Author: Fawnia Mondey

Do you ever feel over worked and stressed out? If so, you are not alone! According to the American Institute of Stress, Americans are more stressed than ever before and 43% of adults suffer adverse health effects as a result. A whopping 75-90% of adult visits to health care physicians are precipitated by stress-related problems! Stress also causes approximately 1 million employees to be absent on any given workday and is responsible for nearly 50% of employee burnout and 40% of employee turnover. Let’s focus now on the good news. There are a variety of stress management techniques that can…

You might often think to yourself that your diet isn’t always perfect and you need to start making better choices when it comes to healthy foods. Between family, work and running around, you might just feel tired most of the time and wonder if something is missing in your diet to provide you with the energy you used to have. If you feel that you could use more energy to get through each day, please take the next few minutes to learn these 8 nutrition tips to improve your stamina and performance. By following these tips you will be getting…

Did you know that there are a lot of people in the gym who are training to the point where they are actually getting weaker? How can this be? The answer is very simple: it’s called overtraining! Overtraining is a common problem in bodybuilding and general weight training. It occurs when the volume and intensity of the exercise exceeds an individual’s recovery capacity. When overtraining sets in, progress starts to plateau and strength may actually decrease along with a decrease in muscle size. Case Study Since New Years, Jennifer has found her fitness grove. She said farewell to her favorite…

You already know that you have to eat several times during the day, so why do so many people leave their meal planning to the very last-minute and wonder why they can never consistently follow a healthy nutrient dense diet? Below are my top three nutrition tips that anyone can start implementing right away. Turning old habits into new ones take a little bit of time but be patient and determined because these healthy behaviors will benefit you greatly in the long run. Tip #1. Cook Your Meals in Advance and Keep Everything Simple Preparing your meals in advance ensures…

Over the holidays I spent several hours on different planes and less time in the gym then I would have liked. Sure, I had two great workouts at the local Gold’s gym, but something was really affecting my lower back and it was most likely due to inactivity. Yesterday, I felt extreme pressure on my lower back area for the entire day. The feeling was like a consistent dull ache which even disturbed my sleep. This was the first time feeling something like this. I’m only 30 years old and I’m experiencing constant pain in my lower back. This is…

When I began taking weight training seriously, there were days when I felt that I needed an extra boost of energy for my workouts. As the saying goes, “what goes up must come down”, and it was a nutritional supplement called melatonin that helped me relax and enjoy a great night’s sleep. Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland which is a pea-sized structure at the center of the brain. At night, melatonin is produced to help our bodies regulate our sleep-wake cycles. The amount of  melatonin produced by our body seems to decrease as we get older. Scientists believe…

Sex is probably one of the most common and certainly the most pleasurable activities we can experience in life. Although only a handful of studies exist to help us understand and enhance the health benefits, we do know that sex is essential for the survival of the species: A study on aging from Duke in the 1970s found that for men, the frequency of sexual intercourse was associated with lower death rates. For women, the enjoyment of intercourse was associated with a longer life. A Swedish study found an increased risk of death in men who gave up sexual intercourse.…

When the typical American watches an average of 171 minutes of television a day, how can they find the time to workout and stay active? It’s obvious that a lot of people have their priorities screwed up and need to make a big change to get healthier. Where does that much television get you? For myself, in about a month of sitting on the couch watching the tube I would most likely experience these negative health effects: Slower metabolism Craving for sweets Depression Sore back Five pounds of unwanted weight gain It seems that most people who ask for fitness…

Tea may be a welcome break for buzzing coffee lovers. When your immune system is on its last leg and you have already thrown back several cups of coffee along with your pre-workout supplement, why not complete your day with a cup of all natural green tea? Asians have been enjoying the health benefits of drinking green tea for many centuries. Scientific research is now confirming 4,000 years of folklore and medicinal uses of green tea for achieving and maintaining good health. Green tea has amazing antioxidant protection benefits that are provided by the polyphenols contained in the leaf and…

Summer is a time when a lot of people jump on the fitness bandwagon believing that this is the year they will lose weight and tone up once and for all! But for many people, their enthusiasm for exercise tends to fade within weeks and eventually they realize that losing weight is a lifetime goal, not something they can accomplish in a short amount of time. If you really want to be successful at reaching your fitness goals, I have included some effective tips below to help you be a success! A few months ago, I asked five friends what motivates…