Stephanie’s background is in sports medicine and athletic training. She has worked with many elite athletes at UCLA and worked over 2000 hours in the athletic training clinic. She is also a certified massage therapist and holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from UCSF/SFSU. Currently, she is working as a full time physical therapist at Stanford with their student and club sports outpatient population. Read more about Stephanie on the about page.
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It’s time to dust off your exercise ball and get ready to try this new workout. There are so many different ways to use any fitness ball for a multitude of strengthening and stretching exercises. The standard ab work outs are always good, but the exercises below are for those looking for a challenge. If you find yourself looking for something a little more simple, these exercises are also great,…
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What is the Sacroiliac Joint?
The SI or Sacroiliac Joint is one of two joints in the pelvis that connects the sacrum, or lowest part of the spine, to the large pelvic bone, the ilium. The two sacroiliac joints, on either side of the pelvis, connect the spine to the pelvis. The coccyx, or tailbone, is connected to the sacrum, but has no connection to the pelvis, and can be…
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Prophylactic knee braces are largely used in the prevention of ligament injuries, but their effectiveness on performance are still controversial. It is estimated that knee injuries account for up to 60% of all sport injuries, with the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) accounting for almost half of these knee injuries. Other knee injuries include: MCL, PCL, meniscus, patello-femoral subluxation/dislocation, arthritis, bursitis, and chondromalcia patella. Even in non-sports related injuries, knee pain…
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Stay True to Your Weight Loss Goals
Battle the bulge this summer season with a little more consideration to your diet. By making a few easy choices while meal planning, you may do your body a lot of good. While the foundational goal of dieting is to achieve a net zero or negative calorie intake when factoring in your body’s metabolic rate and exercise outputs, there are a few natural…
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People are always looking for ways to beat those last few pounds that seem to hang around. There is an increasing trend towards people seeking alternative methods for weight loss, and more and more people are choosing liposuction for body contouring. While there are obvious risks of going under the knife for such invasive procedures liposuction, there are many other alternatives that you may want to also consider, for a…
The hCG diet has been creeping its way up the diet fad list, but still remains controversial in the minds of many. HCG promises fast weight loss results with the addition of these special drops to a very limited 500 calorie diet. This leaves one to wonder if it is really the drops doing the work or the shear starvation.
What is hCG?
While many of you have probably heard…
In 2006, liposuction was the most popular cosmetic surgery performed in the US, and is on the rise. Liposuction, or lipoplasty, as a practiced procedure has been around since 1974, however, earlier procedures have been performed dating back to the 1920s.The most common areas of liposuction are: the abdomen, hips, outer thighs (saddlebags), flanks (love handles), back, inner thighs, inner knees, upper arms, submental (chin), and gynecomastia (male breast tissue).…
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I’m sure you have been seeing outbreaks of MRSA in the news recently. News reports tend to drop medical acronyms and assume the rest of us are right there with them, but in case you need the break down, MRSA is a virulent strain of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (staph a.). It is a staph bacterium usually associated with hospitals and nursing homes that infects bed sores and keep wounds from…
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Upon looking into dieting teas, and teas for slimming down, I found a variety of things. As an avid tea drinker myself, I was excited to rush out and try a variety of new teas to test the results, but I my enthusiasm dwindled after reading some of the information out there. I hope to pass on some of the benefits of teas, how different teas work for your body,…
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As the holidays approach us, everyone wants to look better for those family and friends gatherings and dodge an ugly sweater party for a fitted cocktail dress. I am no different, and like everyone else, dieting is HARD! Even getting myself psyched about dieting was hard. Some say it is almost impossible to lose weight in a week, let alone lose weight in 2 weeks. It is in fact possible,…
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Do You Have Back Pain or Core Weakness?
Many people complain of back pain that they can’t seem to get rid of. Standing or walking for long periods of time causes pain. You have tried those lumbar pillows for posture, or tried to work out more to strengthen your back due to “bad posture,” or you have even tried core stabilization exercises. These things might have worked temporarily, but have…
Put Your Trail Shoes to the Test
If you are looking to hit the trails or run/walk some different terrain, make sure you are equipped with the right type of shoe. Your trail running or hiking experience can be greatly affected by your footwear. There are several things to consider when looking at the right shoe for your needs. A trail running shoe is different than your typical cross-trainer or…
Does the word “fat” make you cringe a little bit? Have we all been brainwashed into a strange love-the-taste-but-hate-to-talk-about-it condition when it comes to addressing the fat on your plate, and thus the fat in your body?
There are a few things that have become widely known over the past few years, trends and fads, eat more, eat less, eat fish… The truth is healthy fat increases metabolism, burns body…
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Handstands and human pretzel positions are not just for the Yogis out there. There are many simplified modifications to the more complicated poses that still encourage you to work on strength, balance, rhythmic breathing, and relaxation. If you are looking to change your perspective on the world and utilize your own body weight for exercises, try these variations on inversion poses and exercises.
Health Benefits of Inversion
Aside from the…
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Quick Tip to Better Your Posture
Counter all the forward slumping over your desk/keyboard and stand with your back against a wall. Start with your heels touching the wall. Try to notice what parts of your body are in alignment. Do your calves also touch the wall? Does your butt touch? Where does your back hit the wall? Is it just your shoulderblades touching? How much space is between the…
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Not sure if you guys have seen the infomercial for “Booty Pop,” buttock enhancing undergarments, but I had to laugh out loud. I’m here to offer you a better booty work out with actual results that doesn’t involve putting a bra on your butt to make it look perky. Try a few of these moves and see your booty pop for yourself!
Any exercise that involves leg extension work your…
People are always wondering what the best supplement is to make the most out of every workout, how they can look more pumped, have more energy and push through more reps. Some people have found and tried NO Xplode, a BSN nitric oxide product. Like any product out there on the market, there are those that love it and swear by it, others that hate it, and even more that…
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Many people keep asking me about simple workouts you can do at home that don’t require any equipment or much space. There are all kinds of workout videos and regimens out there, but why not try something simple for a quick toning session. Isometric (“iso” meaning “same,” and “metric” meaning “distance”) exercises are a form of resistance exercises in which one’s muscles are used in opposition with other muscle groups,…
Everyone has been talking about Acai berries as the nutritional miracle. Is this really based on fact or is it all just a scam?
The Facts About These Tiny Berries
Acai (pronounced ( ah-sigh-EE ) is a fruit that grows on Acai Palm Trees in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. The Acai berry is smaller than a grape in size and is dark purple in color. Acai is 90% seed,…
Have you ever struggled with wondering how hard you are working during a workout session? It can be confusing or difficult to figure out what exertion level to maintain throughout your exercise routine to ensure that you are burning the most fat or calories.
The Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion
Research has shown that the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion is a good way to tell how hard you are…
