Source: http://zenhabits.net/story/

By Leo Babauta

If you want to create a new exercise habit (for example), you might tell yourself something like this:

“This is going to be amazing, I’m going to get fit and look incredible and be super healthy!”

This is a story you’re telling yourself. It’s not real, but it has tremendous power to affect your feelings about your habit, and to change your action. You have a positive story about the habit, and it motivates you to take action.

But perhaps the exercise you did one day was really tough, and you didn’t enjoy it. Your story might change, to something like, “Wow, that was super hard. It sucked!”

Now your story about the habit is not so good, and you’ll be less enthusiastic about doing the habit from now on.

Maybe you also missed a couple of days of exercise because you got busy. Your story changes to, “Damn, I screwed up, I’m not as good at this habit as I thought, why am I not disciplined?”

The story isn’t so good. Now you might actually try not think about the habit, and you are much more likely to skip the habit from now on.

The story you tell yourself about your habit matters more than most people realize.

So the key is to shape the story, become your own habit storyteller, and create a story that will make you more likely to stick to the habit.

Telling a Good Story

The truth is that none of these stories is actually true…

Source: http://www.thefitbits.com/2016/06/the-benefits-of-walking-to-work.html

While I was off sick patiently waiting for my broken bones to fuse back together, I did a lot of sitting on my arse. And I really do mean a lot.

The most exercise I got each day was the two minute walk to the shop to pick up chocolate/pizza/chips/cake/anything with a satisfyingly high enough comfort-food rating, or if I was feeling really energetic, the very careful and ultimately achey walk to the doctors wearing my sling.

Hubs was working away for most of the weeks I was off, and I couldn’t comfortably use a computer to do a big online shop. Carrying heavy bags home from the supermarket was obviously out of the question, so I (quite happily, actually) succumbed to a life of sugary, fatty, processed food and a non-stop Breaking Bad binge.

Of course this couldn’t go on forever.

Loving the power #walk to work while I can’t get on the #bike. Time to think, listen to music, and work up a mini sweat before sitting on my arse at my desk for 8 hours 👌🏽A video posted by @fitbits_tess on Jun 14, 2016 at 12:48am PDT

I’ve been back at work for just over two weeks, and because I’m still not allowed to ride my bike I’ve had to start walking into work. Anyone who knows me will know that for as long as…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/fitness/active-alignment-for-yoga/

Watch video on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1BnJnEcHV8

When we practice yoga, we bring all of our habitual patterns with us. The practice has inherent neutralizing effects, but sometimes, whether because of extreme tightness, hyper-mobility, stress, or otherwise—our practice gets muddled by our current state. There are many ways to center the body and mind before practice including meditation, breathing practices, as well as moderate exercises to prepare the body. In this video, alignment expert Pete Egoscue, with the help of Sonima founder and long time Ashtanga Yoga practitioner, Sonia Jones, offers a pre- and post-yoga workout routine to help solidify the powerful effects of the practice.

Related: A Workout Meditation to Do Before Exercising

The pre-yoga active alignment sequence consists of stretches for the muscles in the arms, feet, and legs to help the body loosen up and get grounded for practice. Additionally, you’ll work through spinal undulations which will help prepare the body for back bending. Think of the post-yoga sequence as a cool-down that will feel great on the hips, work out any left over kinks in the back, and leave your hamstrings and legs feeling sturdy but soft.

Follow along in the video above or download a PDF of these exercises below, with step-by-step directions so you can take these sequences on the go.

<img src="http://son…

Source: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/06/the-fda-weighs-in-on-gmo-labeling/

The Senate’s proposed GMO labeling bill gives food companies three options:

An on-package code that consumers can scan with a smartphone
A 1-800 number
A symbol to be developed by USDA

None of these does what Mars is already doing on M&Ms, for example—a straightforward, easy-to-read, quickly understandable statement that the product is “partially produced with genetic engineering.”

Now, the FDA has just produced a technical assessment of the Senate bill.

This makes it clear that the Senate has no idea what labeling rules entail.  Some examples:

We note that provisions to allow information regarding the GE content of food to be presented only in an electronically accessible form and not on the package label would be in tension with FDA’s statute and regulations, which require disclosures on food labels.
We are concerned that USDA’s regulations implementing the mandatory standard under this bill could conflict with FDA’s labeling requirements.
We note several points in the drafting of the bill that raise confusion.
It appears that the intent is to have the bill apply to all foods except those that are essentially meat, poultry, or eggs, and that the drafters may have assumed, incorrectly, that products covered by the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, or the Egg Products Inspection Act are not covered by the FD&C Act.
[One section requires] the USDA regulations to…

Source: http://www.theminimalists.com/p028/

By Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus · Follow: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

In this episode of The Minimalists Podcast, Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus discuss debt, credit scores, credit cards, investments, and much more, and they answer the following questions:

Should you keep credit cards or cancel them after you pay them off?
Should you invest money while you’re paying off debt or put all the money toward paying off the debt?
Should you use federal income-based repayment programs if you have student-loan debt?
How do you form a financial team with your partner who thinks some debt is okay?

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Mentioned in This Episode

App: Every Dollar
App: Mint
Book: Entre Leadership
Book: Everything That Remains
Book: Essential
Book: Live A Meaningful Life
Book: Total Money Makeover
Class: How to Write Better
Essay: Financial Freedom
Essay: Need, Want, Like
Essay: Retirement Planning
Film: The Big Short
Guidance: Mentors
Investments: Betterment
Meetup: Minimalist.org
Own: Minimalism Film
Recommendation: Money Podcast
Recommendation: Retire Inspired Book
Recommendation: Retire Inspired Podcast
Recommendation: The Dave Ramsey Show
Tour: Minimalism Film
Watch: Minim…

Source: http://www.niashanks.com/tips-feel-great-strength-training/

If your strength training workouts don’t make you feel great or, worse, leave you feeling achy or beat up, then you need to change things. Now. Here’s how.

Below you’ll find four tips I use with clients (and myself) who complained that lifting weights didn’t “feel good” or left them feeling achy. Whether you’re an older lifter and want to strength train as safely as possible, you have previous aches and pains you want to alleviate, or you want your workouts to make you feel better and have more energy, give these four tips a try during your next workout.

Tip 1: Slow down your reps.*

This tip is simple to practice but also very effective, especially if you’ve previously experienced discomfort or pain from strength training workouts. Give this a try during your next workout (or even test it now with a set of push-ups) to experience it for yourself.

Slow down your reps by taking approximately 2-3 seconds to perform the lowering portion of the exercise. You don’t need to count, but noticeably slow down your rep performance. Using a push-up as an example, take 2-3 seconds to lower yourself down to the ground.

Then smoothly reverse the motion; do not use momentum or “bounce” back up. Sticking with …

Source: http://greatist.com/eat/stuffed-avocado-recipes?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

We’re big fans of avocado around here, and there’s nothing we love more than finding unexpected ways to get our fix. Stuffed avocados are the easiest way to pack one bite with as many good-for-you ingredients as possible, without sacrificing flavor. Whether you’re looking for a gateway vessel for getting comfy around unique combos (like Thai tuna or chickpea and Tamari salad) or in the market for a simple avocado toast upgrade, these 11 recipes are ripe for the making.

1. Thai Tuna-Stuffed Avocado

Mash avocado directly into the soy sauce-based tuna salad to get that classic creamy texture with a healthy spin. Finish off the snack with a generous squirt of Asian chili sauce to kick up the heat.

2. Charred Broccoli and Tofu-Stuffed Avocado

<img src="http://greatist.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_main/public/Charred-Broccoli-and-Tofu-Stuffed-Avocado.jpg?itok=XnrXp88l" alt="Stuffed Avocado: Charred Broccoli and Tofu" width="736" height=…

Source: http://www.bornfitness.com/effective-workout-plans/

I’ve been transforming bodies since I was 18, which means I’ve been doing this more than 15 years. In that time, I’ve seemingly made every mistake possible. Following bad workouts, training too much and then too little. Crazy on metabolic conditioning, anti-cardio, anti-biceps curls…the list goes on and on. I seemingly did everything but create effective workout plans. There were times when my mistakes made me question if I was in the wrong industry. Until I realized that the obstacle is the way.

Once I started using my errors as a foundation for smarter program design, that’s when things started to change. Clients lost hundreds of pounds. Lives were transformed. And rules of fat loss and muscle gain become more reality than myth.

Instead of blindly applying proven principles, I learned to adapt concepts to individuals, learning that body types, past training history, lifestyle preferences, and injuries were all just as important as nutritional and exercise science. This is where results happen: when evidence-based practices meet individual needs and are combined with personality considerations, which help with consistency.

Add that to lessons and mentorship from the smartest coaches (Jason Ferruggia, Bill Hartman and Mike Robertson, Smitty, Cosgrove, Cressey, Verstegen, Rooney, and Ben Bruno, just to name a few) in the industry—and I was able to take my greatest strength (finding your weaknesses) and apply it in a way that could ma…

Source: http://summertomato.com/foodist-approved-summer-quinoa-salad-recipe

farmers market quinoa salad

The ingredients in this hearty grain salad celebrate the start of summer and the opening of farmers markets across the country. This quinoa salad is packed with a power combo of kale, sugar snap peas, and radishes and is tossed with a bright lemony vinaigrette.

The secret that takes this salad from good to great is adding finely grated lemon zest to the vinaigrette. The zest brightens the other flavors and creates a beautiful flavor profile.

A microplane zester is an inexpensive tool worthy of adding to your kitchen gadget collection. Otherwise a paring knife can be used to carefully remove the zest from the pith. This will give you large pieces of zest that then need to be minced finely. Lemon zest adds exceptional flavor to everything from dressings to marinades to baked goods.

I’ll admit it. I made this salad three times this week! The first night for recipe testing, the next night for dinner at grandma’s house, and a couple nights later for a dinner party with friends. It was an acclaimed winner at every event.

Top this salad with a soft-boiled egg for a quick, nourishing meal or serve as a side with grilled steak for a no-stress dinner party.

Summer Quinoa Salad…

Source: http://zenhabits.net/writing/

By Leo Babauta

I’m not going to claim to be the world’s greatest writer, but I do think I’m reasonably competent. I’ve been training for 25 years, and I make a living as a writer.

For those who are just starting out as writers, I’d like to share my training. I didn’t wake up and suddenly know how to write — I’ve been training for most of my life.

A short background on my writing career: I started out as a sportswriter, as a senior in high school, and eventually became a full-time reporter and then editor for my local paper on Guam. I went on to do freelance writing for magazines and other publications, worked for awhile as a bill writer for lawmakers and a speechwriter for the Guam governor. Eventually I started my own blog while doing freelance blogging for about 5 different blogs. Finally, I’ve written my blog for almost 10 years now, and have written numerous books and courses.

Here are the most important aspects of my training, in no particular order:

Write every day. I write pretty much every single day. Not just once or twice a week, but every day. In various forms: for my blog, for my Sea Change Program, or for a new book or course I might be creating. This is perhaps the most important thing I’ve done in these 25 years, because constant practice has smoothed out the rough edges a bit, and made the difficult obstacles a lot less scary. I recommend doing a daily or every-other-day blog.
Learn to overcome the resistance. E…