Amandean Wellness Center

Finding an exciting low impact workout can get pretty tricky. Many of us are so tired of the typical linear bodyweight exercises, filled with repetitions of the same lunge or tricep dip. We hear that! On our end, we've noticed more and more fun, pressure-free exercise programs popping up. The king of all freeform exercise that's making a strong comeback is calisthenics. Calisthenics is a free-form bodyweight exercise program that strengthens the entire body. It teaches you to explore, trust, and test your body in a creative and explorative way. The best part? Anyone from older adults to teens and kids can practice it safely and happily.

Who doesn't love a nice warm cup of coffee to kick off their morning? Or rather, how does anyone function without it?! Coffee and water are two staples of my morning routine, especially when I need a warm drink and the promise of energy to get me out of a cozy bed. But what if I could get a caffeine boost before my coffee is even done brewing? Caffeine, when ingested and applied topically, can jumpstart your mornings and make winter skincare a breeze. Prioritizing my wellness has become harder and harder due to the pandemic, and even more difficult due to the cold. Luckily, my humble yet mighty cup of coffee can contain all the ingredients I need to get glowing skin and a fresh start to my day.

Restrictive diets, or diets that limit and monitor your food intake are hard. With an abundance of food at our fingertips, it seems like we're going against our nature when we become ultra-selective with our diets. The fact of the matter is, we weren't really designed to have this much food readily available. We're hunter-gatherers, and our bodies are meant to store and hold onto food for as long as possible. With that said, it takes a bit of training and a lot of discipline. The health benefits that are associated with intermittent fasting are shining examples of our bodies' natural tendencies to "hoard" food. Intermittent fasting, sometimes called day fasting, is a type of eating schedule in which you can only eat during a specific period of time followed by brief fasting periods. These specific eating windows, or rather the fasting periods in between them, tell our bodies to start burning through some of our stored glucose (glycogen), making fat burning possible. Intermittent is a very effective method of weight loss, reducing insulin resistance for people with type 2 diabetes, and even boosting brain function when done safely and correctly. Before you jump into your next fast, read through these 10 Fasting Tips to help you see the best results without threatening your health.

Tattoos are addicting for many. It's that fresh, accomplished, feeling you get by proudly wearing your heart on your sleeve. It's what makes you want to keep coming back and filling in all the blank spots. It's what sent me back to the tattoo parlor 5 times in the same year after getting my first one done. It's so hard not to take off the plastic wrap and "post-tattoo goo" to get a look at your freshly inked skin. Aside from the pain, of course, the worst part of getting a new tattoo is all the aftercare that's needed before you can safely show it off. If you're like me and want to expedite the healing process, you may be forgetting one major piece of your care kit: marine collagen.

Sometimes, it takes a little extra something to help us get to the gym. Sometimes it takes just a bit more to help you power through your workout instead of taking the easy way out. If you’re like me, it doesn’t take much to get burnt out from the same old workout playlist and routine. Whether you need some upbeat jams to help get you fired up, an escape for your mind as you get moving, or something to hype you up on your way to the gym, we’ve got you covered! Here are some of team Amandean’s favorite podcasts and playlists to jump-start and power through your workout.

Everyone loves to talk about how protein supplements can fit into keto, paleo, gluten-free, and even pescatarian diets, but what about diabetics? Making the right nutritional choices and managing glucose levels is crucial for people with type 2 diabetes. All too often, diabetic diets focus on cutting things out rather than adding things in, making it extremely difficult to get adequate levels of protein and other nutrients. Forget sugary protein shakes and meal replacements, eat the foods your body needs with wholesome and high-quality collagen supplements!

As a competitive weightlifter, I’m breaking an unwritten rule of the sport by even engaging in cardio activities. But, if there’s one thing this pandemic has taught me, and I’m sure many of us, it’s that desperate times call for desperate measures. Four months of a national lockdown (thanks Covid) no access to my barbell club, and no home exercise equipment certainly qualifies as desperate times in my life! So here I am, the unlikely spinner!

The gut is at the center of a lot of health and wellness conversations right now. Between the research on the gut-brain connection and the health implications of refined foods, getting your gut health "right" has never been more important! Our gut microbiome is made of trillions of bacteria that are fed by the foods we eat and in turn feed our bodies' nutrients. As you can imagine, getting the right balance of healthy bacteria can be hard. That's where both prebiotics and probiotics come into play. In this blog, we'll dive into the key differences between these two "buzzy" supplements, their benefits, and whether or not you need both of them to maintain a healthy gut.

We're always on the hunt for the latest anti-aging skincare products, supplements, and antioxidant-rich foods. At the same time, we’re not ones to deny the aging process, we embrace it. However, if you're also on a quest for the fountain of youth, you've likely heard of NAD and glutathione. When you really get into the thick of it, it's hard to tell what's scientifically proven vs a clever marketing scheme. It's even harder to find out what's right for you based on what you read online. Rather than keeping 50 tabs open at once, we've condensed everything you need to know about these two anti-aging superpowers in this one blog!

Gelatin and collagen are often viewed as interchangeable supplements. While they do have very similar health benefits, they differ in their amino acid composition and the way you use them. If you're going through the great collagen vs gelatin debate and need help finding the supplement that's right for your diet and lifestyle, you've come to the right place! Let's dig in!

There are as many flavors of collagen powders as there are ice creams - and they overlap a lot too! There's cookies and cream, peanut butter cup, chocolate, vanilla, you name it, and it all comes in powdered form. Collagen is a highly sought after supplement that people of all backgrounds and ages take for healthy hair, strong bones, glowing skin, and more - but do artificial flavorings fit into the mix? In this blog, we'll dig into the pros and cons of flavored collagen supplements and help you find what's best for your lifestyle!

One of the best parts of winter is approaching! As the snow begins to fall more and more often, the slopes are being coated in the perfect layer of fresh powder to mark the start of the ski season. When you've been waiting all year for your favorite time of the year, nothing is worse than getting a ski injury that stops you from hitting the slopes! Whether you're gearing up for the cold weather or are ready to take on the slopes, read on to find how collagen, physical therapy, and diligence can help you to overcome skiing injuries and cut down your recovery time.