New Year, New Logo. Big things are coming.

Stay Tuned

Full video is up on YouTube! Add it to your queue after those dog videos. Subscribe to Protean Fitness on YouTube to follow future content.

The Esteves boys and ladies survived whitewater rafting with only one casualty (Tracy flying off the raft). Enjoy nature’s challenges.

Last week I had the pleasure of joining Leo Young on his casual online talk show, “House it Going”, for a chat about COVID related fitness challenges. I had a great time on the show and hope you enjoy it as well. Listen on the link below or find it on Leo Young’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/1196655003835238/posts/1598852566948811/?vh=e&d=n

Get yo shit together! Preparation is key to controlling your success. I’ll be training clients tomorrow starting at 6 am and have my own workout interspersed. Without preparing tonight, I would most likely end up grabbing some Dunkin’ Donuts and spending unnecessarily on a post workout meal. Control your environment.

I’ll be updating this Spotify workout playlist on a monthly basis. Give it a follow!

Even on the days where I resistance train, I make it a point to get to ~ 10,000 steps. One way I enjoy walking is by listening to an audiobook or podcast while I do it. Today’s audiobook: The Art of Resilience by Ross Edgely.

After a good play session, Luna has the best sleep in her life. Maybe, we should take a note from our furry friends. I find myself having more restless nights on the days where I don’t exercise. Are you going to sleep with pent up energy?

Comment below or direct message me with things you would like to know related to health, fitness, nutrition, sport, and life. I look forward to covering these areas in the future!

Healthy Food can be delicious! This is a traditional Portuguese dish with grilled cod and roasted potatoes topped generously with olive oil and garlic. Enjoy this simple to make dish for healthy fats, omega 3s, slow carbohydrates, and protein.

How Does Dehydration Influence Performance? Negative effects of dehydration occur starting at 2% of water weight loss. Typical measured loss during an athletic exposure is 6-10%. Indicating that the detriments below are real and relevant. Impaired thermoregulation - as the body loses water, the body must decrease sweat rate in an effort to protect cell function resulting in inefficient cooling methods that increase discomfort and metabolic stress [1] Decreased cognition function, impaired mood, increased anxiety - feelings of impaired mood, memory dysfunction, and decreased concentration have been found in men and women with as little as 1-3% fluid loss. [2] Shift in lactate threshold - lactate threshold (the given intensity level that can be held maximally for ~1 hour) is lower in dehydrated populations than euhydrated populations. [3] Increased RPE at a given workload - perceived exertion is a major performance aspect in higher levels of sport. We all know how our mindset can hinder or enhance our performance. Exercise feels harder when dehydrated. [4] Increased oxidative stress - muscle fluid concentration is about 80%. Increased level of oxidative stress have been found in dehydrated individuals resulting in impaired recovery from exercise. This means longer recovery time between sessions. [5] 1. Barry M Popkin, Kristen E D'Anci, Irwin H Rosenberg, Water, hydration, and health, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 68, Issue 8, 1 August 2010, Pages 439–458, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00304.x 2. Ganio MS, Armstrong LE, Casa DJ, et al. Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men. Br J Nutr. 2011;106(10):1535-1543. doi:10.1017/S0007114511002005 3. Moquin A, Mazzeo RS. Effect of mild dehydration on the lactate threshold in women. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000;32(2):396-402. doi:10.1097/00005768-200002000-00021 4. Nuccio RP, Barnes KA, Carter JM, Baker LB. Fluid Balance in Team Sport Athletes and the Effect of Hypohydration on Cognitive, Technical, and Physical Performance. Sports Med. 2017;47(10):1951-1982. doi:10.1007/s40279-017-0738-7 5. Paik IY, Jeong MH, Jin HE, et al. Fluid replacement following dehydration reduces oxidative stress d

With sports participation returning in several states, it's important you understand the risks of prolonged training restrictions and how to mitigate them for yourself or your children. An article by Stokes et al. titled Returning to Play after Prolonged Training Restrictions in Professional Collision Sports excellently summarizes the detraining effects of training restriction and its influence on sports injury risk while providing practical examples that can be employed to reduce these risks. Although you or another athlete you know may have continued conditioning work during the pandemic, you may not be exempt from detraining effects. Sport specific fitness is best built in the context of play, as competition typically exposes the athlete to a higher intensity, effort, fatigue level, and mental state. These variables are often difficult to replicate in our training, explaining the importance of preseason/scrimmaging, sparring, etc., for the development of sport readiness. With many sports returning to play in an altered timetable, preseasons are being cut short or removed altogether. This can influence the development of sport injury upon return to play as the athletes body may be ill-prepared for the intense demands of their sport. Here are some tips to help get you back in the game.

A year ago, I competed in the New Jersey State Triathlon where temperatures reached 102 degrees. Training in the heat definitely poses some unique challenges and hazards but there are ways to make it safer and more enjoyable. Prehydrate - focus on hydrating appropriately during the hours leading up to your workout. Choose the right time - temperatures are lowest early in the morning and later at night. Be careful of training mid-day when temperatures are highest. Enjoy Electrolytes - when sweating, water is not the only thing that is lost. An electrolyte beverage and help restore sodium, potassium, and other electrolyte lost in sweat. Cover Up- skin that is sunburnt does not sweat as efficiently as protected skin making it harder to stay cool. Avoid Anti-Perspirants- these slow down sweat rates and sweating is a key mechanism for cooling down the body. Avoid Stimulants - exercising in the heat already raises your heart rate considerably higher than moderate temperature training. Stimulants like caffeine and other pre workout ingredients can exacerbate this impairing your performance and safety.

Workout of the Day: 54 Sets and Half Miles.⁣ ⁣ By performing a countdown from 10 reps down to 1, you will complete 54 reps of each exercise, hence the name “54 set”. Throw in a half mile run/walk in between each 54 set as a cardio accelerator. ⁣ ⁣ Feel free to modify the pushups if you cannot currently perform a push-up with your bodyweight. You may also switch into a modified push up with knees on the ground if you are unable to maintain good form once fatigue sets in. ⁣ ⁣ Challenge: try to complete this workout in under 30 minutes. Let me know if you can! This is quite the challenge!⁣