Live in Southwest Florida?  Enjoy the trails at Lakes Park for running, walking, and even working out at the fitness stations throughout the park.  Photo courtesy of Charly Caldwell II

It’s no secret that we feel good after a workout.

We’ve all experienced it ourselves and countless research supports it. Research has also documented the benefits that exercise can have on mental wellbeing.

Mental illness is becoming one of the biggest contributors to global illness, and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Those who live with a mental illness are less active than their counterparts.

It seems obvious then, that fitness has a significant role to play, in terms of both prevention and enhancing quality of life.

When we break down what exercise can give do for us, beyond the aesthetic changes, it is clear to see why it is such an incredible coping strategy for persons with mental illness.

If experienced for long periods of time, loneliness and isolation can...

The running path in Lakes Park, Fort Myers, Florida - so many of our Geared Up! athletes run this beautiful path to stay in shape.  Join us if you'd like!

The holidays are typically extremely busy and extremely indulgent.

All the holiday dinners coupled with holiday hospitality events and in short, health and fitness are not generally found at the top of Santa's list.

With December’s month long celebrations, often in excess, many people find themselves committing to firm New Year’s resolutions to get fit and lose weight.

It’s not surprising that many people struggle to maintain a healthy focus in December.

To enjoy the holiday celebrations and maintain a healthy focus, follow a few festive fitness guides and you’ll be ahead come January 1.

It is paramount you maintain your fitness program. One of the hardest things to do when your time is in short supply is to maintain an exercise routine.

If you usually exercise a few times a week, the additional...

Ask any coach what distinguishes a good athlete from a great one and they’ll tell you that great athletes are both physically and mentally trained.

In fact, mental training or the mind games we play with ourselves is one of the most overlooked aspects of a well-rounded training program.

We give the topic a lot of lip service but rarely do we actively engage in training to make us mentally stronger.

We could debate physical preparedness vs mental readiness for hours.

I believe that since we associate the physicality we are seeing when watching a sports event, we learn to train the body and ignore the mind.

I went to university on a track and field scholarship and never once did a coach or mentor mention the value of being mentally prepared.

However, learning to cognitively look at physical performance, just as you practice interval sets or tennis volley’s, will enhance your overall performance and better prepare you for whatever obstacles or challenges you may face.

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Sports psychology and the mind-body connection get a lot of lip but how often do you practice what is preached?

Tug McGraw once said, “You gotta believe!” and we do. We must believe in our talents and ourselves if we want to accomplish any of our dreams, not just in sports but in life as well. We must believe we can push the extra mile, run the extra set and trust both our bodies and minds to carry us through to the next level.

This belief is not just a physical manifesto, it’s a state of mind and we need to be of sound conviction to make it happen. We must recognize and apply the importance of our minds and our moods and how our moods affect our performances.

So, what happens when your day goes awry, something annoying or frustrating happens and as a result you spend the rest of the day in a foul mood?

You start binge eating, skip your workout and instead of going to Yoga you head to happy hour for a few too many, not the healthiest of choices. There are several...

Happy Friday to you!

It's such an incredible feeling to debut something we've been working diligently to create for you so you have the support, direction and clarity to truly "Practice with Purpose, and Live with Passion"!

That said, we’re proud to debut our our newly optimized website, which is now a health and wellness platform that helps you make positive and lasting changes to your life!

We guide you through the process of creating a vision for your health and wellbeing, developing a healthy mindset, healthy habits while encouraging you every step of the way, empowering you to accomplish your goals.

So, what's new?

Geared Up! offers new services to help you optimize your health and add value to your life.

We've added:

• an exercise video library,
• a corrective exercise section,
• provide free monthly trainer workouts,
• host a members only Facebook group, and
• provide members only discount access to valuable gear and the supplies necessary to help you achieve your goals!
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The workplace is where most people spend a large portion of their waking hours.

That’s why it’s so important that employers collaborate with fitness professionals and wellness agencies to encourage activity during the workday.

As a society, we can’t ignore the fact that many Americans find it difficult to fit anything else into their day. Outside of the home, the workplace is where most people spend the most time.

That is why working with employers to encourage activity during working hours is so important.

Good health and well-fit employees are fundamental to social wellbeing and workplace productivity.

Healthy workplaces are not just a social concern however. They are economically driven as well.

In fact, per Forbes magazine, “Injuries, illness and medical appointments are the most commonly reported reasons for missing work”. This absenteeism comes at a great cost to employers. Absenteeism costs associated with chronic diseases and health risk...

There are people, many in fact, who despite knowing how important exercise is to their well-being, will struggle to remain focused on their health and fitness for long periods of time. This is due largely to how the human brain organizes and perceives the importance of goals and rewards based on time-frames.

The human brain, like the rest of the body, functions to protect and keep us safe. Objects or events (like a waist size or a race) that are far away are not as significant to us as objects that are near to us and because these events are in the future, they don’t present an immediate risk and therefore do not demand our attention.

A similar phenomenon occurs with rewards and time – a reward that we will receive sooner, is perceived as greater than one that will happen further on down the track. This makes even more sense when the rewards are identical, because not having to wait for something is more satisfying than having to wait for the exact same thing.

Consider...