Prioritizing can be such a freaking challenge. We’ve only got so much time and energy. Yet, we often find ourselves with more goals and commitments than time and energy. Some of these goals and commitments are important. Some of them, not … [Read more...]

Maintaining motivation isn’t always easy. When we’re first getting started, it’s usually not a problem. We’re fired up about our goal. We’re daydreaming about what our life’s going to look like once we reach it. We’re excited to put our … [Read more...]

So many of us don’t act because we lack confidence. Often, this feeling doesn’t reflect reality. We actually are prepared. We actually are skilled. We actually are ready. But we don’t feel like it. This might be because of … [Read more...]

We often quit when we’re not seeing progress. When we’ve been working toward a goal. We might be pursuing better health. We could be working on a project at work. We may just be working on a hobby. There’s something we’ve identified … [Read more...]

Many of us experience anxiety over losing out on opportunities. This anxiety keeps us from doing things we’re planning. It keeps us from enjoying or appreciating the things we’re actually doing. Because our minds and hearts are … [Read more...]

Most discussions about improving our health focus on what to eat and how to train. There are countless other factors that require just as much - if not more - attention. Take gratitude, for example. Did you know that gratitude might be one … [Read more...]

We often look outward in our hopes for change to happen. We suffer through a job we hate, hoping things will get better. We complain constantly about how we have no money. We look at ourselves in the mirror in disappointment every … [Read more...]

We can be so obsessed with goals. Fitness goals. Relationship goals. Health goals. Career goals. We set out to achieve them. We focus. We sacrifice. We put in our blood, sweat, and tears. We achieve them. Then … [Read more...]

We’ve all made decisions we wish we could unmake. Some may have led to minor inconveniences. Others may have led to significant changes in the course our lives take. The latter are particularly difficult to manage. We look back and we … [Read more...]

Do you ever feel dissatisfied? As though your life isn’t how it could - or should - be? Seeing areas in which you want more? Your fitness? Your health? Your career? Your relationships? Maybe it’s just one of these … [Read more...]

Change is hard. Sometimes, we want to change. We can’t bring ourselves to do it. Other times, we don’t want to change at all. We feel okay with how our lives are. Or, at least, we think we do. True contentment can be hard to come … [Read more...]

There’s a stigma about boundaries. Saying that you just don’t eat or drink certain things. Committing, no matter what, to a training routine. Establishing a firm sleep ritual that you never skip. Deciding that there are people you won’t … [Read more...]

Fear so often keeps us from acting. Fear of failure. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of disappointment. We’ve set a goal. We’ve got a dream. We’ve built a vision. We know what we want. But we don’t know if we can make it … [Read more...]

How much time do we waste, waiting for or seeking perfection? We’ve got an idea of what we want to do. We’ve set our goal. We’ve found our dream. We’re about to get started working toward it. We just need to perfect our plan. We … [Read more...]

One of the most paralyzing feelings is overwhelm. This might be the result of over-commitment. We take on more than we can handle. This might be the result of life just piling on. One responsibility after another being heaped upon … [Read more...]

There’s nearly always a downside and an upside to a given situation. Surely, you know people who tend to lean one way or the other. That person who always finds something to complain about. Or that person who always finds something to … [Read more...]

We’ve all got things that we’d like to do but aren’t doing. Maybe it’s taking up a new hobby. Perhaps it’s starting a new career. It may be implementing a new diet. We may be contemplating a new training program. Whatever it is, … [Read more...]

Maintaining momentum can be a real challenge. Even when we’re working toward something we really freaking want. When we know that our efforts are worthy. There are times when it’s hard to get moving. Maybe we’re just not feeling … [Read more...]

We are so hesitant to quit or start over. On one hand, there’s social pressure. There’s the stigma against quitting. This stigma serves us often. After all, much benefit comes from learning to stick things out when we don’t want … [Read more...]

We can be so hard on ourselves. We beat ourselves up when our lives don’t look how we expect them to. We have an idea in our head of how things should be. How we should act. What we should accomplish. Who we should be. Then, when … [Read more...]

Letting go is freaking hard. When we set our sights on a target. Something we want to achieve. An outcome toward which we work. We invest so much time and energy into chasing it. We’re hungry. We put in the work. Day after … [Read more...]

Life isn’t all pleasure. Most of it isn’t, usually. Most of what we do from day to day is either neutral or necessary. Going to work. Taking care of family. Running errands. Completing chores. Sure, some of these might be … [Read more...]

There’s such a stigma about failure. We look down on it. We avoid it. We don’t admit it when it happens. We put so much pressure on ourselves to succeed. Or at least to look as though we’re succeeding. Failure cannot be avoided, … [Read more...]

We’ve got good days. Those days when everything goes “right”. We wake up well rested. The weather is beautiful. People are kind, courteous, and helpful. Our time is spent doing things that satisfy and fulfill us. We’ve also got bad … [Read more...]

We make countless decisions each and every day. What to wear. What to eat. Who to spend time with. Where to shop. When to go to bed. The list goes on and on. Some of these decisions are relatively insignificant. What color … [Read more...]

Sometimes we can let ourselves go. We stop doing the things that keep us looking and feeling our best. We eat less nutrient-dense, minimally-processed foods. We allow ourselves to skip training more frequently. We eat more desserts. We … [Read more...]

Have you ever put in the work but then been disappointed with your results? You stuck to the diet. You completed the training sessions. You followed all the rules. But you didn’t see the outcomes you wanted to. You didn’t lose the … [Read more...]

It can be really hard to say “no”. We hate the idea of missing out. We don’t want to let people down. Sometimes, we’re just avoiding a difficult conversation. So we say “yes”. We give away our energy. We give away our … [Read more...]

So many of us are dissatisfied with our health and fitness efforts. We put in the work. We see the results. But we don’t feel how we thought we would. We aren’t as pleased with our results. On the other hand, some of us don’t put in … [Read more...]

Getting lean, strong, and healthy isn’t often easy. Just getting started is challenging enough, Perhaps more challenging is keeping it up once you get going. So many of us fail to reach our goals, or even make meaningful progress. This … [Read more...]

You might be crushing your workouts. Nailing your eating habits. Doing everything right to look, feel, and perform your best. Yet you might still feel dissatisfied. You might be feeling empty. If so, you might benefit from finding a … [Read more...]

Sustainability is important when considering change. We might mix up our eating habits. Adopt a new training regimen. Start some new habit to improve our life. We’re often encouraged to ask whether we can maintain our habit … [Read more...]

Many of us fear death. We go to great lengths to delay it. We see it as something to be avoided at all costs. Yet, as much attention as we give to death, we give relatively little to life. We don’t give much thought at all to what we’re … [Read more...]

People we knew. Places we visited or lived. Things we did. We often look back on memories fondly. This can warm our hearts. Foster gratitude. Make us feel good. Yet, sometimes even pleasant memories have unpleasant effects. We … [Read more...]

There’s always something about ourselves that we’d like to change. Maybe it’s some excess fat we’d like to lose. Perhaps we feel that we are too weak. Or we think we’re too small. It could be that we don’t make enough money. We might … [Read more...]

How often do we hesitate to take on a challenge? We know it’s going to take time. We know it’s going to take effort. We know it’s going to take sacrifice. We’re intimidated by this. We put off taking action. We question … [Read more...]

We’ve all got habits. Some we consider “good”. Some we consider “bad”. Some we don’t consider either of the two. They’re simply “what we do”. Often, we don’t give much thought to our habits. After all, they’re … [Read more...]

It’s not always clear what folks’ intentions are. This makes good news difficult to swallow at times. We don’t want to get our hopes up, only to have them torn down. We might see or hear about somebody doing something good. We only learn … [Read more...]

Progress takes patience. The problem is that patience is freaking hard. Many of us look for ways around it. We look for ways to get there faster. Ways to get there more easily. To see progress without the process. We look for … [Read more...]

Many of us spend so much time thinking about our careers. As if our time actually on the job weren’t enough, there’s all the time we spend thinking about it. We don’t only think about the tangible, immediate issues. We also think about the … [Read more...]

It’s not always easy to figure out how to eat, move, and live. There are countless strategies we might use to reach our goals. There are diet books. Blogs. Documentaries. Podcasts. Friends. Family members. Coworkers. All of … [Read more...]

Do you feel like you’re going through the motions? If not, have you ever considered if that’s the case? Have you asked yourself why you do what you do? Is it simply your routine? The way you’ve always done things? Perhaps how you’ve … [Read more...]

It’s hard to know what to do sometimes. When we do know what to do, it’s hard to actually do it. We have a general sense of the kind of life we want to live. We see the outcomes we want to create. We understand how we want to feel. So … [Read more...]

We’re often short-sighted when it comes to making change. We identify a goal. We see it as a goal that we’d like for the long run. Something that will benefit us indefinitely. Reaching a healthy body composition. Improving our strength … [Read more...]

We only have so much time on this rock. We never know when that time is going to end. It might be in several decades. It may be later today. There’s no way to tell. The moments turn into hours. Into days. Then weeks, months, and … [Read more...]

We’re constantly made aware of how others live their lives. This was, at one point, largely limited to outside of the home. School. Work. Social functions. Running errands. We just weren’t really exposed to other people and … [Read more...]

We don’t live in isolation, completely separate from others. It’s not in our nature. We each belong to various communities. Playing our roles in greater societies. We form countless relationships with others. Some of these … [Read more...]

We’re often told to “enjoy the process”. We’re told this whenever we’re working toward something and things get tough or we get impatient. When we don’t want to go to the gym. When we don’t want to stick to our eating habits. When we … [Read more...]

Physical pain is something over which we’ve not much control. When a bone breaks. When we get cut. When we burn ourselves. We don’t really have a choice as to whether it hurts. It hurts. We feel it. The damage is done. Words, … [Read more...]

The less familiar we are with what we’re doing, the more beneficial having a plan might be. Even if only for building contextual knowledge to use to figure things out later on our own. This is true of pretty much any effort in life. Learning … [Read more...]

Diet and exercise get most of the attention when it comes to living a long, healthy, most excellent life. Did you know that spending time in nature also helps you look, feel, and perform your best? First, let’s talk about the benefits of … [Read more...]

Days, weeks, months, and years fly by. Wake up. Go through the day. Go to bed. Repeat. Sometimes we throw in different hobbies or personal goals. Exercise, maybe. Social activities. Volunteer work. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Yet, … [Read more...]

We often limit ourselves to fewer options than we really have. We look at things through a “black or white” lens. This or that. All or nothing. With or against. A or B. We do this with politics. We do this with diets. We do … [Read more...]

Have you ever felt lazy? There’s something that you need or want to do. Or at least that you’re under the impression you need or want to do. Start cleaning up your apartment. Going to the gym. Studying for that exam. Cooking for … [Read more...]

How often do you wish you’d started something earlier? Maybe you didn’t know then what you know now. Maybe you did know then, but you procrastinated. Perhaps the situation was totally out of your control. Situations like this are … [Read more...]

Actually doing what you want to do isn’t always easy. It’s even more challenging to do things you don’t want to do. This makes consistency damned near impossible sometimes. Sure, we might be able to do the hard thing for a week or so. We … [Read more...]

Do you spend a lot of time thinking about the future? Career aspirations. What you want from your relationships. Things you want to learn. Places you want to go. Long-term goals. Big plans. Years ahead. When you think of such … [Read more...]

Life gets hard sometimes. Circumstances turn for the worse. We lose jobs. People hurt us. Relationships fade. Finances get tight. Health declines. Opportunities slip through the cracks. Sometimes it’s not our … [Read more...]

What do you do for self-care? Do you like to go shopping? Indulge in a treat? Have a drink? Go to the gym? Cook a special meal? Take a long bath or shower? Get your haircut? Go to the movies? Take a nap? Listen to … [Read more...]

Sometimes we lose perspective on just how many chances we get. How much time we have. How many options we’ll be presented. Just how many opportunities we’ll have to better our lives. Sure, we might not always have the same … [Read more...]

Setting and achieving goals is so satisfying. Identifying something you want to do. Some way to improve your life. Or the lives of others. Determining what you have to do to get there. Then putting in the work. But what happens when … [Read more...]

Fear keeps us from trying new things. Often, this is fear of making mistakes. We’re worried that we’re going to screw up. Do something wrong. Waste our time. Make fools of ourselves. Sure, we can mitigate the chances of this … [Read more...]

Some days, it’s hard to find the drive to keep going. Or to even get started. We’ve got a “to do” list. Maybe even things we want to do. Yet we just can’t build the momentum to do them. We’d rather lay in bed. We’d rather chill out … [Read more...]

Starting new tasks can be intimidating. One reason is that we don’t always know what we’re getting into. We don’t know exactly what or how to eat with our new dietary strategy. We don’t know how intensely to train or what rest periods to … [Read more...]

We like the idea of “starting over”. The idea of a new beginning. Hitting the reset button. We do this in many different areas of life. We do it with our diets. Our careers. Our relationships. Pretty much in any situation where … [Read more...]

One thing that makes change so difficult is knowing whether it’s going to be worth it. That is, will it move us from where we are to where we want to go. We might be contemplating a new dietary strategy. Or perhaps a new training … [Read more...]

It’s so tempting to want to take big steps. To make a major change. We’ve identified something we’re not happy with. Our body. Our relationships. Our career. We then start thinking about what we can do about it. Grand visions … [Read more...]

The foods we eat can be a very personal subject. We often identify with what or how we eat. “I’m vegan”. “I’m paleo.” “I’m keto.” “I'm carnivore.” Sometimes we use such phrasing without really thinking about it. Often, however, … [Read more...]

We’ve all got to make decisions. Deciding whether to act or not. Or deciding between multiple options. Trying to figure out what to do. Life calls for us to do this each and every day. Decisions present themselves. What to … [Read more...]

We embark on a variety of efforts to improve our lives. We watch what we eat. We go to the gym. We learn new skills. We meet people. We foster relationships. We might even buy things. A new car or house. While these efforts do … [Read more...]

We put productivity on a pedestal. Being “busy” is a badge of pride. There seems to be pressure to always be doing something productive. Doing something for work. Volunteering. Developing a hobby. Always something with an end … [Read more...]

Have you considered if your sleep habits are undermining your efforts to look, feel, and perform your best? A 2017 review and meta-analysis of 153 studies with over 5 million people found short sleep duration to be significantly associated with … [Read more...]

We talk so much about making goals. How to clearly define them. Giving them timelines. Assessing their feasibility. So on and so forth. Setting goals makes us feel good. Gives us an immediate sense of accomplishment. Yet setting … [Read more...]

We spend right up to our budget. We drive our gas tanks to just before empty. We sleep just enough to get by with help from coffee. Our diets and training are such that even a week out of our routine derails our progress. We’ve put … [Read more...]

We often think of having “good days” and “bad days”. There are days when everything’s just dandy. You look back and feel as though it was a day well spent. There are also those days when things just don’t go your way. If anything can go … [Read more...]

Setbacks and failures can be so disappointing. We get excited about something. An idea. A new job. A hobby. A dietary strategy. A training routine. A relationship. We get our hopes up. We pursue this new interest. For … [Read more...]

Did you know that you’ll run into disagreements? That’s a shocking revelation, I’m sure. All kidding aside, disagreements can be unpleasant experiences. One or more of the interested parties might get worked up. Voices might … [Read more...]

Have you ever made up your own training program? Sure, many of us like to be told what to do. We follow the directions and we love it. It cuts down dramatically on planning. So we find a training program and follow it step by … [Read more...]

Have you ever felt like you wanted - or needed - a treat? Maybe you’ve had a rough day. You want to kick back a little bit. Or perhaps you’ve had a rad day. You want to celebrate. Perhaps you’ve been stressed. Or maybe you’ve just … [Read more...]

There’s much satisfaction in working toward a goal. Setting our eyes on a target and doing what we can to make it happen. Some of us spread our efforts over many goals spanning different areas of life. Others of us dedicate our efforts to … [Read more...]

We can sink so much time and energy into pursuing specific outcomes. We set a goal and it consumes us. A career goal. A health or fitness goal. A personal or relationship goal. We put in the time. We put in the effort. We do the … [Read more...]

Fear of judgment can keep us from taking action. A change to our eating habits. A new training routine. Starting or letting go of a relationship. Pursuing a new career. Some step toward what we see as our best life. We know what we … [Read more...]

Getting started on any new endeavor can be a challenge. Making changes to eating habits. Starting a new training routine. Picking up a new hobby. Learning a new skill. It’s often tough figuring out how to even get started. There’s … [Read more...]

Our bodies change over time. Sometimes, we see this as a good thing. We might lose some extra fat. Build some strength. Improve other health markers. Other times, we might see this as a bad thing. We might gain some extra … [Read more...]

The steps one can take to pursue health and happiness are myriad. Even with all of these options, we often close ourselves off to only one. We just “know” it’s the way for us. Even when we’re not progressing. Even when it detracts from … [Read more...]

Sometimes we think progress should be linear. That we should get stronger every workout. That our pants should be a bit looser every time we put them on. That our lab work should improve every draw. When this doesn’t happen, we can be … [Read more...]

It’s easy to let a task or project drag on. Sure, we can do this when we have a deadline. Waiting until just the last minute to finally call it quits. Perhaps worse, though, is when we don’t have a deadline. Tasks we’ve put on our own “to … [Read more...]

Some of us have no problem eating the same foods or meals over and over again. We know what we like. We know what makes us feel awesome. We know how to shop for and prepare it. We dig our routine. Others of us don’t operate so well … [Read more...]

Have you ever lacked confidence? When there’s something you’ve wanted to do. Something you’ve wanted to work toward. That you felt you were called to do. Yet you couldn’t bring yourself to give it a shot. You didn’t think you could do … [Read more...]

We put so much freaking pressure on our goals. More specifically, whether we achieve them. Whether it’s to lose weight. Hit a lift PR. Get a health marker within a certain range. Maybe it’s completely unrelated to physical health. A … [Read more...]

We can spend so much time figuring out what to do. Thinking. Researching. Reflecting. Contemplating. In situations when we have countless options. Or in situations when we don’t have many options, but it’s not clear which is … [Read more...]

It’s quite tempting to want to skip the basics. To jump right into advanced bodybuilding, powerlifting, or gymnastics training. To implement the most extreme, restrictive, detailed dietary protocol. To dig into the highest-level books, … [Read more...]

We’ve all made mistakes. We’ve all done, said, and thought things we wish we hadn’t. Where we look back and we say, “that was stupid”. “That was short-sighted.” “That was selfish.” “That was rude.” “That was inconsiderate.” “That … [Read more...]

We freaking love information. Sometimes we’re bombarded with it unintentionally. Gossip, advertisements, notifications, and what not. Often, we seek it out. It might be news. We can’t stop checking our channel or website of … [Read more...]

Does a single meal matter? Does a single workout matter? A single night’s rest? A single meditation session? Probably not. Sure, we might notice a meal that doesn’t set well with us. A poor night of sleep might make us feel … [Read more...]

You won’t always achieve the goal. You won’t always make it happen. You will fall short. You know this is true, but you probably still struggle with it. You beat yourself up when your labors don’t yield the fruit you’d hoped. You blame … [Read more...]

Do you ever feel like you’re just scrolling, scrolling, scrolling? Constantly refreshing your feed? Managing notifications? On one hand, you really want to stop. You want to get your act together. Get away from the screen, smartphone, … [Read more...]

Have you ever felt like there’s so much you want to change? With yourself. With others. With the world in general. There’s just so much going on that’s not right. That you don’t agree with. That breaks your heart. Makes you … [Read more...]

Counting, tracking, cutting, restricting. For many of us, these are expected effects of trying to reach a healthy weight. Any attempt to look and feel healthier is going to come along with forcing ourselves to eat less. Going … [Read more...]

We can put so much pressure on ourselves when contemplating change. The idea of upending our routine carries so much weight. We think that anything we have to do must last forever. That whatever we do is irreversible. That the decision … [Read more...]

Sometimes having a goal isn’t enough. Sometimes we have a clear idea of what we want to do. And we really freaking want to do it. We write it down. We remind ourselves daily. We know our goals. To lose weight. To get out of … [Read more...]

Progress, growth, and working toward a goal calls for us to change our habits. We build new habits. We let go of old ones. This applies to any area of life that we might want to change. We might want to lose some extra fat or build some … [Read more...]

Do you ever get annoyed? When something just gets under your skin? Things other people say. Things other people do. Aggressive drivers. Slow drivers. Red lights. Phone calls. Notifications. Some things get to some of … [Read more...]

Life doesn’t always go how we plan. Or how we’d like. Things completely out of our control throw us curveballs. Missed opportunities. Inadequate resources. Poor timing. Well-intended mistakes. Our actions don’t give us the … [Read more...]

There’s knowing what to do. There’s doing it. Then there’s doing it consistently. That last one can be a real freaking toughie, especially when making a change to our eating habits. The self-imposed pressure for perfection. The idea of … [Read more...]

You might already know that resistance training - lifting weights, for example - can help you get bigger and stronger (1)(2). The benefits of resistance training, however, extend far beyond aesthetics and performance. Resistance training can … [Read more...]

We’re told that the best diet is the diet we can stick to. That the best training program is the one we enjoy. That there’s no point in doing something if it’s not sustainable for us. There’s a lot of value in this concept. Habits are … [Read more...]

Knowing and doing are two different things. Sometimes we don’t know how. Sometimes we just don’t want to. But what about those times when we do know how.? And we do want to? We know what we need to do. We know how to do it. We … [Read more...]

Do you ever feel like you’re not who you want to be? Who you’re supposed to be? As if you’re called to make changes to how you’re living, but you can’t? You might feel apprehensive about the idea of change. Like you’ll be judged or … [Read more...]

Feeling out of control is frustrating, especially when it comes to self-control. We want to act in one way. We also want to act in another way. For one reason or another, we understand that one of those actions will serve us better in the … [Read more...]

Many of us let our weight dictate everything. How we think. How we feel. How we see ourselves in the mirror. It doesn’t help that the most convenient time to check it is first thing in the morning. If it’s not the right number or … [Read more...]

There are countless reasons we don’t achieve our goals. It often comes down to not doing what it takes to bridging the gap. The gap between where we are and where we want to be. Between here and there. Now and then. We set a … [Read more...]

Reflecting on one’s own abilities has its value. Taking a step back. Asking, “what do I do well?” “What do I not do so well?” Some of us do this regularly, deliberately, in an attempt to know ourselves. Understand our strengths and … [Read more...]

It’s no secret that we can let ourselves go at times. We stop doing the things that keep us healthy and happy. Or we never did them in the first place. This might have been deliberate. We might have known we were dropping the … [Read more...]

Living in the past. Some of us do so fondly. Our past is our glory. Some of us do so sadly. Our past is filled with pain and regret. Sometimes, living in the past keeps us stuck in patterns. Patterns that aren’t serving … [Read more...]

Figuring out how to get started exercising can be confusing. There are countless options, all promoting themselves as “the best”. Benefiting from physical activity, however, might be simpler than you think. Physical inactivity, sitting, and … [Read more...]

Some folks say progress toward a goal depends on willpower. Others completely disregard willpower as a factor. No matter what you call it, at some point you’ve probably wanted one thing for one reason and something else for another … [Read more...]

It can be tough to know what to do when progress stalls. Or when we’re not seeing progress at all. This is especially true when we’ve got our minds set on a specific approach. That is, it’s not just the goal to which we’re married. It’s … [Read more...]

Shame. That feeling as though you are a disappointment. As though you’ve failed, and always will. Irreconcilably.  Head down. Shoulders slumped. A dark cloud following you wherever you go. A pit deep in your … [Read more...]

Work is glamorized these days. We make idols out of those who “work hard”. Being busy, tired, and burnt out is often seen as a badge of pride. Yet so many of us struggle to put in the work. Sure, some of us are work horses. We’re on … [Read more...]

Free time. We talk about it as though it’s special. As though time can be divided into different categories. “I can’t wait to get some free time.” “What do you do with your free time?” “Don’t forget to schedule some free time.” Yet, … [Read more...]

We only have so much time, energy, and attention. Doing one thing means deciding not doing another. Being somewhere means not being anywhere else. Significant decisions. Marrying one person means not marrying anybody … [Read more...]

We keep hearing about healthcare. It’s in the news. It’s on our social media feeds. It’s a major topic. Most of the conversation focuses on access and affordability. Often such discussions refer to managing chronic … [Read more...]

What may seem like simply “words” can actually serve as the operating system through which we interact with the world. The lens we shape with our words and thoughts constrain what we do. What we achieve. What we believe. What we … [Read more...]

Sometimes it’s tough to figure out what to do. We’ve got an idea of what our goal is, sure. We know what we want our life to look like. We’re not sure, though, how to make it happen. We Google. We peruse online forums. Read books … [Read more...]

It can be really freaking tough to stick to the habits that help us move toward our goals. We have to go out of our way to do nearly any of it. Eating well. Prioritizing sleep. Living a physically active life. Managing stress. These take … [Read more...]

One reason we put things off is because we wait for things to be just right. Until all of our circumstances are perfect. When we have everything we need to have. Know everything we need to know. Everything is just right. So we keep … [Read more...]

Have you ever been working toward something with no idea when you might finally make it happen? No clue whether you’re even close? It’s easy to quit in situations such as this. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with quitting. For … [Read more...]

Discouragement destroys dreams. Sometimes, it keeps us from getting started. Perhaps more heartbreaking is when it leads us to quit. Without ever knowing if we might have made it. If we’d just tried harder. But why try harder when that … [Read more...]

Sometimes we can be our own toughest critics. Any time we do something that we wish we hadn’t. Even after the fact. We can be so hard on ourselves. The negative self-talk. The name-calling. Idiot. Stupid. Failure. These … [Read more...]

There are so many ways in which we look for ways to make things easier. Tips for making workouts more enjoyable. Tricks for making cooking delicious, nutritious meals more affordable. Hacks for making sleep more restful. We might even … [Read more...]

We face countless opportunities to compare ourselves to others. Social media. Reality shows. Even day-to-day gossip. Comparison can leave us feeling inspired, seeing what might be possible. It can leave us feeling validated, knowing … [Read more...]

How do you determine whether a goal is worth pursuing? How do you know if it’s worth the effort? The time? Life is short, after all. As the days pass, this becomes clearer. So, how do we determine toward what ends we might devote our … [Read more...]

You may have made a change to your diet recently. Perhaps this change is based on quantity. Counting calories or carbs, for example. Perhaps this change is based on quality. Paleo, vegan, carnivore, or AIP, to name a few of the myriad … [Read more...]

Cravings can be real buzz killers. You want to look, feel, and perform your best. You have a pretty good idea of what we need to do to make that happen. You’re pretty consistent with those things, too. Most of the time. Until a … [Read more...]

Looking for something that you can do anywhere, anytime, costs nothing, and can improve your short and long term physical, mental, and emotional health? Breathe. Our autonomic nervous systems, comprising the “fight or flight” sympathetic and … [Read more...]

You hop on the scale. The number’s gone in the wrong direction. Again. This is now a trend. You might be diligent about your efforts. You might not be. The point is, you’re not seeing the outcome you want. The loss or gain just … [Read more...]

Have you ever jumped right into an advanced training program? Kicked off an effort to change how you look and feel with a complicated dietary strategy? Blown right by what you consider to be the basics for something more challenging? After … [Read more...]

We have an aversion to failure. Quotes denying its existence are widespread. “There is no failure, only feedback”. “There is no failure, only learning”. Even Thomas Edison is quoted, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that … [Read more...]

How consistent is too consistent? On one hand, there’s “discipline”, often seen as virtuous. On the other hand, there’s “rigidity”, often seen as undesirable. How do we determine whether we’re being “disciplined” or “rigid”? After all, … [Read more...]

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...]