RK Total Fitness

RK Total Fitness Certified personal trainer and sports nutritionist through NCSF. Registered Yoga instructor

When was the last time you gave yourself the time to sit and breathe? Meditation is one of the hardest things for people...
02/21/2022

When was the last time you gave yourself the time to sit and breathe?

Meditation is one of the hardest things for people to do. Our minds are trained to wander and to constantly think.

As humans there’s always something that we need to be doing or at least THINK we need to be doing.

There’s also this thing called the conditioned mind or conditioned thinking. This can be dangerous because it prevents us from being spiritual beings.

Conditioned thinking is when you repeatedly think a certain way. For example, maybe any time something bad happens- your mind immediately relapses to negative self talk.

Meditation teaches us to be more mindful and therefore gives us a new perspective on our life and thoughts.

By meditating, we can recondition our minds to become less anxious and negative.

Through meditation we become more mindful of:

🧠 Our thought processes (negative? Positive?)

🧠How we’ve been conditioned to think

🧠 What subject or thoughts tend to be on our mind the most

🧠 Our body and where we hold tension

🧠 Our breath

Thank you for taking the time to be mindful with me today 🙏🏼




When was the last time you thought about your ankles? 🤔Chances are, not very often!Here’s why you should start giving yo...
02/01/2022

When was the last time you thought about your ankles? 🤔

Chances are, not very often!

Here’s why you should start giving your ankles a little more attention:

➡️ Your ankle joints and muscles experience wear and tear every single day. This daily use can take a toll over time.
➡️ Weak ankles can affect your balance, potentially leading to chronic instability or even sprains/injury.

How do you know if you have weak ankles? If you:

➡️ Have sore ankles/feet
➡️ Frequently sprain or injure your ankles
➡️ Have balance problems
➡️ Have trouble keeping your ankles straight when walking or when wearing heels

So, how do you strengthen these essential stabilizer muscles, joints, and ligaments?

Glad you asked! Here are a few go-to exercises to incorporate into your week:

✅ Roll a ball underneath your foot. You can “write” out the letters of the alphabet or just flex and contract your ankles, keeping gentle pressure on the ball.
✅ Stand on one leg. Any time you stand on one leg, you’re using the balancing muscles in your ankles. If you’re new to this or balance is tricky, make sure you have something sturdy to support you as you build strength.
✅ Stand on a balance ball or board. For folks who are a little more advanced in their balance/stability, try standing on one foot on a bosu ball or balance board.
✅ Use resistance bands. Wrap a light band around your feet/ankles and do some moves! Flex your feet outward, upward, do circles, etc. It all helps build strength.

If your balance is already pretty solid and you need more advanced moves, you can try single-leg Romanian deadlifts, single-leg calf raises, or basically any strength move that has you balancing on one leg.

Let me know if you work these moves into your routine this week!

Today’s post is on deformation of the foot! Today: flat feet. (Swipe for specifics!)Have you ever put thought into you...
01/22/2022

Today’s post is on deformation of the foot! Today: flat feet. (Swipe for specifics!)

Have you ever put thought into your feet and how they connect with the ground? Check out the graphic above for visuals! ⬆️⬆️⬆️

➡️ Flat feet can cause foot, ankle, leg, and back pain due to insufficient support of your body’s weight. Plus, chronic muscle strain and issues with balance. (Though most people might not even have symptoms!)

Flat feet are most commonly caused by injury, obesity, or arthritis.

Now, you might need a set of special orthotics to fix flat feet. It’s always a good idea to get checked by your doctor just in case.

Otherwise, here are a few exercises you can do that may help:

✅ Calf stretches
✅ Heel raises
✅ Toe extensions
✅ Using a foot roller
✅ Rolling out the plantar fascia (band of tissue connecting your heels and toes)
✅ Stretch the foot + stretch/mobilize your ankle

You can also try gently pushing onto the outer sides of your feet, being very careful to have your full foot still glued to the ground. It’s a subtle lifting, without rolling your ankle, that can help you complete moves like squats.

The above exercises are also great for simply strengthening your feet and ankles, whether or not you suspect you have flat feet!

It’s January, and that means your timeline might be filled with all kinds of resolutions and goals and tips for self-car...
01/12/2022

It’s January, and that means your timeline might be filled with all kinds of resolutions and goals and tips for self-care. That can be great!

But what if one of those tips is meditation, and you’re not super fond of just sitting there with your eyes closed?

Enter meditation through movement!

This is a practice beyond your regular yoga, though it is similar. It involves slow, deliberate movement through various positions with a deep mindfulness of what you’re doing.

So it’s less about “hitting” a certain pose and more about being aware of your movements.

➡️ Bring a deep awareness to your muscles as they move, the feeling of your feet and hands against the floor, the way your joints are flexing.
➡️ Pay attention to your breath and how it sounds and feels as it enters and leaves your body.
➡️ You can even pay attention to your heartbeat and any other internal sensations you may notice.

The point of this is to be mindful and as present as you possibly can as you move. You don’t have to have any particular type of program that you follow, either. Just move in ways that feel good to you and your body.

What do you think? Have you ever tried movement meditation? Tell me in the comments! 👇👇👇

Heading into the holidays, try to be gentle with yourself. Remember, it’s not about the food you eat. It’s about the mem...
12/22/2021

Heading into the holidays, try to be gentle with yourself. Remember, it’s not about the food you eat. It’s about the memories you make.

So try to focus less on what you think you “should” or “shouldn’t” put on your plate and more on savoring the moments you’re in.

Take care of yourselves, and happy holidays from RK Total Fitness!

Check out my fantastic client .terra! We did a program focused on body recomposition.What is body recon positioning? It ...
11/03/2021

Check out my fantastic client .terra! We did a program focused on body recomposition.

What is body recon positioning? It means no weighing or measuring! Just focusing on building lean muscle while lowering body fat percentage.

Because your health and fitness is about so much more than the number on the scale. Or your BMI (don’t even get me started on BMI, that’s a whole other post entirely!).

Sure, your weight and BMI can provide information about your health. But they’re just two small pieces of data in a much bigger picture.

Hence Terra’s body recomp. Her legs, core, and overall upper body are all noticeably different. That’s a better indicator of progress than just the scale!

Nice work, Terra! 💪

Check out my fantastic client .terra! We did a program focused on body recomposition. That means no weighing or measurin...
11/02/2021

Check out my fantastic client .terra! We did a program focused on body recomposition. That means no weighing or measuring! Just focusing on building lean muscle while lowering body fat percentage.

Terra’s legs, core, and overall upper body are all noticeably different. Nice work, Terra! 💪

It’s the end of October, and you might have seen an influx of pink around. That’s because this is National Breast Cancer...
11/02/2021

It’s the end of October, and you might have seen an influx of pink around. That’s because this is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

About 1 in 8 U.S. women, and 1 in 1000 US men will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. This month is key to raise awareness.

So, what can you do? Three simple steps:

1️⃣ Conduct a monthly breast self-exam

Get really, really familiar with your breasts, folks. On the same day each month (about 10 days after your period starts is usually good), examine your breast tissue for any changes. Also do a visual exam for dimpling, swelling, or redness.

2️⃣ Have your doctor examine your breasts

Find a doctor you’re comfortable with (they’re going to be squeezing your breasts, after all) and schedule a check-up once per year.

3️⃣ Get a mammogram (if you’re over 40)

Not everyone needs one, but if you’re over 40, get it scheduled. Or, if you’re over 35 and breast cancer runs in your family. Or, if you find an abnormality.

Be safe and get checked, everyone!

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