing to keep us warmer if need be. My dad always said "You can always put more clothing on, you cannot always take it off. Well, you can, but some of your company may not like it!" Each time the power returns we:

1. Keep lights off during the day time, only using them when we absolutely have to. In our closet we have green lights which use less energy and we can still see when we need to, the same is in our kitchen. 
   
2. Cook what foods we need and want to enjoy hot.
   
3. Utilize what time we do have with the internet to get work done.
   
4. Watch 1 or 2 episodes of a show and then turn the tv back off.
   
5. Download your favorite shows, music and movies to enjoy offline. 

    When it comes to needing to leave anywhere, we simply stay put. Honestly your gym time can wait. Do an at-home HiiT bodyweight workout instead if you really must workout. It is better to hold off however, to conserve energy and food in these circumstances. A LISS day is also acceptable for keeping yourself moving, or even just simple stretching and foam rolling. Giving your body a break is not always a bad idea, your muscle will not atrophy overnight or even within a few days. Risking your life and others just to lift some weights, just don't! Plus, in 2021 it's pretty likely that your neighbors have some gym equipment or an actual garage gym. Make friends and have a lifting party! 

    I remember the only time we ever went anywhere on days like this as a child was if we truly needed to go to the store or it was time for church. (Yes, I grew up going to church in a very religious state.) My dad emphasized how much more dangerous ice was than hydroplaning on rain water. Unfortunately Texas is not set up to handle snow, salting their roads, and for their citizens to be driving anywhere unimportant, like the gym.

    So next time Mother Nature makes a crazy call to your doorstep, I hope these tips and tricks can help you make it through!      
    

     Hello and good day my wonderful Warriors! Awhile back I made a video explaining the science behind our workouts and how to improve them or get the most out of them. I just wanted to go over this again as it is a very crucial aspect of fitness to understand. We want to always be progressing and moving forward. Without changes and switch ups this actually becomes incredible impossible. Yes, yes! I said the dirty word! Impossible. 

     Without proper shock and adaptation to the muscle, without hitting all the angles of the muscle fiber we are missing activation. This leads us to less progress and less growth. Be it strength or size. So if you are looking into why you haven't been seeing any results lately, try switching up the style of which you are working out.