The FitLife Formula Podcast

It's easy to dismiss meditation as just something that monks and hippies do, but as we learn more about the benefits of even the simplest meditation practices, millions of people are adding a bit of mindfulness to their everyday routines.  We now know that on top of helping you feel more relaxed, rested, and de-stressed, meditation can actually change the structure of your brain and help you think...

The best way to improve your nutrition is to make a commitment to improve the QUALITY of the food you eat. In order to do that, you have to understand a bit about what the words on your food's package actually mean. Some words are pure marketing, and other words have a strictly regulated meaning of standard and quality. How do you know the difference?  On this episode, I'll talk about what certain...

I can pinpoint the day I decided I wanted to play Division 1 College Hockey. I was in 8th grade, sitting at a Notre Dame hockey game, and I knew I had to play hockey in college.  At the time it seemed unlikely, but with that goal I was actually selling myself short.  On the 21st episode of the FitLife Formula, we'll discuss the part of the SMART goal setting framework I have a real problem with th...

Four years ago I was introduced to a man who, I didn't know it at the time, was placed in front of me to turn me and put me and my business on the right path.  He was and still is my guide and a big part of the reason that Advantage Strength is what it is today.  Today on the FLF, I sit down with MY coach Vince Gabriele, founder of Gabriele Fitness in Berkeley Heights, NJ to talk about the importa...

Orthopedic surgeons do amazing work. But let's be honest, if you're seeing an orthopedic surgeon, you're not in the place you want to be.   On today's episode I'll sit down with Dr Kristopher Aalderink, an Orthopedic Surgeon at St' Joes in Ann Arbor, to talk about how you can keep yourself moving WITHOUT developing the pain or injury that comes with overuse or pushing too hard.  Among other things...

The most important factor in your weight loss success is NOT your diet.  Nutrition is an important factor, but there's a lot more that goes into it.   It also has a lot to do with your sleep habits, stress levels, where you eat, when you eat, how much you move, the environment you live in, how much support you have from your family and friends, etc. etc. With so many factors playing into weight lo...

If you are listening to this episode, that means you're breathing.  Way to go!  Let's look a little deeper though. Your breathing patterns could be getting the job done by getting oxygen into your body, but they could also be causing you neck pain, stress, poor posture and low energy.  On Episode 17, I dredge up an old Hockey Strength Podcast episode I did with Scott Livingston, a reconditioning e...

As a full time clinical counselor and operations manager at Neuro Fitness Wellness Center, Peg Kelley has seen the dramatic effect stress reduction can have on people's lives. Today we're talking with Peg about how stress effects the body, and how we can reduce stress and live a better life. Some of the things we'll talk about are  stress is stress, it all goes into the same bucket how stress effe...

This episode will knock your socks off. Or at least make you think twice about wearing them all the time.   On episode 15 of the FitLife Formula, I share some ideas from Katy Bowman's book, Move Your DNA.    There are a ton of really interesting arguments in this book, but one thing that really stuck out to me is the idea that the mechanical forces of movement and your environment not only shape y...

If you're still doing crunches, side bends and twists for your core exercises, you need to listen to this episode.  On Episode 14 of the FitLife Formula, you'll find out exactly why those are the wrong choices (if you are interesting in having a healthy spine that is), and by the end you'll know what the right choices are for your ab exercises.  In this episode, you'll discover  exactly why you sh...

Physical Therapist extraordinaire Greg Roskovensky joins me to talk about something you should be doing every day, foam rolling. There's a reason we have more than 20 of them at the gym, and we use them at the beginning of every session.   Greg and I will talk about  how using the foam roller can improve your mobility immediately why rolling out just 1 limb can effect your whole body when should y...

On Episode 12 of the FitLife Formula, I take advantage of some road trip time with a good buddy to talk about keys to thriving in your workouts, even when we're in the heat of the summer.  This topic was top of mind since we knew we were going to be golfing in over 90 degree heat, so we put some of these strategies in play that very same day.  Among other things, my buddy Matt and I will discuss t...

On Episode 11 I'll share how much influence your expectations have on your experience of your day.  To put it another way... You get what you expect. Your expectations and your environment have a profound ability to shape who you are and how you experience the world. The great thing is, you have full control of your expectations, and in many cases, you can make positive changes to your environment...

Over the last couple decades, there have been a lot of foods that have fallen out of popularity for one reason or another. Here are a few that you should bring back into your diet! 

Today I'll be talking about 5 fun take-home points from the Perform Better Summit I attended last weekend A Vince Lombardi story I've never heard about how he made his final cuts. The proper way to do a side plank (and it's not the way we've been doing it [oops]) Why you should stop doing this move to crack your back The ugly truth about cardio and fat loss What happens when you lose your mobility

Sara Gronewold is an Advantage member, owner of Gronewold Bodywork (gronewoldbodywork.com), and a former collegiate and world champion rower, but about 3 years ago she found herself having physical pain and lacking the motivation to even get moving again.  See what Sara has to say about her rowing career, what's unique about the training we do at Advantage, the thing she loves most about our membe...

Strength and Conditioning legend Mike Boyle talks about what adults need most, what they lose first, and why we train like athletes. You'll also discover... who Coach Boyle cals "Crossfit Refugees" what's the biggest difference between athlete programs and adult programs why we need to start jumping why what we do is the Mercedes of training Enjoy!

On today's episode we'll connect with Nick Stanko, co-owner of the Ann Arbor Running Company, to discuss running, footwear, injuries and community.  We'll tackle... what's the key to enjoyable running? is running for everyone? 80% of the shoes on the market are wrong for you and much more Visit the AARC at  https://www.annarborrunningcompany.com/   

The last (and toughest) part of the FitLife Formula is to do a workout that is REALLY hard each week. Today we're talking about High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT workouts. You'll learn the many benefits of HIIT training how much is too much  why most people don't do it why this is an important piece of your FitLife Formula   

One of the key parts of the FitLife Formula is to strength train 2 (or 3) times a week. Check out Episode 4 to find out more about the benefits of strength training and why it should be a part of your formula every week. 

Today on Episode 3, I'll share the most important part of the FitLife Formula, do something you enjoy 3 days every week.   It's not that simple though. Listen in to find out what 2 caveats there are to this rule, discover why difficult workouts can actually do more harm than good, and why you shouldn't "have to" work out ever again.  

On Episode 2, I sit down with former Advantage Strength intern and coach, recent U of M grad and published author, Kate Owens, to talk about her new book, Rootless. Tune in to discover how Reflection, the presence of Others, taking things One at a time, and Tailoring your fitness program will help you establish a successful long-term fitness and health routine.

Welcome to the FitLife Formula Podcast, bite-sized but filling episodes to help men and women ages 35-65 live more, play more, and feel stronger than ever before so they can stay active with family and friends and keep doing the things they love to do. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you get each episode delivered right to your feed each week.