FIT BLOG:
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Have you caught the buzz? I couldn’t ignore the research coming out about it. And since I’d started lifting heavy*, it seemed like the perfect time to make this change as well. I’m referring to the benefits of taking Creatine daily vs only with heavy workouts. It’s been 5 months since I started taking 3-5mg per day. I know it’s part of the reason I feel stronger. What’s more exciting to me is how it impacted my mood and cognition. Like less brain fog. I think it’s even helping my memory. I just feel better overall since starting it. I’ve tried to make one change at a time this year to see how my body responds but of course it’s all building on each other. And sure, it could be the consistent exercise and cleaning up my diet but there was a change in my mental health that I hadn’t felt before I started it. It’s hard to describe but it’s like a shift in my level of optimism about everything. Creatine is undeniably good for your gut, heart, brain, muscles, & bones. What’s so cool are the studies on all ages and women showing that Creatine helped improve memory (short term, working, reasoning) and cognitive processing (how clear and fast you think/respond) even when under stressful conditions like lack of sleep. Higher doses (10mg+) of Creatine have been shown to help older adults maintain their mental sharpness and improve depressive symptoms. Do you see why I had to test it out for myself? You can get Creatine in certain foods like meat and fish but it’s worth deciding if you want to supplement daily considering all the health benefits, especially if you’re over 40 years old & female. 6 Tips For Taking Creatine Daily:
More Info on Creatine:
You’ll get the best results when you combine it with resistance training. I've not experienced any weird side effects or symptoms. My labs look good & I feel good so I’m keeping this one going. I aim to take it daily, but I do miss occasionally. I take it around my workouts since I do a lot of resistance training. I want to maximize my muscle building and recovery. It also helps me remember to take it. It’s OK if I miss a dose. Remember it’s about progress not perfection. I’m aiming for 80% consistency each week with all these healthy habits I like to do for my Body & Brain. What about you? Do you want to Feel Better, Have More Energy, Strong Bones, & Build Muscle Mass? If YES, then your recipe for success is…. Protein + Resistance Training + Creatine!  P.S. *How to get started lifting heavy: https://www.corepowerhealth.com/blog/why-you-should-lift-heavy-after-50
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You probably know someone that has had a concussion at some point in their life, but did you know it’s considered a mild brain injury? In honor of National Concussion Awareness Day, I’ve got some prevention & recovery tips to share with you. Can you guess the #1 cause of brain injuries? It’s not sports or motor vehicle accidents. It’s FALLS especially in our youngest (0-4 years old) and oldest (over 65 years old). What do both age groups have in common? Balance issues! 75% of brain injuries fall into the mild category each year. Males are higher risk for brain injuries due to sports and higher risk-taking behaviors. Brain injuries related to motor vehicle accidents are highest in ages 20-24. 67% of females have symptoms of traumatic brain injuries due to domestic violence. Concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries are caused by a jolt or blow to the head causing the brain to bounce around inside the skull. This stretches and damages brain cells and is sometimes referred to as shearing. It’s not going to necessarily show up on CT scans or MRI's because it can be microscopic tears. 90% won’t lose consciousness. It can take 3-5 days to show signs. The brain is not a muscle, but it bruises somewhat like a muscle does when injured. Sprain your ankle and it bruises, swells, hurts. You can’t put weight on it, so you don’t walk. You slowly put more weight on it as it heals. What bruising looks like in the brain is headache, dizziness, nausea, difficulty reading, irritability in noisy environments, light sensitivity, memory issues, confusion etc. While it’s healing, the brain needs to avoid taking another hit. It needs time to recover. REST is key. Unlike a sprained ankle, you can’t see it so it’s hard to decide when it’s safe to go back to normal activities. Headaches with exertion are the main reason people go to the doctor after a concussion. <<BTW always go to ER if you have a headache after a brain injury>> Most concussions resolve within 1-2 weeks but 10-15% of people will have symptoms for longer. After a concussion, you can have physical, cognitive, behavioral or emotional issues. You might see changes in personality, behaviors, mood, and routines. PPCS or Persistent Post Concussive Symptoms refers to symptoms lasting > 4 weeks. In my Rehab Work, these patients have difficulty returning to work or school due to ongoing issues typically with dizziness, brain fog, decreased concentration, fatigue, anxiety, vision issues, and/or headaches. The Beauty of the Brain is its ability to rewire and heal (neuroplasticity) but it can heal in a chaotic way without the right guidance in place. It’s important to get support from a neurologist or neuro trained therapists as early as possible in order to get strategies for managing the symptoms of PPCS. You’re higher risk for PPCS if you’re:
I previously wrote a FIT Blog with tips for return to play (sports) after concussion that apply to anyone dealing with a mild brain injury or PPCS. I would emphasize that Rest & Relaxation are KEY when recovering from a concussion (mild BI). You CANNOT get too much rest. It takes time for the brain to heal. So remember to get plenty of NAPS and pull out the APPS for Relaxation Exercises to help your brain recover. Stress will SLOW and can even HALT brain healing after injury. Check out the blog post for 10 Things To Help Heal After A Concussion that’ll walk you through how to avoid stressing your brain & for tips to help support the healing process. And since dealing with a brain injury is no fun, let’s talk PREVENTION for a second. Although helmets and seatbelts are really important prevention tools, FALLS are #1 cause of brain injuries. What can you do to prevent falls? I’m so glad you asked. You want to do regular MOBILITY & AGILITY exercises especially as you age. That includes all the fascia body work, resistance band work, & balance work that I share regularly on FIT Blog, in my weekly newsletter, and in my online camps to help build your REST & RECOVERY Toolbox. In terms of fall prevention around your home, keep your paths well lit & clear of clutter. Also make sure you can handle the shoes you wear especially if they don’t have heel support (i.e. flip flops, slippers). And finally, be careful around little ones- pets & kids. Staying active & agile as you age will help prevent falls & reduce your risk for all kinds of injuries including brain injuries. If you take a hit to the head, take it seriously. Get support if you’re having symptoms or just don’t feel like yourself. It’s in your head, literally. Your brain needs support healing just like an injured muscle does. Reach out if you’re stuck or check out some additional resources below.  P.S.
--For tips on Return To Work or Sports after Concussion, check out this FIT Blog. --If you need some Brain Injury Resources for Texas, you can book a consult with me here. --If you're ready to start working on your mobility & agility, check out Mini Massage Camp. What’s one of the most important predictors of disease as you age? It’s your Waist To Hip Ratio (WHR)! I was slowly watching mine creep up as I approached 50 and then when I hit Menopause the fat distribution in my body changed almost overnight. My diet and exercise habits were the same but it felt like my belly blew up. It honestly freaked me out as I know how dangerous it can be to have high visceral fat. These past few months I’ve made some changes to my diet and exercise and it’s paid off. My WHR is significantly down which is reassuring, and I feel better overall. I’ll be share more about my journey soon but first you need to get familiar with your WHR. What’s the big deal? Visceral fat is the fat that wraps around our organs. It increases in Menopause due to hormonal changes (i.e.rise in androgens). A sign that its increasing is your waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). WHR is the ratio of your waist circumference to hip circumference. It’s a good indication of how much fat is stored on your waist, hips, and buttocks. If you want to reduce your risk for breast and uterine cancer, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, or diabetes, monitor your WHR like you would your blood pressure or glucose levels. A high WHR is associated with high risk for these diseases. Waist To Hip Ratio: How To MeasureMeasure in inches your waist and hip circumference. Divide your waist measurement from your hip circumference to get your ratio (W/H). Check what risk level you are at based on that result. Health Risk RatioWHR: Health Risk Level (For Women)
Depending on where you land for your risk level, decide if you need to make some changes in your diet, exercise, or lifestyle habits. You may be comfortable with where you are right now. I wasn’t so I made some changes that have helped me bring down my WHR while helping me feel stronger & have more energy which is why I know I’ll keep doing them. I’ll share them with you over the next few months in case you need some fat burning tools to help bring down your WHR too. In the meantime, don’t be afraid to get out your tape measurer and check your WHR. You can’t make changes if you don’t know where you’re starting.  P.S. Ready to be active & agile at any age? Download your FREE Relaxed Body Toolkit to get started here.
**Note- I'm delaying the final blog post of our Water Exercise Series to share some Rest & Recovery Tools I shared with our newsletter community after the devastating 4th of July floods in Central Texas. We are sending so much love to all of those impacted by this tragedy & gratitude to all of the responders who continue to support these communities. XO- Mollie & Ender It’s been heartbreaking to see how many lives have been impacted by the extreme flooding in the TX Hill Country this past weekend. We're grateful for the fast emergency response to help victims & the heroic efforts of the young camp counselors who responded so bravely to a horrific situation in the middle of the night. July 4th weekend is THE busiest time of the year for Texans to head to our rivers for camping & tubing. It’s just what Texans do for fun but also to survive the summer heat. You really aren’t a true Texan unless you’ve floated along the Guadalupe River at some point in your life. It’s hard to fully comprehend how much joy the rivers bring with how much devastation they're capable of. If you’re connected to anyone that has been directly impacted, please know we’re sending you all so much love. It’s times like these where your body needs extra loving care to support processing the emotions, stress, and trauma it’s experiencing. It needs more Rest & Recovery to remind it to calm down even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time. If you’re not sleeping or physically exhausted (i.e. heavy or burning sensation in your muscles, sloppy movements or poor posture, decreased balance or coordination, or feeling weak or stiff in your muscles) from the stress, your Rest Rx is to take NAP BREAKS. 3 Types of Naps:
If you’re sleeping OK but showing signs of stress (i.e. restlessness, anxiety, worry, heart or mind racing, rapid breathing, difficulty concentrating, numbness, or muscles tension in your neck/shoulders/hips), your Rest Rx is to take RELAXATION BREAKS. 6 Stress Cycle Busters (Relaxation Breaks): When you’re stressed, your brain goes into protection mode. It signals to turn on your sympathetic nervous system (i.e. fight, flight or freeze mode). It’s the opposite of your healing mode. You can help your body complete the stress cycle by giving it the cue that it’s safe to move back into relaxed mode & calm your nervous system by using any of these strategies as Relaxation Breaks:
You don’t have to do all of these to help your body recover & reset during stressful times. Start with one that sounds soothing & doable. Check in with your body. It’ll tell you what it needs to calm down & feel better. You'll know you've turned on your Relaxed Body when you feel a shift - sense of relief, yawning, goose bumps, a deep breath are all signs you've completed a stress cycle. Be mindful of how much news & social media you’re taking in right now about this tragedy. It’s likely triggering a stress response in your brain & body. Definitely limit it a few hours before bed as it can disrupt your sleep. If you want to do more for the areas impacted, World Central Kitchen is on the ground feeding Central Texans and the search & rescue crews. You can donate to support their efforts here. Be extra kind to yourself right now! I found comfort in this story about Hazel, the Camp La Junta dog, that scratched on the door of a cabin to alert the campers of rising water and waited with them until they were all safe (Texas Monthly shared about it). It's not a common dog name but it's my mother's name (who passed away in 2003). Grieve the loss but always find the hope, love, & helpers out there as well (even if it's coming from our furry friends).  P.S. Want more strategies to go from your Stressed to your Relaxed Body? Download the Relaxed Body Toolkit & Daily Energy Planner here.
What if I told you there is one thing you could do to:
Would you do it? If that’s a hell YES, then it’s time to add more FIBER to your diet. It’s been on my radar ever since my GI doc told me after my colonoscopy to eat more fiber (even though it was normal). My dad had colon cancer and my mom had breast cancer so I did a deep dive and realized I wasn't getting enough fiber throughout the day. I’ve been intentional ever since about eating high fiber foods at every meal and snack. And it has made a HUGE difference. Less bloating. Things are flowing. Better energy. Most of the foods that have high fiber are also Superfoods that give your brain the fuel it needs to do its job. A Win Win! FIBER CHECK UPDaily Goal: Aim for a minimum of 25 grams of fiber. How many of these high fiber foods in your diet? **Fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds, whole grains, legumes are all high in fiber.
**Flaxseed and Chia Seeds are a great source of fiber & easy to sprinkle onto anything or add to a smoothie. **More high fiber foods: peas, black beans, garbanzo beans, broccoli, collard greens, Brussel sprouts, potatoes, chickpeas **Even whole wheat tortillas and popcorn! How much fiber do you think you're getting each day? What can you tweak? Which foods sound good to add to your shopping list this week? Fiber will help you feel full longer, support your gut health, AND it’s a great way to get rid of constipation. All that extra weight in your bowels when you're backed up is pressing on your bladder and can overstretch your pelvic floor muscles. It’s normal to go daily if not more than that. Think about a baby and how they eat and poop, eat and poop, etc. It’s not normal to skip a few days. Fiber is one piece of the puzzle to helping you get back to normal. If you need some more help, remember the Seated Twist can help your digestion & get things flowing. Always go slow with adding fiber to your diet and drink LOTS of water or you can experience some uncomfortable gas and bloating as you bump it up. It helps me to make sure I’m eating it throughout the day just like I do with protein at every meal and snack. I’ve been doing this consistently enough that I can tell when I’m not getting enough fiber each day. Everything slows down- my energy and my bowels. And the C-R-A-V-I-N-G-S kick in. Fill your up your home with high fiber foods to help your gut stay healthy and do its job. Your body & brain will be super grateful!  P.S. Ready to be active & agile at any age? Download your FREE Relaxed Body Toolkit to get started here.
Today's the day! Time to Celebrate Earth Day AND National Beagle Day! Beagles & Nature- 2 of my favs that bring me so much joy. Here are 5 ways to tweak how you SHOP so you can make healthier choices for not only your Body & Home but also Animals and the Environment: 1. Shop Cruelty Free: Look for the BUNNY LABEL to find brands that don’t do testing on animals especially beagles & rabbits. Download the cruelty cutter app to make it easier to shop cruelty free. Check that all your skin care, cosmetics, and household cleaning products have the bunny on them. 2. Shop with Certified B Corporations™: B Corps are for profit businesses that commit to balance both profit and purpose. These brands meet legal standards to consider not only the needs of their customer and employees in their decision making but also the environment and larger global community. Check the labels of products you already buy from and see if they are one. 3. Chemical Free Home: keep chemicals, plastics and pesticides out of your home.
4. Clean Eating:
5. Donate: Find organizations that help the environment & find their brand partners (like seatrees.org has on their webpage or Climate Neutral and 1% For The Planet). The brands you choose matter for not only you and your home but our planet. OVER TO YOU: What's ONE thing you can change about how you SHOP that'll help support your Body, Home & the Environment? BONUS MOVES: In honor of National Beagle Day, add some Yoga "Dog" Poses to help you stretch and strengthen your core. You can do all of these on a counter or wall if you don't have the shoulder range of motion to do them on the floor. Warm up a little before you do them. Listen to your Body & do the ones that you can do with good form and still breathe well. You can either pick one move & do a few reps of it or do a few sets of the entire sequence.  Now get outside & celebrate this beautiful Earth (& National Beagle) Day!  P.S. Every sale of our online Rest Camps support organizations that improve the health & welfare of animals including Beagles. One of our favs to support is Beagle Freedom Project. They rescue and rehome beagles & other animals who have been used for lab testing in the U.S. and abroad. They also work tirelessly to champion laws & legislation to ban the cruel practice of animal testing nationwide.
Get on the interest list for our next online Rest Camp here. It's not looking so hot for the wildflowers in Central Texas this year. In fact, the nights have been dropping into the 40’s. I’ve seen a few patches of bluebonnets, but they don’t seem as vibrant as last year. Kind of a bummer so far. Despite this wild Spring weather, the trees are coming through and doing their job. Now it’s our turn. Consider this your early April warning that Earth Day is coming up on Tuesday, April 22nd! The 2025 theme is “Our Power, Our Planet™.” I’ll be sharing some tips to help you explore fun, new ways to support nature and the planet. Let's start with how you can help Restore Nature: PLANT
I was super pumped to learn about Seatrees when we purchased our Tandem SUP. It's incredible to see that over 4.7 million seatrees have been planted and restored around the world. You can get involved directly through as little as a $5 donation or by purchasing from a brand you love that donates to them. When you’re done finding a way to PLANT & Restore Nature, here's a Yoga Pose to help your BODY get grounded and centered.  HOW TO DO TREE POSE
MODS: Adjust your bent leg and arm position to your level of strength and balance. *Foot position: The higher you bring your foot up your leg, the harder it is on your balance. *Knee position: The more you open your knee out to the side, the harder it is to keep your hips aligned. Imagine you have flash lights on each hip bone. Keep the light shining in front of you equally (i.e. if you twist your hips one way, the beam of light would be facing that way vs straight in front of you). *Hand position: The higher you raise your hands, the harder it is to balance. **Don't forget to check that the foot you're standing on has equal contact on the floor/ground at the ball of your foot and heel with toes spread as much as you can. Think of growing roots into the ground like a tree to help you stabilize and ground yourself. OVER TO YOU: Which one of these Nature Moves sounds fun to do? I know it can be overwhelming to think about climate change. Remember it all matters. Small moves from all of us add up just like it does when you make healthy choices for your body each day. Baby steps my friend. Find small ways that are exciting to you to support the Planet. Don't forget to BE in nature as much as possible this Spring!  P.S. Ready to go from Stressed to your Relaxed Body? Download the Relaxed Body Toolkit & Daily Energy Planner here.
Do you have some "ME" time scheduled for this Valentine's weekend? It's a great weekend to tap into some "guilt free" rest & pamper yourself energy that our hustle culture encourages around the festivities. The challenge is to give yourself permission to slow down and prioritize yourself and your daily rest practices EVERY day. So tap into that energy this weekend and keep it going because you deserve to be first on your list before nurturing everyone else. If you're not used to slowing down, you might not know what Rest Move to choose. The cool thing is your body will tell you IF you're listening. Here's a simple breathing & short meditation exercise (Cherished Body Exercise) to help you tune into what Rest Move your body needs today: LISTEN HERE Or you can read it to yourself below: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Hand on your heart or over your belly if you have tight shoulders. Close your eyes. Inhale through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Relax your shoulders. Inhale through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Soften your arms. Inhale through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Let go from head to toe. Inhale through your nose. Exhale. Ask yourself “What would I do if I cherished myself?” Inhale through your nose. Exhale. Listen to your body. “What would I do if I cherished myself?” Keep breathing. "What would I do if I cherished myself?" Keep listening. "What would I do if I cherished myself?" When you're ready. Open your eyes. What came up (a thought, a word, a picture) when you asked your body the question? What does it need to feel cherished or nourished today? How can you schedule that into your day or take one baby step toward adding that to your day? If you didn’t get an answer right away, don't worry. Tune in throughout the day as it'll probably come to you later. You can repeat the Cherished Body Exercise daily to help you tune into what your body needs each day to feel more energy, ease, & flow. Your body knows best so make sure to check in daily. It’ll tell you what it needs to feel, move, perform better. Indulge in the chocolate & flowers but also pick one thing to refresh your body & brain this weekend. Let it be the start to cherishing yourself every day. Be kind to yourself!  P.S. Need ideas on how to cherish yourself daily? Take the 12 Days of Bliss Challenge- ONE simple REST Move in just 5-10 minutes a day to help you Recharge & Reset.
Let the Adventure to a Peaceful, Playful, Powerful Body Begin- Download the FREE Challenge here. Did you get caught up in the rush this month? It’s an easy time to get swept up in the end of the year whirlwind of the holidays, vacations, and finishing projects you had planned for 2024. It’s an even better time to put on the brakes and make some space to slow down and reflect on what you really want to focus on in 2025. There’s ONE rule that can help you get clarity about any area of your life- health, fitness, relationships, finances, or career. It’s the 80/20 rule! It says that 80% of our results come from 20% of our actions. When you know what to focus on, you’ll get better results AND have more time & energy. Here’s how to use it. 80/20 EXERCISELet’s pick one area of your life that you are wanting to nail down the 20% of activities that’ll give you the best results. For this example we’ll use work or business tasks or responsibilities to make a list. Step 1: Write down all the tasks you do at work or in your business on left side of a page. Step 2: Write down your biggest wins at work or in your business on the right side of the page. Step 3: Draw a line from each big win to the task that is directly responsible for that win. Step 4: Circle the tasks that have lines drawn from them. This is your 20% that’s responsible for 80% of your results. These are the activities you want to focus your time on. Step 5: Schedule and block time for your 20% activities. Post them in your work space to remind you of them when you get overwhelmed or distracted with new shinny projects. Step 6: Work on delegating, automating, or eliminating anything that’s not on this list. Reflect each day to see if you’re doing your 20% activities. It’s OK if you get off track. No need to beat yourself up. Make a plan the next day to create some space for your 20%. Over time, you’ll do MORE of what leads to the Big Wins and LESS of what doesn’t give you the best results. Make this list for any of your daily activities that impact your health, fitness, mood, money, or relationships to find the top habits/actions that help you get the best results. OVER TO YOU What area in your life do you need to have more clarity and focus for 2025? What area in your life is draining your energy the most? Take some time this weekend to do the 80/20 exercise for that area of your life. You can do this exercise anytime you need some clarity not just at the end of the year.  P.S. Ready to Boost your ENERGY, Strengthen your JOY Muscles, & Find your FLOW to help Bring out your BLISS? Download your FREE 12 Days Of Bliss Challenge here.
Do you wake up feeling well-rested and pain-free on most days? Did you know that’s even possible? It is. You CAN be active & agile at any age. You’re not destined to a life of being exhausted, stiff & sore and eventually falling and breaking your hip. Stiff joints, sore muscles, and fatigue are all signs of over-training (or over-doing) and not giving your body enough rest or recovery time between your workouts and activity. Slowing down with REST gives the body time to work its MAGIC… to heal itself and get stronger. The catch... You only have so much energy (i.e. brain power) in a day. You can’t sleep your way out of exhaustion and chronic pain. It’s about knowing what types of rest to target and how to pace yourself. The first step is learning how to calm your nervous system so you can go from Stressed to your Relaxed Body. We’ll show you how in the Relaxed Body Toolkit. You’ll learn:
PLUS it includes a Bonus MINI Moves Daily Energy Planner! It’s never too late to break the habit of going too hard, too fast- THE recipe for inflammation, injury, & burnout... If you're willing to sprinkle some Rest & Relaxation Moves into your day. Let’s calm your body with daily Rest Moves so you can feel more energy, ease, & flow. Download the Relaxed Body Toolkit to help you get started.   P.S. Ready to be active & agile at any age? Download your FREE Relaxed Body Toolkit to get started here.
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Mollie, Ender, Ty & Teddie
Mollie Miller, PT
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