Kaia FIT Petaluma

06/10/2022

06/09/2022

🌞 Are you ready for a little Lake Tahoe sunshine, friends, and fun!?!
Grab your girlfriends and join us August 26-28 for Kaia FIT's Wellness Retreat in beautiful Lake Tahoe! It will leave you feeling rested and will give you a total mind and body reboot.
This weekend spent alongside like-minded women will inspire, motivate and energize you in ways that you can't even imagine. PLUS, we're offering early bird pricing!
Click the link for more information! https://ecs.page.link/oaukH
Space is limited. Grab your spot! Call me if you have any questions: 775-901-7279
Share with your friends!!

04/15/2019

F.I.T. Tip: As you are sitting at your desk or spending time in a seated position start to think more about your posture and alignment. Are you squared up to your computer? Are your shoulders pulled back and your head looking forward? Try and set yourself up to help prevent neck and back pain over the work week. Add in some chest and neck stretching every few hours and over time your posture won't take any thought at all, it will be second nature!
N.O.W. Tip: The best way to set yourself up for success in getting the most out of your nutrients from food, stick to whole unprocessed foods. Get rid of your packaged snacks, meats and treats and get your fresh on! Head to the markets with your family or Kaia pals, spend more time cooking and eating with your family and snack on real fast food- veggies fruits and nuts!

04/15/2019

F.I.T. Tip: The pull pattern is one of the most underrated and difficult patterns we do in class. Pulling motions will improve you posture, but take a lot of correct muscle recruitment to do properly. Not only do we need to have great shoulder blade stabilizers, but the ability to pull our shoulders down to activate more than just our trapezius, which often times is the case and leads to neck and upper back pain. The main focus is shoulders down and back… if you talk to yourself during each pulling rep, focus on that and you will engage the right muscles to help strengthen that back and set you up for furthering your pulling power… pull-ups anyone!?
N.O.W. Tip: All about Carbs! You might hear people talk about low-carb, or carb loading but what is the "right thing to do?!" As always, everyone processes foods and energy differently. Carbs are veggies, fruits, grains, beans, even nuts and seeds. About half our plate will be carbs, as it is our number one source of energy. However, where we get our carbs from is the make or break food when it comes to weight loss, energy, and vitality. We need to watch out for "white" carbs which are stripped of most the nutritional value and are basically just un-sweet sugar. We need to focus on eating good carbs from veggies, fruits, whole grains, and beans. These nutrient dense carbs will not only give us energy, but also are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber AND keep our blood sugar consistent.

04/08/2019

F.I.T. Tip: The push movements activate not only the chest and shoulders, but also triceps, biceps and especially the scapular stabilizers. Many of us sit and hunch over a commuter, wheel of a car or on our phones so already we are setting ourselves up for tight chest muscles and weak back muscles. Add in some extra chest stretching this week, and focus on stabilizing your scapula's by squeezing your shoulders together and down away from the ears. This will help you with form as well as preventing injury during your pushing patterns.
N.O.W. Tip: Watch out for Fat-Free and Sugar-Free options. Many times these are just as un-healthy as the real stuff. As they take out fat and sugars, they usually add artificial flavorings and more chemicals. Be sure to take a look at the ingredients of your fat free food, as well as what they might be replacing sugar with. Your best bet is to eat a small amount of the fat and sugar every once in a while, instead of eating whole servings of artificial flavorings. Best thing to do, is stick with whole food with no added anything, or add these flavorings yourself with herbs and spices.

04/01/2019

F.I.T. Tip: The push pattern is used often at Kaia, with push-ups, planking, squat thrusts to name a few we do these a lot. When done correctly pushing is a great trunk strengthening and stability exercise, and takes a lot of shoulder activation. Be sure you are getting full range of motion in your pushing exercises and be sure to scale down as needed to keep perfect form! Doing the "perfect push-up" is one of the most challenging exercises, so practicing your progressions with perfect form will help you get there faster than doing them incorrectly.
N.O.W. Tip: As we are learning to live with less sugar, less processed foods and unlimited veggies the next thing that you want to take into account is the amount of sodium on your diet. Sodium is a mineral and electrolyte that can be added to almost anything. Your body needs sodium for proper muscle and nerve function, as well as blood pressure and volume, but in excess it can have a negative effect on those functions. The guideline is to have less than 2300 mg per day (1 tsp table salt). As you add a pinch to meals or snacks, most likely you won't be going over this, but watch out for packaged food and sauces.

03/30/2019

It is bittersweet to announce that today was our last day under the leadership of Alma C. Rodoni at 424 Payran st. Alma led us the last 5 years, and today she is saying goodbye to head out on her next grand adventure with her husband and her Sprinter Van. We are so happy for you and your future, and thankful of everything you taught us.

Stay tuned for future details on the status of Kaia FIT Petaluma, as of now we will have community classes outdoors and hopefully we will have a new owner and location soon.

In the meantime, please enjoy this wonderful poem from a dedicated Kaia Girl and Coach- Megan Anderegg Malone

Goodbye yoga and goodbye barre
Goodbye Saturday HJR
Goodbye TRX, goodbye BRIK
Goodbye squishy floor four inches thick
Goodbye ceiling that sometimes dripped
Goodbye to the doorstop where I often tripped
Goodbye Balance, Kaia, and Strength
Goodbye broad jumps of every length
Goodbye squat thrusts, goodbye burp*es
Goodbye jump ropes that made us p*e
Goodbye to running a fast timed mile
Finishing strong with a cheer and a smile
Goodbye pushups, goodbye planks
Goodbye backpacking moonlit dranks
Goodbye AMRAPs eight minutes long
Goodbye shirts that say Kaia Strong
Goodbye handbags handmade with care
Goodbye after-class pics with tousled hair
Goodbye sweaty hugs and sit-up high fives
Goodbye to the gym where we all thrived
Goodbye Coach Hilary and Coach Christina
Goodbye Coach Alycia and Kin barre-ballerina
Goodbye to the Megans, who bookended the days
Goodbye Coach Catherine, namaste
Goodbye to Alma, our leader fair
Goodbye Kaia girls everywhere
Although we may be off to roam
Our Kaia tribe is forever home.

03/25/2019

F.I.T. Tip: Opening up your hips and improving hip mobility will greatly increase your success in the squat pattern. If you sit often, your hip flexors get shorter and have a hard time opening and giving you ROM during the squat. Also, without more movement, external and internal rotation are lacking. Try and break up your work day by standing, stretching and moving your hip through full ROM. Try standing and just doing slow full hip circles a few times each direction every few hours.
N.O.W. Tip: It is hard to cut out added sugars, but there are some great ways to "trick" yourself into thinking something is sweet. As you drink water, or if you are feeling like a soda, add lemon or fruit to your water, or just have some sparkling water with fruit essence. On your oats, in your coffee or on yogurt or fruit, add some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to give you that warm sweet taste of baked goods. After dinner when you are craving that chocolate, have some herbal tea to give you a treat to the end of your day. Once you detox your body for excess sugar, just fruit will taste sweet and will hold you off heading to the cookie jar.

03/22/2019

A few days of good weight lifting this week. Legs for Days and Shaky Arms were 💯 percent TRUE! Feeling strong and ready to tackle the weekend!

03/21/2019

Working on our power with some super resistance partner running!

03/19/2019

Thank you Coach Joelle for a wonderful Monday Yoga class. We are so excited for you and your next adventure to Nevada!

03/18/2019

Agility!

03/18/2019

Teamwork!

03/18/2019

Another beautiful Saturday! Game-Off hosted by Coach Megan Berling!

03/18/2019

F.I.T. Tip: We do squats plenty in classes, but also probably close to 100 times a day as we sit, stand and pick things up. Since it is a very repetitive motion, let's be sure we know that each time we do it, we are practicing perfect form. If done correctly it will help ease your knee pain, add mobility in your ankles and hips, as well as strengthen your core and posterior chain! Remind yourself of 3 things: Sit back, see your toes, and read your shirt. Use a box to work on perfect form!
N.O.W. Tip: Let's talk beans and legumes. Beans are a powerhouse food, full of fiber, iron, potassium and magnesium and rich in antioxidants. Beans slow down digestion, keep you full, and regulate blood sugar. Even just a ½ cup of beans has 10g of fiber and will aid in heart health by reducing blood cholesterol. Try for 3 cups a week and reap the benefits!

03/17/2019

Happy St. Patricks Day! Hope those beautiful muscles make you extra lucky this spring! 💪🏋️‍♀️🍀