My Wellness Team, Part 1 - EPLifeFit

One of the features of a Paleo lifestyle is movement. Lifting heavy things and full functional body movements dominate the exercise philosophy. I LOVE to lift weights and as I've gotten wiser my focus shifted toward lifting with proper form. I've subscribed to EPLifeFit, a subsidiary of Everyday Paleo, since February. There I have access to a suggested workout every other day, forums and other valuable information. I don't always do their workouts in the prescribed order. Much depends on which equipment is available to me on a given day and which exercises I feel I can muster up the enthusiasm to give the necessary intensity to. But it's nice to have workouts laid out for me and not need to organize myself to put one together. 

What I personally find most valuable, their "Critique My Movements" feature in the forums. I send in video of my squats, deadlifts and other movements. The trainers review my lifts and make suggestions on how to improve form in order to prevent injuries and lift stronger.

Another feature of EPLifeFit is their videos. You can view videos of each movement suggested in each workout. You can also watch videos for their Advanced Mobility exercises. These exercises go beyond stretches for increasing mobility and preventing injury due to a lack of range of motion in your joints. The exercises usually require a foam roller or a lacrosse ball to perform.

I think if I had specific goals, such as a competition or a specific sport, I would consider a local trainer to work with. But for my general "be healthy" aspirations, EPLifeFit works great.

My Wellness Team - Introduction

Over time, as I've developed my personal ideas around health, I've created my own "Wellness Team". My Wellness team consists of a combination of local and online resources I turn to for making the best health choices I can for myself. These currently include the Blogs listed to the right, an online exercise organization called EPLifeFit, and local professionals; my chiropractor Dr. George Keogh, my massage therapist Heidi Johnson of BeeHive Massage, my naturopath Dr. Katie Data and my counselor Deborah Jordan. 

Each play a very different, but I believe very vital, role in my staying as healthy as possible. And this is a constantly evolving team. While components fit and work well for me, I hang onto them. When my needs change, I add additional elements or change some of them completely. 

Over the next few posts, I'll talk about each in more detail. Stay tuned!