http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
A new report has revealed concerning levels of lead and cadmium in protein powders, particularly those that are plant-based, organic, or chocolate-flavored. The Clean Label Project found organic powders had up to three times more lead and twice as much cadmium as non-organic alternatives. Chocolate-flavored products were especially contaminated, containing four times more lead and […]
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
Days before President-elect Trump takes office, the Biden administration has announced a $500 million security package for Ukraine. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Germany, emphasized the need to support Ukraine against Russian aggression. The package includes missiles, F-16 equipment, and other military supplies sourced from U.S. stockpiles for expedited […]
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
Egg prices in California have surged dramatically, reaching an average of $8.97 per dozen in December 2024, a significant jump from $5.68 in November. This spike is largely due to a combination of factors, including a bird flu outbreak that has severely impacted poultry flocks, reducing egg supply. The outbreak has led to the euthanization […]
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
In its final days, the Biden administration proposed a rule to limit nicotine levels in cigarettes, aiming to reduce addiction. Critics, including law enforcement experts, warn the move could empower organized crime and black-market trade. The FDA has confirmed the rule is under regulatory review but has not been finalized. House Passes Laken Riley Act […]
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
Even One Glass of Wine Now a Danger: US Govt The idea that a daily glass of wine is good for heart health is being reconsidered. While past U.S. guidelines have recommended moderate alcohol consumption—up to two drinks a day for men and one for women—the latest advice from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy highlights […]
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
Biden Cancels Gas Water Heaters The Biden administration has finalized climate regulations that ban most natural gas-powered tankless water heaters, effective by 2029. The move is aimed at reducing carbon emissions but has drawn criticism for potentially increasing costs for consumers. Experts estimate that buyers will pay an average of $450 more for new water […]
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on Sunday that he wants the House to pass one hefty budget reconciliation bill to realize President-elect Donald Trump‘s policy agenda during the early months of his second term, dealing with a broad range of issues such as border security, tax cut extensions, the U.S. economy, and energy. In an […]
Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/
Today is the most hope and optimism-filled day of the year.
That’s great!
Whatever goals or resolutions you’ve set for yourself, I’m excited for you!
We’re all trying to better ourselves, and even though things haven’t worked out the way we wanted them to in the past, we hope this time will be different.
Musician Nick Cave describes hope as “optimism with a broken heart,” and I think that’s beautifully accurate. We’re all trying to be different when change is so damn hard.
If you’re trying to build a new workout habit or change the number on the scale this year, I salute you. Setting a goal to change is very commendable.
But to give ourselves the best chance of accomplishing our goal, we must combine the goal with some self-reflection and self-awareness.
Here are TWO questions to ask yourself as we begin 2025…
I’m proud of you for starting again.
But what’s different about this attempt?
If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
If you pick the same goal or strategy that you tried (unsuccessfully) in the past, the end result will be the same: another lost year of “why can’t I get my act together?”
So, be deliberate about what’s different this time!
Don’t just “go on XYZ diet” or “give up all sugar forever” or “train for a marathon” again, especially if you’ve tried those things before and couldn’t stick with them.
Something has to be different this time:
Prove to yourself you’ve learned something from your past attempts. Don’t let past failures be in vain – they showed you what doesn’t work for you.
Try something different this time!
You’re full of momentum right now, and that’s great.
But three weeks from now, life will happen, and something will go wrong.
What has been your tendency when this happens in the past?
We ask every NF Coaching Client before they start, “What are you most nervous about?”
That answer is something they’re aware of as a result of their past attempts:
Are you going to get busy and decide “to take a break until things slow down?” Great! Now you know when that little voice in your head says this, you can prepare for it, plan to do something differently, and decide that you don’t have to listen to that voice in your head.
Are you going to have one bad day and go totally off the rails? Great! Now you know that when you have one bad day, you can forgive yourself, not look back in anger or guilt, and get right back on track.
Are you going to give up even though you really really really want to push through? Great! This happens to all of us when motivation wanes after a few weeks. Consider adding a Ulysses Pact to guard against your weaknesses or making a bet with a friend to keep you accountable.
NF Coach Matt Myers was recently on the Mental Golf Podcast with Josh Nichols – and at the 24:30 mark in the episode, Matt pointed out something to Josh that surprised him:
“You told me before you started, ‘I know I’m going to come out of the gates HARD, but about 3 weeks in, I’m going to burn out and disappear.’
And I said, ‘Thanks for letting me know,’ and I had all these alarms and alerts ready to check in with you repeatedly around the 21 day mark!”
Josh had the self-awareness to know where he would screw up in the future, he and Coach Matt planned for it, and got over the hump together.
Since then, they’ve worked together for two months (and counting), and Josh has only missed a single day of checking in and missing one day didn’t cause Josh’s normal “all-or-nothing” behavior to kick in!
We all set out to change, and even when we’re self-aware…
We often bite off more than we can chew:
Our goals and hopes often exceed the reality that we’re fallible, busy, complicated humans living unpredictable lives.
That’s okay!
If we’re aware of these things, if we can try differently…then even if this next attempt doesn’t work either, we can remove that strategy from the list of potential successful paths, and try again.
That’s all life is anyway: try, fail, adjust, restart.
-Steve
PS: If you don’t want to go on this journey alone, I’d be honored if you check out the NF Coaching Program.
Our coaches are awesome and we’d love to help you reach your goals. We’ve had a TON of sign-ups these past few days, which has me really excited to help so many new people.
The post What’s different this time? first appeared on Nerd Fitness.
Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/
Stephen Wilson Jr. was a scientist working for Mars, Inc. (Yeah, the Candy company).
One day, his boss pulled him into an office and said something that changed his life:
“Stephen, you’re about to get promoted.”
Normally a cause for celebration, this was instead meant as a warning by his boss.
In a past life, Stephen had been a guitarist in a small indie rock band. He also spent his evenings writing songs.
His boss knew Stephen was a damn good songwriter, and where he really belonged.
He told Stephen about the golden handcuffs:
“You’re in line for a promotion and they’re grooming you for the next level.
And you’re kind of at a crossroads.
Because if you take [the promotion], like I took it 30 years ago, your dreams of being a songwriter, they’re gonna be gone. This is going to consume every bit of you.
Right now you can write songs and do this job, but 6 months from now I’m not sure you’re gonna be able to. So I just want to give you a warning.”
That tiny voice in Stephen’s head, that had been there for years and years, started to get louder.
6 weeks later, with that inner voice now at a deafening volume, he put in his 2 weeks notice, which confused everyone (except his boss and his wife).
He started bartending and waiting tables to make ends meet while honing his craft, trying to get publishing deals in country music…while getting rejected for not writing “bro country” songs:
He was told, “you write REAL songs. We can’t do nuthin’ with that…”
Years later, after some modest success writing songs for other musicians, he finally worked up the courage and experience and clout to start recording his own songs.
And last year, he finally put out his debut album, Son of Dad, which Rolling Stone called one of the best albums of 2023.
Recently, Stephen put out a jaw-dropping cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me,” which I have listened to approximately 10,000 times over the past month.
(Seriously, please watch this video. It’ll give you goosebumps!).
From 2008-2010, I also lived a dual life.
I had my day job at Sixthman, helping promote and produce floating music festivals. But I also spent my nights and weekends working on a little website helping nerds get fit.
My boss April and my mentor Andy (who owned the business) both knew where my heart was; they encouraged me to chase the uncomfortable future of trying to make Nerd Fitness into my career.
16 years later, we’re still going strong!
In Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks, he encourages us to ask a specific question when making decisions in life:
“Where in your life or your work are you currently pursuing comfort, when what’s called for is a little discomfort?”
Asking ourselves “what would make me happiest” will most likely lead us towards the short term, comfortable, safe option.
Instead, we should be thinking which path will make us GROW as a person, or which version will cause us to SHRINK each week. We probably, deep down inside, know the answer to the question, if we have the courage to ask it.
Burkeman’s advice:
“Choose uncomfortable enlargement over comfortable diminishment whenever you can.”
Yep, sometimes chasing “uncomfortable enlargement” doesn’t result in a songwriting deal, or a successful business. I’ve chosen the uncomfortable path and sometimes things don’t work out. But that’s part of the process, and at least it removes the potential for unhealthy regret!
Which brings me to today’s mission.
Let’s chase uncomfortable expansion in 2025.
In 2025, let’s ask the question:
Where in your life are you snugly living in comfort and safety, when deep down you know the path of “uncomfortable enlargement” is what you really need to grow and help you get what you really want?
You might not need to quit your job immediately, or go all-in on a new goal or change…
But it could be worth asking yourself that uncomfortable question.
Life is hard, and change is harder.
Uncomfortable.
Scary.
Messy.
But if you’re willing to say NO to comfort, it might be exactly what you need.
-Steve
PS: We’re doing a free 5-day workshop for people who are looking to build new habits that actually stick in 2025, it starts in a few days!
The post Growth over Comfort first appeared on Nerd Fitness.
Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/
2024 is drawing to a close, so I wanted to hit you with one final newsletter before the chaos of 2025 kicks off.
It’s that time of year where our brains will almost automatically look back on the past year.
What went right, what went wrong.
What we accomplished, what we failed to follow through on.
If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to overindex on the “what went wrong” part, and feel all sorts of negative emotions around those things.
We might look back with guilt at something we did or didn’t do. As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, I’m somebody who has the most amount of “Catholic guilt” even though I’m not religious.
I stumbled across a story a few months back that I’m still thinking about. Allegedly, there’s no word in the Tibetan language that directly translates to “guilt.” The closest possible translation is something closer to “intelligent regret.”
I don’t speak Tibetan and I haven’t been able to track down a Tibetan speaker to confirm this, but I think it’s a beautiful sentiment that can help us as we move into 2025.
Guilt can be corrosive and unproductive. But as Dan Pink points out in his book The Power of Regret, looking backward with the right kind of regret about things that happened or didn’t happen can actually be powerful and transformative for our future selves.
So, rather than trying to live a life of “no ragrets” (the opposite of intelligence)…
We can apply regret intelligently to how 2024 went.
So, in honor of the band Oasis reuniting for the coming year, don’t look back in anger (still an all-time jam, by the way).
Instead…let’s look back with curiosity.
Take some time today, and look back on your year with curiosity, not judgment.
Did you accomplish the things they wanted to accomplish? Great! I bet you learned something.
Did your life go off the rails and you spent most of the year just trying to stay afloat! Great! I bet you learned something! Did you start and stop and bail on a goal repeatedly? Great! I bet you learned something!
Write these things down. Notice the emotions you feel as you look back. Write down what you learned, and how that can inform future decisions or choices you make.
Maybe you learned that you hate running, or that going Keto was an absolute failure, or that becoming a first-time parent really messed with your life entirely, or that we can’t stick to a morning routine.
These are all things that happened. Now, we must decide what sort of emotion to apply to those things.
Remember, the past isn’t set in stone, and some of these setbacks or failures might be the very lesson you needed to learn for Future You. They might be the catalyst for your next step forward.
Remember, it’s NOT “I screwed up/failed, therefore I’m a lost cause…”
It’s, “I screwed up/failed, and learned this lesson I can apply towards 2025.”
Next week, we’ll be kicking off our free 5-day challenge with coach Matt from Team NF.
If 2024 didn’t turn out the way you wanted or hoped, I’m sorry.
Life is weird and change is hard.
Let’s make 2025 different! After all, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.
If you want things to be different, let’s make that happen.
The Nerd Fitness Rebellion will be with you all the way.
Have a great holiday, and I’ll talk to you next week.
-Steve
PS: Here’s that sign-up one more time for our free 5-day challenge. Cheers!
The post Don’t look back in anger first appeared on Nerd Fitness.
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