Have Fun, Get Strong

Teaching kids to work hard these days involves a lot of challenges.  One of the biggest challenges is getting them to keep trying when they just aren't as fast, strong, or skilled as their peers in whatever sport they are trying to excel in.  What is actually known about kids and development is that a lot of kids just show up that way.  Puberty, the great equalizer, takes a lot more time to show up and start building that strength, endurance, and coordination that full grown adults are gifted with.  In the meantime, those who struggle are often discouraged from trying harder or even sticking it out to allow time to do its magic.

So, aside from being naturally gifted, what is the one thing that can keep the not-so-gifted from giving up altogether?

Well, its an easy question to answer.  The parents and coaches who have the privilege of working with kids need to understand the difference between selection and development.

There are a lot of sports these days where kids are funneled i…

So, before we get into what we need to do to improve our fitness, let’s talk about what it actually is. Forget for a moment that all the glossy magazine images and Instagram posts don’t exist and let’s simply define fitness as what it is and how it applies to the human body.

Fitness is the ability to complete a task. And so, just like that, you have to think of your fitness as task-specific. What are the tasks that you want to be able to accomplish? Do you want to restore your ability to live a functional life? Do you want to play a sport? Do you want to train for a race or a strength competition?

Regardless of the task, there are three qualities that your body needs to have in order to function well in a way that is resistant to injury and does not restrict your participation in daily activities. These are strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness and are the foundation of basic fitness. These qualities need to be in place in order to optimally build a more functional …

For a lot of people, their fitness goals revolve around improving body composition.  I've been thinking about this a lot as I've been sitting on my couch overeating and watching bad television.  However, its not all bad. 

After binging on a few episodes of "Hoarders", I was inspired by my next TV binge of  "My 600 lb Life".  The struggles to commit to life-changing, and often life-saving behavior serves as a good metaphor for the rest of us who are trying to make drastic changes whether its diet, physical ability, or getting over an addiction.

This show reminds me of a “chose your own adventure” book.There are a few different outcomes that are relatively predictable based on what happens at different points during the show.And its an incredibly clear illustration of what is possible when people follow directions and stop making excuses. It always starts the same way.You meet a person who desperately needs help losing an excessive amount of weight.They talk…

Before becoming a mom, and a trainer, and a coach, I spent about 10 years working as a research scientist in a variety of labs.  I've worked in both the university and commercial setting as well as both medical and environmental labs and with a number of different teachers, mentors, students, and objectives.  The most wonderful thing about working in a lab as a research scientist is that regardless of nationality, we all speak the same language, ie, the scientific method.

Scientists are both perpetual students as well as teachers.  We are always learning about new methods, new research, and entirely new fields of study.  Likewise, we are constantly teaching the steady stream of students and fellow researchers who are coming through our labs as well as anyone who may reach out from other labs who need advice or guidance on their own research.  Generally speaking, scientific research, especially in the university setting, often promotes an atmosphere of collaboration and education t…

As a coach, I know a few things about human nature.   Understanding the individuals you are working with is key to motivating them to improve performance, push beyond their current abilities, and most importantly, believe they are capable.  And I'm not just talking about confidence here, there are many athletes out there who are confident in the tasks they already know they can do and can deliver a consistent performance at that level, over and over again.  However, getting your competitors to push into the unknown where its painful, and scary, and there is no promise of success is a whole different ballgame. 


There is a lot of science out there on human behavior.  One of the most intriguing concepts to me is the science of mirror neurons.  Mirror neurons are neurons in the brain that are thought to be responsible for us learning observed behavior and empathy.  In a nutshell, we tend to mirror what we see.   If you are anxious and enter a room full of calm people, your anxiety wil…

So, last Fall was tough.  After a full year of coaching and competing myself, I ended up coaching my sons' cross country team while simultaneously training a few lifters and throwers in the early mornings in addition to all the other teaching, parenting, etc. I do.  So, when all that was done and all the meets were over, I was feeling pretty beat up.  I hadn't recovered from the damage I'd done to myself running the half marathon, and I just didn't have much motivation to do much more than lift and throw with no big goals in mind.  Both of which are really hard on the body.

Although I intended on spending the Fall losing some weight and getting back into training, I quickly learned that I was way more damaged than I thought and ended up spending a lot of time with my chiropractor and simply resting my body and mind.  By December, however, with the lack of activity, the nagging pains in my knees and shoulders were screaming for attention and I wasn't really sure wha…