Source: http://www.niashanks.com/heroes-become-your-own/

One reason we have heroes is because we admire their actions and characteristics that we assume we could never do or possess. After all, if those characteristics were common, there wouldn’t be heroes because everyone would do the right things. The challenging things. The, often, unpopular things.

Our heroes are not flawless or perfect, but that certainly doesn’t stop us from looking up to them. We admire them because despite facing adversity, grave tragedies, daunting setbacks, they don’t stop. They don’t give up. They refuse to accept defeat.

As the poet Dylan Thomas said, our heroes do not go gentle into that good night; they rage against the dying of the light.

They most certainly have moments of weakness and even ask, What’s the point? when facing yet another perilous situation. Our heroes, despite what some believe, are not fearless; they feel fear the same as a coward, but they act anyway. And that is why they are our heroes.

Where most turn back, they charge forward. When others quit, they knuckle down. When many accept failure as their ultimate defeat, they learn and become even better. When some place the blame on others, they admit their mistakes and commit to learning from them. When …

Source: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2016/06/09/making-healthy-living-sustainable/

This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.

As you guys know, I’m all about making healthy living a sustainable, long term thing. Unlike most diets will tell you, you don’t have to eat perfectly or exercise for 4 hours a day to be healthy. And living a healthier lifestyle does NOT mean depriving yourself of things you love, either – that’s not sustainable! The key is to focus on healthy habits most of the time, while also allowing yourself some leeway for indulgence when it’s worthwhile because life it too short to avoid your favorite foods (and that will backfire long term, anyway).

In my opinion, working to become healthier in a sustainable way means making a simple tweak, then making some more, until they slowly become habit. Breaking it up into small, actionable changes like this not only makes living healthier a lot more manageable, but it also makes the changes more sustainable, because you’re not trying to change too much at once, getting overwhelmed, and giving up.

Going along with the spirit of healthy, sustainable changes and balancing fitness and food, a few weeks ago I attended the John Hancock Hosts the Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Race Weekend in the Mosaic District in Fairfax, Virginia.

<img style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin: 0px auto;padding-right: 0px;border-width: 0px" title="John Hancock Fit Foodie_Starting Line" src="http://www.fannetasticfood.com/wp-c…

Source: http://clubindustry.com/blog/classpass-mindbody-studies-highlight-health-club-and-studio-user-activity-trends

The findings from studies by ClassPass and Mindbody examine American activity trends across each of their software platforms.

read more

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Source: http://www.sonima.com/meditation/lose-focus/

Meditation can do wonders for the mind, but no amount of time spent on the cushion is going to help you get your focus back if an underlying health issue or poor lifestyle choices are throwing you off track. Use this checklist of mind-messing reasons to crack the nut why you’ve got the attention span of a squirrel and what you can do about it.

1. You’re suffering from seasonal allergies.

If you’re one of 40 to 60 million Americans who experience allergic rhinitis symptoms, like a stuffy nose, itchy eyes, congestion, and fatigue, you may also have decreased concentration and focus due to your allergies, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
Strengthen your attention: Check the day’s breathing conditions on Weather.com’s Allergy Tracker. If the pollen count is high, keep windows closed to reduce your exposure to those outdoor allergens, like pollen, in your home. Also, wash bedding weekly to minimize exposure to dust mites, which also cause allergy symptoms. Since some antihistamines may make you sleepy, talk to your allergist about the best treatments that will help alleviate symptoms and not make you feel “out of it.”

2. You have food sensitivities.

Do you regularly feel bloated, fatigued, and moody after eating a particular food like ice cream or a bagel? This could be a sign that you have food sensitivities, possibly to dairy or gluten.
Strengthen your attention: Amy Shah, M.D….

Source: http://evolutiontucson.com/scaling-squats-and-ankles/

I have had lots of thoughts going through my head of late, especially with all the noise out there in the “fitness” world. I recently had a potential member come to our facility to inquire about our training and it inspired me to write about the following.

This woman had been training at another facility that is into the whole HIIT(High Intensity Interval Training) thing. As we were getting into our initial consultation, she said that she hated squats and that she didn’t want to do them. I asked her why and she said she hated squats because she had lots of difficulty doing them. She said her current trainer would have her just do them anyway because she “needed to squat”. After I looked at her technique it was clear to me why she hated squats so much: they looked painful, and were mechanically a mess. As my friend Dan John would say, “Squatting isn’t causing that pain, whatever you’re doing is causing that pain.” Meaning she wasn’t squatting, she was moving up and down with disregard for proper movement. This statement is not a judgement on this woman, she was just doing what her trainer told her. My issue is that I see this kind of thing happen all the time. She kept using the word ‘scale’, as in her trainer would ‘scale’ the squats for her and have her do different variations of the movement so she could complete the workout with a modified squat. Though squatting to a …

Source: http://www.sonima.com/meditation/body-scan-meditation/

Watch video on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zHaZJpLdBk

Relaxation is not all in the mind. It is a full-body experience as this mindfulness exercise will show you. In this guided meditation, Deepak Chopra invites you to lie down in Savasana with eyes closed and arms at your sides. Follow your breath and when ready, bring your awareness to your toes. Slowly, and at your own pace, mentally travel up your feet to your ankles, then calves, knees, upper legs, hands, abdomen, and so on. Continue to move your awareness upward to your heart and lungs, past your neck to reach the final destination: an awareness of every cell in your body at once. Consciousness of the whole body brings rest and a feeling of bliss throughout.

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A Meditation for Beginners with Deepak Chopra

A Relaxing Meditation to Relieve Stress

A Meditation on Being…

Source: http://greatist.com/eat/healthy-breakfast-cup-recipes-to-fuel-your-mornings?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

If you’re a sucker for meals made in a mug, drool over muffin tin recipes, or are generally a fan of bite-size food, you’ll love these breakfast cup recipes. Simple, healthy, and totally transportable, they’ll make your mornings easier and tastier.

1. Breakfast Hash Brown Cups

Frozen hash browns bake into perfect “nests” for the eggs, veggies, and cheese in these individual mini meals. Throw a few in a tupperware box for a balanced, on-the-go option.

2. Fro-Yo Berry Bites

If you don’t have (or don’t like) coconut sugar, other natural sweeteners work just fine in these cool and crispy treats. They’re originally a dessert recipe, but with Greek yogurt, oats, strawberries, and almonds, they’ve got…

Source: http://clubindustry.com/nonprofits/idaho-ymca-chapter-probation-taking-steps-recover-financial-woes

YMCA Magic Valley board chairman Andy Barry outlined the chapter’s actions toward recovery in a statement issued to the local newspaper.

read more

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Source: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2016/06/08/how-larry-beat-rheumatoid-arthritis-and-got-strong-as-hell/

Larry’s story put a MASSIVE smile on my face and I knew I had to share his story here with the whole Rebellion.

A year and a half ago, he woke up with such intense pain that he could barely get out of bed.

“The pain came on overnight and it was explosive and everywhere, I thought to myself that this was something that was probably serious and I should find out what is going on.”

6 months of doctors and insurance questions later, and Larry learned he had Rheumatoid Arthritis.

“Drugs ensued and changes happened to my body because of the disease and the medications that I was being prescribed. With the drugs the disease became manageable and I could start living in a world that was not consisting solely of pain and the feeling that I was made of glass and would break with the merest touch.”

This was Larry’s starting point, a point many can relate to: a health problem being the source of a rude awakening. Other than remodeling his house, Larry was living a practically sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle.

But – spoiler alert – things changed. Larry retook control; he lost an enormous amount of body fat and regained that weight as muscle. His body transformed over the course of the year, and eventually he defeated the very disease that served as his signal flare that something needed to change.

Here’s how he did it:

<p…

Source: http://greatist.com/move/indoor-cycling-the-most-common-mistakes?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

You already know how to set up your bike like a pro. Now it’s time to ride like one.

We asked Wil Ashley, cycling instructor and Equinox trainer, to reenact the mistakes he frequently spots in class. Bad form doesn’t just feel weird; it can lead to a sore lower back or extra-tense shoulders. Basically, you’re not doing your body any favors.

Below Ashley demonstrates those mistakes, plus the proper way to ride in the most common positions.

How to Ride Properly in Every Position

There are 3 main positions that most instructors will rotate through. The outline below should be used as a general guide, since variations do exist. Master each one to ace your next class.

Position 1

Place hands where the brakes would be on a regular bike (also known as the hoods), Ashley says. As another variation, you can place hands on the middle of the handlebars. Sit on the saddle and allow torso to hinge forward n…