Today, I am feeling a lot of frustration and sadness. I have been seeing some very hateful posts and comments and sharing of information that is not true or based in fear and scarcity and lack. I know we get to choose what to interact with. I also know that we get to choose what we want to share and spread. 
When I woke up this morning, I had a very clear message from my intuition to share about my opening and processes for tuning into that inner guidance. What do you listen to? How do you know what to listen to? What signs have you always followed? More and more people are waking up to these inner guidances and it can be scary. Nothing like a global crisis to bring out our fears and doubts. We don't get to feel these things any other way. It takes outside circumstances to trigger these things within us to make change. 
Several years ago, I awoke to the initial awarenesses of what I now call my guides and angels, or higher self. The awakening came through several traumatic and tragic events I brought on myself. I had to really look at what I was bringing in to the world and what I used as my compass to guide me. Underneath the trauma and fears was this very calm voice that was always there, I had covered it up with my self indulgence and fear of my shadow and light. These now are the things that I work diligently to listen to and to guide my actions. 
I remember when I was a child, I used to see all sorts of signs from God, or the Universe, or the Angels. I find that it doesn't really matter what we call it. It is a knowing and understanding that cannot be explained with science or ego. After some time and a few experiences with abuse, being bullied, and self perpetuating the cycles, I decided I could not trust those signs anymore and did everything I could to not hear them or see them. 
We are being called to listen to these messages now on a global scale. What is best for our planet and communities, what is best for our families, what is best for our neighbors, what is best for ourselves. The answer to all is the same: As below, so above, and beyond, I imagine. So I will ask one final question: What do you want to listen to that guides your actions right now? The world is literally in our hands. 
I would love to help you open up to this more. Please reach out.

Nate takes us through a simple psoas (so-as) stretch to help with pesky low back pain.

Here is a quick stretch you can do on a foam roller to open up your chest and relieve upper back pain from sitting in front of your computer all day.

Pointers on how to foam roll the IT Band to help with pain and tightness from running, skiing, biking, etc.

Nate shows a quick foam rolling technique to help with low back pain and rebalancing the pelvis.

Here is a quick video with 3 techniques you can use to get a little stress relief at your desk. Enjoy!!
Shoulder release, forearm/wrist stretch, self massage for forearm and wrist.

In the beginning of this year I set several fitness and health goals. Many people around me were doing these crazy restrictive cleanses like the lemon, maple syrup, cayenne and water master cleanse or juicing for several days. While I understand these are helpful for some do provide benefits, these types of cleanses are not for me. I have always been under the moderation rule, especially when it comes to eating. In early spring, a friend of mine made a statement that stuck with me. He said, “you can mask poor fitness with a healthy diet, but you can’t mask a poor diet with great fitness.” I am not sure who said this originally, but I knew that I could probably do some things to clean up what I was eating. A Personal Trainer and friend of mine, Ty Sonaty, told me about a 7 day eating plan he gives to all of his clients when they first start training with him. The idea is to clean out the bad and put in the good and you actually get to eat! I was very intrigued, because I like to eat. He gave me permission to share the grocery list and the eating plan. At the bottom of this post are links to both. With the grocery list in hand, my girlfriend Meghann and I went to Sprouts and bought everything we needed for the both of us to follow this plan for 7 days for just over $200.

The plan starts out primarily vegan, sugar free, gluten free and adds in meat in days 6 and 7. There are 2 or 3 smoothies, a salad, and snacks of berries or nuts everyday. Also if you are still hungry you can eat as many vegetables as you want to get your fill. This was the part I liked. The first two days were pretty easy. I had enough energy, was full enough and all the food was pretty good and not too repetitive. The first challenge didn’t hit until after dinner on day three. I was full from a giant salad but for some reason was standing in front of the fridge with the door open looking for something else to eat; which was quite interesting, because as I said before, I was full. I found myself getting a little flustered because my mind and my stomach were arguing over something I did not understand at the time. An hour later I made the “dessert” smoothie and went to bed. What I realized the next morning is that I had not had any sugar for three days and was having a withdrawal. Oh, well. It passed.

The rest of the week went smoothly. I had more than enough energy and felt I was eating well and enough. On day 6, I decided to weigh myself. To my surprise, I had lost 15 pounds! That is 7% of my total body weight. Meghann weighed in too, she lost 9 pounds, which was almost 7% of her total body weight. We were both amazed. We went about our normal lives that week except for our diets and had some pretty amazing results. The best part of this though, is that it really did reset my eating habits. I have found may new and healthy choices that I actually like. Now, don’t get me wrong, I still eat some indulgent things periodically like pizza and cheese, but I now have the tools and knowledge of the information my body gives me to know when I have had my fill and how to clean it out again quickly. I still use the smoothies regularly and will opt to have a salad sometimes. I have been able to keep that same 15 pounds off for the last 8 months by eating sensibly and regular exercise.

Here are the links to the grocery list and plan:

Grocery List

Eating Plan

 Also be sure to check out Ty Sonaty’s Denver Functional Fitness Page. He is an awesome Trainer and Kettle Bell Specialist. Thanks for reading!!!