Does your lower back hurt just thinking about it? You are not alone. There is a large number of society that deals with chronic lower back pain everyday. So what are the main causes of lower back pain? And how do we prevent it? How do we fix it once it’s there? Let’s go look for some answers…:)

What are the main causes of lower back pain? A lot of causes stem from a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition choices. A lot of the world today sits at a desk for most of the day for their job. Sitting for these long periods day in and day out is not good for you at all especially your lower back. One common cause of pain in the lower back is a herniated disk.

A herniated disk occurs when one of the cushioning disks between the vertebrae slips out of place.

Common lifestyle causes of a herniated disk: Smoking

Sitting for long periods

Being overweight

Improper twisting or lifting

Repetitive strain on your back

Driving for long periods

A trauma or fall can...

 Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you tried at something, you felt you were never good enough? I know I use to feel this often. Growing up middle class in the country side of Indiana I was raised much like most of you may have been raised. I was raised with love, and taught to be respectful and work hard. I have done both for most of my life.

But even as a child I felt different, and sometimes inadequate. It makes total sense now that I am an awaken adult and don’t buy into the whole propaganda of the negative news, and that I eat super clean and want the best for my simple life. I bought into the system for a big part of my life though, and that is why I always felt some kind of inadequacy, or not belonging.

I was trying to conform to a society that I did not resonate with. Even as a child, I knew there was something more, that I was destined for great things, I just didn’t know what is was or how I was going to get there. 

Let’s jump...

Ahhh the long discussed topic of fasted cardio! We will put some of the arguments and theories to the test and see how we feel. 

First things first...what in the world is fasted cardio you ask?

FASTED CARDIO: Fasted cardio is just as it sounds, performing cardiovascular exercise in a fasted state.

Meaning your body is not digesting food because you haven't eaten for at least six hours.

During digestion your insulin levels are elevated, and you are not really in a "fat burning" mode, your body is in more of a "storage mode".

When you are in a fasted state, your body is looking for fuel (stored fat) so when you start doing fasted cardio you become a fat burning machine.

Fasted cardio is usually performed first thing in the morning after you wakeup. I try to start mine about an hour after I wake up.

I like to wake up, meditate while I have my Joovv on (red light therapy) have a cup of coffee (black so I don't break my fast) and then do my 45 minutes of cardio.

I keep my heart...

 Having a healthy gut seems to be a hot topic the past few years. But what does it really mean to have good gut health? And why is it so important? 

In this blog post we will discuss what exactly your microbiome or “gut” does and list ten ways you can help improve your gut health. 

 Having a healthy gut refers to your “gut buddies” or the microorganisms that live inside your digestive track. You have good gut buddies and bad gut buddies. Or good bacteria and bad bacteria. Maintaining the balance between these gut buddies is crucial for your immune system, your mental health, and the overall health of your whole body. 

Here are ten ways you can help improve your microbiome:

1. Eat a vegetarian diet: Studies have shown a significant difference in the gut health of someone who consumes a lot of meat and those that consume a vegetarian based regiment. In a one month long study with obese people  a strict vegetarian diet...

The Power of the coconut…

 Ahhh… the coconut, the gift from mother nature that just keeps on giving.

 The coconut has many healthy and nutritional benefits and is truly a super food powerhouse.

 Let's start internally and work our way out.

 Coconuts are high in manganese, which is very important in bone health, it also helps in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and cholesterol.

 Coconuts are also rich in selenium, and important antioxidant that protects your cells,  they are also rich in copper and iron, helping to form red blood cells.

 Coconuts are also a great hormone builder; your hormones control a lot of what goes on in your body, so this is an awesome benefit.

 The water from a “young coconut” (the young coconut has a green shell, or if the shell has been removed to show a white hull, and is typically Asian coconuts) is a great source of natural electrolytes to keep you from becoming dehydrated. Way...

“Breath Through It…The Power Of Your Breathe”…

Take a deep breathe…

Hold it…

Now breathe out….

Now that we have established we are all alive and breathing, let's discuss the importance and magic, the gift of what we just did.  

From yoga, to sports, to child birth, to an anxiety attack, your breath can control your reaction to anything life throws at you. I have said many times and I will many more. “Your body only knows what your breath is telling it.”

 Lets dig into that…  

Think about it, let's use speaking in front of a public group for an example.  

 It's three minutes until you're on. You have rehearsed 100 times, but your mind is going blank! Where are your note cards? Are your pants fastened? Is your shirt tucked in? What was the topic anyway?!?!?!

As you get more nervous, and begin to doubt yourself and your abilities, your breathing automatically speeds up because you are...

Stand up straight…

Stop slouching…

We have all heard these sayings before in our childhood. If we only new back then that who ever was saying it was onto something…your future good posture.

The definition of posture states:   “The position in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting, or lying down.

Good posture is the correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of tension against gravity. Without posture and the muscles that control it, we would simply fall to the ground”. (American Chiropractic Association)

 Sounds easy enough right?

 The topics we will be discussing in this postur-ific :)  blog post are…

 What is posture?

 Good posture while sitting:

 Good posture while driving:

 Good posture while sleeping or laying down:

 Common posture mistakes, and ways to fix them. 

 What is posture?

 We covered the definition of posture above. So know...

The Power Of Words…

 I pour a cup of coffee, I sit down, I fire up my Mac. Most of the day I have been thinking about how I wanted to start this blog post. 

 After all the title is “The Power Of Words”, so I pondered which words to start with. Something witty? Something funny? Something deep and knowledgable?……

 Just out of curiosity I googled “what are words made of?” Heres is the answer that google retrieved.

 “Written words on a page are made up of matter. Everything that takes up space is made up of matter. Written words are made up of letters of the alphabet” (Quora)

 This totally made sense and resonated with me.

 So I then googled the definition of matter. It reads “physical substance in general, as distinct from mind and spirit; (in physics) that which occupies space and possesses rest mass, especially as distinct from energy”.

 The major take away I received from the...

Keep It Raw...The Health Benefits Of A Raw Food Diet

The raw food diet has been around for a super long time. But with the easy access we have to the internet and social media now the popularity of the raw food diet is spreading world wide as people experience the huge life benefits from it. 

So what exactly is the raw food diet you ask?

Let’s find out!

The raw food diet consists of eating mostly or completely unprocessed or raw foods. We will give examples later in the post of raw foods. 

Basically raw food is a food in it’s natural state (not heated or cooked over 104-118 degrees F). For food to be raw it cannot be pasteurized or refined, and it has to be organic ( no icky pesticides) and not processed. 

Vegans are the most extreme version of the raw food diet. They don’t eat anything having to do with animals, only plants. No meat, cheese, eggs, etc. 

Some vegetarians eat mostly plants but also...