Source: http://www.sonima.com/fitness/run-injury-free/

There’s a perception that running pounds the body, and that this impact is what leads to up to half of all runners getting hurt every year. But scientific evidence collected from one of the world’s leading biomechanists and sports-shoe researchers, Benno Nigg, Ph.D. , of the University of Calgary, indicates that it’s not the impact itself that forces so many to temporarily hang up their sneakers. It’s how your muscles respond to that impact.

Consider that for every step you take during a run—about 150 to 170 per minute on average—your body’s “internal active forces” (the sum of all your muscles contracting and expanding) are far greater than the force of the impact your body feels from striking the ground. How much greater? Nigg says those internal forces are 500 percent more powerful.

But Nigg also says that, for the most part, those forces fall within an “acceptable range.” They aren’t a problem unless they overload a particular structure. For example, your calves may work extra hard during an activity if your ankles are weak.

Related: A Yoga Sequence to Balance the Heart 

One way to think of it is to imagine your body is a car. There’s a strong, durable frame (your bones) supported by shock absorbers (your muscles, tendons and ligaments). If everything is working together, you can cover mile after mile without any problems. But if a shock fails, your car w…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/videos/pincha-mayurasana/

Watch video on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Xna6MKuNY

Pincha Mayurasana, often referred to as forearm balance or forearm stand, is a powerful inversion that relies on a steady balance of flexibility and strength. In this video, Ashtanga yoga teacher Jessica Walden walks through some basic exercises and building blocks that will help in achieving this posture. The subtle intricacies of shoulder placement and abdominal engagement can radicalize your practice making the seemingly unattainable, possible.

The post A Tutorial on Working Up to Forearm Stand appeared first on Sonima.

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Source: http://romanfitnesssystems.com/articles/gym-culture/

The equipment in your gym doesn’t matter.

Sorry bro, but your favorite squat rack, sled, barbell, and battling rope are mere accessories to the one thing that every great gym has. 

It’s that secret sauce that turns a gym into the gym. 

I’m talking about gym culture. 

Gym culture is the feel of the room: walk through the door and you’re fired up to train. It motivates you to push that much harder, and it leaves you excited to come back the next day.

It keeps you hungry for progress and inspired to unlock your full potential.

But most gyms don’t have a great culture.

Sure, they’ve got the weights, the plates, the bars, the bells. But there’s no drive, no fire, no eye of the tiger.

Walk into a gym with a great culture, and you’ll progress. Walk into one with poor gym culture and you’ll hit plateaus.

The Gold Standard

Gold’s Gym in Venice, California is “The Mecca of Bodybuilding.” And for good reason. The culture is second to none.

“The atmosphere breeds hard work, determination, and results. If you’re training there, it’s because you crush weight and build a killer physique.

<p style="padd…

Source: http://zenhabits.net/excited/

By Leo Babauta

The last couple of months, I’ve been super excited by a couple of projects.

I think I’ve been afraid to share them with all of you, as I work on them, because I’m afraid I’ll fail. I’ll struggle inevitably, give up, and embarrass myself. So I don’t let you behind the curtain.

But screw that. I’m so excited about all of this stuff that I have to share it with you, my sexy readers.

Today I’m going to share a few projects I’ve been excited about, then a bit about how I work on them.

My new book, Essential Zen Habits

A few months ago, I set out to write a revised version of my limited-edition Zen Habits book that I launched on Kickstarter last year. I wanted to incorporate reader feedback into the 2nd edition, and put it out for a wider release.

Then I struggled with the rewrite. For some reason, I couldn’t get it right. After talking with my coach Toku, I decided to rethink my approach … then I hit on a post by Derek Sivers called “Just tell me what to do.” It was like a lightning bolt in the face, and I spent the next 30 days creating a new version of the book.

The result is Essential Zen Habits — a distillation and revision of the first book, into a series of “just do this” statements. I’ve left out almost all of the explanations and stories, and just have a set of instructions. OK, there are a few explanations, but not v…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/meditation/hugging/

Huggers and non-huggers are usually easy to spot. The verbal and nonverbal cues are obvious between the two with one emanating “come on in” and the other “don’t touch me”. The worst offender to the non-hugger is the incessant hugger, who requests…no, demands affection on more than one occasion per gathering, bookending meet-ups with “hello” and “goodbye” holds, plus the occasional opening up of arms again in celebration or consolation. While some less emotional friends and family may cringe or roll their eyes at this heartwarming act, they also may be unknowingly waiting for—and even seeking out—that loving squeeze. Deny it all you want, science confirms it feels good, if you let it.

“A number of studies show that when people touch you, your brain produces oxytocin,” says Paul Zak, Ph.D., a professor at Claremont Graduate University and director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies. “This touch helps you connect better to people.” Because of the great amount of contact, hugs stimulate a lot more touch receptors than a handshake or pat on the back. This makes the hug one of the most powerful ways to activate this touch-centric bonding response. If you’re open to a hug (as in, you’re not miserable and looking for a way to escape), this chemical reaction is almost guaranteed to happen for both the hugger and huggee.

The power of hugging is more than a…

Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/12/17/460156640/was-that-steak-raised-in-the-u-s-a-soon-itll-be-hard-to-know?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

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Country-of-origin labels — like this one, on a package of steak at a grocery store in Lincoln, Neb. — tell consumers where their meat comes from.

Gran…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/videos/sleep-hygiene/

Watch video on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7qMBc-KjLs

Good personal hygiene extends beyond simply being clean and nicely groomed. It includes habits and practices, such as sleeping well, that can improve your overall health and prevent sickness. In this video, John Campbell, an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, and a longtime Ashtanga yoga teacher and practitioner, offers a specific yoga sequence to help you slip into a sleep state and improve the quality of your night’s rest, which has many positive physical and mental benefits. Find balance and total relaxation in this routine, featuring Shoulder Stand, Plow Pose and Lotus Pose, that you can do anytime to prepare your body for quality shuteye.

Related: The Science Behind Meditation, Yoga, and Your Sleep

The post A Yoga Sequence for Sleep Hygiene appeared first on Sonima.

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Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/12/19/460270306/perfect-pumpkin-pie-one-womans-quest-for-custard-crust-and-glory?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

There are so many opportunities to screw up pumpkin pie. But done right, it can win friends and influence people.

Meredith Rizzo/NPR

It was the best of pies, it was the worst of pies. I have baked many, many, many pies.

And when I first began making pumpkin pies this autumn, my results were at best inconsistent and, at worst, disastrous.

“One of the problems is most people make it once, maybe twice a year, right around the holidays, so they’re not very practiced at it,” says Dan Souza at America’s Test Kitchen. “And pumpkin pie is a little bit different in that it’s essentially a custard baked into a pie shell.” In trying to juggle both components, even experienced bakers may end up with a grainy, overcooked filling or a soggy crust, Souza says. “There’s a lot of places you can slip up.”

So Souza and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, a chef and author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, coached me through the process.

The Ultimate Cust…

Source: http://greatist.com/discover/victorinox-fibrox-chef-knife?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Trying to whip up dinner with a dull knife is like trying to ride your bike with a flat tire—you’ll get there, but it’s unnecessarily difficult (and probably dangerous). We always thought we had to spend a small fortune to get good quality knives, so we’d resigned ourselves to sadly staring at the shiny case of cutlery in Williams-Sonoma (the Schwinns of the knife world).

Then a friend told us about Victorinox’s Fibrox line. For less than $35, you can get a superb knife for chopping, mincing, slicing, and dicing to your heart’s content. The 8-inch chef’s knife is our personal fave—it’s the perfect size for everything from veggies to meat. And it comes with a lifetime warranty, so you don’t ever have to worry about being stranded.

I Want This!
Starting at $34.94

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/wMHvvox6PT0/

“The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to reflect their inner beliefs.” ~James Allen

I was one of those who used to say, “Money isn’t taboo for me! Not in a million years!” That’s until I became aware of the knot in my stomach during a phone conversation with a potential business partner.

I intended to explain how I award commissions for client referrals.

“Well,” I said, “I offer a…gift to friends and colleagues who refer potential clients to me.”

“A gift?” he asked on the other side of the line.

“The gift is…uh…” My mind searched in vain for a synonym of “commission.” I cringed as the word left my mouth.

I realized that wasn’t the first time I had felt my stomach clench during money-related conversations. I had experienced a similar feeling at the time to discuss my fees, or even at the time to bill current clients.

That’s when it really hit me. I was uncomfortable talking about money.

I was taught it was “bad manners” to ask people how much money they earned or how much they paid for something.

When I was growing up, focusing on wealth or having a large fortune was also negatively seen. You might have been raised in a similar environment. “Filthy rich” is cliché…