Healthy Holidays

Many people struggle to keep up with exercise and eat healthy foods during the holiday season.  Holiday parties and vacations can disrupt your normal workout schedule and tempt you with sweets.  Here are some tips for keeping on track during … Continue reading

Beating the Beginning

“I am not in good enough shape to go to the gym.” “I’ve gotten so out-of-shape that it hurts.” ‘Sound familiar? Beginning a new exercise routine can be daunting.  Often, it’s not fun getting back on track, and we have … Continue reading

Resources for Injured Athletes

Often the mental pain caused by your injury and the temporary or permanent loss of your sport can be far more devastating than the physical injury. This type of pain must be addressed and managed in order to recover quickly and … Continue reading

Join the 45-Day Challenge!

Many people set lofty exercise goals for the summer and often get discouraged when they fall short.  Recognize that is difficult to keep to a schedule in the summer, and realize that the summer is not over yet! Join me … Continue reading

Prevention of Injury in Youth Sports

Injuries are common in youth sports.  With proper training, many injuries can be avoided. The facts about injuries in youth sports: 48% of young athletes have at least one injury during an athletic season.  65% of these injuries are minor. … Continue reading

3 Tips to Prep for a Test or Big Game

Worried about your mathematics test or football game against your biggest rival?  What is the best way to prepare for the event? Here are three tips for performing your best on the big day. 1. Get a good night’s sleep.   Make … Continue reading

Improving Focus

Many athletes ask about focus and getting in “the zone.”  Getting in the zone means being in the moment, and being in the moment means that you are not thinking about what’s happened in the past, and you are not … Continue reading

Productive Positive Thinking

How do you make positive thinking work for you? Gabriele Oettingen, of New York University and the University of Hamburg has been researching positive thinking and motivation.  In her book, Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation, she states that … Continue reading

Prevention of Stress in Children’s Sports

Excessive stress, injury, being burnt out, along with other negative aspects of youth sport can be avoided. Here are some simple ways to avoid putting too much stress on athletes and creating problems. The thrill should be competition, not winning. … Continue reading

Children in Sports – Benefits

There are many benefits of a young child’s involvement in sport.  Through sports, children learn physical skills, gain an appreciation of physical fitness, and grow emotionally and socially. Learning Physical Skills Young athletes learn both fundamental motor skills and sport-specific … Continue reading

Introducing Children to Sports

Many parents come to me with questions about their children’s involvement in sports.  When should children start sports?  What sports should they do?  When should sports get competitive?  Expert Frank Eksten of the Franciscan Sports Medicine Institute in Indiana answers these … Continue reading

Power of the Pre-Game Speech

A pre-game speech can influence athletes’ performances and motivate them.  A well-produced pre-game speech motivates athletes because it directs their thoughts appropriately, often from distraction to focus, from anxiousness to excitement. So what makes a pre-game speech a good one? … Continue reading