Pearl Howell Fitness

09/08/2026

This week has been a mess. Long weekend, sick day for the kid, rescheduling clients, house a mess. I'm trying to prioritize my needs as well, and this is new for me.

A year or two ago, I would have burnt myself out on a week like this. I would have been emotionally fighting all the changes, because flexibility felt out-of-control to me. I would have been using all my energy on panic, anger, or masking the chaos.

Some things still feel out of control. But when I am able to take the emotional struggle down a few notches, there is so much more room for adaptability, flexibility, mindful choices based on my own priorities, instead of whatever is making me anxious or pressured the most at any given moment.

Because of emotional growth (*cough, therapy, medication, mindfulness, getting more experienced in recognizing and honoring my feelings, cough*) I have still been able to get in my run, get in my lift, eat well, sleep well. I have been able to be present with my family, and complete work tasks.

Mental health IS physical health. They are united, a single part of the beautiful picture that is "Good Health." You cannot separate the two.

How has working on your mental health improved your physical health, or vice versa?

09/06/2026

New blog post: Learn a little about the benefits of fascial release.

When I tell you that there is an activity you can do every day that will give you pleasure, increased mobility, faster recovery from injury or exercise, and a better relationship with your body, I probably sound like a snake-oil salesman.I wrote recently about recovery strategies, and one of them wa...

09/02/2026

Hot and cold therapies are all the rage right now. Sauna, cold plunge, steam rooms, infrared, heating pads, ice packs. There are a thousand strategies.

I do find these therapies helpful, but only if the other pieces of recovery are in place first: sleep, nutrition, thoughtful exercise programming.

There is no cheat, but hitting the sauna after a good workout or icing a sore spot can be another way to treat yourself well after exercise.

Have you tried any of these therapies? Did you love them? Hate them? Love them but they did nothing? Hate them but they work? Let's talk about it.

08/29/2026

New blog post: Some great strategies to optimize and enjoy your rest day. Sometimes it can help to have something to act as a placeholder for activity, something that reminds you to maintain a habit of activity while still allowing the body to rest.

Check it out! Do you have a recovery strategy that helps you feel more energized and less tired after a heavy workout? Tell me about it!

Everyone needs a rest day, but this doesn't have to mean derailing your goals or breaking your streak of moving your body every day. A rest day is about letting your body recover from the exercise you did during the other days of the week, and I would recommend always having one true rest day in you...

08/24/2026

Here are some ideas to bring fun into your training:

1. Learn a new skill. Nothing engages your brain like trying to find a way to make your body do something. Don't know where the start? Try a kettlebell swing, handstand, splits. Try a dance move or choreography.

2. Try a new piece of equipment. Never tried out that weird thing in your gym? Today is the day! Search using a picture, find a tutorial, or just try to figure it out on your own. Don't worry too much about what others are thinking. I can guarantee you that you won't be the person who has done the craziest thing in the gym.

3. Try a class. The community of a class can make a workout feel very different, and more fun! Classes often have music, maybe something you don't usually listen to, and will introduce new skills or equipment by default.

4. Make it social. Do a workout with a friend. Talk to a new person at the gym each time. Set up your workouts to take place before you go to meet a friend for coffee. Human interaction can make even the most mundane workout feel more engaging.

5. Bring in a prop. This sort of falls under trying new equipment, but this can be simpler. Try a few small objects to juggle, a balloon to use for balance and coordination work, a scooter board to... well, to have fun with!

6. Engage your imagination. As with our "dragon rider training," the workout you are doing could be very simple, but you could imagine a fantastical purpose. Perhaps you are lifting weights to get stronger like a character from a movie or video game. Maybe you bring balance beam work in so you can be prepared to creep across rooftops, or the spiny back of your dragon. Take up a little martial arts practice so you can be ready to fight off the bad guys. Try some climbing work so you can save the prince(ss).

Have any tips to make a workout more fun? Found a new type of workout or piece of equipment that is bringing you joy? Tell me about it in the comments below!

08/21/2026

New blog post: In Defense of Fun

Read it here to find out why fun is important in fitness, and ways you can bring it into your own workouts:

Training can feel very serious. The discourse online is generally how to get the most from your workouts, how to reach your goals, how to get from A to B the fastest way possible, and I'll be the first to admit that I contribute to this. I don't want to waste time!If you have tight, time-constrained...

08/19/2026

Have you ever felt like you just couldn't improve a movement or lift?

It can be incredibly frustrating to feel stuck. I wrote a post on my blog about unilateral training, and it can be great for improving the balance and strength of your overall body, but it can also help if you are in a lifting slump.

Switching up a bilateral movement with a barbell for a unilateral movement with a dumbbell or barbell can help you get out of that slump! It corrects imbalances and helps you hone in on the form of each individual limb.

Trade a goblet or barbell squat for a split squat or step up. Switch out your usual bench press for a dumbbell variation. Work on form and precision. Then you will see your bilateral strength and form improve when you go back to those movements.

Here are some tips for unilateral movements:

Start with Your Non-Dominant Side First: Always perform your sets on your weaker or non-dominant side first. Let that side dictate the number of repetitions or the weight used, and then match (do not exceed) that effort with your stronger side. So if you're left leg is weaker, start with it, do as many repetitions as you can on that side, and then do the same number of reps on the right. I'm not usually a huge stickler for numbers when I train clients, but for unilateral, it is important to count reps!

Swap a Main Lift Variation for a Block: Try substituting a standard bilateral exercise with a unilateral variation for a 4- to 6-week training block. For example, swap a standard barbell back squat for a Bulgarian split squat, or a barbell row for a single-arm dumbbell row.

Use Unilateral Movements as Accessories: If you love your heavy barbell lifts and don't want to swap them out, use unilateral exercises as secondary or accessory movements later in your workout. After your main squats or bench presses, add 2–3 sets of step-ups or single-arm dumbbell presses.

Focus on Quality Over Load: Unilateral exercises place higher demands on your balance and stabilizing muscles. Start with lighter weights or bodyweight to ensure proper alignment and control before progressing to heavier loads.

Do you love or hate Bulgarian Split Squats? Is unilateral more fun, or more painful for you?

08/17/2026

Sometimes these things happen 😄🫡👍

08/14/2026

New blog post: What is unilateral training? Why do you want to do it? Check out my latest post to learn more!

08/12/2026

The boring stuff matters. Sleep, food, showing up for your non-preferred workouts. This stuff makes an outsized difference. It isn't really fun. It's definitely not easy (Why is sleep so hard??) or exciting. But it makes a huge difference.

When you sleep at the same time each night, and wake up at the same time each morning, it may be a little hard on your social life (though if your friends don't understand and pressure you, even after you explain your goals and needs, they may not be that good as friends) or mean you have to make more of an effort to manage your schedule, but you will most likely find that feeling your best, thinking clearly, and having energy are well worth the cost. Likewise, if is more fun and exciting to eat out, to make that fun dessert you saw online, or to go out for drinks every night, but the boring work of meal planning and putting serious thought into your nutritional needs will be the only reliable way of achieving your goals.

What are the boring things you do that set you up for success?

For me, a big one is eating some of the same foods every day. Yogurt, chia, eggs, fruit. It's boring. But it keeps me full. It keeps me from always asking, "What's for breakfast, what's for lunch?" and it keeps my grocery list fairly predictable. Another one is following a weight lifting program for 8 to 12 weeks. It's boring! But it is the only way I have ever achieved real, tangible results in muscle growth. When I jump around to whatever workout feels fun that day, I don't build muscle, and I don't feel stronger.

Everything shouldn't be boring! But making the path to your goals a boring, easy default helps you reach those goals much sooner than following the exciting but indirect path.