VITAE Health Coaching

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VITAE Health Coaching

Boulder, CO-based Health Coach & athlete.

I love living and sharing an active & healthy lifestyle.

“The secret of living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure.” - Tibetan proverb

20/07/2025

Two things are essential for a proper exercise regimen: cardio & strength training. Don’t listen to anyone who says you don’t need one or the other.

When it comes to cardio, think of your heart like a car engine. The speedometer shows you how fast you're going, but the tachometer shows how hard the engine is working, regardless of speed. Your heart operates on the same principle, where your heart rate is the tachometer. If you haven't been active lately, your heart rate will increase even if you're not moving fast. The more you train in different heart rate zones, the more efficient your heart becomes & allows you to do more work with less effort.

Athletes target one of five zones ranging from very light to maximum heart rate. But for the average person, you can really bucket them into three: low aerobic, high aerobic & anaerobic. Using a heart rate monitor will tell you how much time you've spent in each zone.

Low aerobic/base (zone 1 & 2) is generally easy. You can breathe easily & hold a conversation. It involves little to no fatigue. This zone builds endurance & supports recovery.

High aerobic (zone 3 & 4) includes moderate activity. Talking becomes a bit more difficult & heavy breathing begins. This zone benefits cardiovascular health, significant calorie burn, & higher fat burn during exercise.

Anaerobic (zone 5) is a very hard effort. Breathing is labored & you can't talk. This zone benefits calorie burn both during & after exercise, increased tolerance for high intensity exercise & prolonged time to fatigue.

High aerobic & anaerobic have a direct impact on cardiovascular health & calorie & fat burn. Getting into anaerobic specifically has what's called an afterburn effect or EPOC - Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. This means that your body continues to burn calories even after you've stopped exercising because it requires extra energy and oxygen to repair muscle damage, replenish fuel stores and restore hormonal balance and can lead to greater weight loss.

I cover this in more detail in my 6-week group wellness program.

https://www.vitaehealthcoaching.com/better-you-challenge

18/07/2025

New Years Resolutions are long gone, and summer schedules get loaded up with vacations and activities. It's easy to let your health goals slip by the wayside. Need a mid-summer health reset?

I'm launching a new virtual group coaching program and looking for 8-10 people to join the fun. This isn't about being perfect for six weeks. It's not about counting calories or following any prescribed workouts. It's simple lifestyle habits designed to give you the personal strategies, tools, motivation and accountability you need to get your body moving, eat clean, lose weight, be present and set you up on a path to long-term success in a supportive community.

In this 6-week wellness challenge, you'll learn:
- Why being consistently good 80% of the time is better than striving for perfection 100% off the time.
- Impact of stress on our health and tools to manage stress effectively.
- How to measure the quality of your workout and its impact on weight loss.
- What clean eating really means and selecting the right portion sizes.
- The benefits of and protocols for quality sleep.
- A mindfulness practice that allows you turn on your parasympathetic nervous system and why that benefits gut health.

You'll get:
- Personal health coaching
- Nutrition tracking
- Heart rate-based exercise tracking
- Progress measurement
- Wellness resources
- Some amazing recipes

Since this is a new program, I'm offering the first group a significant discount. Send me a message for more info or visit
https://www.vitaehealthcoaching.com/better-you-challenge

25/05/2025

Who's racing (or casually jogging/walking/enjoying every slip 'n slide) tomorrow???

17/03/2025

There's quite a bit of stress going around right now. Recently, I've had conversations with friends who are dealing with a sick parent, a death in the family, a job loss, another facing a potential layoff and uncertainty around finances due to the market downturn. I learned of these situations simply through conversation, not through any social media post.

On any given day, you could encounter someone going through a rough moment in their life that's not making their struggles public. That person who didn't return a text may be spending time with a parent in the hospital. That person who didn't return a phone call may be searching for a job to support their family.

Everyone is dealing with something that you may never know about. Everyone is fighting a personal battle. Be the person who brings a smile to the face of someone who needs it.

01/02/2025

I’ve ridden past this sign dozens of times on bike rides up to Carter Lake. And it was a ride late last year that I took in the words & thought about them for the rest of the day.

For much of my life, I believed the United States was the greatest nation in the world. We built the world’s strongest economy. We defeated fascism in WW2. We were the first to put a man on the moon. Americans created the Industrial Revolution & invented the light bulb, the telephone, the automobile & the internet. We’ve provided billions in humanitarian aid throughout the world.

But beliefs aren't truths.

And if you want to get better at anything - work, health, relationships, personal growth, or our country - you have to look in the mirror & be brutally honest with yourself. While we’ve had many great moments, the truth is that the United States is not the greatest country in the world anymore. This country is inherently racist, misinformed, ignorant & divisive. A country that voted in a campaign built on lies, bigotry & bullying.

It’s easy to get discouraged & throw your hands up when things look bleak. To put blinders on to things that don’t affect you personally. To see the wealthy & powerful profit off of our fear, anger & division.

I still believe in the goodness of most Americans. I'm optimistic that we can right this ship. It won’t be easy, but while a single snowflake is hardly felt, millions of snowflakes can cause an avalanche. Now is the time to double down on kindness, generosity & empathy towards those less fortunate, the most vulnerable & those that are just seeking equality & a better life.

If you’re feeling disheartened or angry, don’t let the clouds of hate cover up your sunshine. This country is filled with amazing teachers, scientists, healthcare & social workers & small business owners. Start by getting involved in your local community. Support our teachers. Share the work of climate scientists, volunteer at a youth organization or pro-democracy group & spend a couple extra dollars at a local small business instead of buying on Amazon. Little actions can add up & spark change.

Full article:
https://www.vitaehealthcoaching.com/be-the-change-you-want-to-see

02/08/2024

I was on a call with a men's group recently. Early in the conversation, we were discussing goals, and at one point, one guy on the call said his goal was to lose 40 pounds and get in better shape, but then made a comment saying that goal "may seem a little shallow when I could be spending time with family with the amount of time I spend at work". I had to chime in and say there's nothing more selfLESS than prioritizing your own health - building strength, increasing cardiovascular fitness, losing weight, improving gut health - for the benefit of his family.

I get it - it's alot to think about, try to prioritize with life's hectic schedules and do it correctly. But focusing on anyone one of these reduces your risk of premature death AND increases your healthspan later in life. That means less of a burden to your loved ones, both from a stress and financial perspective, as you age. So if you want to make your loved ones lives easier and get more quality time with them in your later years, now is the time to start lifting weights, getting that heart pumping, meditating, eating clean and getting proper sleep. Your family and your future self will thank you later.

05/06/2024

“Our running shoes have magic in them. The power to transform a bad day into a good day; frustration into speed; self-doubt into confidence; chocolate cake into muscle.” - Mina Samuels

Happy ! Back in high school, we used to have to run a few times a week during wrestling season. And I absolutely HATED it.

It wasn't until after college and I missed being involved in competitive sports that I reluctantly gave running a try and entered a 4-mile party run in Philly (mostly for free beer after). I had a blast and it was a life-changing moment. That was 22 years ago.

I can't imagine what my life would be like now without it now. The freedom of movement. The pushing of your comfort zone. The release of endorphins. The building of confidence. The benefits to healthspan and longevity.

A sport you can anywhere, anytime. In the mountains, on dirt, on the roads, in the rain. With friends or just some good old solo time. Slow or fast, it doesn't matter. If you put on a pair of running shoes and can shuffle your feet, you're a runner.

Hope y'all lace 'em up today!

📸:

28/05/2024

4th time running the today. Still not sure how I’ve only ran this four times in the 15 years I’ve been living here. Regardless, this is always such a fun race. 50,000+ participants. Some run, some walk, some do slip ’n slides. Everyone smiles.

And it's always a little extra fun to set a new PR in a race distance. Whoever says you have to get worse with age is full of s**t. Have fun, do cool s**t and kick some ass this week!

03/05/2024

Quality sleep is the foundation for holistic health. It's critical for cardiovascular health, mental health, your immune system, and recovery from a hard workout. Getting just four hours of sleep in a given night reduces your immune system's ability to fight off disease by 70%.

Sleep expert said, "Sleep is the greatest legal performance enhancing drug that most people are probably neglecting." A typical adult needs 7 - 9 hours of sleep per night to maintain optimal cognitive and immune system function. If you're an athlete, 8 - 10 hours of sleep is even more ideal for recovery and build back up properly. A few quick tips:

1) Try to stick to a consistent schedule. Your body loves a consistent schedule when it comes to sleep, as this helps keep your circadian rhythm in check. The more consistent the time you go to bed and the time you wake up, the more easily you will fall asleep at night and get restorative sleep. Try to keep that range within an hour (ex. 9:30 - 10:30 every night).

2) If you take naps during the day (I certainly do), try NOT to nap after 2:00. There's a chemical in your brain called adenosine, which continues to rise throughout the day. As adenosine rises, your need for sleep rises. When you nap, you wipe out adenosine, which may make it harder to fall asleep at night.

3) Avoid caffeine after 2:00. Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors. That late afternoon cup of coffee could be blocking your body's ability to increase adenosine. And even if you do fall asleep quickly, your quality of sleep could be impacted.

4) Keep your bedroom cool. The ideal room temperature for quality sleep is around 65 degrees.

5) Get in a sauna, hot tub, or hot bath late in the evening. This sounds counter-intuitive, but getting into a sauna or hot tub actually decreases your core body temperature. The body's core temperature needs to drop by about 2-3 degrees to fall and stay asleep. The closer to your bedtime, the better.

6) Avoid alcohol late at night. You may have no problem falling asleep, but alcohol will increase your resting heart rate and lower heart rate variability, both of which lead to poor sleep quality.

08/01/2024

Wishing you all a happy & healthy week ahead.

Address

80503

Website

https://www.vitaehealthcoaching.com/

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