A Few of my Favorite Things...

Practical suggestions that work for me!

My Friends! 
Very often I come across random nuggets of knowledge that I find helpful for my every-day life as a fitness professional, physician, mom, athlete - whatever hat I might be wearing at any given moment! Here are just a few from my collection that I wanted to share with you!
I hope you find them helpful too! 
Enjoy!
-Carla

Recipes!

I absolutely LOVE veggies with some good CRUNCH! This colorful recipe is a great side for any dish or as a main course with some protein on top… and the peanut sauce is to die for! Allergic to peanuts? Any nut butter will do! #eattherainbow

Crunchy Rainbow Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken Wrap from Ambitious Kitchen

…. and for protein on the go… some great suggestions also from Ambitious Kitchen!

Supplements!

Collagen is a very hot topic and I came across articles on both sides of the issue. In the spirit of good debate, I present them here, so YOU can decide what works best for you!

Should Women Take Collagen Supplements? - by Stacy Sims

… and just to present both sides of the issue…

The Case Against Collagen - by Tactic Nutrition care of Morning Chalk Up

Personally, I swear by my collagen, mostly for joint health, but my hair and nails do pretty well too! I’m very fortunate at age 52 to have zero joint pain despite training 5-6 days per week as a CrossFitter and 30+ years as a recreational athlete. Is it the collagen? Healthy diet and exercise? Maybe a little of both? It’s impossible to ever really know. But if you are on the collagen bandwagon, check out my personal favorite, Primal Collagen I and III by Primal Harvest.

Workout Tips!

Push-Ups are a foundational functional movement that builds tremendous upper-body strength. Proficiency with this movement in its strict form required hard work and patience! Check out these push-up scales to move you closer to crushing strict push-ups!

Gut Health!

Gut Check Time. What is the Gut Microbiome and How Can it Help You? - by Tracy Tucker, care of Morning Chalk Up!

We Love Our Coffee…. BUT!

Check out the International Society of Sports Nutrition position statement on Caffeine and exercise performance! The entire article is available for your reading pleasure - or just gleen the key points from the abstract!

…and from the other side of the debate

The Movement Away from Caffeine as a Pre-Workout - by Patrick Blennerhassett care of Morning Chalk Up

For Dog Lovers…

Lost dog returns home with new friends! Best happy ending ever!