A few weeks ago, I wrote that I came home from the Elite Fitness and Performance Summit with so many things I wanted to share with you. This week I want to talk about how pushups have inspired me. No, we did not learn about pushup technique (this was a business summit), and no, we did not find out that the next trend in fitness is pushup-only Crossfit.

What I did learn is the power of community coming together for philanthropy. “What does THAT have to do with pushups?” you ask. Well, I’ll tell you AND if you read all the way to the end of this post, you’ll get a link to a handy video to help you do some awesome pushups yourself, no matter how versed in fitness you are!
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​We know that 1 out of 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and TruFit certainly has a good number of survivors under its small roof. We also know access to get a diagnosis or to receive care isn’t easy for many women to afford which is why we’ve chosen the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force to be our charity this month. TruFit is pledging $.50 for every pushup done at TruFit* from October 1-31. As of right now, the clients who train at TruFit Evanston have done over 600 pushups! That means we have raised roughly $300 and counting to date! WOOOHOOO!!!! (Huge shout-out to my friend Jim Herrick from Power Source for this idea!)

One of the coolest things I get to do as a business owner is to have philanthropy as part of my business’ core values. I was inspired to do that by my business coach Pamela who created a program that coaching partners like myself can participate in called Revolution for a Cause. Thanks to RFAC, fitness businesses around the world (like IzzyFit and TruFit) can support each other to give back, either by raising money or volunteering hours for causes or charities we care about. Since RFAC started, we have raised a combined total of $873,681 (SO CLOSE TO $1M!!!) and have volunteered 5012 hours and TruFit and IzzyFit are proud of being a small part of those numbers for the last three years.
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I have felt really conflicted in the past about talking about philanthropic efforts because I was brought up believing that doing good should NOT be done to gain the praise of others (it shouldn’t). I also know, though, that it’s thanks to other people’s philanthropic stories that I’ve gotten really excited about it. My purpose for giving back is to practice empathy and because I’m fortunate to GET to do this. For others, purpose may be to find a cure; to help people find love; to drive conversations about difficult topics. No matter what, I hope we can all get behind helping make this world a better place together in one way or another.
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That’s my story this week, friends. To find out more about our October challenge (and maybe how to get involved in one of a few different ways), click here. And to watch our handy-dandy pushup tutorial video, click HERE!

“I’ll start eating healthier after I get back from vacation next month.”
“I’ll start going to the gym after I’ve lost a few pounds.”
“I didn’t have time to go grocery shopping this week so I’ll eat better next week.”

Do any of these sound familiar? How many times have you had a good idea for how to get to the gym, eat better, live a healthier lifestyle but found reasons to stand in your way of taking that first step?

Tell you what: The best plan is the one you start, taking that very first step.

For context, I have been working writing down sales system for TruFit. This is something I watched my predecessor do over the course of four years; this is what I’ve been doing for almost two years myself. And yet, it took me THREE MONTHS to write down what I do and how I do it so that I can teach someone else to take over that task.

What am I waiting for? Why am I dragging my feet with this? What is standing in the way of me actually taking ONE HOUR to write down something I already know how to do? WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME? Well… These are strikingly similar questions we may have asked ourselves about getting through the gym doors. Right? Or eating that first healthy meal?

At the end of talking about my issue, my amazing coach Pearla Phillips said to me, "Do not let your planning stand in the way of you starting."

Those questions above: They're really judge-y. They don’t help me take that first (or second, third, etc) step forward. Those are not questions I would ask a friend or loved one if they were having trouble taking the first step. And why wouldn’t we talk to ourselves the same way we would talk to our best friend?

When faced with procrastination, what if we tried another tactic on for size? What if we focused on seeing what the future might look like if we took that first step -- no matter where we might be in the planning process -- instead of picking apart the present moment in which we feel stuck in the first place?
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Let’s create a case study in which an individual wants to start eating healthier food at lunch. She’s been saying this for a while but hasn’t figured out when she can meal plan and prep.

Here are 5 questions I might ask if I was coaching this imaginary woman:

1. What, right now, is one small step you can take even if your plan isn’t polished or timing isn’t great?
2. What is the worst thing that would happen if you started today or tomorrow?
3. How would you take care of that worst thing if it did happen?
4. What is the best thing that could happen if you started today or tomorrow?
5. So, now, when will you execute this first small step?

What if our “case study” asked herself these questions? It might go a little like this:

What, right now, is one small step you can take even if your plan isn’t polished or timing isn’t great?
Make myself a salad at the salad bar.

What is the worst thing that would happen if you started today or tomorrow?
My salad could suck and feel unsatisfying and then I’d go eat a brownie.

How would you take care of that worst thing if it did happen?
Move on, I guess. Try again at the next meal and make sure there's at least something small in my lunch that I look forward to.

What is the best thing that could happen?
The salad might taste pretty good and not be as hard to make as I thought it would be and I continue on for a long time!

So, now, when will you execute this first small step?
At lunch.
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Boiled down, what does our procrastination usually come down to?

Fear of failure.

And how bad would it ACTUALLY be if we failed? In the grand scheme, not that bad! I might argue it would even be good. Because what can we learn from failing — or envisioning the worst thing that could happen? We'd figure out how to get up, learn from the falling down and move on, one small step at a time.

I don't EVEN want to admit that summertime is on its dessert course. Labor Day is a few weeks away, school starts next week for a lot of people here in the Evanston area (and may have already started in your neck of the woods!). As soon as the bagpacks, binders, crayons and calculators go on sale, we itch to either start or get back into a proper exercise routine. To kick it up a notch! To get in shape! To make it work!

Whether you're brand new to exercise or have taken a hiatus and want to get back into it, I want to share 5 things you should know before you jump in.

• Meet yourself where you are. As trainers, it’s our job to create a program for you that is in line with your goals and needs, keeping in mind previous injuries, your current fitness level so you can DO the program and work to grow out of it. What I would stress for you to you is to understand where you currently are and not where you think you SHOULD be. The shoulds will only stand in the way of you focusing on the process and progress you are able to make. The shoulds will steal the wins you gain along the way. Celebrate your starting off point because with consistent work, you'll be able to look back and celebrate how far you've come.
• Weight loss (and weight gain are not linear). Whether you’re looking to lose weight or gain it, know that the process — if you want results to last a long time — will be more of a long-term game and not an overnight hurrah. It’s pretty common to want to weigh in/take measurements every few days or so to track your progress and while I'm known to talk people out of doing that, there’s plenty of research that shows people can feel more motivated if they see success early on in the journey. SO: If you choose to weigh in/measure more frequently than you normally do, please keep these things in mind:
  • It is NORMAL for weight to fluctuate throughout the day, week and month! I repeat: NORMAL.
  • Those 5 lbs that crept up over the weekend are very likely not fat gain (it would be SO HARD to eat enough in that time frame to cause true weight gain). It is way more likely to be fluid retention! Trust me on this. 
  • Look for trends with your numbers every 3 weeks or so. Yep, that’s right, not even week to week! Look at week 1, week 4, week 7 and so on, to have a better idea of what's really happening.
• Abs really are made in the kitchen. Food plays a huge role in fitness goals, especially as we get older. Getting into a regular, consistent exercise routine means you’ll be burning more calories than you’re used to and that can leave you feeling hungry! That’s normal since you’ll be disrupting your body’s major goal: To maintain homeostasis. The body HATES change so you'll have to outsmart it. Here are some things to remember:
  • If you’re hoping to lose wight, you will need to feel hungry. Hunger is not an emergency, it’s a sensation (just like having to pee is very rarely an emergency). In fact, if you’re starting to exercise consistently and your goal is weight loss, feeling hungrier than usual is a GREAT sign! It means you’re in a calorie deficit which is what you need to lose weight! So while your body is telling you to find food to stop the hunger, allow yourself to feel hungry for 30-60 minutes before meals. I'm oversimplifying this a bit but hopefully you get the gist :) 
  • If your goal is weight and muscle gain, focus on increasing your whole food intake (specifically lean proteins since they are the building blocks of muscles!). Just because you want to make gainz does not mean you'll want to do it by eating as much candy as you can.​

• It’s OK to say, “I hate this.” I was never an exerciser growing up and certainly never thought I’d fall in love with lifting weights. Sports were so not me so my physical activity was dancing (tap was my favorite!). A lot of my clients are in this boat, too, and I often hear, “I HATE exercise,” when I first meet them. You know what? That’s totally OK! Kudos to you for showing up to even try this thing you hate! I’d ask for an open mind, though. Might your disdain for exercise stem from a bad past experience? Could there be a chance to start liking the process if you were around the right people? Are there ways you LIKE moving your body? There are more and more forms of exercise out there that I KNOW it’s just a matter of staying patient and open to new things and you'll find your "thing".
• Be realistic with your timeline. I asked my client Allison what she wishes she'd known when she started working out. She shared, "Mostly, I wish I'd had more realistic expectations about the amount of time and effort I'd need to put in to see real results. I figured, welp, going from no exercise to some exercise should make a difference right away! Lol. Similarly, I wish I'd realized how important the accompanying dietary changes would be to my progress--I figured I wasn't eating that poorly to begin with so I didn't even address it for a while." Everyone has their own timeline. Once she found a dietary change that worked for her and she increased her exercise, she was able to speed up her weight loss and drop the weight she'd been looking to lose. I think she would have reached her initial goal eventually, though it would have taken longer. The beautiful thing is that now she's got the skills to know how changes happen which means she'll be able to take those skills with her for life! (And, if you read that piece about what you're willing to do to reach your goals, here's an update: Allison did lose those 5lbs she wanted to lose for vacation.)

I get so excited when people want to exercise or eat healthier and get so bummed when the novelty wears off. This is a lifestyle change and, just like it takes time to settle into a new city or a new relationship or a new job, it takes time to settle into a new lifestyle. So carry on and take your steps! And please contact me if you need anything!

Ah, summer: Prime time for chips and guac and margaritas at rooftop bars; rosé poolside almost literally all day; barbecued burgers and brats and buttered-up corn on the cob. We're outside! We're socializing! We're making almost any excuse to spend time outside with friends or go out of town and a lot of the time this can revolve around food, drink and more food.

So what if you don't want to GAIN weight this summer but still want to have fun? This is NOT a post about what to eliminate during this glorious season. It's not about deprivation or missing out or letting the YOLO monster come out and play. Enjoying the summer treat bounty every once in a while will not derail your health status! You can easily end up feeling wrecked by the time fall comes around, though, when "every once in a while" becomes a daily to multiple-times-a-day practice and self-awareness is nowhere to be found.

In the spirit of a fun-filled summer that won't leave you angry, here are my top four summer nutrition skills to practice, whether you want to maintain or you still want to lose weight this season.
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• Track snacks and drinks. Why? Because tracking snacks and drinks gives you the opportunity to pause and make sure you really want the them. Like I said, this isn't about deprivation. And it's not about shame, either; there shouldn’t be ANY judgement associated with this tracking practice. It’s just a way to stay aware. Because, come on. It’s easy to forget you’re on glass number four of that rosé by the pool.
  • HOW TO: You can do this any number of ways but the one that fits YOUR needs will be the best one. Do you use your phone's Notes app a lot? Or are you more of a pen and paper person? Do you only want to track snacks in the evening? Or all of the snacks and drinks all day and night? It's really up to you and how you'll best set yourself up for success.
• Pre-determine meal portions. Why? Because we tend to eat what’s in front of us. Think about the BBQs you might attend in the summer. If they're anything like the ones I've gone to, tables are lined with all of those BBQ items I mentioned above, along with tasty dips and chips, and cheese and crackers, cookies and brownies and... You get the idea. If they're right in front of you, you'll likely go to town, right? It's often an invitation to graze and overfill the plate. But what if you had a game plan ahead of time? Choosing how much of what ends up in front of us will be consumed helps us eat to contentment rather than eating to the point of feeling really full and gross.
  • HOW TO: You can do a few things here. You can decide ahead of time that you will share a full portion of something with a friend. You can decide that you'll go up to the spread a certain number of times the whole time you're there (for example, make an appetizer plate, a main course plate and a dessert plate and stay away from the grazing). If you're headed to a restaurant, you can choose to eat half of your plate and then pack up the rest. There's no wrong way to do this as long as you're making active choices.
• Drink more water. Why? Because it’s hot out! The more you sweat the more you should drink water. Drinking more water can also keep us from feeling hungry (when we're actually just thirsty) and can stave off the craving for calorie-containing beverages or snacks!
  • HOW TO: Increasing water intake can take trial and error but above all, increase your intake by a reasonable amount day by day. In other words, don't go from drinking one 8-oz cup of water to all eight immediately or you'll be spending a LOT more time in the loo. Beyond that, make sure you carry a water bottle with you wherever you go (these are great for travel since they get smaller and smaller as you drink) or keep a tall glass at your desk. I personally know I drink way more with a straw so I fill up a mason jar and sip sip sip until it's gone! (Then I refill.) Again (and I hope you're seeing a trend by now), there's no wrong way to do this as long as it works for YOU.
• Choose the best option in front of you. Why? Because summer brings with it vacations and BBQs, places we often think we have no “best” option at all. The practice of making active choices, though, means we take responsibility for our actions. In fact, clients have reported enjoying their choice of the "best" food more than if they'd consumed it thinking they had no good options to begin with. So whether you're left with the decision to eat either a brat or a burger, choose which one you feel is best for you at that particular time and savor it!
  • HOW TO: I pretty much summed it up above. Remember: We're not running out of food here. You WILL have a chance to eat another brat one day if you chose the burger this time. The choice doesn't always have to be what we think is the "healthiest". Sometimes "best" doesn't mean "healthiest" and that is OK! YOU'RE in charge, you're the one making the decision. That's got to feel pretty powerful, right?

At the end of the day, you want to be able to look back at a summer when memories were made, the company of friends and family was enjoyed and let the food and drinks take a back seat. I hope these nutrition skills and habits can make it easier to enjoy this season as wholeheartedly as you can.

Cheers to y'all!

If you have any questions or comments or are looking for nutrition coaching, please leave them in the comments section below or reach me directly at izzy@izzyfit.com!

I was having a conversation with a client last week about her weight loss goal. This client -- let's call her Amy --  has lost 20 pounds over this last year and wants to lose those "last five pounds" in a month, just in time for a beach vacation. 

First, I'd like to point out: Amy has CLEARLY demonstrated that she can put in the work, both with exercise and nutrition, to lose weight safely and I have no doubt she can reach her goal. Girl's got skills! So why not say, "More power to you, let's do this!"?

Here's Thing One: Like me, Amy enjoys yummy food and an occasional cocktail and summer in Chicago is full of those.

Here's Thing Two: Like I said, it's summer. We're out of hibernation, being more social and therefore presented with more opportunities to accept (or decline) the offer of the aforementioned food and cocktails. And after this LONG winter we had, I personally don't want to limit my frolicking time being out and about.

Here is Thing Three (and the most important): I want Amy to set herself up for success. Success being getting to her goal feeling happy and whole, NOT feeling deprived and frustrated. You know what happens when people's diet/lifestyle regimen leave them feeling deprived and frustrated? Weight gain boomerang/depression/feeling isolated and miserable. WHO WANTS THAT?

So my first question to her was: What are you willing to do to lose just over one pound a week for the next month? 

As Gary John Bishop explains in his book, Unf*k Yourself (I highly recommend the audiobook), we often lament about what we don't have, who we aren't. One example he uses is "Why aren't I rich?" His answer, posed as a series of questions, went something like this:
"Are you willing to put in the work it takes to make it to become the next [insert name of a millionaire here]?"
"Are you willing to miss major holidays with loved ones to make the extra money?"
"Are you willing to put the most important relationships in your life aside to put work first?"
"Are you willing to never have a vacation without emails and phone calls for an extended period of your life?"

Obviously for some people the answer to those questions is "yes" and that's awesome! Just as awesome as it is for people to say "no" because then it is an active and informed choice. 

When it comes to fitness and aesthetic goals, we are very good at stating what we want and lamenting what we aren't. We want to lose the last five pounds; we want six-pack abs; we want to run a marathon. 

What we're not so great at is asking ourselves what we're willing to do to reach those goals.

Here are some questions I asked Amy regarding her goal of losing five pounds in a month:
"Are you willing to cut back on portion sizes during all of your meals?"
"Are you willing to feel hungry for 30-60 minutes before each meal?"
"Are you willing to cut out all snacks out for the next 4 weeks?"
"Are you willing to keep alcohol consumption to maybe 1 drink per week or 1 dessert per week?"
"Are you willing to put in 4-5 workouts per week, 2 with me and 2-3 on your own?"
Like I said before, this girl's got skills. I know she CAN do all of the above. But is she WILLING.

I don't know what her decision is yet and that's frankly neither here nor there as far as this story is concerned. The point is, we often set goals for ourselves that make us feel like losers when we don't reach them. And that's sad because it doesn't have to be that way.

I want to leave you with four ways to set a goal and reach it:
1. Write down your goal and by when you'd like to reach it.
2. Break the goal down into multiple actionable steps (ex. to lose 1 lb per week I need to cut out/burn 3500 calories; to do that I will need to do x, y, z and a, b, c).
3. Put the steps into a timeline.
4. Assess your timeline and actionable steps. Can you execute your plan while still feeling happy and whole? Yes? Great! No? Can you make the goal more realistic? (ex. lose the last 5 pounds in 2 months or lose 3 pounds in one month) Can you make the actionable steps more appealing and doable? (ex. I can happily limit my summer rosé intake to 3 glasses per week rather than 1 glass per week) 

Friends: Rethinking your goals and what you're willing to do to reach them (also known as taking a good, hard look at your values) does NOT make you a failure. It makes you a rockstar who might be finally freed of the shoulds and coulds and the why-am-I-nots. 

(Usually) we don't reach our goals because we don't do all that we should have done to get there in the timeline we gave ourselves.

(Usually) that happens because we don't know how to break down the goal and make a plan and timeline.

And we don't know what we don't know until we know it! So take the steps above and run with them! Set yourself up for the win! Be the rockstar you are ON YOUR TERMS.

​Or, as Gary John Bishop bluntly says, unf*k yourself. ​

Have something to say? Please leave a comment below!
Want to chat about how IzzyFit can help? Shoot me an email at izzy@izzyfit.com or call 312-497-8999!

I love cooking but, like most of you, I also feel crunched for time. I joined the Instant Pot bandwagon at the end of last year and let me tell you: It's the best appliance I've bought and the one I use the most thanks to it's magical time-saving abilities. 

Since I've played around with it for a while, I thought I'd share one of my favorite lunches to pack for the week: Salsa Chicken (which I got from NomNom Paleo) with Sweet Potatoes and Cabbage Slaw!  Keep in mind that you can absolutely still make this if you don't have an Instant Pot :)

Ready? Let's make it!

INGREDIENTS (makes lunch for 1 for 5 days):
5 small sweet potatoes (I LOVE the bagged sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's because they're so tiny)
1 cup water
1-2 lbs chicken breast, depending on how many oz you want (aim for 3-5oz)
Salt and any other seasoning you'd like to use, to taste
1 jar of your favorite salsa
1 bag already-made chopped cabbage slaw to save time
Cilantro, chopped
Avocado if desired

For the Sweet Potatoes:
- Pour 1 cup of water into your Instant Pot
- Place a steamer into the Pot
- Place your small sweet potatoes in the steamer
- Close the lid and make sure the vent is closed
- Press the Pressure Cook button and set the time to 4 minutes (or up to 10 if you like your sweet potatoes really soft)
- When the 4 minutes are up, let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally (this can take 10 minutes or so)
- Open the lid and carefully place the cooked sweet potatoes into a bowl and let cool; once cool, you can take the skin off (it should easily slide off the potatoes)
- IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN INSTANT POT, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place sweet potatoes on the sheet (you can poke the potatoes with a fork to make a few holes, too). Cover the sweet potatoes with foil and bake for 45-60 minutes.

For the Salsa Chicken:
- Season both sides of your chicken breasts with salt and whatever seasoning if you'd like (I love the Spice House's Chipotle Chili Powder)
- Place the chicken in the Instant Pot
- Pour your jar of salsa on top of the chicken
- Close the lid, making sure the vent is closed, press the Pressure Cook button, setting the timer for 7 minutes
- As soon as the timer goes off, open up the vent for a quick release
- Open the lid and place the chicken in a separate bowl so it can cool and not dry out
- Once cool, shred the chicken (either with two forks or with clean hands)
- IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN INSTANT POT: You can still make this in a slow cooker by following all of the same steps and then either cooking on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours

TO PUT IT TOGETHER:
- Line up all of your Salsa Chicken fixings in a line along with your lunch containers (I love these)
- I started by putting in the sweet potatoes, and then the cabbage slaw...

- I then topped the slaw with the Salsa Chicken
- Chopped some cilantro on top
- I'll dice 1/4 of an avocado into my container daily so it doesn't get all brown and icky during the week...

And voilà! A yummy, well-balanced meal that should carry you through your day without a mid-afternoon slump that didn't take all day to make!

​Enjoy!

​​1. Breathe!
​Imagine your torso is a balloon. Balloons fill up on all sides and you’re going to do the same thing! As you lay on your back with your feet on the floor (or elevated like the video above), don’t just focus on your stomach lightly rising but also your sides and back. Breathe for 2 minutes or so.

Other tips and tricks:

• Keep the plant you’re working on as close to your body as you can if possible. The further away a weight is from the center of your body, the more your low back has to get into the action. 
• Take breaks! Try not to stay in a crouched position for too long at a time. In fact, you can do any of the above resets as your break!
• If you tend to garden crouched on one knee, try alternating legs as you move through your garden.
• If you’re in the thick of planting/weeding/etc and your knees are bent for longer periods of time, pay attention to how you sit for the rest of the day. Stay away from crossing your legs or sitting in the criss-cross-applesauce position. ​

I hope these help you all feel as good as possible, friends! Please let me know how you do (or if you have questions) in the comments below!

Know what you need to recharge from your day and don’t apologize for it.
Whether you’re an extrovert, and introvert or both (an ambivert!), you may need different ways to relax and recharge!

Introverts’ batteries recharge with alone time (that means alone. Like, away from partners, kids, parents, etc, no matter how much they love them). Extroverts are the opposite! Their batteries deplete with TOO much alone time. And then there’s the Ambivert, who possesses traits from both the Introvert and the Extrovert which means it can be a little tricker to hone in on the best ways to reduce stress.

Since most people fall into the Ambivert category, I thought we’d take inventory of the flow of our days:

• What time of the day are you the most alert and ready to face the day?
• What time of the day are you typically looking to find some peace and quiet?
• What situations are currently causing you to feel stress/dread/anger/etc?
• What situations are currently causing you to feel calm/optimistic/energized/etc?
• How can you use your answers to maximize the good feelings and minimize the bad?
  
  

Are you putting yourself into situations that deplete more than recharge? Exercise can be a fantastic way to blow off steam and reduce stress but as this Fast Company article points out, if you’re an introvert who’s going to large group classes, it may be causing more stress than stress relief. I can absolutely relate to this, even though I’m largely an ambivert. I go to a different gym than the one I own for my training (SHOCKING!). It has a larger group training model and while I absolutely love going on Saturday mornings, I was giving myself a very hard time for consistently skipping weekday evening classes. It wasn’t until I sat down and really examined WHY I was skipping that I understood: I am MUCH more extroverted and alert in the mornings (which is good because that’s when I see clients!). By the end of the day, though, I need time alone to recharge that battery and working out in a large group setting was too anxiety-inducing. So I found a different gym near my house where I can plug in my earphones, and get my own 1-on-1 time with exercise! And it feels luxurious every time.

When you sit for a few hours and then stand up, do you sometimes think, “Oh, wow, I feel so achy and stiff”? Do you ever feel that way after getting out of bed in the morning? I do. It makes sense; you’ve been staying in the same position (or awkwardly tossing and turning) for 6-8 hours! Even if you have the most heavenly bed, your joints and muscles need to move around after that!

I’m a big believer in listening to your body. If your body is telling you it wants to move around, you do it! So below I'm sharing my six favorite morning movements (also called "resets") to help you rise and shine better than ever, inspired by Original Strength: Breathing, egg rolls, neck nods, low rockbacks, low lunges and cross crawls.  A note here: These are just some examples of how to move your body around. There are countless other variations on the below movements but these can get you started.

Just as early morning meditation can help set your intentions for the rest of the day and start you off in a nice de-stressed state, so can five minutes of moving your body. You’ll be waking up your vestibular, visual and parasympathetic nervous systems, which is a fancy way of saying your sense of balance, coordination and well-being will LIGHT UP first thing in the morning! ​

Ready? Let's get to it!

1. BREATHING
We do it every day. But are we getting the most out of it? A lot of us breathe with the accessory muscles in our necks and chest, rather than taking full diaphragmatic breaths. This can cause musculoskeletal "tightness" up and down our bodies, putting us in a chronic state of fight or flight.  

HOW TO DO IT: Get into a comfortable position on your back or stomach. Feet can be on the floor with knees bent or extended or you can hold your knees to your chest. Your arms can be at your sides, on your stomach, or overhead. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and breathe in and out through your nose (helping your breath get deeper into your body than when you breathe through your mouth). Breathe in nicely and slowly and exhale nicely and slowly.  You can even try counting to five on your inhale and five on your exhale. Do this for a good minute or two.

2. EGG ROLLS
We live in a very linear world where we only move forward and backward. But the body needs rotation in its life! So let's give it what it needs and roll like an egg on a counter!

HOW TO DO THEM: Hold on to your knees. To roll onto one side, look with your eyes first. When your eyes go first your head will follow and then your body will follow! Make sure you breathe the whole time you roll, even during parts where you might feel "stuck". 

The cool thing about looking with your eyes first is that it helps your brain take in a lot of information as you work through the movement. This can ultimately help with spatial relation and balance. It also allows your neck to chill out and not do so much work. AND, the cool thing about rolling around on the floor (or bed or yoga mat) is that your body's nerve endings get a LOT of stimulation which ALSO feeds your brain and wakes you up. Start with 10 egg rolls or so to get going (you can always do more if you want!). 

3. NECK NODS
Where the head goes, the body follows. And since our heads are typically buried in a computer or phone or tablet, think about what that's doing to our spines! Have you noticed that some people whose heads jut out in a forward posture tend to have scooped-under pelvises (almost as if their pelvis is trying to catch their head)? Think about how that must feel up and down the body!

Posture is a reflex and if you can't control your head, no amount of "core work" will get you standing tall. So by doing neck nods, we can regain some head control and help improve our posture! (This is a great write-up of why neck nods are so darn good; I highly recommend it, it goes into a lot of detail!)

HOW TO DO THEM: Roll onto your stomach and prop yourself up on your forearms; if you feel any pinchiness in your lower back, move your arms forward slightly. Keeping your tongue on the roof of your mouth, look up toward the ceiling. Let your head follow. Now, look down your shirt and let your head follow. It doesn’t matter right now where you breathe in and out as long as you actually DO breathe in and out. Don’t go into a range of motion that triggers pain or dizziness, either. Find YOUR range of motion.

If you think that movement feels pretty good, wait until you do the next step: Look behind you (I like to say, "Look between your feet with your eyes," and then let your head and spine follow). Do take it slowly so you don’t get dizzy, and don’t forget to breathe.     

A note on dizziness: If you get dizzy often or ever suffer from vertigo, work on moving just your eyes. You'll still be giving your vestibular system a workout. And if your dizziness/vertigo persists, see a doctor. Do 10-20 neck nods up-and-down and side-to-side.

4. LOW ROCKBACKS
As babies, we rocked as a precursor to crawling, which helped us develop our gait pattern (the way we walk)! Rocking also helped our spines develop their S curve! Rocking is, essentially, the coolest.

HOW WE DO THIS: Get on all fours, with your knees under your hips and elbows under your shoulders. Keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth and your eyes on the horizon. Then, rock forwards and backwards as you breathe in and out through your nose! If this position feels uncomfortable, do some rockbacks on your hands (check out this handy tutorial). Do 10-20 low rockbacks.

5. LOW LUNGES WITH CHEST & HIP OPENER
I really just like this one because it feels super-duper great. :) It also helps separate your legs from each other and encourages some of that awesome mid-spine rotation we rarely get.

HOW TO DO IT: Place one leg in front of you, knee bent with your heel under your knee. Lengthen the other leg behind you, letting your hips relax down toward the floor. Now, place your hands on the floor to the inside of your front leg. (Whew, that was a mouthfull!) Reach your inside arm down and away from your body and feel the stretch between your shoulder blades. Let your eyes follow your hand. Then, reach that same hand up toward the ceiling, letting your eyes follow once more. Remember to breathe through this! Do 5-10 on each side.

6. CROSS CRAWLS
Now you're probably ready to stand :) So go ahead and get tall and let's tie the two sides of your body and brain together before you get on with the rest of your morning!

Here's the deal with cross crawls: By touching one side of your body to the other, you are letting the right and left sides of your brain communicate. This does WONDERS for balance, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness. 

And since this maneuver lights up your neurological system, it can be a great pick-me-up during those mid-afternoon slumps at work!

HOW TO DO THEM: Stand tall and place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, breathing in and out through your nose. Bring your hand, forearm, or elbow and your opposite knee together; make physical contact. Then do it on the other side! The idea here is that one side of your body is crossing your midline to touch the other side of your body so you can even touch your hand to your opposite shin or foot! Play with tempo here, too! Can you do this slowly AND quickly? Do 15-20 on each side.

Y'all! I'm so excited for you to try these moves to start your day off right! This routine shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes tops every morning, but the benefits will last throughout the day (and much, much longer if you make it a habit!).

I'd LOVE to hear your feedback so if you're trying these out, leave me a comment below!