Ergonomics for Recovery: Setting Up a Standing Desk to Reduce Pain and Prevent Flare-Ups

As I discussed last week, there are lots of benefits to a standing desk but I wanted to get a little more personal on how it has helped me during this past year.  As a Health Coach, I spend most of my time working with my clients to help them realize how some of their habits and environments are not set up for their success, but I will admit it isn't always easy for me to do that same thing for myself. Over this past year, I've suffered two significant injuries that have not only derailed my training but have also had a massive impact on my quality of life.  Based on these two injuries, I have looked into things I could put into practice during my daily life to not only help heal those injuries but better recover from my training and life activities.  I do find myself sitting for a good portion of the day, not only at my desk, but also in my car as I drive quite a bit for clients. I have made some changes in the car, but those are more complicated and not quite as significant, and with both of these being hip injuries (both sides) I wanted to make changes not only in my posture but my overall workspace.

I've had my current workspace for over 6 years now, and while it mostly worked I noticed it was starting to lead to more aches and pains if I sat for too long. It also didn't have much flexibility in movement as managing all of the cables became unwieldy. I had tried a couple of half measures to piece together a standing option but with the system being manual, it was clunky and often created more problems than it solved. I then looked into the UPLIFT Desk and realized this could solve multiple problems and provide a badly needed refresh of my workspace.

When configuring my new UPLIFT v3 Standing Desk workspace, the primary requirement for me was the simple process of converting from sitting to standing, with the capabilities to provide the peace of mind with the UPLIFT Desk FlexMount Cable Manager system so that I wouldn't have to worry about any of my cords or cables or make a series of adjustments once that transition is made. Over the years, I've realized if there's any hesitation that I'll cut a cord, or yank something off the table, I won't bother with standing at all. The UPLIFT Desk provides numerous different ways to bundle, hide, and route all of the cables (and yes I have LOTS of them) to the places they need to go, maintain their functionality, and most importantly work exactly the same sitting and standing.

Another key component with my success with this new workstation has been the comfort while standing, having multiple options has been key. There are days when I want that cushy pad underneath my feet to provide that extra level of comfort. Then there are days where I want a little challenge, that's where the Motion X-Board comes in as it provides just enough instability to keep me mentally alert but also enough movement to help my ankles, knees, and most importantly (for me) my hips. Not only have these options allowed me to extend the time I spend standing, but also provide movement when I need it. This movement and changing of positions increases the amount of blood flowing through the legs and in general keeps the body in a more neutral position which promotes recovery.

The other key component for me of a successful workstation, is the aesthetics of it - or the looks. This isn't just the design of the desk and the material options, but the ability to keep it clean, organized, functional, and still a little fun! Being able to lift my monitors and computers off the desk clears up the entire workspace for not only utility, but allows me to display some of the other fun items in my collection. And since the entire workspace moves, I don't have to do any re-organizing when I stand or sit. Speaking of fun, another option that I initially thought was silly was the concept of having a hammock as part of my desk. But now that I have it, I love it - and not necessarily for the reasons you might think. Sure it is comfortable and fun, but it actually does help me stay more productive, let me explain. As someone who works from home (and have for the better part of 20 years) I can always find distractions if I want to (and yes, distractions are also in the office too) but on the days when I want to stretch out a little bit the hammock provides a great option that still keeps me physically in the office. I can use that time to quickly recharge and not end up on the couch where I might end up accidentally watching an entire season of Stranger Things!

All of these features and options, especially the UPLIFT Desk’s ergonomic benefits, have enabled me to successfully rehab from my injuries and build healthier more sustainable habits that should help to keep me more injury free going forward.

If you’re dealing with nagging pain or coming back from injury, think of your desk as part of your rehab plan. The goal isn’t to stand all day—it’s to create more movement opportunities and reduce time spent in the positions that provoke symptoms. Start with 10–20 minute standing blocks a couple times a day, keep your posture relaxed, and use the desk transition as a cue to reset: a few breaths, a quick walk, a gentle stretch. Want the easiest way to build that routine into your day? Explore UPLIFT Desk and set up a sit-stand station that makes consistency automatic.

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From Reflection to Direction: My New Year Process

A strong year isn’t forged by one bold resolution — it’s shaped by consistent intention.

Before setting goals, I step back, assess the last year, and choose how I want to show up in the next one.

One of the most common traditions this time of year is some sort of resolution, change, plan, or something to do differently to start off year.  Over the past few years, I have switched up towards more of a process that I also implement around any other significant event such as a race or work event. I use this as a time for reflection, looking at the things I did well in the previous year, some areas that didn't go so well and lessons learned from them, and finally a look forward to next year with a combination of incremental process goals, things I want to improve on, and then a "big scary goal" or two. I'm sharing this here for two reasons, one to walk through what I believe is a more successful concept, and two to provide myself with a level of accountability.

Looking back at last year, I didn't have any of those stand-out wins or massive highs but it definitely was a year of consistency. I feel like this consistency applies to the business side most with regards to my clients, my level of service to them, and also with my consistently looking to learn and continue to improve. I also feel like I managed to gradually work on my sleep, the most challenging part getting to bed earlier. There's still lots of room to improve but the increased awareness and small shift should help lead into this year for even more improvement. My training didn't go quite as planned as I started the year recovering from a torn labrum, and then later in the year picked up another hip injury. But I do feel like both of these injuries brought me greater awareness of my body, especially while running as I needed to make various tweaks based on my physical therapy. This awareness also helped me more smartly adhere to my training plan and also know when I needed to make shifts in the plan. The last area I wanted to call out was not only a better handle on my schedule, but also doing a better job of protecting the parts of my schedule that I needed (or wanted) to hold. While this may sound trivial, I have a habit of rearranging my schedule to fit others and while that has certain obvious advantages it does create other challenges for me and my mental outlook. Shifting just a little bit along that scale towards protecting my schedule helps me strike a better balance in my life.

As for areas that didn't go as well, I don't go into this process trying to find every issue or mistake but instead look at one or two significant aspects that were the most impactful on the year. Probably the most obvious one that jumps out to me was my consistency with strength training, which I realize might sound odd coming from someone who knows how important it is. I will firmly admit that I am one of my toughest clients, and spoiler this will be an item coming up that I plan to work on. I also recognize that I probably got a little too comfortable with my client base and didn't push as hard I as I could to grow that, or improve what I'm doing for my existing clients. This is also one of those areas where I am my worst critic as well, but I do feel like there's room for improvement there. Finally the other aspect I recognize got a bit out of control was my ability to check out for longer than I probably should. Yes there are times when I need to zone out to relax and recharge, but far too often a 30 minute mental break turned into multiple hours. This one will probably be tough to break, but I feel like one of the tweaks I made towards the end of the year will help with this and more awareness will also help reign this habit in a bit.

So what does my plan for 2026 look like? As part of this process, I look to identify a couple of processes that I want to improve, a couple of specific targets (usually with a couple levels to them), and then a "scary" goal or two. I mentioned it above, but top of the list that I need to work on is my strength training consistency and I've already addressed many of the logistical challenges with a routine - I simply need to do it. My plan to improve my consistency starts with actually scheduling the slot on my calendar, as only having it on my training plan doesn't seem to work. I will also make the mental shift that these workouts are my most important ones of the week, and need to happen before I "reward" myself with my long run. I also want to work on keeping my schedule more in control, satisfying my clients but also leaving room for myself. I've made strides this year, but feel like there's a gap between the day to day scheduling and longer term stuff. I'm recently starting using a tool called Notion (just the free version at this time) to help better organize and visualize my longer term projects and that coupled with my existing calendar should help improve this situation. I do have some specific business goals with regards to numbers I want to hit and the success of a new program I will be launching (👀SOON! 👀) but the scheduling improvement I mentioned will also have a significant positive impact on my business. I'm taking a break this year from setting a specific financial target but I will gauge this success based on my comfort level with additional expenditures, primarily vacation and travel. I know that may sound vague but it has a very specific and real meaning to me, which is the important part. As for my "scary" goals, technically I have two of them but they're related and based on how the year starts off with my injury may collapse to one. But I have some relatively lofty goals that I want to hit with regards to my marathon time, and full distance Ironman Triathlon. But before I can really narrow in on these, I need to see how the next couple weeks of training goes as that will drive whether I can tackle both of them, or if I need to focus on just one.

The New Year isn’t about doing everything — it’s about doing the right things with intention.

When your personal health, training, and business goals align, progress becomes sustainable and meaningful.

This year, to summarize my outlook, I’m focused on clarity, consistency, and energy — and helping others do the same.

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Less Sitting, More Moving: Standing Desks, Mobility Breaks, and Everyday Comfort

As we start off the new year, many of us are looking for ways to improve our health, and as a Health Coach one of the main things I look for are those minor changes in a clients' lives that can stacked or progressed to accomplish a much larger change. One of those aspects I look for is movement as it has become far too easy for us to sit (or lay) in one position for far too long. I always look to incorporate small changes that can add a little movement, but that small change is then repeated multiple times throughout the day. There are many examples of this, choosing the further bathroom, walking the stairs and not using the elevator, parking further away, and so on, but another great one comes from the desk that we spend a good portion of our day behind. If we can switch that to an UPLIFT Standing Desk, even for a portion of a day, that change of position and posture plus the natural shifts and sways that will happen will naturally result in more movement during the day. Not to mention that we've now included at least two more squats during the day, which do add up.

First let's talk a bit about some of the challenges that come from sitting for long periods of time during the day. Even if you have perfect sitting posture, most of us don't, there is only so much movement you can encourage while sitting and that lack of movement not only creates stiffness but it also reduces blood flow. That stiffness and reduced blood flow makes moving even harder and creates that reinforcing circle that feeds on itself making you less likely to move. Poor posture combined with that reduced blood flow over time will reduce overall range of movement in your joints and as your body gets more used to sitting it will reduce resources sent to your leg muscles as they are spending large portions of the day resting. Yes you can (and should) strength train, but sitting for long periods makes those gains in the gym even harder to accomplish.

My UPLIFT Desk in the sitting configuation

One of the advantages of something like the UPLIFT Desk is that standing encourages your body to operate in a healthier fashion. First off, while it won't fix your posture, you're more likely to be in a neutral posture standing then most are when they're sitting. This posture shift not only promotes more blood flow but it removes so many of those sticking points that we sometimes find ourselves in while sitting. Also while standing there are many more opportunities even for subtle movements like shifting of weight, swaying, and small steps taken will all add up to increase your daily step count but a healthier working body overall. Standing requires your leg muscles to be activated and that will reinforce the work you're doing in the gym to help build and maintain strength. Having a standing option at your desk also promotes more movement as it presents more options.

When looking at standing options, a big component to consider is the ease at which you can switch from sitting to standing. I've tried a number of other options over the years, but one of the reasons I went with the UPLIFT Desk was the superior cable management options that can cause significant challenges if not handled properly. Also of consideration should be the ability to keep the workspace clean but also function in a similar fashion standing as it does while sitting. If you need to do a bunch of different things or use the space differently in different configurations, it becomes more of a hassle and as such you naturally won't leverage the options as frequently.

If you're looking to make a change in your workstation, I do recommend an audit of your current space, workflow, and current habits to make sure you account for as much as possible. While it may seem like a "nice to have" using mounting arms to lift and position monitors and laptops definitely is worth any extra fee they might come with. Not only does this free up your workspace but it also allows you to set it up in a way that reinforces proper posture. It is also important to look at the cable management options, something the UPLIFT Desk excels at, such that you can not only make it aesthetically pleasing, but also fully functional while both sitting and standing, without having any adjustments needed.

Mobility isn’t something you earn in one long stretching session—it’s something you build through frequent, low-effort movement. A standing desk turns everyday work into more opportunities to change angles, open up the hips, and keep the spine from locking into the same position for hours. Use the raise/lower button as your cue for a quick reset: a few breaths, a calf stretch, a hip hinge, or a 30-second walk. Want an easy way to bake that routine into your workday? Explore UPLIFT Desk and set up a sit-stand station that makes movement breaks automatic.

My UPLIFT Desk in the standing configuration.

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Why Energy Matters More Than Time

Some days everything clicks. Other days, it feels like you’re dragging uphill.

That’s not a motivation problem — it’s biology.

When you learn to work with your energy patterns instead of fighting them, performance becomes far more sustainable.

When I look back at this past year one of my more successful changes I made was a shift in my schedule and leaning into my energy fluctuations.  This allowed me to be more present for the aspects of my life I wanted to, excel when I needed to, enjoy my days more, and feel more rested - despite failing to get as much sleep as I'd want (and probably need).  For me this comprised of a few small but specific changes:

• Loaded up my mornings

• Built in an early afternoon down time

• Protected my Friday evenings such that they became my recharge time.

• Shifted my workouts as needed when life necessitated it

Now I realize, not all of this will work for everyone and we all will approach this differently (as we should) but the process I went through to make these changes can work for everyone.  And as we look forward to a new year, it is a great opportunity to make schedule shifts.

I started this process by recognizing what my daily energy shifts looked like and when I typically feel most energetic as well as where my lulls are. Some of this I was mostly aware of, but keeping track for a couple weeks really helped prove it to myself. Allowing for some variance week to week helps to make sure it is a real pattern and not just a one off. Not all of this is completely within our control based on work or kids so this process won't be perfect, however we can look to make progress towards a better solution. I then made a shift in my mornings since I've always been a morning person, it seemed logical to me to lean into that such that the bulk of my daily work (and workouts) were done before noon. This shift then created a gap in my early afternoon that I began to relish as an opportunity to refuel, refresh, and take some time to orient the rest of my day. Those two pieces came together rather seamlessly and in conjunction, but the Friday one took longer for me to finally acknowledge as it more or less came out of necessity. At the end of the week, Sunday is the start of my work/exercise week, I was crashing pretty hard and early in the evening. That still opened up Saturday evenings if I wanted to, but allowing Friday to be a "down" evening really helped anchor my week giving my brain and body an opportunity to recover.

While there are some differences between individuals (primarily whether you're a morning person or night-owl) the general biology and trends are consistent. Mornings are associated with a higher cortisol level which helps with mental focus and physical performance. There's a natural dip at some point "mid-day" that's a function of hormone shifts, blood sugar, and stress load. And then in the evenings the shift is toward winding down the day towards recovery. Now the magnitude of the variations aren't consistent from person to person and of course can be "controlled" to some degree by willpower and caffeine. However, understanding these variations allows you to work with your day not against it and save the coffee powered sessions for when you really need it.

So what are some of the signs that a schedule shift might be helpful?

• Living on caffeine

• Poor sleep, especially when feeling exhausted

• Emotional swings

• Forcing workouts when tired

• Consistent lack of focus

There are more, but these are the key ones to look for and for me caffeine was the biggest flag that suggested I should think about a shift. I could tell that what I was doing, while working, wasn't something I could realistically sustain indefinitely, and most likely would create a problem down the road. This is where having some level of awareness and data tracking comes in handy (or a coach) to help spot these trends and allow you to do some experiments on yourself to see what moves the needle in the desired direction. I'm excited to see what I can accomplish this next year based on the continuation of this adjustment process!

Energy isn’t something to dominate — it’s something to manage.

When you learn to roll with daily and weekly trends, performance becomes more consistent, recovery improves, and burnout fades.

High performance isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing the right things at the right time.

🔗 Subscribe to The Wellness Forge for practical strategies to manage energy, reduce stress, and perform at your best.

Track Your Progress — Without Letting the Data Run Your Life

You don’t forge better performance by chasing perfect numbers.

You forge it by combining objective data with subjective awareness — using both to make better decisions, one day at a time.

Data pertaining to our health and wellness has never been more in-depth or more available than it is today with the digitization of medical records, more control given to individuals, and the boom of apps and wearables.  This data can be incredibly useful to track things like performance, recovery, progress, and spot trends or illnesses early enough to act before they get out of hand.  However, that amount of data sometimes become overwhelming, and it can also become easy to get wrapped up in individual metrics and miss the bigger picture.

There ae some pieces of data that are rathe straightforward and can combined with objective data to make them even more powerful indicators. For example, the weight you can squat is a good strength metric, but when you combine that with level of effort you now have a gauge for how well you're performing at that weight on that given day. As you progress lifting with that same weight, it will feel easier, and that ease (in this example) is an indication of when you're ready to progress and increase the weight. Another example would be from your blood work (something everyone should do at least a couple times a year) vitamin levels compared with the optimal levels for that nutrient helps guide towards potential supplementation, with repeat tests helping to understand absorption.

Where this process can lead to challenges is when focus is put on any one signal number with the exclusion of any subjective correlation. For example, many wearables provide some metric that represents how ready you are for the next day. And while that information usually combines a number of different pieces of information (heart rate, heart rate variability, previous days activates, sleep, etc.) it is only a snapshot of those metrics and even ignoring any potential inaccuracies, that is only one snapshot in time such that it is providing a limited view into the complex working of the body. Over time, you may come to find you typically feel similar to how that "ready" score indicates you should feel, but it is an important exercise to continue to check in to verify you feel in the ballpark of that number. Chasing the numbers can lead to additional stress, over-reaction/correction, exercising too hard or too easy, or prioritizing the wrong behaviors. It is more important to chase the process and not the numbers.

Another powerful way to leverage data is to not look at the single values, but the trends in those values over a longer period of time. When looking at something like sleep duration or heart rate variability, individual values don't tell the whole story but general movement or significant outliers can be useful to look at. Trends can help determine if behavioral changes are having a positive or negative impact while outliers can be an indication of a potential illness. Looking at trends, also helps with looking at the bigger picture as each data point builds on the previous data to form a more powerful story and helps minimize focusing on the small details.

If you're looking to make a change in a metric, first make sure it is one that you can easily and consistently track, and remember that absolute accuracy isn't a firm requirement, but the data should be consistent, or accurate compared to itself. Track that metric for a week without making any changes so you have a decent starting trend and rough idea of the variations. Then change one (maybe two) behaviors and continue monitoring for at least two weeks. This period will allow you to account for any normal variations and any issues with consistency in your behavior changes. After that period, you should be able to determine if the changes improved your metric or not. Based on that, either continue, shift behaviors, or maybe look at the next metric to attack.

Data is powerful — but only when used wisely.

Track what matters. Ignore what distracts. Let the numbers guide, not judge.

When you combine data with awareness, you make better decisions, improve consistency, and unlock higher performance.

If you want support building a balanced, data-informed approach to your health and training, I’m here to help.

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Macro Balance: How to Fuel Your Body for Real Performance

Executives and athletes have something in common: they live in energy-demanding environments.

Yet most underfuel, over-restrict, or eat meals that don’t match their needs.

Macro balance is one of the simplest ways to improve daily energy, mental clarity, and training performance — without dieting.

In any given day, I'm sure you hear at least 10 different ideas of what macros (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) should be what percentage of your caloric intake.  The short answer, as with most things health related, is that it depends.  There is no set of ratios that works for everyone all of the time. Even for an individual, there may be times where it makes sense to shift things around based on the current life situation. Finding the right balance that works best for you and understanding how you might want to make changes as you move through different seasons of your life is a very important skill to learn. At the core, it requires not only an understanding of what you're putting in your body but also a consistent assessment of how your body is responding to that fuel.

When I start working with clients on their nutrition, I always start with protein as it is one of the easier ones mathematically and is also one that many struggle with. Protein is the primary building block and repair tool for muscles and is incredibly helpful in managing satiety and blood sugar. Because of these 2 factors it is probably the biggest (or at least near the top of the list) nutritional factor in achieving long term weight management. As an initial optimal target, I tend to use the 1 gram of protein per target weight (in pounds) since this makes the math nice and simple. Now, this is a target, not a firm rule - but in aiming high, even if falling a little short, you're still getting sufficient levels. If you're looking to get started, keep track of your current protein consumption and aim to gradually move towards your optimal target. How much additional protein you can add will vary, but start with 15 grams per day for a week and go from there.

Most of what you read will at least be in the ballpark with protein, but where the variations really come out are when it comes to fat and carbohydrates. The main role of carbohydrates is to provide fast energy to the body, muscles, and brain in the most efficient way. Yes fats and protein can be broken down to create energy, but that process takes longer and is significantly less efficient. Fats do quite a lot for the body and as such can't be ignored either as they are the building blocks for hormones, aide in nutrient absorption, brain health, and help control inflammation. There are many fads out there that suggest reducing, or eliminating, fat or carbohydrate intake will be the best option. I tend to avoid recommending the exclusion of macros or foods (unless there's a medical reason) as that withholds vital nutrients from the body and in most cases sets the individual up cravings, dietary issues, and general challenges with weight management. For most people in most situations, the best solution for the body to function optimally is some level of all 3 macro nutrients. A good starting point s to balance out the calories left over after your protein target. As an example take a 2000 daily calorie target for an individual targeting 150 pounds, such that their protein target is 150 grams. That leaves 1400 calories (2000 - 150 g * 4 calories per gram) for carbs and fat that I'd split evenly to start. That works out to 175 grams of carbs (700 calories divided be 4 calories per gram) and 78 grams of fat (700 calories divided be 9 calories per gram) as a starting point. Using these as a starting point, keep track of not only how you're hitting those numbers but also more importantly how you feel based on that, as naturally there will be some variance to the balance of fats and carbs on a day to day basis. Understanding how your body responds to those shifts in each macro will allow you to better understand how your body responds and which macros it tends to like most. For an individual, it may end up looking more like a 60/40 split or some other number, however it is important to not go below 20% of total calories from fat as that can cause some potentially significant problems for hormones and nutrient absorption.

The last "macro" I want to mention is alcohol as the body does treat it differently but it does get converted to energy with 1 gram working out to 7 calories. Many look at the health benefits of some alcohol, however many of the benefits very well could be from the associated social behaviors. There have recently been numerous studies on the disruptions alcohol has on sleep and recovery as well as other potential downsides. As with everything, the right amount for anyone may shift and change but it definitely needs to be accounted for when looking at overall intake and how the body responds to it.

I know this may sound like a lot but the good thing is that for many people this is a one time process with check-ins as necessary based on shifting life patterns. If you're starting a new training program, increasing your carbohydrates will allow you to perform better in your sessions and recover better. On the flip side, some folks notice that they feel more bloated when they eat carbs (a very natural process) and as such they may feel better with a lower percentage of carbs. There are lots of apps out there that can help with this process, you can also use a notebook, or enlist the help of a coach to keep you organized.

You don’t need a restrictive meal plan — you need balanced fuel.

Protein rebuilds. Carbs energize. Fats support. Alcohol disrupts.

When you understand what your body needs, every meal becomes an opportunity to improve performance.

🔗 Subscribe to The Wellness Forge for more practical, science-backed strategies to fuel your day and strengthen your long-term health.

Recovery, Explained: How Your Body Rebuilds After Stress

Stress shapes you. Recovery strengthens you.

Your body is constantly balancing breakdown and rebuild — and with the right inputs, you can turn stress into adaptation rather than exhaustion.

When it comes to stress, recovery, and adaptations the body treats mental and physical stressors in the same fashion with a very similar process. Knowing how this process works not only will help you as you look to make progress, but also pinpoint one of the biggest culprits in leading to plateaus. These stressors can be planned workouts, busy days at work, illness, relationships, or all of them combined and it becomes crucial to account for this when looking at how much you're trying to accomplish and what results are reasonable to expect.

The first step in this process is an immediate response to this stressor that includes things like an increase in heart rate, cortisol and adrenaline rise, mental focus increase, and an increase in blood sugar to provide more energy to meet the increased need. After the stressor has passed the body then shifts into repair mode shifting those resources to stabilize which will include things like a normalization of hormone levels, and repair of any tissue damage. Finally we get into the adaptation phase where muscle strength increases, muscular endurance improves, cognitive resilience increases, and there's a mood improvement all with the goal to better handle the next stressor that comes.

The challenge for many is balancing out the stressors such that this entire process can run from start to finish in an efficient manner. Too strong or too quick of a stressor and the body never finishes the repair mode and as such can't adapt or grow stronger. The repair process can also be delayed by other factors too, such as poor sleep, underfueling, or even relationship stress. Some indicators that you may be stuck in this cycle are consistent muscle soreness or perpetual fatigue. The flip side can also cause problems as too weak of a stressor, or ones spaced too far apart and the body never triggers an adaptation as it doesn't need to.

Unfortunately, there is no one single test that can identify either of these as the exact problem you may be facing in hitting your goals. However, if you find yourself stuck at a plateau or feel like you're just going through the motions, the first place to start would be that honest assessment of your stressors and what actions you're currently taking. If you feel like you're perhaps putting your body under too much stress, look for ways to either reduce some of that or change up your workouts by reducing the duration or intensity. Most workout programs have a built-in de-load period to help the body adjust, but depending on where you're starting from it may take longer than that. If you feel like you're on the other side of the fence, I wouldn't suggest increasing your stress (don't go out purposely to get poor sleep) but look to change up or increase your workout frequency/intensity. With either of these paths, I wouldn't look to change too many things or make a drastic change but start small and evaluate progress.

Stress is unavoidable — but recovery is intentional.

When you understand how your body repairs, resets, and rebuilds, you can train harder, handle stress better, and perform at a higher level.

Support the process. Build resilience. Keep forging forward.

🔗 Subscribe to The Wellness Forge for strategies that help you recover smarter and perform stronger.

Breakfast: The Why and The What

Whether you’re an executive juggling meetings or an athlete in training, your morning fuel sets the tone for the entire day.

Breakfast isn’t just a meal — it’s a performance tool.

Used well, it gives you steady energy, better focus, and stronger training sessions.

For many of my clients, breakfast can be one of the most challenging habits to change and then it can also be one of those most impactful changes they can make. There are lots of explanations I've heard (and used myself) for not eating breakfast but the advantages of breakfast far outweigh any of the other options by a large margin. What I try to walk through with my clients are the benefits of breakfast, and what can we do to gradually work towards a better solution. For those with looking to perform either physically or mentally, or those looking to better manage their weight in a sustainable way, some sort of breakfast is one of the best starting points.

Let's start with the benefits:

• Eating breakfast works to stabilize your blood sugar after a natural period of fasting (overnight sleep) which is one of the leading causes not only of fatigue during the day but also cravings.

• An early meal helps regulate and promote the normal hormone cycles of cortisol such that it can start to decrease during the day as well as helping to regulate the appetite hormones.

• From a practical standpoint, eating an early meal helps with getting not only the proper macro nutrients (primarily protein) but also getting in enough other nutrients from things like fruits and vegetables.

So what should a breakfast look like? Just like every other meal, there should be a good mix of protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, and some color typically coming from fruits or vegetables. Three options that can not only knock out those requirements but are either quick to throw together or can be batch made ahead of time:

1. A combination of eggs, meat (or tofu), potatoes (or toast), and veggies. This can be done as a scramble, omelette, casserole, or a burrito and each of those present other options for additional flavors and prep times.

2. An oat mixture is a great bulk option, I use a version of overnight oats that tastes like a chocolate chip cookie and is not only one of my breakfast staples, but my pre-race meal as well.

3. A shake is another great quick and portable option that allows for the combination of a lot of things, with the taste of the veggies masked by the other items.

4. If you're starting from not eating anything, maybe think about adding something into your tea or coffee increase calories. Things like protein powder, collagen protein, creatine, and MCT oil are all good options that dissolve well and can either be flavorless or give a nice twist to your beverage of choice.

Each of these options has its advantages and which one is best will vary by the individual, circumstances, and you may even want to rotate through to provide a level of variety. As I've said numerous times, start with understanding of where you currently are and look to make small shifts to make consistent progress.

If you want better energy, stronger workouts, and fewer cravings — don’t skip the foundation.

Build a breakfast that supports your goals and sets the tone for your entire day.

Start strong. Fuel early. Perform better.

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How to Measure Progress (Even When the Scale or Stopwatch Won’t Budge)

Iron sharpens through challenge — not repetition.

Plateaus aren’t roadblocks. They’re invitations to refine your approach, dial in your habits, and train with intention.

Let’s break down how to progress with purpose.

Progress is one of the key metrics we all pay attention to as we train, and we primarily focus on two types of progress - quantitative and qualitative. However, I will admit, for myself and many of my clients, the fixation on the quantitative (numbers/metrics) can be overpowering and dominate the thought process. That's not to say focusing on numbers is a bad thing, for the most part they can be a great metric as they're usually very cut and dry. You either hit that metric/goal or you don't. However, these only tell part of the story and shouldn't be used as the sole metric for gauging progress. You'll want to pair those metrics with some qualitative guides to help you understand HOW you're hitting those numbers. For example, if one of the metrics you're tracking is how much weight you're squatting, it is very easy to keep track of how much weight you load onto the bar (or hold in your hands, or how many body weight squats you're doing). But you'll also want to keep track of qualitative things like how easy/hard those reps feel, how you recover from that workout, how is your range of motions (think squat depth) is improving, and the list goes on from there. Pairing the numbers with the feel gives you a more complete understanding of how you're progressing with your squats, in this example, and a better grasp of when you might actually be hitting a plateau. Many consider plateaus when just the numbers stall, but if you're able to do the same weight but it feels easier, that's not a hard plateau, you're most likely very close to being able to increase the weight.

There are many reasons why you might be hitting an actual plateau where not only are the numbers not moving, but the workouts don't feel any different and they mainly will fall into 3 types:

1. Too much training or not enough fueling - these essentially get to the same problem, too much training load that the body can't properly recover from and as such never adapts.

2. Too little training which doesn't challenge the body enough such that it needs to adapt.

3. The wrong kind of training, an extreme example of this would be doing lots of speed work during your marathon training

So what does it look like to pull out of a plateau, it first starts with understanding IF you're actually in one and then figuring out which of the above three buckets your training falls into. Some of the solutions are simpler to figure out, for example an over training imbalance can be helped with either adding in a de-load week or an increase of calories. Starting with that honest assessment of where you currently are not only with training, but fueling and your other stressors will help narrow down the challenges to work to adjust. My recommendation would be to pick one aspect and make a small change to see if you notice things moving in the right direction, then lean in further. As an example, if you feel your fueling may be off, look to add a small snack, or slightly larger meals, to add around 100-300 calories a day for a week, and see how that impacts not only your training but how you recover and feel. Another option if you're feeling truly stuck, and assuming you don't have a calendar restriction (like a race in 3 weeks), would be to pivot to something completely different for a few weeks. This will provide a radically different stimulus and force your body to respond and adapt.

Sometimes it can be hard to be objective about progress, and it helps to have someone else to observe and discuss your current training. While this is the exact purpose of having a coach or trainer, you can also look to other training partners, friends, relatives, etc to get some feedback on not only the training but how they view your recovery and mentality. This outside viewpoint may be the missing piece in helping crack the plateau challenge.

Plateaus aren’t a dead end — they’re a sign to adjust.

Progress comes from intention, not intensity.

Change the stimulus, fuel well, recover well, and track your trends — and your progress will keep moving forward.

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More Than Sleep: How to Recover Physically and Mentally

Sleep is the foundation of recovery — but it's not the whole story.

True recovery happens through the habits, movement, and mindset strategies you use throughout your day.

Here’s how to build a recovery system that supports greater performance, resilience, and consistency.

One of the best recovery tools you can master is sleep, however that doesn't cover all aspects of recovery. Recovery isn't just a single item and it needs to be adjusted based on the specific stressors on the body and how it is handling them. A tricky part for this is that the two aren't always correlated, for example after a hard workout you may feel like you need a mental break more than a physical one. Many think of recovery as the down time between workouts, but it is a complex set of processes the body is consistently engaged in as it deals with the stressors of life. Things like eating, hydrating, watching Netflix are just some of the things that can be leveraged as recovery aids. Recovery is where all the magic happens as not only does the body heal from any damage that has been done, but it also is where the adaptations to those stressors occur. And that's the most important part, we want the body to have the time AND resources needed to make the adaptations we're training for. We don't build muscle during out strength workouts, our body builds in as it recovers and adapts such that it can be more efficient in handling those workouts in the future.

First let's talk about physical recovery, as this is what most think about when recovery comes up. This can essentially be broken into two buckets - movement and fueling. While many might think that a lack of movement (laying on the couch) is the best recovery, usually the best option is light, low impact movement to get the blood flowing to help bring nutrients to the areas of need, and pull all the bad stuff away. Think things like stretching, mobility work, walking, yoga, swimming, all are great options to consider when used appropriately and at a low intensity. That's not to say, there are times when taking time to fully "do nothing" might be the best option, but for me at least, those are usually paired with needing to mentally restore as well. Load management is also a key part in all of this, some times swapping out a strength workout for a mobility day, or changing your speed day for a Zone 2 run will also prove more beneficial in the long term. The other aspect to think of physically is refueling your body not only of the nutrients (carbs, protein, vitamins, etc.) but also hydration. While you may think that since you're taking it easier, you don't need as much fuel - remember that while you're recovering, you're also building, and to build your body needs the fuel to accomplish that task. I'm not suggesting you fuel your recovery days like your monster workout days, but you should most likely fuel more on your recovery days then you think you need to. This is also the bucket where all those fun tools/toys come into play, but that's a whole different post for another day.

Physical recovery is usually the one most people think of first, but we can't underestimate the impact of mental and emotional recovery. Those are much harder to track and monitor as we don't have great ways to quantify those aspects of our lives (yet). And yes, there is some overlap between physical and mental recovery, I myself often find exercise as a great way to let my mind wander and disconnect from the other stressors in my life - but physical exercise still is a stressor on the body. Mindfulness is one of the top ways to foster this kind of recovery and it can take lots of forms (journaling, meditation, quiet time, etc) such that you open up to the idea of acknowledging where you currently are and what paths forward are available to you. This doesn't have to be large block of time, even 5 minutes can be enough to not only provide the mental clarity but an opportunity for your brain and body to rest and reset. Another great option is to take time outside (weather permitting) maybe even combining this with some mindfulness for additive benefits. Finally, a great way to mentally recharge is to be around other people either in person or through voice, text, video chatting. The simple act of reaching out to someone else not only removes you from your stressors but opens up the possibility of connection and helping someone else through their challenges.

Recovery isn't a one size fits all process, it varies from person to person, and from day to day, so the way to improve it is through awareness and experimentation. Consciously understanding where you currently are, trying some things, and then evaluating how you feel during and afterwards. You can do this using some form of journaling, combined with a wearable, or with the help of a coach to see what works for you in various kinds of circumstances. As important as numbers and metrics are, don't discount how you feel either - ideally they will correlate, but sometimes they don't which requires further investigation. This process also applies to the holidays, you'll need to be aware of what's changing in your life, your stressors and your ability to handle them, and adapt your training and recovery appropriately to match those.

Recovery is a skill — and you can build it like any other.

You don’t need an hour, a spa day, or a perfect routine. Just a few intentional habits that help your body and mind reset.

Start small. Stay consistent. Protect your recovery.

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