Kinsey Mahaffey Stay Updated with NASM! What better way to finish a workout than by doing some moves that will put the exclamation mark at the end of your session? You know, the kind of moves that get the heart rate up and the muscles burning. These kinds of finishing...
DR. ALLISON J. BRAGER Sleep and rest are crucial to our overall well-being. In fact, getting too little or even too much sleep can adversely affect our day-to-day physical health, energy levels, nutrition and mental well-being. In the recently published “The...
By Dana Bender Are you prioritizing mobility enhancement in your current fitness and performance goals? With summertime in full swing, it’s the ideal opportunity to conduct a mid-year evaluation of your physical tightness and mobility – especially in your hips....
By Shana VerstegenMar 3, 2023 The calorie (otherwise known as food calorie, dietary calorie, or kilogram calorie) is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. This unit measure of energy is a hot...
Summer is finally here. The days a longer, the sun is warmer, and the activities available are exploding. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or neglect our wellness in the burst of activity, so here’s NASM’s summer back-to-basics wellness guide from a...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY Every year when the temperatures start heating up, we all think the same thing: “How is the summer here already?!” Ready or not, beach season has officially arrived, but that doesn’t mean that you’ve completely missed the boat on getting your body...
JACQUELINE KAMINSKI From an Olympic athlete to becoming a successful entrepreneur and CEO, London-born Louise Hazel has been “slaying” the game of life. Louise is an English track and field athlete from the United Kingdom who’s competed in four major international...
NICOLE GOLDEN | STAY UPDATED WITH NASM! For those looking to embark on a new season of health and wellness, summer tends to be the ultimate goal, like having a “perfect body” that’s ready for a beach vacation. But lifestyle modification attempts, such as weight...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! The International Coaching Federation (ICF) estimates that in 2023 there will be 93,000 certified health and fitness coaches worldwide. Chances are you’ve encountered coaches with many niches including wellness, career,...
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) estimates that in 2023 there will be 93,000 certified health and fitness coaches worldwide. Chances are you’ve encountered coaches with many niches including wellness, career, relationship, and executive coaches. When...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! While most people know their lifestyle behaviors impact physical and mental health, many individuals and groups struggle to meet basic recommendations for movement, healthful nutrition, proper rest and sleep, and stress...
Nicole Golden Stay Updated with NASM! We live in a culture that glorifies overworking and under-recovering. This is true in all disciplines; whether you work in an office or hospital, or are an athlete. We are often taught from a young age with very full schedules,...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! Saturday, April 22nd is Earth Day and along with considering each of our impacts on the planet, you might think about how your relationship to our world impacts wellness and wellbeing. There’s growing evidence that time spent...
KINSEY MAHAFFEY STAY UPDATED WITH NASM! Over half of the working population works in a corporate setting (Barrows 2021). Corporate jobs are notorious for being sedentary in nature, high-stress, with long hours, and easy access to low-nutrition foods (hello, breakroom...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! April is National Stress Awareness Month, and you might find that your feeds are full of posts on meditation, mindfulness, and other tools that we’ve all heard can help manage stress. But there’s often something important...
Jacqueline Kaminski Stay Updated with NASM! Should you eat before your workout? That is a rhetorical question… the answer is always of course.An entire area of research dedicated to pre-workout fueling wouldn’t exist if there weren’t documented benefits to its...
Kinsey Mahaffey Stay Updated with NASM! Mental health is a hot topic these days, and for good reason! According to the American Institute of Stress, about 33 percent of people report feeling extreme stress, 77 percent of people experience stress that affects their...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! Spring is about to be sprung. It’s a time to fling open our windows, clean out our closets, and for many people a time to revisit your wellness plan for 2023. Part of designing a wellness plan is scheduling periodic pulse...
By DARLENE MARSHALL According to data published by Mintel in 2022, 78% of American exercisers responding to their survey said that mental and emotional well-being was their top reason for exercising. This marks the first time since Mintel began recording data on the...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Personal training is always a great way to get individualized attention, but sometimes it can be a bit pricey. However, classes are too generalized and rarely allow time for the instructor to correct your form or provide positive feedback. So,...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY If there was one word, to sum up, the fitness trends for 2023, it would be Technology. Over the past couple of years, the shift to virtual training opened many opportunities for anyone to get fit anywhere. This year, new tech innovations, like...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI New year, new you! With that fresh mentality to set new intentions and new goals, finally committing to a long-term fitness plan might be high up on your list. But with all those other goals on your list, you may find yourself crunched for time,...
By NICOLE GOLDEN Every New Year, many of us decide it is time to make a change to our lifestyle. Oftentimes, this inkling towards lifestyle change involves developing healthier habits, such as cleaner eating or beginning an exercise program.Each year, we begin this...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY You’ve worked hard, made changes in your diet and exercise routine, and you’ve reached your goal weight – congratulations! Losing weight is no easy feat, but the work doesn’t stop there. The next challenge in your health and fitness journey is...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Rest days: the bane of every fitness enthusiast’s existence, or perhaps the favourite day of the week! Either way, the biggest question everyone has is what the best foods are to consume to build muscle and stay on track. When it comes to...
By Nicole Golden We are approaching the end of another year and many of us are thinking about adopting a healthier lifestyle as we approach the new year. Are you in this group looking to improve your health as we approach 2023?Perhaps you feel somewhat intimidated and...
By Kinsey Mahaffey Stay Updated with NASM! Most people experience some type of muscle pain at some point in their lives. 60-85% of the population has had some type of nonspecific muscle pain in their back at some point in their lives (Krismer and van Tulder 2007).Even...
By Andre Adams Stay updated with NASM Whenever we think about bodybuilding competitions, we tend to immediately think about the physique, training, and dieting regimen. One thing many competitors and coaches often overlook is how posing and stage presence can impact...
By Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! It’s nearly the New Year and for many people, this moment of transition inspires self-reflection and a look toward what’s next. Often the new calendar year means resolutions and intense goal setting; yet, for many, the last...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI The beginning of every new year always starts with a resolution to eat healthier, right? And the origin of said resolution derives from the back-to-back holidays that occur between October through December. If you aren’t tempted to snack on your...
By ANDRE ADAMS Have you ever wondered how top bodybuilders manage to hit their macros and meal prep while travelling? Whether you’re a fitness professional or just trying to stay on track with your weight management goals, here are some helpful tips to keep you on...
By DARLENE MARSHALL Healthy eating is an important staple of wellness, yet with fads centred around “clean eating” and the number of diets claiming their way is the best way, it can be a challenge to know what is healthy. Is it possible to take clean eating too...
By NASM With the hot weather upon us in the northern hemisphere, this marks a time for many to get outdoors and enjoy the warm weather, but caution should always be exercised given the potential risks for dehydration. Fluid is perhaps the most important, but least...
By Jacqueline Kaminski Sodium intake seems to be somewhat of an issue here in America. Even national dietary guidelines for Americans urge dietary habits that would inevitably decrease total intakes such as minimizing intake of processed meats and dairy products (1)....
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI SUGAR IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL…right? Or is this school of thought somewhat outdated? Sugar… Let’s talk about it! Since it is a very sensitive subject.First, let’s discuss what sugar is. Sugar is a collection of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen units...
By DANA BENDER The postpartum time period is most often associated with physical recovery from fatigue and the strain of labour and delivery. It is typically defined as the first six weeks after a vaginal delivery or eight weeks after a cesarean one. In addition to...
By Nicole Golden The 30s are the decade of life that has its pros. Likely, you are beginning to feel established in a career, are looking at purchasing a home, and enjoy a more comfortable life. However, you have likely noticed that you may feel a little stiffer in...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Are you ever in the middle of a workout and then BOOM… it hits you? Your muscle is locked up, the pain sets in, and you need to take a bit of a breather to handle the discomfort. I think all of us at one point in time have experienced this...
By MARIA DIGIUSEPPE As we get older, our shapes and sizes can change and no matter how long you’re working out or how fit you are, it may be difficult to accept the change or maintain a positive body image. A positive body image can impact your life in many ways,...
By DARLENE MARSHALL Why is it that some people, regardless of the industry they work in, the challenges they face, or their stage in life seem to remain optimistic and solution-focused? They take feedback well, roll with challenges, and make great teammates.If it...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Over the years we’ve seen our technology get more advanced in just about everything. Our phones, TVs, watches, and tablets have all become “smarter.” Even our fitness equipment is getting “smart” features. Yes, we’ve seen it in bikes, rowers,...
As a CPT, in order to develop a solid program for clients, you must first take them through a complete assessment battery. The information you collect from initial consulations, flexibility, strength, performance, postural and cardiovascular testing of clients will...
Teaching group exercise classes is one of the most challenging skills in the fitness industry. Whether teaching in a club, studio or outdoors, you need to be prepared for anything. The goal is to reduce the number of challenges in running classes and to provide a...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI When you’re not an expert in a particular subject, you often seek out someone who is. However, when it comes to food and nutrition it seems like EVERYONE is an expert. Between social media, various fad diet blogs, and the self-proclaimed “health...
By NICOLE GOLDEN Muscle damage and delayed onset muscle soreness can hamper performance in sports and training. Speeding up the rate of recovery can mean better performance and bigger gains in the long term. Good nutrition, rest, and optimal hydration are the staples...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were over 54 million adults aged 65 and older in the U.S. in 2021, and the number is projected to continue to rise over the next 30 years. Staying physically active is incredibly important for this...
By DARLENE MARSHALL Are you mentally tough? When life presents its inevitable challenges do you rise, seeing them as an opportunity to grow? Or do you find yourself ducking under the covers?One pandemic buzzword has been “resilience”, the ability to experience a...
by NICOLE GOLDEN As coaches and fitness enthusiasts, we often think of nutrition as a variable to manipulate to achieve weight loss, strength gain, a specific body composition, or to enhance performance in sports and recreational activities. However, the thought of...
BY JACQUELINE KAMINSKI If you’ve ever done any type of strenuous exercise, I’m sure you have felt the effects of it the next day. Can’t move. Stiff. Aching… what most of us allude to as muscle soreness. Anyone who’s never experienced muscle soreness is most definitely...
By DARLENE MARSHALL When you think about employer-provided wellness programs what comes to mind? Many people think of tech companies in the 2010s with meditation rooms, napping pods, flexible workspaces, and kitchenettes full of snacks. Since then, meaningful wellness...
by Shelley Dawson When you arrive at your next group fitness class and see your favourite instructor standing at the front of the room with a bright smile and inviting eyes, do you ever think to yourself, “I could never do that?! They are made for this! They are...
By DARLENE MARSHALL There is a wide array of human emotions and experiences. Each of us inevitably feels a mixture of pleasant, challenging, positive, and difficult emotions, and feeling the range of reactions is natural and healthy. When life gets challenging of...
By MARIA DIGIUSEPPE I take for granted that I get up daily and know I’m going to do exercise. It’s the way I think, but it’s NOT the way everyone thinks. It’s my routine because I’m a personal trainer. Most people think it’s easy...
By DANA BENDER Adaptation was a key theme while navigating the impacts of the pandemic. This adaptation was a necessity related to various aspects of daily life such as how we grocery shopped, spent time with family and friends, and even worked out to stay fit and...
By BRAD DIETER Low carbohydrate diets have become a very popular tool for weight loss over the last several decades. While much of the scientific rationale behind why they are utilized for weight loss, such as the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis, has largely been...
By LEE MURPHY Diet and exercise are the primary pillars of a healthy lifestyle plan. But can coordinating eating and workout schedules improve our fitness results? And if so, how should our eating patterns differ before, during, and after activities? Melding a...
By NICOLE GOLDEN Many of us (and our clients) have a fixation on the weight scale. We judge our fitness, progress, and unfortunately, at times, self-worth, based on that number that appears on the scale when we step on it first thing in the morning. While the bathroom...
By DANA BENDER “Why do I have no self-control with unhealthy foods?” is a common question a person might ask themselves after he or she makes the impulsive choice to eat junk food. This is especially true if there is an established goal related to eating healthier,...
By NICOLE GOLDEN Chronic pain is defined as any pain from an injury or condition lasting more than 12 weeks. Many potential clients seeking a certified personal trainer, yoga class, or corrective exercise specialist do so in hopes of using exercise to mitigate chronic...
by DANA BENDER Adaptation was a key theme while navigating the impacts of the pandemic. This adaptation was a necessity related to various aspects of daily life such as how we grocery shopped, spent time with family and friends, and even worked out to stay fit and...
By DANA BENDER There is a multitude of reasons why individuals commit to a regular exercise routine. Engaging in a regular exercise routine is not only a tool used to improve the physical dimension of wellness but also its emotional one. Often the choice to engage in...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY You’ve looked up different fitness routines for stronger legs, but every single one includes squats. Maybe you’re feeling a little burned out on squats, or you just want to add some variety to your workout routine. What leg exercises can you do to...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI If you go to the gym regularly, you want every workout to count right? You don’t spend all that time exercising to just waste your time and energy! So, to get the most out of your workouts and maximize your muscle growth, we’ve compiled a list...
By Dana Bender Self-care is a word that keeps emerging in news articles and company-wide employee emails during the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the unprecedented stress many individuals face, some companies are re-establishing their Employee Assistance Program (EAP)...
ByKERIDON MCMAHON Online personal training is now more relevant than ever. With the vast array of technological options and virtual training applications available, you can pivot to an online personal training business in a few relatively easy steps. This guide will...
By Nicole Golden Shoulder pain, prior injury, or overall dysfunction is a very common problem in both the athletic and general populations in a personal training practice. A complaint of shoulder pain occurs in 16 to 26 per cent of adults and is the third most common...
By Dana Bender Consistently exercising over time has an array of health benefits. It’s easy for individuals to emphasize the physical benefits of exercise more, but there are a variety of mental health benefits that are just as important to note. According to the...
By Chris Ecklund Power is the ability to produce large amounts of force quickly. Are there any athletes that would not want to improve their ability to generate power? Or who want to increase their explosive strength? What about clients seeking to improve general...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY You’ve looked up different fitness routines for stronger legs, but every single one includes squats. Maybe you’re feeling a little burned out on squats, or you just want to add some variety to your workout routine. What leg exercises can you do to...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY If you’ve ever suffered from lower back pain, you know that it can be, well, a pain! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services conducted a National Health Interview survey of 31,997 adults in 2019. Their reports showed that 39% of respondents...
By Nicole Golden Metabolic syndrome, hair loss, insomnia, frequent colds and flu, missed menstrual periods, ulcers, and orthopaedic pain are just some of the health problems blamed on excessive stress. Yet, stress is an elusive term. Is it a mental sequela related to...
By Brad Dieter Over the last several decades, we have seen a rise in the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets. These diets have ranged from just low-carb diets to ketogenic diets to even zero carb diets (e.g., The Carnivore Diet). These dietary approaches have become...
By Nicole Golden It is somewhat shocking to look at statistics on death and chronic illnesses in the United States only to realize that many of these diseases are entirely preventable by lifestyle choices. Metabolic disorders (i.e., dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes),...
by Stacey Penney Before we can begin to answer the question of how much activity is enough, we need to consider what fitness means. Fitness is synonymous with health, our physical condition and even our ability to complete the tasks required for our ongoing survival...
By Stacey Penney The mere mention of sweet potatoes brings memories of a Thanksgiving table to mind. These nutritional tuberous all-stars have found their way onto everyday menus and, in some cases, have even bumped the traditional white potato out of our kitchens....
By Dana Bender With the multitude of workouts available on the internet, it can feel overwhelming to get started. Also, beginner exercisers, or those just getting back into it after a break, might not know the best place to start. During the first stages, it is...
By Nicole Golden Spare tire, breadbasket, muffin top, Jello pudding pack, and love handles are all terms synonymous with abdominal (belly) fat. “What should I eat to get rid of this muffin top?” “I heard that XYZ workout program will melt away all of my gut, is that...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI It’s easy to become a victim to misinformation on the internet when thousands of hits populate every time you type a question into google. Unfortunately, when it comes to nutrition everyone thinks they are an expert — especially if they...
By Allison Brager Veganism has been a tremendously growing movement in recent years. Best-selling books & plant-based protein start-up companies, products, and nutrition courses have fueled its growth. Every kind of nutritional plan has its benefits and costs....
KINSEY MAHAFFEY Welcome to part 5 of our push-ups series! If you’ve been following along, then you’ve already read about the importance of form and how to perform a push-up, ways to program and progress the push-up in Phases 1-3 of the OPT Model, and the importance of...
KINSEY MAHAFFEY Can pushups build muscle mass and be incorporated into strength training? Yes! In part 3 of this series, we explored different variations of the push-up and how to progress the push-up in Phase 1 of the OPT Model, Stabilization Endurance Training,...
TONY AMBLER-WRIGHT If you were able to try out the standard push-up stated in our first article of this series and found it to be more challenging than what you’ve been doing, this is excellent news! Most often, when the push-up is done correctly, we find it to...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI “Make sure you stretch!” – Something we often hear before or after we participate in any sort of exercise. But is stretching that good for you? What exactly are the benefits of having a regular stretching routine? Let’s explore the...
DR. ALLISON BRAGER Exercise should not be stressful. I repeat exercise should not be stressful. Exercise should alleviate stress. Before I get into the biological explanation as to why exercise should and ought to alleviate stress, let’s briefly discuss how...
By Dana Bender As a coach, we are always looking at tools we can use with our clients to help them develop and gain personal insights that can propel them into taking future actions. In the realm of coaching, we are not using the insights to tell a client what we...
BY dr ALLISON BRAGER Avocados are not just for Millennials. Avocados, much like coffee, are one of the most exported goods across Central America, and there’s a reason for it. Avocados are a healthy source of fats and essential nutrients sufficient and necessary...
JACQUELINE KAMINSKI “Make sure you stretch!” – Something we often hear before or after we participate in any sort of exercise. But is stretching that good for you? What exactly are the benefits of having a regular stretching routine? Let’s explore the...
DR. ALLISON BRAGER You may have heard that abs are built in the kitchen. While this is partially true, it’s not the full story. While a healthy dose of body fat is a sign of overall health and wellness, body fat ought to be evenly distributed. This is how a...
By Andre Adams Have you ever wondered how elite trainers leverage periodization and programming to maximize results? In this blog, we will explain the underlying principles that drive planning, periodization, cycles, and phases to help you improve program...
Three strategies you probably haven’t tried. By Krista Scott-Dixon, Ph.D., Alex Picot-Annand, PN2, Holistic Nutritionist SHARE Reviewed by Jennifer Martin, PhD It’s 3:17 am, and you’re awake. Your bedroom is a cool 65° F, and inky black thanks to your blackout...
