Yes, yes. These are all true statements. But they are broad. Which probiotics? Which strains for what purpose? Simply saying “probiotics” tells us very little about what we’re supposed to be taking. It’s like saying “You should eat food.” Technically accurate yet operationally useless.
Today I’m going to rectify that. I’m going to describe the best probiotic strains for each desired purpose, because there is no single strain to rule them all. The probiotic strain that’s best for anxiety may not be the best probiotic strain for allergies, and so on.
Of course, these aren’t the final word. What follows is the best available evidence as it exists today. That may change tomorrow. And it will certainly change based on your individual makeup.
With all that in mind, let’s get right down to it.
The existence of the gut-brain axis — that mysterious thoroughfare running from the gut to the brain and back again — and the presence and even production of neurotransmitters along the gut suggests that “gut feelings” describe real phenomena. Mental and gut health are strongly linked, and it’s most likely a bi-directional relationship where each affect the other. You know this already, though, don’t you?
We’ve all felt fear or discomfort in our guts.
We’ve all had instinctual responses to certain people that seemed to manifest in our stomachs (and later be proven).
These are real. They aren’t figments of our imagination.
For instance, we know that some strains of gut bacteria can produce GABA, the “chill-out” neurotransmitter responsible for sleep and relaxation. We know that feeding prebiotics (bacteria food) to people can lower their cortisol and induce them to focus on positive stimuli instead of negative stimuli. We know that the greater the intake of fermented food like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, or sauerkraut, the lower the incidence of social anxiety.
The best candidate for anxiety is Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Although no human anxiety studies for this strain exist (yet), there are plenty of animal studies that support it. One notable paper found that dosing mice with L. rhamnosus increased cortical expression of GABA genes and reduced cortisol and anxiety-like behaviors.1
Best Probiotic for IBS
Irritable bowel syndrome is, well, irritating. Even more irritating is the fact that it describes a confluence of symptoms rather than a specific disease; two people, each with “IBS,” can have disorders with completely different etiologies. This complicates the probiotic you choose.
In one study, IBS patients who took a combo of Saccharomyces boulardii, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus plantarumsaw a 73% improvement in symptoms—but only if they also had small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). IBS patients without SIBO only had a 10% improvement.2
(Side note: since gastro-esophageal reflux disease, or GERD, usually presents with SIBO, there’s a good chance that this lineup of strains could also help there)
Another paper, a meta-analysis from 2019, sought to determine which strains were best for IBS patients. While they didn’t come up with one prevailing strain, they did find that multi-strain probiotics generally worked better than single-strain probiotics, and that Lactobacillus acidophilus appeared in all the successful multi-strain studies.3
Get Primal Probiotics, which includes 4 of my favorite strains plus a prebiotic blend (food for friendly bacteria) to help them take root – all in one convenient capsule
Best Probiotic for Leaky Gut
The intestinal lining is not a passive, inert barrier but rather a dynamic, selective filter. Lining the gut are epithelial cells whose cell membranes fuse together to form protein complexes called tight junctions. The tight junctions serve as doormen: their job is to discern between what belongs inside and what doesn’t. In a perfect world, these tight junctions keep out pathogens, antigens, and toxins while admitting nutrients and water. But it’s not a perfect world, and sometimes the intestinal tight junctions are asleep at the post. Sometimes the gut is leaky.
Addressing leaky gut isn’t as simple as popping a few pills. Defeating it requires a multi-pronged approach, including sleep, diet, exercise, sun, and all the other regular lifestyle pieces I’ve covered in previous posts. But certain probiotic strains really do seem to help. In children with atopic dermatitis, for example, L. rhamnosus and L. reuteri supplements reduce leaky gut and improve symptoms.4 L. rhamnosus also helps restore the gut barrier in kids with acute gastroenteritis.5 And in rats with leaky gut, yogurt improves gut barrier function.6 We aren’t rats, but yogurt is a safe bet (as is the Lactobacillus acidophilus that appears in most yogurts).
Best Probiotic for Diarrhea
Diarrhea after a round of antibiotics is a common side effect, especially in kids. A 2016 analysis of 23 studies of almost 4000 total pediatric subjects concluded that probiotics are effective at reducing the risk of antibiotic-related diarrhea, with L. rhamnosus and Saccharomyces boulardii as the safest bets.7
In adults coming off antibiotics, a combo of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lr-32, Bifidobacterium breve M-16V, Bifidobacterum longum BB536, Bifidobacterium lactis BL-04 and Bifidobacterium bifidum BB-02 was effective at reducing diarrhea.8
Best Probiotic for Constipation
Among young college-aged women with constipation, a combo of Bifidobacterium lactis BL 04, Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb-06, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactococcus lactis improved symptoms and quality of life.9 Another study found that B. lactis reduced symptoms in constipated adults.10
Other than that, the rest of the constipation/probiotic literature is pretty inconclusive and meager. What does seem to help is combining probiotics with prebiotics—ie, food for the gut bugs.11 Probiotic-enhanced artichokes are probably my favorite incarnation of this concept.12
Best Probiotic for Allergies
Probably the best anti-allergy probiotic strain is Lactobacillus paracasei.
L. paracasei has been shown to improve symptoms in subjects with hay fever across a number of studies. In adults with grass pollen hay fever, a fermented milk made using L. paracasei reduced nasal itching and congestion.13 In kids with hay fever, L. paracasei reduced nasal itching, sneezing, and eye swelling.14
L. paracasei also reduces eczema, probably by strengthening the skin barrier and improving water retention.1516
Best Probiotic for Immunity
The gut is in many ways the first line of our immune system. Some of the infectious diseases you don’t typically think of as gut-related can gain entry and spread via the gut. COVID-19, for example, often presents with gastrointestinal symptoms and researchers are examining whether probiotic supplementation can help reduce your risk of developing severe COVID.17
A meta-analysis of studies in elite athletes found a number of probiotic strains to be helpful in preserving immune function during extreme training. Athletes are a great population to study because their training places incredible stress on their immune systems; I remember back when I was running hundreds of miles a week, I’d constantly be coming down with something or getting over something else. So, which probiotics help?
Once again, the big names of the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera reign:18
Lactobacillus paracasei
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
Lactobacillus reuteri
Lactobacillus fermentum
Bifidobacterium lactis
Bifidobacterium bifidum
Overall, these strains from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera are the best-studied for most applications. They’re often what appear in human guts and the fermented foods we’ve eaten for many thousands of years. It’s safe to assume that we’re well-adapted hosts to them.
There are so many more exotic strains out there. There are soil-based bacteria. There are strains unique to the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania. There are probably some interesting strains living in other traditional peoples in other regions. And I imagine many of them have potential to do us all a lot of good. But they may also have unwanted, unexpected effects.
The thing about probiotics is that you never really know which one will work best until you try. It’s a very personal thing. Each strain is going to react different to your unique intestinal ecosystem and genome. What we can say with fairly strong confidence is that probiotics are generally very safe. Not every strain recommended here will work for everyone, but luckily there’s not much harm in trying.
Which strains are your favorites? What have you tried? What hasn’t worked?
Diabetes affects over 100 million people living in the U.S. That’s a lot of drugs dispersed daily. So, when there’s a drug recall, it affects millions of people. Drug recalls occur when an over-the-counter or prescription medicine is taken off the market because it’s either defective or possibly harmful. Here’s the latest diabetes drug recall. […]
Thank you for reading past the title of this post. I wasn’t sure anyone would. After all, here I am offering advice on how to quit the world’s most beloved beverage. (“Hold my beer,” says Beer.)
The love of coffee transcends national and cultural borders. Around the world, most of us start our day with coffee. Folks take pride in sourcing the best beans and pairing them with the ideal grind and brewing method. We meet friends, clients, and first dates for coffee because coffee shops are comforting, safe spaces.
As good ol’ Anonymous observed, “Humanity runs on coffee.”
Yet here I am suggesting you might want to quit. Before I get into why, let me assure you that by and large, I still think coffee has more benefits than downsides. It improves workouts and memory, fights fatigue, and epidemiological evidence links coffee consumption to a host of health benefits. You can check out my Definitive Guide to Coffee to learn more.
There are downsides, though. In the pursuit of optimal health, it’s essential to examine our choices and behaviors and ask which of them might be undermining your health and longevity goals. That’s what I’m suggesting you do today.
Kidding, of course. Really, if you think quitting coffee will be that painful, that’s a sure sign that you need to take a break. No substance aside from water or air should hold you so firmly in its grasp. I want to enjoy, not depend on, my morning coffee (and maybe a glass of red wine at dinner).
As to whether coffee is truly addictive, we clearly shouldn’t be talking about coffee in the same breath as something like heroin. However, there’s no question that it shares common features with other addictive substances. It stimulates dopamine release in the brain, creating a “feels good, want more” effect. With repeated exposure, you develop a tolerance such that caffeine no longer exerts the same effects. Plus, as many of you know if you’ve tried to kick the habit before, the withdrawal can be brutal.1
Even if you don’t feel dependent on coffee, taking a break from coffee is akin to doing a 21-Day Primal Transformation or a Keto Reset. It’s a chance to shake things up and try something new. You might feel better, worse, or the same. In any case, you’ll have learned something about yourself. We should all strive to be curious and open-minded in the pursuit of health. For many people, coffee is a blind spot. They conveniently overlook the ways in which it’s not serving them and how they’re more dependent on it than they’d like.
Besides the philosophical, there are concrete reasons for taking a more honest look at your coffee habit.
Coffee: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
As I said, on the whole, I think that coffee consumption is beneficial for most people, assuming you drink it in reasonable quantities. Nobody needs a gallon of coffee per day, sorry. A “reasonable quantity” is up to four cups a day, or so say the experts. As a one-or-two-cup-a-day guy, that sounds like a lot to me.
Even at that level of consumption, some people can have adverse reactions to caffeine depending on their genetics and underlying health issues. Headaches, jitters, and racing heartbeat are common, and of course it can majorly mess with your sleep. It’s easy to slip into a vicious cycle where you’re sleeping poorly, so you drink coffee throughout the day to combat fatigue, which means you don’t get enough restorative sleep that night, and repeat ad infinitum.
Caffeine can also cause your adrenal glands to release cortisol, although this effect is tempered in habitual coffee drinkers.2 For people dealing with a lot of stress—and who isn’t right now—drinking too much coffee may not be wise. It can interfere with your body’s ability to regulate cortisol and cope with the stressors.3 This is why practitioners often recommend that folks with HPA axis disorders limit or avoid coffee.
Caffeine consumption also worsens anxiety in some people and can even trigger panic attacks.45 People with certain psychiatric conditions are advised to limit or avoid caffeine consumption.6 On the other hand, two recent meta-analyses concluded that coffee actually helps with symptoms of depression.78
If you’re a menopausal woman, think twice about drinking too much coffee. In two studies, caffeine intake was associated with increased vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes.910 Those were correlational studies, but in a separate experiment, researchers administered caffeine to pre- and perimenopausal women who were or were not on estrogen therapy. Perimenopausal women’s blood pressure rose significantly after taking 250 mg of caffeine (equivalent to two to three cups of coffee), regardless of estrogen status.11
Need I go on? Okay, one more: caffeine can interact with prescription drugs, blocking absorption, increasing absorption rates to unsafe levels, or otherwise changing their effects.12
Many of these side effects are dose-dependent, meaning they get worse the more coffee you drink. For most people, modest coffee intake—two or four cups per day—is probably fine, maybe even desirable. Nevertheless, there’s always the possibility that you could quit coffee and feel better than you do today. Wouldn’t you want to know that?
Other Potential Benefits of Quitting Caffeine
Anecdotally, people notice all sorts of benefits once they significantly reduce or give up coffee. They promise glowing skin, whiter teeth, and better digestion.
They also promise you’ll save money, but in my experience, I just end up reinvesting those supposed savings into trying new teas, so that’s a wash. That said, I also don’t buy multiple frappe drinks from Starbucks every day. If you do, you might put some cash back in your pocket.
Who Should Take a Break from Coffee?
For the sake of self-experimentation, I’m going to go ahead and say: everybody.
It’s especially pressing if:
Your inner voice is telling you that you have become dependent on caffeine
Your sleep is anything other than deep and plentiful
You have health issues that might be exacerbated by coffee
You have a health issue that might be exacerbated by coffee
Also, if you’ve built up a tolerance—and you certainly have if coffee is a regular habit—taking a break means you should be able to return to your beloved coffee and actually feel the desirable effects of caffeine again when you use it strategically. That would be nice.
Anyway, aren’t you a little curious?
How to Stop Drinking Coffee
Time It Right
Unless you have an urgent health concern that means you should stop ASAP, consider waiting until a lower-stress period. Normally I’d say vacation is a perfect time, but we’re not taking many vacations right now. Perhaps a staycation is in order (for more reasons than one).
I wouldn’t advise ditching coffee the same week you have to deliver a big presentation at work, your kids are starting a new schedule at school, or you’ll otherwise be stretched thin enough as it is. Coffee withdrawal can lead to some pretty miserable symptoms—migraines, fatigue, irritability. Pick a week where you’ll have the mental capacity to deal with those, the ability to sneak away for naps, and ideally, fun distractions to keep your mind off the suck.
Pick Your Strategy
Some people have no problem quitting cold turkey, but tapering down your caffeine intake will probably be more pleasant. Start cutting your regular coffee with decaf, and slowly decrease the amount you consume altogether. Make your coffee weaker, and stop adding cream and sweeteners so it’s not as appealing. If you’re drinking coffee in the afternoon, cut that first.
Whatever you do, don’t compensate by adding caffeine back in the form of energy drinks or caffeine pills. Don’t drink energy drinks anyway, but definitely not now. That defeats the purpose entirely.
How Long Will it Take to Get off Coffee Completely?
The half-life of caffeine is about five hours, so within a day of quitting, your body should be free of it. However, withdrawal symptoms can last significantly longer—a week to ten days or more, though some lucky people don’t experience any noticeable withdrawal.
Beyond the chemical dependency, there is also a behavioral component to coffee. For most coffee drinkers, it is a habit, and habits are harder to break. You might find yourself headed to the coffee pot in the morning, or reaching for the mug that’s usually on your desk, well after the initial weaning period.
Worthy Alternatives to Coffee
For some people, coffee is merely a caffeine delivery system. Others enjoy the rituals around coffee—preparing it in the morning, breathing in the aroma, sipping a hot beverage while they work, and communing with coworkers and friends over a cup. You can still have all those things if you strategically replace coffee with an alternative that fills the hole coffee leaves.
The most obvious answer is switching to tea. There are so many different types of tea, each with its own benefits and flavor profile. If you were a snob about your coffee, you can easily channel that energy into tea. Brewing tea is an art unto itself. Just watch your caffeine intake. Teas vary considerably in caffeine content, though they are still lower than the average cup of joe.
You might also consider mushroom coffee, which has about half the caffeine of regular coffee, or chicory root coffee or dandelion tea, which offer some of the coffee flavor with none of the caffeine. Fans of these options swear they get a lift similar to the one they got from coffee without the jitters.
My go-to hot or iced option is Primal Kitchen’s Matcha and Chai Collagen Keto Lattes, and not just for the obvious reason. Caffeine can inhibit collagen synthesis in the body.13 I intentionally supplement collagen to combat this effect.
Finally, if it’s a calming morning routine you crave, consider alternatives like journaling, meditation or deep breathing exercises, yoga or tai chi, doing a crossword puzzle (my favorite), or reading. Just don’t read the news!
What if You Quit Coffee and Don’t Feel Better (Or Even Feel Worse)?
As with any big change, you’ll have an initial adjustment period after quitting coffee. After that, you should feel better. Still, some people don’t. Let’s go through the difference between the initial withdrawal and other reasons you might not have a great experience with the change.
Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms
For a few days, you may experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms, like:
Tiredness
Headache
Feeling anxious or “on edge”
Irritabiliy
Low mood
These should resolve within a few days. After about a week, you can truly assess how you feel without coffee.
If you don’t notice any differences once you quit coffee, then I’d say go back to drinking it in moderation to reap all the great benefits.
If you end up feeling worse, that doesn’t mean that you need coffee. It’s possible you were using coffee to mask the symptoms of an underlying health issue. Maybe you already suspect that’s the case, and you’re using coffee to push off having to deal with it? Before you go diving for your French press, take a health inventory, and see a doctor if necessary.
I’m not suggesting that you give up coffee for the rest of your life. I certainly don’t intend to. Coffee is one of life’s pleasures, as far as I’m concerned. However, it shouldn’t be a vice, and that can be a slippery slope. Periodically taking a break from coffee allows you to make sure you still have a handle on things and see more clearly where you need to be paying more attention to your health and stress management. Give it a try. There’s always a Starbucks on the next corner awaiting your return.
Let’s learn how to use simple spices to make your meals awesome!
Maybe you’re just getting comfortable cooking in the kitchen.
Or maybe you’ve been eating the same chicken and broccoli for weeks and it’s time to spice it up.
Either way, you’re in the right place.
We’ve been conducting “Cooking Classes for Newbies” in Nerd Fitness Prime. Today, we’ll share with you our secrets for making any meal delicious, using only a handful of common spices.
Remember those diagrams of the tongue that you learned about in school?
They told you the tongue tasted different flavors depending on the section. The back tastes bitter, the front tastes sweet, and the sides taste salty and sour.
1. Bitter 2. Sour 3. Salt 4. Sweet
Most of us now know this is wrong.
Your whole tongue tastes all flavors, and it’s not just your tongue! The roof of our mouth and your nose help out too! In fact, there are more than just the four flavors we learned about in school.
There is another lie that has been circulating in the fitness world for years. It’s a lie that says healthy food is boring and bland.
It drives me crazy.
And in this nerd’s opinion, it’s one of the most damaging lies told about getting healthy.
We know diet is 80% of the battle when it comes to achieving our health and fitness goals. And when we tell ourselves eating healthy food is boring, flavorless, and downright gross, we put ourselves on the fast track to failure! Just like exercise can and should be fun, cooking meat and veggies should be delicious.
Today we’re going over some basic skills that will allow you to see maximal benefit for minimal effort.
How? Simple flavors.
Here are 6 foolproof spice combinations to help you level up your cooking skills, explore the world with your tongue, and (hopefully) get you out of your food rut!
6 Spice Combinations for Tasty Food
Tons of rebels looking to level up their cooking have asked about re-creating their favorite dishes from around the world. I’ve got good news for you! It’s not as difficult as most people think.
Regional dishes taste the way they do because they are made from the spices and ingredients local to that community. Your ancestors didn’t need Super Processed Stir Fry Sauce™ to make dinner. They used whole foods to create delicious dishes, and we’re going to do the same.
Here are 6 simplified spice combinations that you can use to take your healthy meals from bland to bold. Each is measured for a pound of food:
#1) Mexican:
Chili powder: 1 Tbsp (15ml)
Lime (Juice from 1 lime)
#2) Greek:
Oregano: 1 Tbsp (15ml)
Olive Oil: 2 tbsp (30ml)
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp (30ml)
#3) Italian:
Oregano: ½ Tbsp (7ml)
Garlic: 3 Cloves (½ tsp or 2.5ml powdered)
Basil: ½ tbsp (7ml)
Tomatoes: 1 diced can
#4) Indian:
Cumin: ½ Tsp (2.5ml)
Curry: 1 tbsp (15ml)
Coriander: ½ tsp (2.5ml)
#5&6) Chinese/Japanese (this makes a marinade or stir-fry sauce):
Ginger: ¼ tsp (1ml)
Tamari: ¼ cup (59ml), can also use coconut aminos or soy sauce
Rice Vinegar: 2 Tbsp (30ml)
Garlic: 3 cloves (½ tsp/2.5ml powdered)
Dash Red Pepper Flakes
Sugar (Honey): 1 tbsp (15ml)
Bonus flavors!
#7) Thai (this makes a marinade or stir-fry sauce):
Coconut milk: 1/2 cup (118ml)
Tamari: 1/4 cup (59ml) (coconut aminos could also be used)
Fish Sauce: 2 tbsp (30ml)
Green or Red Curry Paste: 1 Tbsp (15ml)
Cilantro: Handful of fresh chopped
For the complete set, add these to your shopping list (herbs and spices are dried):
2 limes
2 lemons
Can or jar of diced tomatoes
Coconut aminos or soy sauce
Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Chili Powder
Oregano
Basil
Parsley
Red Pepper Flake
Garlic Powder (or fresh bulb of garlic, your choice)
Curry powder
Cumin
Coriander
Ginger powder
If you go to the store and buy these 15 items, you’ll be set to make a wide variety of dishes from all over the world.
These spice combinations can be used for chicken, fish, eggs, beef, or pork; roasted, sauteed, steamed, or microwaved veggies; stir-fries, and more!
For a very minimal monetary investment and one trip to the grocery store, you can have a different dish from around the world every day of the week!
How to Add Spices to a Meal (7 Simple Recipes)
Okay, you’ve got your spices.
Now how do you put them to work?
Glad you asked!
We’re going to take one of your favorite recipes and put your new spices to the test! Grab one of our many recipes and take one of the above spice combos and put them together.
My suggestion is that you omit the suggested spices from the original recipe posts and replace them with the ingredient measurements above. Remember, the above suggestions are by the pound, so if you’re using two pounds of chicken or veggies, double the spices!
Here are just a few examples of how you can these spices for almost any dish:
Roasted veggies – Anyone up for some Mexican chili lime or Indian curry-spiced veggies?
Chicken Stir Fry – Try the Asian spices out to level up this classic!
Shepherd’s Pie – Indian curry shepherd’s pie sounds like an unexpected and delightful combination.
Lettuce Wrapped Burgers – Make some Italian spiced burgers, and top with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and fresh basil!
Scrambled Eggs and Veggies – Try a different spice combo on plain old scrambled eggs each morning this week to see how the flavors differ!
Easiest Chicken Ever – Toss the chicken in some Greek spices, lemon, and olive oil instead of the spices prescribed in the original recipe.
After a while, you’ll learn which spices you like in a dish and which ones you can live without.
Maybe you like cinnamon in your curry or maybe you can’t stand the taste of ginger. That’s totally cool! Your food is YOURS!
Soon you’ll be able to spice your dishes without having to measure them every time. Be sure to use your nose and mouth to smell and taste what you’re making as you go! (Unless it’s raw meat. Never taste raw meat.)
5 Tips for Using Spices While Cooking
So you’re heading to the store, or you already have your spices. Awesome! Here are some tips to make shopping and cooking a little bit easier.
1. Does buying individual spices and mixing them sound intimidating? The spice companies make this easy for us. Check out the spice aisle in your grocery store. Lots of companies make pre-mixed spices for regional dishes:
Italian Seasoning
Greek Seasoning
Herbs de Provence
Taco/Fajita seasoning
Curry powder
Chinese 5-spice powder
To experiment with these, buy a couple and try a new one every time you cook something. Put it on something basic like eggs or baked chicken so you can begin to taste the difference between spices from different areas of the world.
2. Salt and pepper don’t do the same job.
Salt makes your food taste MORE like what it is. It enhances the flavors of the food that are already there. If you over-season with salt, of course it will make your food taste salty, but that’s not salt’s function in the culinary world.
If you’re feeling adventurous and have a little extra cash, buy some fancy looking sea salt. There’s Hawaiian pink sea salt, fleur de sel, coarse sea salt, fine sea salt. There’s even weird stuff like truffle salt, grey sea salt, and black pyramid salt!
The best advice for pepper is to buy whole peppercorns and a pepper grinder. They even sell disposable ones with peppercorns already in them at the grocery store. You don’t have to get fancy. This is what I have. Fresh ground pepper makes all the difference in the world. If you like pepper on your food, this is the way to go!
Sometimes the most simple combination of coarse sea salt and coarsely cracked black pepper is all I use to season a steak, and it’s freaking delicious. Never discount simplicity.
3. Buy a pre-stocked spice rack. I might get some flack for this tip from seasoned (pun intended!) cooks. But when you’re first starting out, instead of buying all your spices individually, sometimes it’s nice just to have it all done for you. Spice racks are relatively cheap, they give you a lot of spices and herbs that you may not have thought about picking up at the store, but you’ll be glad you have it when a recipe calls for paprika and voila! You already have it!
Admittedly, spices and herbs that come in a pre-stocked spice rack from a department store may be older and therefore less flavorful, but it’s better than having no spices at all!
4. Get acquainted with acid. By acid, I mean vinegars and citrus juices. You’ll be amazed at how much adding a little bit of vinegar to a plate of sauteed veggies or your paleo spaghetti sauce makes it pop.
Acids brighten the flavors in your food and help minimize some of the bitter flavors in certain foods (like dark leafy green veggies). An acid can also help you bring down the heat if you added too much red pepper flake to a dish.
5. Fry the spices first. This is called “blooming” your spices. When your oil is heated in your pan, add your spices to the oil first and mix them around for 3-5 seconds, then add your veggies or meat or whatever you’re cooking in that oil. This is a quick and easy way to deepen and intensify the flavor of your spices.
Getting Started Spicing up Your Food (Next Steps)
We’ve all heard people say eating healthy food is boring and bland. If you ask me, the people who are telling you this are doing it wrong.
When we force ourselves to eat the same foods over and over (like plain baked chicken and steamed veggies with minimal seasoning), it can deplete our willpower bar if we crave more flavors and variety.
Companies design Frankenfoods to make us crave the sugars and chemicals they’ve created, so they can profit off of us indefinitely.
How can we fight against that?
By mastering the art of using spices and sauces!
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. Armed with these basic concepts and combinations you can defeat cravings and actually enjoy and look forward to your healthy meals!
Just roll up your sleeves and get going!
If you want some more help, Nerd Fitness is here for you.
We have three options on how to continue with us. Pick the option that best aligns with your goals:
Option #1) Need lots of recipes to choose from? Want someone to walk you through cooking them? Join Nerd Fitness Prime!
Nerd Fitness Prime is our premium membership program that contains workouts and cooking classes with NF Coaches, lessons on how to cook, tons of healthy recipes, a supportive online community, group challenges, and much more!
Option #2) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.
All the coaches from our videos today are part of the program, and they’re ready to help you level up your kitchen skills, apocalypse or no apocalypse.
You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you:
Option #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Diet Cheat Sheet, and much more!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.
Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.
Alright, now I want to hear from you:
What flavors are we missing?
Are there any other spices in your cabinet that you have NO IDEA what to do with?
Let us know in the comments! Maybe we can help!
-Noel
PS: Make sure you catch the rest of our Cooking 101 series:
Cleaning out your refrigerator goes way beyond wiping up spills and throwing out slimy veggies. It’s time to unburden yourself of expired foods that no longer serve any purpose in your life. It doesn’t matter how frugal you are; there’s no reason to be holding onto last summer’s jar of homemade barbecue sauce. Now is […]
We believe proper sleep is so critical for health, we discuss it with each one of our coaching clients. Today, we’ll share our tips for sleeping like a log with you too.
Here’s what we’ll cover in our Ultimate Guide to Getting Better Sleep:
Sleep is freaking important, and you should get more of it!
Article over, I’m going on break!
Kidding.
Before we cover why sleep is important, let’s talk about what happens when you don’t get enough.
For example: If you manage to only get four hours of sleep, a sleep deprived body can actually act similarly to an intoxicated body. [1]
Getting less sleep than average regularly? This is correlated with increased bodyfat percentage, more issues with insulin sensitivity, and even a disproportionate decrease in lean muscle mass when eating a caloric deficit.[2]
We all know missing sleep can make us grouchy, miserable, unfocused, and unproductive.
I know I’m going to have a crappy day in the gym when I don’t get enough sleep the night before. I know not sleeping enough AFTER a workout day can further hinder the muscle-building process. So, what else happens when you don’t get enough sleep?
Here are some potential consequences of forgoing sleep:
Brain shrinkage. Studies have found a correlation between sleep deprivation and brain atrophy.[3] While correlation doesn’t prove causation, it’s believed that disrupting sleep impacts our ability to restore and heal our organs, including our brains.
Raised blood pressure.Insufficient sleep might increase your blood pressure.[4] A lack of sleep can impact your central nervous system and your body’s ability to regulate blood pressure.
Increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Certain metabolic diseases, like diabetes, are associated with sleep deprivation. This study found that disrupted sleep might influence our hormones, perhaps increasing our chance of insulin resistance.[5]
Shortened lifespan. When you add up the increased risk of disease from too little sleep, it’s no wonder that a meta-analysis found a lack of sleep is associated with an increase of all-cause mortality.[6]
Not good.
Conversely, let’s talk about the awesomeness that is sleep. Here are the benefits associated with getting enough shut-eye:
Sleep will enhance your memory performance and creative problem solving skills. You know, those things that make you smart.[7]
Sleep can boost your athletic performance. And we all know appearance is a consequence of fitness.[8]
Sleep triggers the release of human growth hormone (HGH), which plays a huge role in muscle and cellular regeneration.[9]
Sleep cuts your risk for the common cold and other basic illnesses. Less sick days at work = more productivity, more awesome, more leveling up.[10]
Sleep makes you more resilient to daily stress..aka more willpower!
Moral of the story: Sleep is awesome.
This is going to lead to a natural question…
How Much Sleep Do I Need?
There’s some debate on exactly how much sleep a person needs.[11]
But there are some best practices.
7 to 9 hours is widely accepted as the ideal target for a good night’s rest. The National Sleep Foundation promotes this range, and researchers in the UK did a study that corroborated the recommendation.[12]
We’ll roll with 7 to 9 hours as an ideal target for a good night’s sleep.
I should note, that there is a small percentage of people who have a “rare” gene that allows them to get by on 6 hours of sleep or less.
“Steve, I’m sure I’m one of those mutants who only needs 6 hours of sleep. Sounds like I’m good to go, right?”
As much as we all want to be part of the X-Men…
I used the word rare there intentionally because only about 4 in 100,000 people have this specific mutation.[13]
Realistically, you probably don’t have the special gene that makes you need less sleep. Sorry.
This is why the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society both recommend “healthy adults” get at least 7 hours of sleep.[14]
Knowing you need to get 7 hours of sleep is one thing. But knowing is only half the battle…
So let’s get to the root of the problem for most:
“I know I need to sleep more, but my day is too busy and I just can’t get to bed sooner or wake up earlier.”
First and foremost, you’re not alone. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly a third of all working Americans get six hours or fewer of sleep a night.[15]
Does any of this sound like you?
I am always freaking tired, and I need five cups of coffee to get through the day.
Even on days when I get enough sleep, I wake up groggy.
I get to ‘bed’ but I toss and turn and it takes me forever to fall asleep.
I hit snooze half a dozen times before miserably crawling out of bed.
Let’s see if we can fix these issues.
What Does Good Sleep Look Like? (The Perfect Night)
Let’s imagine a perfect night:
You go to bed at a time that you’re happy with. You’re not stressed out because you didn’t just watch The Walking Dead, you’re reading a good fiction book in bed that’s putting you closer to sleep rather than checking your smartphone or screwing around on the internet (damn you Twitch.tv).
You sleep uninterrupted through the night. You have kickass dreams.
When you wake up, wither naturally or with an alarm…you immediately get out of bed, without a single snooze, and you feel damn good. You then crush your morning routine and dominate your day.
If you’re looking at your screen and laughing right now, you’re not alone. I’d guess this is a pipe dream for a huge majority of our society because they’re not sure how sleep actually works, and thus have NOT made sleep a priority.
It’s time to start looking at sleep as one of your most important tasks. Like I said,we value it so much here, that we bring up sleep duration and quality with every single member of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program.
What Are the Stages of Sleep?
Like the Indiana Jones movies, sleep can vary in quality.
Let’s take a quick look at the different stages of sleep first.
We have Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep, and Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep:[16]
Non-REM Sleep Stage 1: Where you’re kind of asleep…but not really…but working on it. This lasts about 5-10 minutes.
Non-REM Sleep Stage 2: Your heart rate slows, your body temperature decreases, and you start to drop further into slumber…this can last about 20 minutes or so.
Non-REM Sleep Stage 3 and 4: also called “slow-wave sleep,” and each can last up to 30 minutes. These stages are where you get “deep sleep.”
REM Sleep:This is the point of the night where your eyeballs flail around your eye socket. It’s also when dreaming occurs, and one of the most important stages for mental functioning the next day.
Your body goes through these stages in order, but as you repeat sleep cycles (which are 90 minutes), the duration can shift dramatically.
Sleep Junkies provides a pretty good graph of different sleep cycles (in their article on sleep and alcohol), which we’ll borrow below:
In this example of “Cycle 5” the sleeper barely spends any time in “deep sleep,” but much more time in REM sleep.
Our bodies are cray like that.
What’s with the different stages of sleep?
During the deep stages of NREM sleep (3 and 4), our bodies build bone and muscle (like after you strength train), repairs tissue, and boosts our immune system.[17]
When your body kicks into REM sleep, this is when your brain has increased activity and leads to dreaming, while your body is the most ‘paralyzed’ and knocked out. Some studies say that REM is most important for restoring brain functions. [18]
What’s crazy is that your entire morning can be dictated by what stage of sleep you were in before waking up. If you’ve ever only slept a few hours and woke up feeling great, or conversely slept plenty of hours but woke up groggy, this could explain it!
How to Get Better Sleep (The Single Best Advice on Better Shuteye)
We have a circadian rhythm (a daily biological clock) that ebbs and flows throughout the day.
Our body uses outside stimuli and our own activity to produce certain hormones at certain times to make our body more prepared for the required functions at that time (alertness vs restfulness).
Look at it from an evolutionary perspective – way back in the day (which was a Wednesday):
When the sun rose, our bodies are signaled “the day has begun! get cracking!” We reduce the hormones that make us sleepy, and produce more hormones that allow us to do the things that need to get done.
As the sun went down, our body starts to produce more melatonin, which produces that sleepy feeling and encourages us to rest/recover. Our only option for light back then was a candle or campfire. If that went out, we’d have moonlight and nothing else.
While sleeping, our bodies knew to cut back on urine production, decrease body temperature, decrease heart rate, and muscle activity. Our brains are still highly active during our sleeping.
Unfortunately, these days, our bodies aren’t tied to the rise and fall of that giant ball of gas above us.
Instead, we can use electricity, alarm clocks, computer screens, smart phone screens, and all other sorts of outside stimuli to adjust our natural sleeping schedule.
This means that our bodies often have no effin’ clue what time it is!
Outside of our circadian rhythm, we have another biological system that tells us when to go to bed: the chemical adenosine.[19]
Think of it as “sleep pressure.” As soon as you wake up, your body starts to produce adenosine. When it hits a certain threshold, you get tired and start thinking about your pillow.
You really want your circadian rhythm and adenosine buildup in sync. When they’re not, it’s terrible.
You may have experienced it: jetlag comes about when you’re in a different part of the world than your home, so the change in daylight throws off your circadian rhythm.
For example, let’s say it was daylight when I left London and it’s daylight when I arrive in New York 10 hours later.
But your sleep pressure system doesn’t know this, so it’s trying to send you to bed, despite it being high noon.
Here’s when things can really go haywire: you finally get to bed in New York, but your circadian rhythm is still linked to London (which is now morning), so it starts making you more alert despite being nighttime in Manhattan.
And insomnia ensures…
This brings us to the single best advice on getting better sleep: do what you can to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.[20]
Even on weekends whenever possible.
This helps your circadian rhythm and adenosine buildup stay in line with each other. Things get awful when these two systems are out of whack.
This isn’t our only piece of advice on getting better sleep!
Here are 10 more tips on engineering a perfect night’s rest:
#1) Avoid screens as you get closer to bedtime. Why avoid screen time? A couple of things to consider:
There is some evidence that the light emitted from electronic devices interferes with our circadian rhythm.[21] Artificial light, specifically blue light, is thought to confuse our body’s internal block. To capitalize on this concern, companies are now selling blue light blocking glasses, which are advertised as sleep aids. Studies done on the effectiveness of these blue light blockers are mixed.[22]
What else can be going on? Our devices are designed to monopolize our attention, which means we spend more time on our phones instead of sleeping. We’ve all been there. Which is why there’s an association of social media use and sleep deprivation.[23]
#2) Consider purchasing red lightbulbs to use in your bedroom lamps, so your bedroom is a place of soft light rather than bright/harsh light.[24]
#3) Keep your bedroom cool (but not too cold). Outside of light, our bodies use temperature as a signal to go to bed.[25] It gets colder at night, so this shift in temperature tells our body it’s time to go to sleep. Personally, I’ve found that keeping my bedroom cool helps me fall asleep. It’s been a real gamechanger. What’s the sweet spot? Experiment a little here, but shoot for somewhere between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit (15-19 Celsius). Just don’t go too cold, which can also disrupt your rest.
#4) Consider getting black-out curtains for your bedroom windows, especially if you live in a city. Living in a city, there’s always something bright and shiny happening outside my window – it wasn’t until I purchased super dark curtains to cover up my windows that I noticed an improvement in my ‘fall-asleep time.’
#5) Earplugs or a white noise machine might be a good idea. Sounds and other forms of ear pollution can be a distraction when you’re trying to sleep. White noise machines might drown some of this out, and studies show they do help, but some good ole fashioned earplugs could do the trick too.[26]
#6) No TV in bed. This might be incredibly difficult for you if you’ve been falling asleep to TV for years. Instead of falling asleep with the blue glow of a TV at the foot of your bed, read a book – trust me, it will put you right to sleep.[27]
#7) Get in the habit of reading fiction. Reading puts me to sleep within a few minutes most night, though only if I’m reading fiction. When reading non-fiction, my mind starts to race with all of the new ideas and things I could be working on. Either read real books or read on a Kindle, no iPads!
#8) Buy the right TYPE of Mattress for you: I slept on a soft mattress with two mattress pads for a few months years ago and wondered why I woke up with lower back pain every day. Turns out, my back was jacked up, and the soft mattress made things even worse. Since switching to a firm mattress, I wake up without back pain. Lesson learned here: I’m not smart.
#9) A lot of this can depend on HOW you sleep! Are you a side sleeper? Back sleeper? Stomach sleeper? Turns out there’s some evolutionary reasons why some styles work better than others! Personally, I use the “half-military crawl position” outlined by Tim Ferriss (scroll down to tip 11 for the position)
#10) Have allergies? Try a hypoallergenic pillowcase! Your allergies could be affecting you while you sleep, and having the proper pillowcase can make a world of a difference.
How to Get More Sleep
So we’ve covered how to get BETTER sleep, what if you also need to get more of it?
In order to start getting more sleep, sleep must become more of a priority. If you constantly stay up too late because things need to get done, evaluate how your time is spent after work. Seriously, think about it!
Are you doing the important tasks first? Or are you messing around on the internet and not starting your tasks until late in the evening.
Are you watching late-night shows long after they’ve become enjoyable, simply because your DVR records them?
Are you checking your smart phone while in bed, watching Twitch, or using your laptop to watch more shows you don’t really care about on Netflix?
Yes, I understand we have parents who read Nerd Fitness and have to stay awake and function on minimal sleep (I commend you, and wish you luck!).
However, for many of us, less sleep is often a result of disorganized priorities and poor use of our time.
Here are the best practical tips for giving you the greatest chance at getting into bed earlier:
Don’t drink caffeine after lunch if possible. Caffeine can have an effect up to 6 hours after consumption. We love caffeine for many reasons (in moderation); however, you want to make sure its not consumed too late or your body will revolt.
Turn off the electronics sooner. I have to enforce a “laptops closed by 8PM” or a “TV off after 10PM” rule on many nights or I never get to bed. I get lost in Internetland far too easily. Putting in actual barriers really helps. If you find yourself checking Facebook and Twitter and other sites incessantly, BLOCK YOURSELF from those sites after a certain time.
Stop watching crap TV shows!Just because it exists doesn’t mean you need to watch it. Pick a FEW shows you watch on Netflix, but be wary of the “auto-play” next episode! Netflix is counting on you to be lazy to watch another episode accidentally instead of getting sleep.
Shift things by 15 minutes every week. If you want to get to bed sooner, don’t just try to get to bed an hour earlier than normal. You’ll probably lie in bed for that whole hour wondering why you can’t fall asleep, stressing yourself out and making things worse (remember our lesson on circadian rhythm). I shifted my pattern by waking up 15 minutes earlier and getting to bed 15 minutes sooner. Then I repeated that process over a series of weeks. Eventually, you can shift your bedtime by an hour or two, but do it gradually!
How to Wake Up (The NF Sleep Calculator)
Is there any more annoying sound in the world than the “beep beep beep” of an alarm clock?
Well, maybe this.
But you get the point.
So here you are, dreaming about riding a dragon, doing improv with Liam Neeson, and playing poker with Iron Man and Spock…and that damn alarm clock wakes you up. You are now incredibly groggy and miserable.
Here’s what’s happening: Remember earlier how we talked about different sleep cycles? Depending on which cycle you were woken up during, your body can struggle to move from “asleep” to “wide awake.”
Wake up in the right phase and you can feel energized and ready to go.
Wake up in the wrong phase and you will feel lethargic and sleepy.
Because we’re often waking up at times when we’re not ready to wake up, timing can be everything when it comes to getting out of bed.
Have no fear! Let’s give you a timetable to base your sleep schedule on, so your alarm clock isn’t so jarring.
Here are some assumptions we’ll use:
You need about 15 minutes to fall asleep.
A sleep cycle is 90 minutes.
You want 5 or 6 sleep cycles (our 7-9 hours range).
THE NERD FITNESS SLEEP CALCULATOR
Wake up: 5am
Bedtime for 5 Sleep Cycles (7.5 hr): 9:15pm
Bedtime for 6 Sleep Cycles (9 hr): 7:45pm
Wake up: 6:30am
Bedtime for 5 Sleep Cycles (7.5 hr): 10:45pm
Bedtime for 6 Sleep Cycles (9 hr): 9:15pm
Wake up: 8am
Bedtime for 5 Sleep Cycles (7.5 hr): 12:15am
Bedtime for 6 Sleep Cycles (9 hr): 10:45pm
You get the gist. Try to time your alarm clock to a natural break between sleep cycles.
Technology might help here too!
Set a “go to bed” alarm, rather than a wake up alarm! Remind yourself WHEN you should go to sleep. Bonus points if you can rig it to also shut off your wifi so that you actually have nothing exciting left to do in your house except read a book and go to sleep!
Try a dawn-simulator alarm clock. Rather than waking yourself up in the pitch black with a disgusting beeping noise, why not gradually rise as if there was an natural sunrise in your room?
Feel free to sing the first line of “Circle of Life” at this point. I just did.
Also, DON’T SNOOZE!
Instead of snoozing, set your alarm for 30 minutes later and SKIP snoozing entirely. If this is an issue for you, put your alarm across the room so you need to physically get out of bed to turn it off!
Here are a couple more tips to help your alertness in the morning:
Still feeling groggy? Go for a walk first thing.A mile every morning, if you can. Heck, do it while walking to Mordor! Walking outside and seeing that blue sky can trigger your body to release the hormones that encourage you to feel more awake and alive.
Consider blue light therapy during the day. Productivity guruTim Ferriss swears by it, and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, so I’ll be testing one out during the winter months to see if my mornings are marked by increased energy. If you’ve used one and had positive/negative experiences, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Am I a Night Owl or a Lark? (Why Am I Not a Morning Person?)
According to studies, about 1 in 10 people are true morning people (“larks”), while 2 in 10 are considered “night owls.” The rest fit somewhere in the middle as “hummingbirds.”
What this means: Some of us are more alert at certain times of the day and naturally want to rise earlier or stay up later. [28]
Now, the difference between the two extremes isn’t as DRASTIC as we’ve made it out to be. Humans can never be truly naturally nocturnal – we don’t have night vision (yet…).
We’re not programmed to operate during the middle of the night. But, we CAN use our natural tendencies to help us be more efficient and productive during certain parts of the day.
We can change and adapt. Just like those who successfully work a night shift job (tips on that here), many who consider themselves a night owl may find they can become a morning person if they set themselves up for success.
I used the excuse for years of being a “night owl” to screw around all day and work from midnight to 4 AM each night, when it really just required a shifting of my priorities and productivity hacks.
What this all means: Identify your biological clock and try to adjust around it if possible. However, if your job requires you to get up early or stay up later, most of us can make an adjustment. Don’t let your poor habits blame “being a night owl” like I used to.
Should I Take Naps? (How to Nap During the Day)
Although generally not part of a day here in the States, we’re actually programmed to desire a quick nap in the early afternoon.[29]
In other countries, naps are more socially acceptable (Siesta? Si, por favor!). If you feel bad that you get tired in the early afternoon, it’s not because you’re lazy. It’s because you’re naturally wired for naptime. Now, you might still be lazy, but it’s not related to your nap schedule.
So, behold the power of the power nap:
Didn’t get enough sleep last night? Only have 20-30 minutes for a quick break? Try the caffeine-fueled power nap.
Fun fact: If you’ve slept less than normal, taking a 90 minute nap the following day could lead to an increased amount of REM sleep in that nap.[30]
What Is Sleep Apnea? (What’s the Best Treatment for Sleep Apnea?)
Sleep apnea is a condition where someone periodically stops breathing while sleeping.
While there are a few different versions of sleep apnea, the most common is “Obstructive Sleep Apnea,” which occurs when throat muscles become overly relaxed.
A telltale sign of obstructive sleep apnea is loud snoring, although not everyone who snores has sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea can potentially be pretty serious, what with the whole not breathing thing going on. It depends on the severity of the condition.
If it’s serve, not breathing correctly could majorly disrupt sleep, to the point of increasing the risk of certain diseases.[32]
How do you know if your sleep apnea is mild or severe?
Unfortunately, the only way to really be sure is to head to the doctor. If you go to your primary care physician, they will likely refer you to a sleep specialist to find out.
If you feel tired in the morning despite getting plenty of sleep, and a partner or loved one complains that you snore, it might be worth looking into a sleep apnea diagnosis.
I will mention that being overweight can contribute to obstructive sleep apnea, so weight loss could be a possible treatment.
I’ve got a couple of resources to help you start your journey:
How to Lose Weight (Without Dieting): check out our guide on the 5 rules for sustainable weight loss. If you’re not sure where to start, start there.
Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: if you want a trained professional to tell you exactly what to do, check out our coaching program. Many clients jumpstart their weight loss journey with the help of a NF Coach, and the results they’ve achieved can be incredible.
In the meantime, try a different sleeping position (like the aforementioned half-military crawl position to keep your passages open).
What Is Second Sleep? (Waking up in the Middle of the Night)
Biphasic Sleep is sleeping in two distinct periods.
We’re gonna go back in the day again: during winter months, night time could last 12-14 hours.
With our bodies’ production of melatonin (the “sleepy time” hormone) kicking into high gear when that sun drops, people had nothing else to do (no TV, PS4, or iPads) and would fall asleep early. Then they would wake up for an hour or two in the middle of the night to read, pray, or think, and then fall back asleep for another 4-5 hours before waking up for the day.
If you’ve ever gone to bed at a normal hour, and then woke up in the middle of the night without being able to fall back asleep for an hour or so, you know what I’m talking about.
Here’s the thing: this is actually quite natural![33]
Rather than freaking the heck out and lying in bed wondering why you can’t fall asleep…consider it something that is more common than our current sleep schedule.[34] Don’t be afraid to turn on the light (red light!) and read a book or use the time for meditation until you can fall back asleep.
This one ‘mental shift’ alone can keep your stress levels down and let you get back to sleep faster and provide you with BETTER sleep.
4 Tips and Tricks to Hack Sleep
#1) Macrodozing:
I stumbled across the BEST biohack for optimal human performance.
It’s tricky, but here’s what to do:
Lie in bed with your eyes closed, for like, 7-9 hours.
If you can actually pull this off, productivity for the next 16 hours will be INSANE.
I often spend my nights in bed thinking and worrying about all of the things I need to do the next day. Instead of stressing out about it, take a minute and write down the things you need to do the next day, and then set it aside.
A notebook, a post-it note, an Evernote file, whatever.
Do a brain-dump and clear your head so you can focus on reading A Game of Thrones without thinking about the next day’s tasks.
#3) Want to control your dreams? It’s called “Lucid Dreaming,” it’s possible, but requires work. I’ve only been able to do it once, but haven’t given up hope that it can become a more common occurrence! Ultimately, this allows you to live out a real-life version of Inception.
#4) Have way too much time on your hands and not constricted by societal norms? Try Polyphasic sleep and then tell me how it goes 🙂 It didn’t work for Kramer, but it might work for you!
(But it probably won’t).
Start Sleeping Better Tonight (Next Steps)
Like, anything, that which gets measured gets improved.
Now, if you’re somebody that isn’t really detail-oriented, just start by picking ONE or two changes above, and focus on building that Hard Hat Habit. However, if you like to nerd out about certain details, why not nerd out about your sleep?
Starting tomorrow morning, when you wake up, recap the previous day with a journal entry:
What time did you wake up, and what time did you actually get out of bed?
How many times did you hit snooze?
After work, how much television did you watch? After you finished watching, did you go right to bed? Did you fall asleep with the TV on?
How long did you lie in bed before actually falling asleep (obviously this will be tough to tell, but you can estimate).
A quick recap on what to do:
Change one or two things about your current strategy.
Turn off the computer 15 minutes earlier.
Stop watching TV in bed.
Read fiction.
Limit the amount of blue light and screen activities that amp you up at night.
No more snoozing.
Set the alarm clock across the room.
Go for a walk in the morning outside.
If you want to use technology:F.Lux for your computer, red bulbs in the bedroom, Sunrise alarm clock for waking up without disturbing deep sleep.
That should just about do it for today’s article.
If you’re looking for where to go from here, I’ve got some options for you. But I’m only gonna tell you, because you’ve been a good sport this whole article.
NEXT STEPS IF YOU WANT TO GO FARTHER!
#1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them lose weight, get strong, and level up their lives!
We take sleep so seriously, we discuss it with each and every client.
#2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Have questions you need answered? Join Nerd Fitness Prime!
Nerd Fitness Prime is our premium membership program that contains at-home exercise routines, live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community, group challenges, and much more!
#3) Join our amazing free community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion! Not only is it free to join, but we’ll provide you with loads of free goodies when you sign-up:
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.
Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.
Now, I’d love to hear from you:
What questions do you have about sleeping?
How have you learned to be better at it?
What are you still struggling with?
Have you tried sunrise alarm clocks or blue-light devices?
Read, “Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication.” Source, NCBI.
Read, “The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players.” Source, PubMed.
Read, “Growth hormone secretion during sleep.” Source, PubMed.
Read, “Sleep habits and susceptibility to the common cold.” Source, PubMed.
What kind of debate? Matthew Walker wrote a very popular book called “Why We Sleep,” where Walker recommends at least 7 hours of sleep, with 8 being ideal. In turn, here’s an interesting article ripping the studies of Walker’s popular book to shreds.
Read, “The Association between Social Media Use and Sleep Disturbance among Young Adults.” Source, PubMed. Although the study doesn’t address whether it’s the artificial light or engagement of social that keeps folks up at night.
This study found red light helped a basketball team fall asleep faster.
Read, “Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm.” Source, PubMed.
Here’s a study that found a relationship with a TV in the bedroom and sleep deprivation in children. And while it’s not a rigorously study, Sleep Junkies took a survey and found reading fiction before bed acted as a sleep aid amongst those questioned.
It’s the tail end of zucchini season. After you’ve grown tired of zucchini noodles, zucchini bread, and all the other zucchini creations, what’s left? Zucchini brownies are a great way to use up the last of your zucchini, while sneaking in some veggies into your dessert.
Here’s how to make them.
Fudgy Keto Zucchini Brownies Recipe
Serves: 6
Time in the kitchen: 30 minutes, including 20 minutes bake time
Ingredients:
¾ c squeezed dry grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
50g dark chocolate, either chips or chopped chocolate (we used 90%)
Directions:
Using a box grater, grate a zucchini using the side of the grater that has small holes. Squeeze the zucchini out using paper towels or a small towel until it is quite dry. Measure out the zucchini after squeezing the liquid out.
Melt the butter and chocolate and then mix in the almond butter. Fold in the grated zucchini and vanilla extract.
Add in the almond flour, sweetener, cacao powder and tapioca starch.
Whisk the eggs and mix them into the batter. Fold the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips into the batter.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a square baking pan with parchment and pour the batter into the pan. If desired, you can also sprinkle some extra chopped chocolate on top.
Bake the brownies for 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven and allow them to rest for 6-8 minutes.
Place the brownies back into the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the center of the brownies reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit with a food thermometer.
Allow the brownies to cool prior to removing them from the pan and slicing them into 16 squares.
Tips:
Make sure to squeeze out the zucchini well after grating it.
The double bake method for brownies helps the outside edges of the brownie cook at the same rate as the center of the brownies, so you get fudgy brownies in every bite.
This version of brownie is dense and fudgy. If you’d rather have a cakier brownie, add ¼-½ teaspoon of baking soda to the batter and then bake according to the instructions.
We used 90% chocolate for both the batter and the chunks for a super rich, but not too sweet, chocolatey brownie, but you can use your favorite dark chocolate.
Nutrition Info (1/16th of recipe):
Calories: 145
Fat: 11g
Total Carbs: 10g
Net Carbs: 7g
Protein: 4g
It’s the tail end of zucchini season. After you’ve grown tired of zucchini noodles, zucchini bread, and all the other zucchini creations, what’s left? Zucchini brownies are a great way to use up the last of your zucchini, while sneaking in some veggies into your dessert.
Here’s how to make them.
Fudgy Keto Zucchini Brownies Recipe
Serves: 6
Time in the kitchen: 30 minutes, including 20 minutes bake time
Ingredients:
¾ c squeezed dry grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
50g dark chocolate, either chips or chopped chocolate (we used 90%)
Directions:
Using a box grater, grate a zucchini using the side of the grater that has small holes. Squeeze the zucchini out using paper towels or a small towel until it is quite dry. Measure out the zucchini after squeezing the liquid out.
Melt the butter and chocolate and then mix in the almond butter. Fold in the grated zucchini and vanilla extract.
Add in the almond flour, sweetener, cacao powder and tapioca starch.
Whisk the eggs and mix them into the batter. Fold the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips into the batter.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a square baking pan with parchment and pour the batter into the pan. If desired, you can also sprinkle some extra chopped chocolate on top.
Bake the brownies for 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven and allow them to rest for 6-8 minutes.
Place the brownies back into the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the center of the brownies reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit with a food thermometer.
Allow the brownies to cool prior to removing them from the pan and slicing them into 16 squares.
Tips:
Make sure to squeeze out the zucchini well after grating it.
The double bake method for brownies helps the outside edges of the brownie cook at the same rate as the center of the brownies, so you get fudgy brownies in every bite.
This version of brownie is dense and fudgy. If you’d rather have a cakier brownie, add ¼-½ teaspoon of baking soda to the batter and then bake according to the instructions.
We used 90% chocolate for both the batter and the chunks for a super rich, but not too sweet, chocolatey brownie, but you can use your favorite dark chocolate.
Nutrition Info (1/16th of recipe):
Calories: 145
Fat: 11g
Total Carbs: 10g
Net Carbs: 7g
Protein: 4g
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Here is why resistance training increases athletic performance while reducing relative risk for an injury.
A misconception is that weight training and weightlifting (yes, these are two separate entities, more on that later) are dangerous activities and are to blame for several injuries that occur in the gym.
All those long hot showers you’ve been taking are doing your body more harm than good. Not to mention all that wasted water, soap, and energy running down the drain. But while we’ve always been taught that scrubbing the skin from head to toe is a necessity for modern man to function in society, now […]
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
Book your class NOW!
click this ==>
Warrior Fit Testimonials
First, I want to say thank you for convincing me to do Tabata! I was struggling to lose weight and Finally I found something that helped! I really appreciate your coaching! - Craig T.
Ever since I was convinced to do Tabata I have seen huge results, I lost 6 pounds and gained energy in the first 3 weeks. I have been working out for 3 months before I decided to do Tabata and I struggled to lose weight.
At first I thought "How am I losing weight by bringing my heart rate up then cooling down then bringing it up again?" I don’t know how it works but it does!
Thank you!! - Theresa F.
The first day of Tabata, I wondered WHAT AM I DOING - I AM 56 !! Five weeks later I knew that it was what I needed. I learned that I could push myself well beyond my comfort zone and feel good later. I have a marked improvement in physical as well as emotional endurance. - Lyn C.
When I was first told about Tabata I was very excited from the word go, however that excitement stemmed from the fact that I had no clue what it meant. I missed the first week of class b/c I was traveling for work so when I came in during the 2nd week I had some making it up to do.
It was hard at first b/c my body wasn't used to working out at such a fast pace, but once I got into a rhythm I started to feel very good. These classes are no joke. If you stick with it you will leave there feeling stronger, healthier and overall better about yourself and what you've accomplished.
I would recommend these classes to anyone. Darrin is a great trainer and he'll keep you going with his energy.
- Jami L.
Warriors Fit Audio
Warrior Fit uses High Intensity Music to get ya Moooovin' So we can all "Get Our Sweat On"
The link below will give ya a freeee shot at Audible plus a couple audio books just to try it out and if you haven't used audio books on your commutes you are missing out. Get pumped up before you get to where you are going and exercise your mind. I use it Everyday. Go get yours now!
“You should take probiotics.”
Thank you for reading past the title of this post. I wasn’t sure anyone would. After all, here I am offering advice on how to quit the world’s most beloved beverage. (“Hold my beer,” says Beer.)
#4) Consider getting black-out curtains for your bedroom windows, especially if you live in a city. Living in a city, there’s always something bright and shiny happening outside my window – it wasn’t until I purchased super dark curtains to cover up my windows that I noticed an improvement in my ‘fall-asleep time.’
It’s the tail end of zucchini season. After you’ve grown tired of zucchini noodles, zucchini bread, and all the other zucchini creations, what’s left? Zucchini brownies are a great way to use up the last of your zucchini, while sneaking in some veggies into your dessert.
Whisk the eggs and mix them into the batter. Fold the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips into the batter.
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
Book your class NOW!
click this ==>
