Category Archives: Life Health

Embracing Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15th to October 15th, holds a special place in the hearts of immigrants, particularly those of Latino and Hispanic descent. For Hispanic/Latino immigrants, this month serves as a poignant reminder of their unique journey, their resilience, and the significance of their cultural heritage in shaping their lives. In this blog, we will explore the profound importance of Hispanic Heritage Month to immigrants and how it becomes a platform for them to celebrate their roots.

 

A Connection to Roots

 

For immigrants, Hispanic Heritage Month provides a vital link to their roots. Many Latino and Hispanic immigrants come to the United States in pursuit of a better life, but they carry their cultural traditions and values with them. This celebration allows my family and my people to maintain our roots, traditions, stories, and a sense of identity that might otherwise be lost in the process of assimilation. For example, one of the traditions I still do to this day is the preparation of Hallacas(Venezuelan holiday dish) during Christmas. Preparing this dish requires help so all the family comes over, we listen to Gaitas, drink sangria, and we cook, it’s a great bonding experience for our family. We take a lot of pride in teaching our roots and ensuring that our heritage is passed on to the next generation.

 

A Source of Strength

 

Immigrating to a new country can be a challenging and often daunting experience. Hispanic Heritage Month offers a source of strength for immigrants, reminding them of the resilience and determination of our community. When I first moved to this country doing anything was very difficult, making friends, asking for help, paying attention in class. I learned about Hispanic Heritage month in ESL class and I was so amazed when I learned about Cesar Chavez or Ellen Ochoa, it made me believe that I had a chance to be like them and that I could achieve anything. Hispanic Heritage month serves as a source of inspiration for us to overcome the inevitable hurdles that our people go through.

 

A Celebration of Diversity

 

The Hispanic community here in the United States is incredibly diverse, representing countries from Mexico to Spain, and from Cuba to Chile, among others. Hispanic immigrants from these nations often find themselves living in the same community, this allows for them to not only to share their own unique stories and experiences but learn about the experiences of other members of their community. When I got here one of my first friends was from Mexico and I have never learned more from Mexico before. I was fascinated with their rich history and how different yet similar our cultures were. Not only was I learning about other hispanic countries, I was also teaching kids in the US about Venezuela. The amount of times that I got “where in Mexico is Venezuela in” or “do you guys eat a lot of tacos?” I had to educate people about where I’m from and how it’s different, had to explain that not everyone that is hispanic/latino is illegal, that not everyone eats tacos or burritos. By breaking down barriers, we can dispel stereotypes, promote understanding, and showcase the value Hispanic people bring to American society. This sharing of culture often leads to a stronger connection.

 

A Celebration of Achievements

 

Many immigrants from Latino and Hispanic backgrounds who have made significant contributions to American society. From notable artists like Lin-Manuel Miranda who’s won multiple awards and the writer for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton to influential public figures like Roberto Clemente who I’m sure many of you know! Hispanic and Latino immigrants take pride in these accomplishments, as they often reflect the determination and potential of their own journeys.

 

Hispanic Heritage month gives the opportunity to my people to show everyone what we got, what we’ve accomplished and what we can do in the future. I am proud to be Venezuelan, Happy Hispanic Heritage month!!

 

Dahveed Jorge

The Supple Leopard

In college, I had a friend and roommate named Will. Will was an exceptional guy. We often hit the weight room together, pushing each other to new limits like good lifting partners do. We both shared a profound interest in the recovery aspect of training. We’d engage in passionate discussions, often pulling insights from various online journals. Our most frequent topic was a book titled “Becoming a Supple Leopard,” authored by Kelly Starrett DPT. The book espouses the idea that, akin to a leopard, maintaining optimal physical readiness at all times is key. Being both strong and agile is the goal. “Becoming a Supple Leopard” introduces many unconventional tools tailored for recovery. As Louis Simmons once stated, “Normal people will only give you normal results.” Sometimes, breaking free from traditional approaches becomes essential to effect the necessary changes, particularly when you’re at the pinnacle of your training and have exhausted conventional methods. If you feel like you’re hitting a plateau after years of training, this book might offer relevant insights to propel you forward. These discussions with Will inspired me to pursue future tracts into recovery and strength training methods once I graduated from college.

 

Will unfortunately and unexpectedly passed away right when I moved to Pittsburgh 2 years ago. After the funeral, his mother reached out to me and mailed me the copy of his book with a note that said, “He always was talking about this book and how much it meant to your friendship. I think you should have it.” To this day, I utilize this book as a resource for a lot of my training plans and coaching points.

 

I highly advise you to get your hands on a copy and learn something that might change your life.

 

Put down your phone and read books.

 

All the best,

Dylan K.

Tips for Motivation and Discipline

We all know how hard it can be to accomplish goals that we set. Obstacles and stressors can arise on a daily manner that hinder us from taking steps towards completing that goal. Sometimes these stressors and obstacles deplete our energy so much that we lose all motivation, and we feel like we cannot complete the goal we set. This is where discipline comes into play. This means doing what you know you are supposed to be doing even though you have no will to do it. This can be a very difficult thing to do, and I am going to provide some tips on how to be more disciplined when that feeling of zero motivation comes into play:

 

  1. Write down your goals- I think this is a very important thing to do when attempting a task. Writing down your goals will help bring that goal to life. It gives you a sense of self accountability and responsibility towards that task. It also gives it more value.
  2. Create a constant reminder of your goal- What I mean by this is forcing yourself to see that goal multiple times a day so that it is a constant reminder to yourself of what you should be doing to accomplish that goal. This can be done by listing your goals on your phone wall paper, making your goals a password that you use daily, or writing down your goals on a sticky note and placing that sticky note on your fridge or mirror. These are just some ways but there are several other ways to do this.
  3. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals- This means get yourself friends that have similar goals as you or supportive friends that will not allow you to have triggers that prevent you from accomplishing that goal. This could also mean finding mentors or people that you look up to and spending much time with them.
  4. Do things that your future self would thank you for- What I mean here is doing things in the present to help yourself in the future. Using myself as an example, I hate to think about tasks first thing in the morning when I wake up. I do not want to be half asleep at 4:30 am attempting to figure out what clothes to wear for work, preparing my food for the day, or even making my coffee. Instead, I will prepare my clothes, my food, and my coffee the day before so that I have an easier morning and I can focus on the larger tasks of the day such as teaching a class, training someone, or doing my own training. This is just a small example, but you can do this for many other aspects of life.
  5. Reflecting on your past accomplishments or what you are proud of- I think this is an important thing to do because it reminds you of what you have done in the past and how you overcame other obstacles in life. This reminder can give you the confidence to be able to take a deep breath and keep pushing towards your goal even if you are fearful of the outcome.

In my opinion, motivation comes and goes. It is a human emotion or feeling that we do not always have control over and it is not something we should rely on. Especially when our motivation can be hindered by external factors that are out of our control. Instead, we should rely on discipline in accomplishing goals and if you are ever struggling then you can try some of these tips above to see if they help!

 

-Zain Train

The Road to Injury Recovery Part 2

After a few weeks of doctor appointments, x-rays, and an MRI scan, I finally have my shoulder injury diagnosis… It ended up being a grade two shoulder separation with a bruised collar bone, which I was excited about because that means no surgery and I will have a shorter recovery timeline!

 

As I mentioned in my previous blog, things such as injuries are all a part of the learning process in the sport of life. I’m currently learning how to get back to my normal everyday life while dealing with a nagging shoulder injury (along with the concussion as well).

 

I started physical therapy with my orthopedic doctor’s clinic this past week, and I am already learning a lot about how to build back my strength and how to ease back into powerlifting and biking. My doctor explained the shoulder muscles and possible recovery exercises thoroughly. He said that after about 4 weeks of physical therapy and working hard, I should be good to start lifting again, which is great news because I have missed it these past 6 weeks.

 

My initial assessment with him showed that my range of motion in my injured arm is very little and that I have a winged scapula that was most likely caused by my wreck and lack of muscle stabilization. After about an hour-long session, we established my initial exercise program to be as follows:

 

  • External rotation with band and a towel under the armpit to ensure I am squeezing my arm throughout the movement – 5 sets of 10 reps
  • Band resisted bent over rows – 3 sets of 10 reps
  • Band resisted shoulder extension – 3 sets of 10 reps
  • Band resisted shoulder retraction – 3 sets of 10 reps
  • Shoulder posterior capsule stretch – 1 set of 10 reps (holding for 20seconds at a time)

 

I would still love to hear any injury recovery stories that you all may have. I appreciate those of you who have already shared, and who have been there to listen to my story as well.

 

Stay well my friends,

Toria

Presence

I know that I already wrote a blog about presence earlier this year, but it is something that I need to work on and it is something that we could all be a bit better with. Sometimes we get too caught up in the nonsense of it all or the small things in life. We forget to be present and enjoy the ride. In my case, I can tend to take on a lot of responsibilities that can cause me to feel overwhelmed and cause me to not feel present with my everyday life. However, in the short 27 years that I have lived, I have learned two things that help bring me back to the present and may be able to help you if you are ever feeling down and out.

 

The first, which may have been rubbed off on me by CJ and Sky, is to travel and be spontaneous. For those that do not know, my girlfriend and I went to Mount Rainier in Washington over the weekend. It was an absolutely breathtaking experience and because of this trip we set a goal of visiting all the national parks in the United States. We have no idea how long that could take and if we may even be able to go to all the parks, but after this weekend we knew we had to make it a priority to travel more. It was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to take a step back and appreciate everything I have in my life. It felt like I had a full reset of all the stress and anxiety over the year and I am now ready to tackle my next goals.

 

The second, which I found out on my own with some help from my parents who raised me, is to set big goals and give your best effort in achieving them. There is no better feeling in the world then to see all the hard work come to fruition. With this being said, I know that we cannot possibly accomplish every single goal we set and some may come with failure. However, when we do fail then at least we can learn from that failure and gain experiences in the process. Whether we fail or succeed in the goal that we set, and when it is all said and done, we can at least take a step back to appreciate what we have gained in the process and come back to the present.

 

If you are ever feeling like you aren’t yourself or are feeling down about life, adventure could be a great way for you to find yourself again. So, if you’re in that spot then chase a goal that you have always wanted or book that trip that you have always thought about doing. This will allow you to pursue that natural high instead of other things like drugs, alcohol, or that instantaneous satisfaction from your phone. Life is short so this is just a gentle reminder to enjoy it! We only get one.

 

P.S. if you smash any big goals or go any trips recently then please tell me all about it! I’m here for the stories!

 

-Zain

 

Time

I was very lucky this weekend as I was able to attend the wedding of a lifelong friend. I was able to see his parents, friends (that I don’t see enough), and just spend some talking to new and old friends. At one point while in the restroom washing my hands I saw the grooms father and I said, “Mr P. I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see your son get married.” Mr P. laughed and said, “You didn’t think you’d live long enough?” Then we went on to have a conversation about my friendship with his son. We talked about friends who are no longer with us, and the ones we can still celebrate with. This led me to thinking about time.

 

Let me take you back to 1994, I was a young high school fella, music and lifting kept me from losing my mind. Back then that is all I knew. One of my favorite bands going to perform at  Three Rivers Stadium. My uncle John (RIP) waited in line to buy me tickets for my birthday, and I can now always say I saw Pink Floyd. I listened to Pink Floyd’s music non-stop during that time. So many of the songs moved me, “Have a Cigar” is a song about the music industry. The line from that song that will never leave is when the CEO of the record label meets Pink Floyd and asked the band, “which one’s pink?” He doesn’t know his people. It is a constant reminder to take care of the people that work with you.

 

The Pink Floyd song that impacted me more than any other is “Time.” Tenzing and I were listening to this song just the other day and discussing the importance of time. I am going to share a few of the lyrics here with you.

 

“Ticking away the moments that make up a dull dayYou fritter and waste the hours in an offhand wayKicking around on a piece of ground in your hometownWaiting for someone or something to show you the way
Tired of lying in the sunshineStaying home to watch the rainAnd you are young and life is longAnd there is time to kill today
And then one day you findTen years have got behind youNo one told you when to runYou missed the starting gun
And you run, and you run to catch up with the sunBut it’s sinkingRacing around to come up behind you againThe sun is the same in a relative wayBut you’re olderShorter of breath, and one day closer to death
Every year is getting shorterNever seem to find the timePlans that either come to naughtOr half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperationIs the English wayThe time is gone, the song is overThought I’d something more to say.”
“Time” Pink Floyd
This song reminds me of something my dad said to me, “Time is both infinite and finite.” He would explain that there is always more time, it just may not be time that you have. When people say, “I’ll do it later,” sure later will exist, but will that time be yours?
What is the point of all of my rambling today? The point is wake up, do something, do anything. Time is short and moving fast. So get the workout, read the book, go for a hike, or make some art. It is your time, go use it.
Todd Hamer/ with an assist by the one and only Ward.

The Road to Injury Recovery

I am sure most of you have heard the news that I took a hard tumble on my mountain bike about a week and a half ago. Now I am unfortunately dealing with a concussion, cervical sprain, and a TBD shoulder injury. It was only my second time riding on the trails at Frick Park with Hamer, Brad, and Brian from Faros Properties. Here’s a quick synopsis of what happened in case you’re curious:

 

Picture this: you’re riding along and getting into the groove of the trail, and you notice a large fallen tree with a ramp crossing up ahead. You approach the ramp with only a little bit of confidence, and you aren’t going quite fast enough to be able to get up and over it without a struggle. You lose control of your front wheel at the top and start to fall off to the right side. The fall is broken by your right arm, but you bounce up and hit your head hard enough to black out briefly on the way back down. Then you wake up out of breath since you just got the wind knocked out of you and send a quick text to the others that were with you (way up ahead) to let them know you’re still alive and are trying to survive the walk back to your car. (Shoutout to Hamer, Brian, and Brad for going back onto the trail to check on me and help me out.)

 

As you can probably imagine, this all has taken a huge toll on both my mental and physical health. Mentally, I am starting to struggle with focusing on some of the things that I used to enjoy. It almost feels like I’m dealing with one long terrible hangover. One of the biggest things I am finding difficult to get back into is lifting. I was finishing up my third week of training with coach Curt and looking forward to starting to officially train for a powerlifting meet this winter before this all happened.

 

I know that it’s not all completely down the drain yet as I do not know what exactly the extent of my shoulder injury is. They told me that it could either be a nondisplaced fracture, or a torn rotator cuff. Both injuries have very different recovery routes and timelines. Regardless I am dealing with some sort of a setback. I’m not sure if or when I will hop on a mountain bike trail again, or when I will start to seriously lift again.

 

One thing that I have learned so far in the short time I’ve been injured is that things like this are all a part of the learning process in the sport of life. I plan to use this experience as a huge steppingstone to improvement in the future. For now, I need to focus on getting back to my routine and building more confidence before I decide to go back out on a trail or into the weight room. The long-term goal is to come back and become stronger and better than I was before.

 

There is just as big of a mental component as there is physical to these types of injuries. I plan to update you all every few weeks so we can do a check in and see what progress I make! If any of you have any injury recovery stories, I’d love to hear them. Sometimes it’s helpful to just have someone listen to what you’re going through.

 

Toria

Keto Diet: What is it and is it effective?

The keto diet is a relatively new fad diet that has been circling around the fitness community for years now. However, I would not say it is short lived because it is still quite popular due its popularity of aiding people in weight loss. For those that do not know, the keto diet is a diet that consists of only fat and proteins with minimal or zero carbohydrates. In short, this means that the person who is on the diet does not ingest sugar, bread, pasta, rice, and other carbohydrates of that nature. Instead, they often will tend to eat more meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, vegetables, or high fat vegetables such as avocados.

 

I will admit that this diet can be effective in losing weight but is it the right choice for you? In my opinion, every person should eat all 3 macronutrients that we have available to us. This means a person should be eating carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The reason I believe this is because each macronutrient has a specific function in our body. Carbohydrates provide us with energy that is used in our bodily functions and daily activity. Protein aids our bodies in repairing and building tissues that is not just limited to muscle. Lastly, fats help regulate our bodies hormones and can also provide energy. Now when we put our bodies through a keto diet, we are eliminating a whole macronutrient and some of its functions. Yes, fats can be an energy source so in theory fats would take over as the primary energy source instead of carbohydrates but is it the most efficient?

 

This creates a debate that divides the fitness community. Is keto healthy for the average person with the elimination of an entire macronutrient? Researchers on both sides can argue for both points with validity for both but in my own educated opinion, I think there is a better way to lose weight. This can be done without eliminating carbohydrates, losing weight gradually or slowly on a week-by-week reduction in calories, and proper exercise. Our bodies were intended to use all 3 macronutrients. The keto diet eliminates carbohydrates which is why I think there are better ways to lose some lbs.

 

-Gainz

Why Do We Need Protein?

Proteins are large, complex molecules that play several critical roles in the body. They do most of the work within our cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs. Some call them the “building blocks of life.”

 

When it comes to protein, there are complete (essential) and incomplete (nonessential) proteins. There are 9 essential amino acids that the body can’t produce by itself. To get these amino acids, we must consume foods that contain all of them, making them complete proteins. Those foods that do not contain one of more of those 9 essential amino acids are considered incomplete proteins. We should strive to receive a majority of our daily protein from whole food sources, but otherwise you can supplement with a good ole reliable protein powder.

 

The standard Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein = 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. To show a quick example, I weigh about 77kg. So, for me: 77kg * 0.8g = roughly 62 grams/day. However, needs will vary depending on activity level and health status. Moderately active individuals may need closer to 1g per kg of body weight. Those who are more intensely active may need more than 1g per kg of body weight, so it all depends.

 

Most of us know and associate protein with building muscle. While this is certainly a key reason as to why we need it, there are several other reasons why we need protein to maintain good health:

 

  • Supports a healthy immune system
    • The amino acids help turn our antibodies and other T/B cells into “germ fighters” that spot and kill harmful cells that enter your body before they can start an infection.

 

  • Builds and maintains muscle
    • Muscle stress caused by exercise will damage the protein filaments in our muscles. As a result, our daily protein intake will help to rebuild those filaments and help the muscles stay functional.

 

  • Can help with weight management
    • Protein takes longer to digest than other types of nutrients, so it can increase satiety and satisfy our hunger for longer periods of time.

 

  • Supports the growth, development, and repair of cells

 

There are many different food sources out there for you to get your daily complete and incomplete proteins in. Some of my favorites include beef, pork, eggs, and poultry for my complete proteins and nuts, beans, rice, and vegetables for my incomplete proteins. What are your favorites?

 

Toria

Freaky Five Mobility

If movement is medicine, then mobility is the WD40 for our body!

 

Many times, we skip over our warmups because they aren’t as spicy as our main exercises. Well today, I’m going to give you that level 10 Sichuan peppercorn spice. The kind of heat that makes your tongue numb and your backbone sweat, but it’s so invigorating you can’t stop this freaky five mobility.

 

1) The Tall Reaching Inchworm. Standing tall, reach your hands high to the sky, even getting up on those tippy toes. From there exhale and fold down to the floor, using your hands to walk out into a top push-up position. Take a deep breath and drop under the fence to an up dog, exhaling next into a down dog space. From there walk your hands back to your feet, inhale, stand tall and repeat.

 

2) Squat to Stretch with T-Spine Rotation. From a standing position, fold over to grab your ankles or feet. From there pull your butt down into the bottom of a squat while you drive your chest up and back proudly. Hold this position for a breath leaning side to side and making sure your feet are planted flat on the ground. From here leave one hand on your ankle/foot and let the other rotate to the side and up to the sky, letting your eyes follow. Repeat on the other side then drop your head down and your tushy up to get a mighty nice stretch from your calves through your hammies and even up to your lower back. Pull yourself back to the starting spot and go again.

 

3) Lateral Squat to Windmill Rotation. Starting with your feet wider than your shoulders preform a lateral squat. As you do so, take your inside hand (opposite hand of the direction you’re squatting) and reach to that sides foot, while the same side hand is rotating up and away to the sky. Then flow back to center and repeat on your other side. Take your time to increase your depth and range of motion.

 

4) 90/90 with Rotation and Reach. Start seated with your front leg at a right angle along with your back leg behind you in a right angle, hence the 90/90. If your right knee is in front take your left hand and reach over and across that knee as far as you can, bringing your chest to that knee or close to the spot. Now imagine your feet are stapled to the ground and you take your knees using your hips and fold to the other side (you can use your hands for assistance). Once you get to the other side, repeat the reach step and make sure you’re using quality breath at each stop.

 

5) Glute Bridge with Reach Across. Start this mobility on your back with your feet planted in the start of a glute bridge position on the floor. Now using your bum and hammies, squeeze your hip up into a top glute bridge position. Now using your upper back and head to pivot, reach your arm up and across your body, turning your hip and stretching your lats, do this on both sides and then return to the bottom of your glute bridge.

 

These are my go-to spicy more bang for your buck mobility exercises that help keep me mobile, springy and of course bumpy. I’d recommend doing these exercises every day or every other day for 2-3 sets of 5-10 reps and slowly increasing your range of motion on each repetition. Psssttt I’ll give you one more of my favorite mobility exercises and that is the wonderful Spider-Man with rotation.

 

Come hop in powerful class or meet up with me to get these magical freaky five +1 mobility exercises rocking. Always remember, moss don’t grow on a rolling stone.

 

Cheers,

 

CEJ