What is Sports Performance and Why Does it Matter?

You might have been shopping around for the right person to help you get in shape, and throughout that process, seen a ton of job titles. Ranging from personal trainers to holistic wellness coach, from healthy lifestyles expert to sports performance specialist, there are dozens of monikers that are used in the health/wellness/fitness industry. Ultimately, a professional can put anything on their business card to best represent the service that they offer, but in general, there are some notable differences in the positions.

Mar062017

Our Weekend in Pictures

Some yummy eats

Feb162016

Why It’s Okay to Be Bad at Something

Perfection. We all strive for it in our society. If you’re not working around the clock to create a flawless product or service, you’re not good enough. Most of us don’t know what it means to relax and accept that we’re just not going to be great at everything. I had been at (one of) my jobs for 20 of the last 21 days, working tons of 10-12 hour days, before taking the last two days off. And that’s not even taking days off, that’s taking a weekend and it’s important to realize that you’re not obligated to work 50 hours every week unless you’re a business owner fighting for your dream. It’s also important to realize that you won’t be good at everything, so I’m going to share with you five things that I fail miserably, every time I try because we’re not all made to do everything right.

Jan262016

Learn to Coach the Best Form of Exercise

Back in August, I saw that the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) was launching a new course to become a Certified Summer Swim Coach. For those of you who are unaware, summer swim teams can be so much different from your standard club or high school teams. The competitors can often be those who face one another in other more competitive seasons. They use this format to bridge the summer gap and stay in shape while working on and developing new skills.

For many, the level of commitment and attendance is insignificant in comparison to their other teams and as a result, the coach is faced with endless new challenges. Since swimming is such a competitive sport, you’re faced with going into meets with a fraction of your team. Often, that small group are your least experienced and skilled swimmers, but you have to make due because swim meet scoring can be tremendously one-sided, and that looks bad to say the least.

Jan242016

Why Holm vs Rousey is Not MMA vs Boxing

With the growing popularity of MMA and its personalities like Ronda Rousey, there have been more and more comparisons between it and other martial arts. Wrestling has been compared to boxing and someone always has to come out on top. Like in a contest, there has to be a winner in the eyes of the public. When Holly Holm defeated Ronda, it wasn’t really Holly vs Ronda in the eyes of many. They saw it as boxing vs MMA, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. In fact, it was Holly vs Ronda.

If you wanted to really break it down, it would be judo vs boxing, but Holly would be the first person to tell you that she’s a mixed martial artist now. While Ronda competed in the Olympics in judo, she also knows that one discipline is not enough to be champion nowadays so she also is a mixed martial artist. While the two have a strong background in one discipline, using that last fight as support in an argument between which is superior just isn’t enough.

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Dec232015

Creed Sequel in 2016

*Spoilers about Creed coming up*

Creed was extremely predictable, as it followed the patterns set forth in the original Rocky movie. By doing so, it was a successful film and almost unarguably the best since the first two. (I know some of you, myself included, have a certain love for the fourth.) Before the final match even began, we all knew that Pretty Ricky was going to secure a victory by decision, but Adonis would earn his respect and give him the fight of his life in the process. Rocky himself foreshadowed it by saying that Apollo was the better boxer during his lone victory over the GOAT, but his heart pulled him through.

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Nov112015

Why Video Games Are NOT a Waste of Time

Although video games are slowly becoming more mainstream in our society, there is still a negative stigmatism of laziness that pervades the video game hobby. People think it a waste of time and time better spent. Yes, there are certainly lines to be drawn. There’s a big difference from spending a few hours a week on a good story game to spending all your free time in an online universe. Like with everything else in life, gaming as a hobby requires moderation. Know when to allow yourself to play (without feeling guilt) and when to say, “Okay that’s enough, time to get something done.” I’m here to tell you why video games are NOT a waste of time! There are some real benefits to immersing yourself in different games, different universes. Read below to find out why:

Jul272015

Why I DO NOT Review Pre-Workout Supplements

In 2007, I started taking supplements (pre/intra/post workout) in order to increase my performance as a Division I athlete (that I was grossly unprepared for that level of competition). Although I was practically raised in fitness facilities, working out with my mother at home, playing competitive sports all day every day, I never had a real strength and conditioning or sports performance coach until college. In high school varsity sports, we hit the weight room together but there were no programs for exercise or nutrition. My sport-specific skills were top notch but I didn’t have a body that could use those skills.

Jul072015

Our Weekend in Pics

3-day weekend!

Jul062015

World Cup 2015 in Review

Whew. Just needed to take a breath. This has been a monumental World Cup. From the start of the tournament, the field was high in anticipation and intensity. I’m talking about soccer here, guys, the FIFA World Cup 2015. But more specifically on this, I’m going to be writing about our girls on the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT). The heroes, the motivators, the gladiators, oh, and, the winners. Congratulations to the United States Women’s National Team on beating Japan in the 2015 World Cup!!