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- Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Eat healthy. Exercise. Be happy. It sounds easy enough, so why is it so difficult? Because, as millions of women know, it’s not easy. There are challenges and obstacles, and health programs are not one size fits all.
Sohee Lee understands, because she’s faced the challenges and overcome them. As a trainer, presenter, and author, she’s shared her experiences and helped others establish healthy relationships with food and exercise for long-term results.
In the book Eat. Lift. Thrive. she empowers you with tools and strategies to make your own change. You will learn how to identify issues that are holding you back and what you can do to get back on track. You’ll find motivation, exercise, and advice. And you’ll learn how to
• incorporate Lee’s Living Lean Guidelines to make your diet work around your life, rather than the other way around;
• perform her Primary Strength Movements and integrate them into an effective workout program; and
• adjust your routine to maintain the results you’ve achieved.
Eat. Lift. Thrive. also provides you with a structured, easy-to-follow 12-week training program. The program can be scaled according to your training experience, time commitment, and goals; it’s completely customizable to ensure that your changes are lasting.
This book is designed to be different. By the time you’re finished, you’ll be an expert at moderation and will say goodbye to extremes in dieting. You can have your cake and eat it too—and enjoy it!
Part I. Reset Your Thinking
Chapter 1. Forget What You Know
All-or-nothing thinking is dangerous and counterproductive. Making slow, sustainable changes is hard, but it's the best way to make permanent changes.
Chapter 2. Failing Forward
Failing is a reality of life. Learning from failure is a choice.
Chapter 3. You’re Not Alone
Reach out to your community to reach your goals.
Part II. Eat
Chapter 4. Nutrition Basics
Focus on the most important layers of the nutrition pyramid to develop simple, healthy eating habits you can sustain for a lifetime.
Chapter 5. Living-Lean Guidelines
Make healthy eating a mindless habit for long-term success.
Chapter 6. Embrace Moderation
Treat yourself right by treating yourself. Really!
Part III. Lift
Chapter 7. Level Up With Resistance Training
Why should you pick up heavy things and put them down? For improvements in health, function, and beauty.
Chapter 8. Primary Strength Movements
Squat, hinge, bridge, lateral rotation, upper-body push, upper-body pull, and single-joint exercises.
Chapter 9. Cardio and Glute Circuits
Use smart cardio as a complement to resistance training. Glute circuits will round out your program.
Part IV. Thrive
Chapter 10. Create Your Program
Use your goals to determine your program variables, but also consider your lifestyle, environment, and preferences. Your program is all about you.
Chapter 11. Sample Programs
Choose from a transitional program or two-, three-, or four-days-a-week programs.
Chapter 12. Monitor Your Progress
Check in with yourself. Be amazed at your progress and celebrate you!
Sohee Lee, CSCS, CISSN, is a health coach, researcher, and author who specializes in helping women develop healthy relationships with food and their bodies while reaching their fitness goals. She is pursuing her master’s degree in psychology at Arizona State University and earned her bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University. Lee is interested in how the field of behavioral psychology can benefit the health and fitness industry.
Lee is certified as a strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CSCS), as a sports nutritionist through the International Society of Sports Nutrition (CISSN), and as a Strong First Girya (SFG) Level I instructor. She has trained clients at elite gyms such as Peak Performance (New York, New York), Cressey Sports Performance (Hudson, Massachusetts), and Tyler English Fitness (Avon, Connecticut) and has established her own fitness center, SoheeFit Systems (Phoenix, Arizona).
Having battled anorexia and bulimia, Lee knows firsthand the toll disordered eating can take on a life. She seeks to explore the psychology behind habits and behavior change, particularly as they relate to food and exercise. Her mission is to empower women to practice compassion and grace with themselves in the gym, in the kitchen, and in life. A professional bikini competitor through the International Fitness Professionals Association (IFPA) federation and an amateur powerlifter, Lee lends her inspirational perspective to major fitness outlets, including Oxygen Magazine, LIVESTRONG.com, and Bodybuilding.com. She self-published The Beginner’s Guide to Macros and Reverse Dieting and is coauthor of The Beginner's Guide to Bikini Competitions. She also cohosts Physique Science Radio with Dr. Layne Norton and maintains an active presence on social media.
"There are a lot of charlatans in the fitness industry who do not live up to their own hype; Sohee Lee is NOT one of them. Sohee’s scientific background in biology and psychology allows her to perfect her applied methods, which she has done with hundreds of clients. Sohee is a great resource for anyone wanting to improve their fitness knowledge and get results."
Dr. Layne Norton, PhD-- BioLayne LLC
“Sohee delivers a scientifically based, practical guide for any woman seeking to improve her physique. Her flexible approach makes this an easy-to-implement program that can be sustained over the long term. Highly recommended reading.”
Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, CSCS, FNSCA-- Author of Strong and Sculpted
“Sohee Lee hits a grand slam with her first published book, Eat. Lift. Thrive. Not only does she teach you exactly what you need to know about nutrition and mindset to get you on your way to a healthier and fit physique, she also provides a top-notch training protocol that earns my fullest endorsement. And she does so in a way that effectively communicates the science without overwhelming or boring the reader. Buy this book, follow Sohee's advice, and watch your body and mind transform.”
Bret Contreras, PhD, CSCS
Figure out your nutrition strategy
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping.
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping. You may find a cute maxi that the mannequin is wearing at your favorite boutique store. You eagerly try it on only to find that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past your feet and hugs you in all the wrong places. It looked promising but simply didn't fit right. So you put it back, keep searching through the clothing racks until you find another dress that has potential, and then you try that on for size. You continue in this manner until you find a red slip dress with a thick belt that makes you feel sexy and confident. As a bonus, it's perfectly comfortable, and it looks as if it was made just for you. This is the one - you've found your dress!
Any nutrition strategy could potentially work if it meets the following criteria:
- Provides sufficient nutrients
- Works with your lifestyle
- Leaves you feeling your best, both physically and mentally
Whatever nutrition strategy you choose to adopt, the common denominator should be that you pay attention to your internal cues (how you're feeling, how the food tastes to you) rather than external cues (the size of your bowl, the time of day, your physical location). Indeed, research suggests that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend to rely on external cues to tell them when to stop eating (Sherwood et al. 2000).
This task is admittedly difficult. If eating right were easy, we wouldn't be battling an obesity problem. If it were a cakewalk, we wouldn't be struggling so much with maintaining weight loss.
I have friends who swear by Paleo, and others who are staunch advocates of intermittent fasting. That's all great. Rather than make blanket recommendations for everyone, I want you to stay open minded, experiment with various approaches, and find what works best for you.
Worry less about what you should be doing and start with what you can do and are willing to do consistently. If you're curious about any given nutrition strategy, I say try it out. Give it a solid two or three weeks. What's the worst that could happen? If you don't like the plan, go back to what you were doing before or find something else. No harm, no foul.
Recognize the difference between food noise and food voice. Food noise is allowing your eating decisions be dictated by distractions, peer pressure, and emotions; food voice is paying attention to both what you want and what you need and finding the intersection between the two. Food noise is reactive; food voice is proactive.
Don't be overwhelmed by what the media tell you is and is not good for your health. The flavor of the month used to be raspberry ketones, then it was gluten (or rather, lack thereof), and then it was juice cleanses. Who knows what the fad will be next month?
Meal Timing
You don't have to eat breakfast in the morning if you're not hungry and if you have no appetite. We have one camp that still likes to proclaim mightily that you must eat every two to three hours to stoke the metabolic fire, but that dictum has been proved not to be true (Taylor and Garrow 2001). Then at the opposite end, intermittent fasters are adamant about skipping breakfast (and intentionally restricting the feeding window overall) for extended lifespan, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced brain function (Mattson and Wan 2005). The truth is that most studies looking at intermittent fasting have been conducted on either animals or people participating in Ramadan, and numerous design flaws have been pointed out in the existing research that makes bold claims.
The current verdict as it stands is this: The data are inconclusive at this time to make any hard and fast recommendations for the population one way or another. In addition, taking personal preference and individual response into account is important. Rather than sticking to dogma, find the approach that works best for you. See what I mean? Food voice.
When you do get hungry, rather than reach for the first edible item you see, take a moment to survey your options. Ideally, you will have done some planning and stocked your home (or your office or wherever you happen to be) with some healthy sources of food. After all, you're going to eat what you have access to and you're going to eat what you see(Wansink, Painter, and Lee 2006).
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to eat?
- What will provide me with some valuable nutrients and keep me satiated?
Whatever that happens to be, eat that. Try to toss some protein in your meal if you find that it's lacking.
Table 5.1 gives examples of meals I might eat depending on my mood, energy level, and whether or not I'm exercising that day. Note that typically I have a higher carbohydrate intake when I have a workout planned for later and a higher fat intake for days off from the gym. This plan is largely by personal preference.
Even if I do have something on the nutritionally devoid side (hello, pancake syrup!), I'll pair it with some quality protein. And if I do consume a lot of added sugars in one meal, I'll make sure to pull it in at my next meal and add extra veggies. I don't panic or stress out over any single thing I eat; nothing with nutrition is ever unfixable.
Checks and balances, y'all.
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Learn basic squat form and variations
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree.
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree. Contrary to popular belief, however, squats are not necessarily the best for building the glutes.
The most popular lower-body exercises fall into this category, such as the back squat, goblet squat, and Bulgarian split squat.
In figure 8.1, note how the squat looks from the front and from the side. Note how the knees are shoved out, the chest stays up, and the back stays in a neutral position. These basic cues go along with all squat pattern movements.
 |  |
Squat: (a) front view; (b) side view.
Many people mistakenly believe that they're simply not cut out to be good squatters. After practicing the movement pattern with good form, however, they realize that this is not the case.
Beginners should start with the box squat and progress from there. When you can perform 20 bodyweight repetitions of the box squat with quality form, you're ready to add load and progress to other squat variations, such as the goblet squat and front squat.
Bodyweight Box Squat
 |  |
Bodyweight box squat: (a) starting position; (b) squat.
Muscles
- Primary: quadriceps, gluteals, erector spinae
- Secondary: hamstrings, adductors
Movement
- Stand in front of a box squat box, plyo box, or weight bench 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm) tall. Stand close to the box or straddle it slightly.
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flare your feet out 30 to 45 degrees.
- Sit back and lower yourself onto the box in a controlled manner while keeping your shins vertical and knees pushed out.
- When you reach a seated position, pause briefly while keeping your low back arched.
- Reverse the motion by pushing through your heels. Squeeze the glutes to lockout.
Tips
- This movement is not how you will normally squat. It's a drill to teach you to use your hips more.
- The ideal foot stance will vary from one person to the next. Tinker with your foot position and find what feels best for you and allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
- Take your time sitting back onto the box and be careful not to plop. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Imagine that someone is standing behind you with a rope around your hips and pulling back.
- With deep box squats, in which the hip joint is lower than the knee joint, you won't be able to keep your shins vertical; the knees must come forward a little bit to achieve depth. This is not the case with parallel box squats, however, in which the hip joint is in line with the knee joint.
Variation 1: Dumbbell Goblet Box Squat
Hold a dumbbell vertically, resting it on your palms and pressing it up against your chest as you perform the box squat.
Variation 2: Barbell Box Squat
Brace a barbell against your upper back as you perform the box squat.
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Shift to a growth mindset and unlock your full potential
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape.
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape. As I watched my friends laugh into their salads as though there was nothing else in the world they'd rather be eating, I wondered whether the fact that I had to choke down my tuna and egg whites meant that it wasn't in my genetics to be healthy. Because of this belief, I became consumed with looking the part. I pretended that sticking to the perfect diet came naturally to me. I talked nonstop about how much I enjoyed running (in fact, I was beginning to hate every minute) while secretly pigging out more and more on brownies, cookies, and candy. The more I stumbled, the more I tried to mask my true self. Unbeknownst to those around me, I ate and exercised the way I did not because I wanted to but because I felt trapped. The reality was that I was far from the picture of health - obsessing over what I couldn't eat, berating myself for not doing better, and becoming increasingly miserable with each passing day. In my pursuit of physical health, I neglected my well-being and quality of life.
Those with a fixed mindset actively avoid challenges and back down when they encounter an obstacle. They make excuses left and right about why they cannot do something. They play the victim. They balk at feedback, however well-intentioned, and do anything but exert effort.
Contrast them with people who have a growth mindset, which rests on the belief that ability, skill, and personal characteristics can be developed through dedicated effort. The growth mindset asks, "What can I learn from this so that I come back to do better next time?" whereas the fixed mindset proclaims, "Ah ha! Here is proof that I'm not cut out for this."
People with a growth mindset are all about self-improvement. When confronted with a setback, they actively work to improve their deficiencies and mistakes. They set out to learn and are constantly looking for opportunities for progress.
The work of Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, has been instrumental in highlighting how the mind can either impede change or open doors for a drastic transformation.
Interestingly, you may have a growth mindset in one area of your life and a fixed mindset in another area. For example, you might dedicate several hours per week honing your piano-playing skills with the hopes of one day becoming a world-class musician but, at the same time, shy away from algebra studies because mathematical concepts simply don't come naturally to you.
Consider how you think about your nutrition, exercise, and even your physical body. What kind of language do you use with yourself? You may notice that you're extremely defeatist and that when something goes awry - for example, when you accidentally dive into a box of donuts - you play the victim. Or perhaps when you realize one day that you can't zip up the dress that fit you three months ago, instead of sobbing into your pillow you immediately commit to scaling back your daily wine consumption.
The good news is that you can learn the growth mindset. Simply knowing about the two mindsets can allow you to recognize which way you tend to lean and then redirect your thinking. Whatever thoughts you harbor right now about your potential can be changed for the better.
You always have room for growth; you can always do something. You just have to believe it to be so.
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Figure out your nutrition strategy
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping.
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping. You may find a cute maxi that the mannequin is wearing at your favorite boutique store. You eagerly try it on only to find that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past your feet and hugs you in all the wrong places. It looked promising but simply didn't fit right. So you put it back, keep searching through the clothing racks until you find another dress that has potential, and then you try that on for size. You continue in this manner until you find a red slip dress with a thick belt that makes you feel sexy and confident. As a bonus, it's perfectly comfortable, and it looks as if it was made just for you. This is the one - you've found your dress!
Any nutrition strategy could potentially work if it meets the following criteria:
- Provides sufficient nutrients
- Works with your lifestyle
- Leaves you feeling your best, both physically and mentally
Whatever nutrition strategy you choose to adopt, the common denominator should be that you pay attention to your internal cues (how you're feeling, how the food tastes to you) rather than external cues (the size of your bowl, the time of day, your physical location). Indeed, research suggests that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend to rely on external cues to tell them when to stop eating (Sherwood et al. 2000).
This task is admittedly difficult. If eating right were easy, we wouldn't be battling an obesity problem. If it were a cakewalk, we wouldn't be struggling so much with maintaining weight loss.
I have friends who swear by Paleo, and others who are staunch advocates of intermittent fasting. That's all great. Rather than make blanket recommendations for everyone, I want you to stay open minded, experiment with various approaches, and find what works best for you.
Worry less about what you should be doing and start with what you can do and are willing to do consistently. If you're curious about any given nutrition strategy, I say try it out. Give it a solid two or three weeks. What's the worst that could happen? If you don't like the plan, go back to what you were doing before or find something else. No harm, no foul.
Recognize the difference between food noise and food voice. Food noise is allowing your eating decisions be dictated by distractions, peer pressure, and emotions; food voice is paying attention to both what you want and what you need and finding the intersection between the two. Food noise is reactive; food voice is proactive.
Don't be overwhelmed by what the media tell you is and is not good for your health. The flavor of the month used to be raspberry ketones, then it was gluten (or rather, lack thereof), and then it was juice cleanses. Who knows what the fad will be next month?
Meal Timing
You don't have to eat breakfast in the morning if you're not hungry and if you have no appetite. We have one camp that still likes to proclaim mightily that you must eat every two to three hours to stoke the metabolic fire, but that dictum has been proved not to be true (Taylor and Garrow 2001). Then at the opposite end, intermittent fasters are adamant about skipping breakfast (and intentionally restricting the feeding window overall) for extended lifespan, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced brain function (Mattson and Wan 2005). The truth is that most studies looking at intermittent fasting have been conducted on either animals or people participating in Ramadan, and numerous design flaws have been pointed out in the existing research that makes bold claims.
The current verdict as it stands is this: The data are inconclusive at this time to make any hard and fast recommendations for the population one way or another. In addition, taking personal preference and individual response into account is important. Rather than sticking to dogma, find the approach that works best for you. See what I mean? Food voice.
When you do get hungry, rather than reach for the first edible item you see, take a moment to survey your options. Ideally, you will have done some planning and stocked your home (or your office or wherever you happen to be) with some healthy sources of food. After all, you're going to eat what you have access to and you're going to eat what you see(Wansink, Painter, and Lee 2006).
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to eat?
- What will provide me with some valuable nutrients and keep me satiated?
Whatever that happens to be, eat that. Try to toss some protein in your meal if you find that it's lacking.
Table 5.1 gives examples of meals I might eat depending on my mood, energy level, and whether or not I'm exercising that day. Note that typically I have a higher carbohydrate intake when I have a workout planned for later and a higher fat intake for days off from the gym. This plan is largely by personal preference.
Even if I do have something on the nutritionally devoid side (hello, pancake syrup!), I'll pair it with some quality protein. And if I do consume a lot of added sugars in one meal, I'll make sure to pull it in at my next meal and add extra veggies. I don't panic or stress out over any single thing I eat; nothing with nutrition is ever unfixable.
Checks and balances, y'all.
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Learn basic squat form and variations
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree.
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree. Contrary to popular belief, however, squats are not necessarily the best for building the glutes.
The most popular lower-body exercises fall into this category, such as the back squat, goblet squat, and Bulgarian split squat.
In figure 8.1, note how the squat looks from the front and from the side. Note how the knees are shoved out, the chest stays up, and the back stays in a neutral position. These basic cues go along with all squat pattern movements.
| |
Squat: (a) front view; (b) side view.
Many people mistakenly believe that they're simply not cut out to be good squatters. After practicing the movement pattern with good form, however, they realize that this is not the case.
Beginners should start with the box squat and progress from there. When you can perform 20 bodyweight repetitions of the box squat with quality form, you're ready to add load and progress to other squat variations, such as the goblet squat and front squat.
Bodyweight Box Squat
| |
Bodyweight box squat: (a) starting position; (b) squat.
Muscles
- Primary: quadriceps, gluteals, erector spinae
- Secondary: hamstrings, adductors
Movement
- Stand in front of a box squat box, plyo box, or weight bench 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm) tall. Stand close to the box or straddle it slightly.
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flare your feet out 30 to 45 degrees.
- Sit back and lower yourself onto the box in a controlled manner while keeping your shins vertical and knees pushed out.
- When you reach a seated position, pause briefly while keeping your low back arched.
- Reverse the motion by pushing through your heels. Squeeze the glutes to lockout.
Tips
- This movement is not how you will normally squat. It's a drill to teach you to use your hips more.
- The ideal foot stance will vary from one person to the next. Tinker with your foot position and find what feels best for you and allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
- Take your time sitting back onto the box and be careful not to plop. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Imagine that someone is standing behind you with a rope around your hips and pulling back.
- With deep box squats, in which the hip joint is lower than the knee joint, you won't be able to keep your shins vertical; the knees must come forward a little bit to achieve depth. This is not the case with parallel box squats, however, in which the hip joint is in line with the knee joint.
Variation 1: Dumbbell Goblet Box Squat
Hold a dumbbell vertically, resting it on your palms and pressing it up against your chest as you perform the box squat.
Variation 2: Barbell Box Squat
Brace a barbell against your upper back as you perform the box squat.
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Shift to a growth mindset and unlock your full potential
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape.
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape. As I watched my friends laugh into their salads as though there was nothing else in the world they'd rather be eating, I wondered whether the fact that I had to choke down my tuna and egg whites meant that it wasn't in my genetics to be healthy. Because of this belief, I became consumed with looking the part. I pretended that sticking to the perfect diet came naturally to me. I talked nonstop about how much I enjoyed running (in fact, I was beginning to hate every minute) while secretly pigging out more and more on brownies, cookies, and candy. The more I stumbled, the more I tried to mask my true self. Unbeknownst to those around me, I ate and exercised the way I did not because I wanted to but because I felt trapped. The reality was that I was far from the picture of health - obsessing over what I couldn't eat, berating myself for not doing better, and becoming increasingly miserable with each passing day. In my pursuit of physical health, I neglected my well-being and quality of life.
Those with a fixed mindset actively avoid challenges and back down when they encounter an obstacle. They make excuses left and right about why they cannot do something. They play the victim. They balk at feedback, however well-intentioned, and do anything but exert effort.
Contrast them with people who have a growth mindset, which rests on the belief that ability, skill, and personal characteristics can be developed through dedicated effort. The growth mindset asks, "What can I learn from this so that I come back to do better next time?" whereas the fixed mindset proclaims, "Ah ha! Here is proof that I'm not cut out for this."
People with a growth mindset are all about self-improvement. When confronted with a setback, they actively work to improve their deficiencies and mistakes. They set out to learn and are constantly looking for opportunities for progress.
The work of Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, has been instrumental in highlighting how the mind can either impede change or open doors for a drastic transformation.
Interestingly, you may have a growth mindset in one area of your life and a fixed mindset in another area. For example, you might dedicate several hours per week honing your piano-playing skills with the hopes of one day becoming a world-class musician but, at the same time, shy away from algebra studies because mathematical concepts simply don't come naturally to you.
Consider how you think about your nutrition, exercise, and even your physical body. What kind of language do you use with yourself? You may notice that you're extremely defeatist and that when something goes awry - for example, when you accidentally dive into a box of donuts - you play the victim. Or perhaps when you realize one day that you can't zip up the dress that fit you three months ago, instead of sobbing into your pillow you immediately commit to scaling back your daily wine consumption.
The good news is that you can learn the growth mindset. Simply knowing about the two mindsets can allow you to recognize which way you tend to lean and then redirect your thinking. Whatever thoughts you harbor right now about your potential can be changed for the better.
You always have room for growth; you can always do something. You just have to believe it to be so.
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Figure out your nutrition strategy
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping.
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping. You may find a cute maxi that the mannequin is wearing at your favorite boutique store. You eagerly try it on only to find that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past your feet and hugs you in all the wrong places. It looked promising but simply didn't fit right. So you put it back, keep searching through the clothing racks until you find another dress that has potential, and then you try that on for size. You continue in this manner until you find a red slip dress with a thick belt that makes you feel sexy and confident. As a bonus, it's perfectly comfortable, and it looks as if it was made just for you. This is the one - you've found your dress!
Any nutrition strategy could potentially work if it meets the following criteria:
- Provides sufficient nutrients
- Works with your lifestyle
- Leaves you feeling your best, both physically and mentally
Whatever nutrition strategy you choose to adopt, the common denominator should be that you pay attention to your internal cues (how you're feeling, how the food tastes to you) rather than external cues (the size of your bowl, the time of day, your physical location). Indeed, research suggests that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend to rely on external cues to tell them when to stop eating (Sherwood et al. 2000).
This task is admittedly difficult. If eating right were easy, we wouldn't be battling an obesity problem. If it were a cakewalk, we wouldn't be struggling so much with maintaining weight loss.
I have friends who swear by Paleo, and others who are staunch advocates of intermittent fasting. That's all great. Rather than make blanket recommendations for everyone, I want you to stay open minded, experiment with various approaches, and find what works best for you.
Worry less about what you should be doing and start with what you can do and are willing to do consistently. If you're curious about any given nutrition strategy, I say try it out. Give it a solid two or three weeks. What's the worst that could happen? If you don't like the plan, go back to what you were doing before or find something else. No harm, no foul.
Recognize the difference between food noise and food voice. Food noise is allowing your eating decisions be dictated by distractions, peer pressure, and emotions; food voice is paying attention to both what you want and what you need and finding the intersection between the two. Food noise is reactive; food voice is proactive.
Don't be overwhelmed by what the media tell you is and is not good for your health. The flavor of the month used to be raspberry ketones, then it was gluten (or rather, lack thereof), and then it was juice cleanses. Who knows what the fad will be next month?
Meal Timing
You don't have to eat breakfast in the morning if you're not hungry and if you have no appetite. We have one camp that still likes to proclaim mightily that you must eat every two to three hours to stoke the metabolic fire, but that dictum has been proved not to be true (Taylor and Garrow 2001). Then at the opposite end, intermittent fasters are adamant about skipping breakfast (and intentionally restricting the feeding window overall) for extended lifespan, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced brain function (Mattson and Wan 2005). The truth is that most studies looking at intermittent fasting have been conducted on either animals or people participating in Ramadan, and numerous design flaws have been pointed out in the existing research that makes bold claims.
The current verdict as it stands is this: The data are inconclusive at this time to make any hard and fast recommendations for the population one way or another. In addition, taking personal preference and individual response into account is important. Rather than sticking to dogma, find the approach that works best for you. See what I mean? Food voice.
When you do get hungry, rather than reach for the first edible item you see, take a moment to survey your options. Ideally, you will have done some planning and stocked your home (or your office or wherever you happen to be) with some healthy sources of food. After all, you're going to eat what you have access to and you're going to eat what you see(Wansink, Painter, and Lee 2006).
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to eat?
- What will provide me with some valuable nutrients and keep me satiated?
Whatever that happens to be, eat that. Try to toss some protein in your meal if you find that it's lacking.
Table 5.1 gives examples of meals I might eat depending on my mood, energy level, and whether or not I'm exercising that day. Note that typically I have a higher carbohydrate intake when I have a workout planned for later and a higher fat intake for days off from the gym. This plan is largely by personal preference.
Even if I do have something on the nutritionally devoid side (hello, pancake syrup!), I'll pair it with some quality protein. And if I do consume a lot of added sugars in one meal, I'll make sure to pull it in at my next meal and add extra veggies. I don't panic or stress out over any single thing I eat; nothing with nutrition is ever unfixable.
Checks and balances, y'all.
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Learn basic squat form and variations
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree.
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree. Contrary to popular belief, however, squats are not necessarily the best for building the glutes.
The most popular lower-body exercises fall into this category, such as the back squat, goblet squat, and Bulgarian split squat.
In figure 8.1, note how the squat looks from the front and from the side. Note how the knees are shoved out, the chest stays up, and the back stays in a neutral position. These basic cues go along with all squat pattern movements.
| |
Squat: (a) front view; (b) side view.
Many people mistakenly believe that they're simply not cut out to be good squatters. After practicing the movement pattern with good form, however, they realize that this is not the case.
Beginners should start with the box squat and progress from there. When you can perform 20 bodyweight repetitions of the box squat with quality form, you're ready to add load and progress to other squat variations, such as the goblet squat and front squat.
Bodyweight Box Squat
| |
Bodyweight box squat: (a) starting position; (b) squat.
Muscles
- Primary: quadriceps, gluteals, erector spinae
- Secondary: hamstrings, adductors
Movement
- Stand in front of a box squat box, plyo box, or weight bench 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm) tall. Stand close to the box or straddle it slightly.
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flare your feet out 30 to 45 degrees.
- Sit back and lower yourself onto the box in a controlled manner while keeping your shins vertical and knees pushed out.
- When you reach a seated position, pause briefly while keeping your low back arched.
- Reverse the motion by pushing through your heels. Squeeze the glutes to lockout.
Tips
- This movement is not how you will normally squat. It's a drill to teach you to use your hips more.
- The ideal foot stance will vary from one person to the next. Tinker with your foot position and find what feels best for you and allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
- Take your time sitting back onto the box and be careful not to plop. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Imagine that someone is standing behind you with a rope around your hips and pulling back.
- With deep box squats, in which the hip joint is lower than the knee joint, you won't be able to keep your shins vertical; the knees must come forward a little bit to achieve depth. This is not the case with parallel box squats, however, in which the hip joint is in line with the knee joint.
Variation 1: Dumbbell Goblet Box Squat
Hold a dumbbell vertically, resting it on your palms and pressing it up against your chest as you perform the box squat.
Variation 2: Barbell Box Squat
Brace a barbell against your upper back as you perform the box squat.
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Shift to a growth mindset and unlock your full potential
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape.
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape. As I watched my friends laugh into their salads as though there was nothing else in the world they'd rather be eating, I wondered whether the fact that I had to choke down my tuna and egg whites meant that it wasn't in my genetics to be healthy. Because of this belief, I became consumed with looking the part. I pretended that sticking to the perfect diet came naturally to me. I talked nonstop about how much I enjoyed running (in fact, I was beginning to hate every minute) while secretly pigging out more and more on brownies, cookies, and candy. The more I stumbled, the more I tried to mask my true self. Unbeknownst to those around me, I ate and exercised the way I did not because I wanted to but because I felt trapped. The reality was that I was far from the picture of health - obsessing over what I couldn't eat, berating myself for not doing better, and becoming increasingly miserable with each passing day. In my pursuit of physical health, I neglected my well-being and quality of life.
Those with a fixed mindset actively avoid challenges and back down when they encounter an obstacle. They make excuses left and right about why they cannot do something. They play the victim. They balk at feedback, however well-intentioned, and do anything but exert effort.
Contrast them with people who have a growth mindset, which rests on the belief that ability, skill, and personal characteristics can be developed through dedicated effort. The growth mindset asks, "What can I learn from this so that I come back to do better next time?" whereas the fixed mindset proclaims, "Ah ha! Here is proof that I'm not cut out for this."
People with a growth mindset are all about self-improvement. When confronted with a setback, they actively work to improve their deficiencies and mistakes. They set out to learn and are constantly looking for opportunities for progress.
The work of Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, has been instrumental in highlighting how the mind can either impede change or open doors for a drastic transformation.
Interestingly, you may have a growth mindset in one area of your life and a fixed mindset in another area. For example, you might dedicate several hours per week honing your piano-playing skills with the hopes of one day becoming a world-class musician but, at the same time, shy away from algebra studies because mathematical concepts simply don't come naturally to you.
Consider how you think about your nutrition, exercise, and even your physical body. What kind of language do you use with yourself? You may notice that you're extremely defeatist and that when something goes awry - for example, when you accidentally dive into a box of donuts - you play the victim. Or perhaps when you realize one day that you can't zip up the dress that fit you three months ago, instead of sobbing into your pillow you immediately commit to scaling back your daily wine consumption.
The good news is that you can learn the growth mindset. Simply knowing about the two mindsets can allow you to recognize which way you tend to lean and then redirect your thinking. Whatever thoughts you harbor right now about your potential can be changed for the better.
You always have room for growth; you can always do something. You just have to believe it to be so.
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Figure out your nutrition strategy
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping.
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping. You may find a cute maxi that the mannequin is wearing at your favorite boutique store. You eagerly try it on only to find that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past your feet and hugs you in all the wrong places. It looked promising but simply didn't fit right. So you put it back, keep searching through the clothing racks until you find another dress that has potential, and then you try that on for size. You continue in this manner until you find a red slip dress with a thick belt that makes you feel sexy and confident. As a bonus, it's perfectly comfortable, and it looks as if it was made just for you. This is the one - you've found your dress!
Any nutrition strategy could potentially work if it meets the following criteria:
- Provides sufficient nutrients
- Works with your lifestyle
- Leaves you feeling your best, both physically and mentally
Whatever nutrition strategy you choose to adopt, the common denominator should be that you pay attention to your internal cues (how you're feeling, how the food tastes to you) rather than external cues (the size of your bowl, the time of day, your physical location). Indeed, research suggests that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend to rely on external cues to tell them when to stop eating (Sherwood et al. 2000).
This task is admittedly difficult. If eating right were easy, we wouldn't be battling an obesity problem. If it were a cakewalk, we wouldn't be struggling so much with maintaining weight loss.
I have friends who swear by Paleo, and others who are staunch advocates of intermittent fasting. That's all great. Rather than make blanket recommendations for everyone, I want you to stay open minded, experiment with various approaches, and find what works best for you.
Worry less about what you should be doing and start with what you can do and are willing to do consistently. If you're curious about any given nutrition strategy, I say try it out. Give it a solid two or three weeks. What's the worst that could happen? If you don't like the plan, go back to what you were doing before or find something else. No harm, no foul.
Recognize the difference between food noise and food voice. Food noise is allowing your eating decisions be dictated by distractions, peer pressure, and emotions; food voice is paying attention to both what you want and what you need and finding the intersection between the two. Food noise is reactive; food voice is proactive.
Don't be overwhelmed by what the media tell you is and is not good for your health. The flavor of the month used to be raspberry ketones, then it was gluten (or rather, lack thereof), and then it was juice cleanses. Who knows what the fad will be next month?
Meal Timing
You don't have to eat breakfast in the morning if you're not hungry and if you have no appetite. We have one camp that still likes to proclaim mightily that you must eat every two to three hours to stoke the metabolic fire, but that dictum has been proved not to be true (Taylor and Garrow 2001). Then at the opposite end, intermittent fasters are adamant about skipping breakfast (and intentionally restricting the feeding window overall) for extended lifespan, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced brain function (Mattson and Wan 2005). The truth is that most studies looking at intermittent fasting have been conducted on either animals or people participating in Ramadan, and numerous design flaws have been pointed out in the existing research that makes bold claims.
The current verdict as it stands is this: The data are inconclusive at this time to make any hard and fast recommendations for the population one way or another. In addition, taking personal preference and individual response into account is important. Rather than sticking to dogma, find the approach that works best for you. See what I mean? Food voice.
When you do get hungry, rather than reach for the first edible item you see, take a moment to survey your options. Ideally, you will have done some planning and stocked your home (or your office or wherever you happen to be) with some healthy sources of food. After all, you're going to eat what you have access to and you're going to eat what you see(Wansink, Painter, and Lee 2006).
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to eat?
- What will provide me with some valuable nutrients and keep me satiated?
Whatever that happens to be, eat that. Try to toss some protein in your meal if you find that it's lacking.
Table 5.1 gives examples of meals I might eat depending on my mood, energy level, and whether or not I'm exercising that day. Note that typically I have a higher carbohydrate intake when I have a workout planned for later and a higher fat intake for days off from the gym. This plan is largely by personal preference.
Even if I do have something on the nutritionally devoid side (hello, pancake syrup!), I'll pair it with some quality protein. And if I do consume a lot of added sugars in one meal, I'll make sure to pull it in at my next meal and add extra veggies. I don't panic or stress out over any single thing I eat; nothing with nutrition is ever unfixable.
Checks and balances, y'all.
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Learn basic squat form and variations
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree.
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree. Contrary to popular belief, however, squats are not necessarily the best for building the glutes.
The most popular lower-body exercises fall into this category, such as the back squat, goblet squat, and Bulgarian split squat.
In figure 8.1, note how the squat looks from the front and from the side. Note how the knees are shoved out, the chest stays up, and the back stays in a neutral position. These basic cues go along with all squat pattern movements.
| |
Squat: (a) front view; (b) side view.
Many people mistakenly believe that they're simply not cut out to be good squatters. After practicing the movement pattern with good form, however, they realize that this is not the case.
Beginners should start with the box squat and progress from there. When you can perform 20 bodyweight repetitions of the box squat with quality form, you're ready to add load and progress to other squat variations, such as the goblet squat and front squat.
Bodyweight Box Squat
| |
Bodyweight box squat: (a) starting position; (b) squat.
Muscles
- Primary: quadriceps, gluteals, erector spinae
- Secondary: hamstrings, adductors
Movement
- Stand in front of a box squat box, plyo box, or weight bench 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm) tall. Stand close to the box or straddle it slightly.
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flare your feet out 30 to 45 degrees.
- Sit back and lower yourself onto the box in a controlled manner while keeping your shins vertical and knees pushed out.
- When you reach a seated position, pause briefly while keeping your low back arched.
- Reverse the motion by pushing through your heels. Squeeze the glutes to lockout.
Tips
- This movement is not how you will normally squat. It's a drill to teach you to use your hips more.
- The ideal foot stance will vary from one person to the next. Tinker with your foot position and find what feels best for you and allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
- Take your time sitting back onto the box and be careful not to plop. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Imagine that someone is standing behind you with a rope around your hips and pulling back.
- With deep box squats, in which the hip joint is lower than the knee joint, you won't be able to keep your shins vertical; the knees must come forward a little bit to achieve depth. This is not the case with parallel box squats, however, in which the hip joint is in line with the knee joint.
Variation 1: Dumbbell Goblet Box Squat
Hold a dumbbell vertically, resting it on your palms and pressing it up against your chest as you perform the box squat.
Variation 2: Barbell Box Squat
Brace a barbell against your upper back as you perform the box squat.
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Shift to a growth mindset and unlock your full potential
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape.
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape. As I watched my friends laugh into their salads as though there was nothing else in the world they'd rather be eating, I wondered whether the fact that I had to choke down my tuna and egg whites meant that it wasn't in my genetics to be healthy. Because of this belief, I became consumed with looking the part. I pretended that sticking to the perfect diet came naturally to me. I talked nonstop about how much I enjoyed running (in fact, I was beginning to hate every minute) while secretly pigging out more and more on brownies, cookies, and candy. The more I stumbled, the more I tried to mask my true self. Unbeknownst to those around me, I ate and exercised the way I did not because I wanted to but because I felt trapped. The reality was that I was far from the picture of health - obsessing over what I couldn't eat, berating myself for not doing better, and becoming increasingly miserable with each passing day. In my pursuit of physical health, I neglected my well-being and quality of life.
Those with a fixed mindset actively avoid challenges and back down when they encounter an obstacle. They make excuses left and right about why they cannot do something. They play the victim. They balk at feedback, however well-intentioned, and do anything but exert effort.
Contrast them with people who have a growth mindset, which rests on the belief that ability, skill, and personal characteristics can be developed through dedicated effort. The growth mindset asks, "What can I learn from this so that I come back to do better next time?" whereas the fixed mindset proclaims, "Ah ha! Here is proof that I'm not cut out for this."
People with a growth mindset are all about self-improvement. When confronted with a setback, they actively work to improve their deficiencies and mistakes. They set out to learn and are constantly looking for opportunities for progress.
The work of Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, has been instrumental in highlighting how the mind can either impede change or open doors for a drastic transformation.
Interestingly, you may have a growth mindset in one area of your life and a fixed mindset in another area. For example, you might dedicate several hours per week honing your piano-playing skills with the hopes of one day becoming a world-class musician but, at the same time, shy away from algebra studies because mathematical concepts simply don't come naturally to you.
Consider how you think about your nutrition, exercise, and even your physical body. What kind of language do you use with yourself? You may notice that you're extremely defeatist and that when something goes awry - for example, when you accidentally dive into a box of donuts - you play the victim. Or perhaps when you realize one day that you can't zip up the dress that fit you three months ago, instead of sobbing into your pillow you immediately commit to scaling back your daily wine consumption.
The good news is that you can learn the growth mindset. Simply knowing about the two mindsets can allow you to recognize which way you tend to lean and then redirect your thinking. Whatever thoughts you harbor right now about your potential can be changed for the better.
You always have room for growth; you can always do something. You just have to believe it to be so.
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Figure out your nutrition strategy
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping.
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping. You may find a cute maxi that the mannequin is wearing at your favorite boutique store. You eagerly try it on only to find that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past your feet and hugs you in all the wrong places. It looked promising but simply didn't fit right. So you put it back, keep searching through the clothing racks until you find another dress that has potential, and then you try that on for size. You continue in this manner until you find a red slip dress with a thick belt that makes you feel sexy and confident. As a bonus, it's perfectly comfortable, and it looks as if it was made just for you. This is the one - you've found your dress!
Any nutrition strategy could potentially work if it meets the following criteria:
- Provides sufficient nutrients
- Works with your lifestyle
- Leaves you feeling your best, both physically and mentally
Whatever nutrition strategy you choose to adopt, the common denominator should be that you pay attention to your internal cues (how you're feeling, how the food tastes to you) rather than external cues (the size of your bowl, the time of day, your physical location). Indeed, research suggests that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend to rely on external cues to tell them when to stop eating (Sherwood et al. 2000).
This task is admittedly difficult. If eating right were easy, we wouldn't be battling an obesity problem. If it were a cakewalk, we wouldn't be struggling so much with maintaining weight loss.
I have friends who swear by Paleo, and others who are staunch advocates of intermittent fasting. That's all great. Rather than make blanket recommendations for everyone, I want you to stay open minded, experiment with various approaches, and find what works best for you.
Worry less about what you should be doing and start with what you can do and are willing to do consistently. If you're curious about any given nutrition strategy, I say try it out. Give it a solid two or three weeks. What's the worst that could happen? If you don't like the plan, go back to what you were doing before or find something else. No harm, no foul.
Recognize the difference between food noise and food voice. Food noise is allowing your eating decisions be dictated by distractions, peer pressure, and emotions; food voice is paying attention to both what you want and what you need and finding the intersection between the two. Food noise is reactive; food voice is proactive.
Don't be overwhelmed by what the media tell you is and is not good for your health. The flavor of the month used to be raspberry ketones, then it was gluten (or rather, lack thereof), and then it was juice cleanses. Who knows what the fad will be next month?
Meal Timing
You don't have to eat breakfast in the morning if you're not hungry and if you have no appetite. We have one camp that still likes to proclaim mightily that you must eat every two to three hours to stoke the metabolic fire, but that dictum has been proved not to be true (Taylor and Garrow 2001). Then at the opposite end, intermittent fasters are adamant about skipping breakfast (and intentionally restricting the feeding window overall) for extended lifespan, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced brain function (Mattson and Wan 2005). The truth is that most studies looking at intermittent fasting have been conducted on either animals or people participating in Ramadan, and numerous design flaws have been pointed out in the existing research that makes bold claims.
The current verdict as it stands is this: The data are inconclusive at this time to make any hard and fast recommendations for the population one way or another. In addition, taking personal preference and individual response into account is important. Rather than sticking to dogma, find the approach that works best for you. See what I mean? Food voice.
When you do get hungry, rather than reach for the first edible item you see, take a moment to survey your options. Ideally, you will have done some planning and stocked your home (or your office or wherever you happen to be) with some healthy sources of food. After all, you're going to eat what you have access to and you're going to eat what you see(Wansink, Painter, and Lee 2006).
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to eat?
- What will provide me with some valuable nutrients and keep me satiated?
Whatever that happens to be, eat that. Try to toss some protein in your meal if you find that it's lacking.
Table 5.1 gives examples of meals I might eat depending on my mood, energy level, and whether or not I'm exercising that day. Note that typically I have a higher carbohydrate intake when I have a workout planned for later and a higher fat intake for days off from the gym. This plan is largely by personal preference.
Even if I do have something on the nutritionally devoid side (hello, pancake syrup!), I'll pair it with some quality protein. And if I do consume a lot of added sugars in one meal, I'll make sure to pull it in at my next meal and add extra veggies. I don't panic or stress out over any single thing I eat; nothing with nutrition is ever unfixable.
Checks and balances, y'all.
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Learn basic squat form and variations
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree.
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree. Contrary to popular belief, however, squats are not necessarily the best for building the glutes.
The most popular lower-body exercises fall into this category, such as the back squat, goblet squat, and Bulgarian split squat.
In figure 8.1, note how the squat looks from the front and from the side. Note how the knees are shoved out, the chest stays up, and the back stays in a neutral position. These basic cues go along with all squat pattern movements.
| |
Squat: (a) front view; (b) side view.
Many people mistakenly believe that they're simply not cut out to be good squatters. After practicing the movement pattern with good form, however, they realize that this is not the case.
Beginners should start with the box squat and progress from there. When you can perform 20 bodyweight repetitions of the box squat with quality form, you're ready to add load and progress to other squat variations, such as the goblet squat and front squat.
Bodyweight Box Squat
| |
Bodyweight box squat: (a) starting position; (b) squat.
Muscles
- Primary: quadriceps, gluteals, erector spinae
- Secondary: hamstrings, adductors
Movement
- Stand in front of a box squat box, plyo box, or weight bench 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm) tall. Stand close to the box or straddle it slightly.
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flare your feet out 30 to 45 degrees.
- Sit back and lower yourself onto the box in a controlled manner while keeping your shins vertical and knees pushed out.
- When you reach a seated position, pause briefly while keeping your low back arched.
- Reverse the motion by pushing through your heels. Squeeze the glutes to lockout.
Tips
- This movement is not how you will normally squat. It's a drill to teach you to use your hips more.
- The ideal foot stance will vary from one person to the next. Tinker with your foot position and find what feels best for you and allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
- Take your time sitting back onto the box and be careful not to plop. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Imagine that someone is standing behind you with a rope around your hips and pulling back.
- With deep box squats, in which the hip joint is lower than the knee joint, you won't be able to keep your shins vertical; the knees must come forward a little bit to achieve depth. This is not the case with parallel box squats, however, in which the hip joint is in line with the knee joint.
Variation 1: Dumbbell Goblet Box Squat
Hold a dumbbell vertically, resting it on your palms and pressing it up against your chest as you perform the box squat.
Variation 2: Barbell Box Squat
Brace a barbell against your upper back as you perform the box squat.
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Shift to a growth mindset and unlock your full potential
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape.
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape. As I watched my friends laugh into their salads as though there was nothing else in the world they'd rather be eating, I wondered whether the fact that I had to choke down my tuna and egg whites meant that it wasn't in my genetics to be healthy. Because of this belief, I became consumed with looking the part. I pretended that sticking to the perfect diet came naturally to me. I talked nonstop about how much I enjoyed running (in fact, I was beginning to hate every minute) while secretly pigging out more and more on brownies, cookies, and candy. The more I stumbled, the more I tried to mask my true self. Unbeknownst to those around me, I ate and exercised the way I did not because I wanted to but because I felt trapped. The reality was that I was far from the picture of health - obsessing over what I couldn't eat, berating myself for not doing better, and becoming increasingly miserable with each passing day. In my pursuit of physical health, I neglected my well-being and quality of life.
Those with a fixed mindset actively avoid challenges and back down when they encounter an obstacle. They make excuses left and right about why they cannot do something. They play the victim. They balk at feedback, however well-intentioned, and do anything but exert effort.
Contrast them with people who have a growth mindset, which rests on the belief that ability, skill, and personal characteristics can be developed through dedicated effort. The growth mindset asks, "What can I learn from this so that I come back to do better next time?" whereas the fixed mindset proclaims, "Ah ha! Here is proof that I'm not cut out for this."
People with a growth mindset are all about self-improvement. When confronted with a setback, they actively work to improve their deficiencies and mistakes. They set out to learn and are constantly looking for opportunities for progress.
The work of Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, has been instrumental in highlighting how the mind can either impede change or open doors for a drastic transformation.
Interestingly, you may have a growth mindset in one area of your life and a fixed mindset in another area. For example, you might dedicate several hours per week honing your piano-playing skills with the hopes of one day becoming a world-class musician but, at the same time, shy away from algebra studies because mathematical concepts simply don't come naturally to you.
Consider how you think about your nutrition, exercise, and even your physical body. What kind of language do you use with yourself? You may notice that you're extremely defeatist and that when something goes awry - for example, when you accidentally dive into a box of donuts - you play the victim. Or perhaps when you realize one day that you can't zip up the dress that fit you three months ago, instead of sobbing into your pillow you immediately commit to scaling back your daily wine consumption.
The good news is that you can learn the growth mindset. Simply knowing about the two mindsets can allow you to recognize which way you tend to lean and then redirect your thinking. Whatever thoughts you harbor right now about your potential can be changed for the better.
You always have room for growth; you can always do something. You just have to believe it to be so.
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Figure out your nutrition strategy
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping.
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping. You may find a cute maxi that the mannequin is wearing at your favorite boutique store. You eagerly try it on only to find that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past your feet and hugs you in all the wrong places. It looked promising but simply didn't fit right. So you put it back, keep searching through the clothing racks until you find another dress that has potential, and then you try that on for size. You continue in this manner until you find a red slip dress with a thick belt that makes you feel sexy and confident. As a bonus, it's perfectly comfortable, and it looks as if it was made just for you. This is the one - you've found your dress!
Any nutrition strategy could potentially work if it meets the following criteria:
- Provides sufficient nutrients
- Works with your lifestyle
- Leaves you feeling your best, both physically and mentally
Whatever nutrition strategy you choose to adopt, the common denominator should be that you pay attention to your internal cues (how you're feeling, how the food tastes to you) rather than external cues (the size of your bowl, the time of day, your physical location). Indeed, research suggests that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend to rely on external cues to tell them when to stop eating (Sherwood et al. 2000).
This task is admittedly difficult. If eating right were easy, we wouldn't be battling an obesity problem. If it were a cakewalk, we wouldn't be struggling so much with maintaining weight loss.
I have friends who swear by Paleo, and others who are staunch advocates of intermittent fasting. That's all great. Rather than make blanket recommendations for everyone, I want you to stay open minded, experiment with various approaches, and find what works best for you.
Worry less about what you should be doing and start with what you can do and are willing to do consistently. If you're curious about any given nutrition strategy, I say try it out. Give it a solid two or three weeks. What's the worst that could happen? If you don't like the plan, go back to what you were doing before or find something else. No harm, no foul.
Recognize the difference between food noise and food voice. Food noise is allowing your eating decisions be dictated by distractions, peer pressure, and emotions; food voice is paying attention to both what you want and what you need and finding the intersection between the two. Food noise is reactive; food voice is proactive.
Don't be overwhelmed by what the media tell you is and is not good for your health. The flavor of the month used to be raspberry ketones, then it was gluten (or rather, lack thereof), and then it was juice cleanses. Who knows what the fad will be next month?
Meal Timing
You don't have to eat breakfast in the morning if you're not hungry and if you have no appetite. We have one camp that still likes to proclaim mightily that you must eat every two to three hours to stoke the metabolic fire, but that dictum has been proved not to be true (Taylor and Garrow 2001). Then at the opposite end, intermittent fasters are adamant about skipping breakfast (and intentionally restricting the feeding window overall) for extended lifespan, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced brain function (Mattson and Wan 2005). The truth is that most studies looking at intermittent fasting have been conducted on either animals or people participating in Ramadan, and numerous design flaws have been pointed out in the existing research that makes bold claims.
The current verdict as it stands is this: The data are inconclusive at this time to make any hard and fast recommendations for the population one way or another. In addition, taking personal preference and individual response into account is important. Rather than sticking to dogma, find the approach that works best for you. See what I mean? Food voice.
When you do get hungry, rather than reach for the first edible item you see, take a moment to survey your options. Ideally, you will have done some planning and stocked your home (or your office or wherever you happen to be) with some healthy sources of food. After all, you're going to eat what you have access to and you're going to eat what you see(Wansink, Painter, and Lee 2006).
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to eat?
- What will provide me with some valuable nutrients and keep me satiated?
Whatever that happens to be, eat that. Try to toss some protein in your meal if you find that it's lacking.
Table 5.1 gives examples of meals I might eat depending on my mood, energy level, and whether or not I'm exercising that day. Note that typically I have a higher carbohydrate intake when I have a workout planned for later and a higher fat intake for days off from the gym. This plan is largely by personal preference.
Even if I do have something on the nutritionally devoid side (hello, pancake syrup!), I'll pair it with some quality protein. And if I do consume a lot of added sugars in one meal, I'll make sure to pull it in at my next meal and add extra veggies. I don't panic or stress out over any single thing I eat; nothing with nutrition is ever unfixable.
Checks and balances, y'all.
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Learn basic squat form and variations
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree.
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree. Contrary to popular belief, however, squats are not necessarily the best for building the glutes.
The most popular lower-body exercises fall into this category, such as the back squat, goblet squat, and Bulgarian split squat.
In figure 8.1, note how the squat looks from the front and from the side. Note how the knees are shoved out, the chest stays up, and the back stays in a neutral position. These basic cues go along with all squat pattern movements.
| |
Squat: (a) front view; (b) side view.
Many people mistakenly believe that they're simply not cut out to be good squatters. After practicing the movement pattern with good form, however, they realize that this is not the case.
Beginners should start with the box squat and progress from there. When you can perform 20 bodyweight repetitions of the box squat with quality form, you're ready to add load and progress to other squat variations, such as the goblet squat and front squat.
Bodyweight Box Squat
| |
Bodyweight box squat: (a) starting position; (b) squat.
Muscles
- Primary: quadriceps, gluteals, erector spinae
- Secondary: hamstrings, adductors
Movement
- Stand in front of a box squat box, plyo box, or weight bench 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm) tall. Stand close to the box or straddle it slightly.
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flare your feet out 30 to 45 degrees.
- Sit back and lower yourself onto the box in a controlled manner while keeping your shins vertical and knees pushed out.
- When you reach a seated position, pause briefly while keeping your low back arched.
- Reverse the motion by pushing through your heels. Squeeze the glutes to lockout.
Tips
- This movement is not how you will normally squat. It's a drill to teach you to use your hips more.
- The ideal foot stance will vary from one person to the next. Tinker with your foot position and find what feels best for you and allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
- Take your time sitting back onto the box and be careful not to plop. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Imagine that someone is standing behind you with a rope around your hips and pulling back.
- With deep box squats, in which the hip joint is lower than the knee joint, you won't be able to keep your shins vertical; the knees must come forward a little bit to achieve depth. This is not the case with parallel box squats, however, in which the hip joint is in line with the knee joint.
Variation 1: Dumbbell Goblet Box Squat
Hold a dumbbell vertically, resting it on your palms and pressing it up against your chest as you perform the box squat.
Variation 2: Barbell Box Squat
Brace a barbell against your upper back as you perform the box squat.
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Shift to a growth mindset and unlock your full potential
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape.
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape. As I watched my friends laugh into their salads as though there was nothing else in the world they'd rather be eating, I wondered whether the fact that I had to choke down my tuna and egg whites meant that it wasn't in my genetics to be healthy. Because of this belief, I became consumed with looking the part. I pretended that sticking to the perfect diet came naturally to me. I talked nonstop about how much I enjoyed running (in fact, I was beginning to hate every minute) while secretly pigging out more and more on brownies, cookies, and candy. The more I stumbled, the more I tried to mask my true self. Unbeknownst to those around me, I ate and exercised the way I did not because I wanted to but because I felt trapped. The reality was that I was far from the picture of health - obsessing over what I couldn't eat, berating myself for not doing better, and becoming increasingly miserable with each passing day. In my pursuit of physical health, I neglected my well-being and quality of life.
Those with a fixed mindset actively avoid challenges and back down when they encounter an obstacle. They make excuses left and right about why they cannot do something. They play the victim. They balk at feedback, however well-intentioned, and do anything but exert effort.
Contrast them with people who have a growth mindset, which rests on the belief that ability, skill, and personal characteristics can be developed through dedicated effort. The growth mindset asks, "What can I learn from this so that I come back to do better next time?" whereas the fixed mindset proclaims, "Ah ha! Here is proof that I'm not cut out for this."
People with a growth mindset are all about self-improvement. When confronted with a setback, they actively work to improve their deficiencies and mistakes. They set out to learn and are constantly looking for opportunities for progress.
The work of Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, has been instrumental in highlighting how the mind can either impede change or open doors for a drastic transformation.
Interestingly, you may have a growth mindset in one area of your life and a fixed mindset in another area. For example, you might dedicate several hours per week honing your piano-playing skills with the hopes of one day becoming a world-class musician but, at the same time, shy away from algebra studies because mathematical concepts simply don't come naturally to you.
Consider how you think about your nutrition, exercise, and even your physical body. What kind of language do you use with yourself? You may notice that you're extremely defeatist and that when something goes awry - for example, when you accidentally dive into a box of donuts - you play the victim. Or perhaps when you realize one day that you can't zip up the dress that fit you three months ago, instead of sobbing into your pillow you immediately commit to scaling back your daily wine consumption.
The good news is that you can learn the growth mindset. Simply knowing about the two mindsets can allow you to recognize which way you tend to lean and then redirect your thinking. Whatever thoughts you harbor right now about your potential can be changed for the better.
You always have room for growth; you can always do something. You just have to believe it to be so.
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Figure out your nutrition strategy
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping.
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping. You may find a cute maxi that the mannequin is wearing at your favorite boutique store. You eagerly try it on only to find that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past your feet and hugs you in all the wrong places. It looked promising but simply didn't fit right. So you put it back, keep searching through the clothing racks until you find another dress that has potential, and then you try that on for size. You continue in this manner until you find a red slip dress with a thick belt that makes you feel sexy and confident. As a bonus, it's perfectly comfortable, and it looks as if it was made just for you. This is the one - you've found your dress!
Any nutrition strategy could potentially work if it meets the following criteria:
- Provides sufficient nutrients
- Works with your lifestyle
- Leaves you feeling your best, both physically and mentally
Whatever nutrition strategy you choose to adopt, the common denominator should be that you pay attention to your internal cues (how you're feeling, how the food tastes to you) rather than external cues (the size of your bowl, the time of day, your physical location). Indeed, research suggests that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend to rely on external cues to tell them when to stop eating (Sherwood et al. 2000).
This task is admittedly difficult. If eating right were easy, we wouldn't be battling an obesity problem. If it were a cakewalk, we wouldn't be struggling so much with maintaining weight loss.
I have friends who swear by Paleo, and others who are staunch advocates of intermittent fasting. That's all great. Rather than make blanket recommendations for everyone, I want you to stay open minded, experiment with various approaches, and find what works best for you.
Worry less about what you should be doing and start with what you can do and are willing to do consistently. If you're curious about any given nutrition strategy, I say try it out. Give it a solid two or three weeks. What's the worst that could happen? If you don't like the plan, go back to what you were doing before or find something else. No harm, no foul.
Recognize the difference between food noise and food voice. Food noise is allowing your eating decisions be dictated by distractions, peer pressure, and emotions; food voice is paying attention to both what you want and what you need and finding the intersection between the two. Food noise is reactive; food voice is proactive.
Don't be overwhelmed by what the media tell you is and is not good for your health. The flavor of the month used to be raspberry ketones, then it was gluten (or rather, lack thereof), and then it was juice cleanses. Who knows what the fad will be next month?
Meal Timing
You don't have to eat breakfast in the morning if you're not hungry and if you have no appetite. We have one camp that still likes to proclaim mightily that you must eat every two to three hours to stoke the metabolic fire, but that dictum has been proved not to be true (Taylor and Garrow 2001). Then at the opposite end, intermittent fasters are adamant about skipping breakfast (and intentionally restricting the feeding window overall) for extended lifespan, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced brain function (Mattson and Wan 2005). The truth is that most studies looking at intermittent fasting have been conducted on either animals or people participating in Ramadan, and numerous design flaws have been pointed out in the existing research that makes bold claims.
The current verdict as it stands is this: The data are inconclusive at this time to make any hard and fast recommendations for the population one way or another. In addition, taking personal preference and individual response into account is important. Rather than sticking to dogma, find the approach that works best for you. See what I mean? Food voice.
When you do get hungry, rather than reach for the first edible item you see, take a moment to survey your options. Ideally, you will have done some planning and stocked your home (or your office or wherever you happen to be) with some healthy sources of food. After all, you're going to eat what you have access to and you're going to eat what you see(Wansink, Painter, and Lee 2006).
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to eat?
- What will provide me with some valuable nutrients and keep me satiated?
Whatever that happens to be, eat that. Try to toss some protein in your meal if you find that it's lacking.
Table 5.1 gives examples of meals I might eat depending on my mood, energy level, and whether or not I'm exercising that day. Note that typically I have a higher carbohydrate intake when I have a workout planned for later and a higher fat intake for days off from the gym. This plan is largely by personal preference.
Even if I do have something on the nutritionally devoid side (hello, pancake syrup!), I'll pair it with some quality protein. And if I do consume a lot of added sugars in one meal, I'll make sure to pull it in at my next meal and add extra veggies. I don't panic or stress out over any single thing I eat; nothing with nutrition is ever unfixable.
Checks and balances, y'all.
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Learn basic squat form and variations
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree.
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree. Contrary to popular belief, however, squats are not necessarily the best for building the glutes.
The most popular lower-body exercises fall into this category, such as the back squat, goblet squat, and Bulgarian split squat.
In figure 8.1, note how the squat looks from the front and from the side. Note how the knees are shoved out, the chest stays up, and the back stays in a neutral position. These basic cues go along with all squat pattern movements.
| |
Squat: (a) front view; (b) side view.
Many people mistakenly believe that they're simply not cut out to be good squatters. After practicing the movement pattern with good form, however, they realize that this is not the case.
Beginners should start with the box squat and progress from there. When you can perform 20 bodyweight repetitions of the box squat with quality form, you're ready to add load and progress to other squat variations, such as the goblet squat and front squat.
Bodyweight Box Squat
| |
Bodyweight box squat: (a) starting position; (b) squat.
Muscles
- Primary: quadriceps, gluteals, erector spinae
- Secondary: hamstrings, adductors
Movement
- Stand in front of a box squat box, plyo box, or weight bench 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm) tall. Stand close to the box or straddle it slightly.
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flare your feet out 30 to 45 degrees.
- Sit back and lower yourself onto the box in a controlled manner while keeping your shins vertical and knees pushed out.
- When you reach a seated position, pause briefly while keeping your low back arched.
- Reverse the motion by pushing through your heels. Squeeze the glutes to lockout.
Tips
- This movement is not how you will normally squat. It's a drill to teach you to use your hips more.
- The ideal foot stance will vary from one person to the next. Tinker with your foot position and find what feels best for you and allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
- Take your time sitting back onto the box and be careful not to plop. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Imagine that someone is standing behind you with a rope around your hips and pulling back.
- With deep box squats, in which the hip joint is lower than the knee joint, you won't be able to keep your shins vertical; the knees must come forward a little bit to achieve depth. This is not the case with parallel box squats, however, in which the hip joint is in line with the knee joint.
Variation 1: Dumbbell Goblet Box Squat
Hold a dumbbell vertically, resting it on your palms and pressing it up against your chest as you perform the box squat.
Variation 2: Barbell Box Squat
Brace a barbell against your upper back as you perform the box squat.
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Shift to a growth mindset and unlock your full potential
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape.
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape. As I watched my friends laugh into their salads as though there was nothing else in the world they'd rather be eating, I wondered whether the fact that I had to choke down my tuna and egg whites meant that it wasn't in my genetics to be healthy. Because of this belief, I became consumed with looking the part. I pretended that sticking to the perfect diet came naturally to me. I talked nonstop about how much I enjoyed running (in fact, I was beginning to hate every minute) while secretly pigging out more and more on brownies, cookies, and candy. The more I stumbled, the more I tried to mask my true self. Unbeknownst to those around me, I ate and exercised the way I did not because I wanted to but because I felt trapped. The reality was that I was far from the picture of health - obsessing over what I couldn't eat, berating myself for not doing better, and becoming increasingly miserable with each passing day. In my pursuit of physical health, I neglected my well-being and quality of life.
Those with a fixed mindset actively avoid challenges and back down when they encounter an obstacle. They make excuses left and right about why they cannot do something. They play the victim. They balk at feedback, however well-intentioned, and do anything but exert effort.
Contrast them with people who have a growth mindset, which rests on the belief that ability, skill, and personal characteristics can be developed through dedicated effort. The growth mindset asks, "What can I learn from this so that I come back to do better next time?" whereas the fixed mindset proclaims, "Ah ha! Here is proof that I'm not cut out for this."
People with a growth mindset are all about self-improvement. When confronted with a setback, they actively work to improve their deficiencies and mistakes. They set out to learn and are constantly looking for opportunities for progress.
The work of Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, has been instrumental in highlighting how the mind can either impede change or open doors for a drastic transformation.
Interestingly, you may have a growth mindset in one area of your life and a fixed mindset in another area. For example, you might dedicate several hours per week honing your piano-playing skills with the hopes of one day becoming a world-class musician but, at the same time, shy away from algebra studies because mathematical concepts simply don't come naturally to you.
Consider how you think about your nutrition, exercise, and even your physical body. What kind of language do you use with yourself? You may notice that you're extremely defeatist and that when something goes awry - for example, when you accidentally dive into a box of donuts - you play the victim. Or perhaps when you realize one day that you can't zip up the dress that fit you three months ago, instead of sobbing into your pillow you immediately commit to scaling back your daily wine consumption.
The good news is that you can learn the growth mindset. Simply knowing about the two mindsets can allow you to recognize which way you tend to lean and then redirect your thinking. Whatever thoughts you harbor right now about your potential can be changed for the better.
You always have room for growth; you can always do something. You just have to believe it to be so.
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Figure out your nutrition strategy
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping.
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping. You may find a cute maxi that the mannequin is wearing at your favorite boutique store. You eagerly try it on only to find that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past your feet and hugs you in all the wrong places. It looked promising but simply didn't fit right. So you put it back, keep searching through the clothing racks until you find another dress that has potential, and then you try that on for size. You continue in this manner until you find a red slip dress with a thick belt that makes you feel sexy and confident. As a bonus, it's perfectly comfortable, and it looks as if it was made just for you. This is the one - you've found your dress!
Any nutrition strategy could potentially work if it meets the following criteria:
- Provides sufficient nutrients
- Works with your lifestyle
- Leaves you feeling your best, both physically and mentally
Whatever nutrition strategy you choose to adopt, the common denominator should be that you pay attention to your internal cues (how you're feeling, how the food tastes to you) rather than external cues (the size of your bowl, the time of day, your physical location). Indeed, research suggests that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend to rely on external cues to tell them when to stop eating (Sherwood et al. 2000).
This task is admittedly difficult. If eating right were easy, we wouldn't be battling an obesity problem. If it were a cakewalk, we wouldn't be struggling so much with maintaining weight loss.
I have friends who swear by Paleo, and others who are staunch advocates of intermittent fasting. That's all great. Rather than make blanket recommendations for everyone, I want you to stay open minded, experiment with various approaches, and find what works best for you.
Worry less about what you should be doing and start with what you can do and are willing to do consistently. If you're curious about any given nutrition strategy, I say try it out. Give it a solid two or three weeks. What's the worst that could happen? If you don't like the plan, go back to what you were doing before or find something else. No harm, no foul.
Recognize the difference between food noise and food voice. Food noise is allowing your eating decisions be dictated by distractions, peer pressure, and emotions; food voice is paying attention to both what you want and what you need and finding the intersection between the two. Food noise is reactive; food voice is proactive.
Don't be overwhelmed by what the media tell you is and is not good for your health. The flavor of the month used to be raspberry ketones, then it was gluten (or rather, lack thereof), and then it was juice cleanses. Who knows what the fad will be next month?
Meal Timing
You don't have to eat breakfast in the morning if you're not hungry and if you have no appetite. We have one camp that still likes to proclaim mightily that you must eat every two to three hours to stoke the metabolic fire, but that dictum has been proved not to be true (Taylor and Garrow 2001). Then at the opposite end, intermittent fasters are adamant about skipping breakfast (and intentionally restricting the feeding window overall) for extended lifespan, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced brain function (Mattson and Wan 2005). The truth is that most studies looking at intermittent fasting have been conducted on either animals or people participating in Ramadan, and numerous design flaws have been pointed out in the existing research that makes bold claims.
The current verdict as it stands is this: The data are inconclusive at this time to make any hard and fast recommendations for the population one way or another. In addition, taking personal preference and individual response into account is important. Rather than sticking to dogma, find the approach that works best for you. See what I mean? Food voice.
When you do get hungry, rather than reach for the first edible item you see, take a moment to survey your options. Ideally, you will have done some planning and stocked your home (or your office or wherever you happen to be) with some healthy sources of food. After all, you're going to eat what you have access to and you're going to eat what you see(Wansink, Painter, and Lee 2006).
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to eat?
- What will provide me with some valuable nutrients and keep me satiated?
Whatever that happens to be, eat that. Try to toss some protein in your meal if you find that it's lacking.
Table 5.1 gives examples of meals I might eat depending on my mood, energy level, and whether or not I'm exercising that day. Note that typically I have a higher carbohydrate intake when I have a workout planned for later and a higher fat intake for days off from the gym. This plan is largely by personal preference.
Even if I do have something on the nutritionally devoid side (hello, pancake syrup!), I'll pair it with some quality protein. And if I do consume a lot of added sugars in one meal, I'll make sure to pull it in at my next meal and add extra veggies. I don't panic or stress out over any single thing I eat; nothing with nutrition is ever unfixable.
Checks and balances, y'all.
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Learn basic squat form and variations
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree.
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree. Contrary to popular belief, however, squats are not necessarily the best for building the glutes.
The most popular lower-body exercises fall into this category, such as the back squat, goblet squat, and Bulgarian split squat.
In figure 8.1, note how the squat looks from the front and from the side. Note how the knees are shoved out, the chest stays up, and the back stays in a neutral position. These basic cues go along with all squat pattern movements.
| |
Squat: (a) front view; (b) side view.
Many people mistakenly believe that they're simply not cut out to be good squatters. After practicing the movement pattern with good form, however, they realize that this is not the case.
Beginners should start with the box squat and progress from there. When you can perform 20 bodyweight repetitions of the box squat with quality form, you're ready to add load and progress to other squat variations, such as the goblet squat and front squat.
Bodyweight Box Squat
| |
Bodyweight box squat: (a) starting position; (b) squat.
Muscles
- Primary: quadriceps, gluteals, erector spinae
- Secondary: hamstrings, adductors
Movement
- Stand in front of a box squat box, plyo box, or weight bench 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm) tall. Stand close to the box or straddle it slightly.
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flare your feet out 30 to 45 degrees.
- Sit back and lower yourself onto the box in a controlled manner while keeping your shins vertical and knees pushed out.
- When you reach a seated position, pause briefly while keeping your low back arched.
- Reverse the motion by pushing through your heels. Squeeze the glutes to lockout.
Tips
- This movement is not how you will normally squat. It's a drill to teach you to use your hips more.
- The ideal foot stance will vary from one person to the next. Tinker with your foot position and find what feels best for you and allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
- Take your time sitting back onto the box and be careful not to plop. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Imagine that someone is standing behind you with a rope around your hips and pulling back.
- With deep box squats, in which the hip joint is lower than the knee joint, you won't be able to keep your shins vertical; the knees must come forward a little bit to achieve depth. This is not the case with parallel box squats, however, in which the hip joint is in line with the knee joint.
Variation 1: Dumbbell Goblet Box Squat
Hold a dumbbell vertically, resting it on your palms and pressing it up against your chest as you perform the box squat.
Variation 2: Barbell Box Squat
Brace a barbell against your upper back as you perform the box squat.
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Shift to a growth mindset and unlock your full potential
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape.
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape. As I watched my friends laugh into their salads as though there was nothing else in the world they'd rather be eating, I wondered whether the fact that I had to choke down my tuna and egg whites meant that it wasn't in my genetics to be healthy. Because of this belief, I became consumed with looking the part. I pretended that sticking to the perfect diet came naturally to me. I talked nonstop about how much I enjoyed running (in fact, I was beginning to hate every minute) while secretly pigging out more and more on brownies, cookies, and candy. The more I stumbled, the more I tried to mask my true self. Unbeknownst to those around me, I ate and exercised the way I did not because I wanted to but because I felt trapped. The reality was that I was far from the picture of health - obsessing over what I couldn't eat, berating myself for not doing better, and becoming increasingly miserable with each passing day. In my pursuit of physical health, I neglected my well-being and quality of life.
Those with a fixed mindset actively avoid challenges and back down when they encounter an obstacle. They make excuses left and right about why they cannot do something. They play the victim. They balk at feedback, however well-intentioned, and do anything but exert effort.
Contrast them with people who have a growth mindset, which rests on the belief that ability, skill, and personal characteristics can be developed through dedicated effort. The growth mindset asks, "What can I learn from this so that I come back to do better next time?" whereas the fixed mindset proclaims, "Ah ha! Here is proof that I'm not cut out for this."
People with a growth mindset are all about self-improvement. When confronted with a setback, they actively work to improve their deficiencies and mistakes. They set out to learn and are constantly looking for opportunities for progress.
The work of Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, has been instrumental in highlighting how the mind can either impede change or open doors for a drastic transformation.
Interestingly, you may have a growth mindset in one area of your life and a fixed mindset in another area. For example, you might dedicate several hours per week honing your piano-playing skills with the hopes of one day becoming a world-class musician but, at the same time, shy away from algebra studies because mathematical concepts simply don't come naturally to you.
Consider how you think about your nutrition, exercise, and even your physical body. What kind of language do you use with yourself? You may notice that you're extremely defeatist and that when something goes awry - for example, when you accidentally dive into a box of donuts - you play the victim. Or perhaps when you realize one day that you can't zip up the dress that fit you three months ago, instead of sobbing into your pillow you immediately commit to scaling back your daily wine consumption.
The good news is that you can learn the growth mindset. Simply knowing about the two mindsets can allow you to recognize which way you tend to lean and then redirect your thinking. Whatever thoughts you harbor right now about your potential can be changed for the better.
You always have room for growth; you can always do something. You just have to believe it to be so.
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Figure out your nutrition strategy
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping.
Figuring out your nutrition strategy means finding a way of eating that best suits you. I liken this to dress shopping. You may find a cute maxi that the mannequin is wearing at your favorite boutique store. You eagerly try it on only to find that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past your feet and hugs you in all the wrong places. It looked promising but simply didn't fit right. So you put it back, keep searching through the clothing racks until you find another dress that has potential, and then you try that on for size. You continue in this manner until you find a red slip dress with a thick belt that makes you feel sexy and confident. As a bonus, it's perfectly comfortable, and it looks as if it was made just for you. This is the one - you've found your dress!
Any nutrition strategy could potentially work if it meets the following criteria:
- Provides sufficient nutrients
- Works with your lifestyle
- Leaves you feeling your best, both physically and mentally
Whatever nutrition strategy you choose to adopt, the common denominator should be that you pay attention to your internal cues (how you're feeling, how the food tastes to you) rather than external cues (the size of your bowl, the time of day, your physical location). Indeed, research suggests that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend to rely on external cues to tell them when to stop eating (Sherwood et al. 2000).
This task is admittedly difficult. If eating right were easy, we wouldn't be battling an obesity problem. If it were a cakewalk, we wouldn't be struggling so much with maintaining weight loss.
I have friends who swear by Paleo, and others who are staunch advocates of intermittent fasting. That's all great. Rather than make blanket recommendations for everyone, I want you to stay open minded, experiment with various approaches, and find what works best for you.
Worry less about what you should be doing and start with what you can do and are willing to do consistently. If you're curious about any given nutrition strategy, I say try it out. Give it a solid two or three weeks. What's the worst that could happen? If you don't like the plan, go back to what you were doing before or find something else. No harm, no foul.
Recognize the difference between food noise and food voice. Food noise is allowing your eating decisions be dictated by distractions, peer pressure, and emotions; food voice is paying attention to both what you want and what you need and finding the intersection between the two. Food noise is reactive; food voice is proactive.
Don't be overwhelmed by what the media tell you is and is not good for your health. The flavor of the month used to be raspberry ketones, then it was gluten (or rather, lack thereof), and then it was juice cleanses. Who knows what the fad will be next month?
Meal Timing
You don't have to eat breakfast in the morning if you're not hungry and if you have no appetite. We have one camp that still likes to proclaim mightily that you must eat every two to three hours to stoke the metabolic fire, but that dictum has been proved not to be true (Taylor and Garrow 2001). Then at the opposite end, intermittent fasters are adamant about skipping breakfast (and intentionally restricting the feeding window overall) for extended lifespan, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced brain function (Mattson and Wan 2005). The truth is that most studies looking at intermittent fasting have been conducted on either animals or people participating in Ramadan, and numerous design flaws have been pointed out in the existing research that makes bold claims.
The current verdict as it stands is this: The data are inconclusive at this time to make any hard and fast recommendations for the population one way or another. In addition, taking personal preference and individual response into account is important. Rather than sticking to dogma, find the approach that works best for you. See what I mean? Food voice.
When you do get hungry, rather than reach for the first edible item you see, take a moment to survey your options. Ideally, you will have done some planning and stocked your home (or your office or wherever you happen to be) with some healthy sources of food. After all, you're going to eat what you have access to and you're going to eat what you see(Wansink, Painter, and Lee 2006).
Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to eat?
- What will provide me with some valuable nutrients and keep me satiated?
Whatever that happens to be, eat that. Try to toss some protein in your meal if you find that it's lacking.
Table 5.1 gives examples of meals I might eat depending on my mood, energy level, and whether or not I'm exercising that day. Note that typically I have a higher carbohydrate intake when I have a workout planned for later and a higher fat intake for days off from the gym. This plan is largely by personal preference.
Even if I do have something on the nutritionally devoid side (hello, pancake syrup!), I'll pair it with some quality protein. And if I do consume a lot of added sugars in one meal, I'll make sure to pull it in at my next meal and add extra veggies. I don't panic or stress out over any single thing I eat; nothing with nutrition is ever unfixable.
Checks and balances, y'all.
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Learn basic squat form and variations
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree.
The squat is a knee-dominant movement that involves deep flexion in the knees and hips. Exercises that fit in this category work the quadriceps and erector spinae to a high degree. Contrary to popular belief, however, squats are not necessarily the best for building the glutes.
The most popular lower-body exercises fall into this category, such as the back squat, goblet squat, and Bulgarian split squat.
In figure 8.1, note how the squat looks from the front and from the side. Note how the knees are shoved out, the chest stays up, and the back stays in a neutral position. These basic cues go along with all squat pattern movements.
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Squat: (a) front view; (b) side view.
Many people mistakenly believe that they're simply not cut out to be good squatters. After practicing the movement pattern with good form, however, they realize that this is not the case.
Beginners should start with the box squat and progress from there. When you can perform 20 bodyweight repetitions of the box squat with quality form, you're ready to add load and progress to other squat variations, such as the goblet squat and front squat.
Bodyweight Box Squat
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Bodyweight box squat: (a) starting position; (b) squat.
Muscles
- Primary: quadriceps, gluteals, erector spinae
- Secondary: hamstrings, adductors
Movement
- Stand in front of a box squat box, plyo box, or weight bench 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm) tall. Stand close to the box or straddle it slightly.
- Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flare your feet out 30 to 45 degrees.
- Sit back and lower yourself onto the box in a controlled manner while keeping your shins vertical and knees pushed out.
- When you reach a seated position, pause briefly while keeping your low back arched.
- Reverse the motion by pushing through your heels. Squeeze the glutes to lockout.
Tips
- This movement is not how you will normally squat. It's a drill to teach you to use your hips more.
- The ideal foot stance will vary from one person to the next. Tinker with your foot position and find what feels best for you and allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
- Take your time sitting back onto the box and be careful not to plop. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Imagine that someone is standing behind you with a rope around your hips and pulling back.
- With deep box squats, in which the hip joint is lower than the knee joint, you won't be able to keep your shins vertical; the knees must come forward a little bit to achieve depth. This is not the case with parallel box squats, however, in which the hip joint is in line with the knee joint.
Variation 1: Dumbbell Goblet Box Squat
Hold a dumbbell vertically, resting it on your palms and pressing it up against your chest as you perform the box squat.
Variation 2: Barbell Box Squat
Brace a barbell against your upper back as you perform the box squat.
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Shift to a growth mindset and unlock your full potential
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape.
I harbored a fixed mindset, which is the belief that traits and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed or improved (Dweck 2013). Whenever I violated any of my (admittedly arbitrary) diet rules, I interpreted my lapse as a sign that I simply was not destined to be in amazing shape. As I watched my friends laugh into their salads as though there was nothing else in the world they'd rather be eating, I wondered whether the fact that I had to choke down my tuna and egg whites meant that it wasn't in my genetics to be healthy. Because of this belief, I became consumed with looking the part. I pretended that sticking to the perfect diet came naturally to me. I talked nonstop about how much I enjoyed running (in fact, I was beginning to hate every minute) while secretly pigging out more and more on brownies, cookies, and candy. The more I stumbled, the more I tried to mask my true self. Unbeknownst to those around me, I ate and exercised the way I did not because I wanted to but because I felt trapped. The reality was that I was far from the picture of health - obsessing over what I couldn't eat, berating myself for not doing better, and becoming increasingly miserable with each passing day. In my pursuit of physical health, I neglected my well-being and quality of life.
Those with a fixed mindset actively avoid challenges and back down when they encounter an obstacle. They make excuses left and right about why they cannot do something. They play the victim. They balk at feedback, however well-intentioned, and do anything but exert effort.
Contrast them with people who have a growth mindset, which rests on the belief that ability, skill, and personal characteristics can be developed through dedicated effort. The growth mindset asks, "What can I learn from this so that I come back to do better next time?" whereas the fixed mindset proclaims, "Ah ha! Here is proof that I'm not cut out for this."
People with a growth mindset are all about self-improvement. When confronted with a setback, they actively work to improve their deficiencies and mistakes. They set out to learn and are constantly looking for opportunities for progress.
The work of Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, has been instrumental in highlighting how the mind can either impede change or open doors for a drastic transformation.
Interestingly, you may have a growth mindset in one area of your life and a fixed mindset in another area. For example, you might dedicate several hours per week honing your piano-playing skills with the hopes of one day becoming a world-class musician but, at the same time, shy away from algebra studies because mathematical concepts simply don't come naturally to you.
Consider how you think about your nutrition, exercise, and even your physical body. What kind of language do you use with yourself? You may notice that you're extremely defeatist and that when something goes awry - for example, when you accidentally dive into a box of donuts - you play the victim. Or perhaps when you realize one day that you can't zip up the dress that fit you three months ago, instead of sobbing into your pillow you immediately commit to scaling back your daily wine consumption.
The good news is that you can learn the growth mindset. Simply knowing about the two mindsets can allow you to recognize which way you tend to lean and then redirect your thinking. Whatever thoughts you harbor right now about your potential can be changed for the better.
You always have room for growth; you can always do something. You just have to believe it to be so.
Learn more about Eat. Lift. Thrive.
Related Books
