It is no secret that New Zealand has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. This small island country in the South Pacific Ocean is filled with incredible, memorable outdoor adventure opportunities, ideal for first-timers and seasoned adrenaline seekers alike. Most international travelers have limited time in New Zealand, so it is…
For many conditions, food is part of the treatment plan, not just background noise. Medical nutrition focuses on using specific dietary strategies to help manage diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disorders, digestive problems, and more.
For example, in diabetes, spreading carbohydrates throughout the day, choosing high fiber options, and pairing them with protein and healthy fats can help keep blood sugar steadier. For high blood pressure, cutting back on sodium and following patterns like the DASH diet can make a significant difference. For high cholesterol, increasing soluble fiber and replacing saturated fats with unsaturated ones supports better blood lipid levels.
Medical nutrition therapy is usually designed by a registered dietitian who reviews your medical history, medications, lab values, and lifestyle. Together, you turn guidelines into real meals, snacks, and routines that work in your actual life.
This approach is very different from generic “eat better” advice or trendy diets, because it is tailored to your specific body and health goals. It also respects that food is cultural and emotional, not just fuel.
Even if you are currently healthy, learning how food supports your body can be a form of prevention, reducing the chances that you will need more intensive interventions later in life.
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Ovarian cancer is a challenging diagnosis in the field of gynecologic oncology. According to the American Cancer Society, over 20,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed each year, with more than 12,000 deaths due to the disease. Due to the high prevalence of advanced cases at the moment of diagnosis and the diversity of…
Fruits and vegetables are the nutritional all stars of a healthy diet. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and thousands of beneficial plant compounds, yet generally low in calories. People who eat more of them consistently have lower risks of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and other chronic illnesses.
Different colors usually signal different nutrients. Dark green vegetables like spinach and broccoli are rich in folate, vitamin K, and other key nutrients. Orange and deep yellow foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and mangoes supply beta carotene. Red and purple produce, such as berries, grapes, and tomatoes, are rich in various antioxidants.
Aim for at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and more if you can. A serving might be a small apple, a cup of raw leafy vegetables, half a cup of cooked vegetables, or half a cup of chopped fruit. Fresh, frozen, and canned (in water or their own juice) all count.
If your current intake is low, start by adding an extra serving at one meal, then gradually build from there. Add fruit to breakfast, a side salad or vegetable soup at lunch, and an extra vegetable at dinner. Use raw veggies and fruit as snacks instead of chips or sweets.
The more variety you eat, the broader your nutrient coverage will be. Over time, your taste buds often adjust, and what once felt like “forcing yourself” can become something you genuinely enjoy and crave.
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I’ve gotten a bunch of really great questions recently, and I noticed a theme. A lot of them have this undercurrent of “am I doing this wrong?”
I get it! There’s so much conflicting information out there on the internet, and it gets a lot more clicks to talk about how “You’re ruining your gains if you…”
That’s why we’re here. To help you sort the helpful advice from the overblown hyperbole so you’re not constantly second guessing yourself. Fitness should be something you can feel good about.
Let’s get into it.
“Is strength training on an empty stomach pointless?”
Haley asks:
I’ve been doing all this reading about best practices and everybody says to eat at least a carb-heavy snack or light meal 30 minutes to an hour before strength training. But my schedule is such that I need to workout first thing in the morning before I can have breakfast. I take a medication that I have to wait for at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour) before I can eat anything, and that is the time I have for my workout.
Is strength training on an empty stomach pointless? I know strength training on an empty stomach is better than not strength training at all, but how much am I hurting my results by not eating first?
Great question, Hayley – and the short answer is: nope. You’re not ruining anything.
The biggest factor here is what your overall nutrition for the entire day looks like. If you’re getting adequate protein, calories, and fiber, then you’re basically checking off every box already.
The idea that you have to eat before a workout is pretty overblown. Your body has glycogen stores from yesterday’s food that it can absolutely use to fuel your A.M. strength training session. For most people, training fasted works just fine! Now, if you feel terrible – low energy, dizzy, super hungry – then yes, let’s problem-solve (maybe some liquid carbs and protein before you head out, or see if we can shuffle the schedule a bit.)
Takeaway: for most people, meal timing around your workouts is a minor factor. Focus on getting solid nutrition in across the day, workout hard when it fits your schedule, and you’re good to go.
“What am I sacrificing by splitting my workout up across the day?”
This was another great question I got from several different folks. The idea being if you don’t have time to do a workout all at once, does it still count if you break it up?
Short answer is: YES!
There’s solid research showing that accumulating your training volume throughout the day (a set here, a set there) produces similar strength and muscle-building results compared to a single traditional session, as long as the total volume and intensity are matched. (i.e. you do the same amount of challenging stuff in total.)
The one thing I see trip people up: intensity. It’s hard to go in cold and push yourself hard, safely. Give yourself a minute or two to warm-up before you do your work set so you can challenge yourself and feel good. Takeaway: Splitting your workout up across the day is absolutely a viable strategy. Heck, we have many clients that squeeze in a single set of pushups, squats or lunges when they can and it makes a HUGE difference. Make sure you still feel warmed up and challenge yourself. Dial those pieces in, and you’ll get great results.
Hopefully, these answers show you that there are many ways to fit strength training in to your life – and they are all great! You’re not doing it wrong. It doesn’t have to look like a traditional 60-minute gym session to work. It just has to work for you. You got this,
Do you remember how you ran and played as a kid?
Whether it was storming castle walls, avoiding lava pits, or cartwheeling down the sidewalk, we weren’t worried about sets, reps, or time-under-tension. We were just having fun in the moment.
When was the last time working out felt like that for you?
For those of us that love strength training, exercise DOES feel this way. We love getting in the gym and crunching numbers and focusing on technique. It can be totally absorbing and fun.
But for many folks I work with, exercise feels more like a chore than a hobby. More like an obligation than something they look forward to.
Here’s one way to change that.
An Alternative To Traditional Training
Years ago, I ran a group class at my local gym called the “Ninja Academy.”
Twice a week, a group of adults would show up and we’d spend an hour running around like 10-year-olds. We played tag. We crawled on the floor. We had lightsaber battles with foam swords. We played Zombie Dodgeball (which is a-maz-ing.)
One of my favorite photos from a ninja session catching us all being ridiculous.
We weren’t focused on reps, heart rate, calories, or weights. And yet – people were genuinely out of breath, laughing too hard to talk, and asking “can we do that again?”
That experience transformed how I look at fitness.
Sure, exercise and strength training and 5k races are all awesome.
But the fitness industry tends to laser-focus on things we can count and track.That has naturally led to the idea thatrealexercise looks a certain way. And by extension, anything that CAN’T be easily tracked becomes less valuable.
That’s backwards.
When you’re playing, you move because youwantto. You push yourself without thinking about it. You come back the next day not because you’re disciplined, but because it was genuinely fun and you want more.
Play doesn’t have to replace traditional training. It just gives you more options.
And the benefits go beyond just getting sweaty. Play builds community, keeps your brain young, introduces your body to movements it never gets in a gym, and promotes lifelong movement across all ages and generations.
Here’s what Christy – a mom of two teenage girls – said after her first Ninja Academy session:
“I took my twins to a class at my gym last night. Probably the only reason they agreed to go was because it’s called ‘Ninja Academy.’ It’s exercise, yes, but basically it’s structured recess for adults. We did silly stuff, like jump over a ‘creek’ (made out of jump ropes), did tripods or handstands depending on ability, played follow-the-leader (outside in the dark!), and just had a fun time.
The girls and I had a blast doing this together. They were still talking about it this morning. I’m on cloud 9 because it was just one of ‘those moments’ that can be hard to find. We just got to PLAY for a change. Not homework, not housework, not some dumb chore, just play. I don’t do that enough with my kids anymore. I’m going to try to fix that.”
Want to try it? A few principles first:
Everything is optional. Not feeling a game or activity? Try something else!
Try your best no matter what. You’re not going to be good at these movements and games right away. Especially when stuff is new, it’s easy to get frustrated. We used this mantra in the Ninja Academy to help us focus on doing our best instead of being the best.
Have fun, but don’t let your head explode. When you’re out of practice with playing, it’s easy to go too hard too fast. You try to jump too far and take a spill, you get a bit too aggressive in a game of tag. Ease in.
The 70/30 rule. If you’re playing with someone else, adjust the rules so one person isn’t winning more than 70% of the time. Stronger player? Make them use their off hand. Taller player? Make them balance on one foot. Keep it competitive for everyone.
Some games to get you started
Taps:Try to keep a foam ball or balloon in the air. Kick it, hit it, backheel it, whatever it takes. Bluey fans will recognize this as Keepy Uppy. Works solo against a wall or with a whole group. This was our warm up game every session of the Ninja Academy.
Samurai Warrior:One person stands in front of a group and swipes their arm either up high or down low: high swipe = duck, low swipe = hop over. Note: you don’t LITERALLY hop over their arm. just react to their cues. If you get “hit,” take a step back, do 2 squats, and step back up. Just keep playing.
Zen Archer:Try to keep your feet planted while your partner slowly sweeps a hand or stick toward you in slow-motion. Move out of the way at the last possible second with as little movement as needed. Harder than it sounds.
Stick Drop:Stand a broomstick upright, let it fall, and your partner (or yourself!) tries to catch it right before it hits the ground. Start close. Move farther away as you get better.
Crack-About Dodgeball:Free-for-all dodgeball. Best played with those foam Rhino-Skin dodgeballs (one of my favorite tools to facilitate play without someone getting nailed painfully in the face.) When you get hit, sit down. If a ball rolls to you, you can still throw it. When the person who hit you gets hit…you’re back in! No one is ever really out, which creates infinite amounts of fun.
Reaction Drop:Hold two balls at shoulder height and drop one at random. Your partner tries to catch it before it hits the ground. Deceptively hard. Immediately addictive.
Goalies:Roll or toss a ball so it’s just at the edge of your partner’s reach. They try to stop it. The goal is to find that edge so they are successful about 50% of the time. It’s a game for practicing your aim, too, and if you can put it in the perfect spot!
King of the Log:Hold hands with a partner and try to make the other person take a step. That’s it. You can adjust this by having to stand on a crack in the sidewalk, on a small curb or even on an actual log in the woods!
Floor is Lava:All-time classic. You know the drill .
Jenga Balance:Stack two Jenga blocks on top of each other and try to hold the bottom one without letting the top one fall. Once you get the hang of that, try adding some slow motion movement. Great focus game, surprisingly challenging.
Mario + Ghosts:One person walks around the space. When they turn to look, everyone freezes. The goal is to sneak up and tap them on the shoulder. (I’ve also called this “The Weeping Angels” for all my Doctor Who fans out there.) We even did a version of this at Camp Nerd Fitness where our entire group was ghosts and we picked an unsuspecting coach to be Mario. We got some WILD looks as coaches saw a hoard of people move at them and then all freeze in an instant.
I hope this gave you some inspiration to explore a new game or movement – either for yourself, or with a friend or family member.
And more than anything, I hope it gave you permission to rethink what your training “needs” to look like.
I’d love to hear from you – what are some physical games you love to play? I’m always collecting new ideas!
– Matt
P.S. Want to make fitness a sustainable part of your routine?That’s exactly what our coaches help with. It’s like having your own personal fitness Yoda in your pocket, except instead of Yoda it’s just a real nerdy human who has your back. Otherwise it’s basically the same thing
Most people go their entire lives never learning how to fall.
Everyone takes a tumble at some point.
Whether it’s a patch of ice, a trail root, a misstep off a curb, or just an unlucky moment, falls happen to all of us. And for a lot of people, especially as they age, a single fall can be genuinely life-altering. Hip fractures alone carry a staggering mortality rate in older adults. Roughly 20-30% don’t survive the following year, not from the fall itself, but from the cascade of complications that follow.
So today, I want to introduce you to something I think belongs in everyone’s physical toolkit: learning how to fall safely. Or at least, learning how to fall in a way that’s “less bad.”
Let’s bring out your inner ninja.
The Skill Progressions
The goal of these progressions is simple: teach your body to round, absorb, and redirect force.
Start on a soft surface. Carpet is OK, but if you have access to Gymnastics mats or even a soft patch of grass outside (without any hidden rocks or sticks) that’s GREAT.
First rule of thumb: always start low to the ground. The closer you are to the ground when you begin the roll, the lower the forces involved.
You earn height gradually. Just like you learn to bench with the bar first before you add a kajillion pounds, you want to learn the technique before you add more height and intensity to your rolls!
Keep knees tightly tucked to chest to help maintain a gentle curve through your low back
Start in a seated position
Lean back and smoothly rock along your lower back, avoiding any “skipping” or “hitches” in the movement.
The rocks DON’T HAVE TO BE BIG. (If you feel like your “thunking” some part of your tail bone or back, you’re going too big for right now!)
Here, we learn to transfer momentum up and down the spine (rather than across it). This is our final step before we learn to transfer the force diagonally, which is actually the safest option in real world situations!
Lean towards one side, then roll from that hip towards the opposite shoulder (you want the contact to stop just below the shoulder blade)
Reach with your hands forming a triangle over that shoulder
Roll smoothly back to the starting position
This is where we really start to see the parkour roll come into shape. You can progress from seated to a standing position, but take your time! There’s no rush, and high quality reps is how we really learn this skill.
Start from a kneeling position on a soft surface. Make sure to check the area so there’s nothing you will catch yourself on, and give yourself plenty of room.
Using the “triangle to back“method, reach your hands forward and to the side to guide the back of your shoulder onto the ground, keeping your chin and head tucked down and to the side.
Kick over the top to complete the roll and exit on the opposite hip.
This movement can take some time to get comfortable with. If you feel stuck, go back and practice the earlier progressions again. Back to our bench press analogy, once you learn how to bench with heavier weight, you don’t SKIP doing lighter warm up sets!
Let’s be honest about the limits:
While learning and practicing these techniques will definitely make you safer and more resilient, it’s not a silver bullet.
Getting older makes it harder to react in time. Most dangerous falls are surprises, and your window to execute technique may be a fraction of a second or less. Sometimes, you won’t be able to execute a perfect forward roll. Reaction speed decreases with age, and flexibility factors in here as well.
This is also why bone density and muscle mass matter so much and why we sing the praises of strength training for people of all ages. Rolling technique and physical resilience aren’t either/or. They stack.
Eventually, we can start to practice rolling from different angles and different entry points so the skill can be applied more broadly, too. You won’t always have the perfect situation to roll in, but getting more comfortable with distributing force across the ground and protecting your head and neck is something that is still really helpful to learn.
When to practice
Rolling practice fits naturally into a dynamic warm-up, or it can be its own short session. One thing worth noting: learn this when you’re fresh, not at the end of a workout. You’re acquiring a motor skill, and fatigued nervous systems don’t learn well. Give it the attention it deserves. This is one of those things that may take a few weeks or a few months of practice to get, but once you get it, it doesn’t take much to maintain it.
You got this.
– Matt
P.S. Looking for practical, real-world advice without all the B.S.? That’s exactly what our coaching program is built on.
School lunch has come a long way from the mystery meat and canned fruit cocktail many of us remember. Still, a lot of kids (and plenty of adults) are eating lunches that are heavy on refined carbs, processed meats, sugary drinks, and light on real nourishment.
A balanced lunch does not have to be fancy or expensive. The goal is to combine three big things: quality protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, and some healthy fats. That combo keeps kids full, focused, and less likely to crash in the middle of the afternoon.
Start with a protein base: turkey, chicken, beans, hummus, tuna packed in water, boiled eggs, or tofu. Pair that with whole grains such as whole wheat bread, tortillas, brown rice, quinoa, or whole grain pasta. Then add color: carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber rounds, apple slices, berries, or a small salad. A little healthy fat like avocado, nut butter (if school rules allow), or a handful of nuts or seeds helps with brain function and energy.
Drinks matter too. Swapping sugary sodas and “fruit drinks” for water, sparkling water, or plain milk removes a surprising amount of empty calories and sugar. If your child misses flavor, try water infused with orange or lemon slices in a reusable bottle.
To keep things realistic for busy parents, plan 2 or 3 simple “lunch formulas” and rotate them. For example: burrito bowl (rice, beans, salsa, cheese, veggies), sandwich box (whole grain sandwich + veg sticks + fruit), or pasta box (whole grain pasta with veggies and chicken, plus fruit). Involve kids in choosing veg and fruit they actually like, and they are far more likely to eat what you pack.
Boost Your Metabolism Naturally
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Weight loss is often marketed as a battle against your own body, but it works better when you cooperate with your biology instead of fighting it. Highly restrictive plans that cut out major food groups or slash calories to very low levels may produce quick short term losses, but they tend to increase hunger, cravings, and stress over time.
A nutritious weight loss diet emphasizes real food over extreme rules. That means lots of vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats, while cutting back on sugary drinks, refined snacks, and heavily processed fast foods.
Portion awareness is important, but you do not need to weigh every bite forever. Simple strategies like using smaller plates, filling half the plate with vegetables, and serving sauces or dressings on the side can help you naturally reduce calories without feeling deprived.
Movement is a key partner for food changes. You do not have to spend hours in the gym; walking, cycling, dancing, or active hobbies all support your metabolism and overall health. Strength training a couple of times per week helps maintain or build muscle, which is especially important while losing weight.
If emotional eating, stress, or boredom are big triggers for you, working on coping skills, routines, and support systems is just as important as what you eat. Sustainable weight loss is really about building a life where healthier choices are easier and more automatic.
Boost Your Metabolism Naturally
Looking for the best metabolism boosters that actually work? Check out my recommended picks on Amazon: Best Metabolism Boosters
Family life can shift in ways that feel difficult to manage, especially when several decisions need attention at once. Changes to finances, living arrangements, or childcare can quickly overlap, making it harder to see what needs to happen first. This guide sets out practical ways to bring structure to that uncertainty. Each section builds on…
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We got some WILD looks as coaches saw a hoard of people move at them and then all freeze in an instant.
