Are you struggling with tight trapezius muscles? 

We tend to hold a lot of stress in our shoulders which often times leads to tight trap muscles. One way to relax the traps is to correct posture by pulling shoulders down, away from our ears. A few others way to relieve trap tightness is by rolling our shoulders or performing shoulder shrug exercises. For shoulder shrugs, it is best to hold them by your ears for about 10 seconds and then relaxing them. For the ear to shoulder stretch, it is best to hold them for about 15 seconds on each side and then repeating for a total of 30 seconds. With the chin tucks, hold for about 5 seconds and then repeat about 5 times. 

Wellness is more than just exercising and healthy eating. All of our actions, feelings and beliefs are an integral part of wellness and our well-being. These reasons are why it is so important to always have a postive mindset and believe in ourselves. 

Meet our Fitness Consultant, Konner!

I grew up as the oldest of 4 in Westby. While in school I played football, basketball, and baseball, which grew my love for athletics and activity in general. During high school and college, I poured concrete as a summer job. Seeing the toll hard labor took on the bodies of my older co-workers pointed me in a direction of helping adults live their best pain-free lives and increase their longevity. 

After high school I went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I studied Kinesiology. After graduating college, I knew I wanted to come back to this area and be around family. In September of 2021, I joined Northstar and have loved helping our clients reach their goals ever since!

In my fitness journey, there have been ups and downs. Playing 3 sports in high school, I was always moving. To continue that into college, I played intramural sports, and ran a marathon after my freshman year. After the marathon, without much direction...

Protein Treats Recipe

1 Cup Rolled Oats

½ Cup Flax Seed

Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

2 tbsp Honey

½ Cup Chocolate Chips

¼ Cup Chopped Andes Mints

Nutrition: Roughly 150 Calories and 8g Protein Per Treat

*These are topped with green food-colored Almond Bark, but they are delicious without as well!

Protein Shake Recipe

1. Blend ice and 1 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk in blender
2. Add either Chocolate or Vanilla Protein Powder Packet

(Usana- 20g protein)

1. Blend in a handful of mint chocolate chips and regular chocolate chips
2. Add whip cream on top if you would like 

Nutrition: Roughly 20g protein and 240 calories

Are you struggling with sciatic nerve pain?
If so, these exercises can provide a lot of relief. Coupled with a comprehensiveexercise program, they can reduce symptoms and help you back towards a pain-free life!
1. Figure 4 stretch. This targets the piriformis, which can become very tight especially when seated for most of the day. This tightness can put pressure on the back, hip, and pinch the sciatic nerve. If this is especially tight, wrap a towel behind your thigh instead of your hands.

2. Nerve mobilizer. Opening up the path the nerve travels through can go a long way towards pain relief. Keep the motion slow and controlled, and once you reach your farthest stretch in your hamstring, rotate your foot to point your toe to the ground. This will increase stretch and glide.

3. Glute bridge. Great for strengthening the glutes and low back, and providing relief as well. Make sure to get high enough so that there is a straight line from your hips to your knees, and keep those muscles...

Hoping to accomplish a goal is the first step, but in order to actually achieve that goal comes with working towards it. Success always comes from hard work. Always work hard towards your goal and you will accomplish anything!

Friday Fish nights are a common Midwest tradition, especially for those that practice Lent. However, most Fish Fridays at restaurants consist of beer-battered fish with plenty of fries on the side. If you're looking to keep this tradition, but still keep it  healthy, this recipe is for you!

Gratitude is a powerful tool you can use to improve mental health and increase consistency in nutrition and exercise. To fully optimize gratitude, here's 3 of the best times to be intentionally grateful and how to do it.

1. When you wake up in the morning. "Your attitude determines your altitude" may seem like a corny saying, but it really is true! How we start our morning is crucial for setting the tone for the entire day. We've all fallen into the trap of waking up angry that we didn't get enough sleep, or our partner hogged all the covers, or looking forward to a long commute into our job. All that does is make our good days less enjoyable, and our bad days nightmares. To combat that, as soon as you wake up in the morning, say (out loud!) something you are grateful for. "I'm grateful I woke up with a roof over my head/had enough to eat last night/etc.". It can be the simplest thing, but it will make a huge impact on the rest of your day.

2. After you've done something hard....