In today’s fast paced society, many people are looking for ‘the quick fix’ to feel, look and be stronger. The market is saturated with supplements, pills, and products promising to add strength and years to your life. Athletes are often the ones to fall victim to those seductive claims. With millions of dollars at stake,… Read more »
Fitness
I have many clients who come to me wanting to lose weight quickly but don’t know how. They’ve tried dieting, aerobic exercise, even many of the fad exercise weight loss programs seen on TV. Nothing seems to work. What is often overlooked is that in order to lose weight, you need to challenge your muscle,… Read more »
We are lucky to have a variety of fun and inspiring opportunities here in the Coachella Valley to get healthy, or to remain so. Sometimes it is more fun, and often more successful, to participate in an activity as part of a group working together to achieve a shared goal. Studies support the many benefits… Read more »
Erich Obst, 65 Erich is an 18-year Palm Desert resident who just completed the 2013 “Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.” Known as one of the toughest competitions of its kind, Alcatraz consists of a mile and a half swim in the 51 degree waters of the San Francisco Bay (from ‘The Rock’ to the beach), followed… Read more »
Warm summer days are upon us and with them, more sticky sweat–not only working out, but while simply on the go. The Desert Health® team was recently introduced to a refreshing natural solution, Action Wipes. Made with select plant-derived essential oils like tea tree, eucalyptus, and frankincense, Action Wipes are naturally antibacterial and antifungal. They… Read more »
Over the past 20 years, our nation has become a computer-driven, sit-on-the-couch society. The urge to text a friend, write on your Facebook page, or play violent video games has become second nature for our children. Most schools across the country have either eliminated physical education classes past the tenth grade or have not made… Read more »
Get on your helmets and bike shorts and get ready to a race around the rolling hills of France! The Coachella Valley Health Collaborative kicks off its second 2013 Healthy Lifestyle Challenge April 1 – July 31 with the “Tour de France” Challenge. This virtual interactive challenge follows the 2011 Tour de France route starting… Read more »
There aren’t too many golfers in the world that can say they haven’t experienced some sort of soft tissue injury as a result of playing golf. It comes with the territory, and even the pros routinely go out with soreness, sprains and tears. The number one golf-related injury is the back, followed by the wrist… Read more »
Golf is a billion dollar industry. It is the fastest growing sport with very expensive equipment. The average golfer will practice or play 4 days a week, and spend several hours watching golf shows, videos and reading books to hit the ball a few extra yards. To further enhance their play, golfers spend $1500-$2500 annually… Read more »
The Coachella Valley Health Collaborative kicks off its 2013 Healthy Lifestyle Challenge in January. Nearly 2,000 Coachella Valley residents participated in the collaborative’s 2012 Challenge recording more than 500 million steps (or 242,000 miles!). Participation doubled from the year before and is expected to increase significantly in the Challenge’s third year. Geared toward local organizations,… Read more »
In our 20’s and 30’s, health and fitness are a priority. As we get into our 50’s, it often becomes less of a priority. This is a major issue facing society today. Healthy lifestyle and fitness is crucial to maintaining muscular and skeletal systems. Staying fit has been shown to prevent many of today’s chronic… Read more »
The holidays are here. And what often comes with holiday cheer is not-so-joyful weight gain, fatigue, cold and flu. So how do we enjoy our favorite time of year and avoid the accompanying ails? Watch portion sizes. First of all, we can be conscious of how much we are eating and drinking. Excess sugar in… Read more »
Most people don’t look at golfers as athletes, but when you break down the swing, the forces generated in hitting a golf ball are quite impressive. An average golfer will swing a driver at around 80mph, while a professional can reach 120-130mph. If the body isn’t sequencing correctly, then those forces placed on the body… Read more »
Some fitness professionals will tell you that true balance is all about how much you exercise to feel good, while others will say it is based on your diet coupled with exercise – and then some will tell you that the true balance in fitness is achieved when stress reduction is achieved. Which advisor is… Read more »
Picture being on the 8th hole with your friends playing one of your favorite desert courses on a warm sunny day, when all of a sudden you feel a sharp pain in your back from trying to sink an 18-foot putt. Holding your back and in obvious pain, you can’t move. You look back in… Read more »
Just the other day I was having dinner with an old swimming buddy of mine, Mark Henderson, a former world record holder and Olympic Gold Medalist at the Atlanta Games. In other words, a phenomenal athlete. Sure, we talked about swimming. Then our conversation turned (quite unexpectedly) to yoga. Mark had begun practicing recently and… Read more »
This past May, the International Triathlon Union’s (ITU) World Triathlon Series was held in San Diego. Elite athletes from all over the world competed for international standings, and the final seats on the USA Olympic Team were awarded in both the men’s and women’s divisions. The competition was intense and featured 2,100 athletes from 16… Read more »
Life Coaching is a fairly new and rapidly growing industry. According to a recent article in USA Today, there are now over 10,000 certified life coaches nationally with programs designed for personal, business, diet, health and fitness. How does Life Coaching Work? Life Coaching differs from traditional psychological counseling because it is based on the… Read more »
There is a new therapeutic trend growing nationally, which could become very popular for the Desert’s summer residents. It involves whole body ‘chilling’ to relieve achy joints and bones. It’s called Whole Body Cryotherapy and it is as popular in Europe as massage is in the US. The science behind cryotherapy is that it significantly… Read more »
In this issue I want to highlight a tool that is growing in popularity in the fitness community and helps people become stronger and more flexible – the TRX. I have the privilege of working with one of the only Certified TRX trainers in the desert, Nik Obert, so I asked Nik a few questions… Read more »