A recent article in the journal The Conversation, asked the question “Is walking enough exercise?”  Four out of five experts said yes. The one expert who said no, qualified his response by saying that walking is better than no exercise at all. He goes on to point out that, ideally, strength training and higher intensity exercise is ideal for good health. While strength training and higher intensity exercise along with moderate exercise is the ideal situation for many, the National Runners’ Health Study found that moderate-intensity walking and vigorous-intensity running resulted in similar... Read More

Chances are you have a furry member of your family. All mammals have an ednocannabinoid system to help maintain balance within the body and optimize proper functions.  Your furry friend can provide perks to your overall health and wellness too. This is probably one of the reasons 68 percent of all households in 2017 within the United States own pets.  Playing with animals, especially puppies, has been shown to increase levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are the hormones that make you feel good. When the hormones are released, it helps reduce stress levels and can help improve memory and... Read More

The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body and it endures stress on a daily basis. Our knees absorb force equal to 3.5 times our body weight just walking down stairs. For a person weighing 120lbs, that equates to 420 pounds of force! If you exercise, you probably put more stress on your knees, and this can have consequences such joint wear and tear, injury, or osteoarthritis. Overuse will slowly but surely lead to knee injuries. Opt for a range of activities and alternate workouts. If you run, for example, alternate with cycling or swimming to use different muscle groups. ... Read More

It’s long been known that improving your physical fitness is associated with living a longer life. Studies show that past age 65, your walking speed at your natural pace is a surprisingly reliable predictor of survival. The study looked at the natural gait speed of more than 34,000 participants age 65 and older from nine previous studies. These studies followed outcomes for 12 years or more, in which time almost half of the participants died. They found a consistent effect of how long people lived and whether they had a faster or slower gait speed. Those who walked naturally at 2.2 miles... Read More

Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins are neurotransmitters that regulate our happiness.  A neurotransmitter is a messenger of neurologic information from one cell to another.  Being in a positive mental state has significant impact on our motivation, productivity, and wellbeing. Did you know you can intentionally cause neurotransmitters to flow? Let’s take a look at each one and how you can activate them to make yourself happy. Dopamine motivates us to take action toward goals, desires, and needs, and gives a surge of reinforcing pleasure when achieving them. Procrastination, self-doubt,... Read More

Perhaps you’ve heard that sitting is the new smoking?  Sitting all day is not good for our health.  We’ve actually known this, from a public health perspective, for over 60 years. Back in the 50s, researchers studied men (yes, not much research done with women in those days) who had jobs that required them to sit, compared to those who were standing or walking during the work day. The study showed that the rates of illness and early death were highest among those who were the least active. As we are now a society of desk jockeys, it makes sense that scientists would revisit this... Read More

“Running clears my head and is a great way for me to relieve stress. I try to get out every day for either physical or mental reasons. I love it because it gives me a freedom unlike anything else. I can zone out completely or focus on certain issues and work it out in my head. Most importantly, beer tastes that much better after a solid run.” Thanks for the insight Josh!  Read More

There is no perfect diet for everyone, in spite of what you might have heard.  It seems the human body can adapt to almost any diet and survive, even thrive!  Consider the diet of the Inuit, the people indigenous to polar locations such as Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Theirs is a mostly meat diet, and yet they are a hardy population who consume few to no vegetables in their diet. In the US, experts recommend a diet largely focused on healthy grains, fruits and vegetables.  Most Americans don’t get the recommended 5 servings per day, and even fewer eat the 5-9 servings that is considered... Read More

Exercise can seem daunting, exhausting or downright impossible if you are busy…and who isn’t busy? Time and gym access are the two biggest excuses Americans cite for not working out.  Research conducted at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, suggests that taking the stairs 30 minutes a week can give our body adequate exercise for good health. Stair climbing is a rigorous activity and previous research has found climbing stairs can burn calories two to three times faster than just walking. In the McMaster study, 17 healthy men, average age 64, were asked to walk, lift weights, and climb... Read More

As a young adult, I taught multiple fitness classes and played recreational soccer.  At that time in my life that much physical activity was not only desired, it was a great way to expend my abundant energy.  As I’ve aged, I’ve noticed shifts in my physical activity levels and preferences. You may have noticed that, as you age, your interests have shifted as well. Changes in your activity level and interests are normal. As we age, there are some activities that become more difficult or risky.  For example, if you were a wrestler in your youth, you are not likely able to tolerate the physical... Read More

The hike of the week, which I dubbed The Chautauqua-Gregory Canyon loop is one of the best long hikes for the experienced hiker to enjoy in solitude, or for friends to have private conversation and share a picnic. Around 4.5 miles, the loop is a low key hike with some downhill and uphill, as well as a couple creek crossings, and a ladder. Along most of the Gregory Canyon trail you will enjoy the soothing sound of the creek and green foliage, and as you loop back on Saddle Rock and E.M. Greenman you will see awe-inspiring views of the city below. When on Saddle Rock, prepare yourself for using the... Read More

Hippocrates said “All disease begins in the gut.”  He might have been even wiser than we ever knew.  With Valentine’s Day coming soon,  it makes sense to talk about the importance of keeping your heart healthy.  Did you know that heart health can be predicted by looking at the bacteria in your gut? A molecule, called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), is produced by gut bacteria when you eat red meat, eggs, and dairy.  Based on the level of TMAO in your gut, scientists can determine how healthy your heart is, according to a study in  the European Heart Journal.  The higher... Read More

We’ve all noticed that the sun rises later each day this time of year.  We see the change in the weather and make the accompanying changes in our food and clothing choices.  The autumn season is all about change – the leaves, the weather, our habits. Seasonal mood shifts often include less energy, feeling less social, cravings for carbs and changes in sleep habits, partly due to the change in exposure to daylight.  In the Western world, we talk about our circadian clock. The circadian clock monitors changes in day length and tells us when to feel sleepy and when to wake up and... Read More

Meet Ollie! Ollie recently moved to Boulder to experience the culture and world-class climbing it has to offer. So far he is loving the decision, and is knocking off classic climbs every day. Besides crushing boulder problems, Ollie loves the atmosphere and hanging out with fellow climbers at the crags. If you don’t know who he is, you can tell you’re climbing with Ollie if his beta for any problem includes at least four heel hooks. Thanks Ollie!  Read More

What is it that makes it so challenging to peel oneself off the couch and workout? Who are these crazies who jump out of bed at 5 a.m. and run in the cold, crepuscular morning hours? Or who get in a power hike after work when the rest of us want nothing more than to go home and veg. What powers these people, and how do we bottle it? It seems like it should be enough to merely want to exercise—to want to look better; to want a more toned body; to want to control high blood pressure or diabetes; to want to be healthier. But, as anyone who has chosen the couch over the treadmill can attest, wanting... Read More

Some studies examining the effect of wheat, barley and rye products on our health, demonstrate that cutting out these products can help us lose weight from “Wheat Belly”. Cutting out these products has been linked to weight loss from the deep visceral fat that resides within the abdomen, what can be represented on the surface as “love handles” or “muffin top”. Over the last 40 years or so, wheat has been hybridized and mutated to grow to a certain height and yield more product per acre. Along with these modifications, the wheat has, over time, become a potential health problem rather... Read More

The history of rock climbing and bouldering had its genesis with mountaineering and alpinism in the late 18th century, although climbing rocks had been a feat accomplished long before. In the 14th century, a Native American tribe called the Anasazi drilled holes and carved stairs into rock cliffs in Chaco Canyon, but it wasn’t until 1786 with the first ascent of Mont Blanc, that the ‘modern era’ of climbing truly came into being. The history of Boulder’s rock climbing and bouldering history began a little over one hundred years later in 1896 when a group of Boulder Hikers formed the Rocky... Read More

We all know that it’s important to eat well, be physically active and get a good night’s sleep.  In recent years, magazines such as Entrepreneur, Time and Inc. have featured articles about the connection between engaging in the trifecta of health behaviors and professional success. Why? Your success starts with your health – eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly. After all, if don’t feel great, how do you expect to sustain the focus and energy needed to get things done? Here’s a closer look at why food, sleep, and exercise can impact your success and what... Read More

Everyone who has worked out in a fitness center or Crossfit class, with a personal trainer or on your own, read an article or even talked with a gym rat – knows about the core. “Strengthen your core,”  “Work on your core,” “Feel it in your core.”  But what does it mean to say you are working your core? The core is usually used interchangeably with your abs, but the core is much more than just your abs. Think of your core muscles as the central link in a chain connecting your upper and lower body.  The muscle groups that make up your core include the rectus abdominis, erector spinae... Read More

  “Eat less, move more” is a mantra I’ve heard and advice I’ve given many times over the years.  While both calorie intake and physical activity are important factors in weight loss, which one is more important? Physiologically speaking, weight loss and gain revolve around the concept of calories in, calories out. In a nutshell, we lose weight when we eat fewer calories than we expend. Conversely, we gain weight when we eat more calories than we expend. Many of us have been advised to add physical activity to our weight loss plan to increase our calorie burn and improve... Read More