Sweat and Sunshine

Join me as I seek insight on how we can make spirituality a regular part of our lives. In this episode Suzy Jacobson Cherry, a writer who focuses on spirituality, answers my questions on how to practice spirituality, the potential benefits of practicing, and what happens when we avoid spirituality. We'll discuss how mindfulness can connect us to spirituality, the importance of fellowship, and making time to breathe in and inspire ourselves.

Tempe Park with labrynth: Hudson Park

https://www.tempe.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/104/3542?npage=2

One of my favorite ways to expand my ideas around health and wellness is to talk with my hiking guests. They come from all over the world, offering diverse perspectives; and they all like to stay active. As a Personal Trainer and Health Coach, I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned, but mostly I love discovering how others stay healthy. I’ve found the stories they tell and the insight they offer to be uniquely valuable in my personal growth, so I’d like to share my favorites here in a series titled “Lessons from the Trail.” In this post I’ll explain how a guest encouraged me to re-commit to my established belief of a day of restoration.

Cooking nutrient-dense, whole food at home has been one of the most impactful health and wellness practices I’ve ever developed. That’s why I want to help you fall in love with cooking at home. In our last episode we examined how we can challenge our current thoughts about cooking at home. We considered the benefits of using nutrient-dense, whole food, and we made a plan to do more cooking at home. In this episode we’ll explore the beauty of simplicity in cooking and we’ll examine the benefits of sharing a home cooked meal with someone we love.

Cooking nutrient-dense, whole food at home has been one of the most impactful health and wellness practices I’ve ever developed. That’s why I want to help you fall in love with cooking at home. In this episode we’ll take some time to challenge our current thoughts about cooking at home. We’ll consider building our meals around nutrient dense, whole food. We’ll explore the beauty of simplicity in cooking and we’ll make a plan to enjoy more meals at home with the ones we love. Thanks for joining me for the episode titled 5 Ways to Fall in Love with Cooking at Home – Part 1.

In this episode I’m sharing 5 of my favorite natural green spaces for physical activity in the Phoenix metropolitan area. According to the City of Phoenix, there are over 41,000 acres of desert mountain preserves and 185 parks. Abundant sunshine makes most days pretty perfect for all kinds of outdoor activities. If you’re ready to explore green spaces and be active, I’ve got 5 gorgeous places to get fit for free in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Welcome to Sweat and sunshine. During my time as a Personal Trainer working in gyms, I was confronted with many misconceptions about adopting and maintaining a fitness routine. In three episodes I’d like to share some of the most common misconceptions and the facts behind them. We’ll discover why high intensity exercise isn’t always the answer to progress, why a ridged schedule may not be as successful as a fluid one, and why just two days at the gym could be your key to success. In this episode I’ll focus on the 2nd misconception; the Leg Day myth. This is the idea that the average individual should train like a body builder, breaking up muscle groups and training several days a week.

Link to blog post: https://sweatandsunshine.com/common-misconceptions-about-adopting-and-maintaining-a-fitness-routine-part-3/

During my time as a Personal Trainer and Health Coach, I've been confronted with many misconceptions about adopting and maintaining a fitness routine. In three episodes I’d like to share the most common misconceptions and the facts behind them. We’ll discover why high intensity exercise isn’t always the answer to progress, why a ridged schedule may not be as successful as a fluid one, and why just two days at the gym could be your key to success. In this episode I’ll focus on the first misconception; the idea that your fitness routine has to be extremely challenging or a horrible experience in order to be effective.

In this Veterans Day bonus episode I’m honoring all who have served with a performance of a spoken word poem based on my experience in US Navy boot camp. I hope it’s a little insightful but mostly inspiring. To all who have served, your dedication is truly appreciated. Thanks for listening to my piece titled “Eight Eight,” recognizing the women who graduated from division 351 in August 1996.

During my time as a Personal Trainer and Health Coach, I've been confronted with many misconceptions about adopting and maintaining a fitness routine. In this episode I’d like to share the most common misconceptions and the facts behind them. We’ll discover why high intensity exercise isn’t always the answer to progress, why a ridged schedule may not be as successful as a fluid one, and why just two days at the gym could be your key to success.

Link to Blog Post:

https://sweatandsunshine.com/common-misconceptions-about-adopting-and-maintaining-a-fitness-routine-part-1/

Sources

Miller, F. L., O’Connor, D. P., Herring, M. P., Sailors, M. H., Jackson, A. S., Dishman, R. K., & Bray, M. S. (2014). Exercise dose, exercise adherence, and associated health outcomes in the TIGER study. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 46(1), 69–75. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182a038b9

Meditation is a great opportunity to practice mindfulness and reduce stress. If you've experienced difficulty "clearing" or "quieting" the mind in your meditation practice a guided meditation may be a solution, as they provide a path for your mind to follow. Layback and listen in as we check in with our bodies and purposefully give each area an opportunity to relax.

If like me, you’re challenged with chronic pain, moving in the morning can often be the most difficult part of the day. What’s worked well to get my mind off the pain and my body prepped for the day is a morning movement routine. Check out my morning routine for some ideas about how you'd like to start moving in the morning.

Disclaimer: Please be advised, I am not a medical professional and the suggestions given in this podcast should not be considered medical advice. Rather, my goal is to assist you in developing strategies that result in sustainable behavior change. Please check with your healthcare provider before beginning any diet, exercise, or health routine.

In this episode we’re exploring how we can exponentially boost the wellness benefits of time in nature with mindfulness. I'll offer up 5 tips to turn your next sunrise hike into a healing experience.

Link to blog post: https://sweatandsunshine.com/how-to-turn-a-sunrise-hike-into-a-healing-experience/

Sources

Bratman GN, Hamilton JP, Hahn KS, et al. Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2015(112);28:8567-8572. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1510459112.

Atchley RA, Strayer DL, Atchley P. Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. de Fockert J, ed. PLoS ONE. 2012;7(12):e51474. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051474.

Mayer F, Frantz C, Bruehlman-Senecal E, Dolliver K. Why Is Nature Beneficial? The Role of Connectedness to Nature. 2009;41:607-643. Doi: 10.1177/0013916508319745

Gawande R, To MN, Pine E, Griswold T, Creedon TB, Brunel A, Lozada A, Loucks EB, Schuman-Olivier Z. Mindfulness Training Enhances Self-Regulation and Facilitates Health Behavior Change for Primary Care Patients: a Randomized Controlled Trial. J Gen Intern Med. 2019 Feb;34(2):293-302. doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4739-5. Epub 2018 Dec 3. PMID: 30511291; PMCID: PMC6374253.

Welcome to Sweat and Sunshine. In this episode I’m sharing two physical activity based solutions to manage stress. We’ll learn how to complete the stress response cycle and how to engage the rest and digest” state of our nervous system. I’ll do that by sharing two stories. 

Today we’re exploring how strength training can delay and even prevent type 2 diabetes. Thanks for joining me for “Strength Training and Diabetes Prevention.” The CDC estimates that more than 30 million American’s are living with Type-2 diabetes and the prevalence will increase to more than 54.9 million by 2030, according to research published by Population Health Management. While that projection may seem insurmountable, it doesn’t have to become a reality.

Strength Training Routine: https://sweatandsunshine.com/strength-training-for-diabetes-prevention/

Ever heard of the term "Revolutionary Self Care?" Let Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Joy Carter introduce you. You may just be surprised. During our interview on the topic, Joy "schooled" me in the best way possible.

 Joy Carter is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience in the mental health field. Her passion for supporting professional women in practicing revolutionary self-care has enabled her to help numerous women create nurturing, supportive, and happy lives.

In this episode Joys shares tips for revolutionary self care through boundaries, basic needs, creating nurturing spaces, and managing overwhelm

Link to "Nourishing Your Mind, Body, and Soul in Tumultuous Times" online health and wellness discussion panel for women: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/404178989237

What if you could experience a genuinely thankful heart simply by adding some movement to your day? How could more gratitude affect your life? With a greater awareness and a little practice we can generate gratitude at any time. In today’s episode I’ll offer up 5 simple solutions to do just that.

Link to Blog Post:
https://sweatandsunshine.com/cultivating-gratitude-in-your-fitness-routine/

The benefits of exercise don't stop at our physical wellness. Exercise has an amazing ability to build confidence, self appreciation, and self love.  In this episode I share a bit about my experience discovering that exercise can be self care.