http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Before I get into how good this new TJ’s salad dressing is, can we please take a minute to discuss how impossible it is to spell “vinaigrette” right on the first try? (Close your eyes and try it, middle school spelling bee-style, and let me know if you have better luck than I did.)
Okay, okay, now for that review of this Organic Rosé V-I-N-A-I-G-R-E-T-T-E as promised.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
One of my personal parenting goals is to have as much fun with my kids as I can before they grow up. Playdough is a staple of that goal, because we can make it at home together — customizing the colors and scents — and playing with it for hours on end.
We get the brand-name stuff as gifts a few times a year, but as with most craft supplies, it quickly dries up or gets smooshed into one blob of color that no one wants to play with. That’s why I think every parent should have this straightforward, easy playdough recipe — so you can have playdough anytime without going to the store.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
We get very excited every time Le Creuset adds a new color to its line. It’s fun to see what the French brand dreams up and think about how a new introduction would mix and match with what we already have in our kitchens. And right now, we are very, very, very excited — yes, three verys — because Le Creuset just launched THREE new colors this morning!
Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/
I get an email at least once a day that says the following:
“Steve, what should I do for a workout?”
After all, many people are interested in getting started with strength training and want to know what workout routine to follow.
Considering that a program should be developed around a person’s biology, age, goals, diet, free time, etc, there’s a lot of factors I can’t get in through email that would allow me to tailor a program specific to that person.
It’s really easy to overcomplicate this process as there are an infinite number of exercises, sets, reps, and programs to choose from.
And yes, we have a solution for people that JUST want to be told what exactly to do: Our uber popular 1-on-1 coaching program pairs you with your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and develop a workout plan that’s specific to not only your body, but also to your schedule and life.
We take the guesswork and uncertainty out of this process for hundreds of people – and we’d love to be able to pair you with a coach who can do the same: click the image below and speak with our team to learn more:
*****
Now, if you’re more of a “get my hands dirty and figure this stuff out on my own,” kind of person, – we’re going to dig into how to build your own workout plan today!
Developing a workout routine for yourself can be intimidating, but it’s really not too difficult and kind of fun once you understand the basics.
If you are ready to start building your own routine and want to know how its done, great, let’s do this!
You can download our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, which will help you build a workout with bodyweight exercises all the way up through your first few weeks in a gym with weight training.
Grab the guide free when you sign up in the box below and join the Rebellion!
For starters: how much time can you devote to exercise?
If you can do an hour a day, that’s awesome.
If you have a wife or husband, three kids, a dog, two jobs, and no robot butler, then maybe you only have thirty minutes, twice a week.
That’s fine too.
Whatever your time commitment is, developing the most efficient workout is crucial. Why spend two hours in a gym when you can get just as much accomplished in 30 minutes, right?
After all, we know that weight training is the fat-burning prize fight victor, and efficiency rules all.
Next, you’ll want to determine WHERE you’ll work out:
Once you determine where you want to train, and how much time you have, we can start to use the equipment you have to build your routine and more.
I like to follow the motto of “Keep it simple, stupid.”
(Note: I am not calling you stupid. You’re reading Nerd Fitness, which means you’re intelligent, good looking, really funny, but most of all, modest.)
The best workout is the one that you actually stick with, and people make things FAR too complicated and try to target a bazillion different individual muscles with six types of exercises for each body part.
It’s exhausting, unnecessary, inefficient, and intimidating.
So keep it simple! We’re going to pick 5 exercises, and get really strong with those movements.
This is the ENTIRE philosophy behind our Strength 101 series.
Unless you’ve been strength training for years and know what you’re doing, we recommend that you pick a full body routine that you can do 2-3 times a week.
You want a routine that has at least one exercise for your:
Yup, by targeting compound movements that recruit multiple muscles at the same time, you can build a full body routine that uses only four or five exercises.
Hows THAT for efficiency!
Here is a quick breakdown on those movements:
Pick one exercise from each category above for a workout, and you’ll work almost every single muscle in your body. Get stronger with each movement each week, and you have yourself a recipe for a great physique.
An example for a great, effective, simple workout:
Don’t need to make things more complicated than this!
If you’re not sure how to do any of the movements above, click on their links for thorough write-ups. Want high-definition multi-camera demonstrations of each exercise?
Here’s a sample video from the 100+ in our online course, the NF Academy, with Team NF’s Jim and Staci demonstrating a proper bodyweight push-up:
As stated above, when building your workout, don’t overthink things!
Pick one exercise from EACH category above, specifically ones that scare you the least, and that will be your workout every other day for the next week.
Once you get confident in those movements, feel free to add some variety.
Why? If you do the same exact routine, three days a week, for months and months, you and your muscles might get bored, and you’ll stop getting gains.
So feel free to stick with the above ‘formula,’ but change the ingredients:
Pick a different exercise to improve and your muscles will stay challenged, you’ll stay challenge, and you’ll actually DO the workout!
Then, focus on getting stronger!
Lastly, your muscles don’t get built in the gym, they actually get broken down in the gym, and then get rebuilt stronger when you’re resting.
Give your muscles 48 hours to recover between workouts, especially when training heavy.
A Monday-Wednesday-Friday workout works well to ensure enough time to recover, especially when you are just getting started.
I stuck with a Monday-Wednesday-Friday full day routine for nearly 10 years and just focused on getting stronger with each movement.
I realize all of this can be overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to learn Strength Training AND build your own workout too.
So we created a free resource that gives you some starter workouts (both bodyweight and weight training) that gives you the confidence to start today.
You can grab our Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know when you join the Rebellion and sign up in the box below:
SIMPLE ANSWER: Not including a warm-up set or two, I recommend doing between 3-5 sets per exercise.
A “set” is a series of repetitions that you complete without stopping. For example, if you drop down and do 10 push-ups right now, you just did 1 SET of 10 REPETITIONS (or REPS) of push-ups.
Got it? Cool.
Again, do not overthink this. Do not freak yourself out by worrying if you should do 4 sets or 5 sets. Pick one, record how you do with it, and get stronger the next time you do that movement.
So, try to keep your TOTAL (all exercises combined) workout number of sets for all exercises is in the 15-25 set range (5 exercises total, each with 4 “work sets” is a good start).
Remember, the most important part is to get started – you’ll learn how your body responds and you can adapt as you go.
What you DON’T need to do: multiple exercises for each body part with 10 sets.
Unless you are a bodybuilder or an advanced athlete following a specific protocol prescribed to you by a coach, you can stick with 4-5 sets for each of the 5 exercises in your workout routine and get outta the gym (or finish your home workout) sooner.
This is another thing that many people overthink.
If you are new to exercising or strength training, you’ll want to aim for higher reps per set with lighter weights as you’re learning the movements (if you’re training with weight).
As you get stronger and start to learn about how you like to train, you might switch to a lower rep range, even up to a single rep of maximum effort (on a movement like a Squat or Deadlift).
Some general rules:
If you’re looking to burn fat while building muscle, keep your number of repetitions per set in the 8-15 range per set.
If you can do more than 15 reps without much of a challenge, increase the weight or the difficulty of the movement. This is true for things like lunges, bodyweight squats, push-ups, pull-ups, etc.
There are some generally accepted ‘rules’ about how to determine how many reps you should target per set, based on your goals:
Remember that how you eat will determine if you get bigger or stronger
If you’re looking for a simple answer: do 4 sets of 8-10 reps for each movement you’ve chosen, and see how your body responds. But don’t neglect your diet! That’s 90% of the battle!
Keep it simple, you smart, good looking, funny, modest person.
Below is a basic formula for you to determine how long you should wait between sets, but this can be adjusted based on your level of health. The goal is to wait the least amount of time you need, but still rest enough that you can perform all reps of the next set safely and properly!
Here are some guidelines (not rules set in stone!):
If you need more or less rest than the above recommendations, that’s more than okay. Do the best you can, record how long it takes you to rest between sets, and try to rest for shorter periods in the future. Your body will adjust as you get stronger and healthier!
Do NOT overthink this!
We have a FULL resource on how to determine your starting weight for lifting, but I’ll give you the gist here.
The simple to learn but tough to implement answer: lift enough so that you can get through the set, but not too much that you have NO fuel left in the tank at the end.
How do you determine how much that is?
Trial and error.
But ALWAYS err on the side of “too light” versus “too heavy” when starting out. It’s better to say “I bet I could have done more!” instead of “that was too much, and now I need to go to the hospital!”
If you’re doing exercises with just your body weight, you need to find a way to make each exercise more difficult as you get in shape – once you get past 20 reps for a particular exercise and you’re not gassed, it’s time to mix things up.
If you want more information on how much you should lift, and when to scale certain movements or adjust your workout, check out our Strength 101: Everything You Need to Know. It’s free when you join the Rebellion with your email in the box below:
Easy answer: 45 minutes to an hour.
If you’re doing 15-25 sets of total exercise, you should be able to get everything done within that 45 minute block. Now, factor in a five or ten minute warm-up, and then stretching afterwards, and the workout can go a little bit longer.
If you can go for over an hour and you’re not completely worn out, you’re simply not pushing yourself hard enough.
Less time, more intensity, better results.
What if you don’t have 45 minutes? Maybe you want to build some cardio into your weight training. That’s where these next two sections come in.
Let’s say you’re doing four sets of squats and you plan on doing four sets of dumbbell bench presses after that.
If you wait two minutes between each set, this will take you around twenty minutes or so (factoring in the time to get set and actually do the set).
Try this instead: Do a set of squats, wait one minute, then do a set of dumbbell presses, wait one minute, then do your next set of squats, and so on.
Because you’re exercising two completely different muscle groups, you can exercise one while the other is “resting.” You’re now getting the same workout done in half the time.
Also, because you’re resting less, your body has to work harder so your heart is getting a workout too. Jackpot.
Let’s see how this would play out in a sample workout:
Like alternating exercises above, this is the most effective way to burn fat when exercising:
If you’re familiar with CrossFit, many of the workouts are built on circuit principles.
This is also the most effective way to make you involuntarily swear at inanimate objects.
A circuit requires you to do one set for EVERY exercise, one after the other, without stopping. After you’ve done one set of each exercise in succession, you then repeat the process two, or three, or four more times.
I’ve written about two bodyweight circuits here on the site:
We have 15 other FREE circuits you can follow to get your feet wet with building your own routine.
You can get them over on our big Circuit Training roundup guide!
Keep a workout journal!
As they say, that which gets measured gets improved.
You should be getting stronger, faster, or more fit with each day of exercise.
Maybe you can lift more weight, lift the same amount of weight more times than before, or you can finish the same routine faster than before.
I track all of my workouts in Evernote: I note the sets, reps, weight, and date. I have over 1,000 workouts in my folder, which makes it super simple to see what I did last month, last year, and to make sure I’m improving!
You can use an actual notebook, a bullet journal, an excel spreadsheet, a workout app, or a word document.
Don’t overcomplicate it:
Do this with a workout you’ve built, and you WILL get results. I promise.
Here’s how to properly track your progress and set a new personal best every time you train.
If you’re looking for sample workouts to build off of, I’d probably take the basic workouts in our “Gym 101” article.
If you want to build from scratch, great! Let’s break it down into easy chunks with this recap:
More often than not, when I email people back and tell them how to build their own workout, they generally respond with:
“Steve, can’t you just TELL me what to do? I’m afraid of building a crappy workout.”
If that sounds like you, check the PS below.
I certainly encourage you to try and build your own workout routine though, it can really help you develop a sense of excitement and pride when you start to get in shape based on your workout!
If you have more questions, or a workout program you’re really proud of, share it in the comments below!
Now, go do some push-ups 🙂
-Steve
PS: If you’re somebody that wants an expert to guide them through the training process, I hear ya (I have a fitness coach myself who programs my workouts!).
That’s why we built two options for people:
1) If you are somebody that wants to know they are following a program that is tailor made for their life and situation and goals, check out our popular 1-on-1 coaching program. You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself and program your workouts and nutrition for you.
2) Good at following instructions and want a blueprint to follow? Check out our self-paced online course, the Nerd Fitness Academy.
The Academy has 20+ workouts for both bodyweight or weight training, a benchmark test to determine your starting workout, HD demonstrations of every movement, boss battles so you know when you to level up your routine, meal plans, a questing system, and supportive community.
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photo: mdwombat, joshtasman: Question Finger 6, black.zack00: Yeaaaah…. Surprise ladies!!, Sterling College: Sterling Gym, ako_law: Stopwatch, black.zack00: Boxing a gentleman’s sport, Photographing Travis: Kettlebells. ahockley: DDC Stuff Sheath and EEEK Field Notes
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Frozen Asian dumplings or potstickers are one of my favorite easy meals to have on hand; there’s almost always a bag in my freezer. I usually cook them simply and serve them with nothing but soy sauce spiked with chili-garlic sauce for dipping, but after eating that on repeat for months, it was time to shake things up a bit. Turns out a stroll through the aisles of Trader Joe’s was all I needed to bring some new inspiration to my potsticker game. This stir-fry is just as quick and convenient but adds a boatload of veggies into the equation to make it my new favorite super-fast meal.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.
As winter drags on, we’re still in search of bright, beautiful dishes that warm us up. This one-pot Spanish chicken and potatoes — with slow-simmered tomatoes, eggplants, onions, and garlic — definitely fits the bill.
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/
You wouldn’t think that sexual orientation has any influence on physical activity levels, especially if you identify as heterosexual — but the unfortunate reality is that it can, and often does. Being a “sexual minority” is like belonging to an effectively invisible minority group, meaning that unless your sexual orientation is disclosed people will often just assume you are heterosexual.
Think of heterosexuality like the “default” option in society.
If you naturally fit into the default, then you probably haven’t had to give your sexual orientation and the various influences it may have on you much thought.
However, if you deviate from heterosexuality then you’re probably aggravatingly aware of how society is built to favour those to adhere to its norms.
Recent literature has shown that sexual minority women (when compared to their heterosexual counterparts) trend towards lower levels of physical activity, which in turn runs parallel to reports of increased obesity rates among sexual minority women.1,2,4,5,8,13,21,24
For example, one study estimates that sexual minority women are twice as likely to be overweight or obese that heterosexual women.25
But why? Why are sexual minority seemingly doomed to avoid physical activity? Public health trends are extremely nuanced and related to a multiplicity of factors — but here are three potential factors.
Although we are slowly inching towards inclusivity, heterosexism (or homophobia) is still very much ingrained within our society. Subsequently, homophobia can take many forms.
It can be loud and overt like being asked to leave the locker room,6 it can be institutionalized like the lack of same-sex family memberships to fitness facilities,4,5 or it can be subtle and packaged with a smile like when your cheerful fitness instructor immediately assumes you’re working out for that sweet male gaze (a.k.a. your boyfriend).12
Locker rooms are a key component to accessing fitness facilities — unfortunately, they are gendered. As such, patrons of locker rooms (in order to protect the implicit heterosexuality within the boy vs. girl divide) often interject when they feel like someone doesn’t belong in that space.
For sexual minority women, especially when they present more masculine, this means that people often stare, gawk, ask them to leave, or get some authority figure to have them removed.6,12
If someone is using a gendered space, just assume that they know their gender better than you ever could — please don’t enact gender policing, instead foster gender variant support.
Depending on the fitness facility, family memberships can be included in their roster of promotional packages. Typically, the fine print of these memberships dictate that a family consists of a man, a woman and their offspring. As a result, LGBTQIA2S+ families that deviate from the archetype nuclear family are not eligible to save money while promoting fitness in their family.4,5 As we continue to question the seemingly compulsory nature of heterosexual family structures hopefully these discriminatory policies will change.
Fitness classes are absolutely amazing, especially group fitness classes where you can sweat and be social all at the same time. Fitness instructors, in dealing with a large group of students, often rely on blanket statements to help motivate people. One trope in fitness is that any female-bodied individual must be working out to modify appearances to make themselves more attractive to men.12
Obviously there is a lot wrong with that assumption, for hetoersexual and sexual minority women alike. Thankfully, workshops are now being created to give fitness professionals the proper training to avoid these common pitfalls (e.g., Queerflex, based in Edmonton, AB, offers LGBTQIA2S+ Fitness Accessibility Training workshops, aimed at fitness professionals and fitness facilities alike).
Now this point may seem counterintuitive. You may be thinking — it’s a stereotype for a reason. Admittedly you’re right — athletics have long been acknowledged as a refuge for lesbians.7,11 Sports, especially sports associated with masculinity, have attracted sexual minority women since well… forever.
The most common (and most offensive) theory is that sexual minority women are inherently more masculine than heterosexual women, and are subsequently more attracted to sports where their masculinity is celebrated. As a lesbian synchronized swimmer, I can assure you that is not always the case but I have dated my fair share of hockey and rugby babes so you know, for whatever reason certain sports have higher sapphic tendencies.7,11
However (and this may seem like common sense), not all sexual minority women excel in sports — in fact, the majority of them (similar to the rest of the population) do not. It has been shown that this stereotype actually generates high levels of expectations for success that are considered unrealistic and stressful for many sexual minority women.3,4,13
Life can be stressful — it can be even more stressful for those that belong to one or several minority groups.18,19,20 A good number of you may have stumbled across the term, intersectionality, which is a complex and nuanced concept that refers to the interconnectedness of social organizations such as class, race, sexual orientation and gender.26,27,28
Minority identities can overlap, intersect and compound in a variety of ways that typically culminates in psychological stress.18,19,20 To help deal with the stresses in our lives we rely on a variety of coping mechanisms — the things we do to help us get through the day, month, year, etc.
Unfortunately, among sexual minority women (as well other LGBTQIA2S+ communities), the most popular coping mechanisms are smoking, alcohol abuse and substance abuse — all of which can be detrimental to one’s overall physical health.9,10,14,15,16,17,22,23
Most of the time, LGBTQIA2S+ individuals rely on these coping mechanisms to numb themselves or escape from the building stresses in their lives. Given that all of these substances can be highly addictive, these coping mechanisms are viewed as incredibly risky behaviours.
So, what can we do to help? As you may have been able to ascertain there is no simple answer to that question. My advice:
Try not to perpetuate stereotypes. Try not to assume that everyone is heterosexual. All I can ask is that you try (that’s all anyone can ask).
If you are reading this article and do identify as a sexual minority but for whatever reason nothing in this article has resonated with you — then support those in your community who may feel differently.
Don’t negate others’ experiences on the premise that you haven’t shared in them.
Together, and only together, can we make physical activity spaces and practices safer for everyone — regardless of who they love.
The post 3 Roadblocks LGBTQ Women Face in Fitness Spaces appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.
Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/
“Whoa! Fahad! You could fit another Fahad in your old pants!”
Not every Nerd Fitness success story comes with a jaw-dropping transformation. But in Fahad’s case, it totally does.
And not only does this story come with the physical transformation of Fahad (duh), but it comes with a mental transformation too. Which, in my humble opinion, is his true BIG win. Fahad’s new frame of mind is the secret to all of his later and physical success.
Even crazier? Fahad’s story has all taken place in the past 6 months! Who knows where he’ll be 6 months from now!
I recently had a chance to interview Fahad, a computer repair technician from Los Angeles, who flipped his internal monologue to create new healthy habits for himself.
Habits that made him drop a few pants sizes….and habits that changed him inside and out.
I’m honored that Fahad’s transformation began with his investment in the Nerd Fitness Academy, our flagship online course and community.
(Quick side note: the NF Academy is currently on sale at 50% off until Thursday, January 17th, so check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you!)
Regardless of whether or not you’re a member of our Academy, I have a huge hunch there will be a ton from this story you can relate to and a lot of lessons you can apply to your everyday life.
Let’s bring in Fahad.
(Pretend like the audience just went wild on a talk show as Fahad walks out on stage.)
STEVE: Fahad! I was stunned when I first saw your transformation, and I am so dang proud of you sir. You should be very proud of yourself.
Can you talk to us a little bit about your background and what a typical day was like for you before you changed?
FAHAD: My normal day was waking up at 8am then heading to work. I’d end up eating a muffin or two for breakfast or sometimes some leftover frozen pizza. At lunch, I would usually go out and eat fast food.
After work, I would eat more fast food. As you can see, fast food was my go-to for nutrition. Only rarely would I occasionally eat cherries or carrots.
My evenings were mostly replaying the same video game over and over, or I’d binge-watch the same anime over and over before falling asleep at 12am.
Then the next day I’d do it all over again.
If I’m being honest, I really only cared for myself to the bare minimum to be able to function in society. I never prioritized my health or well being.
For years and years, I told myself a story: if I can’t do it well or perfect, I shouldn’t do it. This resulted in me being stagnant, and for years and years. Nothing changed.
I then hit rock bottom.
I had a particularly bad, traumatic experience, and knew something had to give.
STEVE: I hear ya. We are creatures of habit, as they say. What changed? What made you embark on your new way of life?
FAHAD: As I said, I really just hit rock bottom and knew something had to give. It was the first time in my life that I decided to start focusing on my health first and foremost. I figured everything else would improve from there. But it had to start with my well being.
My first course of action was going online, as most nerds do. I started browsing the web for fitness programs and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.
I found your attitude and approach nothing short of fantastic! At last, I had found my people.
STEVE: Heck yeah – that’s exactly why we do what we do! So I have to know – Why not just follow free workouts on YouTube or something? That’s what most people do, and some find success…
What prompted you to make the investment and try out the NF Academy?
FAHAD: I was always a believer in, “If it is worth spending time on, it’s worth spending money on!” So if I was going to invest the time in my health, I should invest the money too.
Also, I knew that I wanted a clear system and not merely workouts.
In other words, I just needed a plan to follow
I browsed the free content to learn about the character and personality of what Nerd Fitness was all about.
When I learned about the NF Academy, the Academy was in my budget, so I took action.
STEVE: We always tell people to focus on the systems in their lives to create and maintain healthy habits. I’m glad the Academy could be such a blueprint for you.
Can you tell me a little about the systems and habits you’ve since created?
FAHAD: The first thing that changed was my nutrition. You really lay it out in the Academy (and throughout Nerd Fitness) that it’s the most important component for weight loss.
So my nutrition changed in a combination of two ways: by eating Paleo-ish and also counting calories.
If I decided to eat something non-Paleo-friendly (a muffin for example) I would count the calories in it and check what nutritional value I got out of it.
When eating Paleo-friendly foods, I would still see how much macronutrients I would get from them! You know, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Eventually, I began to develop my own nutrition system that became more of a habit.
STEVE: That’s great to hear Fahad! I think it’s so important for people to discover a diet and strategy that works for them.
It sounds like you are sticking to REAL food, and whenever possible, calculating the nutritional value of the meal you are eating.
Talk to me about your workouts – do you go to the gym? Bodyweight routines at home?
FAHAD: Both!
I started by leveling up with the workouts in the Nerd Fitness Academy. When I got to Level 4, I began to heavily focus on compound movement exercises.
Using free weights, I’d work on the “Big 4” (deadlift, squat, bench press, dumbbell or barbell rows). I would also mix things up a little with the occasional pushups or some assisted pull-ups.
If I cannot go to the gym, for any reason, then I would use my trusty friend “the resistance band” to perform similar exercises at home.
This has helped me with the frame of mind of telling myself “NO EXCUSES” when it comes to working out.
STEVE: YES! The “no excuses” piece is a great frame of mind when it comes to fitness. And by not missing a workout – it allows you to keep the streak (and the momentum) alive!
Very well done. Okay, so your weight loss is dramatic and crazy impressive. Obviously, you needed to buy new pants. How much weight have you lost, and how long has it been?
FAHAD: Yeah, I actually used my pants size as an overall metric on how I was progressing.
I used to weigh at least 240 pounds, but I didn’t start weighing myself until a few weeks after I began my journey.
Today (Jan 2019), I come in at 185 lbs! Which is crazy to me.
But again, my pants size alone almost tells the story. I use to wear a size 41, which barely fit and I would squeeze into them. Now I’m a size 34, and even that is starting to feel a little loose.
It should be noted that I started the Academy in August.
When I began, I never seriously considered how long it would take me to reach this level. I didn’t worry about “how fast can I get there” and instead came to the conclusion to prioritize my health for the rest of my life. So each day was just an opportunity to be better.
STEVE: That’s such an important mindset: prioritize the habits you are creating. Don’t focus on the length of time in front of you, but what you can do right now.
What is your internal self talk like NOW compared to 2 years ago?
FAHAD: It centers on hope.
While there are still challenges I must face and many things I need to catch up on, there IS hope! There IS light at the end of the tunnel!
Hope seems to be the basis of my self-talk currently. My success has made me believe that I can improve myself, in any way that I dedicate my time on.
Now, whenever I start to feel the pangs of self-doubt, I look at my before and after pictures. It really works wonders. It springs me back to motivation. So I can go and do other great things!
This has rippled into all areas of my life.
My self-esteem has never been higher. For example, I went and danced in a club for the first time in my life with complete confidence and fearlessness.
STEVE: I’m so happy to hear about your new found self-confidence. When looking at your “after” pictures, a question popped up: you got some style, my dude! Have you always been stylish? Or is that something you’ve worked on since losing the weight and taking care of yourself?
FAHAD: I started caring for my sense of style since the weight loss! It was a lot more than merely losing the pounds though.
I started to develop a constant desire to be at my best in every way possible. Who says nerds can’t look good? After all, why only be good on the inside when you can be good at BOTH the inside AND outside!!
STEVE: Love all of this. Do you have any words of advice for somebody BEFORE you changed, but can’t seem to make any progress?
FAHAD: One of the many reasons people give up on their fitness journey is they simply approach it from the WRONG mindset. For me, success in life came from having a clear system and the discipline to act on that system.
Save yourself the headache that comes from overthinking what you should do next.
Save yourself the heartache of disappointment when you realize that your hard work did not pay off.
And most importantly, save yourself the most precious asset of all: TIME!
Learn from those who have done what you want to do. If they’ve accomplished the results you want for yourself, then so can you! Ask them. Mimic them. Follow their guidance.
You deserve the best for yourself, so give your wonderful body the respect it deserves.
The Academy was the first (and STILL BEST) investment I ever made on my journey. Not only in physical fitness but other things in my life as well. There are a few key factors in why it helped me.
The private community is nothing short of wonderful and supportive – if you need encouragement, you’ll find it there.
The workouts are strong and intense, and will push you to your limits if you allow it. The nutrition plan is fun and gets you excited about learning new things. I look at a plate of food completely differently now.
Lastly, the mindset chapters are truly life changing! They have been for me anyway.
I have been browsing many self-improvement websites and groups and what Nerd Fitness offers for the price is very reasonable. Do not deny yourself this opportunity to level up your life, you deserve it!!
STEVE: I’m so glad our program was able to help you Fahad. We can’t end without asking you one last question: what’s next? Where do you go from here?
FAHAD: I’ve reached a current plateau on my weight loss. But I’m going to keep going. I want to get to a body fat percentage of about 12 to 13 percent. That’s my goal.
However, my strength training has been going great! It’s my number one priority because I know that if I keep my nutrition habits up, it’ll help with burning body fat. My plan to continue to lose body fat rests in strength training.
I still can’t do a full pull-up quite yet, but I know if I keep working on it, it’s only a matter of time.
STEVE: Fahad, I am 100% confident that a full pull-up will come to you soon. You have the right mindset for it.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m sure your experience will inspire many rebels. You should be very proud of yourself.
Fahad’s story is incredible.
As I said in the beginning, the most important thing Fahad changed was his mindset. He knew he had to do something different. So he did. By putting one foot in front of the other. And look what he’s achieved!
After speaking with Fahad, I’ve narrowed down his story to 5 key takeaways that allowed him to hit the ground running and never look back.
If you find yourself like Fahad in the before photo, do what he did, and learn from somebody who succeeded in the way you want to succeed!
Let’s deep dive into why Fahad was victorious where most people fail:
#1 FAHAD TOOK ACTION.
Like many people in life, Fahad really struggled with self-worth, apathy, and just letting life happen to him. After hitting a particularly rough patch, he decided things needed to change.
Fahad knew his negative self-talk was holding him back. His quest for “perfection” meant he never started. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “It’s tough to climb the ladder of success with your hands still in your pockets.”
So Fahad set off on a quest to transform himself and stumbled across our little corner of the internet here at Nerd Fitness.
What set Fahad apart: he found a program he liked, so he stopped worrying about perfection and instead gave it a true attempt.
And then he started. He took action despite the lack of perfection.
He trusted the system, figured he had nothing to lose, and went all in on it. Once he started seeing success based on his actions, his self-confidence grew, which led to him getting even more excited and disciplined.
Instead of a negative downward spiral, he had flipped the script: success begot more success, confidence brought more action, which brought more confidence. And he used momentum in his favor.
Now, when Fahad sees an area of his life that he wants to improve, he knows he can succeed with the right plan: it worked for his health, and he can apply the lessons he learned.
I always tell people the most important step on their fitness journey is starting, by first taking action. Fahad is proof of this. Get started, and build momentum.
#2 FAHAD BUILT HIS ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE EXERCISE AUTOMATIC.
Fahad trained in a gym, which allowed him to embark on a strength training protocol that left him feeling stronger, empowered, and motivated.
As a former skinny weak nerd myself, I can attest to the power of a barbell!
What about when he didn’t have time to go to the gym? This is ingenious on Farhad’s part: he bought exercise bands so he could strength train at home.
The exercise itself is important, but not as important as not breaking the streak by missing a workout. In other words – he prioritized momentum by minimizing the friction between him and “I did a workout today.”
Which is brilliant. Because shit will happen. You’ll end up staying late at work. Your spin class instructor will cancel class. Your tire will go flat. Your kid will get sick.
Here’s a perfect example of having a solid backup plan.
Since he was continuing his exercise practice, it was no big deal to walk back into the gym after missing a visit. The workouts stayed constant, no matter what.
In his own words, “NO EXCUSES.”
So be like Fahad, and prioritize the habit, by reducing the steps between you and that activity. Use your environment to your advantage. That way you can take the “no excuses” mentality that Fahad developed.
#3 FAHAD FOCUSED ON THE LONG TERM.
One thing I really love about Fahad’s story is how he didn’t focus on the timeframe. He didn’t stress that his weight loss goals would take months or years.
Instead, he knew it would be a lifelong commitment.
So he never asked “How fast can I lose weight?” and instead asked, “What do I need to do today to be better than yesterday?”
He also knew that food was 80% of the battle, so this is where he put a large part of his effort: Eating REAL food in line with a Paleo-ish Diet. And whenever possible, he tracked what he was eating, understanding the calories and macronutrients to stay in line with his targets.
Knowing all the work that has to go into changing our habits can be daunting, which can mean we’ll never start.
Don’t get sucked into this thought pattern.
Don’t stress about the scale every week. Do what you can today, and then repeat that tomorrow. As I say in the following video, “Don’t think in terms of weeks or months, but instead focus on days and years.”
Focus on taking one step at a time. Don’t think about the all the steps piled on top of each other. Focus on the next step, the next move that you need to take now.
#4 FAHAD CHANGED HIS INTERNAL MONOLOGUE.
Fahad was a man that couldn’t be bothered to care about himself or his health. He drifted through life, had a low self-opinion of himself, and struggled to get anything done.
Maybe you can relate?
To start Fahad made a key mindset shift: he decided he was worthy of living a happy life. That he COULD change, that he was worthy of self-love and compassion.
When life feels out of control, we encourage people to take care of the one thing that is directly IN their control: their health.
Day after day, Fahad put the work in to prove to himself with tiny wins, that he was worthy of transforming and living better. As his weight dropped, and his pants got loose, he started to develop a sense of self-worth and confidence.
Which made him want to exercise and eat better to keep moving in that direction. And he created a virtuous cycle of improvement:
Confidence led to action which led to more confidence, which led to more action.
In our exchange, Fahad let me know he danced confidently at a club recently for the first time.
And you might notice in the photos above: this is a stylish fella! As he lost the weight and realized he needed to buy new clothes, he started caring a bit more about his appearance, applying the same principles to his wardrobe that he had applied to his health:
Learn, apply, improve, repeat!
You can do the same: Use your fitness journey as a tipping point. When you have the confidence to do one thing, move onto another. Keep improving. When one door is open, use it to open another.
Use the self-confidence that improved fitness can provide by also improving other areas of your life. It could be taking a dancing class, hiking a nearby mountain, or inviting a friend to over to cook a meal. Or maybe it involves picking up a barbell.
Let your success act as a springboard to level up other areas of your life. And if you really want to be like Fahad, check out our article on how to dress better as you get in shape!
#5 FAHAD INVESTED IN HIMSELF.
It’s strange, but we often don’t value the things we get for free. However, when we invest our hard earned money on something, we usually take it more seriously.
For example, you’re more likely to apply the lessons you learn in a book you choose to buy yourself than a free book your mom loaned you on self-improvement.
Fahad understood this. He actually said, “I believe that if it’s worth spending time on, then it’s worth spending money on.” He also said one other thing that I’m super impressed by: he was willing to trade money for time.
In other words: there are millions of free workout videos and cooking recipe articles and we even have an article on NF called “How to build your own workout.” However, navigating and finding the right path through those things to what works for you is often a series of trial-and-error challenges that can take years of no progress to navigate.
I actually did my own exercise programming for over a decade before finally hiring an online coach, and it’s the best money I spend each month.
Why did Fahad invest in an online course? Why did I hire a coach?
Because there are people out there, who have succeeded in the way you want to succeed. They have done what you want to do. And they will teach you! It’s like a cheat code in a video game: you get to skip past the unnecessary parts, skip the anguish of starting and stopping, and instead have the peace of mind to know you’re following the right path.
Then, all you have to do is the work (which is the tough part, I realize).
But that’s much better than working hard for months, only to realize you were following the wrong plan, right?
I’m honored that he decided to invest in the Nerd Fitness Academy. Once he gained access, he valued the material in there. And he valued the private community that he now had access to.
Your time is valuable, and your money is valuable too. So if you have something that’s important to you, invest in it! Find a coach or a teacher or a course! And actually do the work:
I understand not everybody is in a situation to spend disposable income on courses or coaches – that’s totally fine. How else can you invest in yourself? Can you invest your time in improving yourself and learning more? That’s how I started!
After all, we all know “I don’t have time” is a lie, right?
Fahad’s transformation took 6+ months of determined, focused effort.
On the one hand: 6 months is a good amount of time. On the other, think back to yourself 6 months ago – I bet it only seems like yesterday, right? And how different are you now compared to then?
If you want to be like Fahad, discovering self-confidence through healthy habits, do the following:
I want you to discover the same self-confidence through success that Fahad has achieved.
I would love for you to email me one day 6 months from now, saying you were inspired by Fahad. Gushing over all the ways you have made changes since reading this article.
Receiving such emails really is why I get up in the morning. That, and Mario Kart.
If you’re in a position to make an investment in yourself, we’d love to have you in the Nerd Fitness Academy. It’s helped Fahad, and over 50,000+ other nerds, level up their lives. I’m proud of it and all the success it has brought to rebels throughout the world. We make it simple to follow along with:
No matter what you decide, I’m glad you’re here and reading this.
I hope you use Fahad’s story as inspiration to take action today. It really does have a compounding effect, rippling through the rest of your life. One day you’re counting calories in a muffin, the next you’re rocking your new clothes on the dancefloor!
Lastly, please leave some words of encouragement for Fahad in the comments! I’m sure he’d love to hear from you and perhaps answer some questions you may have.
For the Rebellion!
-Steve
PS: We’re super proud Fahad joined the Academy! However, we need to state these results aren’t typical or guaranteed. You actually have to do the work. But if you DO the work, and focus on the right things, 6 months from now you could be in a very different place.
PPS: If you’re somebody that wants somebody to check your form, teach you how to exercise correctly, build a workout program that fits YOUR busy schedule, and even helps you make better food choices, we have a really popular Online Coaching Program! It’s the next level of investing in yourself here at Nerd Fitness.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
If it were up to my husband, we’d eat pizza for dinner every single night. Yes, even though we have a standing Pizza Friday each week, it’s just not enough for him. So I’m never surprised when he suggests these flatbreads for dinner, seeing as they’re essentially pizza with a fancy name. I usually let it slide since they’re such a quick, satisfying meal and I will also happily eat them on repeat. You just need three ingredients from Trader Joe’s to make these cheesy flatbreads possible.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Which came first: the chicken or the Instagram influencer?
2019 is already off to a great start. First we were blessed with a 27-pound bucket of mac and cheese from Costco, and now this Instagram egg. On January 4, 2019, Instagram account @world_record_egg (aka “EGG GANG”) posted a picture of a plain, rather boring stock image of a brown egg. The goal of the photo was to beat Kylie Jenner’s record of most-liked Instagram picture, a photo of her and her 5-day-old daughter, Stormi, posted on February 6, 2018.
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
Book your class NOW!
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