Several articles came out this week, all on a similar theme: balance. I subscribe to multiple news and blog feeds, and every week they put out a "best of" for articles. There's usually one or two that catch my eye. This week? There are so many it'll take me forever to post or expand on each one. They speak for themselves. So, in no particular order...
Growth Happens At our Limits: Embrace It
by Steve at Nerd Fitness
What it's about: pushing ourselves to our limits, and pushing our limits further and further, so we don't get complacent in our exercise routines. Warning: sentimental anecdotes included.
Best quote*: Growth happens at our limits, wherever they may lie. It’s how much we can become comfortable with being uncomfortable that will determine just how much we can grow.
* but there's a pretty awesome reference to Lord of the Rings, too.
6 Reasons Your Body Doesn't Look Any Different Despite "Doing Everything Right"
by Molly Galbraith
What it's about: how mindset and perspective affect the fat loss process, and why it’s not just about “the perfect meal plan” or “the best” workout program.
Best quote: And if you want to get results, the best thing to do is to stop looking around and comparing your process to that of others. Each person is uniquely different, and the faster you realize that what someone else eats has literally zero to do with what you should be eating, the closer you’ll get to your goals.
A Woman's Journey of Strength: How Lifting Changed My Life Forever
by Neghar Fonooni (via Tony Gentilcore)
What it's about: how incorporating weights and lifting into her exercise gave her a mental strength and feeling of personal power that she never experienced with yoga, running, or other activities, and how it helped her to lose weight more than anything else.
Best quote: I lifted weights initially with the intention of losing fat and transforming my body, but eventually shifted towards lifting because it was good for my soul. I was empowered, and felt truly capable of anything, for the first time in my life.
The Elegant Art of Not Giving A Shit
from raptitude.com
What it's about: exactly what the title says - how to learn to not give a shit about the petty little things that take up so much of our headspace. With surprisingly useful and direct tips.
Best quote: Giving a shit really just amounts to thinking about what happened. Giving a shit does not necessarily mean you’re doing anything useful, but it makes it seem like you are. It feels like there’s some kind of justice that you’re getting closer to with every moment you give a shit. But that’s not true, because giving a shit, by itself, is only thinking — and thinking has little use aside from figuring out what to do.
The Science of Compliance
by Mike Mastell
What it's about: why knowing the perfect diet is secondary to being able to implement it (this is aimed at trainers and coaches, but applies to anyone setting out to make lifestyle changes: how do you strike a balance?)
Best quote: If a patient will not comply with a drug because of the administration procedure, isn’t the drug essentially put on the back burner? This is the same thing happening to the “perfect diet” that someone can’t adhere to.
Nutritional Switches That Prevent You From Binging
by Jill Coleman
What it's about: generic tricks for maintaining a balanced lifestyle of eating. (It's not so much about binging, or binge eating disorder, as it is about not falling prey to all-or-nothing dieting, offering moderation tips).
Best quote: we often view moderation as “failure” and by doing so, feel the need to EITHER be 100% clean, tight and on point OR say eff it, and go ALL IN on sweets and treats. WHY can’t we give ourselves permission to have something in the middle? Something that will be *satisfying* but not ALL IN and not total deprivation? Making this choice consistently can help us stay the course and skip the extreme approaches altogether.
Growth Happens At our Limits: Embrace It
by Steve at Nerd Fitness
What it's about: pushing ourselves to our limits, and pushing our limits further and further, so we don't get complacent in our exercise routines. Warning: sentimental anecdotes included.
Best quote*: Growth happens at our limits, wherever they may lie. It’s how much we can become comfortable with being uncomfortable that will determine just how much we can grow.
* but there's a pretty awesome reference to Lord of the Rings, too.
6 Reasons Your Body Doesn't Look Any Different Despite "Doing Everything Right"
by Molly Galbraith
What it's about: how mindset and perspective affect the fat loss process, and why it’s not just about “the perfect meal plan” or “the best” workout program.
Best quote: And if you want to get results, the best thing to do is to stop looking around and comparing your process to that of others. Each person is uniquely different, and the faster you realize that what someone else eats has literally zero to do with what you should be eating, the closer you’ll get to your goals.
A Woman's Journey of Strength: How Lifting Changed My Life Forever
by Neghar Fonooni (via Tony Gentilcore)
What it's about: how incorporating weights and lifting into her exercise gave her a mental strength and feeling of personal power that she never experienced with yoga, running, or other activities, and how it helped her to lose weight more than anything else.
Best quote: I lifted weights initially with the intention of losing fat and transforming my body, but eventually shifted towards lifting because it was good for my soul. I was empowered, and felt truly capable of anything, for the first time in my life.
The Elegant Art of Not Giving A Shit
from raptitude.com
What it's about: exactly what the title says - how to learn to not give a shit about the petty little things that take up so much of our headspace. With surprisingly useful and direct tips.
Best quote: Giving a shit really just amounts to thinking about what happened. Giving a shit does not necessarily mean you’re doing anything useful, but it makes it seem like you are. It feels like there’s some kind of justice that you’re getting closer to with every moment you give a shit. But that’s not true, because giving a shit, by itself, is only thinking — and thinking has little use aside from figuring out what to do.
The Science of Compliance
by Mike Mastell
What it's about: why knowing the perfect diet is secondary to being able to implement it (this is aimed at trainers and coaches, but applies to anyone setting out to make lifestyle changes: how do you strike a balance?)
Best quote: If a patient will not comply with a drug because of the administration procedure, isn’t the drug essentially put on the back burner? This is the same thing happening to the “perfect diet” that someone can’t adhere to.
Nutritional Switches That Prevent You From Binging
by Jill Coleman
What it's about: generic tricks for maintaining a balanced lifestyle of eating. (It's not so much about binging, or binge eating disorder, as it is about not falling prey to all-or-nothing dieting, offering moderation tips).
Best quote: we often view moderation as “failure” and by doing so, feel the need to EITHER be 100% clean, tight and on point OR say eff it, and go ALL IN on sweets and treats. WHY can’t we give ourselves permission to have something in the middle? Something that will be *satisfying* but not ALL IN and not total deprivation? Making this choice consistently can help us stay the course and skip the extreme approaches altogether.
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