When stress levels are high, you must find productive ways to decompress.

So I have a suggestion.

Take a brisk 10-minute walk when you need to de-frazzle your nerves.

Here's why.

One of the most undervalued (and oftentimes disregarded) advantages...

My general rule-of-thumb is to eat your calories versus drinking them.

An exception to the rule is a meal-replacement shake.

So you would choose to eat an actual orange versus drinking processed orange juice.

Speaking of sugar and water, check out...

When it comes to your health, there are two kinds of people in the world.

Proactive and reactive.

Proactive folks choose a priority-one goal, deadline to achieve the goal, and follow a proven action plan.

Proactive folks choose to have either...

Stay positive and be persistent.

Keep your head up regardless of what's happening around the world and no matter how you may feel from time to time.

Make the most of the opportunities around you to improve.

In the face of challenges, remain...

Today I have a story that, as a coach, baffles me a little.

But first, ever wonder what to eat before a workout?

A good pre-workout meal should meet the following requirements:

• Easily digestible
• Enters your bloodstream rapidly
• Doesn’t cause...

We're in a time right now that's going to test a lot of people.

Many over-40 men and women are battling obesity and, as a result, paralyzed with fear.

Late nights reading the gloom-and-doom news feed, combined with stress eating is...

When it comes to meeting your goals, nutrition is 80% of the battle. Some experts say 90%.

Have you ever heard of the saying, "The best nutrition program is the one you can stick to?"

Well, it's true.

Let me share a story with you to explain why.

This training phase is filled with fun challenges.

Challenges call on you to step up like never before.

And the beauty in all of this is that you will grow through the process.

Of course you must learn to navigate new paths and think differently.

Warren Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He's fond of saying things like this:

“To the extent that we’ve been successful, it’s because we concentrated on identifying one-foot hurdles that we...

With so many folks claiming that there is "no time" for exercise, I figured it was appropriate to address the “elephant” hanging out in the back of the room:

Your habits.

Take a moment to answer these two quick questions.

Question #1:...

Nothing about getting lean and strong needs to be complex.

Especially since it doesn’t have to be.

Not in its most basic form.

By the time most folks get to 40 years of age, you've probably dabbled in more complicated exercise-and-diet plans...

If you want to make progress in your training, you must practice strategic rest.  

Work hard and then recover smart.  

Now is the time for some recovery.  

Winter Phase 3: Week 12 

To access Week 13 of the program, go ahead...

So many 40-plus men and women are sitting around paralyzed with indecision.

That's why today's lesson is extra important.

Let's begin.

im·ple·men·ta·tion

noun: the process of putting a decision or plan into effect;...

I saw a few pictures of a client getting their raised-garden beds ready for springtime.

Around these parts, in Pennsylvania, USA, the weather typically warms up in April.

This morning, I’m thinking about my garden.

Not a physical garden,...

Michael Jordan, the most well-known basketball player, hit 49.7% of his shots over his career.

His percentage when taking game-winning shots? 48.0%.

Crazy, right?

No player has ever been considered more reliable under extreme stress, and he was...

Pause.

I’ve written before about what Buddhists call the sacred pause.

This is also known as praying.

Choose moments throughout the day to stop what you are doing, even if it’s only for 30 seconds.

Breathe deeply and settle down just a...

You may have heard about the “mind-body connection,” but what does that really mean?

In a nutshell, your beliefs create feelings, which lead to actions, which produce results.

How would that work with fitness and nutrition?

Let’s...

In many parts of the world, Saint Patrick's Day is observed as a celebration of Irish and Irish-American culture.

My mom's side has Irish blood so I have a real connection to the island nation on the westernmost edge of Europe.

If you're also part...

Have you been lukewarm for too long?

Maybe going through the motions for a while?

Is your heart still in it?

Perhaps  it’s time to change the heat settings.

To bring more enthusiasm to your life.

To surround yourself with like-minded,...

No one wants to hear it, but not everyone is ready to improve.

If you are unwilling to start training with any consistency, not willing to change your nutrition, and are spending more time looking for some magic pill or solution, you're not really...

Years ago, I would create these gigantic to-do lists with all the best intentions.

And then, at the end of the day, I'd be wondering why I didn't accomplish very much.

Sound familiar?

Nowadays most 40+ men and women do so many different...

The successful in any endeavor are the doers.

This is true whether it's clients who show up and train versus those who search for the magic solution.

Maybe you're frustrated with being overfat or obese because you research relentlessly and try a...

You are a sum of your habits.

I'd say that's possibly the most simplistic way to explain both success (or failure).

That's the recurring theme with all of my fitness-and-nutrition coaching clients.

Now, most clients take imperfect action and...

A quick lesson today if you've ever struggled to lose bodyfat.

There’s rarely a week that goes by that an over-40 man or woman doesn’t tell me how they "can't lose weight" in spite of having all the necessary components in place.

But...