Mind Body Fit LLC

🚲 Biking with Mike: 3 of the most problematic muscles in the body

The psoas, quadratus lumborum (QL), and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) can become chronically tight and overactive thanks to the way we sit, stand, breathe, work and live.

And when these muscles aren’t doing what they should, they can influence everything from your pelvis and low back to your shoulders, neck and head.

I ran out of biking time before getting into the important part: How do you know if these muscles are a problem for YOU—and what can you actually do about it?

We’ll get into that on a future Biking with Mike. 🚲💪

LowBackPain NeckPain MindBodyFit

🚴 Biking with Mike: Let’s talk supplements.

When someone asks me, “What supplements should I take?” my first question is:

What are we supplementing?

Before adding another pill, powder, or gummy, look at the foundation:

🥩 Are you getting what you need from real food?
🏋️ Are you exercising consistently?
😴 Are you sleeping well?
🧠 How are you managing stress?
🩸 Is there an actual nutritional deficiency or gap we’re trying to address?

I’m not anti-supplement. Supplements can absolutely have a place. But I’m also not a big fan of the sh***un approach of taking a multivitamin full of things you may not need just because it seems “healthy.”

Build the foundation. Identify the gaps. Then supplement what’s actually missing.

HealthyLifestyle LakewoodRanch

Not every machine at the gym is helping you move better.

Machines that lock you into a fixed path and single plane of motion may train a muscle, but they can reduce the demand on systems your body uses in real life—stability, balance, coordination, proprioception and core control.

Real life doesn’t happen on rails.

That doesn’t make machines useless. They have a time and place. But if your goal is to move better outside the gym, your training should include movements that require your body to stabilize, coordinate and control itself.

🚴 Biking with Mike: Train your body—not just a muscle.

If you already spend a good chunk of your day sitting…why sit through your workout too?

Whenever it makes sense, get on your feet.

Standing during exercises gives you an opportunity to work more than just the muscle you’re targeting—you’re also challenging your core, posture, balance, hip stability, and coordination.

And think about real life:
You carry groceries standing up.
You put things on a high shelf standing up.
You lift kids, move boxes, push doors, carry laundry—all on your feet.

Exercise should have some carryover to the way you actually live.

That doesn’t mean seated exercises are bad or never appropriate. But when you have the choice, train the position you want to be strong and capable in.

🚴 Biking with Mike: If you can stand, consider standing.

LakewoodRanch

🥩 “I don’t like the taste of grass-fed meat.”

I hear this one a lot.

Pasture-raised animals generally move more and use their muscles, which can contribute to a firmer texture and different flavor.

Conventionally raised beef often has more marbling—and fat adds tenderness and flavor. So yeah…sometimes it tastes better.

But grass-fed beef can have a more favorable fatty-acid profile, including higher levels of omega-3s and CLA, along with differences in certain nutrients.

It’s not that conventional beef is “unhealthy”—it’s about what you’re prioritizing.

Sometimes there’s a tradeoff between taste, texture and nutritional profile.

🚲 Biking with Mike