Book picks similar to
The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation (Muscle for Life) by Michael Matthews
fitness
health
non-fiction
self-help
What to Say When You Talk to Yourself
Shad Helmstetter - 1986
Any amount of inspirational reading will only provide us with techniques that could work if put into practice. This book explains the principles of self-talk - a unique way of reversing negativity, optimizing outlook, focusing plans and achieving success. The key is in affirming, telling yourself the right things which then reflect in a more positive lifestyle.
Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
Jon Kabat-Zinn - 1990
(The somewhat confusing title is from a line in Zorba the Greek in which the title character refers to the ups and downs of family life as "the full catastrophe.") But this book is also a terrific introduction for anyone who has considered meditating but was afraid it would be too difficult or would include religious practices they found foreign. Kabat-Zinn focuses on "mindfulness," a concept that involves living in the moment, paying attention, and simply "being" rather than "doing." While you can practice anything "mindfully," from taking a walk to cleaning your house, Kabat-Zinn presents several meditation techniques that focus the attention most clearly, whether it's on a simple phrase, your breathing, or various parts of your body. The book goes into detail about how hospital patients have either improved their health or simply come to feel better despite their illness by using these techniques, but these meditations can help anyone deal with stress and gain a calmer outlook on life. "When we use the word healing to describe the experiences of people in the stress clinic, what we mean above all is that they are undergoing a profound transformation of view," Kabat-Zinn writes. "Out of this shift in perspective comes an ability to act with greater balance and inner security in the world." --Ben Kallenreissue 2005
The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work
Shawn Achor - 2010
If we can just find that great job, win that next promotion, lose those five pounds, happiness will follow. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that this formula is actually backward: Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. This isn’t just an empty mantra. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe. In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor, who spent over a decade living, researching, and lecturing at Harvard University, draws on his own research—including one of the largest studies of happiness and potential at Harvard and others at companies like UBS and KPMG—to fix this broken formula. Using stories and case studies from his work with thousands of Fortune 500 executives in 42 countries, Achor explains how we can reprogram our brains to become more positive in order to gain a competitive edge at work. Isolating seven practical, actionable principles that have been tried and tested everywhere from classrooms to boardrooms, stretching from Argentina to Zimbabwe, he shows us how we can capitalize on the Happiness Advantage to improve our performance and maximize our potential. Among the principles he outlines: • The Tetris Effect: how to retrain our brains to spot patterns of possibility, so we can see—and seize—opportunities wherever we look. • The Zorro Circle: how to channel our efforts on small, manageable goals, to gain the leverage to gradually conquer bigger and bigger ones. • Social Investment: how to reap the dividends of investing in one of the greatest predictors of success and happiness—our social support network A must-read for everyone trying to excel in a world of increasing workloads, stress, and negativity, The Happiness Advantage isn’t only about how to become happier at work. It’s about how to reap the benefits of a happier and more positive mind-set to achieve the extraordinary in our work and in our lives.From the Hardcover edition.
Fat Loss Happens on Monday: Habit-Based Diet & Workout Hacks
Josh Hillis - 2014
The leanest people focus on how, on their eating habits, not on fad diets. Diets that rely on willpower and discipline fail. The path to results is made up of eleven small, simple, step-by-step habits. Rotating through phases of metabolic, endurance, and strength workouts yields the best fat-loss results. 1. Almost all diet and workout books are focused on the wrong things—They focus on ‘what’ instead of ‘how.’ 2. The leanest people focus on eating habits, not on fad diets. 3. Diets that rely on willpower and discipline fail. A smart plan wins. 4. The path to results is eleven small, simple, step-by-step habits. 5. Rotating through phases of metabolic workouts, endurance workouts, and strength workouts yields the best fat-loss results. 6. Pull-ups are the strength move for fat loss. A smart, progressive plan can take you from absolute zero, to your first, third, or tenth pull-up. 7. High-intensity workouts are power tools, most effective only twice per year before important events. Josh Hillis and Dan John know these habit-based diet and workout hacks, and they teach them well. JOSH HILLIS is a nutrition coach who specializes in habits-based, positive changes. LoseStubbornFat, his popular fat-loss blog, has tens of thousands of readers, and his fat-loss and kettlebell-training ebooks have helped people reach their personal goals for more than 10 years. Josh is currently the head coach at PowerHour Personal Training in Denver. DAN JOHN spends his work life blending workshops and lectures with full-time writing, and is an online religious studies instructor for Columbia College of Missouri. His books include Intervention, Never Let Go, Mass Made Simple and Easy Strength, which was written with Pavel Tsatsouline.
8 Weeks to SEALFIT: A Navy SEAL's Guide to Unconventional Training for Physical and Mental Toughness
Mark Divine - 2011
The SEALFit athlete is different than the sport athlete. He or she demonstrates great endurance, the ability to train without equipment, be prepared for the known and the unknown, can display intense work capacity, are durable, mentally tough, and flourish as part of a team. These qualities allow strong individuals to thrive in life and lead by example. With 8 Weeks to SEALFit the athlete will: master the unbeatable mindget the best workout available with the least amount of equipmenttake a level-headed approach to nutritiondevelop exceptional overall functional strength, fitness, and mental toughness - the qualities that make a Navy SEALThrough teamwork, mental and physical preparation, and proper nutrition the SEALFIT athlete can cultivate the “Kokoro” (warrior) spirit, helping them be unbeatable in life. Join the thousands of other SEALFIT athletes that have improved their well-being through these tried and true methods presented by Commander Mark Divine.
You Can Drop It!: How I Dropped 100 Pounds Enjoying Carbs, Cocktails Chocolate–and You Can Too!
Ilana Muhlstein - 2020
The 2B Mindset is designed with the built-in ability for customization so that it is optimally effective and can work for everyone. It has already helped thousands of people lose weight—some more than 100 pounds—while never asking them to go hungry or cut out the foods that they love. You Can Drop It! doesn’t just give you the key knowledge you need to lose weight. It adds motivational principles and real-life examples and it’s the perfect complement to my successful program. No counting calories! No portion control! No feeling hungry! No off-limits foods! No exercise required! Finally—weight loss with FREEDOM! Here’s Exactly Why YOU CAN DROP IT! Will Work: You're going to feel full and satisfied. (You can still eat comforting foods, in big portions, and enjoy 50+ delicious recipes inside.) You’ll eat the foods you love. (Nothing is off-limits, not even dessert or a glass of wine.) You’ll be in control. (Say goodbye to emotional and mindless eating.) You can finally keep off the weight! (These powerful weight-loss tools will be yours for life.) The 2B Mindset method changed my life and thousands of others. With this book, you’ll learn how you can do it, too. Best of all, you won’t be doing it alone! Join me now and let’s get started with a journey into the mindset that will give you a lifetime of feeling strong, lean, confident, happy and healthy! I struggled with yo-yo dieting the whole first half of my life. I was always the big one in the group. By the time I turned 13, I weighed over 200 pounds, and I felt terrible about myself. That’s when I realized I had to break the cycle. Through trial and error, and lots of research, I discovered a simple and effective way to lose weight, while still eating large portions and the foods I loved. Over time, I lost 100 pounds, and kept the weight off. . . even after having two beautiful children. My secret? It’s called the 2B Mindset. It has helped thousands of my clients lose weight too— and now it will help you. I’ve helped more than 240,000 people between my private practice and the 2B Mindset program— and this impressive group is growing by the day. I am committed to getting everyone within our growing community the results they want and deserve and I look forward to helping you, too. That’s why I spend so much time working with my Mindset Membership community—which you will love being a part of as you read this book and beyond. That’s where I host live Q&As, have one-on-one sessions, provide new meal plans and add new recipes every single week. Now it’s your turn to finally get the body you want—and I have every tool here for you to do it! What fans are saying about You Can Drop It! “What I love about Ilana is that, in addition to her impressive degrees (plural!), she’s a typical woman facing the same food issues most of us deal with every day, just like me. In You Can Drop It!, she’ll be brutally honest about the struggles she went through when she was obese, what she learned in her years of study, and how she maintains her incredible weight loss today. The 2B Mindset is rooted in the soundest of nutritional intelligence, but it also comes from a place of truth.” –Lisa Lillien, Founder, Hungry-Girl.com “I’m more confident, have more energy, and radiate happiness now. It’s really working for me in a way that nothing ever has.”—Bethany J. lost 80 lbs* and kept going “I’m able to keep the weight off! Losing weight for me was like pulling teeth the old way. It’s not like that anymore.”—Darlene D. lost 70* lbs and kept it off “I feel great! Everything has changed and I feel more confident than ever. Start at your next meal.”—Michael S. lost 38.5* pounds and loves it *Results vary based on starting point and effort and following Beachbody’s exercise programs and Ilana’s 2B Mindset program. Includes Team Beachbody Coaches.
Stillness Is the Key
Ryan Holiday - 2019
In his new book, Stillness Is the Key, Holiday draws on timeless Stoic and Buddhist philosophy to show why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead.All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers. To avoid distraction and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness--to be steady while the world spins around you.In this book, he outlines a path for achieving this ancient, but urgently necessary way of living. Drawing on a wide range of history's greatest thinkers, from Confucius to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius to Thich Nhat Hanh, John Stuart Mill to Nietzsche, he argues that stillness is not mere inactivity, but the doorway to self-mastery, discipline, and focus.Holiday also examines figures who exemplified the power of stillness: baseball player Sadaharu Oh, whose study of Zen made him the greatest home run hitter of all time; Winston Churchill, who in balancing his busy public life with time spent laying bricks and painting at his Chartwell estate managed to save the world from annihilation in the process; Fred Rogers, who taught generations of children to see what was invisible to the eye; Anne Frank, whose journaling and love of nature guided her through unimaginable adversity.More than ever, people are overwhelmed. They face obstacles and egos and competition. Stillness Is the Key offers a simple but inspiring antidote to the stress of 24/7 news and social media. The stillness that we all seek is the path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever.
The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer
Gretchen Reynolds - 2012
With the latest findings about the mental and physical benefits of exercise, personal stories from scientists and laypeople alike, as well as researched-based prescriptions for readers, Gretchen Reynolds shows what kind of exercise—and how much—is necessary to stay healthy, get fit, and attain a smaller jeans size. Inspired by Reynolds's wildly popular “Phys Ed” column for The New York Times, this book explains how exercise affects the body in distinct ways and provides the tools readers need to achieve their fitness goals, whether that's a faster 5K or staying trim.
The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises
Adam Campbell - 2009
As the most comprehensive collection of exercises ever created, this book is a body-shaping power tool for both beginners and longtime lifters alike. From start to finish, this 480-page muscle manual bulges with hundreds of useful tips, the latest findings in exercise science, and cutting-edge workouts from the world's top trainers. Inside The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises you'll find: 619 Exercises!All expertly demonstrated with color photographs, with dozens of movements for every muscle in your body, including:* More than 100 core exercises! You'll never run out of ways to sculpt your six-pack.* 74 biceps, triceps, and forearm exercises: Build your arms faster than ever before.* 64 chest exercises, and featuring dozens of variations of the pushup and bench press.* 103 back exercises, so you can carve a v-shaped torso.* 40 shoulder exercises, for a tank-top worthy torso.* 99 quadriceps and calves exercises, to help you jump higher and run faster.* 62 glutes and hamstrings exercises, for a more powerful, athletic body. Hundreds of workouts!From cover to cover, you'll quickly see that there's a training plan for every fitness goal—whether you want to shrink your hip, find your abs, or shape your arms. Highlights include:* The World's Greatest 4-Week Diet and Exercise PlanLose 10 pounds of pure fat in 30 days! This scientifically proven plan, based on research from the University of Connecticut, shows what's truly possible when you combine the right kind of diet with the right kind of exercise. You'll build muscle and lose fat faster than ever.* 64 Ways to Add Inches to Your ArmsYou'll learn how to mix-and-match the 12 best biceps exercises to create scores of sleeve-busting routines. The upshot: You'll never get stuck in a muscle-building rut again!* The Get Back In Shape (Fast!) GuideIf you've never even picked up a weight, you'll want to try this plan from Joe Dowdell, C.S.C.S. Joe makes his living training celebrities, cover models, and professional athletes, such as NBA stars Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy. And the strategies he uses when designing workouts for his high-profile clientele are the same ones he employs to help you burn fat, build muscle, and get back in shape.* The Ultimate Fat Loss PlanYou might call this the six-pack workout. That's because it's designed to help you finally finish off the flab that's hiding your abs. Created by Bill Hartman, P.T., C.S.C.S., a top fitness advisor to Men's Health, it's based entirely on the new science of fat loss. From the sets to the reps to the rest, every part of this workout is designed to optimize your body's ability to burn away belly-fat.And:* Boost Your Bench Press by 50 Pounds in 8 WeeksWorld-class powerlifter Dave Tate shares the strategies that helped him lift a personal best of 610 pounds * Triple Your Chinups in 6 WeeksUse this simple routine that to master one of the world's greatest muscle-building exercises* Add 4 to 10 inches to Your Vertical LeapThis high-flying plan from strength coach Kelly Baggett will have you jumping out of the gym in no time * The Beach Ready Body WorkoutGet-strong to get-big—this 8-week plan shows you how * The Wedding WorkoutLook great—just in time for the big day (and your honeymoon!)* The Best Sports WorkoutTrain like an athlete, look like an athlete* The Scrawny to Brawny WorkoutPack on muscle fast: your 4-week plan * The Best Workouts for a Crowded GymSculpt a lean, fit body—no waiting!* The Best Bodyweight WorkoutsTake your workout anywhere with these no-weight routines * The 10 Best 15-Minute WorkoutsBust stress, blast fat, and build muscle in almost no time* The 7-Minute Back-Saving WorkoutEnd low-back pain for good! Plus:Every page of The Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises is filled with the fitness and nutrition tips and tricks you need to sculpt the body you want.Throughout the book, you'll discover:* The secret to burning 40 percent more fat.* The 18 muscle mistakes you should never make* The best stretch for every muscle* The fastest cardio workout of all-time (just 4 minutes!)* The best exercises you've never done* The 8 healthiest foods you aren't eating* The 4 surprising foods that build muscle* The 25 super snacks that keep you lean* The 5 biggest nutrition myths, busted* The truth about saturated fat* The perfect foods to fuel your workouts* The complete guide to protein powders* The 20 ways lifting weights helps you look great, stay healthy, and live longer
The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World
Marti Olsen Laney - 2002
The better news is that by celebrating the inner strengths and uniqueness of being an "innie" THE INTROVERT ADVANTAGE shows introverts, and the extroverts who love them, how to work with instead of against their temperament to enjoy a well-lived life. Covering relationships, parenting - including parenting the introverted child - socialising, and the workplace, here are coping strategies, tactics for managing energy, and hundreds of valuable tips for not only surviving but truly thriving in an extrovert world.
The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy
Chris Bailey - 2016
After obtaining his business degree, he created a blog to chronicle a year-long series of productivity experiments he conducted on himself, where he also continued his research and interviews with some of the world’s foremost experts, from Charles Duhigg to David Allen. Among the experiments that he tackled: Bailey went several weeks with getting by on little to no sleep; he cut out caffeine and sugar; he lived in total isolation for 10 days; he used his smartphone for just an hour a day for three months; he gained ten pounds of muscle mass; he stretched his work week to 90 hours; a late riser, he got up at 5:30 every morning for three months—all the while monitoring the impact of his experiments on the quality and quantity of his work. The Productivity Project—and the lessons Chris learned—are the result of that year-long journey. Among the counterintuitive insights Chris Bailey will teach you: · slowing down to work more deliberately; · shrinking or eliminating the unimportant; · the rule of three; · striving for imperfection; · scheduling less time for important tasks; · the 20 second rule to distract yourself from the inevitable distractions; · and the concept of productive procrastination. In an eye-opening and thoroughly engaging read, Bailey offers a treasure trove of insights and over 25 best practices that will help you accomplish more.
Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ
Giulia Enders - 2014
Gut, an international bestseller, gives the alimentary canal its long-overdue moment in the spotlight. With quirky charm, rising science star Giulia Enders explains the gut’s magic, answering questions like: Why does acid reflux happen? What’s really up with gluten and lactose intolerance? How does the gut affect obesity and mood? Communication between the gut and the brain is one of the fastest-growing areas of medical research—on par with stem-cell research. Our gut reactions, we learn, are intimately connected with our physical and mental well-being. Enders’s beguiling manifesto will make you finally listen to those butterflies in your stomach: they’re trying to tell you something important.
The Desire Map
Danielle LaPorte - 2012
Which is valuable. Getting results is what moves your life forward. Except that most goal-setting systems fail to harness the most powerful driver behind any aspiration: your preferred feelings; and they foster an uptight determination that can keep us from the vitality we crave.The Desire Map program is changing all of that. You could call it holistic life-planning. The inner meets the outer. The spirit drives the material.The purpose of The Desire Map is: - Ultimately, to help you remember your light, your true nature, your source. - To show you your heart’s longing — your core desired - feelings. - To help you use your core desired feelings as a guidance system for making choices. - To help you use your desired feelings as a way to access comfort and clarity during painful times. - To help you accentuate the positive aspects of your life, while still honouring, and not invalidating, the negative parts that you want to change. - To help you regard your feelings as road signs to your Soul.So that you can: - Plan your day, your week, your month, your year and… - Feel great, making a lot of awesome things happen in every area your life.
Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection
A.J. Jacobs - 2012
Jacobs tackles his most challenging experiment yet: a yearlong mission to radically improve every element of his body and mind—from his brain to his fingertips to his abs.From the bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically and The Know-It-All comes the true and truly hilarious story of one person’s quest to become the healthiest man in the world. Hospitalized with a freak case of tropical pneumonia, goaded by his wife telling him, “I don’t want to be a widow at forty-five,” and ashamed of a middle-aged body best described as “a python that swallowed a goat,” A.J. Jacobs felt compelled to change his ways and get healthy. And he didn’t want only to lose weight, or finish a triathlon, or lower his cholesterol. His ambitions were far greater: maximal health from head to toe. The task was epic. He consulted an army of experts— sleep consultants and sex clinicians, nutritionists and dermatologists. He subjected himself to dozens of different workouts—from Strollercize classes to Finger Fitness sessions, from bouldering with cavemen to a treadmill desk. And he took in a cartload of diets: raw foods, veganism, high protein, calorie restriction, extreme chewing, and dozens more. He bought gadgets and helmets, earphones and juicers. He poked and he pinched. He counted and he measured. The story of his transformation is not only brilliantly entertaining, but it just may be the healthiest book ever written. It will make you laugh until your sides split and endorphins flood your bloodstream. It will alter the contours of your brain, imprinting you with better habits of hygiene and diet. It will move you emotionally and get you moving physically in surprising ways. And it will give you occasion to reflect on the body’s many mysteries and the ultimate pursuit of health: a well-lived life.
Turning Pro
Steven Pressfield - 2012
In the War of Art Pressfield identifies the enemy to living an authentic life – resistance. In Turning Pro, Pressfield teaches you how to defeat it.