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Guide Physio & Rehab

My mission is to help mountain athletes like trail runners, skiers, and hikers improve their health and happiness by helping them feel stronger and more resilient. I write about the injuries and training hurdles that my clients ask about and experience.

2 million Americans will experience a fracture due to a preventable 'silent disease' this year

Happy Wednesday, Do you know how many women will experience a bone fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime? 1 in 10 women 1 in 5 women 1 in 3 women 1 in 2 women Scroll down to find out the answer. But before you do, here are a couple of hints. Osteoporosis is the development of low bone density that can happen as we age. 80% of people who develop osteoporosis are women. In fact, women are at higher risk of fracturing a hip due to osteoporosis than they are to develop breast, ovarian,...

Have you ever felt like your pain comes out of nowhere?

Happy Wednesday, Maybe you’ve had one of these seemingly unexplainable but painful experiences: You didn’t do anything unusual yesterday but your back has been spasming since you got out of bed today You broke your ankle 20 years ago and multiple x-rays and doctors said it healed — but now it's your internal barometer and tells you when a storm is coming You had a crummy day at work and then screamed when you got a tiny papercut You once injured your knee skiing and now instinctively grab...
20 year old Katy eats a peanut and butter sandwich on Lolo Pass with her snowboard and backpack, the year is 2006 and Katy gave herself this haircut

What we can learn from the mistakes we made in our 20s

Happy Wednesday, The trend this week on Instagram is to share photos from 2016. From what I can tell, it’s all about reminiscing to a time when things felt simpler (and less existentially fraught.) But I have another take on it after reflecting on what changed for me in 2016. 2016 marked the start of graduate school for me. The last 10 years has been constant growth - going back to school, becoming a physical therapist, taking my first PT jobs out of school, becoming a business owner. It’s...

What do weighted vests, Pilates, and muscle ‘toning’ programs all have in common?

Happy New Year! So what do weighted vests, Pilates, and muscle ‘toning’ programs all have in common? They are not resistance training or strength training. First, a little background. Resistance training refers to training that is done at 70-80% of your 1 rep max. It is recommended that most adults do resistance training 2-3x a week for each muscle group. A 1 rep max is the most weight you can lift in a single lift. The good news is that you don’t actually have to do a 1 rep max. The bad news...

4 goal setting tips that aren't just SMART goals

Happy Tuesday, I spend a lot of time thinking about health and fitness goals with my clients and since becoming a business owner have leveled up my own goal setting. Since it is that time of year where many people are thinking about who they want to be in 2026, I thought I would share some reflections from looking back at my own goals in 2025. Hopefully, these provide some food for thought beyond the usual SMART goal framework. Goals should reflect how you want to spend your time My goal: Run...

Creatine - an important supplement for physical health, or an expensive daily habit?

Happy Wednesday, Personally, until recently, I have avoided supplements because I never knew how to judge the ‘good’ ones from the ones with good marketing. Professionally, I've always given a generic answer when asked about supplementing with creatine because I am not a registered dietician (RD). While I can provide some general nutrition advice, I usually recommend talking to an RD for individualized recommendations based on your own health conditions and goals. But I get asked about...

100 miles in the desert with and the grit it takes to do it

Happy Wednesday, This weekend I am supporting my friend and long-time client, Chelsea Glenn, at the Javalina Jundred - a 100 mile race through the desert complete with rave-like dance parties, tattoos, and all the race snacks you can eat. I will run 20 of those miles with her through the night. My job as a pacer will be to gas her up when it's tough, play upbeat inspiring music for her, help her if she’s struggling (I’m not allowed to carry anything, or physically assist her in any way). I...

I would have started strength training for mountain sports sooner if I had known this...

most people are making it harder than it needs to be. Two weeks ago, I sent a long email describing what exactly I would do if I needed direction on how to start getting ready for ski season. (Go back and check it out if you're interested!) But this week I am saying, you literally just need to start. With anything. 75 percent of Americans don’t hit the recommended minimums for exercise. And before you say, but I hike every day, I will point out that many mountain athletes are not hitting the...
Two girls smiling at the camera on skis and pulling a sled at dusk. Trees in the background.

How Are you Getting Ready for Ski Season?

Happy Wednesday, There's a chill in the air and that means, if you're anything like me, you're thinking about winter! If I wanted to get ready for the upcoming ski and snowboard season here is what I would do: Make a plan to get started If you’ve ever arrived at the gym feeling a little hangry, unsure of how much you want to be there, and without a plan you probably have left after a few minutes of stretching and 10 minutes on the elliptical. Having a plan for each session (and what favorite...

Want to Keep Backpacking into Your 70's!?

Happy Wednesday, I just finished a great weekend of backpacking this weekend in Yellowstone with my partner and our moms, who are in their 70's! I love that our mom’s are still getting after it! Both of them have been hikers, skiers, runners, and generally, active mountain athletes their entire lives. Unfortunately, each of them have been told by their providers that they have osteopenia, an early stage of osteoporosis. I have to admit that I worry about either of them falling and breaking a...

My mission is to help mountain athletes like trail runners, skiers, and hikers improve their health and happiness by helping them feel stronger and more resilient. I write about the injuries and training hurdles that my clients ask about and experience.