It's been an incredible last few weeks for both Lindsay and I, and we are both finally settling back into our normal routines.  I've been quiet on the blog recently, as during the past two weeks I've been squeezing in a full week of work into about 4 days.  Suffice to say, I napped on Sunday.  Hard.

Anyway, as I've grown busier I've also started receiving many more emails, several from clients that would like advice or want to reschedule.  Here's one such email I received a few weeks ago:

 "Hey Alex, my piriformis has really been bothering me for the past week.  I think the best thing to do is rest for a few weeks and come back when I'm ready." 

Sorry, try again. 

If you've been in touch with me over the past week then you probably already know, but....

Lindsay and I got engaged on Saturday night! 

It has been a wonderful whirlwind ever since, as we ended up getting engaged down at The Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a high roller (my favorite beers are Miller High Life and PBR, after all), but I needed to pull out all the stops if I was going to convince Lindsay to say yes.  Suffice to say, it worked!

One question I tend to hear somewhat regularly is that if you're looking to lose weight, should you cut back on your fruit intake?

While you can probably guess my answer from the title above, it's important to clarify that this question is based on the notion that all sugar is handled by the body in the same way.  If that were true, wouldn't eating a strawberry be the same as a gummy bear?

Well this just in....it's fall!  The combination of the my schedule becoming pretty jam packed, a few leaves already started to turn their autumn colors, and the colder weather (ok, mostly the colder weather) has reminded me that this month is my favorite time of year.

What's not a favorite of mine, however, is when people get stuck or bored of the gym, and feel like they're not making any progress.  That's why today's post is focusing on three of the biggest barriers I've seen to progressing at the gym.  Now, if you're among those, I may suggest you take a helping of humble pie before you read on..

Fact: "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch is one of my top 3 songs of all time.  Call me a nerd (seriously, you can), but there's something about that song that just jacks me up!

Maybe it's the fact that I secretly wish I had enough body control to dance like Marky Mark back in the day, or the fact that he's jacked out of his face in the video and performing curls and presses with cinder blocks. Like a boss.   

Suffice to say, I think getting stronger and bigger arms has been one of my goals since I can remember.  Now, despite having that goal, you'll rarely see me do any traditional bicep curls.  Instead, you'll see me do plenty of pull ups/chin ups.  Why?  Because the pull up is a squat for your upper body. 

(Plus, there's something to be said about being able to pull yourself up over a bar, like all that is man...and woman!)