Protein sources sit on a wooden board with eggs, salmon and lean meat. Protein helps your body repair tissue after training. Your needs change with age and how hard you work. Strength sessions drive the highest demand. Cardio still needs support because it breaks tissue down, only less aggressively. Spread protein across your meals, aim for steady portions and pick sources that fit your diet. Plant options work well when you mix them. Older adults often need a little more to

Long walking stride by the lake showing greater hip extension that lengthens the psoas. How extending your walk and running will change your psoas use When you walk a bit longer or start adding short runs into your week, your psoas wakes up fast. It is one of those muscles that pretends to be quiet in class, then makes a scene the moment you take it outside. The change in demand is simple. Longer strides ask it to lengthen. Running asks it to lift. If your posture drifts, you

Older adult walking up concrete steps holding the rail to build steady leg strength. There is something simple about looking back at how people moved before gyms, trackers, and equipment. Strength came from daily life. People carried, climbed, squatted, reached, and walked because they had to. For older adults who want to feel stronger without complicated programmes, using ideas from ancestral living offers a clear and practical way to build strength that feels natural for th

Building everyday strength starts with simple actions like lifting shopping safely and efficiently. Functional strength is not about lifting the heaviest weight in the gym. It is about moving with control and confidence in daily life. The goal is to train your body for the tasks you do every day, such as bending, reaching, carrying, pushing and pulling. Most people think of strength as muscle size or gym performance, but functional strength goes deeper. It combines mobility,

focused woman training with weights, showing vitality, balance, and graceful confidence in movement. Over the years teaching, many clients have said to me, “I don’t want to get bulky.”  I’ve heard it so often that I can almost predict when it’s coming. It usually appears the moment I hand someone heavier springs or suggest adding small weights. Somewhere along the line, people were told that strength training automatically equals size. It doesn’t. Building bulk takes a lot o

Athlete bent over, struggling to breathe after intense effort during a race. In athletic training, breath control is often treated as background noise. Yet, the way you breathe affects performance more than most athletes realise. Pilates brings focus to this connection by teaching awareness, rhythm, and precision in breathing. Oxygen Delivery: Efficient breathing supports the balance between oxygen intake and carbon dioxide release. When athletes over-breathe or hold their br

Kari Anderson stands smiling with quiet confidence, a pioneer in fitness education and movement. This week, the fitness world lost another legend. Kari Anderson has passed away, and for many of us who grew up teaching, learning, or presenting through the FitPro conventions, this one feels personal. Kari wasn’t loud. She didn’t need to be. When she walked into a session, the room changed. You could feel her control, her precision, her respect for the craft. She taught with cla

Forearm muscles engaged during a Reformer pull, highlighting the connection between grip and core strength. Grip strength is often overlooked, but it tells us a lot about how the body is functioning as a whole. It reflects not only the strength of the forearms and hands but also the efficiency of the nervous system, muscle coordination, and even cardiovascular health. Research consistently links grip strength with longevity. Lower grip strength has been associated with reduce

Older adults practising single-leg balance in a calm home setting, improving coordination and fall prevention. Falls are not a normal...

Athletic alignment on rowing machine highlights Pilates principles of core strength and control. Walk into any gym and you’ll see the...

A small bedroom with two people and pets shows how CO2 levels rise overnight. Getting good sleep isn’t about luck. It’s about creating...

Brisk walking is a simple warm-up to prepare for VO₂ max interval training. We’ve talked about cardio on Fitness Fridays before. It...

Joyful woman dancing in her living room with headphones, moving freely and smiling brightly. There’s a difference between discipline and...

Cyclist showing forward flexion posture that restricts breath, highlighting Pilates’ role in alignment. Runners and cyclists are experts...

A woman drinks a glass of water at sunrise, rehydrating her brain and body for clarity. The first thing you put into your body each...

Three shoes symbolise exercise extremes, with the middle pair representing the balanced Goldilocks zone. In fitness, more is not always...

A man walks backwards on a track, strengthening muscles and improving balance naturally. Walking is one of the most natural forms of...

A person relaxes in silence, bathed in the glow of a rejuvenating red mask. The wellness world is constantly buzzing with new...

A woman relaxes on a sofa, feet in focus, enjoying a peaceful moment. This week I want to take a moment to talk about our feet. They are...

A black non-stick pan cooking a golden omelette on a gas stove. We talk a lot about what we put into our bodies, yet the tools we cook...