Hate Cardio?

I love cardio. Most people do not. This article over on The PT DC has a good look at why cardio is important (you probably live longer and better) and ways to make it less hateful if you don't enjoy doing it.

Don't Hate Cardio, Fix It

Heat or Ice?

Dr. Jared Cooper, the physical therapist I personally go to, is a wealth of valueable information.

In this video he covers heat vs. ice.

"Ice it!" was the answer to everything for as long as I can remember.

Then, not that long ago, the answer was, "Ice is bunk! It doesn't do anything!"

Naturally, the answer is more complicated than "only heat" versus "only ice." They both have their specific uses.

Ice vs. Heat

Sleep Improvement by Joel Jamieson

Joel Jamieson put up an excellent post on sleep and how to improve it to improve fitness.



Give it a look, I think it has valuable information - especially if you've never looked at sleep quality improvement as a path to better health.

Article Review - 3 Strength Exercises Everyone Should Do

You can't really go wrong with the recommendations in this article:

The Three Strength Exercises Everyone Should Do

1) Loaded Carries - simple, and there are so many ways to do them.

2) Trap Bar Deadlift - technically easier than the deadlift, and most trap bars come with higher handles to deal with deadlifting with restricted mobility. I use this as my main heavy bilateral lift with my clients. I only teach straight bar deadlifts to people who need to straight bar deadlift for other reasons. If all you need to do is get stronger, we keep with the trap bar.

3) Squats - some variation of the squat is critical. I generally teach a lunge, though, rather than a traditional squat. If you can trap bar deadlift, and you can lunge, you can pretty much execute most daily life movements while utilizing what you've built in the gym. Still, a lunge is ultimately a single-leg variation of a squat.

Good stuff from Greg Nuckols.