the zen of finding your fitness€¦ · interchangeable. the key, of course, is sticking to the...

The Zen of Finding Your Fitness

Thoughts on health and fitness by the Internet’s Zen master, Leo Babauta

Compiled by Jason Jacobs,Finding My Fitness.com

What you are now reading are 25 of the best posts on health and fitness published on the Internet. Leo Babauta of Zen Habits has given permission to use his work, and I’ve compiled these posts into the anthology you now hold. In it, you’ll find some of the greatest tips I’ve found to help find my own fitness, and I am certain you’ll find many tips to use yourself. I don’t agree with Leo 100% of the time (for example, Leo likes whole grains, but my Paleo/Slow-Carb preferences are to eliminate them), but that doesn’t take away from the principles you’ll learn here. Along with each article is the link to the original article on ZenHabits.net. If you enjoy what you read, I recommend subscribing to Leo’s blog and following him on Twitter or Google+. Some of these are guest posts by other bloggers. They have bylines on them and I ask that you visit their sites as well. If you aren’t familiar with Finding My Fitness, I’d love to have you come visit. You can follow me on Twitter (@fmfblogger), and you’re always welcome at FindingMyFitness.com Thank you for reading! To your health and fitness,Jason Jacobs

a project of FindingMyFitness.com

www.findingmyfitness.com/zenfit

http://twitter.com/zen_habits



https://plus.google.com/109926473783208635050/posts



http://twitter.com/fmfblogger





http://www.findingmyfitness.com/





http://www.findingmyfitness.com/welcome




http://www.findingmyfitness.com/zenfit







Forward Middle and high school were hard. I remember one time in 8th grade. We were in gym class, and we were supposed to go outside to run around the track. I’m sure I was close to 180 lbs. People used to call me Turtle. As we walked to the track, one of my classmates tripped me. Before I could get up, another one did a cannonball onto my back. They laughed at me and said “Come on, Turtle - get up!” I can’t remember anything else about that day, but the shame and humiliation will never leave me. I’d lived with that shame and humiliation my entire life. Because I didn’t know any better back then, I thought I was alone. But I wasn’t alone.You’ve spent your life getting sick. Maybe not sick in the flu or pneumonia sense, but sick in the sense that your body can’t do what it was designed to do. As you’ve gotten older (and sicker) your body has stopped working the way it used to. Stairs are harder to climb. Your couch might be more difficult to get out of. You’re not what you used to be. Maybe you’ve just plain never been able to do things everyone else can. You may not even know what it’s like to feel thin. I suppose my primary illness is obesity, but that’s certainly not the only determiner of health and wellness. Weight is a symptom, not a disease itself. Yes, an overweight person can be healthier than a person of “normal” weight (I almost put average, but the “average” weight these days is still overweight; an average American male weighs around 190 lbs, and an American woman is averaging 164 lbs1). With cardiovascular disease and diabetes running rampant in today’s world, we need to find a remedy. There’s more focus than ever on weight loss in the U.S. today, and yet a full two thirds of Americans are overweight (and one third are obese) (source- CDC). That’s the highest level in history. I’ve decided to take control of my own life. I don’t know what it feels like to be thin. I didn’t know what it feels like to run a mile without feeling pain. I didn’t know what it’s like to actually enjoy exercise.

1Americans Getting Taller, Bigger, Fatter, Says CDC http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/healthcare/a/tallbutfat.htm

a project of FindingMyFitness.comwww.findingmyfitness.com/zenfit

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html














But I do now. And I’m eager to help you do the same. Motivation to look back toOne of the things that helps me the most is to have motivation to fall back to. I’m usually motivated for a few weeks on my own will, but after that I need some pushing. I always find some inspirational read or video does the trick when I need a pick-me-up. I also enjoy reading Leo Babauta’s blog, Zen Habits. Leo was a pretty unhealthy person - overweight, smoker, sort of lazy (he said it, not me). Then one day he decided to make a change. There are many posts on his blog that talk about his journey from unhealthy to healthy, from unfit to fit. I scoured his blog for posts that helped me and compiled them all in this document to help you. I’ve taken tips from each one of these posts and incorporated them in my own quest for health and fitness. I’m sure you’ll find nuggets of truth here. As you read, I want you to take notes. Jot the ideas down as they come to you, and begin to make a plan for yourself. Sit back and enjoy these writings, and when you’re done go do what they motivate you to do.

Find your fitness.














Section 1: The Basics

Get Back On Track Simple Things You Can Do to Lose Weight Four Simple Fitness Fundamentals The Simple Guide to Optimal Health and Fitness The Simple Fitness Rules

80 Awesome Weight Loss Tips

Stop the guilt-fest, stop the worrying, and start eating right. Today. Start working out … today. - Leo Yesterday came and went, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Today, you will rock. Today, you are the master of your fitness. - Leo












Get Back On Track People trying to get healthy and fit all around the country are feeling guilty today after indulging way too much on Thanksgiving — and if you’re outside the U.S., you’ve had this experience on holidays of your own. You had a great feast, but you feel like you overdid it. And you feel guilty, and you feel like crap. Toss all those feelings out. And get off your butt and back on track. I indulge myself nearly every holiday, and feel guilty too — for about a minute. Then I realize that guilt does nothing to get me fitter. I realize the only thing that will get me fitter is eating healthy today — yesterday doesn’t matter — and being active and working out today. Here’s why yesterday doesn’t matter: one day of overeating makes almost no difference over the long term. And the long term is what really matters, isn’t it? Are we trying to be healthy and fit on one day, or for a lifetime? Over a lifetime, one day means nothing, but what you do on the vast majority of days is what counts. And so stop the guilt-fest, stop the worrying, and start eating right. Today. Start working out … today. If you’ve been doing great, that one day was just a day of fun, and you deserve it. Get back on track, and you’ll be great. If you haven’t been doing great, and you overdid it, you should now have more than enough fuel to start exercising today. Go for a walk, and enjoy the outdoors. Play a sport with family. Do some push-ups, squats and lunges instead of sitting around all day. It doesn’t matter what you do, but start moving. Yesterday came and went, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Today, you will rock. Today, you are the master of your fitness. Originally posted: 11.25.2011http://zenhabits.net/guiltfree/


http://zenhabits.net/guiltfree/


















Simple Things You Can Do to Lose Weight If you’re like most people, you might have trouble controlling your weight. Or maybe it’s under control, but it won’t go down to where you’d like it to be. Weight loss, however, doesn’t have to be stressful or complicated. A few simple habit changes could make a big difference — over the long term. Will these changes take you from being 100 pounds overweight to slim and sexy in four weeks? Not at all. These are simple things that are designed to make gradual and sustainable changes. Create some simple habits, and the weight will come off. Eventually. This is not a step-by-step guide, and you will probably not want to implement every suggestion. Choose those that would work best for you. 1. Weigh yourself and chart it. Each morning, weigh yourself on a digital scale and log it immediately. Your weight, of course, will fluctuate from day-to-day, and your sense of accomplishment or disappointment shouldn’t hinge on your daily weight. However, your weight can be used as a useful feedback system to see what you’re doing right and to motivate you. I’d recommend using the trend-oriented spreadsheet used in the Hacker’s Diet. (Jason’s note: I don’t personally recommend weighing yourself everyday because it’s a terrible thing to put emphasis on. If you will be able to not base your sense of accomplishment on the number on the scale and ONLY want the data for tracking purposes, then go for it.) 2. Plan your meals. This is probably the No. 1 thing you can do to lose weight. First, use a calorie calculator to estimate how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. Now, if you want to lose a pound a week, you’ll want to cut that total by 500 calories per day to hit that goal (3,500 calories equals a pound of fat). If you want to lose weight slower, you can cut your total daily calories by less. I wouldn’t recommend more than a pound a week (which is about 50 pounds a year). Once you have your target calories per day, you want to allocate them throughout the day. For example, if your target is 2,000 calories, you could allocate 400 calories per meal for 4 meals (7 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. for example) with two 200-calorie snacks. How you allocate your calories is completely up to you — you might want to experiment to find the best distribution. Now plan each meal so that you fit within the calorie limit for that meal. This might take some time to calculate (try FitDay), but once you have your favorite meals planned, this


http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fourmilab.ch%2Fhackdiet%2Fe4%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHfHtObLpb_O2b-xRTwIC7668k1kg





http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mayoclinic.com%2Fhealth%2Fcalorie-calculator%2FNU00598&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHZ9cKOBnF9Vq_IG64GWfPt1JnNOA




http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fitday.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFGGcqgxF37Ico9OupPStAZSO5qZA











isn’t too hard. You can have a listing of 400-calorie meals and 200-calorie snacks that are interchangeable. The key, of course, is sticking to the meal plan — don’t let yourself deviate. You’ll get used to it after a few days. (Jason’s note: Calorie counting is a tool, but isn’t necessary for weight loss. If you’re eating the foods your body needs, like proteins, fats, and vegetables, you won’t need to count calories. That’s the eating style I recommend. I promise this is the last note. ;) ) 3. Plan healthy snacks. Just as you plan your meals, you should plan your snacks. See the above item on allocating your daily calories to snacks. Instead of just snacking on whatever’s available, or rushing to a vending machine or convenience store when you get really hungry, you should plan to have healthy snacks in between meals. Fruit, veggies, yogurt, dried fruit and similar snacks are all good choices. Be sure to plan some unhealthy snacks sometimes too. You don’t want to completely deprive yourself — make it a fun thing. Some dark chocolate on one day, some berries on another, and an occasional binge work for me. 4. Find lower-fat alternatives. Take your favorite foods and find lower-fat alternatives. If you love burgers, for example, you can make turkey burgers or soy burgers (there are some good ones, trust me). If you like French fries, make your own and bake them. Bake chicken instead of frying it. Get low-fat milk and yogurt instead of the higher-fat versions. Baked chips instead of greasy ones. While you shouldn’t give up fat completely, and in fact some types of fat are good for you in moderation, it’s important to remember that fat is high in calories (more than twice as calorie-dense as protein or carbs), and lowering your fat intake to a more moderate amount will also lower your calorie intake. Adding fruits and veggies is another good way to lower fat intake, as they take up a lot of space in your stomach without adding too many calories or fat. 5. Eat slowly, and then wait 20 minutes. If you scarf down your meals, you are probably overeating because of it. I know, because I have to slow myself down a lot. The thing is, it takes awhile for our brains to get the message that we’re full. So if we eat quickly, we will actually eat past fullness. You’ve probably had that painful, “I’ve eaten way too much!” feeling, and it’s because of fast eating. The trick is to teach yourself to eat slowly. You’ll get full on less food.Another trick is to eat a sensible serving (a moderate plate, not stacked up is a good rule of thumb) without eating seconds right away. If you’re still a little hungry, wait for at least 20 minutes before eating any more. Often your hunger will go away. 6. Think long term. You won’t lose weight overnight. Well, you could lose weight quickly, but you don’t want to — it’ll come back just as quickly. What you want is gradual weight loss that stays lost. A pound a week is a good rate — again, that’s 500 calories a day less than you need to maintain your current weight, and it’s about 50 pounds a year. Both are achievable, and both are sustainable. Of course, you’ll need to make adjustments as you go along, in case you’re












taking in too little or too many calories, but the main thing is not to try for immediate and quick weight loss, but long-term loss. Don’t worry about the ups and downs every day, but look at trends over weeks and months. It’ll happen, if you stick with it and do it moderately. 7. Stop drinking calories. Calories in soda, coffee, tea, alcohol, juice and other beverages are very sneaky, because you don’t realize how many calories you drink a day. Juice, for example, seems healthy, but really you’re getting none of the fiber of fruit and all of the calories. Eating an orange would give you the same benefits, and make you more full. Instead, drink water. Lots of it, all day long. Water makes you full, without giving you calories. It’s the perfect weight-loss drink, available at your local tap. 8. Read about weight loss. This might seem like a weird tip, but I’ve found it to be true. If you keep your focus on your goal, you will most likely achieve it. But if you lose focus, you’ll lose motivation, and soon you’ll stop any progress. What you should do is read about weight loss — success stories, tips, etc. — to return you to that focus and motivation. Any time you’re losing motivation, read some articles about weight loss or exercise or eating healthy. 9. Exercise for just 5 minutes. In the grand scheme of things, eating fewer calories is much more effective than trying to burn the calories through exercise. For example, you could burn a few hundred calories with 30 minutes of hard exercise, but you could easily gain those back with a bowl of cereal or some other snack. So if you really want weight loss, you’ll have to focus on what you eat. However, exercise does help. Burning even 200 calories a day can add up (an extra couple of pounds a month), and you don’t need to exercise too long to do that. And even better, exercise makes you feel good, and feel like you’re getting in shape. It makes you healthier, of course, and will get you toned. My recommendation is to start with just 5 minutes a day. That won’t get you to 200 calories, but it’s a start, and that’s what’s important. Just do 5 minutes a day for the first week. Any kind of exercise will do — try a few push-ups, a few crunches, a few jumping jacks, and a couple minutes of running in place. After a week, increase it by 2 minutes. Do that for a couple of months, and soon you’re doing 20-25 minutes a day. That’s about all you need. 10. Just get through a tough 3 days. If you reduce your caloric intake, as per Item #2 above, you will feel hungry at first. And that’s not easy. Hunger makes us want to give in. But just tell yourself that it’s just for 3 days. After that, it will start to get easier. You’ll get used to it, and it won’t seem like deprivation. Originally posted: 09.07.2007http://zenhabits.net/simple-things-you-can-do-to-lose-weight/


http://zenhabits.net/simple-things-you-can-do-to-lose-weight/
































Four Simple Fitness FundamentalsThis was written by Chris of Zen to Fitness. Health and Fitness have always been meaningful to me as I work in the industry and have always been fascinated by the topic. Nowadays I see too many people push themselves too hard, use bad form and quite simply overdo it with exercise or trying to be healthy in the quest to be fit. We also have a tendency to make health and fitness much too complicated … From this I came to think about a few fundamentals – things I find really important in living a healthy lifestyle. I came up with just four, sure there are others but these are the ones I feel everyone who wants to live a healthier lifestyle or be fitter should know. Bodyweight is King. The Squat and Push-up should be mastered before you move onto other weighted exercises or doing resistance training using weights. This is something I have learnt in my years personal training – the majority of people cannot do a bodyweight squat with good form or weight distribution. As for push-ups few people can do 10-15 with good form – these two movements are the starting point and should be practiced and strengthened before doing anything else. The best thing is amazing workouts can be made up of just running, squats and push-ups. Cardio is Great. Not Essential. Some people love to run, others don’t. Some like to go on long bike rides to release stress others don’t. We are all different and this is most true when it comes to cardiovascular fitness and training – some of us love it and find it to be a great tension and stress reliever, while others find it boring, monotonous and strenuous. Learn to love and live with yourself. If you love doing cardio (running, jogging, crosstrainer etc etc) then do it, if you don’t there are plenty of other ways to stay fit – whether it be bodyweight intervals or playing sports with friends. Find what you are into – the truth is that there are many many ways to gain cardiovascular fitness. Pick what works for you. Walk Everyday. Find Rhythm. Walking gives rhythm to our lives – it helps us think, re-aligns the body and limbers up the knees and hips. If you live in a city walking should be your main form of transport, I always say that if the distance is walkable do it by foot. If you live somewhere more remote walking can be harder as it is sometimes hard to gather motivation to walk without a real purpose. Try listening to a podcast or music while walking – this helps time pass by and gives you a time to listen to what you want without distractions.


http://zentofitness.com/















For optimal health I always say the two most essential things are walking and stretching – neither are to be obsessed over but if you can fit in at least 20 minutes of walking everyday and start or end your day with a good total body stretch out you are on the right path. Live an Invigorating Life. Last but not least – living an invigorating life is probably the most essential thing when it comes to health and fitness. This means living a life that we get strength or energy from– something that gives us a reason to be active and move. Whether this energy comes from doing a job you love, being around people you have fun with, travelling or just doing stuff you love. We need something in our lives to gain strength from. Excitement and passion change things up and gives us the motivation to exercise, eat well and most importantly makes us feel good. I would even go as far as saying one of the best ways to stay fit is just to live life — be active, play with your kids, play tennis, touch football or whatever sports you enjoy, do some bodyweight exercises in the morning, walk lots and eat lots of wholesome food. In all honesty that is how most of the healthiest people I know live. Integrate the fundamentals then go from there. Of course it is great to take things to the next level but first gain a foothold on your health by doing the basics right. Originally posted: 08.02.2011http://zenhabits.net/basics/


http://zenhabits.net/basics/


















The Simple Guide to Optimal Health and Fitness (Jason’s note: This post starts off with a quote I disagree with, but I believe the principles of health and fitness written in this article apply regardless of your beliefs about our origins.) “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” -Theodosius Dobzhansky

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple. As wild animals with massive brains and the ability to respond to sensory stimuli with more than just base instinctual behavior, we humans have the tendency to over-think pretty much, well, everything. Don’t blame yourself. You can’t escape your head. It’s always there. Everything you perceive or ponder is filtered through a dense network of constantly firing neural synapses. And whether you’re a strict materialist who thinks it’s all meaty wiring and circuitry up there, or you’re of the opinion that consciousness exists independently of your physical brain, we’re stuck with that consciousness filter – whatever its origin. It’s a blessing and a curse. Technology and science begat both the Internet and the atom bomb, after all. Or, both YouTube and the YouTube comments section. Our hyper-consciousness often separates us from our surroundings. It erects a barrier that severs the pleasure and immediacy of visceral experience. Imagine the bird watcher who spots a rare woodpecker and immediately buries his nose in his bird ID handbook to confirm the find. The bird flies away. He gets to add a bird to his logbook, but he missed out on seeing a rare animal peck for grubs, stretch its glorious wings, and take flight in search of the next tree. Does a check-mark in a bird logbook compare to the memory of a majestic feathered beast? Ever take a literature course that was so chock full of analysis and essays that you were never able to actually enjoy the great books you were reading? Ever go to the movies with that guy who simply cannot suspend an ounce of disbelief and won’t shut up about the admittedly glaring plot hole the entire ride home? Seeking a deeper understanding of a fascinating and important subject is one thing; over-analysis is another entirely, and it can remove us from the enjoyment of a pleasurable pastime. Human health and physical fitness are important, crucial things to consider, and millions find them fascinating subjects to discuss, analyze, and optimize. I’m one of them. Millions more over-analyze; they make things harder than they need to be, and they generally get poorer results in the long run. Or, they may get objectively good results, but their lives are consumed by the minutiae of calories, miles, reps, and nutrient counting. I’d say there’s got to be an easier way to do things. There has to be a path that utilizes our big brains without them getting in


http://marksdailyapple.com/


















the way. There’s got to be a balanced, rational method to obtain optimal health and fitness that successfully marries our tendency to think with our animal instincts. Getting fit and being healthy should be simplistic, intuitive, and, most importantly, enjoyable. Does wildlife obsess over calories eaten or reps performed? How do deer maintain their trim figures and impressive athleticism without a dietitian and weekly personal training sessions? Conversely, why does the house cat grow obese and lethargic, while a bobcat with nearly identical genes stays fit? It isn’t just the simplistic calories in/calories out model. It couldn’t be. Wild animals don’t count calories. They don’t worry about eating before bed, or getting enough exercise to burn off that squirrel they had for breakfast. They just are. They simply exist in an ecosystem hundreds of thousands of years in the making. Evolution has made sure, by its impartial, unconscious hand, that the flora and fauna live in harmony with each other and internally. The bobcat thrives on rodents and small birds because its digestive system and metabolism evolved eating these things; the house cat gets fat because its digestive system and metabolism aren’t suited for grain-based kibble. If the balance is upset in a given environment, organisms die out or move on, but things always reset. This is simply how nature works. When thinking about how to optimize our health and physical fitness, perhaps we should consider how animals do it – and how our ancestors did it. We’re animals – no one disputes that. We are subject to evolution and natural selection – that one’s a bit more controversial, but it’s true nonetheless. If you keep those two facts in mind while noting the lesson of the fit, lean bobcat, a thread begins to emerge. Shouldn’t the same concept hold true for us? Isn’t there an evolutionarily suitable, effortless lifestyle for us humans, too? There is, and I call it the Primal Blueprint. It eschews complicated workout regimens, tedious calorie counting, and weight loss gimmicks. My Primal laws are based on a rock solid foundation: evolutionary biology and anthropology mixed with modern human ingenuity. I take what worked for tens of thousands of years throughout human prehistory and incorporate contemporary science to confirm its veracity. When you go back and look at the fossil records of our hunter-gatherer, pre-agricultural ancestors, you find that they were healthy, strong, and largely free of degenerative diseases – especially compared to the health of post-agricultural and even modern humans. The result is an incredibly simple, incredibly effective way to live, move, and eat: eat the things our ancestors ate, get the amount of sleep our ancestors used to get, and make the same movements our ancestors used to make before agriculture.

Take ActionIf you take anything from this post remember these two action items:


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0982207700/findingmyfit-20/ref=nosim/













1. The ideal human diet should consist of only whole, unprocessed foods – meat, fish, fowl, plants, fruits, and nuts. Whatever you can kill, pick, or dig up and eat on the spot. This is what your ancestors ate and what your body is meant to consume. 2. By the same token, the best exercise consists of natural, full-body movements – lifting heavy things, sprinting, walking, swimming, hiking, climbing, crawling. This is how your ancestors moved and how your body is meant to function.

Amazing ResultsThe results of following these simple rules are numerous and almost immediate:

● The weight melts off, if you have some to lose, or added muscle appears, if you could stand to gain a few pounds.

● You reset your taste buds. Sugar becomes cloying; processed industrial vegetable oil tastes unnatural.

● You realize you don’t need grains, beans, and potatoes to feel full.● You crave real food, and you realize that real food tastes good – better than anything

you could find on a convenience store shelf and more satisfying than anything in a fast food restaurant. Hunger no longer dictates that you eat every few hours.

● You get stronger and faster, sure, but you learn to move again. You regain lost mobility.● You get sick less often as your immune system begins to function more effectively.● You take pleasure in real movement and become more confident in your own skin.● Eating and moving becomes intuitive, easy and fun.● The world becomes your gym. Can’t make it to the weight room? Pick up a rock, toss it a

couple times, pull your own body weight, then go running in the park. As long as you can manipulate your own body weight, you’re strong enough.

Man is an opportunist above anything else. We love the easy way out, but we tend to make fitness and nutrition so incredibly complicated. Just cut out the foods we’ve only been eating for a few hundred generations (and do eat the things we’ve been eating for thousands of generations), drop the ridiculous fitness contraptions to focus on natural movements, and streamline your health. And don’t be afraid to turn off that big brain every once in awhile. Read more from Mark Sisson at his popular blog, Mark’s Daily Apple, or check out his new book, The Primal Blueprint.

Originally posted: 03.17.2007http://zenhabits.net/optimal-health/
















http://zenhabits.net/optimal-health/




















The Simple Fitness Rules Health and fitness are usually made to seem too complex. If you read a lot of fitness magazines and blogs (as I often do), you’re told a confusing variety of complex advice. It makes your head spin. You’re told that eggs, butter and meat are bad for you. Then another crowd will tell you those same things are actually good. Then you’ll hear running is good for you, and the bodybuilding and primal crowds will scoff at longer-distance running. You’ll hear that lifting weights is the best way to get into shape, and others will laugh at that. You’ll hear a million variations of the best workouts, of when to time your nutrition, of how to periodize your workouts, of how to measure fitness, of what supplements you need to take … ad nauseum. It’s enough to make you want to give up. Fortunately, fitness doesn’t have to be that complex. In fact, you can boil it down to two simple rules:

1. Get your body moving on a regular basis; and2. Eat a moderate amount of real, whole foods (with occasional indulgences).

I believe if you stuck to those two rules, and stuck with them for awhile, you’d get fit. Doing one but not the other will result in an improvement in health for many people (not all), but it would be an incomplete health. Do both most days of the week and you’re on your way to health and fitness. But what about specific macronutrient ratios (fancy way of saying the breakdown of protein, carbs and fats)? What about meal frequency and timing? What about workout frequency, splits, timing, reps, and more? You could add all these types of rules and many more, but the truth is, all the complexities are usually a way of masking some simple truths: if you want to lose fat or weight, you have to have a calorie deficit, and if you want to build muscle, you’ve got to use exercise to get stronger. The other stuff is mostly guesswork, and while these complicated programs probably work, they usually work because they promote one or more of the principles in this post, not because of their complexities. The two rules above are all you need … however, most of us need a little more detail, so here’s a more complete set of simple fitness rules. As always, remember that 1) I’m not an expert — this is just stuff that’s worked for me; 2) this is for healthy adults — people with health problems should seek the advice of professionals.












1. Get moving. Try to do some kind of physical activity most days of the week (4 or more days if possible). If you have an aversion to exercise, don’t think of it as exercise. Just think of it as a way to get your body moving in some fun way. It can be dance, yardwork, hiking, a nature walk, a swim, basketball, rugby, cycling, even housework if you do it vigorously enough. And it doesn’t have to be the same thing each day. I recommend, just for the sake of simplicity, that you do find a regular time slot you could do your daily activity, most days of the week. I prefer mornings but others enjoy lunchtime or after work. 2. Enjoy yourself. Whatever activity you choose, it has to be fun. If you don’t like it, move on to something else. Focus on the fun part, not the hard part. Or learn, as I have, to enjoy the hard stuff! Again, make it fun, or you won’t keep it up for very long. To make sure it’s not too hard, start easy. Focus on just getting moving and enjoying the activity. Start small, and build up with baby steps. 3. Slowly add intensity. Once you’ve been doing an activity for a little while, and you’re in decent shape, it’s good to add some intensity. But slowly — if you add intensity too quickly you’ll risk injury or burnout. So let’s say you’ve been doing some walking for a couple months — you should be ready to add a little jogging or fast-paced walking, in small little intervals. If you’ve been running, try some faster-paced intervals (take it easy at first) or hill workouts. If you’ve been strength training, be sure to add weights (safely) or decrease rest time or add more reps or sets. If you’re playing a sport, really speed things up, or focus on explosive movements. Intensity is a great way to get yourself in shape and have an effective workout in only 20-30 minutes. Here’s a great way to do bodyweight exercises with intensity: do a circuit of bodyweight exercises (such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats, burpees, Hindu push-ups, lunges or others) and do as many circuits as you can in 10 or 15 minutes. Next workout, see if you can do more circuits. It’s great! 4. Minimal equipment. There are a million different exercise gadgets out there, from ab machines to elliptical trainers to a whole slew of weight machines at the gym. My rule is: keep it simple. You can do amazing things with bodyweight exercises — in fact, if you are a relative beginner, you should start with bodyweight exercises for at least 6 months before progressing to weights. You don’t need cardio machines — just go outside and walk, run, bike, do hills, climb stairs, sprint. Even if you do weights, a barbell or dumbbells are all you need — stay away from the machines that work your body at angles it’s not meant to use (although cable machines aren’t bad). Even better, get outside and do sprints, push-ups, jump over things, pick up big rocks and throw them, do pullups from a tree, climb up rocks, swim, do a crabwalk or monkeywalk, take a sledgehammer or pick and slam it into the ground, flip tractor tires, and generally get a great workout with very little equipment. 5. Just a few exercises. Bodybuilding routines will have you doing 3-4 different exercises per body part. That’s too complicated for most people. Keep it simple in the weight room: squats, deadlifts, presses, chin-ups or pull-ups, rows. You can do a lot with just those lifts. Of












course, you’ll want to mix it up eventually with some variations, but no need for 10 different ab exercises or things that focus on your rear deltoids or use swiss balls. If you’re doing bodyweight exercises, I love things like push-ups, burpees, squats, lunges, pull-ups, dips, planks. Pick a few and do some circuits with little rest. 6. Eat real foods. One of the most important rules on this list, because if you don’t eat right (most of the time), it doesn’t matter how much exercise you do — you’ll get fat and unhealthy. Aim for real, whole foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. That means stay away from processed, refined, fatty, sugary foods. Veggies, fruits, lean meats, dairy, nuts, beans, whole grains, eggs, seeds. Prepare them yourself if possible — convenience foods often have added ingredients, as well as extra salt, fat, sugar and preservatives. If you follow this diet — with the plant foods making the bulk of the diet — it’s hard to go wrong. 7. Eat less. Most people eat too much, and eventually it shows up as fat. To lose that fat, we need to eat less — it’s really that simple. Of course, if you eat the real foods mentioned above, you’ll probably consume fewer calories, but even so, it’s smart to reduce how much you eat overall, at least until you reach a healthy level of body fat (and even then, you shouldn’t let it all go). One way to do that is by eating slowly and mindfully until you’re just satiated (not stuffed). Another way is to eat smaller meals and watch the portions. A third way, which I’ve been experimenting with lately, is intermittent fasting (see Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat ebook for a great explanation of the science behind fasting). However you do it, be sure to consume the real food in moderate amounts, and reduce your calorie intake if you’re looking to lose fat. 8. Give it time. This is what gets many people — they expect to see results immediately, within the first month or so, because the magazines they read make it seem so instantaneous. But real fitness rarely happens this way — it’s a process and a lifestyle change. I started out in really bad shape, really overweight, and all I did in the beginning was to quit smoking and start running. A year later, I ran a marathon and was a vegetarian — but I was still kinda fat. A year after that, I was still exercising regularly, and had made a lot of progress, but I still had a ways to go. Now, 3.5 years later, I’m in great shape — slimmer and more muscular and much healthier — but I still have a little stubborn belly fat I’m working on. I’ll get there, but I have accepted the fact that it takes time. You didn’t gain the fat overnight, and you won’t lose it that way either. Learn to enjoy the process, enjoy the activities, enjoy the healthy, real food, and you’ll get healthy and fit almost as an afterthought to this new, amazing lifestyle. Originally posted: 06.16.2009http://zenhabits.net/the-simple-fitness-rules/


http://bradpilon.com/





http://zenhabits.net/the-simple-fitness-rules/
























80 Awesome Weight Loss Tips Last week I asked you all to offer up your best weight-loss tips. And boy, did you deliver. I’ve compiled some of your best tips into a list of ideas, below, for those looking to lose weight (and that’s probably most of us). It’s not a step-by-step guide, and there are contradictory tips — but there are some great ones here, so pick and choose those that will work best for you and give them a try. Note: I couldn’t include all of them, or it would have taken me 3 days to do this. I just picked some of the best, and combined many of them. Some tips may be slightly redundant, but I like them, so I included them. (Jason’s note: People are different. I don’t agree with some of these tips, but they may help someone else. For example, tracking everything might make one person quit their healthy diet, but it might be the one thing someone else needs to push them forward. Decide which of these helps you and try them out. Ignore the rest.) General weight loss tips

● Remember to keep your goals in sight to motivate yourself.● 5 Word Diet Plan – and the only one that works: Eat Less and Move More!● Doing the Zen Habits 30-day challenge to make something a habit really helps make

exercise a no-brainer. The first step is getting yourself to do it, after that, the gains are much easier to make.

● To be successful you need to change your life. You need to take control of the bad habits you have turned into an unhealthy life. You need to be excited about it too. And you have to believe that you can do it. Dreams turn into reality very quickly when you work hard.

● Don’t try to lose weight. The number one indicator of excessive weight gain in the future is attempting to lose weight in the past. Don’t diet, it won’t last. Instead get up and go get more exercise.

● Never, never, never eat between the 3 main meals. Then eat what you want when it is time to eat.

● Avoid processed food, or at least food where you can’t pronounce the ingredients. Keep it as natural as possible.

● Stop watching the scale every day. If you weigh yourself, do it just once a week — as soon as you wake up, after you use the bathroom.

● No matter how much you want a change in your life, nothing will happen until you DO something. You can talk about starting an exercise regimen and eating healthier foods all you want, but nothing will change until you START DOING IT.


http://zenhabits.net/2007/06/ask-the-readers-best-weight-loss-tip/
















Section 2: Food

The Simplest Diet For Lean Fitness The Anti-Fast Food Diet Recipe: Best Soup Ever

Top 15 Diet Hacks 5 Powerful Reasons to Eat Slower Hassle-Free Weight Loss: The Zen Habits Meal Plan

“I’ve done no fad diets or quick weight loss. I’ve done nothing extreme. Everything is about living healthier and eating whole foods and being active most days. And about enjoying the journey.” - Leo














The Simplest Diet For Lean Fitness I’m in the best shape in my life. I’m incredibly happy to say that. For years (as many of you know) I was in terrible health — I was overweight and sedentary and addicted to junk food and a smoker and overworked. Today after more than five years of living healthy I am about 65 pounds lighter. I’m leaner than I’ve been since probably high school with the same pants size as I had in high school (31 inches) — while being much stronger than I was back then. More importantly I am fitter: I can run and play sports and hike and do activities of all kinds better than ever before.. How have I achieved all of this? Slow change. I’ve done no fad diets or quick weight loss. I’ve done nothing extreme. Everything is about living healthier and eating whole foods and being active most days. And about enjoying the journey. Today I thought I’d share a bit about how I eat. It’s not meant to be copied exactly but to inform others trying to make a similar journey. Also see the post: How I Train.

Overall philosophyMy general philosophy of eating:

● I don’t go for anything extreme. I’ve made small changes to my diet over the years and have found this works best: if you try for drastic changes you’ll hate it and won’t stick to it for long. But add a few extra fruits and veggies and it’s not hard. Change soda to water next month and it’s not deprivation.

● I eat slowly. OK … not always but most of the time. Eating slowly allows me to fully savor the taste of the healthy food I eat and at the same time eat less while still feeling satiated (not stuffed).

● I eat real foods. I try for veggies and fruits and raw nuts and seeds and beans and some whole grains. Sometimes my food is processed but mostly it’s just the stuff you’ll find in the produce and bulk sections of a supermarket (or farmer’s market).

● I eat plants. I do that mostly for reasons of compassion (killing animals for pleasure doesn’t feel right to me) but I’ve found it’s also an extremely healthy way to eat. Sure it’s possible to be vegan and unhealthy (eat processed fake meats and sweets) but if you’re a whole-food vegan it’s hard to go wrong. And yes it’s easy to get protein as a vegan.



http://zenhabits.net/train/






http://zenhabits.net/5-powerful-reasons-to-eat-slower/















● I enjoy myself. I look for healthy foods I love — berries for example — and savor them. I’ll eat sweets now and then but in small portions and truly enjoy the few bites I have. I have red wine and love it. I drink beer sometimes and it’s wonderful. I have pizza about once a week and it’s delicious. Eating healthy isn’t about deprivation but about finding ways to enjoy yourself while living a healthy life.

My DietThis month I’ve cut my less healthy choices down to Saturdays — as inspired by Tim Ferriss’s book The 4-Hour Body. That means I only eat pasta and pizza and sweets and beer and French fries on Saturdays. This has gotten me even leaner and I recommend this way of living. The rest of the week I eat my own version of Tim’s Slow Carb Diet — the Leo version. That means I eat a little fruit and a few whole grains and I don’t eat the meat. I don’t eat fried foods or drink calories (other than red wine at dinner) or eat white carbs (pasta bread rice potatoes pizza). What I eat:

● Beans – lentils and black beans and kidney beans and pintos and soybeans.● Nuts and seeds – raw almonds and walnuts and seeds and olive oil and avocados.● Veggies – lots of greens like kale and spinach and chard and broccoli. Carrots and

various bell peppers and sprouts and so on.● Fruits – berries and apples and oranges and a little dried fruits like raisins. In

moderation.● Whole grains – steel-cut oats and Ezekiel flourless sprouted-grains bread and quinoa

(not technically a grain). That’s about it — I don’t eat pastas or whole-grain muffins or the like.

My MealsMy typical day usually goes like this:

● Breakfast: Every day I eat steel-cut oats for breakfast late in the morning (usually between 10:30 and 11:30). I cook it and then mix it with flaxseed and cinnamon and blueberries and raw almonds and a few raisins and maybe a small amount of banana or raspberries.

● Lunch: Typically a big-ass salad with kale and spinach and sprouts and avocados and beans and raw nuts and a little fruit with balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I’ll eat a tofu stir-fry with greens.

● Snack: If I’m hungry in the afternoon I’ll eat some raw nuts and dried fruit or veggies and hummus.



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/030746363X/4hourfit-20/ref=nosim/





http://www.findingmyfitness.com/2011/06/4hb-food-list/




















● Dinner: Beans and veggies or a tofu-stir fry or veggie chili with beans. This meal varies. Sometimes the beans will be Indian style or Mexican style. Usually the veggies will be greens like kale or broccoli or chard. Sometimes I’ll have quinoa. Red wine with dinner.

And that’s about it. Over time I’ve found I need less food than I used to. Eat slowly and you’ll find yourself full on less food.

The ResultsI used to spread my “cheats” throughout the week — a whole-grain muffin here and some pizza there and beer more than I’d like to admit. But putting everything on Saturdays has helped me be honest the rest of the week. I honestly enjoy eating whole foods. I enjoy being lighter and leaner. I’ve gained muscle eating these foods though I might focus on building more muscle later in the year. I run faster than ever. I can do more intense workouts than ever before. I was tested for various health indicators recently and everything was perfect. Eating this way has absolutely changed my life.

Notes

A couple notes to answer potential questions:● Soy is not unhealthy. You might have read various scare articles on the Internet about soy

(usually based on misleading articles from the Weston A. Price Foundation) but they’re misinterpretations of science. I eat soy in moderation and try for whole soy in natural forms (tofu, tempeh, edamame, some natural soy milk). I don’t have man boobs and I’m absolutely healthy. Instead of pointing to “scientific” explanations of why soy is unhealthy show me the actual peer-reviewed studies that show that moderate amounts of natural soy (not soy protein isolate) have caused health problems.

● You can absolutely get enough protein and calcium and iron on a vegan diet if you eat whole foods and not junk.

● Sugar is junk and that includes white flour pasta and breads and French fries. It’s worthless calories. Whole grains in moderation provide nutrients and fiber.

● A little meat in moderation is not unhealthy — especially if you choose grass fed and free range. Most people eat unhealthy amounts of meat and eggs and dairy. Those foods in any amount are unethical in my opinion — even if they’re grass fed and free range. Exploitation of animals as objects and their suffering for our pleasure is not compassionate. We don’t need animal products to live healthy lives — as my example shows — so the only reason to eat them is for our pleasure (we like the taste).

Originally posted: 1.26.2011http://zenhabits.net/diet/



http://www.care2.com/causes/real-food/blog/enjoy-soy-dr-debunks-scaremonger-stories-says-soy-beneficial-for-people-and-the-planet/




http://unreasonable.org/node/1642








http://www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles_id=80







http://zenhabits.net/diet/



















The Anti-Fast Food Diet “There is a meditation exercise in which you place a raisin in your mouth. You do not eat the raisin. You meditate and allow it to sit in your mouth unmolested. The raisin plumps up and becomes a juicy fruitness in your mouth, tempting you to bite it. This is a powerful example of how eating is different when you are truly aware of each morsel.” - Thich Nhat Hanh When my family and I visited Tokyo earlier this year, it was a bit sad to see the rise of fast food in Japan. It’s a beautiful country with a rich history of a traditional lifestyle, incredible food, and good health. They’ve perfected the art of food preparation, using the freshest ingredients to create small portions of beautiful dishes. And while there still aren’t many fat Japanese people, especially compared to the U.S., I’d bet that will change with the insidious growth of fast food restaurants on many a street corner. McDonald’s is prevalent, of course, but so are many other Western food chains and an increasing number of Japanese fast food outlets. It’s been awhile since I’ve written about the Slow Food movement, but I really believe it’s the answer to many of our problems: health and obesity, the hectic and stressful pace of modern life, and the lack of happiness in a complex and often burdensome world. This is the Anti-Fast Food Diet — a way to not only lose weight and get healthier, but to change your life to one of simplicity, moderation, and joy. Abandon fast food, and all the values it brings: mass consumption, mass production, the exploitation of workers, the destruction of the environment, the destruction of small local businesses, the corporatization of our culture. Instead, embrace Slow Food. Here’s how.

1. Stop rushing to eat. Set aside more time for eating, for shopping and preparation, for enjoying life. Stop rushing to fast food places because it’s convenient — because it’s not so convenient to be hospitalized. Instead, make time, and take things a bit slower.

2. Prepare your own meals. I know, who has the time? You do. Make the time, and cook simple meals without a lot of ingredients or preparation time. It takes 10 minutes to whip together a healthy and tasty lunch or dinner. And it can be a lot of fun (get the family or your partner involved). Preparing your own meals is healthier, frugal, and you know you’re eating good food.



http://zenhabits.net/2007/07/5-powerful-reasons-to-eat-slower/



http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2F2007%2F07%2F5-powerful-reasons-to-eat-slower%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFzo1Dlk2tdiLxlVZnnL5XgSqsi2Q

http://www.slowfood.com/















3. Eat real food, not processed. Buy fresh ingredients such as fruits, veggies, whole grains,

nuts, beans, and the like. Use ingredients you can recognize, not things filled with chemicals. Don’t use prepared food if you can avoid it — microwaveable or boxed foods are not the best. Avoid processed food at all costs.

4. Eat slowly and mindfully. Too many people stuff food down their gullets these days. It’s not healthy, and you’ve just consumed food without enjoying it. Instead, take the time to chew your food, to taste it, to be present as you eat.

5. Enjoy the food. Fully savor each bite. Appreciate the miracle of the food you’re eating, and be grateful you have that bite at all.

6. Take time to breathe, and smile. Before you begin to eat, smile, and take a deep breath, reminding yourself to be present and enjoy the food. Between bites, instead of rushing to the next bite, breath, relax, enjoy. Savor the moment.

7. When drinking tea, just drink tea. When eating, just eat. Be fully present. Don’t read a book or surf the net or drive or work or anything else but eat and drink.

8. Good conversation. OK, the exception to the above rule: eating with friends and family. Fast food has destroyed the good meal and conversation, because we’re rushing as we eat and don’t have time for a good talk. Bring it back.

9. When you do eat at a restaurant, make it a good one. Avoid the fast food places, but also the chain restaurants (Chili’s, TGI Fridays, Lone Star, Olive Garden, etc). Go to locally owned restaurants where they use real ingredients and really make good food. These may be more expensive, but you’re not supporting a corporation and your food will be better, and even if it means eating out less that’s OK — quality is more important than quantity.

“There are some people who eat an orange but don’t really eat it. They eat their sorrow, fear, anger, past, and future.” - Thich Nhat Hanh “When you eat with awareness, you find that there is more space, more beauty. You begin to watch yourself, to see yourself, and you notice how clumsy you are or how accurate you are. … So when you make an effort to eat mindfully…, you find that life is worth much more than you had expected.” - Chogyam Trungpa Originally posted: 10.26.2009http://zenhabits.net/the-anti-fast-food-diet/


http://zenhabits.net/the-anti-fast-food-diet/



























Recipe: Best … soup … ever OK, I may have oversold this recipe in the headline a bit, but trust me, you’ll love it. It’s easy to make, it’s vegan, it’s healthy, and it is perfection. I can’t get enough of it. Go out and buy the ingredients and make it today! Ingredients

● Various veggies, diced (you can use any kind that you like, but I usually throw in squash (butternut, though any kind is great), celery, carrots, corn, fresh spinach and broccoli — zucchini would be another good choice)

● One yellow onion, diced● A couple cloves of garlic, diced● Vegetable bullion, four cubes● 1 package pasta (any kind except the longer ones like spaghetti or linguini is good — I like the

bow-tie pasta or shell pasta)● 1 can each kidney beans and white beans● 1 can stewed tomatoes● water● olive oil, a few tablespoons● salt and black pepper and Italian seasoning to taste

Directions

● Dice all the veggies and open the cans of beans (and corn if you’re using canned corn); be sure not to skin the squash — just scoop out the seeds and dice it up

● Heat up the olive oil in a large pot and saute the onion and garlic● throw in all the veggies except the spinach; stir and heat up until veggies start to get a little soft● Season veggies with some salt, pepper and Italian seasoning● throw in the beans, pasta, stewed tomatoes, and enough water so that the pot is nearly full (not

all the way!); heat on high until boiling, then turn down to medium heat● mix vegetable bouillon with warm water in a cup until dissolved, and pour into soup; boil until

pasta nearly cooked● throw in the spinach a couple minutes before the soup is done; when the pasta is cooked, the

soup is done; be sure to season with more salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to taste — you know when it is seasoned right when you taste it and say, “Oh … my … God!”

Enjoy! You will love this. Serve it to friends, and tell them how you found this recipe on Zen Habits. Or do what I do, and pack it for lunch every day for a week. I never get tired of it. Originally posted on 03.17.2007http://zenhabits.net/recipe-best-soup-ever/



http://zenhabits.net/recipe-best-soup-ever/

























Top 15 Diet Hacks You’ve read and enjoyed the Top 20 Motivation Hacks and Top 10 Productivity Hacks … and now you want hacks to eat healthier and to get a flat tummy. Well, Zen Habits has never been one to hold back on you, so at reader request, here are the best hacks I’ve found for eating healthy. Top Diet 15 Hacks

1. Don’t diet. Diets never work, because they are too restrictive and temporary. Once you’re off the diet, you let go, and all bets are off. Aim for gradual change, something you can sustain for the rest of your life. If you’re about to make a change to your diet, ask yourself: “Is this something I can do forever?” If not, perhaps you should consider a smaller or different change.

2. Change one food at a time. As a corollary to the above hack, just change one thing in your diet, and get used to it. For example, instead of eating sugar cereal, try oatmeal or whole-grain cereal with low sugar. Or instead of eating a burger, try a healthier sandwich. Once you’re used to that change (give it at least 2 weeks, a month is better), change another food. There’s no need to change your entire diet overnight, and in fact that’s not as sustainable.

3. Veggie Day. Go vegetarian one day a week. It’ll reduce the fat you take in (and thus the calories) and also increase the fiber and nutrients you get.

4. Toss the junk. The best way to ensure that you don’t eat a bunch of junk food is to make sure it’s not around. Go through your fridge, your cabinets, and that secret drawer you have at work, and toss all the junk food. Don’t buy any more. Now move on to the next tip.

5. Stock up on good snacks. Instead of junk food, you need snacks that are good for you — fruits and veggies are my favorites, but whole-wheat crackers, nuts, and the like are also good. Have your home stocked with it, take it on the road, and have it available at work.

6. Brown bag it. Take a healthy lunch with you to work, instead of eating at a restaurant. More on that here.

7. Atkins Hack. I don’t recommend the Atkins diet. I’ve tried it. It literally makes you sick — that’s what ketosis is. And it’s not something that is sustainable for very long — ask anyone who’s tried it. But one thing that Atkins did was bring to our consciousness the fact that not all carbs are created equal. Replace white carbs with whole-grain carbs, and you’ve made a good change.



http://zenhabits.net/2007/02/top-20-motivation-hacks-overview/






http://zenhabits.net/2007/02/top-10-productivity-hacks-overview/






http://zenhabits.net/2007/04/gradual-vegetarianism-the-easy-way-to-a-slim-waist/












http://zenhabits.net/2007/04/simple-way-to-save-3000-a-year-brown-bag-it/




















8. Flax it up. Often ignored are essential fatty acids, and ground flaxseeds are an excellent

source. I toss ground flaxseed in pancakes, cereal, anything I bake, and especially my oatmeal (with some frozen blueberries – yum!).

9. Forsake juice. Juice is good fruit, with all the fiber removed. What’s left is mostly sugar. Eat fruit instead.

10. Water powered. Instead of juice or coffee or soda or tea, drink water. It’s really the best drink there is. I drink water all day long.

11. Say nay-o to mayo. Mayonnaise is filled with fat. So is butter, and cream cheese and eggs and cream … find healthier replacements. I like Veganaise for mayonnaise, “better than cream cheese”, canola-oil margarine, and I basically nix the eggs.

12. Olive you. I think olives are magical. But in any case, they’re great additions to salads and homemade pizza and other dishes, and I use olive oil on just about anything. Replace saturated fats with healthy fats.

13. Nuts to that. Nuts are great sources of good oils and proteins. Add some nuts to your diet for snacks, or on salads. Raw is best — raw almonds are great. Avoid ones that are too high in salt.

14. Berry good. Berries are another magical food, and easy to add to any diet. Blueberries are best, but any berries are great. Eat them plain as a snack, or add them to cereal, yogurt, smoothies. Mmmmm.

15. Baked, not fried. Yeah, you know this one. Basically, less fatty, and still tastes great. Originally posted: 04.28.2007http://zenhabits.net/top-15-diet-hacks/



http://zenhabits.net/top-15-diet-hacks/























5 Powerful Reasons to Eat Slower One of the problems in our daily lives is that many of us rush through the day, with no time for anything … and when we have time to get a bite to eat, we gobble it down. That leads to stressful, unhealthy living. And with the simple but powerful act of eating slower, we can begin to reverse that lifestyle immediately. How hard is it? You take smaller bites, you chew each bite slower and longer, and you enjoy your meal longer. It takes a few minutes extra each meal, and yet it can have profound effects.You may have already heard of the Slow Food Movement, started in Italy almost two decades ago to counter the fast food movement. Everything that fast food is, Slow Food isn’t. If you read the Slow Food Manifesto, you’ll see that it’s not just about health — it’s about a lifestyle. And whether you want to adopt that lifestyle or not, there are some reasons you should consider the simple act of eating slower:

1. Lose weight. A growing number of studies confirm that just by eating slower, you’ll consume fewer calories — in fact, enough to lose 20 pounds a year without doing anything different or eating anything different. The reason is that it takes about 20 minutes for our brains to register that we’re full. If we eat fast, we can continue eating past the point where we’re full. If we eat slowly, we have time to realize we’re full, and stop on time. Now, I would still recommend that you eat healthier foods, but if you’re looking to lose weight, eating slowly should be a part of your new lifestyle.

2. Enjoy your food. This reason is just as powerful, in my opinion. It’s hard to enjoy your food if it goes by too quickly. In fact, I think it’s fine to eat sinful foods, if you eat a small amount slowly. Think about it: you want to eat sinful foods (desserts, fried foods, pizza, etc.) because they taste good. But if you eat them fast, what’s the point? If you eat them slowly, you can get the same amount of great taste, but with less going into your stomach. That’s math that works for me. And that argument aside, I think you are just happier by tasting great food and enjoying it fully, by eating slowly. Make your meals a gastronomic pleasure, not a thing you do rushed, between stressful events.

3. Better digestion. If you eat slower, you’ll chew your food better, which leads to better digestion. Digestion actually starts in the mouth, so the more work you do up there, the less you’ll have to do in your stomach. This can help lead to fewer digestive problems.

4. Less stress. Eating slowly, and paying attention to our eating, can be a great form



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Food






http://www.slowfood.com/about_us/eng/manifesto.lasso






http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-11-15-slower-eating_x.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-11-15-slower-eating_x.htm

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04223/359071.stm

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04223/359071.stm

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55876

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55876












of mindfulness exercise. Be in the moment, rather than rushing through a meal thinking about what you need to do next. When you eat, you should eat. This kind of mindfulness, I believe, will lead to a less stressful life, and long-term happiness. Give it a try.

5. Rebel against fast food and fast life. Our hectic, fast-paced, stressful, chaotic lives — the Fast Life — leads to eating Fast Food, and eating it quickly. This is a lifestyle that is dehumanizing us, making us unhealthy, stressed out, and unhappy. We rush through our day, doing one mindless task after another, without taking the time to live life, to enjoy life, to relate to each other, to be human. That’s not a good thing in my book. Instead, rebel against that entire lifestyle and philosophy … with the small act of eating slower. Don’t eat Fast Food. Eat at a good restaurant, or better yet, cook your own food and enjoy it fully. Taste life itself.

Originally posted: 07.13.2007http://zenhabits.net/5-powerful-reasons-to-eat-slower/



http://zenhabits.net/2007/07/5-inspirations-for-being-in-the-moment/































Hassle-free Weight Loss: The Zen Habits Meal Plan

I’ve decided that in order to get serious about losing weight, you need to count calories. I’ve tried doing it without counting, and while you do see some weight loss, it’s not the results I’m looking for. However, I’m too lazy to measure and calculate the calories of every single thing I put in my mouth. So how have I solved that problem? I call it the Zen Habits Meal Plan (clever, huh?). Notice that it’s not the “Zen Habits Diet”. That’s because to me, diets are intended to be restrictive and temporary. I’ve created an easy way to plan my meals so that I don’t overeat, so that I’m eating fairly healthy, and so that it’s got some leeway for pleasurable eating. And for me, this has to be something I can do for life. So here are my requirements when I was coming up with this plan:

● Easy - I don’t want to have to measure or calculate calories for each meal or snack. I need to track calories, but nothing hard or complicated.

● Healthy - I want to incorporate a lot of good, whole foods into my plan.● Not restrictive – I don’t want to feel like I’m starving myself or restricting myself from

yummy foods.● Sustainable - This is not a temporary plan. It’s something I want to do for the rest of my

life.● Prevent binging – If you allow yourself to get too hungry, you tend to binge. I don’t

want that. OK, so with those requirements in mind, here’s the plan:

1. Calorie goal: Using a calorie calculator, I figured out how many calories I burn every day, just by living my regular life (my Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR). It’s about 2,400. As I plan to burn at least 100 calories a day through exercise, I increased that number to 2,500. Then I figured out what I should eat to lose about 1 lb. a week (that’s a healthy and sustainable rate) … a deficit of 500 calories a day gets you to 1 lb. a week, so my calorie goal for each day is to eat 2,000 calories. Give or take 100 or so, but that’s my goal. So my meal plan is 2,000 calories a day … yours will be different, depending on your BMR and your weight loss goal.

2. 5 meals: To prevent binging, I spread my meals more evenly throughout the day. Most

people fall off a meal plan or diet because they are hungry. If you get hungry, you tend


http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/calories-burned.php















to eat unhealthy stuff, and eat too much. So my plan calls for 5 meals spread evenly throughout the day. As my calorie goal is 2,000, I divided that evenly into the 5 meals to come up with 400-calorie meals. Your meals will be different — divide your calorie goal by the number of meals you want.

3. Meal schedule: So I have 5 meals of 400-calories each … and my plan calls for me to eat them at regular intervals. Here’s my schedule: 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. I found that after 3 hours, I start to get really hungry. But if I eat every 3 hours, I don’t binge. Your schedule will be different, but I suggest spreading the meals out every 3 hours, so that you eat not too long after you get up (within 2 hours), and not too long before you go to bed (within 3 hours or so).

4. No snacking after dinner: This has always caused me to eat too many calories. I eat dinner, and then an hour or two later I start snacking. However, I’ve told myself not to do that. It was hard at first, but now I don’t get hungry after dinner, usually. Your body adjusts.

5. 400-calorie meals: So I created a list of 400-calorie meals. Foods I like to eat, that add up to 400 calories. I used a calorie calculator, or just looked on packages. It took me about an hour, but after that, I didn’t have to do any calorie counting. These are medium-sized meals — not exactly snacks, but not huge meals. Just enough to satisfy my hunger.

6. Healthy stuff: I loaded my meals, as much as possible, with healthy stuff. That includes whole grains, nuts, beans, veggies, fruits, lean protein, flaxseed, blueberries, avocados, oatmeal, lots of greens, etc. It’s not all healthy, but I tried to put in good stuff. I also put in treats, here and there, so that I can enjoy myself.

7. Eat till satisfied: For too long, I overate. This was mostly because I was hungry, but also because I wasn’t conscious of my eating and my body’s hunger signals. My goal during this plan has been to pay more attention to my body, and to know when I’m satisfied (not stuffed) and to stop. Sometimes I don’t think I’m satisfied, but I wait. And in about 10-20 minutes, I feel satisfied. Listen to your body.

8. Eating out: Another thing that derailed my previous plans is that I didn’t plan on eating out. But it happens, all the time. And as the restaurant food isn’t on your plan, what do you do? You just eat whatever’s available. My list of 400-cal meals includes stuff from all of the restaurants where I commonly eat.

9. Logging: I never used to log my eating, because it was so much hassle. But I’m now a firm believer in logging your eating. It keeps you honest, helps you to be more aware of what you eat, and helps you to stick to the plan. It doesn’t matter how you log, but














three things: 1) keep it simple, so you can log quickly and easily; 2) log it immediately (don’t wait until later, when you might forget); and 3) let others see your log, whether it’s one person or all the readers of your blog. There are a million logging tools. I’ve recently been using Peer Trainer, and it works pretty well … you join teams of four people, and everyone on the team can see the logs of others, and leave comments for each other. Very motivating. Calorie Count Plus is another good one.

10. Cheat meals: Twice a week, I have a cheat meal. I try to keep these planned, but they’re flexible. So I might know that I’m going out with friends, and let that be my cheat meal … but if I go way over on a meal for some reason, I’ll designate that to be my cheat meal.

11. The Three-Bite Rule: If there’s a dessert or treat I want to try, I don’t deny myself. I just follow a simple rule: eat three bites, and no more, and eat them slowly. I try to enjoy the flavor to the fullest. And then I stop. With no guilt.

12. Forgive: If I mess up, I just forgive myself, and continue. Don’t beat yourself up about messing up. Just learn from your mistakes, forgive yourself, and keep going. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

13. Exercise: While exercise isn’t absolutely necessary for this plan to work, it certainly helps a lot. And it’s much healthier. My goal is at least 5 minutes of exercise daily, but I often do more. Once a week, I allow myself to take a complete rest day. If I don’t feel like working out, I just do 5 minutes — it keeps my habit going. It’s working well!

That’s it! I have a list of 400-calorie meals, and each day I choose 5 of them. I eat them at regular intervals, and log my meals. Easy peasy! My Initial ImpressionsI should note that I’ve only been doing this a few weeks. So far my rate of weight loss has been about 1 to 1.5 lbs. a week, which is exactly what I’d hoped for. It’s how the plan is supposed to work — sustainable, healthy weight loss. The first few days were harder than the days following … my body had to get used to eating smaller meals, and I had to get used to eating only until I was satisfied. I would get hungry 2 hours after eating, and force myself to wait for the extra hour before eating again. But now, I don’t even get very hungry after 3 hours. And I feel great. The plan is working like a charm. I’ve been hitting around 2,000 calories a day, every day. Sometimes I go over by 100 cals, sometimes I’m under by 100 or 200. And with added exercise, sometimes my calorie deficit is a lot larger than 500 (but less than 1,000), which is a good thing.


http://peertrainer.com/




http://caloriecount.about.com/

















The cheat meals have allowed me to be flexible. And I’m also flexible throughout the day. For example, sometimes I’ll want some chocolate. No problem. I just take three bites, enjoy it, and log it. Then I’ll take the calories off my next meal, or just exercise more. It’s important to be flexible. But by keeping my calories to a certain limit, and logging everything, I am guaranteed to lose weight over the long term.

Originally posted 10.12.2007http://zenhabits.net/hassle-free-weight-loss-the-zen-habits-meal-plan/



http://zenhabits.net/hassle-free-weight-loss-the-zen-habits-meal-plan/



































Section 3: Exercise

How to Make Exercise a Daily Habit Minimalist fitness: how to get in shape with no equipment Top 42 Exercise Hacks Steps to Lose the Buddha (Belly) Zen To Slim: A Simple, 5-Step Weight Loss Plan 4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit 16 Tips to Triple Your Workout Effectiveness How to Build Muscle and Lose Fat

“... if you’re looking for a specific program from me … I don’t have one. I make it up as I go and just have fun doing it.” - Leo














How to Make Exercise a Daily Habit Recently my friend and fellow blogger Scott Young did a great post entitled, “New to exercise? Make workouts daily“. It was an excellent post, and perfectly timed as it mirrors my own recent efforts at making exercise a daily habit. The problem with trying to make exercise a habit, and it’s something that we’ve all faced, is that you usually try to exercise 3 or 4 times a week … and that makes creating a new exercise habit difficult. The reason is that the more consistent an action is, the more likely it is to be a habit. Therefore, as Scott points out, and it’s something I fully agree with, exercising every day is more likely to result in a habit — something that becomes almost automatic, and much easier, instead of a constant struggle. I’ve been implementing this idea in my daily life recently, alternating every day between different exercises: running, swimming, biking and strength workouts, as a way of reaching my goal of completing an Olympic-distance triathlon this year. I’m going to continue this habit change into the month of May. I made daily running a habit last year, when I was training for my first marathon, but this year I stopped when I got sick, so I’m re-starting the habit formation. If you’re going to make this a habit, do a 30-day Challenge, and by the end of the challenge your habit should be pretty well ingrained. Here are some practical suggestions I’ve learned along the way to help make exercise a daily habit:

1. Set a time. Decide whether you’re more likely to stick with it in the morning or lunchtime or evening, and stick with that time. I’ve set the time of 5:30 a.m. every day, and I’m trying my best not to vary from that time. If you don’t set a time, you’re more likely to put it off until you have more time or energy, and then put it off until the next day. Soon, it’s not a habit at all.

2. Send yourself a reminder. I use Memo to Me, but there are a number of ways to send yourself an email or text reminder, so you’ll never forget. Then, when you get the reminder, do it right away. Don’t brook any delays.

3. Start small. This is perhaps the most useful suggestion of all. When I start exercising, I always start with lots of energy, enthusiasm and ambition. I think I can do more than I can. However, doing too much in the beginning leads to burnout, which leads to quitting your habit. When you first try to make exercise a daily habit, chances are, your body won’t be used to that kind of stress. The key: only do 20 minutes in the beginning,



http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog




http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2007/04/23/new-to-exercise-make-workouts-daily/












http://www.memotome.com/

















and do it nice and easy. Nothing hard. Even 10-15 minutes is fine at first, if you’re just starting out. The key is to get out there, get your body slowly used to daily exercise, and form that habit.

4. Progress later. Once your body is used to daily exercise, you can slowly start to increase the amount and intensity of your exercise. Wait at least two weeks before starting to increase — that’s the minimum your body needs to adjust. Once it begins to feel way too easy, you can start increasing the length of your workouts, to 30 and then 40 minutes, and eventually up to an hour. Once you do that, you can gradually increase the intensity — running faster or harder, for example. Try not to increase both distance and intensity at the same time.

5. Make it pleasurable. If you associate a habit with pain, you will shy away from it. But if it’s fun, you’ll look forward to doing it. That’s why, in this beginning stage of my new habit, I’ve been focusing on pleasure. I go slowly, enjoying the scenery, the fresh morning air, the beautiful sky as the sun rises, the quiet time of solitude and contemplation. It’s actually something I enjoy doing. An mp3 player with some great music helps.

6. Lay out your gear. The fewer obstacles and less friction there is in forming your new habit, the more likely you are to be successful. If you have to not only wake up early but get a bunch of gear together while half awake, you might just want to go back into bed. But if you lay out your workout clothes and shoes and watch and mp3 player, or whatever you need for your exercise, you’ll be ready to go with no friction at all.

7. Just head out the door. My rule is just to get my running shoes on and get out the door. I don’t worry about how long I have to go or how hard it will be. Just get out and get started. Once I’ve done that, it’s a piece of cake.

8. Mix it up. One thing I like about triathlon training is that daily exercise isn’t boring — instead of running every single day, now I’ve got a variety of sports to do, and that makes it much more interesting. But perhaps just as important is that with each sport, I’m using different muscles, especially with swimming. Sure, some of the same muscles are used, but they’re used differently with different stresses on them. What that means is that I’m not pounding the same muscles, every day. That gives them a chance to recover, because without recovery, you’re just breaking your muscles down over and over.

9. Have a relative rest day. Again, recovery is very important. Which is why you need to give your body a chance to rest. If you’re taking it easy, and only doing 20 minutes, you should be OK without rest days. But it’s still good to have one day of rest, where you’re not doing the same exercises as the other six days. You don’t want to skip the day














completely, because then you’re not being consistent with your habit. That’s why I do one day of strength training, where I don’t use the same muscles as swimming, biking and running. If you need more rest, you could just do 20 minutes of walking, or even just a session of meditation. The key is to do something every day, preferably something that gets you moving (meditation isn’t the best example, but at least you’d be doing something) and keeps your habit formation going.

10. Don’t skip a day. It’s easy to say, “No problem, I’ve been doing it for five days … I’ll just skip today!” But that will make your habit formation harder. Consistency is key, so try not to skip a single day. If you do, don’t beat yourself up, don’t judge, don’t feel bad — everyone messes up sometimes, and habit formation is a skill that requires practice. Just start your 30-day challenge over again, and try to identify the obstacle that led to your skipping a day and prepare for it this time.

Originally posted: 4.30.2007http://zenhabits.net/how-to-make-exercise-a-daily-habit-with-a-may-challenge/



http://zenhabits.net/how-to-make-exercise-a-daily-habit-with-a-may-challenge/







































Minimalist Fitness: How to Get In Lean Shape With Little or No EquipmentTwo common barriers for people who want to exercise and get in shape are a lack of time and money needed for fitness. Who has the time to go to the gym, or buy expensive equipment, or take long bike rides?Well, if those are the things stopping you, you’re in luck. It takes no equipment to get a great workout and get in shape, and with one or two pieces of simple equipment, you can turn that great workout into a fantastic one, you magnificent beast, you. And with little or no equipment required for a fantastic workout, you can do it at home, or wherever you are. Even if you’re in solitary confinement. It’s hard not to find time for this type of workout — you can do it while watching TV, for goodness sake! The Pros and Cons of Bodyweight ExercisesUsing just your bodyweight, you can do a large number of challenging exercises. I designed a workout that I do when I can’t make it to the gym, for example, and I can testify that it’s incredibly challenging (more on that below). If you add just one or two pieces of equipment: a dumbbell, a kettlebell, a jump rope, a medicine ball, or a chinup bar, for example, you can increase the challenge even more. Now, I’m not putting down lifting weights — I truly believe in lifting heavy weights when you can, but there are tremendous benefits from bodyweight exercises as well:

1. No gym fees or need to buy expensive equipment.2. You can do the workout anywhere, anytime.3. Most exercises involve many muscles working in coordination, resulting in great overall

fitness and strength.4. For people who are just starting with strength training, bodyweight is often more than

enough to begin with. And it gives you a good foundation of strength you can build on later.

Bodyweight exercises aren’t the only thing you should ever do, however, for several reasons:

1. After awhile (a couple months perhaps), they aren’t all that challenging. You’ll need to


http://www.likelytool.com/Isometrics.htm














continue to build your strength by adding weights. You can do that with some simple equipment (see below).

2. If you don’t have at least one or two pieces of equipment — a chinup bar or a resistance band perhaps — some muscles don’t get worked out as much as others. That’s not a problem over the short term, but over the long term you’ll want to make sure you get a balance.

I suggest starting with bodyweight exercises, and then slowly transitioning to a combination of bodyweight and weight training to get a good balance. And even if you’re doing a complete weight training program, you can always use bodyweight exercises anytime you can’t make it to the gym. My Workout — Just a SampleWhat follows is a little workout I’ve been doing recently when I can’t go to the gym — it’s just a collection of exercises that use compound muscles and joints to give me a total-body workout with nothing but my bodyweight and my chinup bar. However, this is not the only workout you can do — not by a long shot. This is a sample, but you should look at the next section for a much wider variety of challenges. How to do this workout: do a bit of a warmup — jumping jacks, jump rope, or just jogging in place for a few minutes will get your heart rate going. Then do the exercises in order, for 30 seconds to two minutes (depending on what kind of shape you’re in), with as little rest in between as possible. If you’re new to exercise, feel free to rest fully between exercises, but if you’re in decent shape, doing them one after another is a great workout. Like me, you’ll probably have to stop to catch your breath a few times — it’s a tough workout!

1. Pullups (palms facing away from you). Chinup bar required (here's the one I use). (video)2. Pushups As many as you can (video). Do modified pushups if you can’t do full pushups,

with your knees on the floor (video). If those are still too hard, do wall pushups, leaning against the wall or a chair.

3. Jump squats Basically you squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then jump up as high as you can, and repeat. (video)

4. Bicycle crunches I don’t normally recommend crunches, but these use a good combination of core muscles. (video)

5. Jumping lunges (video)6. Burpees (video)7. Hanging knee raises Chinup bar required. (video)8. Hindu pushups (video)9. Russian twists (video, but you don’t need to use the medicine ball as shown.)10. Diamond pushups (video)



http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB0007W2FLI%2Fref%3Das_li_ss_tl%3Fie%3DUTF8%26tag%3Dfindingmyfit-20%26linkCode%3Das2%26camp%3D1789%26creative%3D390957%26creativeASIN%3DB0007W2FLI&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHSw5ZJPtskTtQVyVKgOWJS7LgIQw











http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDA84beh6Os

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km1v-jbeNsw&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxv7lL34kS0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ6KJintn70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqoD0Bdggto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zLTDUFjbXA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Dq_NCzj8M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCI13rqqHj8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZgKSSDISSo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCB3kxqhbuY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLSbcZfn_6A












11. Chinups (palms facing toward you). Chinup bar required. (video) Create Your Own Awesome WorkoutNow that you’ve seen my sample workout, you can create your own by picking whatever exercises tickle your fancy. Just choose 5-12 exercises and do them all, either with or without resting. Once that gets easy, do a second circuit. A few suggestions:

1. Choose a variety of exercises that work out all the parts of your body. Don’t do all variations of pushups, for example. You should be doing some pulling exercises (like pullups), some lower-body exercises, like lunges and squats, and others that work out all of your body, like burpees.

2. If you want a real challenge, mix cardio exercises (see below) with the strength exercises.

3. If you have some of the equipment listed below, definitely use them. Or buy one or two pieces of equipment … but there’s no need to rush out and buy a whole bunch of things. You can get a great workout without equipment, at least for awhile.

4. If you’re just starting out, take it easy and gradually build up. Don’t get discouraged, and don’t overdo it!

5. As you get stronger, gradually add weights. Dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, and medicine balls are some good ways to do that. It’ll take a couple months of bodyweight exercises, though, before you really need to move to weights.

Basic bodyweight exercisesThere are many, many variations of bodyweight exercises, but here are some of the more common ones:

● Pushups (there are many variations — Hindu pushups (video), dive bombers, diamond pushups (video) and others)

● Burpees (video)● Squats (video) (variations: jump squats (video), Hindu squats (video))● Lunges (video) (variation: jumping lunges, side lunges)● Chair dips (video)● Planks (video) (variation: side plank)● Crunches – my favorite: bicycle crunches (video)● Bear crawl – crawl quickly on hands and feet (video)● Lateral barrier jump – jump sideways, over an obstacle (video)● Isometrics● Plyometrics

Exercises requiring minimal equipmentYou don’t need to buy all of this equipment, but if you have any, these are great. Or buy one or two pieces in order to add an extra challenge to your workout:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz-SW04cMOc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZgKSSDISSo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnvVeq_r3ro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtcH9JUzurY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Dq_NCzj8M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRnGI3c5Jjs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ6KJintn70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPSVpo4mzNI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_hoiumFkgE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vOy7D1P5tA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHQmRINu4jU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqoD0Bdggto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8-zBUSOjrw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hADsX-H2O5w

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FIsometrics&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFIpaK4EH4OJmRNqO4FfmsGfOojUw

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPlyometrics&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHJ5e8irkWQNvEOjvnoBHJx6ffxig












● Pullup bar: Chinups, pullups, hanging knee raises (here’s the one I use)● Resistance band● Medicine ball● Kettlebell (video)● Dumbbells● Tractor tires — there are lots of exercises where you flip tires, jump through them, etc.

Cardio exercises

● Jumping jacks● Jump rope – requires jump rope, of course, but it’s a great workout (video)● Side shuffles● Touchdowns● Run 800 meters (or a mile)● Interval running● Rowing (requires a rowing machine)● Other cardio exercise machine if you have it

Originally posted: 08.07.2008http://zenhabits.net/minimalist-fitness-how-to-get-in-lean-shape-with-little-or-no-equipment/



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007W2FLI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=findingmyfit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0007W2FLI











http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwme8rkzetg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9DPme8v6kc

http://zenhabits.net/minimalist-fitness-how-to-get-in-lean-shape-with-little-or-no-equipment/











































Top 42 Exercise HacksYou’ve read and enjoyed the Top 20 Motivation Hacks and Top 10 Productivity Hacks and the Top 15 Diet Hacks… and now you’ve asked for exercise hacks. You want ‘em, you got ‘em. These hacks will make you healthier, slimmer, and yes, sexier. Rrrowrr! Just to note, I’m not a certified trainer. I’m just sharing stuff that’s worked for me. Also, some of this stuff is contradictory. That’s because you’re not supposed to implement all of them — just pick the ones you think will work for you, and give them a try. Good luck! Top 42 Exercise Hacks

1. Start slow. The biggest mistake that people make when starting an exercise plan is starting too fast or too hard. Trust me, I’ve done it many times. I’ve learned to take it easy, start as small as possible, and worry about endurance or intensity later. The key in the beginning is to make it enjoyable and accomplishable. That’s probably not a word, but it should be. And it is now. Zen Habits are ones that are accomplishable.

2. Increase but gradually. After getting used to a certain level of exercise, you’ll want to increase it. Don’t just run two miles or walk 20 minutes three times a week for a year. Your body adjusts to the stress you’re giving it, so you need to increase the level once you’ve adjusted. But do it gradually, and only every two weeks or so.

3. Crank it up. Once you’ve gotten used to exercise, you’ll want to do some higher intensity ones for better fitness and fat-burning. For example, instead of running slowly and steadily, for a long time, try doing shorter bursts of fast running, with periods of rest in between. You can do this for any exercise. Higher intensity increases the calorie burn, and improves performance. But you can’t do it as long, and you shouldn’t do it every workout. Mix it in with endurance workouts.

4. Schedule workouts. Make appointments with yourself to workout, at a specific time and place, just as you would with any other appointment. And make it the most important appointment on your calendar — more important than a doctor’s visit or even the manicurist.

5. Make it a habit. If you can do exercise at the same time, every single day for a month, you are more likely to make it a habit. Consistency makes habits more ingrained. Once it’s a habit (and start easy in the beginning!), then you can step up the intensity a bit.

6. Forget about weight loss. Yeah, many of us would like to lose some weight. But if you’re motivated solely by weight loss, exercise will be a tough proposition. The reason is that



http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2F2007%2F02%2Ftop-20-motivation-hacks-overview%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFb8bpYLrGGkxM5ItdLTmx3t0GQuw





http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2F2007%2F02%2Ftop-10-productivity-hacks-overview%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFu-pJg0X0UfSV2MPtjWO4cKX4l-w





http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2F2007%2F04%2Ftop-15-diet-hacks%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEB2nAoYGwT5WTpKLa1kdAFd2qlFg






http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2F2007%2F04%2Fhow-to-make-exercise-a-daily-habit-with-a-may-challenge%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHd1UYgfbA-RF6ZRp1ZQ78O38Wnkg


















you might not lose weight right away. Oh, it’ll come, if you can keep it up over time, but in the beginning you might be disappointed (especially if you haven’t changed your eating habits). Just get into the habit of exercise, and worry about the weight later. First things first.

7. Forget the gym. The gym can be horribly convenient, but it can also be intimidating for beginners, and confusing if you don’t know how to use the equipment. Sure, you can get a trainer to teach you, but if the cost or the confusion stops you from exercising … well, skip the gym and do it at home or at the park or somewhere less intimidating. You can do pushups and crunches and dumb bell exercises at home very easily, workout to a DVD, or go walking or jogging in your neighborhood. Cheap and simple is my motto.

8. Reward yourself. Self-explanatory, but rewards are best if they are frequent in the beginning. Be self-indulgent! Even sweets are good rewards — remember, get into the habit of exercise, and you can worry about weight loss later.

9. Do a 30-day Challenge. Challenge yourself, and see if you can rise to the occasion. Do it with a group or your significant other. Put in rewards. Tell everyone you’re doing it. Motivate the hell out of yourself.

10. Join an online group. One of the best motivators is having to report successes and failures to a group of people. Check out some online groups (there are groups for every type of exercise), introduce yourself, see which ones you’re comfortable with. Once you’ve gotten established (after a couple of days) see if you can post your results every day — you won’t go wrong once you start doing that.

11. Post your results on your blog. There’s nothing more motivating than positive public pressure (short of a gun to your head). Step it up by making a promise to your blog readers that you will commit to this goal for a month, and post your results every day. Even if your mom is your only blog reader, it’ll really help.

12. Do a journal. If you don’t post your results on your blog, write it in a journal, either online or on paper. However you set it up, make it a habit to post to your journal or log right away, as soon as you’re done with your log. It will motivate you to see your progress over time, and it’s a good way to see what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong.

13. Make it fun! Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore. I love doing a morning run, with the sun coming up, the world so quiet, my mind left to its own devices. Enjoy yourself and you will actually look forward to your workouts.

14. Fuel up. If your workout is more than 30 minutes, you really should have some energy














in you. You shouldn’t work out on an empty stomach — but you also shouldn’t eat right before you work out. Eat a banana or some peanut butter toast or a ClifBar an hour or two before your workout, and you’re good to go.

15. Hydrate. Also an hour or two before you workout. Water is best. Use a sports drink during your workout (and after) only if you’re going to go an hour or more. If you’re going to do a tough workout, stay hydrated throughout the day. In fact, go ahead and do this whether you work out or not.

16. Get a workout buddy. Find someone at your level, and commit to working out a certain number of times a week together, at a certain time. This will make you more likely to keep that workout appointment, and workouts can be a lot of fun if you spend them chatting with your buddy. Just be sure to actually work out, and not just chat, Chatty McChatterson!

17. Get good clothes. Actually, you don’t need anything fancy to get started. But once you do start working out, it’s nice to get yourself some nice workout clothes, with breathable and comfortable fabrics, ones that look good on you. It’s motivating, and pleasurable. Make it so.

18. Put a cover model on your fridge. Not literally, of course, as that may be illegal, but find a good magazine photo of a model with the body you want, and post it up somewhere visible. You may never look like that model (heck, that model probably never really looks like that), but it’s motivating. Don’t pick a model that’s too good looking, or you may question your sexuality.

19. Change it up. Sure, walking or running every day can be a lot of fun. But getting some swimming or biking or strength workouts or aerobics or kickboxing into the mix can be a lot of fun, and can also help you get into better shape. They work out different muscles, and step up the metabolism. Variety is the spice of life and all that.

20. Do it early in the morning. My favorite time to work out is between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. Plus, I know that if I work out at this time, nothing will get in the way of the workout later in the day. It’s a beautiful time of day, not too hot, and there’s nothing like showering and going to work knowing that I’ve put in a great exercise (and it allows me to feel superior and look down my nose at those lazy bums I work with).

21. Squeeze it in during lunch. OK, you’re not a morning person. You’re busy. You don’t have time to work out. Well, suck it up, buster, and sacrifice your lunch hour to the gods of fitness. Bring your workout clothes, do a quickie nooner, and be back at work ready to tackle the afternoon.














22. First thing after work. None of those options work for you? Not a problem, my friend. Make it a daily appointment to work out as soon as you get off work. This will also motivate you to finish your work on time so you can get out on time for your workout. It’s great to stop somewhere to do your workout before you even get home, because once you get home you’ll probably want to relax on the couch, fall asleep at the kitchen table, or rush to the computer to read the latest Zen Habits post.

23. A little and often. You don’t need to work out long, and you certainly don’t need to be a weekend warrior. Just 20-30 minutes every day. Who doesn’t have 20 minutes on their schedule. You? Well, scratch “Walker Texas Ranger rerun” off the schedule and make room for this instead.

24. Just lace up. Yeah, you’re dreading the upcoming workout. But don’t even think about it. Just lace up and head out the door. That’s all. After that, let nature take its course. Just relax and do what comes naturally. Which is exercise.

25. Join a race. Signing up for a 5K or a triathlon are my favorite motivators. It really gets me to do my workouts because if I don’t, I will look like a dork by collapsing 5 minutes after the starting gun goes off. But don’t worry about how you look — just go and have fun at these races — everyone else is worrying about themselves too much to notice you.

26. Get good gear. As a reward, get yourself some nice little gadgets — a sports mp3 player, a Polar heart rate monitor, a pedometer, a scale, a bike computer, whatever. Something cool that will make you look forward to your workouts.

27. Forget about the gear. Having said that, you don’t need any of that to actually work out. Just put on some cheap clothes and get out the door. Don’t let your lack of gear stop you, and for criminy’s sake, don’t go and buy all the gear before you actually start working out.

28. The 10 percent rule. Don’t increase your workout time or distance by more than 10 percent a week. This is a very conservative rule, and it can be broken by the best of the best, who know what they’re doing, but for the rest of us, stick with this to prevent burnout or injury.

29. Rest. It’s important. This is a commonly overlooked factor. If you don’t give your body some rest, you will burn out and get injured. Rest is just as important as the workouts in improving performance and fitness. As long as you’re doing the workouts too and not just the rest!

30. Hard, then easy. If you do a hard workout today, rest or go easy tomorrow. Don’t do














two hard workouts in a row. The hard-easy approach can also work within a workout itself — run hard, then run slow, then run hard … you get the idea. This allows you to burn more fat than if you just run medium the whole time.

31. Listen to your body. This is extremely important — if you feel like you’re overdoing it, you probably are. Rest and allow your body to recover. And though you can run through some slight soreness or aches, you should stop as soon as you feel sharp pain or pain in the joints. You’ll just make it worse.

32. Strength is good. If you’re a walker or runner or cyclist or swimmer or something like that, you should also fit some strength training into your schedule. Nothing too intense, but just some core-strengthening exercises that will help your main sport as well as make you healthier and yes, more attractive.

33. Set goals. What are you trying to get out of your exercise? It’s good to know if you’re trying to build muscle or burn fat — because these are two competing goals. There are other goals, of course, but you should be clear what they are. Also, set goals for each week — what do you want to accomplish this week? Write it down, post it up, and see if you can meet them!

34. Take photos of yourself. Before and after photos. The best way to see your progress over time. But do it once a month, not every hour, you narcissist!

35. Workout first, diet later. If you’re just starting a workout plan, it’s best not to start a diet at the same time. Well, I don’t like diets in the first place, but still — one thing at a time. I’d prefer the workout first, and then worry about the diet after about a month of working out. You didn’t get fat overnight and you’re not getting skinny overnight either!

36. Star chart. Yeah, you know what these are. But they’re very motivating. Do a workout, put up a star. Fun!

37. Get a coach. You certainly don’t need one, but there’s nothing more motivating than a coach. Almost like a workout buddy, in that you are very likely to make the appointment, but less chatty and more knowledgeable. And if you’re going to learn swimming, a coach is a must. Yes, you can get a coach — there are master’s swimming classes at your local pool. Just sign up — they’re usually not that expensive.

38. Join the club. In my area, there is a great running club and a great cycling federation and triathlon federation. All of them sponsor races and Sunday rides and things like that where you can workout with a group and talk to more knowledgeable people. Well worth the small membership fee!














39. No pain … that’s good. Forget the old rule of “no pain, no gain”. You don’t need pain to get in shape. Just take it easy, progress gradually, and enjoy yourself.

40. Warm up. If you’re going to do any kind of exercise, don’t do it with your muscles cold. Gradually get your heart pumping and blood flowing. You’re less likely to injure yourself, and your workout will be more enjoyable.

41. On stretching. Sure, flexibility is important. But stretching out cold is a good way to get injured. If you’re going to stretch out before a workout, be sure to do so only after your warmup. Also, do not bounce. That’s another good way to tear your muscles. Do slow stretches and hold them without bouncing. Best of all: stretch after a workout, when your muscles are nice and loose.

42. Go for the long haul. Most of all, don’t think that you will become fit and healthy and sexy in one month. Think of exercise as a life-long habit, and your goals will come to you eventually. You’ll get there, my friend!

Originally posted: 05.12.2007http://zenhabits.net/top-42-exercise-hacks/



http://zenhabits.net/top-42-exercise-hacks/























6 Steps to Lose the Buddha (Belly)Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Sara Ost of www.healthbolt.net. The belly: it’s the first spot to get paunchy and the last place to look sleek. A tight core is the one thing we all want (possibly even more than another new online community). Unfortunately, biology couldn’t care less about our six-pack fantasies, for the human body is built to treasure precious calories, and our midsections are especially talented at storing the excess ones. Couple our genetic predisposition to adiposity with the modern lifestyle of excessive calories and stress, and it’s no wonder a trim midsection eludes many of us! No problem: my six steps will have you rockin’ a toned torso in no time. They worked for me. The best part? No sit-ups required!

1. No more sit-ups! I’ve tried many ab gadgets and committed to several determined bouts of daily crunch torture on my road to fitness – and I never got anywhere. Sound familiar? Forget the isolated exercises. Many of the fittest people on earth – from Navy SEALs to professional athletes – never do a single sit-up and shun crunches. In fact, some military training guides actually discourage isolated abdominal exercises. There are many paths to sleek abs, so if crunches happen to work for you, please skip this post. I personally recommend following a fitness regimen that is comprehensive in nature. While isolated movements can tone individual muscle groups, for true core fitness, it’s better to do integrated exercises that strengthen your entire body – with defined abs being the happy side effect. Point 5 will explain this further, but two simple, highly-effective integrative exercises you can try are the standing weighted arm lift and the hot potato.

2. Lose weight. (I know, I know!) Many fitness guides will instruct you in all manner

of stomach exercises, and we’ve all seen those “sexy abs in just three minutes” infomercials! Save your money. Until you drop excess pounds, you simply won’t see your abs, whatever their state of fitness. (Yes, your abs – everyone has a natural six-pack under there somewhere!) Lose weight and your abs will show up quite nicely, even if you never do a single sit-up. Men generally need to maintain about 8-14% body fat; women should add 10 to that.

3. Reduce empty calories drastically. Lose the belly roll by eliminating as many sources

of empty calories from your diet as possible. Yes, this means carbs! Not only do empty calories prompt bouts of irritability, headaches, cravings, mood swings, and possible nutritional deficiencies, empty calories readily convert to fat in the midsection. If you’ve read Tim Ferris’s success story with the “slow carb” diet or heard of Atkins (and I know



http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNE20JygKo4EfSF3fA3M6fVoVt5LbQ





http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2007%2F08%2F14%2Frockin-hot-abs-no-crunches-required%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFmg2noNasMzbWZ8VHg0xDuQ5xP6g



























you have!), you already know where I’m going with this. Cutting empty carbohydrates and sugars out of your life will not only trim your middle; you’ll reduce your risk of diabetes, too. That said, I don’t think you have to become a bloodthirsty carnivore or suffer on low-carb beer for the rest of your life. That’s an approach that is certainly immoderate and definitely not healthy. But do cut back on refined, worthless calories from cakes, cookies, pastries, crackers, chips, big bowls of pasta, and white bread.

4. Going a step further, eliminate all liquid calories. Most of us are aware that soda is full

of nothing but sugar (or unhealthy sugar substitutes like corn syrup). But be mindful of drinking any calories. Many coffee drinks are essentially glorified milkshakes, and smoothies that contain ice cream and juice instead of real fruit and protein powder are no better. And while it’s commonly accepted that juice is healthy, I suggest cutting back. Even 100% juice is still going to spike your blood sugar. A real piece of fruit provides fiber and fills you up; juice just gives you extra calories you don’t need.

5. Practice an integrative exercise system and get good at it. Beyond the vanity of

wanting a taut middle, your health will benefit, too. What do I mean by an “integrative” exercise system? Anything that incorporates resistance, stretching and weight-bearing movement. Excellent choices are yoga, pilates, the Bar Method, martial arts, dance, boot camp classes, and any sports. I’ve had great personal success with yoga; after shedding the excess tummy pudge, it only took a few weeks of yoga for the abs to peek out. Furthermore, an integrative exercise program elongates your muscles, lubricates your joints, and releases the pressure that compacts your vertebral column. Better posture = better abs.

6. Reduce stress, balance hormones. Did you know that a sluggish metabolism can often

be perked up by switching from table salt to sea salt? (Iodine helps the thyroid gland, which plays a role in metabolism.) That’s just the beginning. Our hormones have a direct relationship to immunity, metabolism, and much more. And stress is a very sure way to disrupt healthy hormone regulation. If you’d like to know more about hormonal issues and the relationship to weight gain, please feel free to respond in the comments and I’ll provide some helpful links. Bottom line: reduce stress! It’s so important to find a way to reduce and manage any stress in your life (again with that yoga!). However you choose to handle stress, don’t shirk this aspect of weight management and health. Your abs are depending on you!

Originally posted: 08.31.2007http://zenhabits.net/6-steps-to-lose-the-buddha-belly/



http://zenhabits.net/6-steps-to-lose-the-buddha-belly/





























Zen To Slim: A Simple, 5-Step Weight Loss PlanI think this one will be a bit controversial — weight loss theories seem to be a bit divisive, judging from past posts on this topics, as people have very strong opinions about the right way to lose weight. However, this post isn’t going to explore any of those theories. It’s meant to be a simple plan for people who have trouble losing weight. These people don’t need to go into the scientific theories, and they probably don’t want to count calories or do any kind of complicated calculations. They just want a few simple steps that they can do, right now, that will work. When I started running last year, and eating healthier (eventually becoming a near-vegan), I lost more than 20 pounds and kept them off. This year, my workout plan has been disrupted a couple of times by illness and then a back injury, but in July I’ve gotten back on track and can already feel the changes. I am confident that I’ll have a fairly flat stomach by the end of the year, barring any future injuries or severe illnesses. Anyway, I recently had a few readers ask me about my weight loss plan. Well, I don’t diet, and I don’t do anything too intense. I’ve just made some simple lifestyle changes, one at a time, and I feel much healthier as a result. The weight loss is slower than with some of the more drastic plans, but I feel that they’re more permanent, because I’m in this for life, not for short-term weight loss. If this sounds right for you, check out the following plan. Of course, you all know that I’m not a doctor, a dietician, a certified personal trainer, or in any way qualified to give advice. You know that you should see a doctor before starting a plan like this, to prevent any serious health consequences. However, this plan is based on the advice of experts much more knowledgeable than me, and I can testify that it works — for me, and for others I know who’ve done similar things. There is nothing revolutionary in this plan. It’s common-sense, and simple:

Zen To Slim Weight Loss PlanStep 1: Begin gradual exercise. Instead of trying to change your entire life with an intense weight loss plan, we’re going to start small. All you want to do is make a commitment to get yourself moving for at least 10 or 15 minutes each day for 30 days straight. Some key points:













● Type of exercise. If you’re already a runner or a cyclist or something similar, then begin a very, very modest program of resuming that exercise. Otherwise, walking, a treadmill, hiking, a cycling machine, rowing, or something similar would work. Mixing it up is a great idea, alternating different exercises on different days. The actual exercise you do doesn’t matter, as long as you get moving.

● Most important here: start out really easy. People tend to start out with a lot of

enthusiasm, and then burn out, skip a workout or two, and then the plan has failed. In this plan, you want to go short and slow. If you normally run 3-4 miles, for example, just run 1-2 miles. Go for about half of what you think you can do. You can always add more later.

● It’s important that you try to do it every day. Mark your successes on your calendar — gold stars always work well — and try to keep the marks going every day. If you can do short, easy workouts, and mix up the exercises a little, you can do it every day.

● Set aside some time to do this every day. If you’ve had success working out in the morning before, use that time. Otherwise, do it right after work.

● Strength. Another point is that you can do strength workouts, but don’t do anything too hard in the first couple of weeks. Just some pushups, crunches, lunges, squats, with no weights. That might sound easy to some of you, but the key, again, is to start out slow.

● Just start. Last key point: if you are feeling resistance to exercising, just tell yourself that you have to lace up your shoes and get out the door. How long you do it doesn’t matter — even 5 minutes is good. I bet, though, that once you start, you’ll want to keep going for at least 15 minutes.

Step 2: Replace fatty and greasy foods with healthier foods. You’re not going to go on a diet. But take a look at what you eat, and try to slowly replace the greasier and fattier foods you eat (think: fast food, or fried food) with healthier alternatives. Some key points for this step:

● Examples: if you cook fried chicken, try baked instead. If you eat burgers, try a veggie burger or a low-fat turkey sandwich. If you eat pizza, try making your own pizza, with a store-bought crust, pizza sauce, veggies, and olive oil, with no cheese. You get the idea.

● Gradual change: Now, you don’t need to change all these foods overnight. But after you do the 30-day exercise challenge in Step 1, do a second 30-day challenge where you replace one fatty food a day with a healthier alternative. Slowly, replace more and more fatty foods with healthier ones. You’ll get used to it over the course of a month.














● Exercise: Also continue the daily exercise in the second month, increasing the duration of your workouts a little at a time if you can.

Step 3: Eat smaller meals, more frequently. Once you start getting used to less fatty foods, try eating smaller portions, and eating 5-6 times per day instead of just 3 big meals. Some key points:

● The 5-6 meals: A good schedule is to eat breakfast, then a mid-morning snack, then a small early lunch, then a second small lunch a couple of hours later, then a small late-afternoon snack, then a small, light dinner. If that’s too much, just try adding a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack, and make the main three meals smaller.

● Snacks: Make sure that your snacks are healthy ones. Good ones include fruits, nuts, low-fat pretzels, low-fat cheese, low-fat yogurt, cut up veggies.

● Wait: For your meals, try eating just one moderate-size serving. If you feel like a second serving, wait 20 minutes, then see if you’re full. It’s important that you gradually reduce your portions, and learn to eat only until you’re satiated, not until you’re bursting.

Step 4: Intensify exercise slowly. Once you’ve gone a month or so doing very short and easy workouts each day, and your body is used to daily exercise, you can gradually intensify the exercise. Some points:

● Duration: The first thing you should increase is the duration of your workouts. Without working out any harder, keeping the low intensity of your previous workouts, just add 5 minutes to your workout. Stick to this new duration for 2-3 workouts, then add another 5 minutes. Your goal is to get to about 40-45 minutes (although eventually doing an hour once a week is good too).

● Intensity: After your body gets used to going for longer, once a week or so, try a slightly more intense workout. First, make the duration of the workout much shorter for this intense workout. For example, instead of running or walking for 40 minutes, do 20 minutes. Second, go harder in intervals. For example, do 3-4 minutes at a faster pace, then go at an easy pace, then a faster pace, and so on. Be sure to warm up first, and cool down at the end. When you first start doing the intervals, do them only at a slightly higher intensity, gradually increasing that intensity as the weeks go by.

● Hard-easy: If you do longer or more intense workouts, be sure to follow them with an easy workout. For example, if you do a longer workout of 45 minutes, just do 20-25 minutes the next day. Or if you do interval workouts one day, do a short easy one the next day. Consider the longer or more intense workouts your “hard” days, and never have two hard days in a row — otherwise, you may get injured or burn out.














Step 5: Replace sugary foods with healthier treats. The next target food area is sugary foods. Just as you did with fatty foods, try to replace them with healthier alternatives one at a time. With the combination of lower fat and less sugar in your diet, and your exercise, you should start losing weight much faster by this step. Some points to make:

● Challenge: Just like with the fatty foods, try another 30-day challenge with the sweets. See if you can go the whole month without sweets! Or try a more gradual approach, and have less each day.

● Cheat day: If you try a month without sweets, I suggest a cheat day. For me, it’s Saturday, when I can eat whatever desserts I want. Interestingly, I don’t eat as many desserts on my cheat days as I used to. It’s not like I pig out, although I don’t restrict myself either.

● Alternatives: Come up with a list of alternatives to sweets, stock up on them, and get rid of the sweets in your house. For example, if you usually have a candy bar for a snack, have fruits or veggies instead. Often we just want something to munch on.

● Drinks: If you drink sodas or juices, cut out those calories by drinking water, exclusively (except perhaps for a single cup of coffee in the morning).

● Whole grains: If you haven’t yet, look for whole grain alternatives to things you might be eating, including cereal, bread, brown rice, etc.

Originally posted: 07.27.2007http://zenhabits.net/zen-to-slim-a-simple-5-step-weight-loss-plan/



http://zenhabits.net/zen-to-slim-a-simple-5-step-weight-loss-plan/



































4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise HabitI have to admit that I have my ups and downs with the exercise habit. So I know that it’s not the easiest habit for most people, and most people’s experiences consist of starting and stopping and starting again. Which is fine — don’t beat yourself up about it. The important thing is starting again. I’ve written before about how to build the exercise habit (and even have a guest post on it), but today I thought I’d revisit the topic for those who still have trouble. The Main ProblemsSo why do most people have trouble making exercise a regular habit? Well, there are probably a number of factors, but here are the main ones as I see it:

1. Too difficult. People set out with a lot of ambition and enthusiasm, and start out with a big goal. “I’m going to go to the gym for an hour a day!” or “I’m going to run 30 minutes every day!” The problem is that the goal is too difficult to sustain for very long. You can do it for a few days, but you soon run out of energy, and it becomes a drag to do it.

2. Too many goals. Often we set out to do too much. We want to run, and lift weights, and eat healthy, and quit sweets, and stop drinking soda. Well, those are multiple goals, and you cannot focus on the exercise habit if you’re trying to do all the others at the same time. Or we might start with one goal, but then get caught up in another goal (to stop procrastinating, for example), and lose our focus on the first one.

3. Not enough motivation. It’s not a lack of discipline, it’s a lack of motivation. The most powerful motivators, in my experience, are logging your habit and public pressure. There are many others that help as well.

The 4 Simple StepsSo how do we solve those problems? Keep it simple. Here are the 4 simple steps to start the exercise habit (and keep it going). I should note that you can use these 4 steps to start any habit.

1. Set one easy, specific, measurable goal. There are several keys to setting this crucial goal:

○ Written: Write this down. Post it up. If you don’t write it down, it’s not important.














http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2F2007%2F05%2F7-ways-to-build-the-exercise-habit%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGmKYksip1FKWY0090vW_huvCSp2g





















○ Easy: Don’t — DO NOT — set a difficult goal. Set one that is super, super easy. Five minutes of exercise a day. You can do that. Work your way to 10 minutes after a month. Then go to 15 after 2 months. You can see what I mean: make it easy to start with, so you can build your habit, then gradually increase.

○ Specific: By specific, I mean what activity are you going to do, at what time of day, and where? Don’t just say “exercise” or “I’m going to walk”. You have to set a time and place. Make it an appointment you can’t miss.

○ Trigger: I recommend that you have a “trigger” right before you do your habit. For example, you might always brush your teeth right after you shower. The shower is the trigger for brushing your teeth, and because of that, you never forget to brush your teeth. Well, what will you do right before you exercise? Is it right after you wake up? Right after your coffee? Right when you get home? As soon as you take off for lunch? A trigger that you do every single day is important.

○ Measurable: By measurable, I mean that you should be able to say, definitely, whether you hit or miss your goal today. Examples: run for 10 minutes. Walk 1/2 a mile. Do 3 sets of 5 pushups. Each of those has a number that you can shoot for.

○ One goal: Stick to this one goal for at least a month. Two months if you can bear it. Don’t start up a second goal during that 30-day period. If you do, you are scrapping this goal.

2. Log it daily. This is the key habit. If you can log your workout, you will start to see your

progress, and it will motivate you to keep going. And you have to make it a habit to log it right away. Don’t put it off, and say you’ll do it before you go to bed. As soon as you’re done working out, log it. No exceptions. And don’t make the log complicated — that will only make you resist doing the log. Just the date, time, and what you did.

3. Report to others. I think this is key. You can do it on your blog, on an online forum, with your spouse, or friends or family, or a workout partner, or a coach, or a group, or a class. However you set it up, make it part of the process that you have to report your daily workout to other people. It could be using an online log, or on a forum, or through email, or the phone, or just by telling your co-workers what you did this morning. But be sure that they know your goal, and that you are going to report to them, and be sure that they are expecting it every day.

4. Add motivation as needed. The first three steps might be enough for you to get the habit going. But if not, don’t just give up. If you miss two consecutive workouts, you














need to look at why, and add a new motivation. Rewards, more public pressure, inspiration, whatever it takes. Read this article for more on this. You can add one additional motivator, and then see if it works. If you miss two more consecutive workouts at any time, add another motivator. And so on, until the exercise habit sticks.

Originally posted: 09.21.2007http://zenhabits.net/4-simple-steps-to-start-the-exercise-habit/



http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2F2007%2F09%2Fengineer-life-set-up-habit-changes-so-its-hard-to-fail%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGAokPIKmmbcNx1Cl2zH9Oeo70b5w



http://zenhabits.net/4-simple-steps-to-start-the-exercise-habit/































16 Tips to Triple Your Workout EffectivenessYou don’t want to spend long hours at the gym, but you want to get stronger, fitter, leaner, and just plain look good. It’s possible that you’re not getting the most out of your workout time. It’s possible to get a super-effective workout in 30 minutes, and only do a few workouts a week, if you maximize your workouts. Disclaimer: First, I’m not a certified trainer. These are tips I’ve read elsewhere that work well for me. Second, you should always get a doctor’s approval of any new workout plan. This plan is especially intense, so if you have a heart condition or other condition that might be affected by heavy exercise, you should definitely refrain from trying it until you’ve gotten checked out by a doctor. And even if you have gotten checked out, or even if you don’t bother doing so, it’s still important to start out an exercise program slowly, until your body has the chance to adjust, or you will face burnout or injury. Don’t dive right into this program — it’s designed for people who have already been working out but want to see better results, quicker, and spend less time doing it. Here’s how to do it.

1. Limit your workouts to 30-40 minutes. Though the tendency of some people who really want to get a lot out of their workouts is to spend a lot of time at the gym, the truth is that after 30 or 40 minutes, the benefit isn’t as great. To go that long, you’d have to lower the intensity of the workout, and that means that you’re spending too much time working out. It’s better to work out at a higher intensity for a shorter amount of time.

2. High-intensity workouts. If you’re just starting out with exercise, it’s best to take it slow. If you’re running or cycling, for example, build up your endurance for at least a month before you get into anything more intense. That means going at a rate where you can easily talk without being out of breath. However, once you have that base of endurance, step up the intensity to step up the effectiveness of the workout.

3. Protein. Many people don’t pay enough attention to getting the protein their muscles need to rebuild. If you don’t, you are going to get very little out of your workout, as both cardio and strength workouts require protein for building muscles. I recommend either whey or soy protein shakes.

4. Water. Be sure to hydrate throughout the day. It takes a couple of hours for your body to absorb the water, so you can’t just drink right before exercise. Make it a habit to drink water regularly throughout the day.














5. Carbs. Although the low-carb craze might say otherwise, carbs are our body’s main

source of fuel. If you do intense workouts, you will need carbs, or you won’t have enough energy. If you do a shake, be sure to include carbs — or a banana is a great source of low fiber/high glycemic carbohydrates that you need for exercise.

6. Shake before and after workout. It’s best to take a protein/carb shake just before your workout and then just after. Taking it before your workout increases the flow of amino acids to your muscles during training, giving them the building blocks they need. After the workout, the shake stimulates muscle growth. Also take a small protein/carb meal 60-90 minutes after a workout — a meal replacement bar would work fine.

7. Slow lifting. Many people contract their muscles slowly and then release more quickly. But if you lift slowly in both directions, you are maximizing each move. Lift and lower to a 5-second count in each direction.

8. Heavier weight. When you’re starting out, it’s best to start with lower weights so you can focus on good form. But once you’ve gotten your form down, it’s best to lift the heaviest weights you can lift while still keeping good form. Don’t sacrifice form for heavy weights — that is ineffective. But heavy weights, with good form, can give you better results in a shorter amount of time. Heavy weights are not just for those who want to bulk up — that’s a common misconception.

9. One set, to failure. Instead of doing 2-3 sets, as many people do, maximize your effectiveness by doing just one, with heavy weights, until you can no longer keep the proper form. Lifting to “failure” doesn’t mean that you should lift the last few times with a wobbly or inefficient form.

10. Compound exercises. Instead of isolating your muscles with exercises such as the bicep curl, you can maximize the time you spend in a workout by doing exercises that work out multiple muscle groups at once. With just a few exercises, you could get a full-body workout. Another benefit is that your muscles are working together as they do in the real world, rather than alone. Some great compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, good mornings, lunges, pushups, bench presses, military presses, rows, pullups, dips, and more.

11. Balance lifting. Instead of having exercises where you’re sitting down or holding on to something or otherwise stabilized, it’s more effective to do them standing up, or on one leg, or on a Swiss exercise ball. These types of exercises force you to balance yourself while lifting, which brings your core muscles into play. This gives you a stronger overall body and allows you to lift more over time.














12. Pick a cardio exercise you enjoy. It’s no fun to exercise if you hate it. And you won’t keep it up for very long. Pick something that’s fun — running, walking, swimming, biking, hiking, rowing, stairmaster, etc. After the initial phase when you’re getting used to exercise, you’ll start to have a blast and look forward to it.

13. Mix it up. Don’t stick to the same workout routine for too long, or your body will adjust to the stress level and you won’t be getting an effective workout. For strength training, change your routine every few weeks. For cardio, it’s best to cross train rather than, say, to run every time.

14. Good form. For strength training especially, and swimming, form is very important, but it’s also important for other types of exercise. If you’re strength training, start with lighter weights so you can work on your form. It’s good to have an experienced spotter or trainer who knows good form to help you for the first month or so. Never sacrifice form for heavier weight. For swimming, you’ll need to get a coach to teach you form.

15. Hills. If you run or bike or walk for cardio, you’ll want to incorporate hills (after the first month or two of doing it at an easy pace on flat ground). These will make you stronger and make your limited workout time even more effective. Take them easy at first, but once you’re used to hills, you can get a good pace going. Either use a hilly route or do repeats on one hill.

16. Circuits. One mistake that people make is to do multiple sets of the same exercise without rest between the sets. This doesn’t allow your muscles to recover and it’s a waste of your workout. But instead of doing a set, resting, and then doing your second set, it’s more effective to move on to multiple exercises in a circuit, so that you don’t rest between exercises but do rest each muscle group. This will give you a good cardio workout while you do your strength training.

The ideal workout planIf you take all of these tips into account, the ideal plan would be to alternate 2-3 days of high-intensity strength training with 2-3 days of high-intensity cardio. You could get by with 4 days of exercise if you do them at high intensity. The high-intensity strength training would be 30-40 minutes of circuit training, with no rest or little rest between exercises within a circuit, and a short rest between circuits if you do more than one. The circuit should work out your entire body, using compound exercises such as the squat, deadlift, pullups, good mornings, etc., and either standing or using a Swiss ball so that you are working out your core. You should use heavier weights, one set for each exercise, doing them slowly (5 second up, 5 seconds down), and to exhaustion, making sure to have good form on each exercise.













You would have a protein/carb shake before and after the workout, and a small meal of protein/carbs within 60-90 minutes of the workout. Water is also important for both types of workouts. The high-intensity cardio would be something you enjoy doing. You would do interval training, at a rate where you couldn’t talk, with short rests in between intervals. On some workouts, you would incorporate hills. Remember, these high-intensity workouts are not for people just starting out. You should build up an endurance base before doing the high-intensity cardio, and start the weights with lighter weights, stressing good form. Originally posted: 06.23.2007http://zenhabits.net/16-tips-to-triple-your-workout-effectiveness/



http://zenhabits.net/16-tips-to-triple-your-workout-effectiveness/





























How to Build Muscle and Lose FatThis is a guest post by Mehdi, author of StrongLifts.com. After my previous post 7 Ways to Build the Exercise Habit, Leo asked me to write an 8-week program to build muscle and lose fat. However, I believe that to have long-term success, the plan must become your lifestyle. It must become a habit. Therefore this article is not an 8-week program. It’s a list of simple ways to build muscle and lose fat. Tips that worked for me and my readers. And guess what: you will be able to build muscle and lose fat in 8 weeks using these tips. Build Muscle. The fastest way to build muscle is to get stronger. The stronger you are, the stronger you’ll look. Get into strength training. Do barbell exercises that hit several muscles at the same time: Squats, Deadlifts, Overhead Press, etc. Start with an empty barbell. Learn the exercise technique. Increase the weight gradually. If you don’t know where to start, check out the Beginner Strength Training Program: it takes 3 times 30 minutes a week. Nutrition. You need solid nutrition to get stronger and build muscle. Keep the nutrition healthy and you’ll lose fat. Some tips:

● Protein. 1g/lbs daily. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, etc.● Fat. Balance omega 3, 6 & 9 intake: fish oil, saturated fat & olive oil.● Veggies. All kinds, especially green fibrous veggies.● Fruit. Also all kinds. Eat veggies and/or fruits with every meal.● Water. 1 liter per 1000 calories you expend.● Whole grain food. Oats, rice, pasta, breads, …

Eat foods that come in their natural state. Avoid anything that comes out of a box. Avoid trans-fats. Limit junk food consumption to once a week. Quit drinking soda. These simple tips will make a big difference in a very short time. Lose Fat. Strength training will build muscle while decreasing your body fat. Eating healthy will further decrease your body fat. If you need to lose a lot of fat or if you’re impatient, these tips are for you:



http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstronglifts.com%2Fabout-stronglifts%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFlU-RTx0t9Vlo-ptC0yKXsY6XE7g

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstronglifts.com%2Fabout-stronglifts%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFlU-RTx0t9Vlo-ptC0yKXsY6XE7g

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstronglifts.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFIISEmSwNf6jP70BVKwvXOHVtYXQ















http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstronglifts.com%2Fcategory%2Fbuild-muscle%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHQQFfC3PdGhtt_bK46vYeOVT3L5g



http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstronglifts.com%2Fcategory%2Flose-fat%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF_HiHCAQR1VUHPQGbt8svTciK93w






http://stronglifts.com/21-tips-to-improve-your-squatting-technique-avoid-injury/

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-perform-the-deadlift-with-proper-technique/

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-overhead-press-for-maximal-upper-body-results/



http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstronglifts.com%2Fbeginner-strength-training-program%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHrbC2fRhxb7zfe5pU93rqraBDyow


















● Cardio. Do 30 minutes of cardio after your strength training. Three times a week at moderate intensity will do. The goal of cardio is to burn fat, not to exhaust yourself. You should breathe heavier than when at rest, but not gasping.

● Cut calories. Track your food intake using Fitday. Start eating 18x your current body-weight in lbs. One week later: cut 500kcal. Check the balance one week later again. Did you lose weight? If you did, keep eating the same amount of calories. If not: cut another 500kcal.

Whatever you do: don’t starve yourself. Fat is emergency storage for your body. If you don’t eat your body will hold the fat and burn muscles. That’s the opposite of what you’re after. Only cut calories if you don’t progress. Women. Building muscle, losing fat and strength training for women is same as for men. The only difference is women have other hormonal profiles than men. Meaning women will always have less muscle mass and more body fat than men. But the approach is the same. Follow these tips and you’ll get results. You won’t get bulky if you don’t overeat and stay away from steroids. Vegan & Vegetarian. Leo is a vegan, and other readers of Zen Habits are also vegans or vegetarians. You’ll find plenty of examples of vegans and vegetarians who built muscle. It can be done. But you might have less results than meat-eaters. Red meat contains saturated fat and cholesterol which raises your testosterone levels. Testosterone is needed for muscle. Ask your doctor for a blood-test. Eat red meat for 2 months. Do another blood-test. Compare testosterone levels. Eat lots of dairy products: milk, eggs and cheese if you’re vegetarian. Don’t let the fact that you’re vegan or vegetarian serve as excuse. You can build muscle. Motivation. The best way to keep yourself motivated is to set goals & track your progress. The classic scale is not your best tool. Here are better ways.

● Fat measurements. Measure your body fat weekly using a fat caliper.● Pictures. Take pictures every 4 weeks.● Blood test. Check health improvements.● Strength stats. Keep a training journal. More strength is more muscles.● Weigh scale. Only use it once a week. Each Friday for example.

I advise you to keep an online journal. Put it on Zen Habits Forums or on StrongLifts.com Forum. You’ll get feedback & you won’t feel alone anymore in what you’re trying to achieve.



http://www.fitday.com/

http://stronglifts.com/strength-training-for-women/







http://zenhabits.net/forums/






http://stronglifts.com/forum/
















Expectations. Don’t believe the hype in the magazines. You won’t get ripped in 8 weeks. However you can build muscle and lose fat in 8 weeks. As I wrote in the leading: 8 weeks is a start. It learns you that you can transform your body if you want to. One of my readers lost 40lbs fat & built 20lbs muscle in 10 months at age 55. You can do it. If you want to. Persist and you’ll get there. Mehdi is author of StrongLifts.com, a blog helping you build muscle & lose fat through strength training. Popular articles include the Beginner Strength Training Program and the Anabolic Diet.

Originally posted: 10.05.2007http://zenhabits.net/how-to-build-muscle-and-lose-fat/



http://stronglifts.com/how-i-lost-20kg-fat-gained-10kg-muscles-in-10-months/














http://stronglifts.com/category/build-muscle/



http://stronglifts.com/category/lose-fat/



http://stronglifts.com//




http://stronglifts.com/beginner-strength-training-program/







http://stronglifts.com/anabolic-diet/



http://zenhabits.net/how-to-build-muscle-and-lose-fat/































Section 4: Motivation

31 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise Top 20 Motivation Hacks Reward Yourself Without Spending A Lot Discipline is an Illusion; Motivate Yourself Instead Get Off Your Butt: 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re In A Slump

“Imagine a slimmer, fitter you. Now let that visualization drive you.” - Leo “Inspiration is one of the best motivators, and it can be found everywhere. Every day, seek inspiration, and it will help sustain motivation over the long term.” - Leo














31 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise“80 percent of success is showing up.” – Woody Allen

How do you find motivation to exercise when you just don’t feel like getting off your butt? I ask myself this question every now and then, and I have the feeling I’m not the only one. A few weeks ago, I wrote 4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit ... and the fourth and final step was to add motivation as needed until the habit sticks. This post is to help you with that fourth step. There are a million ways to motivate yourself to exercise, actually, but these are a few that have worked for me. And trust me, I’ve had days when I’ve struggled with exercise. Most recently, the things that have helped include finding a workout partner (one of the best motivators!), logging my exercise, reading magazines, books and websites, and rewarding myself.

1. How you feel after a workout. I always feel great after a good workout. It’s a high. And I let that motivate me the next time: “You know how good you’re going to feel, Leo!”

2. Time for you. While many people make time to take care of others (kids, spouse, other family, co-workers, boss), they don’t often make time to take care of themselves. Instead, make your “you” time a priority, and don’t miss that exercise appointment.

3. Calories burned. If you count calories (and it’s really one of the most effective ways to lose weight), you know that the more you exercise, the more calories you burn — and the bigger your calorie deficit.

4. Having fun. Exercise should be fun. If it isn’t, try a different kind of activity that you enjoy. As long as you’re moving, it’s good for you.

5. How you’re going to look. Imagine a slimmer, fitter you. Now let that visualization drive you.

6. Magazines. It motivates me to read fitness magazines. Not sure why, but it works.

7. Cover models. Sure, they’re genetically freaky, and probably Photoshopped to look perfect. But for some reason, looking at how good a cover model looks helps motivate me to work harder.

8. Blogs. I enjoy reading blogs about people who are into running, or losing weight. It can show the ups and downs they go through, and you can learn from their experiences.



http://zenhabits.net/2007/09/4-simple-steps-to-start-the-exercise-habit/


























9. Success stories. I find the success stories of others incredibly inspirational. If a fitness website has success stories, I’ll almost always read them.

10. Forums. Do the monthly challenge on the Zen Habits forums, or join another forum full of like-minded or like-goaled peopled. Check in daily. It really helps.

11. Rewards. If you exercise for a few days, give yourself a reward! A week? Another reward. Do it often in the beginning.

12. Fitting into new clothes. Wanna look good in a smaller size? Work out!

13. Being attractive. That’s always a good motivator, as I’m sure we all know.

14. Adrenaline rush. I get a rush when I exercise. Ride that rush to complete the workout.

15. Stress relief. Wound up after a long day at the office? Get out and work off that stress. It makes a world of difference.

16. Time for contemplation. I love, love the quiet time of exercise for thinking about things. Most of this post was written in my head as I exercised.

17. A workout partner. Best thing I’ve done.

18. An exercise class. Sign up for a class, perhaps with a friend, and you’ll be motivated to get there and work out.

19. A coach or trainer. Worth the money, just for the motivation.

20. An exercise log/graph. For some reason, writing it down is extremely important. Really. Do it for a week and you’ll see what I mean.

21. Your before picture. You often don’t realize how far you’ve come. Take pictures.

22. A 5K race or triathlon. Just sign up for one, and you’ll be motivated to train.

23. The dread of feeling “yuck” from not exercising. I hate how I feel after not exercising. So I remind myself of that when I feel tired.

24. Living long enough to see your grandkids … and play with them.

25. The scale. It’s not motivating to weigh yourself every day, as your weight fluctuates. But if you weigh yourself once a week, you’ll be motivated to have it keep going down,














instead of up. Combine the scale with the measuring tape, and measure your waist.

26. Reaching a goal. Set a goal for weight, or your waist measurement, or a number of days to work out, or a number of miles to run this week. Setting and tracking a goal helps motivate you to complete that goal. Make it easily achievable.

27. Posting it on your blog. Tell people you’re going to lose weight or exercise daily, and report to them. You’ll make it happen.

28. Motivational quotes. I like to print them out or put them on my computer desktop.

29. Books. I just bought a strength-training book as a reward. It makes me want to hit the weights!

30. Others commenting on how good you look. When someone notices the changes in your body, it feels good. And it makes you want to work out more.

31. An upcoming day at the beach, or a reunion. Nuff said.

Originally posted: 10.19.2007http://zenhabits.net/31-ways-to-motivate-yourself-to-exercise/



http://zenhabits.net/31-ways-to-motivate-yourself-to-exercise/





























Top 20 Motivation Hacks – An Overview

For the last two weeks I’ve been posting the Top 20 Motivation Hacks, one by one. These are the tips and tricks that, if used in combination, are a nearly sure way to achieve your goals. Achieving goals is not a matter of having “discipline”. It’s a matter of motivating yourself, and keeping your focus on your goal. Follow these hacks, or any combination of them that works for you, and you should have the motivation and focus you need. Here they are, in reverse order (links take you to more on each): #20: Chart Your Progress. Recently I posted about how I created a chart to track my progress with each of my goals. This chart is not just for information purposes, for me to look back and see how I’m doing. It’s to motivate me to keep up with my goals. If I’m diligent about checking my chart every day, and marking dots or “x”s, then I will want to make sure I fill it with dots. I will think to myself, “I better do this today if I want to mark a dot.” Well, that’s a small motivation, but it helps, trust me. Some people prefer to use gold stars. Others have a training log, which works just as well. Or try Joe’s Goals. However you do it, track your progress, and allow yourself a bit of pride each time you give yourself a good mark. Now, you will have some bad marks on your chart. That’s OK. Don’t let a few bad marks stop you from continuing. Strive instead to get the good marks next time. #19: Hold Yourself Back. When I start with a new exercise program, or any new goal really, I am rarin’ to go. I am full of excitement, and my enthusiasm knows no boundaries. Nor does my sense of self-limitation. I think I can do anything. It’s not long before I learn that I do have limitations, and my enthusiasm begins to wane. Well, a great motivator that I’ve learned is that when you have so much energy at the beginning of a program, and want to go all out — HOLD BACK. Don’t let yourself do everything you want to do. Only let yourself do 50-75 percent of what you want to do. And plan out a course of action where you slowly increase over time. For example, if I want to go running, I might think I can run 3 miles at first. But instead of letting myself do that, I start by only running a mile. When I’m doing that mile, I’ll be telling myself that I can do more! But I don’t let myself. After that workout, I’ll be looking forward to the next workout, when I’ll let myself do 1.5 miles. I keep that energy reined in, harness it, so that I can ride it even further. #18: Join an online (or off-line) group to help keep you focused and motivated. When I started to run, more than a year ago, I joined a few different forums, at different times, on different sites, such as Men’s Health (the Belly-Off Runner’s Club), Runner’s World, Cool Running, and the running group at About.com. I did the same when I was quitting smoking.


http://zenhabits.net/2007/02/top-20-motivation-hacks-20/






http://zenhabits.net/2007/02/ben-franklins-hack-tweaked-tracking-my/














http://traineo.com/

http://traineo.com/

http://traineo.com/

http://traineo.com/

http://traineo.com/

http://www.joesgoals.com/








































http://forums.menshealth.com/






http://forums.runnersworld.com/






http://www.coolrunning.com/cgi-bin/ubb/Ultimate.cgi




http://running.about.com/mpboards.htm





















Each time I joined a forum, it helped keep me on track. Not only did I meet a bunch of other people who were either going through what I was going through or who had already been through it, I would report my progress (and failures) as I went along. They were there for great advice, for moral support, to help keep me going when I wanted to stop. #17: Post a picture of your goal someplace visible — near your desk or on your refrigerator, for example. Visualizing your goal, exactly how you think it will be when you’ve achieved it, whether it’s financial goals like traveling to Rome or building a dream house, or physical goals like finishing a marathon or getting a flat stomach, is a great motivator and one of the best ways of actualizing your goals. Find a magazine photo or a picture online and post it somewhere where you can see it not only daily, but hourly if possible. Put it as your desktop photo, or your home page. Use the power of your visual sense to keep you focused on your goal. Because that focus is what will keep you motivated over the long term — once you lose focus, you lose motivation, so having something to keep bringing your focus back to your goal will help keep that motivation. #16: Get a workout partner or goal buddy. Staying motivated on your own is tough. But if you find someone with similar goals (running, dieting, finances, etc.), see if they’d like to partner with you. Or partner with your spouse, sibling or best friend on whatever goals they’re trying to achieve. You don’t have to be going after the same goals — as long as you are both pushing and encouraging each other to succeed. #15: Just get started. There are some days when you don’t feel like heading out the door for a run, or figuring out your budget, or whatever it is you’re supposed to do that day for your goal. Well, instead of thinking about how hard it is, and how long it will take, tell yourself that you just have to start. I have a rule (not an original one) that I just have to put on my running shoes and close the door behind me. After that, it all flows naturally. It’s when you’re sitting in your house, thinking about running and feeling tired, that it seems hard. Once you start, it is never as hard as you thought it would be. This tip works for me every time. #14: Make it a pleasure. One reason we might put off something that will help us achieve our goal, such as exercise for example, is because it seems like hard work. Well, this might be true, but the key is to find a way to make it fun or pleasurable. If your goal activity becomes a treat, you actually look forward to it. And that’s a good thing. #13: Give it time, be patient. I know, this is easier said than done. But the problem with many of us is that we expect quick results. When you think about your goals, think long term. If you want to lose weight, you may see some quick initial losses, but it will take a long time to lose























































































the rest. If you want to run a marathon, you won’t be able to do it overnight. If you don’t see the results you want soon, don’t give up … give it time. In the meantime, be happy with your progress so far, and with your ability to stick with your goals. The results will come if you give it time. #12: Break it into smaller, mini goals. Sometimes large or longer-term goals can be overwhelming. After a couple weeks, we may lose motivation, because we still have several months or a year or more left to accomplish the goal. It’s hard to maintain motivation for a single goal for such a long time. Solution: have smaller goals along the way. #11: Reward yourself. Often. And not just for longer-term goals, either. In Hack #12, I talked about breaking larger goals into smaller, mini goals. Well, each of those mini goals should have a reward attached to it. Make a list of your goals, with mini goals, and next to each, write down an appropriate reward. By appropriate, I mean 1) it’s proportionate to the size of the goal (don’t reward going on a 1-mile run with a luxury cruise in the Bahamas); and 2) it doesn’t ruin your goal — if you are trying to lose weight, don’t reward a day of healthy eating with a dessert binge. It’s self-defeating. #10: Find inspiration, on a daily basis. Inspiration is one of the best motivators, and it can be found everywhere. Every day, seek inspiration, and it will help sustain motivation over the long term. Sources of inspiration can include: blogs, online success stories, forums, friends and family, magazines, books, quotes, music, photos, people you meet. #9: Get a coach or take a class. These will motivate you to at least show up, and to take action. It can be applied to any goal. This might be one of the more expensive ways of motivating yourself, but it works. And if you do some research, you might find some cheap classes in your area, or you might know a friend who will provide coaching or counseling for free. #8: Have powerful reasons. Write them down. Know your reasons. Give them some thought … and write them down. If you have loved ones, and you are doing it for them, that is more powerful than just doing it for self-interest. Doing it for yourself is good too, but you should do it for something that you REALLY REALLY want to happen, for really good reasons. #7: Become aware of your urges to quit, and be prepared for them. We all have urges to stop, but they are mostly unconscious. One of the most powerful things you can do is to start being more conscious of those urges. A good exercise is to go through the day with a little piece of paper and put a tally mark for each time you get an urge. It simply makes you aware of the urges. Then have a plan for when those urges hit, and plan for it beforehand, and write down your plan, because once those urges hit, you will not feel like coming up with a plan. #6: Make it a rule never to skip two days in a row.This rule takes into account our natural tendency to miss days now and then. We are not perfect. So, you missed one day … now the

























































































































second day is upon you and you are feeling lazy … tell yourself NO! You will not miss two days in a row! Zen Habits says so! And just get started. You’ll thank yourself later. #5: Visualize your goal clearly, on a daily basis, for at least 5-10 minutes. Visualize your successful outcome in great detail. Close your eyes, and think about exactly how your successful outcome will look, will feel, will smell and taste and sound like. Where are you when you become successful? How do you look? What are you wearing? Form as clear a mental picture as possible. Now here’s the next key: do it every day. For at least a few minutes each day. This is the only way to keep that motivation going over a long period of time. #4: Keep a daily journal of your goal. If you are consistent about keeping a journal, it can be a great motivator. A journal should have not only what you did for the day, but your thoughts about how it went, how you felt, what mistakes you made, what you could do to improve. To be consistent about keeping a journal, do it right after you do your goal task each day. Make keeping a journal a sensory pleasure. #3: Create a friendly, mutually-supportive competition.We are all competitive in nature, at least a little. Some more than others. Take advantage of this part of our human nature by using it to fuel your goals. If you have a workout partner or goal buddy, you’ve got all you need for a friendly competition. See who can log more miles, or save more dollars, each week or month. See who can do more pushups or pullups. See who can lose the most weight or have the best abs or lose the most inches on their waist. Make sure the goals are weighted so that the competition is fairly equal. And mutually support each other in your goals. #2: Make a big public commitment. Be fully committed. This will do the trick every time. Create a blog and announce to the world that you are going to achieve a certain goal by a certain date. Commit yourself to the hilt. #1: Always think positive. Squash all negative thoughts. Monitor your thoughts. Be aware of your self-talk. We all talk to ourselves, a lot, but we are not always aware of these thoughts. Start listening. If you hear negative thoughts, stop them, push them out, and replace them with positive thoughts. Positive thinking can be amazingly powerful.

Originally posted: 02.17.2007http://zenhabits.net/top-20-motivation-hacks-overview/



















































































http://zenhabits.net/top-20-motivation-hacks-overview/

























Reward Yourself Without Spending a Lot

When you’ve accomplished a goal or mini-goal, you should celebrate and reward yourself (see Motivation Hack #11). However, if you do this often enough, and your rewards cost a lot, you’ll soon go broke. J.D. at Get Rich Slowly recently posted that sometimes it’s OK to splurge, a cool statement coming from someone who promotes frugality. And I agree with him completely, but I thought it would be interesting to post a list of some ideas of cheap or free rewards. Some ideas:

1. buy books from a used bookstore2. make chocolate chip cookies (easy and delicious!)3. dip berries in chocolate4. take a day off, watch dvds5. ask your SO for a massage6. take a bubble bath7. blend a smoothie8. download a couple songs9. spend time with a loved one10. get your favorite take out11. give yourself some quiet time with a book or music12. take a day off from any goal activities13. take a nap14. watch your favorite TV show15. do something you love16. window shopping (can be dangerous!)17. go to the beach18. go to a museum19. have a cup of tea20. have a glass of wine with dinner

Be creative! I’m sure you can think of a lot of other free things that will give you pleasure. You deserve it!

Originally posted: 03.05.2007http://zenhabits.net/reward-yourself-without-spending-lot/








http://www.happyjuicer.com/Smoothies/recipe-list.asp

http://www.healthrecipes.com/fruit_smoothies.htm

http://www.healthrecipes.com/fruit_smoothies.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilmore_Girls

















Discipline is an illusion; Motivate yourself instead(Jason’s note: I don’t think discipline is an illusion, but this post gives a lot to think about. Personally, I think you become disciplined because of your motivation. While Leo and I disagree on the means, I believe we agree on the end.) Reader Kamal posted a great question in response to my call for topic suggestions:

“I think discipline would be a good topic, as much of what you talk about requires a certain amount of it. The Army was good for teaching me discipline, but I realized that in the end, it comes from within. But still, like most things, it is a habit that one can work on over time. Would love to hear your thoughts and experience on the subject.”

Let me start with the conclusion first: if you think you don’t have discipline, you don’t need it. What you need is to commit to your goal or habit and fully motivate yourself. Read on for more. I think that most of us believe that discipline is something you either have or don’t have — some believe you are born with it, and some, like Kamal, believe it is something you can develop as a habit. But what exactly is it we’re talking about when we say the word “discipline”? If I wake up early every morning to run, do I have discipline? Most people would say that I do. But, as someone who regularly wakes up early, and who runs frequently (not every day), I can testify that I for one do not have discipline. I am anything but disciplined, and never have been. So how do I explain my ability to wake up early, and to run on a regular basis? Simple: I have adequate and varied motivation. I get up every morning, not out of discipline, but because I really want to — and have tricked myself into doing it. I get out the door and go for a run not because I’m super disciplined, but because I really want to. Let’s take the example of someone in the military — the typical example of someone with discipline. Let’s say Sgt. Lamar is a tough Army man. He wakes up very early every day, goes through a strict morning routine, runs and does his pushups and situps, eats a moderate diet and keeps his clothes and living area spotless. He’s the epitome of discipline.



http://www.readmynovel.com/about-me/

http://www.readmynovel.com/about-me/












But I say he has motivation instead. Review the Top 20 Motivation Hacks for some of the reasons why:

● Sgt. Lamar has signed up for the Army and all that that entails. He is a full-time military man, and everyone he knows is aware of this. He has fully committed himself to living a life of discipline, meaning he’s fully committed to all the habits of the Army: waking early, exercise, cleanliness, orderliness, etc. That’s the No. 2 of the Top 20 Hacks.

● He’s in the middle of a mutually supportive competition. There is competition among his fellow officers about who has more discipline (wakes earlier, runs more, etc.) — Hack No. 3.

● Sgt. Lamar has powerful reasons (Hack No. 8) to keep those habits going — to keep up his reputation in the Army, to promote his advancement in the organization, to set an example for those under him.

● There are many more, but let me quickly point out others: there’s a system of accountability, public pressure, others above him who he must report to, rewards for sticking to the habits, the pleasure of accomplishing his goals and habits, workout buddies, visualization of his goals (even if he doesn’t realize it, Sgt. Lamar has a picture of what an Army man should be, and keeps that in his head each day). And then there’s positive thinking (Hack No. 1) — Sgt. Lamar doesn’t allow himself to think negatively, or to tell himself he can’t do it. He has no choice. If he does start thinking negative thoughts, he will soon be former Sgt. Lamar.

If you removed all of these motivations — the public pressure, the rewards, the positive thinking, the powerful reasons, the accountability, the full commitment, the mutually supportive competition — I believe that Sgt. Lamar would have no discipline. Now, some people will think, “But Sgt. Lamar was disciplined even after he was in the Army. He’s still the most disciplined person I know, as a former military man.” That may be true (it’s not true in every case), but I would argue that he has maintained his habits from many of the same motivations — he is still committed, to everyone he knows, to being a disciplined former military man, and he has this public reputation to maintain. He probably also still finds pleasure in being an early riser, in exercising and staying fit, in looking clean and being orderly. I also argue that those who do not have those same motivations are those who are former military men who aren’t disciplined — and we all know just as many of this type as the former. So how can you be “disciplined” about your habits? Get the right motivation (See the Top 20- Motivation Hacks for more). Here are a few tips:































1. Pick one habit, and fully commit to it. Don’t try to be “disciplined” for a whole lot of things at once. I’ve tried this (many times) and it always fails. I’m re-evaluating my goals for this year for that reason alone. Try one habit at a time, and really focus on it.

2. Come up with a plan for that habit. See how many of the Top 20 Motivation Hacks you can apply to this habit. Write down your goal, and set a measurable and achievable goal, with a deadline. Write down mini-goals along the way, with rewards for each. Write down a plan for monitoring your urges to quit the habit, and for how you will overcome those urges (write it down beforehand!).

3. Maintain your focus on that habit for as long as possible. Try not to get distracted from it by other things. Post up pictures, motivational quotes, your plan, a list of rewards, your list of reasons, etc. Send yourself email reminders. Get others to remind you of your focus. Blog about it. Whatever it takes.

4. Set up your environment so that you maintain your motivation for your habit over time. Look at the example of Sgt. Lamar above. His life is set up so that he can’t fail. Set you life up like that too, with motivation all around you, in many forms. Set it up so that that motivation continues for as long as possible, not just for a couple weeks or a month. Maintain that environment of motivation.

5. Celebrate your success!!! Woo hoo!!!!

Originally posted: 03.05.2007http://zenhabits.net/discipline-is-illusion-motivate/



http://zenhabits.net/discipline-is-illusion-motivate/

























Get Off Your Butt: 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re in a Slump

Even the most motivated of us — you, me, Tony Robbins — can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult. But it’s not hopeless: with some small steps, baby ones in fact, you can get started down the road to positive change. Yes, I know, it seems impossible at times. You don’t feel like doing anything. I’ve been there, and in fact I still feel that way from time to time. You’re not alone. But I’ve learned a few ways to break out of a slump, and we’ll take a look at those today. This post was inspired by reader Roy C. Carlson, who asked:

“I was wondering if you could do a piece on why it can be hard for someone to change direction and start taking control of their life. I have to say I’m in this boat and advice on getting out of my slump would be great.”

Roy is just one of many with a slump like that. Again, I feel that way sometimes myself, and in fact sometimes I struggle to motivate myself to exercise — and I’ll use that as an example of how to break out of the slump. When I fall out of exercise, due to illness or injury or disruption from things going on in my life, it’s hard to get started again. I don’t even feel like thinking about it, sometimes. But I’ve always found a way to break out of that slump, and here are some things I’ve learned that have helped:

1. One Goal. Whenever I’ve been in a slump, I’ve discovered that it’s often because I have too much going on in my life. I’m trying to do too much. And it saps my energy and motivation. It’s probably the most common mistake that people make: they try to take on too much, try to accomplish too many goals at once. You cannot maintain energy and focus (the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are trying to do two or more goals at once. It’s not possible — I’ve tried it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it completely. I know, that’s hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.



http://roycarlson.com

















2. Find inspiration. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who have achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read other blogs, books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success stories. Zen Habits is just one place for inspiration, not only from me but from many readers who have achieved amazing things.

3. Get excited. This sounds obvious, but most people don’t think about it much: if you want to break out of a slump, get yourself excited about a goal. But how can you do that when you don’t feel motivated? Well, it starts with inspiration from others (see above), but you have to take that excitement and build on it. For me, I’ve learned that by talking to my wife about it, and to others, and reading as much about it as possible, and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing the benefits of the goal in my head), I get excited about a goal. Once I’ve done that, it’s just a matter of carrying that energy forward and keeping it going.

4. Build anticipation. This will sound hard, and many people will skip this tip. But it really works. It helped me quit smoking after many failed attempts. If you find inspiration and want to do a goal, don’t start right away. Many of us will get excited and want to start today. That’s a mistake. Set a date in the future — a week or two, or even a month — and make that your Start Date. Mark it on the calendar. Get excited about that date. Make it the most important date in your life. In the meantime, start writing out a plan. And do some of the steps below. Because by delaying your start, you are building anticipation, and increasing your focus and energy for your goal.

5. Post your goal. Print out your goal in big words. Make your goal just a few words long, like a mantra (“Exercise 15 mins. Daily”), and post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home and work. Put it on your computer desktop. You want to have big reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement going. A picture of your goal (like a model with sexy abs, for example) also helps.

6. Commit publicly. None of us likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve said publicly. For example, when I wanted to run my first marathon, I started writing a column about it in my local daily newspaper. The entire island of Guam (pop. 160K) knew about my goal. I couldn’t back down, and even though my motivation came and went, I stuck with it and completed it. Now, you don’t have to commit to your goal in your daily newspaper, but you can do it with friends and family and co-workers, and you can do it on your blog if you have one. And hold yourself accountable — don’t just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone every week or so.

7. Think about it daily. If you think about your goal every day, it is much more likely to become true. To this end, posting the goal on your wall or computer desktop (as mentioned above) helps a lot. Sending yourself daily reminders also helps. And if you














can commit to doing one small thing to further your goal (even just 5 minutes) every single day, your goal will almost certainly come true.

8. Get support. It’s hard to accomplish something alone. When I decided to run my marathon, I had the help of friends and family, and I had a great running community on Guam who encouraged me at 5K races and did long runs with me. When I decided to quit smoking, I joined an online forum and that helped tremendously. And of course, my wife Eva helped every step of the way. I couldn’t have done these goals without her, or without the others who supported me. Find your support network, either in the real world or online, or both.

9. Realize that there’s an ebb and flow. Motivation is not a constant thing that is always there for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again, like the tide. But realize that while it may go away, it doesn’t do so permanently. It will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that motivation to come back. In the meantime, read about your goal (see below), ask for help (see below), and do some of the other things listed here until your motivation comes back.

10. Stick with it. Whatever you do, don’t give up. Even if you aren’t feeling any motivation today, or this week, don’t give up. Again, that motivation will come back. Think of your goal as a long journey, and your slump is just a little bump in the road. You can’t give up with every little bump. Stay with it for the long term, ride out the ebbs and surf on the flows, and you’ll get there.

11. Start small. Really small. If you are having a hard time getting started, it may be because you’re thinking too big. If you want to exercise, for example, you may be thinking that you have to do these intense workouts 5 days a week. No — instead, do small, tiny, baby steps. Just do 2 minutes of exercise. I know, that sounds wimpy. But it works. Commit to 2 minutes of exercise for one week. You may want to do more, but just stick to 2 minutes. It’s so easy, you can’t fail. Do it at the same time, every day. Just some crunches, 2 pushups, and some jogging in place. Once you’ve done 2 minutes a day for a week, increase it to 5, and stick with that for a week. In a month, you’ll be doing 15-20. Want to wake up early? Don’t think about waking at 5 a.m. Instead, think about waking 10 minutes earlier for a week. That’s all. Once you’ve done that, wake 10 minutes earlier than that. Baby steps.

12. Build on small successes. Again, if you start small for a week, you’re going to be successful. You can’t fail if you start with something ridiculously easy. Who can’t exercise for 2 minutes? (If that’s you, I apologize.) And you’ll feel successful, and good about yourself. Take that successful feeling and build on it, with another baby step. Add 2-3 minutes to your exercise routine, for example. With each step (and each step should last about a week), you will feel even more successful. Make each step really, really














small, and you won’t fail. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success.

13. Read about it daily. When I lose motivation, I just read a book or blog about my goal. It inspires me and reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading helps motivate and focus you on whatever you’re reading about. So read about your goal every day, if you can, especially when you’re not feeling motivated.

14. Call for help when your motivation ebbs. Having trouble? Ask for help. Email me. Join an online forum. Get a partner to join you. Call your mom. It doesn’t matter who, just tell them your problems, and talking about it will help. Ask them for advice. Ask them to help you overcome your slump. It works.

15. Think about the benefits, not the difficulties. One common problem is that we think about how hard something is. Exercise sounds so hard! Just thinking about it makes you tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about how tiring exercise can be, focus on how good you’ll feel when you’re done, and how you’ll be healthier and slimmer over the long run. The benefits of something will help energize you.

16. Squash negative thoughts; replace them with positive ones. Along those lines, it’s important to start monitoring your thoughts. Recognize negative self-talk, which is really what’s causing your slump. Just spend a few days becoming aware of every negative thought. Then, after a few days, try squashing those negative thoughts like a bug, and then replacing them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, “This is too hard!” and replace it with, “I can do this! If that wimp Leo can do it, so can I!” It sounds corny, but it works. Really.

Originally posted: 08.30.2007http://zenhabits.net/get-off-your-butt-16-ways-to-get-motivated-when-youre-in-a-slump/



http://zenhabits.net/get-off-your-butt-16-ways-to-get-motivated-when-youre-in-a-slump/











































● Change your schedule, if possible. If you exercise in the afternoon but overeat while while watching TV at night, try exercising at night. Go to work earlier, come home later, schedule your walks during times you know you’re vulnerable to snacking. Switch things up to help break bad habits.

● For people who want to lose 100+ pounds, dealing with the underlying issues of self medicating depression or anxiety is going to be a lot more effective then anything else. Feeling bad about being fat and trying to lose weight, or putting yourself in exercise situations you don’t feel comfortable in are not going to really help until the underlying issues of using food to treat boredom or anxiety or depression. After treating this underlying problem, the good habits will come without nearly so much struggle.

● Start small. Changing your lifestyle overnight is very bad for your body and your mind. You’ll get sick of eating oatmeal 3 times a day, or grapefruit. Your life should be enjoyable and healthy!

● Tell people around you what you’re doing. This will keep you motivated to continue. Don’t ask for their support, but say “I’m on this new thing where I’m going to kick my butt at the gym/road/bike today and” whatever.

● Be aware of self-deception. It can sneak up on you from any angle. Examples of food deceptions: Breaded/fried chicken breast does not constitute an optimally healthy protein source, compared to simple grilled chicken breast. Potatoes do not constitute a viable vegetable source (they are a carbohydrate source).

● Derive your self worth from something other than a number on a scale and instead gift yourself a body that will function well to serve your noble life’s goals.

● Never give up, even after you have failed a few times. When you fail, start over. Watch those TV programs like “The Biggest Loser” or “Celebrity Fit Club”, because they are great motivators.

● Rewards! New clothes make awesome rewards for weight loss. Going out with friends (but not for anything food related) is a great reward.

● Weigh yourself but also take your measurements. Sometimes your scale won’t budge but your waistline will.

● Get enough sleep – that’s the first and most important step. Without sleep, it’s harder to plan your meals, to exercise, or to consciously eat healthy.

● Tell others your goals. Not only will you then have someone else also expecting you to perform but you’ll gain a cheering section!

● Focus on one thing at a time. Everything we do is based on habits. If you’ve got to both get into the habit of eating great AND exercising daily, you run a big risk of getting overwhelmed when you’re not seeing results or you slip a little.

● Find motivation other than within yourself. Workout FOR somebody else that you care about (your kids, loved ones, friends etc.). When you don’t feel like working out, remember that you’re doing it for them.

● Focus on health and NOT weight loss. It is far more important that you live a happy, healthy life than look good naked. You’ll thank yourself when you are 80 and still lead an active life.












Acknowledgements If you’ve made it this far in the book, let me take a second to thank you, the reader, for inspiring me to put this collection together. Without you, this book would be pointless. My most humble thanks go to Leo Babauta for creating and maintaining his blog, ZenHabits.net. Leo, thank you for your uncopyright license that allowed me to put together and distribute this book! There are a few posts in this collection written by people other than Leo. Thank you to the following contributors to ZenHabits.net whose posts are found in the book:

Chris - Zen to FitnessMark Sisson - Mark’s Daily AppleSara Ost - Healthbolt.netMehdi - Strong Lifts

Please take a moment to visit their sites to see the other great material they have. About Finding My FitnessI created FindingMyFitness in December of 2010 (has it been that long?!) to help me have some type of public accountability as I sought to achieve my own fitness goals. What I didn’t expect was to find so many people coming to FMF looking for help! At FMF, you’ll find weight loss, exercise, and general fitness tips from someone who isn’t a gym rat, fitness nerd, or health nut. Well, I guess I’m sort of a fitness nerd now, and some people might call me a health nut, but I didn’t start out that way. I’m in the trenches, just like you are, and I’m just passing on the things I find. Come visit FMF if you need some encouragement, help, or if you’re looking for advice on the Paleo or Slow Carb diets. See you there!



http://www.zenhabits.net



http://www.zentofitness.com/





http://www.marksdailyapple.com







http://www.healthbolt.net/



http://www.stronglifts.com



http://www.findingmyfitness.com

http://www.findingmyfitness.com/2011/09/what-is-the-whole-30-challenge/

http://www.findingmyfitness.com/2011/09/what-is-the-whole-30-challenge/

















the zen of finding your fitness€¦ · interchangeable. the key, of course, is sticking to the...

Documents