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Showing posts from March, 2020

Why I Quit Orangetheory

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Hey there! I wanted to hop on here and talk about my recent experience with overtraining and why I quit Orangetheory. If you’ve been following along for a little bit, I’ve been kind of beating around the bush about it, just because I was trying to figure things out and what exactly was going on. I was also waiting to get some test results back. I want to preface this post by saying this is very much my individual story, so I don’t want to assume these things are happening to everybody. And I don’t want to scare anyone or anything like that. With my health background and everything that was going on in my life at the time, the type of activity (i.e. intensity, duration, frequency) I was doing was much too much for me. I have an autoimmune disease, to start with, so my body is already stressed out. So, me doing high-intensity exercise is already not the best. I’ve managed up until this point, doing CrossFit, Orangetheory, and all my favorite things, but living the way I was living, m

Learning Through Play: 101 Ways To Keep Young Minds Occupied At Home

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Parents, right off the bat, let me say that there is no right way to be feeling about the current situation. Relief, anxiety, excitement, dread are all normal. We’re all figuring this out as we go along and doing the best we can. Virtual high-five! This is not a homeschooling post per se. This is about the importance of play as learning, and letting our kids play to restore some balance we don’t always manage in our typical over-scheduled lives. Here’s the good news if you’re stressed about making sure your kids are still learning why they are at home: they are. I recently attended a workshop with a local homeschool coordinator. The biggest thing I took away was a reminder that all play is learning . Why Kids Need to Play Play is how kids learn about the world. Theoretical and Applied Playworker Bob Hughes (awesome title!) lists 16 different types of play that are central to physical, mental, emotional, and social development. By manipulating objects and trying things out (“I w

5 Tips for Keeping a Clean House with Kids

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As we navigate the new normal of having our kids home all.the.time. we must adjust our systems and rhythms for tidying up as well. Keeping a clean house with kids around is no small task. I know I’m not the only one who feels like for every one toy, crumb, or misplaced item I pick up two are placed in its spot. Here are some of my tips for minimizing the daily mess and cleaning as I go. 5 Tips For Keeping A Clean House With Kids 1 // Teach them to pick up as they go One of my house rules is that we must tidy up one room before we move to another. If we’ve been playing in the living room, we have to straighten it up before moving to the basement. Occasionally we leave toys set up (like our trains) if it’s something elaborate, but all small pieces must be picked up. I believe that modeling is the best tool here. This might take 10 years but every bit helps. I always offer to help the kids clean up their toys when they’re finished playing, but I don’t do it all for them. We sing the

Natural Egg Dye For Easter Eggs

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Natural egg dye is one of the simplest, most natural and clean way you can dye eggs this year (or any year!). Naturally dying your Easter eggs is the best way to make this fun Easter tradition environmentally friendly as well as conducive to a clean eating lifestyle.   After all, dyes and chemicals are something I avoid in my life and on this blog. So why would dying eggs be any different? With Easter so close to Earth day this is a great opportunity to make, clean, eco-friendly choices when celebrating by reducing your family’s exposure to harmful chemicals and artificial food dyes. Not only is dying easter eggs naturally the best option for your family and the environment it is also very easy to do. How to get natural egg dye to stick The trickiest part about using natural egg dyes for Easter is that sometimes the dyes do not want to stick to the eggs. Just like with dying fabrics and yarn it is best to prepare your eggs for dying so the dye is likely to stick. Giving your eg

Why overtraining might be the underlying cause of your weight gain

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Did you know that many women are overtraining and don’t even know it? Maybe you’re one of them! Overtraining can cause many health issues, including weight gain…probably the exact opposite of a regular exerciser expects. Let’s explore. You: Overtraining In science-y terms, overtraining syndrome is an imbalance between training and recovery. What that means is that there is too much exercise (for you) at too high of an intensity (for you) without enough recovery time (for you). I say ‘for you’ because one of the leading reasons women (and men) fall into the trap of overtraining is comparison. Just because your friend works out all day, every day doesn’t mean you should too! Anyone can experience overtraining syndrome. An unexpected surge in duration, intensity, or frequency of movement can impact the body in surprising ways. Everyday people are highly prone to overtraining syndrome because of comparison or aggressive goal setting (i.e. training for a marathon, wanting to lose 10 po

Success Story: Life After Cravings

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It’s Monday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here . I’ll continue to publish these each Monday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading! Folks, I have been grateful for every story that has come my way over the years. It’s an incredible privilege being on the receiving end of your reflections and evolutions, and they are why I’ve kept at it all these years—knowing the message and information have made a difference in people’s lives. I appreciate every single one. Here, you’ll read about a woman who went through a long period of trial-and-error and ultimately realized that conventional advice was hindering her progress. Thank you to reader, Karine, for sharing your story, and for using your personal transformation to inspire others as a health coach and mentor!   Switzerland, Ap

High Highs & Low Lows

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I think I can speak for most of us that these past two weeks have been filled with many highs and low lows. One minute the kids are playing together and I’m pulling pancakes out of the oven, and the next minute it seems the world is crumbling beneath us and there is no end to this in sight. We have a lot to be grateful for (house, jobs, food) so we are trying to count our blessings and make the most of this unique situation. I actually think the timing is great for Birch having his brother home to play. To Birch this is a wonderful time! Here are some of our adventures from the past week Spotting a garden snake on a walk Riding bikes at the church on our street. This parking lot has been such a life saver!! At the end of every walk we get Birch out and do a big loop around the block with him to get his energy out. He loves it! (Note again i’m in a down coat and Mazen is in short and a tee!! That boy is never cold.) Climbing the mountain! Our weather has had high highs a

Coping with COVID-19, Kevin Gilmartin PhD | Salty Talk 003| THRR

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Welcome to Salty Talk. This is a special edition of Healthy Rebellion Radio. Each week on Salty Talk Robb will do a deep dive into current health and performance news, mixed with an occasional Salty conversation with movers and shakers in the world of research, performance, health, and longevity. For the full the video presentation of this episode and to be a part of the conversation, join us in The Healthy Rebellion online community . WARNING: These episodes may get “salty” with the occasional expletive. This episode of The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by Perfect Keto. Perfect Keto makes eating keto easier. Perfect Keto provides clean low-carb bars, nut butters, and supplements, and the best keto recipes and info so you can keto with confidence. Go to http://perfectketo.com/salty40 and use code SALTY40 for buy one get one 40% off on all Perfect Keto products.   Today’s Salty Talk is an interview  with Dr. Kevin Gilmartin… Dr. Gilmartin is a behavioral scientist speci