Category Archives: Fitness

A Meditation for Energy

Source: http://www.sonima.com/videos/a-meditation-for-energy/

Watch video on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK8AnUnKdsg

Oftentimes, we’re holding our breath without even thinking about it. Introducing meditation into our daily routine can not only help us to re-energize and re-focus, but it can actually help us to breathe more fluidly, which in turn lowers our stress level. This guided meditation for energy with Deepak Chopra, which pivots on powerful breathing practices, can help to undo the effects of the mid-day slump, and make you feel more alert and alive.

Related: Deepak Chopra’s #1 Advice for Those New to Meditation

 

 

The post A Meditation for Energy appeared first on Sonima.

7 Steps to Overcome Daily Despair and Start Living Again

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/BsBEHS4F6b8/

Man on Mountain

“If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.” ~Maya Angelou

Have you ever felt really stuck? Like every day was a struggle to get through and you knew in your heart the next day would feel the same?

For the last seven years—since the crash of 2008—I’ve been redefining myself, and it’s been painful.

In 2009 I opened an Internet retail store, knowing nothing about retail, let alone the intricacies of the Internet.

After years of hard work and little to show for it, every day began to feel like total drudgery. Facing daily discouragement and defeat weighed heavily on me.

I began to lose my self-confidence and doubt everything I was doing. I was frozen by the fear of failure.

Every day was torture. Each morning I promised myself I would be productive, but day after day I failed to accomplish even the simplest tasks. Days added up to weeks, and weeks piled up into months of “stuckness,” frustration, and despair. I was literally ensuring my failure. And I knew it.

Despair encompassed every area of my life. I felt like I was thrashing through quicksand. I stopped meditating regularly, couldn’t get enough sleep, and the stress was affecting my digestion and my health. I was in a f…

Podcast 013 | Career

Source: http://www.theminimalists.com/013/

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

In this episode of The Minimalists Podcast, Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus discuss careers, jobs, passion, and the concept of having a “mission” in life, and they answer the following questions:

How do you answer “Where do you see yourself in three to five years?”
Are there scenarios where more is less?
Do you have to make money from a passion?
How do you quit your job but still have security?
How did you transition from your corporate jobs to what you do today?
How do you commit to a career choice?
How do you ensure work duties don’t interfere with minimalist values?
How do you not lose passion in your work?
How do you balance passion and security during a health crisis?
What are your views regarding ambition?

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Mentioned in This Episode

Article: 1,000 True Fans
Book: Deep Work
Book: Drive
Book: Essential
Book: Everything That Remains
Book: Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life
Book: Total Money Makeover
Essay: Financial Freedom
Essay: How to Start a Successful Blog Today
Essay: Live Like Stan
Essay: More Is Less?
Essay: Need, Want, Like
Essay: Security Is a …

Why Fit Pros Must Know How Much Their Time is (Really) Worth

Source: http://www.theptdc.com/2016/02/a-simple-way-for-trainers-to-put-a-value-on-their-time/

Perhaps the greatest way to attain and maintain wealth in the fitness industry is to maximize your assets and minimize your liabilities.

Now that sounds nice, but to do it in practice is not as easy as it sounds. On Thursday I’ll be sharing a list of 5 strategies every trainer should follow to generate more wealth.

Today I want to talk about the most important asset you have: time.

Over the course of a lifetime money comes and goes. It flows. Most everything that we have in life we can lose and, with the right amount of effort, we can get back.

But time – time can never be regained. Once time is lost, it is gone. It is the most valuable asset you have. But how valuable is it?

Can you measure the value of your time and, once you know how much your time is worth, what do you do with that information?

I want to share with you a very simple formula to figuring out how much your own time is worth. As you’ll learn at the end of this article, once you figure this out you’re able to buy time at a discount and, as a result, catapulted your development. So first,

How do You Put a Value on Your Time?

The first step is putting a value on your time and doing that is not a straight-forward or simple task.

James Clear laid out a pretty simple method he calls…

Creamy Roasted Asparagus and Zoodle Pasta Salad

Source: http://www.runningonrealfood.com/roasted-asparagus-zoodle-pasta-salad/

Yep, this is the third zoodle recipe I’ve posted in less than 2 weeks. What can I say, I love zoodles! Or rather, I love pasta..lol, but I don’t really love how it makes me feel but zoodles are close enough and this Creamy Roasted Asparagus and Zoodle Pasta Salad is just da. bomb….diggity-bomb. While I’m…

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The post Creamy Roasted Asparagus and Zoodle Pasta Salad appeared first on Running on Real Food.

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Advice for Dealing With an Injury (From People Who’ve Been There)

Source: http://greatist.com/move/fitness-tips-how-to-stay-positive-while-injured?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Being injured sucks. It’s that simple. And when fitness is a major part of your identity, it can seem like your whole life is thrown off track.

Watching your goals and aspirations slip through your fingers can cause even the most resilient of us to spiral into sadness. While feeling down may be inevitable at times (it’s OK to cry it out!), know there is light at the end of the tunnel—and probably a silver lining. An injury can help you realize you’re not defined by your workouts, and it may even open the door to discover new passions or ways to exercise.

Most of all, keep in mind that others have gone through the physical and mental challenges, and they’re ready to help you cope. We asked 11 athletes, serious competitors, and general fitness enthusiasts to give us their best advice for staying sane while sidelined with an injury.

Advice for Injured Athletes

1. Remember you're not a one-trick pony.

“While it is perfectly fine to be sad, angry, and disappointed for a little while, it’s important to remember there is more to you than your sport or fitness passion. Even professional athletes who do this for a living hav…

Why Dietary Supplements Are a Waste of Your Money

Source: http://greatist.com/eat/dietary-supplements-why-you-do-not-need-them?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Dietary supplements can seem pretty attractive. (You mean all I have to do to stay healthy is pop a multivitamin?) But researchers say they’re a waste of money. As this story from Vox shows, dietary supplements promise a slew of health benefits (weight loss, improved digestion, clearer skin), but study after study has found that these claims are exaggerated. Another problem? There’s little government oversight, so you can’t be sure exactly what’s in each pill. Vox found that more than 850 supplement products contained illegal ingredients or ones not listed on the bottle.

The takeaway: If your doctor tells you to take a supplement for a specific deficiency, go right ahead. The rest of us should focus on eating a balanced, nutrient-rich diet instead. To check out Vox’s in-depth investigation, click the button below.

Read the Full Story

Five more industry-positive studies. The score: 150/12

Source: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/03/five-more-industry-positive-studies-the-score-15012/

Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: a randomized trial.  Thomas M Longland, Sara Y Oikawa, Cameron J Mitchell, Michaela C Devries, and Stuart M Phillips.  Am J Clin Nutr  March 2016  vol. 103 no. 3 738-746. doi: 10.3945/​ajcn.115.119339

Conclusion: Our results showed that, during a marked energy deficit, consumption of a diet containing 2.4 g protein · kg−1 · d−1 was more effective than consumption of a diet containing 1.2 g protein · kg−1 · d−1 in promoting increases in LBM [lean body mass] and losses of fat mass when combined with a high volume of resistance and anaerobic exercise.
Conflicts of interest: SMP has received research funding, travel allowances, and honoraria from the US National Dairy Council and Dairy Farmers of Canada. None of the other authors reported a conflict of interest related to the study.
Comment: Dairy, of course, is a source of protein.

Consumption of dairy foods and diabetes incidence: a dose-response meta-analysis of observational studies. Gijsbers L, Ding EL, Malik VS, de Goede J, Geleijnse JM, Soedamah-Muthu SS. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Feb 24. pii: ajcn123216. [Epub ahead of print]

Conclusion: This dose-response meta-analysis of observational studies suggests a possible role for dairy foods, particularly yogurt, in the prevention of T2D. Results should be considered in the context of the…

Here’s How Much Processed Food You’re Eating (and Why It Matters)

Source: http://greatist.com/eat/processed-foods-how-much-youre-eating?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Processed food is a bad-for-you buzzword we hear all the time, but ultraprocessed is what we really need to worry about. Especially since a new study found that ultraprocessed foods make up more than half our daily calories and account for 90 percent of the added sugar we consume.

The “ultra” distinction is important because some healthy foods, such as Greek yogurt, multigrain bread, and frozen peas, are considered processed. Ultraprocessed foods, on the other hand, have added flavors, colors, or sweeteners.

The new U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that fewer than 10 percent of the calories we consume come from added sugars, but the participants in this study averaged closer to 14 percent. Added sugar typically gets broken down faster than the kind that naturally occurs in foods like fruit, so it leaves you hungry and wanting even more of the sweet stuff—a vicious cycle.

Everyone’s diet is different, but here’s an easy way to lower the amount of ultraprocessed foods and added sugars in your diet: Limit (or totally cut out) the number of sodas and sugary drinks you consume. They’re packing a lot more sugar than you think!

(h/t The Atlantic)

A Roadmap to Overcoming Insecurities

Source: http://zenhabits.net/insecurities/

By Leo Babauta

There isn’t a person amongst us who doesn’t have insecurities — some are just better at dealing with them, or perhaps hiding them.

We worry what other people think about us, we worry if we’re good-looking enough, we worry that we’re not doing all that we should be, we worry that we’ll fail, we worry that people will find out we’re a fraud. We worry that we’re too fat, worry if she’ll like us, worry if he likes that other girl, worry that we’re not good enough.

And social media, with its culture of getting us to want approval with likes and retweets, with its showing off amazing bodies and amazing travels and food … it only exacerbates the problem. But you know all this.

The question is: how do we overcome these insecurities?

How do we become OK with ourselves? How do we learn to find contentment and peace?

The answer isn’t simple, but it requires one thing to start with: a willingness to face what we usually don’t want to face.

That means a bit of courage. Just in small doses, to start with, but it means a willingness to set aside all the distractions for a little bit, and just focus on what you’re struggling with.

Do you have that courage? If so, let’s start.

The Obstacles

What gets in our way to dealing with insecurities? There are obstacles littering the path. There are old wounds that have never healed.

Some…