Sometimes we can tell that we’re not headed in the right direction. We’ve been living in a way that’s not creating the life we want. The life we know we deserve. Yet it seems as though getting things turned around is too much work. As … [Read more...]

Holding ourselves accountable. Taking responsibility. Admitting fault. We tend to view these through a negative lens. To be avoided. Often because they leave us open us up to criticism. To judgment. Yet criticism and judgment are … [Read more...]

Have you ever felt like you’re just not making progress? Like you’ve set a goal, been chipping away at it, and your momentum stalls? It’s easy, at times like this, to feel like a failure. It’s easy to feel like all this effort is … [Read more...]

Sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be a “bright side” to look at. Sometimes there is no reason for something shitty that’s happened. Despite what countless inspirational posters, motivational speakers, and self-help books might … [Read more...]

Making choices counter the pursuit of health is so freaking easy. Most of what’s sold in grocery stores is inexpensive, nutrient poor, and energy dense. We have to go out of our way to be physically active. There are a gazillion reasons to … [Read more...]

Figuring out how to eat can feel damned-near impossible. Folks are swearing by vegan, carnivore, paleo, IIFYM, low fat, keto, and everything in between. What if you could take one step that fits within nearly any dietary … [Read more...]

Doing nothing at all is becoming a rarity. We work. We socialize. We commit. When none of these are on the schedule, we often scroll. Even before scrolling, we had reading, watching, and listening. Constantly filling our … [Read more...]

Has anybody ever done something that rubbed you the wrong way? Acted in a way that you felt was inconsiderate? Said something that upset you? It’s natural in situations such as this to assume the worst. That they’re a “bad” … [Read more...]

Goal setting is considered an integral part of pursuing health and fitness. There are countless books, articles, videos, podcasts, and other resources about how to set goals. All sorts of acronyms, exercises, and processes to help us out. We … [Read more...]

Have you ever glanced down at your phone to check something really quick, then before you know it, an hour has passed? Or felt as if there’s always a buzz, beep, or blink calling for you to check some app? As if the device that was meant to … [Read more...]

Practicing mindfulness just might be the most powerful tool we have at our disposal for creating a healthy, happy life. It's been shown to promote improvements across practically all aspects of physical, mental, and emotional … [Read more...]

You’ve set a goal. You’ve got a plan. You’re all fired up. You get started chipping away at your goal. Then your enthusiasm fades. You lose your drive. You’re feeling unmotivated. Maybe this feeling reared its ugly head before … [Read more...]

Sometimes even getting started working toward a big goal seems impossible. When we know the effort will test our resolve. We know the time commitment will test our patience. We see such tasks and we’re paralyzed. Not because we’re averse … [Read more...]

If you knew nothing about math, would you start with a calculus class? If you were totally new to football, would you declare eligibility for the NFL draft? If you’d never driven a car, would you seek out a Formula 1 seat? Probably … [Read more...]

Have you ever told yourself that you “should” do something? “I should work out” “I should change how I eat” “I should” do this. “I should” do that. As if there’s no other option. As if there’s no question. Yet you’re not doing … [Read more...]

War. Poverty. Discrimination. Greed. Hate. There are plenty of ways we’re making life less pleasant for each other. Plenty of opportunities for us to create a more manageable world. We understand that these are major problems, … [Read more...]

One of the greatest joys in life in serving others. Using our own time and energy to make life, if only a bit, more manageable for others. Some of us serve through our family. Some through our careers. Others volunteering. Even doing a … [Read more...]

“Oh, I’m so busy.” Have you ever said this? Or felt it? Did you see this as something of which to be proud? Something about which to brag? Or at least something to say to fit in? It’s almost an expectation these days to be … [Read more...]

It can be easy to get upset sometimes. To be angry, frustrated, or irritated when life doesn’t go as planned. When facing the unexpected. When inconvenienced. Even the little things can get the best of us. Your partner may be … [Read more...]

Making changes to our eating habits can be a real freaking challenge. Especially when facing the opportunity to eat or drink something that isn’t in alignment with the changes we’ve made. We know that eating it might delay or detour our … [Read more...]

Do you ever wait until everything is perfect before making an effort? Until the universe has laid out everything you need, right in front of you? Put off changing your diet until you find a grocery store with exactly the foods you … [Read more...]

Being consistent has its advantages. It’s pretty much a necessity for success in any realm of life. Showing up. Day after day. Putting in the work. Yet, for all that it has to offer, consistency has a downside. Boredom. Those … [Read more...]

Let’s see how close I can get to a third-rail without touching it. We’ve all got our beliefs, and my intent is not to change - or even discuss, really - anyone’s spiritual framework in this post. For what it’s worth, I’m light years away from … [Read more...]

There’s something alluring about going “all in”. About pushing a goal or idea to the extreme. Some of us find any and every opportunity to do so. We do this with food. Want to eat more plants? Go vegan. Want to avoid problematic … [Read more...]

It’s rare these days to do something that’s never been done before. There’s been precedent set for nearly everything we’ve done or will do. We can find examples of success in all areas of life. Mentors, teachers, guides. Even friends or … [Read more...]

Have you ever felt like you wanted to quit, but felt pressure to continue? Perhaps something you started doing voluntarily. Maybe something you were asked to do. Or even something that just started out of nowhere. At first, the effort was … [Read more...]

We’ve all got stories. Beliefs about ourselves we hold to be true. Ideas of who we are and how we act, based on our pasts. References for navigating each and every decision we make. Saying that we do or do not do certain things, because … [Read more...]

Emotions are strong. They’re visceral. They’re our most intimate sensations. It’s easy to assign value to our emotions. Joy, excitement, satisfaction. “Good”. Fear, sadness, anger, loneliness. “Bad”. This can lead to avoiding … [Read more...]

Nobody masters a skill without years or decades of practice, if ever. For the most part, this is well understood. We give ourselves a break when learning a skill. We don’t put a whole lot of pressure on ourselves to nail it. Especially at … [Read more...]

Getting started can be so FN hard sometimes. There are so many reasons this might be the case. The task at hand is new to you. It’s unclear where to start. It’s going to be boring. You’ve just got too many commitments. You know … [Read more...]

It’s Friday. Not only that, but it’s a Friday in the middle of the holidays. Are you putting something off until Monday? Or after that winter break? New Years? Some other occasion? Are you delaying that change to your eating … [Read more...]

Being optimistic can be really freaking challenging nowadays. It seems everything in the news is negative and biased. Is it possible to stay informed without being impacted emotionally? To be aware of external factors without dwelling on … [Read more...]

Your efforts to pursue your best life may not always be met with fanfare. Saying, “no, thank you” to one thing so that you can say “yes” to another might draw attention. When you decline the dessert. When you skip the happy hour. When you … [Read more...]

Fear can be paralyzing. It’s a common reason for not taking action. We don’t change our eating habits. We don’t adjust our training. We don’t schedule the flight. We don’t talk to him or her. We don’t apply for the job. We don’t … [Read more...]

Have you ever heard the saying, “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”? It’s usually offered to suggest that there’s not always a reason to thoroughly analyze one’s motives for action. Recently I saw it offered in reference to food. To suggest … [Read more...]

Much attention is given to overcoming the challenge of starting something new. Keeping it up for the long run, however, is often the more challenging part. Especially when it comes to the habits that keep us healthy and happy. There are a … [Read more...]

You are going to be criticized. How you’re living. What you’re doing. Saying. Thinking. Feeling. And this criticism can be paralyzing. It keeps you from taking action. From living the life you’re called to live. You don’t … [Read more...]

You know that you have more to offer the world. That the world has more to offer you. More than how you look. What you weigh. How you perform. More than the job. The house. Car. Bank account. These all have their … [Read more...]

Have you ever struggled to stay motivated? Or find motivation? You are working toward a goal and you’re doing “the thing” but you’re starting to lose that drive. You’re doing everything you can to get it back. You’re reading inspirational … [Read more...]

Sometimes we just aren’t making any progress. In our health. Our fitness. Career. Finances. Relationships. We know that we’ve got to do something. We know that progress requires action. Yet action is freaking … [Read more...]

It can be really freaking challenging to return to your normal routine after a deviation. A holiday. Vacation. Wedding. Or simply a day, week, or month where you stopped doing the thing. You know that your detour isn’t how you’d like … [Read more...]

If you’re in the United States, happy Thanksgiving. If not, happy Thursday. Heading into the holidays can be challenging when it comes to eating. This is especially true for those of us who have health and fitness goals. Some of us may … [Read more...]

Have you ever wondered what is the difference between dinner and dessert? After all, they’re both food. They can both be awesome. They can even have similar nutritional value. So, what gives? What’s the difference between dinner and … [Read more...]

We do not live in isolation. We depend on others. Others depend on us. We’ve got jobs. We’ve got families. We’ve got friends. We’ve got communities. This interdependence can function as a double-edged sword. It can promote … [Read more...]

Being wrong is one of the hardest FN things in the world. You hold an idea. You “know” something. You live according to certain concepts. Then you come to find that it’s not correct. That the world is not how you see it. You feel … [Read more...]

If you think finding or pursuing your purpose will make you happy or love yourself. You are mistaken. True happiness and self-love are unconditional. Regardless of what you do. Regardless of what you work toward. Regardless of anything … [Read more...]

To live with intentionality is to live with direction. You are here for a reason. A purpose. A calling that serves as your guiding light as you navigate the world. What better direction in which to live than toward this purpose? Start … [Read more...]

Is practicing presence enough for living your best life? What if, for example, your “here and now” isn't particularly awesome? There’s value in identifying things you’d like to change. This is, after all, the first step in improving our … [Read more...]

Presence is essentially the ability to focus on, and live in, your immediate experience. Your here and now. This is no small task when all we can do is think about the past, the future, or what we’d rather be doing. Fortunately, we can train … [Read more...]

Last week we touched briefly on how ruminating over the past or future might play a role in feelings of depression and anxiety. How I personally have found focusing on the “here and now” to help with breaking my own tendency to live in the past … [Read more...]

Thoughts about the past and future, especially when inaccurately fondly or pessimistically, might serve to distort both our expectations and perceived reality. This, in turn, might drive negative thoughts and emotions. I heard once that … [Read more...]

When you start exploring your expectations, you’ll notice a couple of things. You’ll notice that you don’t care about many of the things others do. Maybe that’s money, power, popularity, social status, or hedonistic pleasures. That you do … [Read more...]

What’s at the source of your discontentedness? That feeling of dissatisfaction with your life? Disappointment? Unhappiness? Often it’s because of a mismatch between your expectations and your reality. There’s something that you think … [Read more...]

Materials degrade. Relationships fade. Goals come and go. Achievements last only moments. The work. The pursuit. The challenge. These always remain. These are where your attention is best directed. Nothing outside of you … [Read more...]

It’s Monday. There’s a good chance you’re getting ready to head to work. You might be stoked about that. You might not be. If you’re in the latter category, headed to work might be a real freaking drag. This is particularly the case if … [Read more...]

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, the shiznit keeps piling on. And there’s nothing we can do about it. That’s just a fact of life. So. What do you do when there’s nothing you can do? When things are happening that you cannot … [Read more...]

Have you ever set out to make an improvement but not known where to start? You want to lose weight, but have never really paid attention to your eating habits. You want to get stronger, but know nothing about lifting weights. You want to … [Read more...]

Have you ever put off taking action because you were waiting for things to be perfect? So many of us do. We don’t try a new dietary strategy until we know that it’s exactly what will work. We don’t implement a new training routine unless we … [Read more...]

There’s a certain level of excitement when we start working toward a goal. We feel motivated. Inspired. We’ve got a plan and we’re going to put in the work. Sometimes, it’s relatively straightforward to keep up this momentum. This is … [Read more...]

Your life right now isn’t how you’d like it to be, so you’ve made some changes. You’ve changed your eating habits. Your movement practice. Your sleep routine. Maybe you’re working toward goals completely unrelated to physical … [Read more...]

Sometimes we just cannot seem to be able to stay consistent with our habits. We can’t stick to our eating habits. We don’t train regularly. Our sleep is all over the place. Often, we recognize this. We tell ourselves that we’re the … [Read more...]

When is the last time you put something off because you were afraid of failure? Probably, like, five seconds ago. At least, that’s how I operate. Fear of failure can be paralyzing. It keeps us from taking … [Read more...]

You know what you need to do. Make a change to how you’re eating. Tweak your training a bit. Adjust your morning routine. There’s something that you need to do to better align your actions with your goals. Yet you don’t do it. You … [Read more...]

Setbacks can really suck. Especially when we’re the ones to blame. Which, to be clear, is 99.99% of the time :-) We have our goals. We know what we want. We’re working toward it. We’re hitting the gym. We’re prepping the … [Read more...]

Have you ever taken a step back and considered “why”? Why you’re putting (or want to put) so much effort into how you look and feel? All the meals. All the meditation. All the training sessions. All the early nights in bed. What’s … [Read more...]

Have you ever wanted, so bad, for somebody else to do something? To change how they are living? To improve their eating habits? Start exercising? Take care of themselves a bit better? Or perhaps even make changes completely unrelated … [Read more...]

You might be familiar with “the 80/20 rule”. It’s the concept that success doesn’t require perfection. In the context of health and fitness, it’s often applied to how consistent we might aim to be with the habits that move us toward our … [Read more...]

We focus so much on what we eat. How we move. The quality of our sleep. Time with nature. Yet these are not the only factors playing a role in our pursuit of our healthiest, happiest life. These are not the only tools at our … [Read more...]

Sources of stress and discontent in life are plenty. Finances. Career. Relationships. Health. Hokie football. Often, we don’t know how or why we even got to where we are. We feel like we’re in a position we don’t like or can’t … [Read more...]

Why do we pay attention to our eating habits? Show up to the gym? Prioritize sleep and stress management? Why do any of these things if we don’t have some outcome in mind? A more comfortable waistline. A stronger deadlift. A more … [Read more...]

How many times have you done something that you wish you hadn’t? You ate the treat. You skipped the workout. You did the thing. Even when you knew how you’d feel afterwards. That you’d wish you hadn’t. That you’d feel the effects of … [Read more...]

“I’m vegan.” “I’m paleo.” “I’m a powerlifter.” “I’m a bodybuilder.” “I’m an accountant.” “I’m an engineer.” “I’m a democrat.” “I’m a republican.” We use so many labels to describe ourselves. What do these labels … [Read more...]

Words like “balance”, “moderation”, and “sustainable” have become staples in our collective dialogue about health and fitness. These terms are used with the best intentions. To promote an approach to health and fitness that does not detract from … [Read more...]

Do you ever feel like you need a little extra “pick me up” before your training? Maybe you pound back some coffee, get a little pre-workout tingle, or throw on some Slayer (or Jock Jams - no judgement). Most of us, from time to time, need a … [Read more...]

We tend to think of pleasant, comfortable thoughts and feelings as “good”. Likewise, we tend to think of unpleasant, uncomfortable thoughts and feelings “bad”. This perception is perpetuated by cultural forces old and new. We hear sayings … [Read more...]

We love complicated. We love grandeur. We love difficult. The more extreme, unorthodox, or demanding a diet or physical activity, the better. Yet, whenever we try extreme, we become overwhelmed, frustrated, and quit. We go all … [Read more...]

Goal setting can be the bomb. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as setting and achieving a goal. Whether it’s a deeply meaningful goal like resolving a debilitating health issue. Or more vanity-driven goal like nailing a PR. We’re not … [Read more...]

I’ll be happy when I reach my goal weight. I’ll be happy when I set a new deadlift PR. I’ll be happy once I get my blood sugar under control. How many times do we tell ourselves that we’ll be happy once we reach some milestone with our … [Read more...]

There’s time spent at work. Time spent with family. Spent with friends. On hobbies. Training. Cooking. Sleeping. We tend to view each of these efforts as separate aspects of our life. Disconnected. We might even see some … [Read more...]

Do you feel like you “have to” go to the gym? Or eat specific foods or a specific way? Or sleep at night? Drink water? Go to work? Let’s face it. Sometimes there are things that we do that we do not “enjoy”. They’re not fun. Maybe they’re … [Read more...]

Have you ever tried and failed to quit doing something? Maybe you tried to quit smoking. Drinking sugary drinks. Eating junk food. Whatever. There are countless things that we try to quit. There are just as many things that we turn … [Read more...]

We’re often told “all things in moderation”. That if we don’t eat something we’re going to feel “deprived”. That our approach will be unsustainable. That we’ve got a problem. Guess what. What you eat is 100% up to you. If you want … [Read more...]

Hydration isn't the most exciting subject, but it’s pretty freaking important. Water acts as a solvent for biochemical reactions and medium for material transport, assists in body temperature regulation, supports cardiovascular function and renal … [Read more...]

“I’ve already ruined my progress.” “I don’t know if I can keep this up.” “I might as well not even try.” It's easy to let yesterday's disappointments and tomorrow's uncertainties prevent action today. The truth is, yesterday was once … [Read more...]

One aspect of getting lean, strong, and healthy that makes it so challenging is that figuring out what to do can be so freaking confusing. There seems to be an endless stream of ads, books, magazine covers, blog posts, and podcasts telling us what … [Read more...]

We work out, train, exercise, or whatever we want to call it because we want to change our bodies. We want to lose some fat. Build some strength. Look, feel, and perform awesome. Yet many of us spin our wheels. Often, this is because we’re … [Read more...]

There are those who will tell us that once we lose the fat. Once we build the strength. Once our blood labs are in range. We’ll be happy. And that, until that happens, we’re just weak. Undisciplined. Lazy. Less than. This message of not being … [Read more...]

“I need a treat”. Have you ever said this to yourself? After a long, stressful day. Or when your boss has been a jerk. Or an opportunity you were hoping for didn’t pan out. Perhaps somebody said something to you that made you feel like … [Read more...]

Fitness. Health. Self-care. Whatever you want to call it. It can be really freaking discouraging. On one hand, we’re given empty promises about how easy it can be. Six minute that. 21 day this. Four week whatever. On the … [Read more...]

There's a perception that we have to be hungry all the time. That we have to spend hours in the gym, slogging away on the treadmill. We have to count and track and weigh and measure. Keeping a fresh feed of motivational memes and inspirational … [Read more...]

Our attention and energy are scarce resources. As is our capacity for deep thought. As are our emotions. Life works to sap these from us at every opportunity. Social media. News. Advertisements. Notifications. Text … [Read more...]

Are you a planner? Do you like to know exactly what you’re going to do tomorrow? Next week? Next month? Do you like to have your meals, training sessions, and recovery routines all mapped out? Every aspect of your self-care dialed in … [Read more...]

It is so easy to get caught up in what to “do”. The tactics. The strategies. The tips. The hints. The hacks. Whatever we call them, we love digging into what to “do” to lose fat, get strong, and feel awesome. Yet, no matter how … [Read more...]

Have you ever felt a sense of urgency? A sense of desperation? Pressure? Like you need to lose the weight, build the muscle, or do whatever the thing may be, RIGHT FN NOW? It’s so easy to feel this way, especially when it comes to getting … [Read more...]

Have you ever stopped to think about what it is exactly that you want? Sure, you might have an idea of what it is that you’re working towards. Maybe you want to get stronger. Maybe you want to get leaner. Maybe you want to get … [Read more...]

More often than not, we’re the ones responsible for our lack of consistency. This is the case even if life’s circumstances play a role. We had an awesome meal planned. We set out our gym clothes for a training sesh. We cleared our evening … [Read more...]

We go to the gym. We train. We adapt. What we couldn’t do yesterday, we can do today. What we can’t do today, we’ll attempt again tomorrow. Some days we nail our lifts. Some days we don’t. If we keep showing up. If we keep … [Read more...]

We use fats not only for energy, but also hormone production, cell membrane synthesis, brain and nervous system health, absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K and phytonutrients, and as a source of essential omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty … [Read more...]

Resistance. That force keeping you from doing what you need – and often want – to do. When you know exactly what steps to take next to progress. But you just can’t bring yourself to take them. Or you feel as though all you can do is go … [Read more...]

Fitness is a practice. At the gym, you learn and practice movement patterns in a controlled environment. Squatting with a load. Bending over to pick something up. Reaching. Pulling. These movement patterns are often promoted as what … [Read more...]

So often we get in our own way of success. We self-sabotage. We eat to distract ourselves from emotions. We procrastinate to avoid discomfort. We react to life's circumstances. We second-guess ourselves. We tell ourselves that we’re … [Read more...]

Let’s talk about quitting. There is such a stigma about quitting. Being called a “quitter” can cut deep. Nobody wants to be known as someone who doesn’t finish what they start. Or who gives up when things get tough. The problem is that … [Read more...]

You’ve probably wondered at some point how much carbohydrate you should eat to look, feel, and perform your best. Your efforts might be better spent, however, looking at the quality of your carbs before worrying about the quantity. Here's … [Read more...]

Have you ever wondered why some folks get so fanatical about fitness? Why they make it such a priority? A non-negotiable? It isn’t just about losing fat. Getting stronger. Feeling more energetic. Sure, the whole “look and feel … [Read more...]

There’s not much more exciting than watching top athletic performers. Ridiculous jukes, catches, and hits. Skillful grappling and striking. Draining the clock and sinking a game winning shot. Smashing a world record lift. Seeing … [Read more...]

The process of getting lean, strong, and healthy will repeatedly, without failure, present you with difficult decisions. Choosing between the easy path and the hard path. Between what you want in the moment and what you want for the … [Read more...]

Making progress is awesome. Setting PRs. Losing fat. Building muscle. Improving lab values. Seeing success from our efforts is great. What about those other times? Those times of struggle. When you’re not seeing the progress … [Read more...]

If you're looking to get lean, strong, and healthy, you'll probably want to make eating a ton of vegetables every day a staple habit in your routine. Vegetables are nutritional powerhouses, offering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals … [Read more...]

Plans are great. Plans can keep us accountable. Plans can help us know what to expect of ourselves. Plans can help us know what to expect of our results (if the plan is sound). As useful as plans are, planning can be a problem at … [Read more...]

The desire to quit is overwhelming at times. It often doesn’t even matter what kind of progress you’re making. Sometimes you’re getting leaning, stronger, and healthier. Sometimes you’re not. The call to throw in the towel doesn’t … [Read more...]

Obvious statement alert. If you want to change how you look, feel, and perform, you’re going to have to change your habits and behaviors. One of the most powerful tools for creating this kind of change is making adjustments to how you eat. That … [Read more...]

“Listen to your body” is an alluring principle for steering our health and fitness efforts. But how does it pan out in practice? How many times has your body encouraged you to eat or drink in a way that was out of alignment with your … [Read more...]

One step you can take to enhance practically every aspect of how you look, feel, and perform is prioritizing protein with every meal. Proteins are chains of amino acids that our bodies use for everything from building muscle and organs to … [Read more...]

Not comparing yourself to others isn’t just some empty advice meant to make you feel better about yourself. Sure, it can have that effect. There’s one reason, though, that it makes sense from a more practical perspective. We’re all … [Read more...]

It’s an unfortunate truth that life doesn’t care if you want to train. Despite your best efforts. No matter how motivated, inspired, or consistent you’ve been. Things come up. Work deadlines. Family commitments. Social … [Read more...]

How many times have you quit taking care of yourself when you weren’t seeing any progress? You tried the diet. You went to the fitness class. You followed the training program. Any when you didn’t see the results you wanted, you … [Read more...]

Some days it’s hard to gauge whether to go to the gym or not. You want to, but you’re feeling a little run down. A little sore. A little fried. A little tired. A little “blah”. You enjoy going to the gym and training hard, but … [Read more...]

One of the most effective tools in your toolbox for getting lean, strong, and healthy is making changes to what you eat. This isn't the only tool in your toolbox, however. There are four steps that have nothing to do with what you’re eating … [Read more...]

Have you ever heard that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others? What if this isn’t *quite* the right advice? It’s true that comparison can lead to feelings of inadequacy. We see others’ results, yet when we emulate their path and do not … [Read more...]

Have you ever felt like you’re not doing well? Like you’re not making progress? Like you’re not moving towards your goals? This happens, and it sucks. The good news is there are steps you can take to get out of this kind of funk. First … [Read more...]

It is so tempting to skip the gym some days. The reasons *not* to train are myriad. There are work commitments. There are happy hours. There’s Netflix. Sometimes, there’s no real tangible reason at … [Read more...]

Have you ever frozen due to uncertainty? You’re thinking about making a change to how you eat. You’re thinking about making a change to how you move. You’re thinking about making some change that might help you look and feel as awesome as … [Read more...]

Have you ever set a health or fitness goal? To reach a specific weight. To hit specific performance target. To bring lab values to within a certain range. Then you make a plan. To train. To eat. To recover. This is generally … [Read more...]

There are days when you just don’t want to do the thing. You don’t want to cook the meal. You don’t want to shop for groceries. You don’t want to go to the gym. You don’t want to meditate. You don’t want to go to bed. Even though … [Read more...]

Have you ever considered if you’re spending too much time and energy working towards looking and feeling awesome? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that taking care of your body isn’t important. It’s *super* important. Your body is … [Read more...]

One of the coolest aspects of health and fitness is that you have the power to create change in your body and your life. You can change how you eat. You can change how you move. You can change how you live. And you’ll see changes in how … [Read more...]

We love "fast". Fast fat loss. Fast strength gains. Fast health improvements. Fast, however, is often at odds with sustainable. Our sense of urgency to look and feel awesome often leads to habits and strategies we won't maintain for … [Read more...]

Do you ever feel like you’re struggling to make consistent progress towards looking and feeling awesome? Doing really freaking well some of the time. Getting stronger. Leaning out. Feeling more energized. Other times, not so … [Read more...]

Let's be real for a minute. Dieting sucks. Exercise sucks. The whole idea of “diet and exercise” just absolutely sucks. Eating things we don’t want to eat. Doing things we don’t want to do. Feeling like we have to choose between … [Read more...]

There are countless ways to assess progress when working towards looking and feeling your best. There is, of course, the scale. There are waist, hip, chest, and other girth measurements. There’s subjective self-assessment in the … [Read more...]

Hey there, I am going to be taking a hiatus from publishing here, at least for the foreseeable future. I will remain active on social media and continue to share a weekly newsletter plus short messages throughout the week to help you live your … [Read more...]

In last week’s post we covered some main points about the nervous system and explored an example of how your nervous system interacts with the rest of your body. In a nutshell, the nervous system controls how you perceive and interact with the … [Read more...]

We love talking about muscles and fat when discussing our fitness goals. We tend to focus on well-known organs like the heart and lungs when working to improve our health. One system that doesn’t get nearly the love it deserves is the nervous … [Read more...]

Many of us find at least some success with our efforts to get lean, strong, and healthy. Some of us, however, seem to find better success than others. Some of us get to a point where we look and feel awesome and stay that way … [Read more...]

So you’ve determined you want to lean out a little bit. The problem is that you know that this will probably mean dealing with hunger. Fortunately, leaning out doesn’t have to mean starving yourself or being miserably hungry all the … [Read more...]

You might have seen the following headlines in the news last week: “Changing your meat-eating habits could mean a longer life, study suggests” (CNN) “Red and processed meat can shorten life, say scientists” (The Guardian) “Eating red meat … [Read more...]

How often have you turned to food in times of uncomfortable, unpleasant, emotion? Stress. Sadness. Loneliness. Anger. Frustration. Overwhelm. You’re not alone. Many of us find ourselves in a pattern of turning to food when we … [Read more...]

You might have seen the following headline on “Psychology Today” this week: “Do Fatty Foods Deplete Serotonin Levels?” (1) You might have also seen this article shared on Reddit, with a headline reading: “Fatty foods may deplete serotonin … [Read more...]

Sometimes we eat for reasons other than nutrition or physiological need. We’re not necessarily hungry. We won’t necessarily benefit nutritionally from what we’re eating. We’re not necessarily eating for any reason related to our health or … [Read more...]

We love demonizing and idolizing specific nutrients, particularly when it comes to their effects on our waistlines and longevity. While carbohydrates have been catching their fair share of heat lately, fat has historically received the brunt of … [Read more...]

Cravings are responsible for more derailed efforts to get lean, strong, and healthy than perhaps any other obstacle. Even when we know we aren’t truly hungry, these strong drives to eat – often for specific foods – can leave us feeling powerless … [Read more...]

You may have seen one or more of the following headlines over the past week: Stop drinking protein shakes! Bulk-up beverages may lead to weight gain, depression and shorter life spans, study suggests (Daily Mail) Drinking too many protein … [Read more...]

The culture of sweat angels and “no pain, no gain” is pervasive in the fitness world. We’re told that getting lean, strong, and healthy has to be brutal. We’re told we have to suffer. We’re told we have to punish ourselves. We’re told we … [Read more...]

There are two problems that most of us struggle with when working to look and feel awesome. We either don’t know what to do or we know what to do but we just don’t do it consistently. The first problem *can be* relatively easy to solve. For … [Read more...]

There’s something about health and fitness that makes it a prime target for perfectionism. This drive for perfection, though, ultimately only leads to feelings of failure and inadequacy. This is because perfection with health and fitness does … [Read more...]

It’s not uncommon for us to be so far from our health and fitness goals that we feel like we’ll never get there. We might even feel at times like we’re headed in the wrong the direction. For some of us, the solution to problems such as these … [Read more...]

Establishing clear, defined goals can be of great worth when it comes to sticking to our eating, training, and recovery habits for the long haul. Goals give us something to work towards. Goals help us define what actions and behaviors we need … [Read more...]

How often are we told to “enjoy the process”? We’re often given this advice when we’re feeling frustrated or impatient with our progress to improve how we look and feel. Most often, we hear this when we aren’t reaching our goals at the pace … [Read more...]

One practice many of us implement to stay on track with our eating habits is tracking our food. Some folks think this practice is a “must”. Some folks think it should be avoided at all cost. The ideal approach isn’t going to be the same for … [Read more...]

One of the most effective ways to make sure that we’re moving towards our health and fitness goals is to track our progress. For many of us, “progress” includes losing some weight. What’s the best way to track weight loss, though? What all … [Read more...]

Particularly when just getting started improving our eating habits, there’s a lot of benefit to not being around foods that we find tempting. When we identify certain foods of which we can’t eat “just one”, or that consistently encourage us to … [Read more...]

When it comes to making changes to our diets in the pursuit of health or fitness goals, we’re often cautioned against taking things to extremes. At face value, this advice is pretty sound. Most of us don’t want to feel like our efforts aren’t … [Read more...]

It’s easy to tell ourselves that we need things that we don’t. We do this all the time, especially when it comes to food. “I need something sweet.” “I need something crunchy.” “I need a drink.” How often do we take a step back, though, … [Read more...]

There’s much benefit to setting specific goals. Goals give us something to work towards. Goals give us metrics against which to gauge our progress. Goals give us a sense of satisfaction when we’ve reached them. When it comes to improving … [Read more...]

Two dietary strategies that have gained quite a bit of popularity over the past several years are the paleolithic (paleo) diet and the ketogenic diet. While these two strategies often end up looking pretty similar, there are differences, and each … [Read more...]

You may already know just how important physical activity is to building and maintaining a lean, strong, healthy physique. That said, knowing and doing are two completely different subjects. Even when we know how important physical activity is, … [Read more...]

Some of us feel like we’re addicted to food. We might feel addicted only to certain foods, like sugary treats or salty, fatty, snacks. We might feel addicted to food in general, without necessarily feeling pulled to any specific type or … [Read more...]

Food is not solely a means for us to acquire the nutrients we need to stay alive. It's is not just sustenance. Sure, some of us choose to look at food in this way, but most of us don’t. Many of us have deeper emotional and mental ties to … [Read more...]

I spend more time than I probably should hanging out in various Facebook groups intended to support members in implementing certain dietary approaches. Most of the groups I hang in are focused on some flavor of paleo, primal, and/or ketogenic … [Read more...]

While I don’t remember the last time I made a new year’s resolution, I appreciate what they are and what they represent. We love milestones. We love new beginnings. We love fresh starts. For so many of us, though, these “fresh starts” … [Read more...]

There are a variety of quotes along the lines of “that which isn’t measured can’t be improved”. The general gist of such quotes is that if you are working to improve something, you should be measuring or tracking your efforts. This concept is … [Read more...]

Sometimes we can feel like there’s always something coming up that’s keeping us from moving towards our health and fitness goals. There are office events. There are social gatherings. There are family commitments. There are … [Read more...]

Food does not only serve to fulfill our bodies’ physiological requirements. There’s often quite a bit of emotion involved with eating. When we sit down with our partners, our kids, our parents, or our friends, food can represent something so … [Read more...]

Let’s follow up on my article a couple of weeks ago about how to say “no, thank you” at social and family gatherings, particularly those like Thanksgiving that are centered around food and drink. As mentioned in that article, many of us might not … [Read more...]

  It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and many of us are coming off of several days on which our actions haven't exactly been guided by physical health. There’s the night before Thanksgiving, where we might meet up with friends from … [Read more...]

For those of us in the United States, this upcoming week will include Thanksgiving, a holiday typically celebrated with a meal with friends and/or family. While the holiday season, in general, presents a challenge to those of making a conscious … [Read more...]

As a general statement, when we eat carbohydrate-rich foods (particularly starches), our bodies break those carbohydrates down into the simple sugar glucose and then sends that glucose to the blood stream. Our pancreases then release the hormone … [Read more...]

How many times have you considered a new diet or training routine, but just couldn’t get started? How many times have you started one or more new habits to improve your health, but just couldn’t stick to it? How many times have you been making … [Read more...]

Sometimes it seems the onslaught of alarmist nutrition news headlines knows no end. This week, we’re going to explore a headline that reads, “Potentially cancer-causing chemical may be in your peanut butter”. Specifically, we’re going to be … [Read more...]

You may have recently seen the headline: “New study finds that fat consumption is the only cause of weight gain” This, like many other news headlines that idolize or demonize single foods and nutrients, probably made you second guess your own … [Read more...]

Huffington Post recently published an article titled, "Everything you know about obesity is wrong" by Michael Hobbes. The article outlines the many ways in which we misunderstand obesity and how our approach to addressing obesity is failing. It … [Read more...]

You might have seen the following headlines in the news recently. “Avoid low-carb diets if you want to live longer, study suggests” (Fox23 News) “Low-carb diets could shorten life, study suggests” (BBC) “Meat-heavy low-carb diets can … [Read more...]

There’s a theory - one with which you are probably familiar - that carbohydrates drive obesity, primarily through elevating the hormone insulin. It's often suggested that it’s not excessive calories that drive fat accumulation, but rather … [Read more...]

Late last year I went in for an annual physical, part of which (as you might imagine) involved a blood draw. When the results of the draw came back, the physician informed me that everything looked good except that I was “anemic”. I didn’t … [Read more...]

Last week I shared a summary of the lipid panel results from my blood test following 30 days of eating nothing but ground beef, salt, and water. This week I’ll be exploring my fasting blood glucose, liver enzymes, and kidney markers from the same … [Read more...]

You are probably going to learn a whole lot more about blood lipids in this blog post than you are about my experience with eating nothing but meat for 30 days. Oh, and I'm not a doctor, physician, or dietitian. Don't make any medical or … [Read more...]

Nothing gets under my skin quite like headlines, especially those that serve as nothing more than emotion-eliciting click-bait. You’ve probably already seen how this happens in the world of politics. Two news outlets can report on the same … [Read more...]

I used to be a smoothie guy. That’s right. Every morning, I would wake up, grab a variety of fruits, veggies, fats, and protein, throw 'em all in a blender, and then chug ‘em down. I did this for months - perhaps even over a year - … [Read more...]

Have you ever received advice suggesting that you should “find balance”? Many of us hear this and assume that we need to devote equal time and energy to all efforts and commitments. That we shouldn’t devote too much of our time or energy to any … [Read more...]

If you’ve ever set out to improve your health or lose weight through making changes to your eating habits, chances are you’ve heard one of these two phrases: “It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle” “Diets don’t work” I understand that these two … [Read more...]

Have you ever felt like a failure? Your weight isn’t budging. Your strength has plateaued. Your health still sucks. You feel like you are doing everything right, but you just aren’t seeing any changes. Hell, maybe you feel like you’re … [Read more...]

Have you ever given up on your eating habits because you felt deprived, or restricted? Have you ever felt like an outcast, or embarrassed at family or social functions, because you have to explain that you “can’t” eat something? You don’t have … [Read more...]

Did you know that we eat for reasons other than physical hunger - that is, reasons other than to provide our bodies the protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals they require? Shocker, I know. I probably didn’t need to tell you that. Seriously, … [Read more...]

Our efforts to be leaner, stronger, and healthier are often driven by rules. We expect that so long as we follow the rules, our bodies will change for the better. We put our height, weight, age, and sex into an online calculator and – so long … [Read more...]

How many times have you been cruising along, nailing your new diet or training strategy - your meals on point, crushing your workouts, making good progress… And then something comes up that throws a little kink in your plans? You’re at a dinner … [Read more...]

When we first learn to ride a bike, we don’t enter the Tour De France and then beat ourselves up for not winning. We start with training wheels, and then slowly transition to free riding as our confidence and balance improve. When we first … [Read more...]

So many times it’s not that we don’t know what to do to lose fat, get stronger, and improve our health. We know that there is no “one size fits all” solution – as much as fitness marketers want us to believe that this is the case, and that their … [Read more...]

The only way to create sustainable change in our bodies is to create sustainable change in our habits, our behaviors, and even our parts of our identities. We know this. We know that our health and fitness are reflections of our lifestyles, and … [Read more...]

When you close your eyes and imagine what life looks like once you’ve reached your goal weight, chances are you don’t think to yourself… “Thank God there’s less gravitational attraction between the Earth and myself.”. When you picture what your … [Read more...]

Last week we discussed how consistency matters more than perfection - so long as over time our actions move us closer to our goals more than they move us away from our goals - and wrapped things up with a few questions for you to consider: “Am I … [Read more...]

If you'll recall from our discussion on homeostasis, our bodies are dynamic systems – constantly responding and adapting to their environments in an effort to maintain the conditions necessary for survival. Let’s take a look at how this “dynamic … [Read more...]

So many of us spend all of our free time reading and watching videos about the latest science in nutrition, training, and lifestyle. We carefully calculate how many grams of carbs, protein, and fat to eat in order to lose fat, excel in our … [Read more...]

If you’ve been reading my writing for any appreciable amount of time, you probably know that I like to look at things through an evolutionary lens. I’ve written before that our accelerating rates of chronic disease and obesity might be the result … [Read more...]

Last week we discussed the six areas in which we’ll need to focus in order to be optimally healthy: Food Movement Sleep Stress Management Community Environment To kick off our exploration of each of these a bit further, let’s … [Read more...]

We typically only think of "diet and exercise" when it comes to the factors involved in building a lean, strong, healthy body. While what we eat and how we move are important, they only make up a part of the equation when it comes to improving how … [Read more...]

Last week we explored the idea of stress being any threat to or deviation from homeostasis – the conditions our bodies maintain to ensure survival and reproduction – and covered a couple of examples of how our bodies are equipped to respond, and even … [Read more...]

Over the past few weeks we’ve been exploring the idea of using an evolutionary framework to guide our efforts to get lean, strong, and healthy AF. This framework is based on the following concepts: Our bodies comprise trillions of cells, … [Read more...]

In my last post, we discussed a few of the reasons that there is no “one size fits all" solution when it comes to improving one's fitness and health. At this point, there just begs one question – how in the world do we get started if we’re all so … [Read more...]

You’ve probably already recognized that there are countless different ways different people are improving their body composition, performance, and health status, and you might feel like it’s been a crapshoot figuring out what works best for … [Read more...]

Many of us feel like we’re trapped inside of our bodies - like there’s “us” and then there’s “our body”, and the two don’t always agree or get along. All we want to do is to look good, move well, feel healthy, and get on with our lives, yet we … [Read more...]

So many of us kick off our efforts to improve how we look, feel, and perform by looking for answers. We want to know exactly what, when, and how much to eat. We want to know exactly how often to train, and what kind of training is ideal. We … [Read more...]

The subject of calories can be a real tricky one, and I don't intend for this blog post to be an in-depth exploration of the physiology of fat loss with respect to how much food we eat. However, there are a few key points that I'd like discuss, as … [Read more...]

Every year my day job employer gets the entire company together at a hotel for a weekend for an event called the “Annual Business Meeting”. We typically have a small “meet and greet” with drink tickets and food that Friday, spend Saturday morning … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago, I shared with you the story of having my world turned upside down with the revelation that saturated fat and cholesterol really aren’t the boogeymen that we’ve been told for decades that they are. Well, my little tumble down the … [Read more...]

Take a stroll with me down memory lane to the early 2000's and picture in your head a much younger, but still dashingly handsome, Rob Arthur. We're going to talk a bit about the formative years in my life as an athlete, and explore the ways a … [Read more...]

It's been a few weeks since I've published anything completely unrelated to training, nutrition, or fitness in general. Since Friday marked the end of my 32nd trip around the Sun since exiting my mother's womb, I figured I'd share with you 32 … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago I shared with you my experience with a vegan diet and why I gave it up.  Now we'll cover the next major step in my understanding and practice of nutrition - no longer fearing saturated fat or cholesterol. From TN to VA and teaching … [Read more...]

In case you couldn't tell from my previous posts, I'm generally pretty "diet agnostic" and am open to the merits of ways of eating that don't necessarily align with my personal views of what's optimal - which I know I haven't quite written about yet, … [Read more...]

Every year in January, U.S. News & World Report releases their ranked list of "Best Diets". Every year in January, I read over this list, roll my eyes, and try not to let too much of me die inside. While I could harp on my general opinion … [Read more...]

It's January 14th, 2018 - two weeks after the beginning of the New Year (for those of us following a Gregorian calendar). Two weeks. Fourteen Days. How quickly did this time go by? I don't know about you, but I thought it went by pretty … [Read more...]

Before we proceed, let's be crystal clear about something... I'm not here to pick on vegans or the vegan diet. I will be writing plenty of articles about plenty of different ways of eating - especially those I've personally tried (like this … [Read more...]

2017 is gone. It no longer exists except as electrical signals in your brain. 2018 will be here shortly, and that's all that matters now. Even having said that, these years are all just arbitrary thoughts and concepts. Really, all we … [Read more...]

Christmas is a weird time for lots of us - myself included.   Some of us see it as a time to spend with friends and family.   Some of us see it as a time of loneliness.   Some of us see it as a time to exchange material … [Read more...]

Death can be one of the most difficult challenges to deal with during our time here. Last week, I had to deal with this challenge following the loss of a friend. This man was not my best friend; he and I would not have been best men in each … [Read more...]

This weekend I watched "The Force Awakens" in preparation for the upcoming release of "The Last Jedi".  At the time of the writing of this article, the second trailer has 39 million views, and I'm fairly confident I account for at least 5% of those.  … [Read more...]