How Coffee Impacts Your Hormones (Good and Bad)

Food & Nutrition | Mind & Meditation | Weight Loss

Throughout its long history, coffee has endured both accolades and opposition. Over the ages, some of the world’s greatest composers, thinkers and statesmen have extolled coffee’s virtues, while others have denounced it as a poisonous, mind-corrupting drug. Coffee has been praised by certain religions and prohibited by others.

Some governments have subsidized coffee crops; others have imposed steep taxes and duties on them. Doctors vali­date coffee’s health benefits yet worry about its contribution to cardiovascu­lar disease, diabetes, and even cancer.

Coffee is more popular than ever, which contributes to its contradictory status. In moderation, coffee poses minimal health risks for most people. In some cases, coffee even appears to be protective. Read more…

Breaking News: Money Actually Can Buy Happiness

Motivation | Self-Cultivation

The relationship between wealth and happiness is complicated.  People are always excited to hear (and share) snippets of research that seem to indicate that money doesn’t buy happiness. It is comforting to believe that happiness and wealth are not related because it means we don’t have to keep trying so hard to make a buck.  But in reality, the relationship is not so clear cut.

Unfortunately, research findings that are counterintuitive are much more exciting (i.e. more likely to get published, more likely to get covered in the media, and more likely to be talked about at cocktail parties) than research that shows what everyone already expects.  And then the media tends to exaggerate those counter-intuitive elements to make it even more newsworthy. You may have heard, for example about the research that shows that lottery winners end up back at the same level of happiness within a year after their life altering event.  But you probably never heard of other research (here and here) done on money winners that showed they did, in fact, rate themselves as happier afterward. The reaction to sudden wealth is complex.  For some people it affords them opportunities to pursue their dreams, for others it alienates their close relationships and rocks the foundations of their identity.  There are no easy answers. Read more…

The Lean Eating Method – 8 Lessons

Food & Nutrition | Motivation | Weight Loss

1. Measure what you want to improve.

In Lean Eating, we keep data on everything clients want to improve. Wanna lose weight? Step on the scale. Wanna be more precise and lose fat? Get out the calipers and measure body fat. Wanna fit into your skinny clothes? Try them on once in a while. Wanna feel better? Then every few weeks, actually ask yourself how you’re feeling, write it down, and review it every few months.

Basic stuff right? Bullshit. I work with professional athletes and teams, I consult with major gym chains on their personal training practices, I work one-on-one with clients from all walks of life from all over the world. And believe me: practically no one does this. In fact, sometimes I feel like we’re the only ones who really do this stuff, and the reason is because it works! There’s an old saying you’d be wise to follow: “What gets measured gets done.”

2. Take photos.

Admit it: you care — at least a little, and maybe a lot — about how you look. And that’s okay! In fact, it’s healthy and normal. Who doesn’t want to look great? Well, for the same way you’d measure weight loss if you want to lose weight, you better take photos if you want to look better. Read more…

Mantras, Goals, and Emotions Summon the Power Within

Mind & Meditation | Motivation | Self-Cultivation

The idea for this post sprung to mind during the final grueling minutes of my boxing class. With ten minutes to go I had hit the point of no return. My muscles were screaming in utter exhaustion as sweat poured off my body. As I was gasping for breath I could hear my heart pounding out of my chest. At this moment I had two choices:

1. Give in, ease up on the intensity and take the easy road out or

2. Dig deep and suck it up because, “Pain is just weakness leaving the body.”

So what made me choose the latter?

An array of thoughts raced through my mind as I was about to make my split second decision. So I closed my eyes and channeled my energies to visualize for a moment exactly what I wanted and needed to achieve out of this class. The vivid image of a ‘sexy six-pack’ was all I could see. With each punch and jab I repeated that phrase in my mind, just like a broken record, over and over again. And all of a sudden, there it was…my second wind; a wicked burst of energy that had the power to blast me down the home straight.

Do you have a mantra that fires you up?
Trigger words that can change your attitude in the blink of an eye?

‘Sexy six-pack’ has been my mantra for quite some time now. It is what pulls me through when I want to give up. It forces me to think of the end result and not the pain of the present moment. Because when I ask myself, “How bad do I want it?” There is only ever one answer… Real bad. Read more…

  By using this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
The Mindful Method: Meditation, Yoga, and Mindful Strength Training

Designed by Positively Wired  |  Powered by Media Temple
© 2011 Mindful Muscle. All Rights Reserved.