Source: http://zenhabits.net/opinions/

By Leo Babauta

If someone tells you that they don’t care what other people think, they are fooling themselves.

None of us are free from this worry.

Everyone is trying to look good in the eyes of others. Everyone stresses out about how they look, how they’re perceived, whether people think they’re awesome or good people. It’s why Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and mirrors exist.

Unfortunately, this constant worry about how we’re perceived in the eyes of others can cause us to struggle. We worry about having the right clothes, about how our bodies look, how our hair looks (or the lack of hair, in my case), whether people will laugh at our writing, whether someone will “like” our photos or posts. This takes up so much mental energy.

We can’t just completely forget about it — it’s not in our human nature. We can tell ourselves that “other people’s opinions don’t matter” or “no one is really thinking about us” but it won’t stop our brains from worrying about it.

So what can we do?

We can be aware of these anxieties as they come up. We can realize that the anxieties aren’t a command but rather just something that arises, like clouds coming over a mountain. They’ll pass, float away, if we just watch them without too much attachment.

Then we can go below these anxieties and see our basic goodness underneath. We are good…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/food/personalized-nutrition/

The promise of personalized nutrition is an exciting one. Rather than buying into the latest one-size-fits-all trend (low-carb! Paleo!), you can now access eating plans tailored to your body’s genetic makeup, gut microbiome, food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, and more. One might assume a personalized approach is more likely to produce the results that you are seeking—right? In theory, yes, but unfortunately the actual promise of complete diet personalization is still far from being realized.

With each passing month, more research is being published and our understanding of effective means for personalizing diets grows. Last month a study was published in the journal Cell entitled “Personalized Nutrition by Prediction of Glycemic Responses.” Since then it has been making big waves in the media being touted by some as the diet study that changes everything we know about dieting. While this hyperbolic statement is grossly misleading, the study itself is very interesting, reinforcing things that we already knew about individual diet response and while also shedding light on some new areas. As interesting and useful as this study maybe, it is important to note that this study only looked at individuals’ blood sugar response following meals and throughout the day. This is a good predictor of future health and risk of diabetes, but it is far from a single comprehensive marker of health.

What Does Personalized Nutrition Real…

Source: http://tonygentilcore.com/2015/12/3-squat-variations-you-havent-tried-yet-but-need-to/

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Jennifer Vogelgesang Blake – or JVB as she’s affectionately called – a coach at The Movement Minneapolis, competitive powerlifter, and author (along with Jen Sinkler) of Unapologetically Powerful, a new resource designed as a go-to source for learning the “big 3” lifts, and removes the intimidation often attached at their hip.

Or weight clamps in this case.

Anyone can (and will) benefit from this resource – especially beginner and intermediate lifters who are even the slightest bit interested in competing and/or honing their technique.

And, I’d be remiss not to mention I feel this is a home run for any woman who may be on the fence about this whole “lifting heavy things” thing.  

Without further ado, I’ll let JVB take it from here. Enjoy!

3 Squat Variations You Haven’t Tried Yet, But Need To

I’m going to be bracingly honest with you. If I were forced to choose, with my feet to the fire, I would have to own up to liking to squat more than I like to deadlift.

(I can picture Tony Gentilcore’s eyes firing up like Darth Sidius in The Empire Strikes Back and pledging an oath to never host a guest blog from me on his site ever again. This is what they call “going out on …

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

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

Community is a powerful thing. Here at The Minimalists we’ve been able to foster a supportive online community built around simplicity, giving, and intentional living.

There’s another community we’ve been fostering over the last year you may not know about: our free Local Meetup Groups at Minimalist.org.

Last year, during our 100-city tour (photos), we left behind free Local Meetup Groups in every city, and we’ve watched them grow ever since.

Currently there are thousands of people all over the world connecting at these Local Meetup Groups. Each month these groups meet and have supportive discussions about intentional living: they cover everything from capsule wardrobes, decluttering tips, and tiny houses, to minimalist families, personal health, and career paths.

If you want to change the people around you, if you need some encouragement and inspiration, or if you want to meet other aspiring minimalists in your area, then we encourage you to visit your free Local Meetup Group.

Meet Locally or Online

Local Meetup Groups. Visit Minimalist.org, click on your city—which will take you to your city’s Facebook Group—and then click “Join Group.” Joining…

Source: http://www.thefitbits.com/2015/11/thisgirlcan-tess-tries-brighton-she.html

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When I was 13 I was down the skate park every day – grinding rails, ollying kerbs, showing the boys how it’s done on the half pipe – with Bad Religion and The Vandals playing the soundtrack. You must remember that epic soundtrack.  

Behind the controls of my PlayStation I was quite the pro skater. 

My love for Tony Hawk ran deep, and I’d spend hours and hours perfecting my tricks and collecting the challenges, (who remembers the hidden tapes?!) not before meticulously kitting out my deck and trucks for optimum performance. 

It never really occurred to me to try it for real. Growing up in Hastings, I was surrounded by skaters, but all of them boys. I used to muck about on my BMX, hanging out down the BMX track and jumps in the woods, pretending I knew what I was doing. I had a lot less fear then. If only I could muster a bit more of that guts when throwing myself down the mountain bike trails in Wales to actually commit to some bigger jumps! 

I loved BMXing and kept the skating for the computer screen – too embarrassed to try it for real in case I bailed.  

Trying it for real: She Shredders Brighton 
Nowadays, I’ve…

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

By Joshua Fields Millburn · Follow: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram

Yesterday, the morning after the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris, I posted the following quote on my personal Instagram account:

In light of the Paris tragedy, I’m reminded of Anthony Jeselnik’s uncomfortable but honest commentary on Internet “sadness.” To paraphrase Jeselnik: “When something horrible happens, everybody runs to social media and writes the exact same thing: ‘My thoughts and prayers are with the victims.’ Do you know what that’s worth? Fucking nothing. Less than nothing. You aren’t giving any of your time, your money, or even your compassion. All you’re saying is, ‘Don’t forget about me today.’” Ergo, let’s do more than post a stock photo of a peace sign on social media. Let’s find ways to contribute beyond ourselves.

The positive comments on this post were numerous, but there was also a spattering of fake outrage, as well as some crude personal attacks and even one potential death threat (which I deleted).

Some people missed the point entirely: they seemed to take my post as a personal assault, as if I were judging them for their social media postings. But of course I wasn’t, because I k…

Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/12/11/459211509/to-go-green-bars-try-to-reuse-their-booze?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

Some bars are blending leftover wine with fruit to make sangria.

Bastien Deceuninck/Flickr

You probably don’t waste a whole lot of wine or booze in your own home. But bars and restaurants throw out alcohol all the time.

The booze, wine and beer left behind in customers’ drinks have to be discarded per food safety law, of course.

But what about the wine bottles designated for serving by the glass? Those dregs often go right down the drain.

Just as the restaurant industry has been waking up to its significant contribution to the food waste problem — and coming up with creative solutions — bartenders are realizing they can also turn some of their waste into something useful. It’s just one dimension of the new sustainability movement in the drinking industry that’s seeking ways to reduce water use, packaging waste and energy.

Ryan McIlwraith is a chef who co-owns Comstock Saloon in San Francisco. He’s also preparing to open a Spanish-themed restaurant called Bellota with partner Jonny Raglin.

For his new venture, McIlwraith has been …

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

By Joshua Fields Millburn · Follow: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram

There’s a scene in Californication in which Hank Moody, the show’s nihilistic protagonist, proclaims, “I’m a writer: I think, I type, I drink. … As far as I’m concerned, Art’s just another guy from Brooklyn.”

That sentiment has always resonated with me (sans drinking). Although I’ve written daily for more than a decade, and I even teach a writing class, I never thought of my writing as “art.” Is it expressive? Yes. Is it communicative? Yes. But is it art? Meh.

So it would stand to reason that I wouldn’t consider “blogging” an art form, either, right? Well, no, actually that’s not true—because I recently changed my mind.

Alongside our editor, Shawn Harding, we spent the summer of 2015 editing every essay on this website—nearly 500 of them—by updating text, correcting typos, culling unnecessary words, and replacing photos to establish a more uniform motif.

We didn’t embark on this Great Cleanup to make The Minimalists a perfect website; perfection is futile. Rather, after five years of writing for this audience, we’ve developed our voice and created an aesthetic commensurate with our message (simple,…

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

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

Here we are, in the midst of what is supposedly the most joyous time of year: the holiday season. And yet, for most of us, it’s also the most stressful time of year. At some point Santa Claus turned corporate, and the holiday season metamorphosed into the holiday shopping season.

Shopping. This one word, although birthed from great intentions, has fundamentally changed our outlook from blissful to grim, from jolly to anxious, from celebrating Christmas to surviving the holidays. It’s upsetting, and with consumption’s vicious inertia, it seems there’s no way for us to exit the speeding train of consumerism.

This Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year: Black Friday. (Boxing Day is the overseas equivalent.) Retailers prepare months in advance for this dark day—preparation that’s meant to stimulate our insatiable desire to consume: Doorbuster sales. New products. Gigantic newspaper ads. TV, radio, billboards. Sale, sale, sale! Early bird specials! One day only! Get the best deal! Act now! While supplies last. See store for details.

But as shiny as its facade may be, the pernicious aspects of Black Friday are not few. The pandemonium that takes place on …

Source: http://romanfitnesssystems.com/articles/what-if-you-lose-too-much-fat/

Today I’ve got a fun and interesting story for you.

It’s the kind of story you don’t hear a lot in the fitness industry, for two reasons: firstly, I’m telling it as a fairy tale, because why the hell wouldn’t I do that?

Secondly, because part of it can be a bit…I guess “off-putting” is the right term.

It’s a story about someone who wanted to lose a lot of weight, and when they hit their goal, decided they didn’t like it.

Why can this be off-putting?

Well, with so many people struggling to lose fat all the time, hearing “I accidentally got too lean” can be pretty disheartening.

The way one of my clients put it, “It’s sort of like being single and hearing someone in a happy relationship complain that they can’t go out without getting hit on. Like, just shut up.”

I get that. I’m going to ask you to suspend the inclination to react that way—because the lessons in this story are really valuable, and they ABSOLUTELY apply to everyone who is trying to get into great shape. Including you.

Even more importantly, this is a true story, after a fashion. And one you can learn from.

To begin, let me share this quote from one of my favorite books:

“Not only is my story designed to delight and entertain, but there is a kernel of truth hidden within, where only the cleverest student might find it&#…