Hardwire Your Brain for More Success
Perhaps it’s not what we are thinking about, but the way we think about it. In this podcast with James Wedmore and Dr. Amen, learn the importance of our brain health (especially for entrepreneurs), and how we can optimize its performance.
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How Much Exercise Do We Need to Live Longer?
We’ve all heard that exercise can help us live longer, but how much exercise do we really need to reap these longevity benefits? The quick answer is about 7000 to 8000 steps a day, or 30 to 45 minutes of exercise most days. Check out this New York Times article that explains how much exercise is necessary to actually affect our longevity.
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“Nature has given us all the pieces required to achieve exceptional wellness and health, but has left it to us to put these pieces together”
- Diane McLaren
Women are Key to Post-Pandemic Leadership
Covid-19 has brought a copious amount of changes to our lives, and the business world has certainly felt these shifts. As we show our resilience through this period of tragedy and severe change, it has become apparent that the modern day leader must be more aware of the physical and emotional well being of their employees. Female leaders have taken this challenge head on and will continue to do so going forward.
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Better Than Before
Happiness and habits. Have you ever considered the connection? Maybe you quit smoking, or adopted a new diet & workout plan. Or maybe you have had trouble making and sticking to these changes. This book by Gretchen Rubin teaches us how to make and see through habits, as well as finally kick some bad ones to the curb.
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Recapping the German Throwdown, Lowlands Throwdown and Brazil CrossFit Championship
After two weeks of in-person competition the CrossFit Games semifinals go virtual. Sean and Tommy recap the CrossFit German Throwdown, the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown and the Brazil CrossFit Championship. Who impressed, who surprised and who emerged as potential podium contenders at the Games? Plus, WIT signs a multi-year deal to operate an official online CrossFit store, sell CrossFit-branded gear and have a retail presence at the CrossFit Games and other CrossFit events.
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The Benefits of Creatine Supplementation for Women
Last week, Morning Chalk Up published an article by CrossFit Games athlete and Owner of Tactic Nutrition, Meredith Root, outlining the benefits of creatine supplementation in women. Although creatine is one of the most extensively researched supplements, like most, it has traditionally been researched in men, but can offer some overwhelmingly positive results (beyond fitness) for women, too.
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“I may be over the top on this, but I just don’t want to like my competitors. I want my people to believe that whenever he and our other competitors succeed, we will be less able to do all the things we want to do.”
—Phil Knight
How to Harness the Pain-Blocking Effects of Exercise
Pain isn’t like heart rate or lactate levels—things you can measure and meaningfully compare from one session to the next. Every painful experience is different, and the factors that contribute to those differences seem to be endless. A recent study in the Journal of Sports Sciences, from researchers in Iraq, Australia, and Britain, adds a new one to the list: viewing images of athletes in pain right before a cycling test led to higher pain ratings and worse performance than viewing images of athletes enjoying themselves.
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Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller, this business book argues that one of the most valuable skills in the world is quickly becoming rare—the ability to focus without distraction on a demanding task. Author Cal Newport explains that by mastering this skill, you’ll be able to more effectively process complicated information and deliver better results in less time as a result.
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HindeSight | No. 64
Exercise Together!
Daily movement can be a vital part of our daily routine. For some, it’s about remaining grounded and focused through following a program and spending time with yourself. For others, it can be about reaching fitness goals and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Being a mom can sometimes feel like you have to put your own desires on the shelf for the day as you tend to your littles. However, we can get back to our favorite sports while also spending time with our family! Not only should we claim that time again but it’s also giving us an opportunity to show our kids how important it is to continue to invest time in yourself not only as a mother but also as a person. Check out these tips below to help get in some family movement!
1.) Toddler Yoga Stretches/Salutations
This one could be especially fun for toddlers and younger kids. Not only do you get in some good movement and stretches but your little can start to become more in tune with their own body and how it moves. Starting yoga at a young age can also help kids learn how to deal with stress and could help to improve creativity. They can start by mimicking your movements and eventually you can also incorporate partner positions in your yoga session to make them feel that they’re an integral part of the routine. There are plenty of
YouTube videos that cover yoga for younger children and can help to get your toddler in the mindset prior to starting your practice together. Give this one a go the next time you roll out your yoga mat!
2.) Hiking With Teens
The next time you lace up your boots to go on a nice long hike, take your teen along for the ride! They may protest at first but once you get out into nature, you can’t help but to be more present. Starting off with a shorter hike may help them to feel more confident as they’ll know that they can handle the hike. Slowly start to amp up the mileage the more you go out. Parenting a teen may mean dealing with lots and lots of emotions, stress and unknown territory. Time together on the trail can lead to plenty of opportunities for organic and enlightening conversations. Hiking can help mitigate stress for you and your teen as well as assisting in sleep which has benefits for you both. Not only do you get in your daily movement but you also get some quality time with your teen.
3.) Running with Young Kids
If you’re a running fanatic, this can be your time to really unplug and spend time with yourself. While your kids might not be able to keep up with your 10k time, taking them out for a one mile run or even training with them to hit up a local 5k can mean lots of time together while also getting in your mileage goals. This will give them a chance to spend time with you as well as hone a skill they might begin to love! Getting kids involved in a hobby that means a lot to you can show them what it
means to stay consistent to reach their goals. Having your kids be part of your fitness journey can be so rewarding because not only do they get to learn how to move their body and find a sport or hobby that they grow to love but they also get to watch you prioritize yourself. Investing time in yourself and your sport, whether it’s CrossFit, yoga, marathon running or just picking up some weights here and there, show yourself and others that investing in yourself is an important and necessary endeavor. Just because we’re moms doesn’t mean we have to give up every moment of our time to others.
Giving back to yourself not only makes us feel good but it also helps us to be our best selves. So the next time you want to get in some movement but your littles are running circles around you, grab them up and try to incorporate them into your practice. If not to just wear them out before nap time! Invest some time in yourself today, momma.
Cover photo courtesy of @holliemooandmummytoo
Other photo courtesy of @randilynngreene
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
When he was 8 years old, Joel Clark loaded bags of his mom's whole grain pancake mix into a red wagon to sell door-to-door. By the mid-90s, he and his older brother had upgraded to selling the mix out of a Mazda sedan and calling it Kodiak Cakes. As he tried to scale the business, Joel made some risky business decisions and almost went bankrupt, but eventually got the brand into Target—a major turning point. Today, Kodiak Cakes is approaching $200 million in annual revenue as one of the best-selling pancake mixes in America.
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The practice of mindfulness is a big part of my daily routine. A big question I get from my team is how to practice mindfulness. It’s not about bypassing feelings, but leaning into them. This article explains why leaning into our feelings are beneficial and ultimately make us all better leaders.
Read the full article here
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."
—Theodore Roosevelt
In a new study conducted by The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society, it was found that there actually is an optimal time to work out. This study focused on men with Type 2 diabetes and found that participants had better results when working out in the afternoon as opposed to earlier in the day.
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Why be a good company when you could be a great company? Stanford researcher and consultant Jim Collins breaks down how to create long-term sustainable performance in order for a company to achieve their greatest potential.
Show Me How
HindeSight | No. 55
CrossFit CEO joined Make Pods Great Again to discuss the current state of CrossFit. He talked about how his journey has been since taking over, obstacles and challenges he has faced in his personal life, and the new Open format and how he approaches the Open personally. He even gave listeners the scoop on the hire of the new Chief Technology officer as well as spent some time discussing his thoughts around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the CrossFit Community.
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Having a morning routine has always been important to me and my success in building LIFEAID. We talk about them often in our weekly meetings and I encourage everyone on our team to find a routine that works for them. If you are struggling to create a morning routine for yourself, this is a great article to help you build one.
Read the full article here
"The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are."
—J.P. Morgan
2020 was a trying year on all businesses, but specifically small businesses. This year, there will still be challenges to overcome, but approaching business with strategic thinking can help navigate these hurdles with more confidence and success.
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While exercise was essential for our prehistoric ancestors, it’s not essential for the lives of the common man. However, even though we don’t rely on hunting and gathering, that doesn’t mean exercise isn’t something that should be part of our daily lives.
More on Exercise and Evolution
HindeSight | No. 53
You’re putting in the work at the gym, but aren’t seeing all of the results you hope for. What gives? Chances are, you’re neglecting one of the most important tenets of exercise: recovery. Not to be confused with apathy, there are very good reasons why rest days and recovery should not be overlooked. Here are five of them:
- To allow your muscles to repair. You read that right. When participating in fitness, you are creating small tears in your muscles and rest days allow protein to synthesize in those muscles to repair them, which also allows them to grow.
- To get quality sleep. Your body does its most repair magic while you are sleeping. Most athletes need between seven to 10 hours to adequately recover. Everyone has heard this before, but we will take the opportunity to reiterate it anyway: put your screens down one to two hours before bed. Blue light and sleep do not mix, therefore, you are not doing yourself any favors scrolling through Instagram while laying in bed before you go to sleep.
- To allow your muscles to relax. We can say from first-hand experience that mobilizing can be a mundane activity, but its necessary. Taking the time to stretch and foam roll helps your muscles relax and it’s a great opportunity to catch up on your favorite podcasts or TV show. Multi-tasking for the win!
- To move your body in other ways. Just because it’s a rest day, doesn’t mean that you have to spend the day on couch. However, sometimes that’s just what the doctor ordered. If you are feeling anxious to get some movement in, take the opportunity to get some sunshine by taking a walk around your block, going on a bike ride, or jump on a machine like a rower for a nice easy row. You may hear this type of work referred to as “non-exercise movement” which is also helpful to reset throughout your day (especially if you have a sedentary job).
- To refill your mental capacity. Exercise takes a toll on your body which is generally easy to confirm by how your body feels, but what most people don’t take into consideration is the impact that rigorous training can also have on your mental health. There are a whole lot of positives that fitness provides, but sometimes you just need to take a day and let your brain rest, too.
Committing to recovery is essential as an athlete, but also as a person interested in general fitness. Are you allowing your body to recover?
Cardio exercise is great for keeping yourself in shape and preparing your muscles for lengthy exercise and outdoor activities. Golfers need cardio for several reasons, one it helps prepare your body for a long day on the golf course, keeps your heart rate down between shots, and can even help prevent injury.
Each of the three cardio benefits listed above is critical for success on the golf course. Although not a high-impact sports like soccer or football, golf requires a fair amount of cardiovascular health to maintain performance on the course. On long summer days, golfers with poor cardiac health will find themselves cramping. Plus, the heat can be uncomfortable too, so wearing your bucket hat and looking into your cardio health is life-changing.
If your muscular structure is not used to being stressed or variations in oxygen content, your performance will suffer. Increased cardiovascular health can even add distance to your shots by increasing muscle performance. As the heart is able to pump blood more efficiently through the body, oxygen is forced into muscles providing a boost in performance. Also, before a round of golf, you may enjoy an energizing caffeine-free GOLFERAID performance blend drink, the best golf drink on the market.
One thing that separates top-level golfers from the rest is being able to score big shots in critical moments. The brain is the control system of the body and the more oxygen going into the brain, the more rested and performing it becomes. Although many golfers ride in carts, walking a round of golf can be a cardio workout. Some courses have terrain differences, hills, and non-flat surfaces.
Because cardio is not as important in golf as it is in marathon running or soccer, you can maintain healthy cardiovascular health without running for hours on end. A few ways to maintain cardio health include taking brisk walks or walking on an incline. If you don’t have access to a treadmill you can find a hilly location to walk up.
Walking on an incline has a lot of benefits compared to walking flat. Not only is the cardio workout better compared to walking on a flat surface, but it is also a better workout for your legs. Again, you don’t need to be sprinting up hills to receive a good cardio workout.
Photo by Jopwell from Pexels
Looking at golf from a cardio perspective, if you walked a 7000-yard course, it translates to roughly 4 miles. If you are able to walk 4 miles a week, you will be able to manage walking a course. Breaking down the 7000 yards even further, taking an average hole length of roughly 400 yards which is about a quarter-mile. Walking a quarter mile is only one time around a track which can be done in a few minutes’ time.
Going deeper, your longest continuous walk on a golf course will be between 250 and 300 yards, likely from the tee box. This is under a quarter-mile. A good tip to keep yourself in golf cardio shape is finding a short hill and walk up and down it several times a day. And of course, a good pair of golf shoes is a must. A quarter-mile only takes ten to fifteen minutes depending on how fast you are walking.
C O N C L U S I O N
Overall good cardio health is needed to maintain a consistent golf game. You don’t necessarily have to be a marathon runner to get in excellent golf cardio shape. A short quarter-mile walk every day will give you enough stamina and strength to play an entire round of golf without any issues.
Cover photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jordan Fuller is a retired golfer who also owns a golf publication site, Golf Influence. He has loved golf since he was a kid and feels golf has been significantly helpful in improving his overall health.
> > > Stay well.
Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman
We’ve all seen the #SelfCareSunday hashtag on social media, but have you taken the time to do your own self-care Sunday? For the majority of us, it was difficult in the past to find the time to devote to taking care of our mind and body. Now that we’re spending a large portion of our days at home, why not take this time to explore different ways to indulge in a little self-care love, any day of the week!
Check out these tips and tricks to help jumpstart your self-care journey:
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Dedicate A Day Just For You
Starting off by choosing a day to dedicate to your own wellness creates the foundation for a good, self-care Sunday. Oftentimes, especially now, we feel that it’s important to check in on others and to provide stability and comfort to our friends and family and, subsequently, putting ourselves on the backburner. However, it’s very important to remember to take care of your own emotional wellness—not only for yourself but also for those around you, so you can continue to fill yourself up in order to be someone others can turn to in return to get filled up.
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Put Your Phone on Airplane Mode
We can start off with really good self-care intentions, when—suddenly—we’re on a social media spiral, checking our notifications and scrolling for hours. In a blink, our dedicated ‘me’ time is gone. It’s so easy to get distracted, with so many of our friends sending video chat requests and myriad notifications pinging our phones throughout the day. Do yourself a favor and set your phone to ‘airplane mode’ so that you can get the most distraction-free time out of your self-care Sunday (or whatever day you choose).
Reading an interesting book is the age-old self-care tradition that can easily fall by the wayside when life gets busy. Try keeping up with a series that you enjoy or join a virtual book club so you’ll be more likely to devote some time to reading and relaxing. You’ll be glad you spent a few hours curled up on the couch with a good book and a comfy blanket.
Creating a clean space can automatically release endorphins, the feel good hormone, making you more at ease and happy. It might seem counterintuitive to do some work during a self-care day but your future self will thank you. Being in a cozy, organized and clean environment makes you feel more at peace and will create the perfect spot for future self-care moments.
Soaking up some much needed vitamin D in the sunshine can help to boost your mood and make you feel more energized. If you live in a smaller space without a yard, try potting some houseplants or even making a little herb garden for your balcony. Planting and taking care of something can help make you feel productive and happy while also providing the benefit of having your own fresh herbs on hand for making healthy, yummy meals.
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Stretch, Exercise, Meditate
Devoting time to taking care of your body is not only good for your physical health but it’s beneficial for your mental and emotional health, as well. Take some time to meditate, work out or stretch your body during your next self-care session. Endorphins that are released during and after your workout will have you feeling happy, relaxed and ready for your next self-care activity.
Many of us have found a new hobby (or a few!) to keep us busy during quarantine. From bread making to quilting, a lot of us have turned to learning “old world” skills as we’ve been in lockdown. Try to use one of your self-care days to devote time to learning and experimenting with that hobby. Learning something new keeps your mind sharp and allows you to understand how to overcome challenges. Picking up a new hobby can also help to alleviate stress as you immerse yourself into learning a new language or how to preserve foods.
It might seem strange at first, but stress can begin to seep into our lives by the simple act of over-committing ourselves. Keep telling yourself that you’re worth the self-care time and don’t allow others to take that devoted time away from you. Protect yourself and your self-care sacred space by saying, “No!”
C O N C L U S I O N
Times are stressful for everyone right now and, for many of us, our first instinct is to take care of the people we love. While that is important, commit to setting aside some time to take care of yourself today. Start off with something small like a face mask or taking a bath, if the idea of a full day of self-care is a big leap for you. Remember, you have to make sure your own cup is full before you can pour into others. Enjoy your unique self-care journey!
Cover photo courtesy of @LIFEAID
All other images courtesy of @magpie_wild
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Stay well.
Original article on Wanderlust.com by Mari Krueger | Presented by LIFEAID Beverage Co.
Our bodies need to recover between workouts in order to maximize the benefit. Loaded with nutrients, LIFEAID’s Recovery beverage hits the spot.
We have workouts tailored to our goals. We have meals fine-tuned for maximum nutrition. We know how important sleep is (and sometimes we even log the recommended hours!). But taking time to rest—where is that in our weekly health goals? In a go-go-go world hyper-focused on drive and results, it’s no surprise the importance of rest and recovery can be relegated to the backseat. Yet scheduling recovery days is vital to all aspects of health, both mental and physical. Adequate rest can help increase strength and stamina to take your fitness to the next level.
Rest can be augmented with supplements and recovery aids, like our favorite post-workout beverage, the Recovery drink FITAID from our friends at LIFEAID. It’s got all the amino acids and nutrients that our body craves after the gym, an intense flow, or a heart-pumping hike. But just why should we consider rest and recovery just as important as the workout itself? Read on.
Why is rest so important?
There’s a tendency with fitness to go overboard—since a little makes such a positive difference, then a lot must be even better right? Not quite! Counter-intuitively, too much exercise can actually detract from your fitness goals by causing fatigue and sub-par performance, decreasing immunity and appetite, wrecking natural sleep cycles, and in some cases, affecting hormones and fertility. When our bodies are exposed to the stress of intense exercise or over-training, they become susceptible to exhaustion, stress-fractures, strains, pain—over time, even arthritis.
Muscles need time to repair from one training session before they’re again ready to perform optimally. More than that, bones do, too. Too much intense exercise without recovery causes chronic inflammation that can inhibit new bone growth. And while everyone knows exercising within a couple hours of bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep, pushing your routine too hard for too many days without a rest day can flood your body with stress hormones that make it harder to fall asleep, and adversely affect sleep quality when finally sleeping.
How much exercise is good?
Most experts recommend two and a half hours of moderate cardio exercise each week. That looks like a half-hour of exercise five days a week, or three days a week for longer, more difficult workout sessions. Most muscle groups need at least 48 hours of rest to recover, so alternating leg day and a core workout is the way to go. Age, fitness level, and other health factors are important in determining what’s right for you, and any concerns should be discussed with a doctor.
What else does my body need for rest?
Sleep, is of course one of the most important aspects of rest. Getting adequate rest regulates growth hormones that are necessary for recovery. Experts recommend eight hours a night. Less than that denies your body the ability to repair all the little damages it sustains in daily workouts. Hydration is also crucial to rebuild the connective tissues, muscles and nerves, along with a balanced, healthful diet. That might include supplements that help your body heal stronger. Turmeric is a well-known natural anti-inflammatory, while magnesium and B-complex vitamins can increase energy and immunity. Cayenne can reduce muscle pain, and vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, can inhibit histamines and increase immune function.
Rest can also include physical activity—yes, really!—just not at the same high intensity of heavy workouts. Rest days should skip heavy lifting and sprints in favor of walking, an easy jog, or gentle yoga—anything that slightly increases heart rate without leaving you breathless. Bonus for choosing rest exercises that hone mental restoration! Spend time stretching, using a foam roller, or soaking in a hot tub—all ways to aid muscle relaxation and repair.
Some people worry that taking a day off may sidetrack their fitness goals, but experts agree that’s not the case. Rest can help the mind refocus and come back to those goals with greater motivation and drive at the next scheduled session. In fact, most people could skip workouts for about two weeks with minimal effects, as long as the time off is spent engaged in moderate activity and health overall. The bottom line? Hit that snooze button guilt-free a couple days a week. Your body will actually thank you.
To assist you with getting better rest, considering trying sleep drinks that can provide you with the vitamins and nutrients your body needs for a full and restful night of recovery.
As a CEO and successful entrepreneur, Aaron Hinde shares his #1 tip for optimizing execution and getting your team noticed amidst all the other white noise.
Watch the full video here.
