Portia's Precision Fitness Online Fitness and Nutrition Coaching

Portia's Precision Fitness Online Fitness and Nutrition Coaching Fitness • Nutrition • Mindset
POTS • Addison’s • MCAS Warrior

StrongMom Method™ 💙
Helping busy women/moms feel confident again, fit back into their favorite jeans & feel energized through simple nutrition + effective workouts.

Cervicogenic headaches are real… and I live this one personally.I’ve already had my C5 disc replaced, and there’s a good...
06/23/2026

Cervicogenic headaches are real… and I live this one personally.

I’ve already had my C5 disc replaced, and there’s a good chance I’ll eventually need to address C6-C7. My neck has lost its normal curve and shifts to the right at the upper cervical levels.

As a result, I constantly battle pain at the base of my skull around C1-C2 that radiates into my head, eye, temple, jaw, and behind my ear. My right ear throbs, my TMJ flares, and the muscles on the right side of my face can get so tight they actually twitch.

As a physical therapist, I’ve learned how connected everything is. The upper cervical spine, suboccipital muscles, TMJ, nerves, posture, breathing mechanics, and nervous system all influence one another.

What’s even more interesting is the overlap between upper cervical dysfunction and conditions like POTS and dysautonomia. While neck dysfunction doesn’t necessarily cause POTS, many people notice increased headaches, dizziness, brain fog, fatigue, and autonomic symptoms when their upper cervical region is flared up.

When my neck is irritated, I often experience:
✨ More headaches
✨ More ear throbbing
✨ More TMJ pain
✨ More dizziness
✨ More brain fog
✨ More fatigue

This is why I focus so much on posture, deep neck flexor strength, thoracic mobility, scapular stability, and training smarter—not just harder.

If your headaches always start in your neck or at the base of your skull, the source may not be your head at all.

Do your headaches start in your neck, jaw, behind your ear, or around your eye? Let me know below. 💙

WomenWhoLift

06/22/2026

Master the Tripod Foot and Mind-Muscle Connection for Real Strength Gains

06/20/2026

Most people are taught to keep their shoulder blades pinned back during every upper body exercise.

But on a reverse pec deck, sometimes allowing the shoulders to reach forward first can actually improve the movement.

Notice how my arms are reaching all the way forward at the start of the rep.

This isn’t bad form.

This is intentional.

By allowing the shoulder blades to move around the rib cage (called scapular protraction), I’m creating a loaded stretch through the rear delts, rhomboids, and mid traps before I initiate the pull.

Why does this matter?

✅ More range of motion

✅ More tension in the stretched position

✅ Better shoulder blade mobility

✅ Greater rear delt recruitment

✅ Improved upper back development

The hand position matters too.

Many lifters grip the handles tightly and end up turning the movement into more of a row. By using an open hand position and focusing on driving the elbows apart, it becomes harder to pull with the arms and easier to feel the rear delts doing their job.

The reverse pec deck isn’t just a rear delt exercise either.

The rear delts move the upper arm.

The mid traps and rhomboids pull the shoulder blades together.

When you allow the shoulder blades to fully protract and then retract during the movement, you’re training the entire upper back through a larger range of motion rather than keeping everything locked in place.

Think about it this way:

At the start of the rep, I’m reaching and stretching the rear delts, rhomboids, and mid traps.

At the end of the rep, I’m driving my elbows apart and squeezing through the upper back.

More movement.

More tension.

More muscle recruitment.

Sometimes the difference between moving weight and building muscle is understanding what the body is supposed to be doing throughout the entire rep.

Train muscles, not movements.

ProgressiveOverload PortiasPrecisionFitness StrongMomMethod MuscleBuilding FitnessEducation

06/17/2026

Gretchen ❤️ Gretchen Berkheimer Mason

There are some people who leave a lasting impact on your life, and Gretchen is one of them.

As our journey together is coming to an end, I find myself reflecting on how grateful I am that she trusted me to be part of it.

This woman is nothing short of incredible. She is one of the hardest working, most determined women I know. The kind of person who keeps showing up no matter what. The kind of person who gives everything she has to the people around her and somehow still finds a way to give more.

I’ve had to remind her more than once that it’s okay to sit down and take a break because she truly does it all.

The progress she’s made is amazing. She’s strong, lean, and let’s be honest… those abs are absolutely ridiculous. But what I’m most proud of isn’t what you can see in these pictures.

I’m proud of the confidence she found.
I’m proud of the consistency she built.
I’m proud of the trust she placed in me.
And I’m proud of the woman she continues to become.

Coaching has never been just about workouts and nutrition for me. It’s about relationships. It’s about helping people see what they’re capable of. And getting to know Gretchen has been one of the greatest gifts of this journey.

Gretchen, thank you for allowing me to be part of your story. Thank you for trusting the process. Thank you for showing up time and time again.

You are an absolute rockstar, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.

The hardest thing I’ve had to learn this year…I’ve spent most of my life believing that if I worked hard enough, stayed ...
06/17/2026

The hardest thing I’ve had to learn this year…

I’ve spent most of my life believing that if I worked hard enough, stayed disciplined enough, learned enough, or pushed through enough, I could influence the outcome.

Want to build muscle? Work harder.
Want to lose fat? Stay consistent.
Want to improve your health? Do the work.

And for many things in life, that mindset serves us well.

But sometimes life hands you things that effort alone cannot fix.

Hormone issues.
Autoimmune conditions.
Chronic illness.
Grief.
Trauma.
Betrayal.
A nervous system that has been running on survival mode for years.

As a coach, this has been one of the most humbling lessons of my life.

Because when you’re used to being able to influence outcomes through effort, it’s incredibly frustrating when effort is no longer the answer.

You can’t outwork Addison’s.
You can’t out-discipline a dysregulated nervous system.
You can’t out-cardio inflammation.
You can’t force healing on a timeline.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do isn’t push harder.

Sometimes it’s resting when your body needs rest.
Sometimes it’s asking for help.
Sometimes it’s being patient.
Sometimes it’s trusting a process you can’t control.

For so many women, the goal isn’t learning how to work harder.

It’s learning that your worth isn’t determined by your productivity, your body fat percentage, your weight, your health status, or how much you can carry.

You are still valuable when you’re healing.
You are still worthy when you’re struggling.
You are still strong when you’re resting.

And sometimes growth isn’t measured by how much you’re able to do.

Sometimes it’s measured by how much grace you’re finally willing to give yourself.

❤️

AutoimmuneWarrior MindsetMatters ProgressNotPerfection FitnessBeyondTheScale StrongWomenStrongBodies

06/16/2026

Why Getting Back to Your 20-Year-Old Body Shouldn’t Be the Goal

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