Do I Need a Personal Trainer? 5 Signs It’s Time to Hire One
How Do I Know I Need to Hire a Personal Trainer? Thinking about hiring a personal trainer but not sure if it’s the right move? You’re not alone. Many people wonder, “Do I need a personal trainer, or can I do this on my own?” Maybe you’ve been working out consistently...
Caffeine: 14 better options to ease SAD
Nearly a year ago to the dot, I wrote an article about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), but there I focused on the importance of getting access to a full range spectrum of light. Here I’d like to focus on caffeine and sleep’s effect on SAD. I’ll also offer suggestions for what to do to help you feel better on the dark days.
Avoid fish oil supplements
I don’t generally promote supplements. Most of them play to specific, isolated points of medical research to serve as a magic pill. One remarkable example of this is fish oil.
Covert Narcissist?! How do I know if I am one?
After a fight with two friends, one of them accused me of being a covert narcissist. That offended me to my core, but then I took a moment to consider whether or not it might be true. What if I am??
Exercising My Demons, part 9 of 9
Who are your inner demons? I hear a plethora of voices in my head, and some of them aren't very kind at all. In fact, some of them are outright cruel. In this series I am going to expose one of the inner conversations I have been having with myself for far too long. I...
Exercising My Demons, part 8 of 9
Who are your inner demons? I hear a plethora of voices in my head, and some of them aren't very kind at all. In fact, some of them are outright cruel. In this series I am going to expose one of the inner conversations I have been having with myself for far too long. I...
Exercising My Demons, part 7 of 9
Who are your inner demons? I hear a plethora of voices in my head, and some of them aren't very kind at all. In fact, some of them are outright cruel. In this series I am going to expose one of the inner conversations I have been having with myself for far too long. I...
Exercising My Demons, part 6 of 9
Who are your inner demons? I hear a plethora of voices in my head, and some of them aren't very kind at all. In fact, some of them are outright cruel. In this series I am going to expose one of the inner conversations I have been having with myself for far too long. I...
Working In: Social Wellness
Innercise and Working In In a recent update for this column, I mentioned that I wanted to do a better job of describing ways of “working in,” as opposed to “working out.” As such, the last entry was deeply personal, and this one will be too. Social...
Suggested Reading: Crock Pot Cookbook
Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes! I bought this cookbook, because I began to run out of ideas after I used my 3-headed crockpot. Obviously I haven’t tested every suggestion in this encyclopedia, but those I have tried are excellent....
Exercising the true you
Working in: Exercising the true you. Keeping strong inside is a necessary balance Innercise This is my story about suicide. Go back to the very beginning of this blog. You’ll find that I used to write about many more of the modalities of wellness. For the...
Suggested Supplements: Whey Powder
Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein Powder Isolate Let’s be real: Lots of these whey powders are flat out nasty. I have tried so many, and this brand is the most pleasant and the purest. It mixes well, and the flavor isn’t too sweet or too chalky. This is the one I have...
Feasting vs Intermittent Fasting
Contrary to what the supplement and food companies tell you, you will not go into starvation or famine mode within three hours of not eating. Honestly, they’re just trying to sell you more food and supplements.
Steroids create amazing results!
I have been tempted to use steroids many times, I’m going to be honest about it. But every time I was right on the verge of telling a friend “Go get them for me,” I stopped myself, and I asked the question, “How will this affect not only my fitness, but also my wellness?”
Progressive Overload fuels fitness gains
The only way to get better at anything is to practice it consistently over time. Progressive overload requires gradual steps of improvement, and is one of the most important principles of fitness, wellness, and personal training.
Never Do Crossfit
Never do Crossfit! Crossfit has three strikes against: 1) It's a fad (albeit a very long lived one), 2) it exposes people to unnecessary risk and injury, and 3) it gives "certifications" to "trainers" after only two days of instruction. Because of this, I...
Suggested Gear: Wahoo Heart Rate Monitor
I had always found conditioning to be boring, but then my mother sent me an article showing how to make it exciting. I first began doing High Intensity Interval Training way back in 2010. At the time my mother sent me an article proclaiming a type of...
I can do a muscle up!
A success story: Muscle Up OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! I've been trying for 3 years to figure out how to do a muscle up, and I just did my very first one!!! But what's even funnier than this video of me, is that it turns out I have been strong enough to do a...
Kindness: Human. Kind. Be both!
Although this entry isn’t about exercise or food, it’s still an important topic that influences your wellness. Remember how kindness impacts your health.
Fads undermine your fitness and wellness goals
Today I’m going to help you identify fads. I don’t have this list memorized, so bear with me while I read off from it, because this is important. You want to be wary of any food, pill, contraption, activity, or product that styles itself as new,...
Jimmy Coleman of Mako Medical Laboratories
Jimmy Coleman of Mako Medical Laboratories Okay, so good morning. It is the first thing in the morning, and I am not going to script this. I’m not going to edit it or color correct it. I’m not going to do anything, except introduce you to Ophelia. Where did you go?...
Patience: There are no shortcuts in fitness
Patience and the eight patterns that make Integre8t. As a personal trainer, I help people create habits that inform a healthier lifestyle. In this particular program The Eight Patterns of Fitness are: Breath, Hydration, Nutrition, Strength, Conditioning, Flexibility,...
Supplements: Use them as intended!
Today we’re going to be talking about supplements. Whole foods, not supplements, are going to be your best source of nutrition. They contain all the micro- and macronutrients that you need all at once, so that you can properly digest them and absorb them....
Fitness vs Wellness: What is the difference?
The difference between Fitness and Wellness Wellness is far broader than fitness. Wellness encapsulates your entire life, whereas Fitness tends to focus on your physical health. It tends to focus on nutrition, strength, conditioning, flexibility, and body composition....
Welcome to convenient in-home personal training!
Welcome to INTEGRE8T Wellness: An Introduction How about an introduction, so you know who you'll be working with? Hi, I’m Jack Kirven, and I’m a nationally certified wellness coach. I’m located in Charlotte, NC, and I see clients in their own spaces within...
Integre8t Wellness Vlog
I’m going to begin vlogging soon on YouTube, and I wanted to share examples of channels that inspire me. By watching them, I have a better sense of what I can do too!
Eight Patterns of Fitness, part 8 of 8: Rest
Sleep, fasting between meals, time between sets during exercise sessions, days between training, personal time, play: All of these (and more) are opportunities to give yourself the ability to process and recover from all the living you do.
Eight Patterns of Fitness, part 7 of 8: Focus
Set aside a few minutes each day to experience something sensuous, or to allow your mind to wander. It isn’t good for your focus to always be so focused. You really do need to take your lunch break.
Overtraining: Doing too much
I am definitely not an advocate of multiple workouts in a day. If you have worked out to true exhaustion, your central nervous system needs as much rest as your muscles and connective tissues. Doing this occasionally might not undermine your progress; however, habitually taking your body to the limit multiple times in a day is a risk factor for injury.
Eight Patterns of Fitness, part 6 of 8: Flexibility
Doing a minute of bouncing around and grunting at the beginning, and then skipping it outright at the end is definitely not helping you. Healthy joints that perform efficient movements require a balance of strength and flexibility.
Post workout beer: Really, brah?
If you choose to believe that drinking a beer after exercise helps your gains, then at least be honest enough with yourself to admit that what you actually want is to spend time in a social setting undermining your workout. And that’s fine. But don’t do it thinking that beer is going to help you grow muscle, shed fat, or recover more quickly.
Eight Patterns of Fitness, part 5 of 8: Conditioning
For decades the assumption has been that performing monotonously at a medium pace for a long time is a great way to burn fat; however, the more current research shows that this is not necessarily true.
Welcome to the INTEGRE8T Wellness Blog!
Blog Mission
I want to provide helpful information for workouts, recipes, personal stories, philosophy and position statements, interviews with content experts, and other ideas. I also have a lifetime of observations concerning body image, self esteem, goal setting, and perseverance. If you ever want some inspiration, I have a page just for that as well. The idea is that the posts on this site will be practical, inspirational, personal, conversational, and educational.
The INTEGRE8T System
I am a strong advocate of taking a wholistic approach to wellness. The eight patterns of fitness are Breath, Hydration, Nutrition, Strength, Conditioning, Flexibility, Focus, and Rest; however, these look primarily at the physical body. We are more complex than that, so many of my vlog posts will address the eight modalities of wellness. These address the Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Psychological, Social, Sexual, Spiritual, and Financial components of our lives, which are intrinsically connected to each other like a web. Plucking one part of the web creates reverberations throughout the whole.
I will sometimes include thoughts about my favorite topics. These pressing concerns will generally focus on arts and culture; dance and theatre; language, poetry and fiction; personal stories; The Kitty Consortium; diamonds; aesthetics; chocolate; and, most importantly, Janet Jackson.
Enjoy!
Questionnaire
New Clients: Please submit your health history prior to our first appointment- Be thorough and specific
- Feel free to ask questions
- Submit 24 hrs. before Evaluation
Evaluation
Onboarding Clients: Please be dressed to move on an open and level floor- Bring water, SPF, hat, towel, etc.
- Purchase subscription within 30 days:
- Get $100 credit = FREE Evaluation!
Training
Current Clients: Select subscription and start saving!- Bring water, SPF, hat, towel, etc.
- If you journal, please share it
- Early Cancellation = +24 hours
