Eastside Athletics

At the heart of occupational therapy (OT) is the belief that health is not merely the absence of disease, but the ability to engage fully in the activities that give life meaning. And yet, the very tool most capable of restoring and enhancing participation, exercise, remains largely overlooked in occupational therapy. Despite decades of research […]

The language we use as trainers matters. This weekend, I took a continuing education course on hip and pelvic biomechanics to fulfill some CEU requirements for my occupational therapy license. One of the quiz questions read: “True or False: The more someone is in an APT (anterior pelvic tilt) when squatting, the deeper they’ll be

About 8% of women in the United States own a business. Most of those are small, non-employer firms. Sole proprietorships like private practices, online storefronts, or service providers. In a late-night search for other women doing what I’m doing, I discovered that fewer than 1% of women own businesses that employ others. And somehow, I’ve

When I have something to say, I either write or I lift. I’ve been trying to put these thoughts into words for a while, but oof this one’s been hard to articulate.  When we (the fitness industry) talk about fitness, it often feels very utilitarian. We talk about burning calories, losing weight, builidng muscle, and

If I had to choose  a single shift that’s made the biggest impact in my performance, strength gains, and overall movement competency, it would be this: Learning how to stack my ribcage over my pelvis. More specifically, learning how to actually get my ribs down, posteriorly tilt my pelvis, and maintain anterior core engagement .

No matter your goal — building strength, losing fat, improving athletic performance, feeling better in your body — what you eat matters. A lot. So why don’t we hand out meal plans? Why don’t we spend more time telling you exactly what to eat? The short answer: because we shouldn’t.The long answer: because nutrition is

By Alina Muller, MS, OTR/L & Keiller Morash, BA, CSCS Before we get too far into this, let us be clear that there is a time and place to focus on form. That said, the fitness industry’s obsession with perfect form is, in our opinion, often more harmful than helpful.  One of the top reasons

By Cara Merak, BSN, RN, CFNC Your body is constantly sending you signals—subtle cues about what it needs – but learning to decode those messages is a skill that needs to be honed. You know those days when you feel unstoppable in the gym, crushing every rep, and others when even tying your shoes feels

One of the most profound lessons I learned from gymnastics wasn’t about achieving perfection—it was about embracing imperfection. As both a former gymnast and current strength coach, I’ve come to recognize that “bad” reps aren’t just inevitable; they’re often essential to the learning process. In fact, I’ll take this controversial stance: deliberately allowing less-than-perfect repetitions

At Eastside Athletics, we. want to see you *thriving* in every aspect of your life—not just in the gym. We understand that true health and wellness go far beyond physical fitness. A recently published article, “Mind, Body, and Soul: Tips for Freshly Approaching Wellness in 2025”  features our owner,  Alina, and Jen VonSchondorf, a mental health