By Leo BabautaSomeone recently asked me about getting frustrated when they feel overloaded, and then shutting down or lashing out.
This probably sounds familiar to some of us. We feel overloaded, and then maybe lash out at someone in frustration and anger. This comes from the hope that things will be calm, orderly, simple, solid, and under control. The world doesn’t comply with this hope, however, as it is chaotic, disorder, constantly changing, never fixed, groundless. So we get frustrated, angry at others, and feel anxiety. So how do we deal with the frustration that arises? How can we create a habit of calm? I’m going to share a series of practices that you can turn into habits. When you notice yourself feeling frustrated, instead of lashing out, practice the following. If you practice them over and over, whenever you notice frustration, you will start to shift. The first practice is to catch your habitual pattern as early as you can, and shifting by not allowing yourself to indulge in it. When you notice yourself getting frustrated and feeling overloaded, notice the urge to go to your habitual pattern (shutting down or lashing out), but pause instead of indulging it. The next practice is to drop into the body. Again, pause, and let yourself take a breath. Drop your attention into your body and notice the sensations of frustration and overwhelm. Stay with these sensations, with curiosity. Notice how strong the urge to lash out feels, and just savor that strong feeling instead of acting on it. Open up to it, relax around it, be with it. Love this feeling, if you can, or at least be compassionate with it. Once you practice this, you get more and more comfortable being in the middle of frustration, and you don’t need to relieve the feeling by lashing out. You now have more space to calm yourself and do the next practice. The third practice is to use this newfound space to connect to the other person. Now, I understand that you might be angry at them, and so connecting to them is the last thing you want to do. Your heart is closed to them, because you think they are the problem. The problem is your closed heart. Try not indulging in that shutting down, and opening yourself a little. This is a challenging but transformative practice. From this place, notice the other person — they are acting the way they’re acting because they are feeling some kind of pain themselves. Maybe they’re feeling insecure, anxious, worried about the future. Maybe they are hurt by something you did and are themselves lashing out in frustration. Well, you can understand that! You are feeling the same thing. In this way, the two of you are connected. Maybe you’ve responded to their frustration with frustration of your own. Now you are suffering like they’re suffering. You are connected in this way, the same. Let this sameness open you up to them, understanding them in a more human way. They are not the problem, they are suffering like you are. You’re in this together. Now how can you work on this together? The final practice is to try to find an appropriate, loving and compassionate response. You have empathized with the other person, but now you need to take action. The answer of what action to take is not always easy, but at the very least, you’re not responding from a place of anger, which is a place that gives rise to inappropriate responses like lashing out. What is an appropriate, loving, compassionate response? It really depends on the situation. Some examples:
As you can see, there are many possibilities — many more than I can list here. These are just some examples to show that you can find a loving, appropriate response to the situation if you come from a place of compassion and calm. In the end, this stuff takes a lot of practice. But it’s immeasurably more helpful to do these practices than to lash out, which hurts not only the other person, but yourself as well. via Tumblr The Habit of Calm When You’re Feeling Frustrated
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By Leo BabautaA little boy was told by his father, from a young age, that he wasn’t good enough. Not in so many words, but through his actions — by criticizing him, yelling at him, hitting him, leaving him. The boy grew up into a man, knowing that he was unworthy of praise, of success, of love. The boy, as an adult, got a job, but didn’t really think he was good enough to do the job well. He faked it, deathly afraid every single day that he would be found out and mocked, then fired. He tried to hide, not to put himself in the spotlight, because then maybe no one would see his unworthiness. But he was always deathly afraid of people seeing him fail. So he held himself back, careful not to do anything where he might fail. He put off taking on tough tasks, and formed a long habit of procrastination. This came to rule his life, affecting his health habits, financial habits, relationships. The boy, now that he was an adult, got into a couple of long-term relationships, hoping to find someone to make him happy. He didn’t believe he could make them happy or get them to love the true him, because he already knew he was unworthy of love. But maybe if he was really nice to them, and only showed them the good parts of him, they’d think he was lovable. So he never tried to be truly honest, never found true intimacy, because he could only show them certain parts that might win him love. And he was always ready for them to find out how bad he was, to leave him. In fact, he left them before that could happen. Or if he didn’t leave them, he was only halfway in the relationship, one foot out the door. Ready to leave. Only partway committed. And in truth, they always felt that, and craved his full commitment. This was true of every friendship, every professional relationship. He was never fully committed. Never fully honest, because he couldn’t show his true self. Always anxious that others might know how unworthy he was. Always trying to prove how worthy he was, even if he knew he wasn’t. This is the story of Unworthiness. And it is fairly universal. My Inner Narrative of UnworthinessIt’s one of my longest-running inner narratives. That I’m not good enough — that I’m somehow unworthy to teach, to write books, to train people in uncertainty. As I’ve worked with thousands of people in changing their lives, I’ve found this is one of the most common inner narratives there is. We’re unworthy. Unworthy of praise, of putting our work out there in the world, of leading a team or community, of creating something meaningful in the world. We’re unworthy of success. Of happiness. Of peace. Of financial comfort. Of loving relationships. We’re unworthy of love. We’re not good enough. Not good enough to tackle our toughest struggles. To change our addictions and old habits. To change our diet, to start exercising, to start meditating — or to stick to any of these for very long. We’re not good enough to put our writing or art out in public. We’re not good enough for others to recognize our accomplishments. Not good enough to write a book, start a podcast, put videos online, start an online business, start a nonprofit, create a thriving entrepreneurial empire, launch a startup, teach ourselves a really hard skill, pursue a lifelong dream. We’re not good enough, and we’re unworthy. The Great SecretHere’s the thing: it’s all just a story, isn’t it? It’s a narrative in our heads that we replay, over and over, until it beats us down into submission. The thoughts aren’t true. There’s no objective panel of judges in the sky who have judged us unworthy. We just made up this story, and we pick out evidence to match the narrative. When someone says something remotely critical, we take it to heart, and offer it up as yet more proof that we’re not good enough. The narrative isn’t true. And worse, it hurts us in every single part of our lives. It means we’re only half in relationships, hiding ourselves, never honest, never fully committed. It makes us anxious, afraid of failure, never putting ourselves out there (at least, not fully, not honestly), and if we do put ourselves in public, it’s a performance, trying to prove our worthiness. It holds us back. It makes us procrastinate. Hurts our health. Makes us unhappy. This is the Universal Narrative of Unworthiness, and it’s not true, and it hurts is deeply. Unlearning the StorySo how do we stop believing this untrue, hurtful story that goes so deep we don’t usually even realize it’s there? I’ll share two practices that have helped me start to unravel the story, even if it still persists when I’m not being vigilant. The first practice: writing out a mantra and repeating it. This is something I use when my unworthiness narrative comes up around writing a book or public speaking. When I’m writing a book, the narrative inevitably asserts itself as something like, “No one is going to find this book valuable, this is going to be terrible.” It makes it much harder to write the book and I get very good at cleaning my kitchen instead of writing, let me tell you. When I am supposed to give a talk, it seems fine when it’s months away and I agree to it. Then I get deathly afraid as the day gets nearer, and the flop sweats start. I start questioning my sanity: “Why did I ever say yes to this? No one is going to want to hear what you have to say.” So last year I came up with a mantra to start to see the world in a new way: “The world craves you and your gift.” I repeated this whenever I noticed my heart fluttering because of having to give a talk, conduct a workshop or webinar, lead a course or program, write a book or blog post. I repeated it many times: “The world craves you and your gift.” Over and over, until I start to believe it. Yes, it sounds incredibly corny. And yet, it works. I start to look for evidence of it being true. I can’t hear the other story so much, if this one is being told. The second practice: letting the story dissolve. I do this all the time, and it’s absolute magic. Here’s how it works. I notice the narrative. I notice how it’s making me feel — I feel crappy, I’m fearful, I’m procrastinating, I’m hiding. And then I ask myself, “What would I be like if I didn’t have this story?” This is a magical question for me. I imagine what it would be like, in this particular moment, if I didn’t have this narrative. All of a sudden, I’m completely present in this moment — I notice how my body feels, I notice my surroundings, I notice the sensation of the air on my skin and the light in the room and the sounds all around me. All of a sudden, I’m immersed in this moment, free of the story. I’m free. I’m at peace. I can open my heart to the moment, to the beauty of the person in front of me if there is one, to the beauty of myself. What an incredible gift it is, to just drop the story and be completely present and in love with how things are, in love with myself and other people around me. Practicing a new mantra and the magical question, the boy is gorgeously free of his old narrative, and can run wildly through the jungle, joyfully alive. via Tumblr The Universal Narrative: When You Feel Unworthy By Leo BabautaWe all deal with stress on a daily basis — whether it’s the stress of being busy and overwhelmed at work, having to deal with personal crises, traffic, relationships, health, finances … stress can be a big part of our lives. And stress has some strong effects: it makes us less happy, less effective, less open-hearted in our relationships, it tires us out, makes us less healthy, and can even create mental health issues if it rises to levels of anxiety. So let’s look at how to let go of stress, whenever we notice it. What You’re Struggling WithWhy do we get stressed out, feel anxiety or feel overwhelmed? Because we want the world to be calm, orderly, comfortable, and the world isn’t going along with those wishes. Things are out of control, not orderly, not simple, full of interruptions and unplanned events, health problems and accidents, and things never go as we planned or imagined. But this is the way the world is — the stress comes not because the world is messy and chaotic, but because we desire it to be different than it is. We have ideals for how other people should be, how we should be, how everything around us should be. These ideals aren’t a problem — the is that we are attached to these ideals. And this attachment causes us stress. The good news is that we can let go of our attachment, and the world doesn’t need to change one iota. We can let go, and in doing so we let go of our stress. How to Let Go of the StressLet’s say you’re experiencing a moment of stress right now. Something isn’t going the way you’d like, things are chaotic or overwhelming, someone isn’t acting the way you’d like, you’re worried about something coming up. The first practice is to drop into your body and notice how the stress feels, physically. Be present with the feeling — it’s not a problem to have stress in your body, it’s just a physical feeling. You can observe the physical sensation, just be with it. This can be your whole practice, and it only has to take a few moments. The second practice is to notice the ideal, or your narrative about the situation. What’s causing this stress in your body? You have some ideal about how the world should be, how the other person should be, how you should be. And the world, the person, or you are not meeting that ideal. Notice that right now. Notice what you’re saying to yourself about it: “They shouldn’t act like that, I don’t like this, I’m such a screwup and not worthy of love.” What do you say to yourself? Is this a familiar narrative? Notice that the ideal and the narrative are causing the effect of the stress, anxiety, fear, feeling of overwhelm. They aren’t serving you very well. Also notice that they are completely fabricated by your mind. You created this ideal and the narrative. They are harming you, and you made up this dream. That’s nothing to beat yourself up about, but just to recognize. The good news: If you created it, you can let it go as well. The third practice is to let go and just be. What would it be like to be in this moment without the ideal and the narrative? You’d be at peace. You’d be present in this moment. You’d be free. Perhaps more loving (to yourself or others). Ask yourself what it would be like to not have the ideal and narrative. See if you can feel what it would be like, just for a moment. In that moment, you are free. You can relax, open your mind beyond your self-concern, and just be. This is a state of openness that you can drop into in any moment. Just notice the sensations of this moment — the sensations of your body, of your surroundings. Notice the other people in your life, and their beautiful hearts. Notice how amazing it is to be alive right now, what a gift it is to have sight, hearing, taste, a body. What a privilege, what a joy! You don’t have to be grateful and joyous in every moment, but this freedom of dropping ideal and narrative, and being at peace … it’s always available. Even in moments of chaos, you can be free, and even appreciate the beauty of the chaos. via Tumblr A Guide to Letting Go of Stress By Leo BabautaI have a problem, and I think most people do as well: I want to do everything. OK, not actually every single thing, but I want to do more than I possibly can:
Obviously, this is all impossible. But I bet I’m not alone in constantly wanting all of this and more. There’s a term for this in Buddhism that sounds judgmental but it’s not: “greed.” The term “greed” in this context just describes the very human tendency to want more of what we want. It’s why we’re overloaded with too many things to do, overly busy and overwhelmed. It’s why we’re constantly distracted, why we overeat and shop too much and get addicted to things. It’s why we have too much stuff, and are in debt. Greed is so common that we don’t even notice it. It’s the foundation of our consumerist society. It’s the ocean that we’re swimming, so much a part of the fabric of our lives that we can’t see that it’s there. So what can we do about this tendency called greed? Is there an antidote? There absolutely is. The traditional antidote to greed in Buddhism is generosity. And while we will talk about the practice of generosity, the antidote I’d like to propose you try is focus. Focus is a form of simplicity. It’s letting go of everything that you might possibly want, to give complete focus on one important thing. Imagine that you want to get 20 things done today. You are eager to rush through them all and get through your to-do list! But instead of indulging in your greed tendency, you decide to simplify. You decide to focus. Let’s talk about the practice of complete focus. It can be applied to all of the The Practice of Complete FocusThis practice can be applied to all of the types of greed we mentioned above — wanting to do everything, read everything, say yes to everything, go everywhere, eat all the things. Identify the urge: The first step in this practice is to recognize that your greed tendency is showing itself. Notice that you want to do everything, eat everything, and so forth. Once we’re aware of the tendency, we can work with it. See the effects: Next, we need to recognize that indulging in the greed tendency only hurts us. It makes us feel stressed, overwhelmed, always unsatisfied. It makes us do and eat and watch and shop too much, to the detriment of our sleep, happiness, relationships, finances and more. Indulging might satisfy a temporary itch, but it’s not a habit that leads to happiness or fulfillment. Practice refraining: Third, we can choose to refrain — choose not to indulge. The practice of refraining is about not indulging in the greed tendency, and instead pausing. Noticing the urge to indulge, and mindfully noticing how the urge feels in our body, as a physical sensation. Where is it located? What is it like? Be curious about it. Stay with it for a minute or two. Notice that you are actually completely fine, even if the urge is really strong. It’s just a sensation. Focus with generosity: Then we can choose to be generous and present with one thing. Instead of trying to do everything, choose just one thing. Ideally, choose something that’s important and meaningful, that will have an impact on the lives of others, even if only in a small way. Let this be an act of generosity for others. Let go of everything else, just for a few minutes, and be completely with this one thing. Generously give it your full attention. This is your love. Clear distractions: If necessary, create structure to hold you in this place of focus. That might mean shutting off the phone, turning off the Internet, going to a place where you can completely focus. Think of it as creating your meditation space. Practice with the resistance: As you practice focus, you are likely to feel resistance towards actually focusing and doing this one thing. You’ll want to go do something else, anything else. You’ll feel great aversion to doing this one thing. It’s completely fine. Practice with this resistance as you did with the urge: noticing the physical sensation, meditating on it with curiosity, staying with it with attention and love. Again, it’s just a sensation, and you can learn to love it as you can any experience. Let go of everything, and generously give your complete focus to one thing. Simplify, and be completely present. You can do this with your urge to do all tasks, read all things, do all hobbies, say yes to all people and projects. But you can also do it with possessions: choose just to have what you need to be happy, and simplify by letting go of the rest. You can do the same with travel: be satisfied with where you are, or with going to one place and fully being there with it. You don’t need to watch everything, read everything, eat everything. You can simplify and do less. You can let go and be present. You can focus mindfully. If you’d like to train in this kind of focus, train with me in my Mindful Focus Course. via Tumblr Focus as an Antidote for Wanting to Do Everything By Leo BabautaOur days are filled with chaos, busyness and noise — often with very little time for intentional activity, quiet, solitude, mindfulness. But we can intentionally create that lovely, mindful space that we crave. Today I invite you to join me and a thousand others in my Sea Change Program as we launching into the Beautiful Mornings Challenge, which is about creating simple, lovely morning routines, and waking just a little earlier to make space for those intentional activities. It’s about creating some space for meditation, reflection, movement, writing, or anything else you’d like to have room for in your life. And finding some space in the mornings for that, a sacred space that takes advantage of the quiet and beautiful light of the mornings. Here’s how the challenge works:
So it’s that simple … slowly wake a little earlier each weeks (for 3 of the weeks) to make space for something you’d like to have in your mornings. And spend a little time making it a sacred space where you practice mindfully. If you join the Sea Change Program, you’ll get:
Join Sea Change today (free for 7 days, then $15/month). via Tumblr The Beautiful Mornings Challenge: Create a Sacred Morning Routine It is true: you really can’t outrun your fork. I kept thinking about this – over and over – when speaking with Kyle, one of our Nerd Fitness Coaching clients. You see, Kyle works for a non-profit that promotes bicycling as a major mode of transportation. As part of walking the walk – er, cycling the cycle – 10 years ago Kyle gave up driving a car. Instead, he gets around by biking, walking, or public transportation. Since Kyle bikes most days, you might think all that riding would ensure he’d stay in shape. However, you’re reading Nerd Fitness, which means you’re smart. So you know that people can’t outrun their fork…or out pedal their fork. Like many others who struggle to lose weight, Kyle lived off pizza and other carb-heavy foods, which brought in a ton of extra calories. Simply put, despite the crazy amount of exercise he did every day, he still consumed more than he was able to pedal away. As we know from study after study after study, it is very difficult to exercise your way thin. This is why adjustments to nutrition are the key to a successful transformation. Which is exactly what Kyle did! I’m honored that Kyle is one of our 1-on-1 coaching clients, and that we were able to offer some tips on how to go about a vegetarian diet correctly, something many Rebels struggle with. Switching up his diet is not the only accomplishment Kyle has made: he is also now crushing pull-ups! Which makes me really happy. You don’t need to hear all about it from me though: let’s bring in Kyle!
HOW KYLE STOPPED TRYING TO OUTRUN HIS FORK AND LOST 27 POUNDSSteve: Hi Kyle! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me. I’d love to hear from you about your past – Can you take us through a typical day before you started your journey with Nerd Fitness? Kyle: My day would include an early morning to make breakfast and get the kids ready for school. Then I’d ride my bicycle to the office. I’d work all day – stopping to purchase and eat pizza or a sandwich for lunch. After work, I’d ride my bicycle home. Evening time would be spent hanging out with my kids until bedtime. On days when I am traveling, substitute family time and school preparations with sitting in an airport or hotel. And I travel a lot. Steve: Traveling can be grueling, especially when being on the road takes you from your family. I find it interesting you bike to and from work. But from talking to you, I know it wasn’t enough to prevent you from gaining weight. Can you tell us a little bit about your fitness journey prior to finding Nerd Fitness?? Kyle: For more than a decade, I’ve incorporated some physical activity and healthy eating into my daily routine: I gave up driving a car as my primary mode of transportation about 10 years ago and rely on walking, biking, and public transportation to get around. I’ve been a vegetarian for more than 15 years. And I’ve engaged in other extracurricular activities like indoor soccer, running half marathons, or mountain biking. I often thought that all this was enough to keep in shape without the need to adjust my diet or routine. Steve: I hear ya – I can also see how it could be frustrating to do “all the right things” and not look the way you want to look for all that effort! You were already exercising, watching what you ate, and stayed active. What made you decide that something needed to change? Kyle: Last year, my wife lost 60lbs almost entirely by changing her diet. In June, she and I had the opportunity to take a short vacation together without our kids. We took a lot of photos during that trip and after looking at them – compared to her new, lighter, look – I realized how much weight I had personally put on over the last couple of years. Starting a new job, moving the family across the country, and adapting to a new hectic travel schedule for work had left me 30 pounds heavier than any time previously in my life. When we got back home, I started looking for local gyms and fitness programs that I could join, but none worked with my busy travel schedule (seriously, I travel a LOT) or weren’t convenient enough for me during the time I was home. I didn’t want to give up the precious time with my wife and kids when I wasn’t traveling, so I began looking for alternative solutions and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness. Steve: I’m so happy you made your way to our strange corner of the internet. We’re very lucky to have you as part of the Nerd Fitness community, and we’re glad you chose us to kickstart your journey, brother! You’ve been working with Coach Matt M., what is he having you do? Kyle: I asked Matt to design a workout that could be done either at my hometown gym or in any random hotel in the world with an unknown quantity of fitness equipment. Because my environment was constantly changing, I needed a workout program that worked anywhere and everywhere. I also stressed that my past anxieties about going to a gym centered around not knowing what to do – how many reps of what exercise, should I use the machines or not, is this too much weight or too little. It was all just a bit dizzying. Simply put, Matt provides a workout routine in three supersets that can be accomplished in about 60 minutes. Each exercise has one or more alternatives that can be performed depending on what equipment is available. The supersets usually progress from core body routines, followed by heavy lifting, and concluding with lighter lifting that also engages a bit of cardio. The alternatives provided keep me on pace when I don’t have barbells or other equipment while on the road. Since I spend about 50% of my time traveling, having nationwide access to my trainer has been a game changer. Training while on the road works in most cases, and there have been some scenarios where the alternative training exercises Matt provided were essential to staying on track. Being a NF client made that both easy and possible. I’m proud to say I haven’t missed a workout since we started working together. This has helped with the confidence that no matter where I am, I won’t fault in achieving my goals. The consistency is paying off. For the first time in my life, I’ve been able to rock pull-ups! I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. Steve: That’s great! Although I’m super-biased (I have a coach who programs road workouts for me too), I think NF Coaching is perfect for people who travel a lot. When you think about it, you have worldwide accountability and expertise! What’s been the most important change you’ve made since starting this recent journey?? Kyle: Eating. Like I mentioned before, I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time, but often resorted to carb-heavy breads, a dizzying amount of melted cheese, and chips to fill in the hunger between salads and quinoa bowls. Matt helped me track my eating and make adjustments that still worked with my dietary preference. Like the workouts, Matt also helped me design meal options for my busy travel schedule – protein bars and shakes – so I wouldn’t be driven to a slice from Sbarro between flights. Being a vegetarian, I spend most of my effort maintaining consistent levels of protein intake. Since consuming protein comes along with either fat or carbs, balancing the amount each day was the biggest adjustment I made. As we progressed beyond what foods I like to eat that work within those parameters, we began incorporating carb loading on workout days, intermittent fasting when I’m not traveling, and small dinner plate usage for portion control. Steve: That’s amazing! I’ve written before that a common mistake vegetarians make is simply living off bread and pasta. I’m really happy that Matt was able to take an objective view of your diet and make some suggestions. What’s a typical day for you like now? Workouts, diet strategy, and so on. Give us the details! Kyle: On workout days, I’m normally at the gym by 5am. It’s early – but it just works for me to get the workout in first thing in the morning before my kids are awake or I go to work. The gym isn’t normally too busy then either. After my workout, I skip breakfast and bike to my job. I’ll drink coffee and water all morning during work and usually have a light lunch around noon. My recent go-to is a plate of raw veggies with hummus and hot sauce. A couple of hours after that I have a protein shake as an afternoon snack. Then I’ll bike home from work and begin cooking dinner for the family. This is usually my biggest meal of the day. Often it includes eggs. We’ve also been experimenting with using cauliflower in all its forms. Since my wife is continuing the diet plan that helped her lose 60lbs, it’s really easy to keep on track by eating together. Steve: It sounds like you have a solid routine: you’re very active and prioritizing nutritious meals. Great job dude! Besides your routine, what else has changed about you? Kyle: I’m definitely able to wear clothes I couldn’t have worn a year ago. Now that I’m smaller and weigh less, trying on clothes really makes me aware of how heavy I had gotten. There’s also a joy in sharing this transformative moment with my wife. We are both working on our selves side by side, and it adds a level of support that I find really helpful when all I want to do is eat an entire cheese pizza, lol. Steve: I love that you guys are supporting each other – and I can’t wait to see where you are a year from now! Do you have any words of advice for somebody who just starting out on a weight loss journey? What if they’re considering a change, but not sure where to start? Kyle: Coach Matt helped me realize a person doesn’t have to make all the drastic changes overnight. To anybody starting out, going one step at a time is easier than trying too much, too fast! Even though I was prepared for a bigger shock, Matt’s coaching eased me into new routines and only after I demonstrated a commitment to those did he offer something new. And honestly, that’s been really helpful when it comes to eating. Also, if you travel, a remote coach you can access from anywhere is awesome! It turned out to be exactly what I needed. Steve: Traveling can be tough to maintain healthy habits, so I’m glad you found a solution that works for you. Okay, I’ve got to ask: where do you plant your nerddom flag? Kyle: I’m all in for Star Wars (and a minor participant in most other fandoms). The family and I attend cons on a regular basis and are trying our hand at cosplay for the first time this year! I’ve also got a huge vintage Star Wars action figure collection that my kids and I add to regularly. Steve: A Star Wars collection you let your kids even look at? Dad of the year… Some fathers won’t even let their kids in the same room as their collectibles. Where do you go from here Kyle? What goals and habits are you still working on? Kyle: We’re definitely working to lose a few more pounds, which would bring me down 30lbs! We’re tackling this mostly through the addition of interval cardio training and small diet alterations. Additionally, we’re working to reach some interesting physical fitness goals. I’ve never been able to do a pull-up, but now I’m doing two each workout (and working towards more). I’m not sure what we’re working on next, but I’m looking forward to the next steps at getting there. Steve: YES! Welcome to the “I love pull-ups and want to tell the world” club. It’s the best club. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story with us Kyle! Best of luck to you and the family! THE 5 KEYS TO KYLE’S WEIGHT LOSS AND LEVEL UP SUCCESSIn speaking with Kyle, I realized he had a few key traits that helped him succeed where many others fail. Lots of people try to get in shape. Many of them have a lot of the same obstacles to overcome as Kyle:
What’s special about Kyle is not the challenges he had to face. We all have unique barriers in our lives. What’s special about Kyle is how he went about systematically overcoming those barriers. In speaking with him, and analyzing his choices and decisions, I think there are five traits that set Kyle apart. Here’s what we can learn from Kyle’s success: #1 KYLE KNEW WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP There’s nothing quite like a spouse or partner or friend who is crushing it to motivate you to make some changes. Kyle’s wife decided to get in shape after having their two kids – she created a plan, stuck to it, and lost 60 pounds. When checking out photos from a recent vacation, Kyle knew his wife was on the right track. He, however, was not. But he didn’t know what to do: he was already eating the way he thought he should, he was biking every day, and staying very active. The results just didn’t match the effort. And he was also stuck due to his work schedule: Traveling made any kind of fixed routine impossible. What does one even eat at an airport that isn’t pizza? Kyle knew things had to change, so he decided to ask for help from a professional. A professional that spoke his language: a dad that loved Star Wars. That extra pair of eyes from Coach Matt – a father of 2 (and huge nerd), which allowed Kyle to see things in a whole new way. Asking for help was a great first step, and then he did something many people forget: he actually LISTENED! #2 KYLE LEARNED YOU CAN’T PEDAL YOUR WAY THIN When people want to get in shape, they often think that hours of cardio is the answer. They’ll start a running routine, or buy a treadmill, or even start biking to work. While exercise and movement are critical for heart health and overall happiness, we here at Nerd Fitness know “You can’t outrun your fork.” I think it’s super awesome that Kyle works to advocate cycling as a major mode of transportation. More bikes on the road and fewer cars is great for everybody involved – including the planet. However, Kyle learned a valuable lesson: biking miles a day, in of itself, is often not enough to get in shape – unless it’s combined with changes to nutrition too. We highlight over and over here at Nerd Fitness that 80%-90% of the weight-loss equation comes down to a proper diet. After gaining 30 pounds as a new dad, despite pedaling his bike every single day, Kyle knew something had to give. He lost weight – though I think maybe 1 of those pounds might be from trimming his beard! Ha ? #3 KYLE ADJUSTED HIS PLANT-BASED DIET While Kyle spent a lot of calories riding his bike everywhere, it wasn’t enough to overcome all the calories he was eating in bread and pasta. Kyle tried whenever possible to eat healthy vegetarian dishes like salads and quinoa bowls, but they never satisfied his hunger This led to him eating bread along with “a dizzying amount of cheese” to hold him over until his next meal. So although weight loss come down to calories in and calories out, the quality of the food can really impact how easy or tough it is to stay within your calorie goal for the day. It took an outside pair of eyes, from Coach Matt, to point this out to Kyle. Now, Kyle prioritizes a healthy plant-based diet. He skips breakfast and snacks on veggies and hummus and a protein shake during the day. His big main meal at night will often include eggs, a great protein source for those on a vegetarian diet. The fiber from the plants and the protein from the eggs help keep Kyle full from meal to meal. So he can bike around town and not be tempted by the pizza joints on every corner. #4 KYLE MADE THE ROAD WORK FOR HIM Traveling can make getting in shape challenging. Your normal routine is thrown out the window. Instead of cooking your own meals in your kitchen, your dependent on restaurants. Instead of having access to your normal fitness facility, you get the rundown treadmill the hotel keeps so they can say they have a gym. Here’s the thing though: you don’t need a gym to train. You can work out in a nearby park, find an empty playground, or even just do bodyweight exercises in your hotel room. The important point is consistency. To not lose momentum on the days you’re away from your home. With Matt’s help, Kyle developed a plan on workouts to do from anywhere. If he’s at home? Perfect, he’s off early to the gym to crush his training. If he’s traveling? No problem, Matt built workouts that don’t require any equipment whatsoever. No momentum is lost. If you live on the road, don’t let it become an excuse to not train. If half your days are spent in hotels, that’s plenty of time to continue growing stronger. Make exercise your one constant when living out of luggage. #5 KYLE HAS A SUPPORT NETWORK I’m so happy that Kyle’s wife is also on her own journey, going about things her own way. They’re also supporting the heck out of each other! This means it’s two heads in the kitchen instead of just one. When Kyle has to wake up early to hit the gym, his wife understands (and vice versa!). They both want to prioritize their health, for their own future and the future of their children. Having someone in the house whose on the same fitness journey is a godsend. Plus, it’s not the only support Kyle has. His coach, Matt, also has his back. This non-judgemental extra pair of eyes proved critical. Matt helped Kyle see, with a little bit of adjustment, his vegetarian diet could be a tool for weight loss. Matt helped Kyle create a plan for the gym, so he could get in, know exactly what to do, and get out. Matt adjusts Kyle’s workout on the fly depending on his travel schedule for the upcoming month. Every day, Kyle wakes up, looks at the NF App, and knows exactly what he needs to do. The lesson: if you can, find a fellow Jedi or a Jedi Master! Maybe your spouse has expressed interest in getting in shape. Maybe you have a brother or sister or roomate who wants to start strength training, and you two can share your progress with each other. Maybe you have a coworker who also wants to go for walks at lunch with you. Or perhaps you can hire expert guidance, like a coach, to help make plans and recommendations for you to hit your goals. A companion can be a lifesaver for when things get difficult, so team up – even if it’s just for accountability! WHAT SMALL CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE, LIKE KYLE, TO LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE?The great thing about Kyle’s transformation, is he is still Kyle! Kyle still takes his bike to work every day. Kyle still follows a vegetarian diet. And Kyle still shares his love of Star Wars with his kids, because kids should know about Star Wars. Sometimes, you don’t need to do a complete life overhaul to level up your life. Sometimes, an outside pair of eyes can point out some key changes you could make, to help you reach your goals. No matter where you are on your fitness journey, I would encourage you to think about what made Kyle successful:
If you related to Kyle’s story, seemingly doing the right things without making any progress, think about what you can do differently. Start by testing your assumptions: Maybe running on a treadmill for an hour isn’t enough to burn the calories from all that pizza at lunch. Maybe a vegetarian diet should include vegetables. Maybe pull-ups are the best. I know Christina, another coaching success story, agrees! As we learned from Kyle, an outside pair of eyes can be really useful for analyzing your routine. Sometimes it’s hard to look at ourselves objectionably. Depending on your current situation, our 1-on-1 NF Coaching Program might be just the extra pair of eyes you need! Someone who can learn your life, understand your individual obstacles, and make a plan for success! Want to learn more? Go ahead and click on the box below and schedule a call with our team! No matter what you do, here’s what I want you to take away from Kyle’s story:
In a year and a half, by focusing on the above two points, Kyle got within 3 pounds of his goal weight (27 pounds down at the time of this writing). If you started focusing on your diet with small sustainable changes, I promise you in 18 months, you’ll be closer to your goal than you are today. The important thing? Start! Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today! -Steve PS: I want to give a special shout out to Coach Matt, who provided the non-judgemental pair of eyes Kyle needed to level up his life. If you are somebody that wants to have your own Yoda guiding you in the ways of the Force, check out or 1-on-1 coaching program, and I could be sharing YOUR story this time next year! PPS: Speaking of success stories…If you’ve had success with any aspect of Nerd Fitness, whether it’s our free workouts, Academy, or Coaching, email us! Send your story to contact(at)NerdFitness(dot)com and let us know so we can share your adventure with the galaxy! via Blogger How Kyle the Vegetarian Lost 27 Pounds and Started Crushing Pull-Ups It is true: you really can’t outrun your fork. I kept thinking about this – over and over – when speaking with Kyle, one of our Nerd Fitness Coaching clients. You see, Kyle works for a non-profit that promotes bicycling as a major mode of transportation. As part of walking the walk – er, cycling the cycle – 10 years ago Kyle gave up driving a car. Instead, he gets around by biking, walking, or public transportation. Since Kyle bikes most days, you might think all that riding would ensure he’d stay in shape. However, you’re reading Nerd Fitness, which means you’re smart. So you know that people can’t outrun their fork…or out pedal their fork. Like many others who struggle to lose weight, Kyle lived off pizza and other carb-heavy foods, which brought in a ton of extra calories. Simply put, despite the crazy amount of exercise he did every day, he still consumed more than he was able to pedal away. As we know from study after study after study, it is very difficult to exercise your way thin. This is why adjustments to nutrition are the key to a successful transformation. Which is exactly what Kyle did! I’m honored that Kyle is one of our 1-on-1 coaching clients, and that we were able to offer some tips on how to go about a vegetarian diet correctly, something many Rebels struggle with. Switching up his diet is not the only accomplishment Kyle has made: he is also now crushing pull-ups! Which makes me really happy. You don’t need to hear all about it from me though: let’s bring in Kyle! HOW KYLE STOPPED TRYING TO OUTRUN HIS FORK AND LOST 27 POUNDSSteve: Hi Kyle! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me. I’d love to hear from you about your past – Can you take us through a typical day before you started your journey with Nerd Fitness? Kyle: My day would include an early morning to make breakfast and get the kids ready for school. Then I’d ride my bicycle to the office. I’d work all day – stopping to purchase and eat pizza or a sandwich for lunch. After work, I’d ride my bicycle home. Evening time would be spent hanging out with my kids until bedtime. On days when I am traveling, substitute family time and school preparations with sitting in an airport or hotel. And I travel a lot. Steve: Traveling can be grueling, especially when being on the road takes you from your family. I find it interesting you bike to and from work. But from talking to you, I know it wasn’t enough to prevent you from gaining weight. Can you tell us a little bit about your fitness journey prior to finding Nerd Fitness?? Kyle: For more than a decade, I’ve incorporated some physical activity and healthy eating into my daily routine: I gave up driving a car as my primary mode of transportation about 10 years ago and rely on walking, biking, and public transportation to get around. I’ve been a vegetarian for more than 15 years. And I’ve engaged in other extracurricular activities like indoor soccer, running half marathons, or mountain biking. I often thought that all this was enough to keep in shape without the need to adjust my diet or routine. Steve: I hear ya – I can also see how it could be frustrating to do “all the right things” and not look the way you want to look for all that effort! You were already exercising, watching what you ate, and stayed active. What made you decide that something needed to change? Kyle: Last year, my wife lost 60lbs almost entirely by changing her diet. In June, she and I had the opportunity to take a short vacation together without our kids. We took a lot of photos during that trip and after looking at them – compared to her new, lighter, look – I realized how much weight I had personally put on over the last couple of years. Starting a new job, moving the family across the country, and adapting to a new hectic travel schedule for work had left me 30 pounds heavier than any time previously in my life. When we got back home, I started looking for local gyms and fitness programs that I could join, but none worked with my busy travel schedule (seriously, I travel a LOT) or weren’t convenient enough for me during the time I was home. I didn’t want to give up the precious time with my wife and kids when I wasn’t traveling, so I began looking for alternative solutions and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness. Steve: I’m so happy you made your way to our strange corner of the internet. We’re very lucky to have you as part of the Nerd Fitness community, and we’re glad you chose us to kickstart your journey, brother! You’ve been working with Coach Matt M., what is he having you do? Kyle: I asked Matt to design a workout that could be done either at my hometown gym or in any random hotel in the world with an unknown quantity of fitness equipment. Because my environment was constantly changing, I needed a workout program that worked anywhere and everywhere. I also stressed that my past anxieties about going to a gym centered around not knowing what to do – how many reps of what exercise, should I use the machines or not, is this too much weight or too little. It was all just a bit dizzying. Simply put, Matt provides a workout routine in three supersets that can be accomplished in about 60 minutes. Each exercise has one or more alternatives that can be performed depending on what equipment is available. The supersets usually progress from core body routines, followed by heavy lifting, and concluding with lighter lifting that also engages a bit of cardio. The alternatives provided keep me on pace when I don’t have barbells or other equipment while on the road. Since I spend about 50% of my time traveling, having nationwide access to my trainer has been a game changer. Training while on the road works in most cases, and there have been some scenarios where the alternative training exercises Matt provided were essential to staying on track. Being a NF client made that both easy and possible. I’m proud to say I haven’t missed a workout since we started working together. This has helped with the confidence that no matter where I am, I won’t fault in achieving my goals. The consistency is paying off. For the first time in my life, I’ve been able to rock pull-ups! I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. Steve: That’s great! Although I’m super-biased (I have a coach who programs road workouts for me too), I think NF Coaching is perfect for people who travel a lot. When you think about it, you have worldwide accountability and expertise! What’s been the most important change you’ve made since starting this recent journey?? Kyle: Eating. Like I mentioned before, I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time, but often resorted to carb-heavy breads, a dizzying amount of melted cheese, and chips to fill in the hunger between salads and quinoa bowls. Matt helped me track my eating and make adjustments that still worked with my dietary preference. Like the workouts, Matt also helped me design meal options for my busy travel schedule – protein bars and shakes – so I wouldn’t be driven to a slice from Sbarro between flights. Being a vegetarian, I spend most of my effort maintaining consistent levels of protein intake. Since consuming protein comes along with either fat or carbs, balancing the amount each day was the biggest adjustment I made. As we progressed beyond what foods I like to eat that work within those parameters, we began incorporating carb loading on workout days, intermittent fasting when I’m not traveling, and small dinner plate usage for portion control. Steve: That’s amazing! I’ve written before that a common mistake vegetarians make is simply living off bread and pasta. I’m really happy that Matt was able to take an objective view of your diet and make some suggestions. What’s a typical day for you like now? Workouts, diet strategy, and so on. Give us the details! Kyle: On workout days, I’m normally at the gym by 5am. It’s early – but it just works for me to get the workout in first thing in the morning before my kids are awake or I go to work. The gym isn’t normally too busy then either. After my workout, I skip breakfast and bike to my job. I’ll drink coffee and water all morning during work and usually have a light lunch around noon. My recent go-to is a plate of raw veggies with hummus and hot sauce. A couple of hours after that I have a protein shake as an afternoon snack. Then I’ll bike home from work and begin cooking dinner for the family. This is usually my biggest meal of the day. Often it includes eggs. We’ve also been experimenting with using cauliflower in all its forms. Since my wife is continuing the diet plan that helped her lose 60lbs, it’s really easy to keep on track by eating together. Steve: It sounds like you have a solid routine: you’re very active and prioritizing nutritious meals. Great job dude! Besides your routine, what else has changed about you? Kyle: I’m definitely able to wear clothes I couldn’t have worn a year ago. Now that I’m smaller and weigh less, trying on clothes really makes me aware of how heavy I had gotten. There’s also a joy in sharing this transformative moment with my wife. We are both working on our selves side by side, and it adds a level of support that I find really helpful when all I want to do is eat an entire cheese pizza, lol. Steve: I love that you guys are supporting each other – and I can’t wait to see where you are a year from now! Do you have any words of advice for somebody who just starting out on a weight loss journey? What if they’re considering a change, but not sure where to start? Kyle: Coach Matt helped me realize a person doesn’t have to make all the drastic changes overnight. To anybody starting out, going one step at a time is easier than trying too much, too fast! Even though I was prepared for a bigger shock, Matt’s coaching eased me into new routines and only after I demonstrated a commitment to those did he offer something new. And honestly, that’s been really helpful when it comes to eating. Also, if you travel, a remote coach you can access from anywhere is awesome! It turned out to be exactly what I needed. Steve: Traveling can be tough to maintain healthy habits, so I’m glad you found a solution that works for you. Okay, I’ve got to ask: where do you plant your nerddom flag? Kyle: I’m all in for Star Wars (and a minor participant in most other fandoms). The family and I attend cons on a regular basis and are trying our hand at cosplay for the first time this year! I’ve also got a huge vintage Star Wars action figure collection that my kids and I add to regularly. Steve: A Star Wars collection you let your kids even look at? Dad of the year… Some fathers won’t even let their kids in the same room as their collectibles. Where do you go from here Kyle? What goals and habits are you still working on? Kyle: We’re definitely working to lose a few more pounds, which would bring me down 30lbs! We’re tackling this mostly through the addition of interval cardio training and small diet alterations. Additionally, we’re working to reach some interesting physical fitness goals. I’ve never been able to do a pull-up, but now I’m doing two each workout (and working towards more). I’m not sure what we’re working on next, but I’m looking forward to the next steps at getting there. Steve: YES! Welcome to the “I love pull-ups and want to tell the world” club. It’s the best club. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story with us Kyle! Best of luck to you and the family! THE 5 KEYS TO KYLE’S WEIGHT LOSS AND LEVEL UP SUCCESSIn speaking with Kyle, I realized he had a few key traits that helped him succeed where many others fail. Lots of people try to get in shape. Many of them have a lot of the same obstacles to overcome as Kyle:
What’s special about Kyle is not the challenges he had to face. We all have unique barriers in our lives. What’s special about Kyle is how he went about systematically overcoming those barriers. In speaking with him, and analyzing his choices and decisions, I think there are five traits that set Kyle apart. Here’s what we can learn from Kyle’s success: #1 KYLE KNEW WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP There’s nothing quite like a spouse or partner or friend who is crushing it to motivate you to make some changes. Kyle’s wife decided to get in shape after having their two kids – she created a plan, stuck to it, and lost 60 pounds. When checking out photos from a recent vacation, Kyle knew his wife was on the right track. He, however, was not. But he didn’t know what to do: he was already eating the way he thought he should, he was biking every day, and staying very active. The results just didn’t match the effort. And he was also stuck due to his work schedule: Traveling made any kind of fixed routine impossible. What does one even eat at an airport that isn’t pizza? Kyle knew things had to change, so he decided to ask for help from a professional. A professional that spoke his language: a dad that loved Star Wars. That extra pair of eyes from Coach Matt – a father of 2 (and huge nerd), which allowed Kyle to see things in a whole new way. Asking for help was a great first step, and then he did something many people forget: he actually LISTENED! #2 KYLE LEARNED YOU CAN’T PEDAL YOUR WAY THIN When people want to get in shape, they often think that hours of cardio is the answer. They’ll start a running routine, or buy a treadmill, or even start biking to work. While exercise and movement are critical for heart health and overall happiness, we here at Nerd Fitness know “You can’t outrun your fork.” I think it’s super awesome that Kyle works to advocate cycling as a major mode of transportation. More bikes on the road and fewer cars is great for everybody involved – including the planet. However, Kyle learned a valuable lesson: biking miles a day, in of itself, is often not enough to get in shape – unless it’s combined with changes to nutrition too. We highlight over and over here at Nerd Fitness that 80%-90% of the weight-loss equation comes down to a proper diet. After gaining 30 pounds as a new dad, despite pedaling his bike every single day, Kyle knew something had to give. He lost weight – though I think maybe 1 of those pounds might be from trimming his beard! Ha ? #3 KYLE ADJUSTED HIS PLANT-BASED DIET While Kyle spent a lot of calories riding his bike everywhere, it wasn’t enough to overcome all the calories he was eating in bread and pasta. Kyle tried whenever possible to eat healthy vegetarian dishes like salads and quinoa bowls, but they never satisfied his hunger This led to him eating bread along with “a dizzying amount of cheese” to hold him over until his next meal. So although weight loss come down to calories in and calories out, the quality of the food can really impact how easy or tough it is to stay within your calorie goal for the day. It took an outside pair of eyes, from Coach Matt, to point this out to Kyle. Now, Kyle prioritizes a healthy plant-based diet. He skips breakfast and snacks on veggies and hummus and a protein shake during the day. His big main meal at night will often include eggs, a great protein source for those on a vegetarian diet. The fiber from the plants and the protein from the eggs help keep Kyle full from meal to meal. So he can bike around town and not be tempted by the pizza joints on every corner. #4 KYLE MADE THE ROAD WORK FOR HIM Traveling can make getting in shape challenging. Your normal routine is thrown out the window. Instead of cooking your own meals in your kitchen, your dependent on restaurants. Instead of having access to your normal fitness facility, you get the rundown treadmill the hotel keeps so they can say they have a gym. Here’s the thing though: you don’t need a gym to train. You can work out in a nearby park, find an empty playground, or even just do bodyweight exercises in your hotel room. The important point is consistency. To not lose momentum on the days you’re away from your home. With Matt’s help, Kyle developed a plan on workouts to do from anywhere. If he’s at home? Perfect, he’s off early to the gym to crush his training. If he’s traveling? No problem, Matt built workouts that don’t require any equipment whatsoever. No momentum is lost. If you live on the road, don’t let it become an excuse to not train. If half your days are spent in hotels, that’s plenty of time to continue growing stronger. Make exercise your one constant when living out of luggage. #5 KYLE HAS A SUPPORT NETWORK I’m so happy that Kyle’s wife is also on her own journey, going about things her own way. They’re also supporting the heck out of each other! This means it’s two heads in the kitchen instead of just one. When Kyle has to wake up early to hit the gym, his wife understands (and vice versa!). They both want to prioritize their health, for their own future and the future of their children. Having someone in the house whose on the same fitness journey is a godsend. Plus, it’s not the only support Kyle has. His coach, Matt, also has his back. This non-judgemental extra pair of eyes proved critical. Matt helped Kyle see, with a little bit of adjustment, his vegetarian diet could be a tool for weight loss. Matt helped Kyle create a plan for the gym, so he could get in, know exactly what to do, and get out. Matt adjusts Kyle’s workout on the fly depending on his travel schedule for the upcoming month. Every day, Kyle wakes up, looks at the NF App, and knows exactly what he needs to do. The lesson: if you can, find a fellow Jedi or a Jedi Master! Maybe your spouse has expressed interest in getting in shape. Maybe you have a brother or sister or roomate who wants to start strength training, and you two can share your progress with each other. Maybe you have a coworker who also wants to go for walks at lunch with you. Or perhaps you can hire expert guidance, like a coach, to help make plans and recommendations for you to hit your goals. A companion can be a lifesaver for when things get difficult, so team up – even if it’s just for accountability! WHAT SMALL CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE, LIKE KYLE, TO LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE?The great thing about Kyle’s transformation, is he is still Kyle! Kyle still takes his bike to work every day. Kyle still follows a vegetarian diet. And Kyle still shares his love of Star Wars with his kids, because kids should know about Star Wars. Sometimes, you don’t need to do a complete life overhaul to level up your life. Sometimes, an outside pair of eyes can point out some key changes you could make, to help you reach your goals. No matter where you are on your fitness journey, I would encourage you to think about what made Kyle successful:
If you related to Kyle’s story, seemingly doing the right things without making any progress, think about what you can do differently. Start by testing your assumptions: Maybe running on a treadmill for an hour isn’t enough to burn the calories from all that pizza at lunch. Maybe a vegetarian diet should include vegetables. Maybe pull-ups are the best. I know Christina, another coaching success story, agrees! As we learned from Kyle, an outside pair of eyes can be really useful for analyzing your routine. Sometimes it’s hard to look at ourselves objectionably. Depending on your current situation, our 1-on-1 NF Coaching Program might be just the extra pair of eyes you need! Someone who can learn your life, understand your individual obstacles, and make a plan for success! Want to learn more? Go ahead and click on the box below and schedule a call with our team! No matter what you do, here’s what I want you to take away from Kyle’s story:
In a year and a half, by focusing on the above two points, Kyle got within 3 pounds of his goal weight (27 pounds down at the time of this writing). If you started focusing on your diet with small sustainable changes, I promise you in 18 months, you’ll be closer to your goal than you are today. The important thing? Start! Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today! -Steve PS: I want to give a special shout out to Coach Matt, who provided the non-judgemental pair of eyes Kyle needed to level up his life. If you are somebody that wants to have your own Yoda guiding you in the ways of the Force, check out or 1-on-1 coaching program, and I could be sharing YOUR story this time next year! PPS: Speaking of success stories…If you’ve had success with any aspect of Nerd Fitness, whether it’s our free workouts, Academy, or Coaching, email us! Send your story to contact(at)NerdFitness(dot)com and let us know so we can share your adventure with the galaxy! via Tumblr How Kyle the Vegetarian Lost 27 Pounds and Started Crushing Pull-Ups By Leo BabautaCreating a life of focus, purpose and mindfulness is a tough thing these days. If you’re like me, you want to bring forth your gifts to the world, but you’re pulled in a thousand directions, plagued by overwhelm, distractions, a ton of messages and emails, and so many obligations that it’s causing you to put off doing the important work you want to do in life. You would like to:
Unfortunately, it’s not always so easy. The Demons of Chaos stand in your way:
Trust me, I understandI’ve worked with many people as a teacher and coach, and I know from personal experience (including my own life), that most of us just go about our daily lives like this. We’re doing our best but in the end having a difficult time coping with the distractions of technology, the chaos of our work and personal lives, the uncertainty that lies in everything we do. We struggle to find focus, and find the practice of mindfulness elusive on a day-to-day basis. Amidst all of this overwhelming chaos, we can often get stuck in indecision and procrastination. We want a greater sense of meaning in our lives, a greater sense of empowerment and control, but aren’t sure where to find it or how to get there. The Mindful Focus CourseI’ve created Mindful Focus Course just for this very common problem. In this four-week video course, we will look at:
But this isn’t just a bunch of video content … this is real daily training, designed to help you actually create greater mindful focus in your life. I’ve designed it after my own personal training, and after training many others in these methods. Features & Benefits of the CourseThe Mindful Focus Course features:
This course has been designed to bring important benefits to your life:
It’s Not Easy, But You Got ThisCommitting yourself to training like this isn’t easy. A four-week commitment might sound like a lot … but consider how important your work in the world is. Consider how a lifetime of improved, mindful focus will benefit not only you but those you serve, those around you, anyone who is close to you. Devoting yourself to this kind of training is never easy, but you are someone who isn’t afraid of the difficult, and who has taken on the discomfort of putting yourself out there in the world to serve others. Your heart is bigger than a little discomfort, and you are up to this challenge. I believe in you, and would love to work with you. Take Action NowSign up today to get access to this training, which I believe is life-changing. Enrollment for this course is just $99, for a lifetime of focus. But if you sign up by April 15, 2019, you can get 10% off the course — use the discount coupon “early-bird” (without quotes) in the checkout cart. Sign up for Mindful Focus Course here. Money-back GuaranteeI fully stand behind this course, and give my personal guarantee that it will be worth your money. If you’re not fully satisfied, just ask for a full refund, you don’t have to give an explanation. via Tumblr Develop the Powerful Habit of Mindful Focus Do you know how to run? It’s a simple question, and probably something you might not even think about. After all, what’s so tough about running, right? You put one foot in front of the other, repeat the process as quickly as possible, and BAM you’re running! However, did you realize that running improperly, especially for long distances, can do some serious damage to your body while not even giving you the benefits you’d expect from putting in all of that effort? Not cool, I know. Luckily, Nerd Fitness is here to help! Today, you’re actually going to learn how to run the right way, keeping you healthy, happy, and injury-free. Before we jump in, it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of strength training. If you were going to start just one single exercise program, instead of running, I would recommend lifting heavy. If you’re interested in learning why, and how to get started, check out our guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. You can grab it for free when you join the Rebellion below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Do you want to run?First and foremost, when people tell me they’re going to start running, I always ask: “do you enjoy running?” If the answer is “no,” then I yell at them (nicely), “THEN DON’T DO IT!” If you are starting to run because you want to lose weight, but don’t actually enjoy running, I HAVE GREAT NEWS! You don’t have to run; in fact, there are more efficient ways to burn the right kind of calories. Your diet will be 80% of your battle anyways, so if you can find a way to start eating healthy, your exercise can come from activities you DO enjoy – hiking, strength training, martial arts, Ultimate Frisbee, whatever. Now, if you answer with something like:
…then we can continue the conversation! Let’s take a look at the first few important steps (get it!) when it comes to running. What to do firstBefore you even THINK about strapping on a new pair of Nike shoes and going for a run around your neighborhood, we need to get a few things straight: Your body needs to have a base-level of fitness before running becomes a viable option. Every time you run, every time you take a step, you put the pressure of your entire body weight on the muscles, tendons, and joints in your legs, knees, ankles, feet, and toes. If you are overweight and have improper running technique, that means your joints and tendons are taking an absolute POUNDING for however many steps you take during your run: around 6,200 steps in a 5k, 12,200 steps in a 10k, or 50,000+ steps in a marathon. You’d have to be crazy to want to do something that hurts your body 50,000 times in a row! So, clean up that diet, strength train every other day with something like our Beginner Bodyweight Workout, and then do some form of low-impact activity on your off-days. Things like:
Strength training, clean eating, and low impact activity – build up at your foundation to prep your body for running. The less weight your body has to carry around, the less work your legs and joints have to do, the less likely you’ll be to damage your joints and/or injure yourself. Now that you have a solid foundation and you’re ready to start running, you can move on to the next step. Does any of this stress you out? We get tons of emails from Rebels, panicked that they don’t know where to start their fitness journey. Should they start walking first? What about focusing all their effort on nutrition? Keto seems popular, is it something they should try? These types of inquiries are exactly why we created our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. We sought to take all the guesswork out of getting in shape, by creating a program designed to tell you exactly what to do. Here’s how it works: we get to learn your goals, lifestyle, challenges, and situation: Kids? An old injury? A job that requires travel? All the above? We got you covered. We’ll then pair you with a coach from Team Nerd Fitness that fits your personality and situation. They’ll work with you to build custom workouts and nutrition guidance to meet any goal you might have. Unless that goal is ruthless world domination. Use your powers for good, okay? Want to see if we are a good fit for each other? Click on the button below to schedule a free call. We’d love to talk to you, no matter what! How to warm up properly
Before you take your first stride as a runner, you need to be properly warmed up. When most people think of warming up, they probably think of standing there and doing some static stretching for 10 minutes…you know, to make sure you don’t get injured! Wrong! Fail! Stretching BEFORE running can actually increase your risk of injury.[1] Instead, try a dynamic warm-up – get your body properly warmed up and prepared for the rigors of running. Here’s Staci, our head female coach, providing you with a quick sequence to try out: You can also check out our post “How to Warm Up Properly” for more moves and tips. Just like with strength training, if you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to run. Cut the run short if you need to, but not the warm up! How to run properlyIf you don’t learn how to run correctly, you’re doomed to develop an overuse injury and that’s going to negate the whole reason you started running in the first place! This is why your running form is so damn crucial: when you run, you’re putting hundreds of pounds of pressure on your joints and ligaments with each bounding step down the road. This is then repeated thousands of times over the course of training and a race. No wonder nearly every runner has tons of stories of injuries they’ve had to deal with. It can be a brutal activity that can wreak havoc even with good running mechanics. With poor running mechanics, the results are compounded. And not the GOOD kind of “compounded” like compound interest like you learned in 2nd grade with the story about starting with 1 penny a day and doubling it for 30 days. The BAD kind of “compounded” like plantar fasciitis and stress fractures and sore IT bands and torn ligaments and crazy soreness all the time. We don’t want that. Make sure you follow the below five steps: 1) Lean from your ankles. Lean from your ankles, and keep a straight line from your ankle, through your butt, and up to your head. If you’re standing still with this slight forward lean, you should feel like you’re about to fall forward. Just don’t actually fall forward. When you start running, gravity will help keep you progressing forward. A proper lean from the ankles keeps your body in alignment and loads your muscles properly and efficiently. 2) Increase your cadence. Cadence is your stride rate, or the number of steps you take per minute. It will probably seem weird at first, but you’re putting less stress on your legs with shorter foot strikes. Your cadence should be at least 170-190 steps per minute when you’re running at an easy, conversational pace. It will probably increase once you start running faster—that’s normal. “Steve, what the hell do I do with “170-190 steps per minute?” Great question. Go to Spotify and look for 170-190BPM playlists, like these which I found here: Not on Spotify? Cool. (But like, why?) To get a cadence, try running to Outkast’s “Hey Ya” and time your strides to match the beat. That’s the cadence you’re looking for: Research has shown[2] that increasing your cadence and taking more steps (around 180 per minute) provides many of the same benefits of barefoot running: less impact shock that goes up your legs, improved running economy (or your efficiency, which means you’ll run faster with less effort!), and a reduced chance of injury. You’ll feel like you’re taking way more steps than normal – that means you probably had poor form before and now you’re fixing it! If your legs get to the point where they’re going this fast, let me know: 3) Foot strike at the right time. When your foot comes down and makes contact with the ground, it should be underneath your body, not in front of it. Combined with a quick cadence and a slight forward lean from your ankles, you’ll be distributing impact shock evenly—and efficiently. This aspect of running form is often skipped over by beginning runners. Instead of focusing on where the foot is landing in relation to the rest of the body, they focus too much on running on their forefoot. If you don’t first land in the right place, a midfoot or forefoot strike will only do more damage. As you’re running, a good mental cue is to think that you’re just “putting your foot down” in a straight line underneath your body. There’s no reaching or stretching your leg out in front of you. Practicing this mental cue will have your leg touching down almost exactly underneath your center of mass, distributing your weight evenly and safely. 4) Land on your mid-foot. While not as important as landing underneath your center of mass, becoming a mid-foot striker has a host of benefits. It can help you avoid a lot of injuries by absorbing impact shock and preventing a severe heel striking running stride. Heel-striking can’t be entirely blamed for injuries and labeled “bad.” Even elite athletes heel strike when they run races! It’s not entirely bad— especially if you’re putting weight down on your foot just after you heel strike, instead of directly on the heel.[3] What you should focus on is having a higher cadence, landing underneath your body, and not aggressively heel striking. Try to land with your foot flat on the ground, instead of with your toes angled upwards.[4] 5) Symmetrical arm swing. Nobody wants to look at you running if you’re flailing your arms wildly all over the place like Elaine dancing from Seinfeld. An ideal arm swing has your arm bent at about 90 degrees and a front to back swing (not side-to-side). Imagine a pretend line that goes down your mid-line or center of your body. When you run, your hands should not cross over this imaginary line. Cup your hands loosely together (no clenched fists!) and if you want to use your arms for momentum, pump your elbows, not your hands. Once you incorporate these changes into your running form, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable and your injury risk is going to plummet. For extra credit, learn to run softly and quietly. Foot stomping isn’t allowed and gets increasingly more difficult as you approach 180 steps per minute. A few other things you want to keep in mind:
Both are easy cues to keep an athletic posture and good running form. Go back through and read this section a few more times. We know it’s a LOT to think about while running, but it is incredibly important. If you get a chance, have somebody film you running, and then watch your tape back to see how you’re doing. WALK BEFORE YOU RUNStarting a running practice can be daunting. That’s why I actually recommend walking first. I mentioned earlier that walking can help build the foundation of a great running practice. Once you’re comfortable moving a little bit, an ideal way to actually start running is to alternate between a brisk walk and a jog. This can help you build up some strength so you can run at a more constant pace. Try this:
Alright, we’ve talked about technique, plus some tips for getting up and running.[6] However, I know you’re gonna ask, so let’s talk about what kicks you should rock. What are some good running shoes?There are four components to look for in any shoe. If the shoe doesn’t meet these four criteria, then your foot is going to be compromised. A good shoe has:
Let’s look at each in a bit more detail: 1. No heel lift of any kind. When your shoe raises your heel higher than your forefoot (aka heel lift), your ankle and lower leg are being positioned in a slightly shortened position for the duration that you’re wearing the shoes. When your leg muscles are thrown into a slightly unnatural position, it means the mobility of your ankle will suffer… and this will limit all sorts of things including your running gait. This doesn’t just mean high-heels either, although running in heels is ridiculous. This includes most regular shoes which have a bulky heel and lower toe. In many shoes, you’ll see this difference between heel and forefoot referred to as a “drop,” so “zero-drop” shoes are shoes where heel and forefoot are at the same height. 2. A wide toe box that allows your foot to spread as it lands on the ground with each step. With each step you take, your foot actually spreads wider upon landing. This is impossible for your foot to do when it’s in a shoe that is too narrow. If the toe box is not at least as wide as your foot when you’re standing on your foot, while it’s bearing your weight, that’s a problem for your foot. Know that as your foot becomes more ‘natural’ it’s possible it will widen further, as the muscles and bones reposition themselves. Feet crammed into a shoe is like putting a leash on Sonic the Hedgehog: they want to be free! 3. A pliable bottom that allows your toes to bend fully as you step. Your great toe is meant to flex to ninety degrees as you move through the gait cycle. See below: If your shoe does not allow this due to a hard sole, your feet won’t be able to move as well, and the soft tissues of your foot will get weaker from not being used fully. PLUS, when you aren’t flexing your big toe regularly, your body will start to lose the ability to use that joint fully. This can lead to all sorts of problems. Doh! 4. It’s strapped to your foot. If the shoe isn’t strapped around your ankle, your toes are going to grab at the shoe to keep it on with every step you take. This makes some of your foot bones push down and some of your foot bones lift up. That shift means you change the amount of forces on each bone. Over time, this can lead to stress fractures and tissue injuries. Check out the below video from movement specialist Kelly Starret: Please don’t run in sandals. For each point above, this isn’t an “all or nothing” scenario. Similar to your nutrition, do the best you can when you can, and work your way into running with a minimalist shoe. If you want to learn more on proper footwear, make sure you check out “A Nerd’s Guide to Healthy Feet,” written by Kate Galliett of FitForRealLife.com. Lastly, if you want to learn more about the benefits of ditching your shoes altogether, you can check out our article “Is Barefoot Running Really Better for You?” LIFE ON THE RUNOnce you get comfortable running around your neighborhood or park, you can start thinking about taking it to the next level. Have you ever thought about running a marathon? They can be a lot of fun! If you want to learn how to get started, make sure you check out our article “Couch to 5K.” We cover the popular program and give our take on running your first race. Also, if you want even more guidance on running, I’ll point you to my buddy Jason Fitzgerald’s wonderful site Strength Running. I reach out to Jason whenever I need advice on proper running (including the tips found in this post). You can also check out this interview I did with Jason, where we discuss running, proper diet, and Star Wars. There’s some overlap… Alright, I think that about does it for this article. Now, your turn! Are you an avid runner? Do you have any tips for Rebels just lacing up? Or are you like me, and only run when something is chasing you? Let us know in the comments! -Steve PS: I’ll leave you with a final reminder of our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. If you’re blown away by the fact that you don’t have to run to get in shape, but don’t know where else to begin, we got you. We’ll work with you to develop a training program you actually like (could be running, could be strength training, could be yoga), so you can level up your life! Click right here to learn more. ### All photo sources can be found right here.[7]
Footnotes ( returns to text)
via Tumblr A Beginner’s Guide to Running Do you know how to run? It’s a simple question, and probably something you might not even think about. After all, what’s so tough about running, right? You put one foot in front of the other, repeat the process as quickly as possible, and BAM you’re running! However, did you realize that running improperly, especially for long distances, can do some serious damage to your body while not even giving you the benefits you’d expect from putting in all of that effort? Not cool, I know. Luckily, Nerd Fitness is here to help! Today, you’re actually going to learn how to run the right way, keeping you healthy, happy, and injury-free. Before we jump in, it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of strength training. If you were going to start just one single exercise program, instead of running, I would recommend lifting heavy. If you’re interested in learning why, and how to get started, check out our guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. You can grab it for free when you join the Rebellion below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Do you want to run?First and foremost, when people tell me they’re going to start running, I always ask: “do you enjoy running?” If the answer is “no,” then I yell at them (nicely), “THEN DON’T DO IT!” If you are starting to run because you want to lose weight, but don’t actually enjoy running, I HAVE GREAT NEWS! You don’t have to run; in fact, there are more efficient ways to burn the right kind of calories. Your diet will be 80% of your battle anyways, so if you can find a way to start eating healthy, your exercise can come from activities you DO enjoy – hiking, strength training, martial arts, Ultimate Frisbee, whatever. Now, if you answer with something like:
…then we can continue the conversation! Let’s take a look at the first few important steps (get it!) when it comes to running. What to do firstBefore you even THINK about strapping on a new pair of Nike shoes and going for a run around your neighborhood, we need to get a few things straight: Your body needs to have a base-level of fitness before running becomes a viable option. Every time you run, every time you take a step, you put the pressure of your entire body weight on the muscles, tendons, and joints in your legs, knees, ankles, feet, and toes. If you are overweight and have improper running technique, that means your joints and tendons are taking an absolute POUNDING for however many steps you take during your run: around 6,200 steps in a 5k, 12,200 steps in a 10k, or 50,000+ steps in a marathon. You’d have to be crazy to want to do something that hurts your body 50,000 times in a row! So, clean up that diet, strength train every other day with something like our Beginner Bodyweight Workout, and then do some form of low-impact activity on your off-days. Things like:
Strength training, clean eating, and low impact activity – build up at your foundation to prep your body for running. The less weight your body has to carry around, the less work your legs and joints have to do, the less likely you’ll be to damage your joints and/or injure yourself. Now that you have a solid foundation and you’re ready to start running, you can move on to the next step. Does any of this stress you out? We get tons of emails from Rebels, panicked that they don’t know where to start their fitness journey. Should they start walking first? What about focusing all their effort on nutrition? Keto seems popular, is it something they should try? These types of inquiries are exactly why we created our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. We sought to take all the guesswork out of getting in shape, by creating a program designed to tell you exactly what to do. Here’s how it works: we get to learn your goals, lifestyle, challenges, and situation: Kids? An old injury? A job that requires travel? All the above? We got you covered. We’ll then pair you with a coach from Team Nerd Fitness that fits your personality and situation. They’ll work with you to build custom workouts and nutrition guidance to meet any goal you might have. Unless that goal is ruthless world domination. Use your powers for good, okay? Want to see if we are a good fit for each other? Click on the button below to schedule a free call. We’d love to talk to you, no matter what! How to warm up properly
Before you take your first stride as a runner, you need to be properly warmed up. When most people think of warming up, they probably think of standing there and doing some static stretching for 10 minutes…you know, to make sure you don’t get injured! Wrong! Fail! Stretching BEFORE running can actually increase your risk of injury.[1] Instead, try a dynamic warm-up – get your body properly warmed up and prepared for the rigors of running. Here’s Staci, our head female coach, providing you with a quick sequence to try out: You can also check out our post “How to Warm Up Properly” for more moves and tips. Just like with strength training, if you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to run. Cut the run short if you need to, but not the warm up! How to run properlyIf you don’t learn how to run correctly, you’re doomed to develop an overuse injury and that’s going to negate the whole reason you started running in the first place! This is why your running form is so damn crucial: when you run, you’re putting hundreds of pounds of pressure on your joints and ligaments with each bounding step down the road. This is then repeated thousands of times over the course of training and a race. No wonder nearly every runner has tons of stories of injuries they’ve had to deal with. It can be a brutal activity that can wreak havoc even with good running mechanics. With poor running mechanics, the results are compounded. And not the GOOD kind of “compounded” like compound interest like you learned in 2nd grade with the story about starting with 1 penny a day and doubling it for 30 days. The BAD kind of “compounded” like plantar fasciitis and stress fractures and sore IT bands and torn ligaments and crazy soreness all the time. We don’t want that. Make sure you follow the below five steps: 1) Lean from your ankles. Lean from your ankles, and keep a straight line from your ankle, through your butt, and up to your head. If you’re standing still with this slight forward lean, you should feel like you’re about to fall forward. Just don’t actually fall forward. When you start running, gravity will help keep you progressing forward. A proper lean from the ankles keeps your body in alignment and loads your muscles properly and efficiently. 2) Increase your cadence. Cadence is your stride rate, or the number of steps you take per minute. It will probably seem weird at first, but you’re putting less stress on your legs with shorter foot strikes. Your cadence should be at least 170-190 steps per minute when you’re running at an easy, conversational pace. It will probably increase once you start running faster—that’s normal. “Steve, what the hell do I do with “170-190 steps per minute?” Great question. Go to Spotify and look for 170-190BPM playlists, like these which I found here: Not on Spotify? Cool. (But like, why?) To get a cadence, try running to Outkast’s “Hey Ya” and time your strides to match the beat. That’s the cadence you’re looking for: Research has shown[2] that increasing your cadence and taking more steps (around 180 per minute) provides many of the same benefits of barefoot running: less impact shock that goes up your legs, improved running economy (or your efficiency, which means you’ll run faster with less effort!), and a reduced chance of injury. You’ll feel like you’re taking way more steps than normal – that means you probably had poor form before and now you’re fixing it! If your legs get to the point where they’re going this fast, let me know: 3) Foot strike at the right time. When your foot comes down and makes contact with the ground, it should be underneath your body, not in front of it. Combined with a quick cadence and a slight forward lean from your ankles, you’ll be distributing impact shock evenly—and efficiently. This aspect of running form is often skipped over by beginning runners. Instead of focusing on where the foot is landing in relation to the rest of the body, they focus too much on running on their forefoot. If you don’t first land in the right place, a midfoot or forefoot strike will only do more damage. As you’re running, a good mental cue is to think that you’re just “putting your foot down” in a straight line underneath your body. There’s no reaching or stretching your leg out in front of you. Practicing this mental cue will have your leg touching down almost exactly underneath your center of mass, distributing your weight evenly and safely. 4) Land on your mid-foot. While not as important as landing underneath your center of mass, becoming a mid-foot striker has a host of benefits. It can help you avoid a lot of injuries by absorbing impact shock and preventing a severe heel striking running stride. Heel-striking can’t be entirely blamed for injuries and labeled “bad.” Even elite athletes heel strike when they run races! It’s not entirely bad— especially if you’re putting weight down on your foot just after you heel strike, instead of directly on the heel.[3] What you should focus on is having a higher cadence, landing underneath your body, and not aggressively heel striking. Try to land with your foot flat on the ground, instead of with your toes angled upwards.[4] 5) Symmetrical arm swing. Nobody wants to look at you running if you’re flailing your arms wildly all over the place like Elaine dancing from Seinfeld. An ideal arm swing has your arm bent at about 90 degrees and a front to back swing (not side-to-side). Imagine a pretend line that goes down your mid-line or center of your body. When you run, your hands should not cross over this imaginary line. Cup your hands loosely together (no clenched fists!) and if you want to use your arms for momentum, pump your elbows, not your hands. Once you incorporate these changes into your running form, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable and your injury risk is going to plummet. For extra credit, learn to run softly and quietly. Foot stomping isn’t allowed and gets increasingly more difficult as you approach 180 steps per minute. A few other things you want to keep in mind:
Both are easy cues to keep an athletic posture and good running form. Go back through and read this section a few more times. We know it’s a LOT to think about while running, but it is incredibly important. If you get a chance, have somebody film you running, and then watch your tape back to see how you’re doing. WALK BEFORE YOU RUNStarting a running practice can be daunting. That’s why I actually recommend walking first. I mentioned earlier that walking can help build the foundation of a great running practice. Once you’re comfortable moving a little bit, an ideal way to actually start running is to alternate between a brisk walk and a jog. This can help you build up some strength so you can run at a more constant pace. Try this:
Alright, we’ve talked about technique, plus some tips for getting up and running.[6] However, I know you’re gonna ask, so let’s talk about what kicks you should rock. What are some good running shoes?There are four components to look for in any shoe. If the shoe doesn’t meet these four criteria, then your foot is going to be compromised. A good shoe has:
Let’s look at each in a bit more detail: 1. No heel lift of any kind. When your shoe raises your heel higher than your forefoot (aka heel lift), your ankle and lower leg are being positioned in a slightly shortened position for the duration that you’re wearing the shoes. When your leg muscles are thrown into a slightly unnatural position, it means the mobility of your ankle will suffer… and this will limit all sorts of things including your running gait. This doesn’t just mean high-heels either, although running in heels is ridiculous. This includes most regular shoes which have a bulky heel and lower toe. In many shoes, you’ll see this difference between heel and forefoot referred to as a “drop,” so “zero-drop” shoes are shoes where heel and forefoot are at the same height. 2. A wide toe box that allows your foot to spread as it lands on the ground with each step. With each step you take, your foot actually spreads wider upon landing. This is impossible for your foot to do when it’s in a shoe that is too narrow. If the toe box is not at least as wide as your foot when you’re standing on your foot, while it’s bearing your weight, that’s a problem for your foot. Know that as your foot becomes more ‘natural’ it’s possible it will widen further, as the muscles and bones reposition themselves. Feet crammed into a shoe is like putting a leash on Sonic the Hedgehog: they want to be free! 3. A pliable bottom that allows your toes to bend fully as you step. Your great toe is meant to flex to ninety degrees as you move through the gait cycle. See below: If your shoe does not allow this due to a hard sole, your feet won’t be able to move as well, and the soft tissues of your foot will get weaker from not being used fully. PLUS, when you aren’t flexing your big toe regularly, your body will start to lose the ability to use that joint fully. This can lead to all sorts of problems. Doh! 4. It’s strapped to your foot. If the shoe isn’t strapped around your ankle, your toes are going to grab at the shoe to keep it on with every step you take. This makes some of your foot bones push down and some of your foot bones lift up. That shift means you change the amount of forces on each bone. Over time, this can lead to stress fractures and tissue injuries. Check out the below video from movement specialist Kelly Starret: Please don’t run in sandals. For each point above, this isn’t an “all or nothing” scenario. Similar to your nutrition, do the best you can when you can, and work your way into running with a minimalist shoe. If you want to learn more on proper footwear, make sure you check out “A Nerd’s Guide to Healthy Feet,” written by Kate Galliett of FitForRealLife.com. Lastly, if you want to learn more about the benefits of ditching your shoes altogether, you can check out our article “Is Barefoot Running Really Better for You?” LIFE ON THE RUNOnce you get comfortable running around your neighborhood or park, you can start thinking about taking it to the next level. Have you ever thought about running a marathon? They can be a lot of fun! If you want to learn how to get started, make sure you check out our article “Couch to 5K.” We cover the popular program and give our take on running your first race. Also, if you want even more guidance on running, I’ll point you to my buddy Jason Fitzgerald’s wonderful site Strength Running. I reach out to Jason whenever I need advice on proper running (including the tips found in this post). You can also check out this interview I did with Jason, where we discuss running, proper diet, and Star Wars. There’s some overlap… Alright, I think that about does it for this article. Now, your turn! Are you an avid runner? Do you have any tips for Rebels just lacing up? Or are you like me, and only run when something is chasing you? Let us know in the comments! -Steve PS: I’ll leave you with a final reminder of our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. If you’re blown away by the fact that you don’t have to run to get in shape, but don’t know where else to begin, we got you. We’ll work with you to develop a training program you actually like (could be running, could be strength training, could be yoga), so you can level up your life! Click right here to learn more. ### All photo sources can be found right here.[7]
Footnotes ( returns to text)
via Blogger A Beginner’s Guide to Running |