Source: http://zenhabits.net/zh2015/

By Leo Babauta

What a year it has been. This past year has been filled with personal tragedy, triumphs, travel, connection with friends, creation, and learning.

And I’ve been able to have all of you with me, all year. I’m deeply grateful for that.

Some big things happened for me this year:

My dad died. A year ago, my dad was in the hospital and then died in early January. It affected me all year, and I miss him today. Read more: The Art of Being My Dad.
My friend Scott died. Scott was one of my best friends, and not long before he died, we were able to do a meetup with some great readers in Paris. He was on an epic tour of the world with his wife Chelsea when he was killed in a tragic accident on Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was senseless, and yet Scott went out the way he lived life: appreciating its incredible beauty, with the love of his life. I miss him incredibly. Read more: Scott Dinsmore, I Miss You Deeply.
I published a book. Just last week, I published what might be my favorite book I’ve ever written — Essential Zen Habits. It’s concise, with the best things I’ve learned about creating new habits, quitting bad habits, and dealing with struggles. Support me by buying the book!
I did a travel experiment. My Grand Travel Experiment was conducted on my trip through Europe with Eva and the kids. I experimented with ways travel and still meditate, exercise, work, and eat (fairly) healthy. Read the results.
I learned a lot. …

Source: http://tonygentilcore.com/2015/12/cardio-for-meatheads/

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas or start to their respective Holiday Season. Lisa and I are currently in the Dallas/Fort Worth area visiting family so I’ll be taking a brief hiatus from the website this week. Thankfully a few friends and colleagues were kind enough to pinch hit for me and provide some stellar content in my absence.

First up is Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean who’s written several excellent articles for this site in the past. Today he discusses “cardio” for meatheads.

Cardio For Meatheads

I despise traditional cardio.

I’d rather pour gasoline over myself and jump into a fire than run on a treadmill.

However, give me a barbell and a few weight plates and I’m happier than a pig in mud. Happier pigs make yummier bacon, and the World Health Organization should be dammed, just saying.

For the most part, I’ve been a guy who never really found it difficult to get lean.

However, this has been harder as I’ve gotten older. This creates a conundrum as strength training is no longer enough for me to drop fat, but joining those cardio bunnies on the dreadmill is never an optio…

Source: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2015/12/28/christmas-2015-recap/

Hello my friends! I hope most of you are still enjoying a nice long break right now! I’m planning to keep up with email and blogging this week, but today is the only day I’m meeting with AnneTheRD nutrition clients. Looking forward to a fun holiday week!

We had a really nice, relaxing Christmas here in the DC area with my family.

We do our big feast on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas day, which I love because then Christmas day is really relaxing!

Here’s what was on the menu:

Kale salad! Thank you for your recipe recommendations – I ended up doing what some of you suggested which was topping the kale with pomegranate arils, walnuts, and feta cheese! But I went with baby kale (instead of regular kale), since I th…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/yoga/yoga-back-pain/

Because pain often stems from a variety of confounding factors not solely emerging from physical misalignment or injury, we yogis look toward methods for physical and spiritual, or psychosomatic, healing. I like to approach pain from a place of acceptance and gratitude rather than anger or fear. As the poet Rumi wrote, “The wound is place where the Light enters you.” Without pain, we have no opportunity to discover the power of healing. Our physical symptoms can be our greatest teachers, serving as a gateway into self-discovery and higher consciousness. If you allow yourself to look deeply, you can choose to not only heal completely, but actually recreate yourself into a better version of you. This process can even be inspiring and fun if you allow it.

Physically, this series focuses on spinal extensions (backbends), which alleviate the tension from excessive forward flexion (forward bending). This is helpful for those who sit or bend forward for extended periods. These poses help draw the mind and body state out of fight-or-flight mode. In modern times, stresses are much more complicated than they were for the primitive man. The survival instinct, however, is still a driving force in our daily lives. In fact, most of us live in this “do or die” state of consciousness most days without realizing it: being late for work, deadlines from a boss, constantly checking e-mails and texts, expectations from a spouse, the pressure to make more money. T…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/zlo6wakiWRo/

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.” ~Eckhart Tolle

Presence. It’s something that used to be an absolute mystery to me.

During my five years working in the fast-paced world of public relations, I was frequently running from one meeting to the next, nose in my cell phone, barely coming up for air and completely oblivious to the world around me.

Little did I know, I was missing out on so many moments during my day where I could feel grounded, grateful, and present instead of stressed out and anxious.

Today, life is much different. I strive to feel present on a daily basis, and while there are still moments where I’m challenged, I’ve found that with commitment and practice, it’s possible to weave small moments of mindfulness into my day.

I love meditation, but mindfulness doesn’t always have to be closed-eyes, cross-legged experience, either. I’ve found it really helpful to tie my mindfulness practice to everyday activities.

Here are five places where you can find presence as you go about your daily routine.

Drinking your morning coffee

It’s a fair assumption that we all look forward to our morning cup of joe—and as a Brit, I confess I am partial to a cup of tea first thing in the morning. This may n…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/EJNsu-odC18/

“Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities.” ~Dalai Lama

If there’s one thing we all have in common it’s that we want to feel happy; and on the other side of that coin, we want to avoid hurting. Yet we consistently put ourselves in situations that set us up for pain.

We pin our happiness to people, circumstances, and things and hold onto them for dear life. We stress about the possibility of losing them when something seems amiss. Then we melt into grief when something changes—a lay off, a break-up, or a transfer.

We attach to feelings as if they define us, and ironically, not just positive ones. If you’ve wallowed in regret or disappointment for years, it can seem safe and even comforting to suffer.

In trying to hold on to what’s familiar, we limit our ability to experience joy in the present. A moment can’t possibly radiate fully when you’re suffocating it in fear.

When you stop trying to grasp, own, and control the world around you, you give it the freedom to fulfill you without the power to destroy you. That’s why letting go is so important: letting go is letting happiness in.

It’s no simple undertaking to let go of attachment—not a one-time …

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yogadork/dwhv/~3/U6hqpzG4oRE/

Alas, while the holiday season is filled with fun, family, and celebration, let’s face it, it’s only a matter of time before the hustle and bustle of the season leaves us feeling jittery and frazzled. This year, avoid overdoing the vata dosha. Get a little help from your fellow yogadorks and take time to chillax with […]

You’re reading Time For Holiday TLC – Take A Yoga Breather With This Stress-Relieving Class (VIDEO) by YogaDork. Follow YogaDork on Twitter and Facebook.

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Source: http://www.thefitbits.com/2015/12/2015-year-that-ended-perfectly.html

I love writing these posts. 
I’ve been really looking forward to writing the 2015 review, and as I sit here on the sofa, the family in various states of consciousness around the house, I’m excited to delve into this year and all it gave to me. 
I said last year was my best year yet, and it was the year that I married my best friend, so I can’t really let it top that. But it’s bloody close… 
2015 has been a year of firsts – the first time I ran a strong 26.2 miles, my first triathlon, and the first time I stepped on a skateboard. Then, to top it off in style, I landed my dream job this month so go into 2016 excited and raring to go.

Have a scan below if you fancy reading on…
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The hardest 10 miles 

I got my arse well and truly handed to me on a plate in the first race of 2015. The cold winter air cut deep but the sun came out for the Longman10, and our tired, undertrained…

Source: http://greatist.com/move/heart-racing-total-body-workout?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Ever felt paralyzed by too many choices? The struggle is real. It’s how we occasionally feel about strength-training workouts. Endless possibilities with kettlebells, medicine balls, resistance bands, or TRX straps can overwhelm even seasoned gym-goers.

That’s where this workout from Jeanette Jenkins, the phenom behind Kelly Rowland’s killer body, comes in. (You might also recognize her as a featured trainer in the Nike Training Club app.)

The quick workout she designed for us requires a set of dumbbells for the rows. You can also use a set of light weights (three to five pounds) for the double-front punch if you want more of a challenge. The rest of the moves are bodyweight only. You’ll perform the entire circuit with minimal rest, and then repeat it two or three times. The goal? Finish within 15 minutes. Try a quick full-body warm-up first, then get started below.

…

Source: http://wellnessmama.com/69561/beard-oil/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beard-oil

Many men participate in No Shave November only to decide that when December 1st rolls around they will hold on to that beard they have worked so hard to grow. But now what? After 30 days the patchiness is (hopefully) nicely filled in but now that beard is starting to get a bit long and out of control. Beard oil can help transform a beard from unruly to ruggedly handsome!

What Is Beard Oil

Beard oil is just that, oil. Oil is often given a bad rap in beauty care, but using oil to cleanse and moisturize can actually help balance your body’s natural oils and lead to soft, healthy skin and hair.

While I have written often about beauty care for women and natural hair care, your man’s beard is no exception and the skin hiding underneath all that facial hair needs as much care and attention as it would if he were shaving it everyday, if not more.

Because beard hair is typically quite course, men often experience itchiness, dandruff or “beardruff,” and even in-grown hairs on the delicate facial skin underneath. A full beard also makes it difficult to access the skin so common skin problems like dryness, acne, or inflammation can be compounded.

Longer beards can also become quite tangled an…