Overrated. That’s not to say that it is not important, but some people place ALL importance on physical and mental toughness. In truth, this must be balanced with the other aspects. There is a time to be tough, and times not to be. In fact, there is a dark side …
Mental Toughness – Reflection and Perspective
Yesteday I shared the stories of crashing my car, my house burning down and more. (You can read them here if you missed it.) I want to dive more deeper into how my mental toughness has developed over time. And with that, let’s answer this question… “what is a realization …
What’s Your Mental Toughness Threshold?
Two similar questions to address on mental toughness today: “From what I have been able to observe there seems to be a threshold when toughness breaks down depending on how severe and/or prolonged the situation being dealt with is. Some individuals seem to be able to sustain MENTAL TOUGHNESS for …
Mental Toughness and Time
There’s a huge component of mental toughness that I don’t see often talked about. That is time. Mental toughness is a slippery topic. So is time. Combining the two, well, let’s see how this comes out! I refer back to the example of physical training to start with. There is …
Bypassing Mental Toughness
Yesterday, we explored the concept of how you can utilize willpower to get to where you want to go, but that’s not the only pathway. I shared this example: • If I “hate working out” => it will take willpower to do it• If I “love working out” => no …
Unlimited Willpower?
Yesterday I defined mental toughness/willpower as “using your mind or your will to do something that other parts of you do not want to do. It is being tough or overpowering that other side of you that wants to go a different direction.” I briefly covered the topic that mental …
Defining Mental Toughness
A little over a week back I asked for questions regarding mental toughness. I got flooded with them…and they were all over the place! Literally everything from motivation and focus, to handling bullies, to helping friends and family be tougher, to talking to women, to struggling with diet, to my …
First Hint of New Isometric Results
Yesterday I shared an article about a distinction I use daily in my training. Am I practicing a movement? Am I training a movement? Am I testing a movement? While there is certainly overlap, deciding ahead of time what I am doing helps to get better results. As you likely …
Air Pollution = Bad Gut Health?
A new study published in Environment International shows that air quality impacts your gut microbiome. “This study examined relationships between air pollutants and the gut microbiome in young adults residing in Southern California. Our results demonstrate significant associations between exposure to air pollutants and the composition of the gut microbiome” …
Stretching is Anti-Cancerous?
While writing the product description page for 7 Minute Flexibility I went over to PubMed to see how much (how little actually) research there was on the benefits of flexibility. Unfortunately, stretching being a free thing that anyone can do, there’s not money to be made from researching and promoting …
Downward Dog Dynamic Stretching
Downward dog is a great stretch of the hamstrings along with the upper back and shoulder region. And with dynamic positions we can bring in a wide variety of other areas too. This list is comprehensive but does not cover every single possibility. • Dip the head down between the …
Squat Dynamic Stretching
A rock-bottom squat is what I consider a natural human movement. By that I mean it is a position every human ought to be able to do. The good news is that if you’ve lost this ability it can be regained. While you can do bouncing, or repetitions as far …
Pike Stretch Progressions and Regressions
The pike stretch focuses primarily on the hamstrings. Whether you can’t reach over and touch your toes, or your aiming for elite gymnastic skills you can do different versions of this stretch to suit you. This is a forward fold at the hips reaching towards or beyond your toes. To …
Seiza Stretch Progressions and Regressions
The seiza stretch focuses primarily on the quadriceps while also working the ankle flexibility too. Seiza literally means “proper sitting” in Japanese. It’s a common sitting position there, as well as other places in the world. And unfortunately, most people in the West cannot do it! I was one of …
Lessons from Home Burning – Part 1
Physical, Mental, Emotional and Character Strength On the night of August 19th my home burned completely to the ground. A few people made comments to the effect of it being telling that the only thing left standing was my power rack. That this was a symbol of strength. I agree! …