Congratulations to Nancy Gilligan as this month’s client of the month!

Multiple Sclerosis is no match for this woman.  She has not let this be a label for her, but instead has risen up to excel through the power of resistance training, effective strengthening, and getting the right nutrition to overcome effects of MS, aging and chronic disease.  

Nancy has dropped significant weight loss -the right way by shedding body fat– and significant inches. Even more important is the positive mindset she’s developed by embracing the journey & trusting the process.  Nancy has dropped over 30 lbs and 22 inches the right way by stimulating her muscle to burn fat increase her metabolism.

Nancy puts her creativity and love of theater to work, as she is the Melrose-Mindoro HS Drama Director (on top of her full time job). She is an avid reader, and always has a book in the hand or one in the ear.
Not letting Multiple Sclerosis set her back, Nancy...

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup diced red onion

3 1/2 cups cubed and peeled sweet potatoes

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 cups kale (finely chopped)

4 large eggs

1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

1 medium avocado

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and saute the onion for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add in the garlic and saute for 1 more minute. 
3. Add in the sweet potato and spices and cook for about 15 minutes, covered but stirring every 5 or so minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. 
4. Add in the kale and saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. 
5. Make 4 wells in the hash and add the eggs. Cover and cook to your liking. 
6. Garnish with the cilantro and serve with toast and avocado. Enjoy!

This month we are inducting key members into Northstar’s Wall of Fame who have demonstrated the key traits of being a Northstar and have accomplished a level of fitness and lifestyle that exhibits the Northstar way.  This month we are recognizing Bonny Young!

Bonny Young has elegantly traversed Northstar’s nine step Maximum Muscle Potential Method, and embodies what Northstar set out to do to transform lives and help clients reach new heights that were not previously conceivable.  

Bonny regularly sets ambitious goals in alignment with her busy, active lifestyle.  She has recently gone hiking safari in Africa, hiking part of Mt Kilimanjaro.  Her stamina has improved leaps and bounds, going from little to no stamina to mastery of breathing and developing graceful technique.  Her strength, balance, and neuromuscular control have all achieved nearly all top marks, yet she recognizes there’s always something more.  And most...

This month we wanted to recognize Scott Marshall in achieving our prestigious Wall of Fame.  Someone who regularly was injured after working out and was not as consistent as he should be, he's been able to create a lifestyle mastery, and the results show it.  Learn more about him below.  

Dr. Scott Angus Marshall has been a stalwart since our inception.   He was one of our first clients back when we were developing our technology, and he hasn’t looked back. 

Scott has gone from someone who desires to give it his all, but often ended up with an injury that kept him at bay for many weeks and months at a time.  And each time, the road to recovery took longer, and the motivation and desire diminished.  

Since coming to Northstar, he has embraced everything we’ve thrown at him, and taken it all in.   Scott was instrumental in us creating a systematic way to regularly and continuously challenge our clients, and making...

The calves are generally one of the tightest muscle groups in the body. Over time, excessively tight calves can lead to pain, impaired gait, reduced blood flow, foot/ankle problems, and in general put your body at increased risk for many other issues.
To work on stretching and strengthening the calf area, incorporate these 4 exercises into your routine!

Shoulder mobility exercises are great to do as a warm up or if someone is experiencing shoulder pain or tightness. These exercises can be done either at home or at a gym with minimal equipment. Check out the video below for demonstrations:

Congratulations to all Olympic medalists and participants!  We are proud of all of you pictured and not pictured! 

We wanted to warmly introduce Emma Hanson!

 Emma grew up in Winona, Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a degree in Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. Emma grew up playing all types of sports but focused on basketball and swimming in high school. In college she held a position working sporting events where her love of sports and exercise grew. After college, she worked as a strength and conditioning coordinator as well as swim coach for different high schools.  

In her free time, she says, "I enjoy crocheting, cooking, outdoor activities (hiking, camping, sunsets), and traveling."

Emma says, "I am passionate about empowering individuals in their exercise and nutrition path. By dedicated myself to educating others on exercise and nutrition to help them build healthier lifestyles through informed choices and sustainable habits."

Northstar Fitness has a core team of Fitness Professionals that work with each client on their...

Dynamic movements play a crucial role in any resistance training program. As we age, these exercises become increasingly essential for maintaining key aspects of everyday life like power, endurance, and coordination. With the Keiser Functional Trainer, we can safely incorporate these movements into our clients' routines. One of our top picks is the Dynamic Push Pull.

This is a great movement that targets the muscles of the back, chest, shoulders and challenges core strength and stability. The ability to efficiently transfer force is key in preventing injuries related to training and activites outside the gym such as running, carrying, swinging a golf club or even moving up and down the stairs.

Why is it conventional exercise becomes less and less effective as we age. The answer is simple; it does not provide sufficient stimulus to your muscles. It only burns calories while you are working out and then...its done. So, to make it effective, one must do more and more of it. This leads to a few things that occur. The first is you start to metabolize the lean muscle to provide the energy needs of the body, and the other is that you will experience more joint wear and tear. This in turn leads to premature joint problems and replacements. If you don’t think it’s a problem now, just bear in mind the joint replacement estimates are projected to increase between 2- 10x, depending on joint, in the next 10 years. Lastly, burnout and overuse injuries trying to maintain it simply do not last. A better way to look at exercise, and why resistance training is very effective, is called the Area Under the Curve. This area under the curve is the amount of
expenditure from the...