Hey Reader, When I was in my first yoga teacher training program, 20 years ago, sequencing came naturally to me. I had trained as a dancer prior to yoga, but more importantly, I am really good at puzzles and patterns. Fitting poses together in a sequence or over the course of a 60 minute class was a fun challenge for me. I got really good at leading my students through a class that never threw anything at them that they were not well prepared for. Smart sequencing is one of my teaching...
11 days ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, It's that time of year again. That special time when we spend hours in the car, in traffic, in long lines at airports, and on airplanes traveling to spend some time with the people we love. Travel can be so stressful and that stress can take a toll on your body. And it's not just the stress of travel that can make your body feel achey. Sitting in cramped spaces with little ability to move for long stretches of time can also make your body feel tense and tight and just generally...
18 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, Just popping into your inbox with a quick reminder that the Strength Training Basics workshop I'm offering is happening tomorrow, Friday November 21st at 11am ET. If you're newer to strength training, starting can feel overwhelming and intimidating. What weights should you get? How many reps should you do and how many sets of an exercise should you do? And even if you've been strength training for awhile, there are other questions that come up that you might not have an easy...
21 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, When I was brand new to strength training, I had no idea what I was doing.I was around a year postpartum with my first child.Yoga wasn't cutting it in my recovery after giving birth and I wanted to feel strong again, so I started taking HIIT classes online. I loved the HIIT classes and I'm forever grateful to that first teacher (Sarah Kusch) because she really did know her stuff and did a really good job giving basic tips for making smart choices in HIIT style classes. Still, I...
25 days ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, I love core work. I might be in the minority and believe me, I get it. Core work is not easy. But getting stronger is also not easy. And while core work won't help me build bone density or help me build the larger muscle groups of my body, doing core work helps in other ways: More trunk stability when I'm doing heavier lifts More support and stability through functional movement like walking, running, twisting, and picking up my kids Moving with more ease generally There are...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, This morning, I woke up early to move my body like I always do. I am a person who has a daily movement practice, which is a little bit abnormal. Apparently only around 20% of women (according to a 2024 study) have an intentional daily movement practice. I like moving my body. It's also my job to teach people how to do it. And lots of evidence points to the fact that a regular (if not daily) movement practice, including resistance training and cardio, is important for health,...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, Last week I talked about how there's a lot of really bad advice out there when it comes to answering the question, "how do people find time to exercise?" Part of the problem is that lots of folks see exercise as an all or nothing endeavor. If you can't do a "full workout" it's not worth it. Except science doesn't back that up. Current science suggests that small bursts of movement or exercise are as beneficial as longer workouts. The point is to keep moving as you get older,...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, Earlier this week, while I was reading on substack, I noticed a post by a writer I'd never heard of. She asked, "How do people find time to exercise?" The person who posted this is a substack bestseller, meaning she has 10's of thousands of paid subscribers. I have 10's of 4. But anyway, because she has thousands upon thousands of subscribers, she got lots of answers to this question and reading them was entertaining. One person suggested that you pretend your pilates and spin...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, This week I lifted the heaviest weight I've ever lifted. It's the result of working with an amazing coach (big shout out to Alison Heilig of Miles to Go Athletics) who has helped me learn how to lift heavy in a smart, efficient way. It's the result of adding strength training to my movement practice years ago when only doing yoga wasn't really helping me recover postpartum. But it's also the result of something else. This leads me to my Movement Snack this week. Movement Snack...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read