Poor sleep is a problem that can have far-reaching effects in your daily lifestyle. Many times, reasons for lack of sleep can be traced back to a few key themes.

1. Leading a sedentary lifestyle. Your body uses sleep to recover and rebuild itself after the work and stress it has had to endure throughout the day. When we have prolonged periods of time with no inactivity, the body no longer needs that time to turn off and recover. The result is a poor quality of sleep and inability to fall asleep. To combat this, just move! It doesn't need to be anything crazy, but doing activities throughout the day will help your body re-realize the need to sleep for recovery and get you back on track.

2. Late-night meals and snacks. When we consume food shortly before bed, a couple things happen. First, food is energy. Putting fuel in your tank before you lay down won't work well, because your body will feel that it needs to expend that energy. Second, your body will then have to digest that food....

Looking to add a unique dish to your dinner plans?
These turkey-stuffed bell peppers pack a ton of flavor and 35g of protein into only 400 calories!

Ingredients
Ingredients scaled to: 1 serving
1/3 lb Ground turkey (151 grams)
3/16 medium (2-1/2" dia) Onions (18.3 grams)
1 medium (approx 2-3/4" long, 2-1/2 dia.) Red bell pepper (119 grams)
2/3 tbsp Pepper or hot sauce (9.6 grams)
1/3 cloves, minced Garlic (1 grams)
2/3 tbsp Paprika (4.6 grams)
2/3 tsp Poultry seasoning (1 grams)
3/16 tsp Nutmeg (0.37 grams)
1/3 dash Salt (0.13 grams)
1/2 oz Mozzarella cheese (14.2 grams)
2/3 tbsp Olive oil (9 grams)
Directions
Directions are based on the original recipe of 3 servings
1. Turn on the oven to 350 ° F before you start with the preparation.
2. Mince the garlic. Cut the tops off the peppers, remove the seeds and leave aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the garlic. Allow it to turn light brown and then add the chopped onion.
4. Stir for a few minutes, until the onions start to turn slightly...

Everybody worries.
However, when we start to worry too much about what may or may not happen it takes away from our enjoyment and appreciation of what's in front of us.
Instead of worrying about the possible future, focus on what you have the ability to affect in the present!

Just because they're cookies doesn't mean they're unhealthy!
These banana protein cookies are great for a mid-afternoon snack, guilt free!

Per serving: 93 Calories • 11.1g Carbs (2.5g Fiber) • 3g Fat • 6.9g Protein

Ingredients Ingredients scaled to: 1 serving

1/4 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) Banana (26.2 grams)

1/4 scoop (30g) Whey protein powder (6.7 grams)

1/20 cup Organic Coconut Flour (3.9 grams)

1/3 tsp Almond butter (1.8 grams)

1/8 oz Dark Chocolate Chips (3.1 grams

Directions are based on the original recipe of 9 servings 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. In a bowl, peel and mash the bananas until smooth. 3. Add the protein powder and coconut flour to the mashed banana and mix well. 4. Add the almond butter and mix well. 5. Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips. 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil. 7. Spoon the mixture onto the lined baking sheet. (Makes 9 cookies) 8. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Chronic neck pain is an extremely common issue we see here, especially in people that work at a desk job.

To fix it, there are a few steps that should be taken.

1. Stay cogniscent of your posture. Looking at your phone or computer with a rounded back and neck will cause nothing but problems. A simple fix is to keep your shoulders back and keep your screen level with your eyes to stay in a neutral position. Posture correction is the best way to decrease pain immediately and can improve circulation, increase energy, ease breathing, improve mood, and otherwise boost your daily wellbeing.

2. Keep moving. Many problems arise from a sedentary lifestyle, the most common being tightness. Taking 5-10 minutes every hour or couple hours just to stand up and move, shaking your arms/legs out and doing some simple mobility movements will go a long ways towards limiting tightness.

3. Stretch. The best times of day to stretch are in the morning before you start your day, and at the end of the day...

Perfection isn't sustainable. 

This is a truth that many of us have had to learn the hard way, mostly from failing multiple diets again and again.

The real way to take the weight off (but more importantly, lower our body fat) for good is progress, not perfection. If we improve our habits by just a small amount each day, in time it will add up. 

Look at it this way. If you haven't ran in ten years and decide to run a marathon, you woudn't start day one by trying to do the full marathon. If you did, it's almost guaranteed you would fail and probably injure yourself. Instead, you would start just by running for 5 minutes. Then 1 mile, increasing to 3, 5, 10, and so on until you've built up enough endurance and strength to complete that full marathon. The same can be said about nutrition.

Take it slow, be better than you were yesterday, and before you know it you'll be seeing awesome results and feeling proud of what you accomplished.

Injuries affecting the rotator cuff can be frustrating and leave you feeling unable to do anything.
To get yourself back to 100%, it's important to follow a proper protocol.

Step 1 - avoid movements that may cause further injury. Overhead movements or side raises can cause pressure and pinching at the injury site. This causes pain, but can also cause further injury and at the very least will hamper recovery.

Step 2 - mobilize around the injury site. Most likely, your muscles and joints will be very tight. While important initially after injury for stabilizing the affected area, after a certain amount of time that tightness will decrease your range of motion, hamper recovery, and cause further pain.

Step 3 - strengthen. Pre-injury, odds are you had some sort of weakness at or near the area. This is definitely true post-injury. Doing exercises (like external rotations or front raises) will strengthen the area surrounding the injury site. This will help by decreasing your reliance...

You can exercise all you want, but if you won't see any progress if you don't give your body proper time to recover.
Your body uses sleep as an opportunity to rebuild the muscles you have broken down through exercise, so making sure you get enough is crucial to success!

If you're an adult, it's recommended you get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep/night. Depending on the intensity of your workout program and your daily life, you may find that you need closer to 8+.

Not only does sleep give your body a chance to recover and rebuild, it will also give your mind some time to relax and take a break to reload for the next day.

Sleep, good or bad, can have a domino effect on the rest of your week. Not only in your workout routine, but in your daily life as well.

Getting the proper amount of sleep on a consistent basis will both accelerate your progress towards your fitness goals and ensure you can keep a consistent mood and energy level throughout the day.

Besides, who doesn't love a good...

Having a 6-pack or a "beach body" isn't the only (or most important) reason to work on your core.
Core strength is vital for living a functional, injury-free life.

With 45g of protein and under 500 calories, this Sweet and Sour Chicken is a great option if you're looking for a flavor-packed and nutritional meal this weekend.

Ingredients
Ingredients scaled to: 4 serving
1 1/4 lb Chicken breast (567 grams)
2 scoop (30g) Whey protein powder (60 grams)
1/2 cup Cornstarch (64 grams)
3 large Egg white (99 grams)
1 tbsp Coconut oil (13.6 grams)
2/3 cup Tomato sauce (163 grams)
2 tbsp Chili sauce (30 grams)
3 tbsp Rice wine vinegar (44.7 grams)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (17 grams)
1 tbsp Ginger (5.4 grams)
1/2 tbsp Garlic (4.3 grams)
1 tbsp chopped Scallions (6 grams)
1 tbsp Sesame seeds (9 grams)
Directions
Directions are based on the original recipe of 4 servings
1. Chop chicken breasts into small bite size pieces.
2. In a bowl, mix 2 scoops protein with arrowroot starch.
3. In a separate bowl beat some egg whites.
4. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg white and then place them in the protein batter. Make sure all the pieces
are adequately coated.
5. Set a nonstick...