Category Archives: Life Health

Presence

Life Health

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

Life Health

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

Life Health

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?

Diet, Life Health, Nutrition

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?

Life Health, Nutrition, Training

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

Life Health, Training

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

 

Intuitive Movement

Fitness, Life Health, Training

Earlier this month, I received a deep dive into intuitive movement during a weekend retreat with Bobbie Marchand, professional modern ballet dancer turned yoga instructor, and Nami Soga, master reiki healer and yoga instructor. The experience was both magical and inspiring. 

 

Coming from a bodybuilding background, my approach to movement has historically been goal-oriented, strategic, structured, and rigid. I spent years training my mind to override the messages of my body, messages of no thank you, I’m tired, not that exercise, not today. If it was on the plan, I did it, regardless of what my body said. The cumulative result of this training was a work ethic and physique I was proud of — along with exhaustion, chronic injury and a general inability to relax. 

 

As I’ve transitioned into yoga, I’ve found a more compassionate and healing way of interacting with my body. Still, my physical approach to classes has tended to follow an anatomical goal, whether increasing hip mobility, targeting the transversus abdominis or engaging the pelvic floor. My time with Bobbie and Nami invited me to shift my inquiry from What can I achieve? to What do I feel?  To move from a performance mindset to one of playfulness, non-judgment, and curiosity.

 

We spent time rolling on the ground, feeling the grass beneath our feet and the heat on our skin as we moved through sun salutations to the East, West, North, and South. Our spines waved like serpents in an organic flow, and I watched my body improvise according to music, which changed every minute to a different genre. I felt the natural impact of sound and rhythm on movement, and experimented with the energy-shifting practice of Qigong. I moved through familiar shapes in new ways. I bounced, flailed, shook and sang. And my habitual energy began to shift.

 

Bobbie believes that, since the pandemic, our bodies have been stuck, almost frozen in time in response to fear and extended sits on our sofas. Moving creatively, intuitively and without regard for what something looks like can help us move into new spaces, not only physically, but mentally as well. New movements mean new neural pathways, and new neural pathways mean new possibilities. Giving ourselves permission to shake the bones of our body like a dog after a swim not only can shed tension, it can shift our nervous systems.

 

Bobbie’s nervous-system approach to movement also manifests in stillness, in healing practices of self massage and meditation that carried her through cancer treatment. In transitioning from energetic jostling to quiet rubbing of the earlobes and neck, I felt my whole being stabilize within my skin. I felt light, open, authentic and free. 

 

This month, I am flowing with the theme of intuitive movement in my classes here at Union Fitness. Experience new ways of moving in vinyasa 6-7 AM Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, or discover dynamic stillness in yin 10:30-11:30 AM on Saturdays. I am so grateful for the lessons I received from Bobbie and Nami, and can’t wait to share them with you!

 

Haley

Hiking For Health

Fitness, Life Health, Training

Hello my lovely explorers,

 

As the great lyricist Mungo Jerry once said ” In the summertime when the weather is high. You can stretch right up and touch the sky. When the weather’s fine, you got hiking, you got hiking on your mind. Have a drink, have a drive. Go out and see what you can find.” Or something like that.

 

So today I will be teaching you about the benefits of hiking. Close your eyes and imagine the crisp warm sunshine lighting up your soul, the sounds of the gentle water trickling down the creek, wind flowing through the trees above and the cool soft earth below your boots. Dang does that sound peaceful or what?! This imagination can not only become a reality but also provide some wonderful physical, mental and emotional health benefits.

 

Hiking is a great way to exercise, no matter what type of trail or stage of your wellness life you are in, you’ll get a whole body workout. Some physical benefits of hiking are; building stronger muscles and bones, improving your sense of balance and proprioception, improving overall cardiovascular health and decreasing the risk of certain respiratory problems. Being outside has shown to increase life expectancy, improve sleep quality and decrease cancer risks. Natural outdoor spaces are more enticing for physical activity and are more likely to motivate people to exercise leading to advanced levels of overall physical fitness. Studies have even shown that being in nature is relaxing, something we all could benefit from is relaxing more. This helps reduce our stress, cortisol level, muscle tension, heart rate, calms anxiety, leads to lower risk of depression and improved stress recovery, how lovely. Being in nature can help open your senses to your surroundings and increase sensory perception, bringing you focus and attention. Also you do not have to trek alone, lace up your friend, family member, neighbor or dog’s boots and hike with a partner or group. This is a marvelous way to strengthen relationships, increase quality time and increase the distance and motivation of your hike.

 

Go get away, step outside and take in the sights, smells and feelings of nature.

 

Whether you’re climbing up the steepest peak in the Rocky Mountains or trotting down a winding dirt path, hiking is a superb opportunity to get a workout. For the hikers out there, what have been some of your most enjoyable hikes from your adventures? A few of my favorite places to hike have been Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, Rocky Mountain/Estes National Park & El Dorado State Park in Colorado, Glacier National Park in Montana, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, The Badlands National Park in South Dakota, Hikes in Asheville North Carolina and probably a few more that I am missing. Send me your favorite hikes and let’s go explore.

 

-CeJ

Importance of Mobility

Fitness, Life Health, Training

What is mobility and why is it important? When it comes to a definition, mobility can be defined as potential for movement or the ability to get from one place to another. In other words, the ability to move with purpose. However, in the fitness world, mobility is commonly thought of as a person’s range of motion or flexibility. Words like external rotation, internal rotation, sit and reach, abduction, adduction or other fitness related terms are commonly thrown around to describe a person’s mobility. But what is the obsession with mobility and how does it impact us as humans?

 

In short, without mobility, we cannot move our bodies the way they were intended to move. For example, if a powerlifter has poor ankle mobility, then they may be unable to squat to proper depth. This lack of mobility in the ankle can lead to a compensation in other parts of the body that can lead to larger problems. In a worst-case scenario, it can lead to a severe injury or possibly a major setback in a person’s training.

 

At the end of the day, if you do not use it then you lose it. Staying active, exercising, stretching, and moving our bodies the way they were intended to move leads to a more pain-free joyful life. So if you have spare time during the day, take the time to do some mobility exercises that will keep you moving through your older years. Down below are some of the stretches and exercises that I have begun to incorporate more into my daily life if you want to give them a shot!

 

  1. Deep Squat- Sitting into a deep body weight squat
  2. 90/90s with a reach
  3. Scapular Wall Slides (aka Wall Angels)
  4. Knee Dips from a Deep Squat Position
  5. Shoulder CAR’s
  6. Hip CAR’s
  7. Thread the Needle
  8. T-Spine Wall Rotation
  9. Childs Pose
  10. Cat Cow
  11. Prone Press-Up

 

Zain

Hamer’s B Day Trip

Fitness, Life Health

We each celebrate our birthdays in our own unique ways. Some people party, some people eat cake, I ride my bike. Today, I hope you will take a trip with me on my bike (figuratively and maybe one day literally). This year my good friend Nick Showman decided to jump in on the ride with me.

 

I began riding multi-day rides in 2010 when my father and I decided to ride from my house in Pittsburgh to his house in DC. I have basically done this ride or a similar ride every year since. Every year I consider not doing it and then someone calls and asks if I’ll ride with them and then I am back. This year I decided to do something different. The plan was to ride from my house in Sewickley to the Montour Trail, ride all the mountain biking trails off the Montour Trail. Finally, ending in West Newtown, PA off the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). I could not do this ride because a tunnel on the Montour Trail is closed.

 

The new route I picked was to take the T from the North Side to South Park. Ride the fun trails of South Park, take the connector trail from the park to the Montour Trail. From there I would follow the GAP to West Newton. This reduced my trip from 80+ miles to 50ish miles. The next day I planned to ride to Ohiopyle, spend Saturday hanging out there. Sunday I was to wake up and ride the 80 back to the Northside.

 

This ride would be different as it involved both mountain biking and trail riding. The highlights of the ride were the awesome camp site at the GAP Trail Campground. I highly recommend this spot! West Newton also has a great bike shop that did a great job fixing up Nick’s bike. Ohiopyle was the same beautiful place it always is. The only negative thing was service for our food was not good (to be fair it was Memorial Day weekend). Sunday was a lovely 80 mile cruise back to Pgh. It was great to get in and see the city alive with the beginning of summer. The beer at Federal Galley was also a perfect way to end this adventure.

 

I write this blog to remind you that challenges are all around us. We can go do things or we become shells of humans. My advice is take the ride, read the book, and do something, anything! I am also inviting you to ride with me next year. Toria has already said she is in for next year.

 

Hamer