Tom Nikkola | VIGOR Training

If you're unfamiliar with intermittent fasting (IF), skipping breakfast might seem like a bad thing. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Wrong. Not only might it be unnecessary, depending on what you eat, it could be detrimental.

In this blog post, I'll outline the health benefits of intermittent fasting, as well as the possible drawbacks of eating the wrong kind of breakfast if you do eat it.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

To fast means to go without food (or calorie-containing beverages).

Fasting is not new, although the awareness and research support of its health benefits is. Almost every religion incorporates fasting into their faith in some way and has for thousands of years.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:1-4 (NIV)

Fasting practices in religions vary from fasting only during daylight, such as Muslims do during the month of Ramadan, to fasting for multiple days in a row.

For those who follow intermittent fasting lifestyles, the purpose isn't spiritual so much as it's metabolic.

Variations of Intermittent Fasting

Alternate-day fasting is one form of intermittent fasting. You eat whatever you want one day (feast), and then avoid food the next (fast).

Some people fast two days per week, like on a Wednesday and a Saturday instead, and eat on the other five days.

Yet another form of IF, which I follow, and which seems to be the most popular, is called time-restricted feeding (TRF). You can still eat each day; it’s just within a shortened window of time. The most common approach is to fast for 16 hours and then eat within an 8-hour window.

About five years ago, I accidentally got into the habit of skipping breakfast, and only drinking black coffee. I worked through the morning and then went to the gym at lunchtime. After my workout, I'd eat my first meal.

It wasn't for the health benefits at the time. I just wanted to get to work right away in the morning and not waste time making breakfast.

In a short time, I was skipping breakfast every day.

I was more productive, not only because I didn’t have the distraction of making breakfast, but my brain functioned better.

The longer I went without breakfast, the more I appreciated the benefits. Though I wasn’t trying to get leaner, my body fat dropped a bit as well.

In some cases, fasting might include going without water as well. However, when it comes to health-related fasting, non-caloric beverages like water, tea, coffee, or diet drinks are permissible.

Five years later, I’m still sticking with it. Aside from an occasional splurge for gluten-free donuts, or going to a highly-rated breakfast restaurant, I do not eat breakfast.

Two meals per day, no snacks, carbs saved for dinner. That's pretty much it.

If I can stay healthy and lean, and perform well physically and mentally, by just eating a couple of times per day (of course, it’s high in protein and gluten-free), why would I make it more complicated than that?

Mental Advantages of Intermittent Fasting

With most diets, you face a mental battle between what you'd like to eat and what you know you should eat. That requires an enormous amount of willpower, which is why few people stick with them.

With intermittent fasting, you don't have to deal with such a decision. You just don’t eat.

Not surprisingly, people stick with intermittent fasting better than alternative diets.

Try it tomorrow morning. When you walk into your kitchen at your usual breakfast time, instead of asking, “What should I eat for breakfast?” simply say out loud, “I don’t eat breakfast.”

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Or, is that idea just something we’ve been sold told? It is possible you could look, feel, and perform better if you break up with breakfast and try fasting instead? Read on and find out!



Article Shortcuts* A VERY Brief History of the American Breakfast* Is Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the Day?* What is Intermittent Fasting?* Types of Intermittent Fasting* Psychological Advantages of Intermittent Fasting* Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting* Risks of Intermittent Fasting* Why Breakfast Skipping?* Intermittent Fasting Frequently Asked Questions* Interested in Trying Intermittent Fasting?



A VERY Brief History of the American Breakfast



Throughout history, breakfast has played a prominent dietary role in some cultures, and not in others.



In America, it’s just been the past 100 years that breakfast’s reputation has grown to become “the most important meal of the day.”



From what I found, Lenna Cooper gets the credit for breakfast's reputation. In a 1917 issue of Good Health, she wrote, “…breakfast is the most important meal of the day, because it is the meal that gets the day started.”



Coincidentally (or perhaps, not a coincidence…you can be the judge), Dr. John Harvey Kellogg was an editor. He was also the co-inventor of flaked cereal.



And so began breakfast’s reputation, paving the way for food companies to capitalize.



Breakfast cereal advertising has dominated food advertising for decades. Of course, cereal isn’t the only breakfast option. Toast, orange juice, waffles, pancakes, and toaster pastries are other common foods people eat for breakfast. None of these are necessarily healthy, although the packaging would lead you to believe they are.



High-protein options like eggs, meat and nuts, or protein shakes are a lot healthier, but they're not the norm.



For those who don’t eat breakfast at home, McDonald’s is the most common fast-food choice. Their launch of the Egg McMuffin in 1971 set McDonald’s up to dominate the fast-food breakfast market. Today, they own almost a fifth of the market share.



Is Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the Day?



Like many health and nutrition recommendations we’ve been sold told, the health benefits of breakfast are based on correlations.



When researchers identify patterns of behaviors occurring together, they sometimes believe that one causes the other.



This happens with health and nutrition research ALL…THE…TIME!



Here’s a perfect example.



I received this article as part of my Science Daily newsletter recently. The title of the article is Skipping breakfast associated with hardening of the arteries. The writing in italics is directly from the article. The emphasis is mine.

If you're unfamiliar with intermittent fasting (IF), skipping breakfast might seem like a bad thing. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Wrong. Not only might it be unnecessary, depending on what you eat, it could be detrimental.

In this blog post, I'll outline the health benefits of intermittent fasting, as well as the possible drawbacks of eating the wrong kind of breakfast if you do eat it.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

To fast means to go without food (or calorie-containing beverages).

Fasting is not new, although the awareness and research support of its health benefits is. Almost every religion incorporates fasting into their faith in some way and has for thousands of years.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”Matthew 4:1-4 (NIV)

Fasting practices in religions vary from fasting only during daylight, such as Muslims do during the month of Ramadan, to fasting for multiple days in a row.

For those who follow intermittent fasting lifestyles, the purpose isn't spiritual so much as it's metabolic.

Variations of Intermittent Fasting

Alternate-day fasting is one form of intermittent fasting. You eat whatever you want one day (feast), and then avoid food the next (fast).

Some people fast two days per week, like on a Wednesday and a Saturday instead, and eat on the other five days.

Yet another form of IF, which I follow, and which seems to be the most popular, is called time-restricted feeding (TRF). You can still eat each day; it’s just within a shortened window of time. The most common approach is to fast for 16 hours and then eat within an 8-hour window.

About five years ago, I accidentally got into the habit of skipping breakfast, and only drinking black coffee. I worked through the morning and then went to the gym at lunchtime. After my workout, I'd eat my first meal.

It wasn't for the health benefits at the time. I just wanted to get to work right away in the morning and not waste time making breakfast.

In a short time, I was skipping breakfast every day.

I was more productive, not only because I didn’t have the distraction of making breakfast, but my brain functioned better.

The longer I went without breakfast, the more I appreciated the benefits. Though I wasn’t trying to get leaner, my body fat dropped a bit as well.

In some cases, fasting might include going without water as well. However, when it comes to health-related fasting, non-caloric beverages like water, tea, coffee, or diet drinks are permissible.

Five years later, I’m still sticking with it. Aside from an occasional splurge for gluten-free donuts, or going to a highly-rated breakfast restaurant, I do not eat breakfast.

Two meals per day, no snacks, carbs saved for dinner. That's pretty much it.

If I can stay healthy and lean, and perform well physically and mentally, by just eating a couple of times per day (of course, it’s high in protein and gluten-free),

If you're unfamiliar with intermittent fasting (IF), skipping breakfast might seem like a bad thing. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Wrong. Not only might it be unnecessary, depending on what you eat, it could be detrimental.

In this blog post, I'll outline the health benefits of intermittent fasting, as well as the possible drawbacks of eating the wrong kind of breakfast if you do eat it.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

To fast means to go without food (or calorie-containing beverages).

Fasting is not new, although the awareness and research support of its health benefits is. Almost every religion incorporates fasting into their faith in some way and has for thousands of years.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”Matthew 4:1-4 (NIV)

Fasting practices in religions vary from fasting only during daylight, such as Muslims do during the month of Ramadan, to fasting for multiple days in a row.

For those who follow intermittent fasting lifestyles, the purpose isn't spiritual so much as it's metabolic.

Variations of Intermittent Fasting

Alternate-day fasting is one form of intermittent fasting. You eat whatever you want one day (feast), and then avoid food the next (fast).

Some people fast two days per week, like on a Wednesday and a Saturday instead, and eat on the other five days.

Yet another form of IF, which I follow, and which seems to be the most popular, is called time-restricted feeding (TRF). You can still eat each day; it’s just within a shortened window of time. The most common approach is to fast for 16 hours and then eat within an 8-hour window.

About five years ago, I accidentally got into the habit of skipping breakfast, and only drinking black coffee. I worked through the morning and then went to the gym at lunchtime. After my workout, I'd eat my first meal.

It wasn't for the health benefits at the time. I just wanted to get to work right away in the morning and not waste time making breakfast.

In a short time, I was skipping breakfast every day.

I was more productive, not only because I didn’t have the distraction of making breakfast, but my brain functioned better.

The longer I went without breakfast, the more I appreciated the benefits. Though I wasn’t trying to get leaner, my body fat dropped a bit as well.

In some cases, fasting might include going without water as well. However, when it comes to health-related fasting, non-caloric beverages like water, tea, coffee, or diet drinks are permissible.

Five years later, I’m still sticking with it. Aside from an occasional splurge for gluten-free donuts, or going to a highly-rated breakfast restaurant, I do not eat breakfast.

Two meals per day, no snacks, carbs saved for dinner. That's pretty much it.

If I can stay healthy and lean, and perform well physically and mentally, by just eating a couple of times per day (of course, it’s high in protein and gluten-free), why would I make it more complicated than that?

Mental Advantages of Intermittent Fasting

With most diets, you face a mental battle between what you'd like to eat and what you know you should eat. That requires an enormous amount of willpower, which is why few people stick with them.

With intermittent fasting, you don't have to deal with such a decision. You just don’t eat.

Not surprisingly, people stick with intermittent fasting better than alternative diets.

Try it tomorrow morning. When you walk into your kitchen at your usual breakfast time, instead of asking, “What should I eat for breakfast?” simply say out loud, “I don’t eat breakfast.”

Got goals? As you get after them, get ready for the Emotional Cycle of Change. It's the mental and emotional roadmap for each stage of the journey, from starting line to celebrating success. 

It doesn't matter if your goal is to drop 50 pounds, build financial freedom from your home-based business, become debt-free, foster the world's greatest marriage, or something else that could change your life. You will walk through a myriad of emotions, from excitement and confidence to pessimism and doubt.

The good news is, everyone who pursues something significant walks through the Emotional Cycle of Change. Your goal might be unique, but the mental journey is the same.

Like any adventure or road trip, you’ll be more likely to stick with it and succeed if you know what's in store.

You, like everyone else, will walk through the five stages of the Emotional Cycle of Change.

Those who see it through to the end, and experience success, get far more than the goal itself. They become better versions of themselves, and more influential to those around them.

The Emotional Cycle of Change

I learned of the Emotional Cycle of Change through reading The 12-Week Year by Brian Moran. 

In the span of a few pages, I understood where and why so many people throw in the towel on their goals, or become consumed by excuses, even though they have what it takes to succeed.

As I reflected back on the clients I'd trained, and the goals I'd personally pursued, I could see the Emotional Cycle of Change play out in my own life, as well as those I'd worked with.

Note: If you are a fitness professional, coach, or mentor, I hope you can use the Emotional Cycle of Change to lead and guide your clients, students, and mentees through their cycles of change.

Success rates in a gym, network marketing business, debt reduction program, and almost any other personal or professional growth opportunity are very similar. And they are very low.

It’s not that the gym is a scam, the business is flawed, the program doesn’t work, or that personal growth is a hoax.

The issue is, people give up! It’s not because they’re incapable, have bad luck, or have a more difficult life than anyone else. They give up for a variety of reasons (excuses), but the simple fact is, they give up.

The Emotional Cycle of Change helps you understand where in the journey, and why, you're tempted to give up. As you consider the different stages, it will empower you to push through them yourself, as well as pull others from one to the next, and onto their goals.

The Emotional Cycle of Change involves five mental and emotional stages. Everyone goes through each step, in order, whether they realize it or not.

I hope that by sharing the Emotional Cycle of Change, you’ll know what’s to come, emotionally as you build a business, shed body fat, get rid of debt, improve your relationships, or build the fittest body you’ve ever had.

Stage I: Uninformed Optimism

Uninformed Optimism is the starting line. Some people don't even make it to the starting line, so if you make it here, kudos to you. Of course, it's just the start...

If Stage 1 were a physical location, I imagine it being in a beautiful park with a lake nearby. The sun shines bright and feels warm on your skin. The crowd around you is just big enough to make you feel like you're not alone, but not so crowded that it becomes intimidating.

Stage 1 is 100% excitement, 0% effort.

You come up with new ideas, write out your goals, attend motivational seminars, read encouraging books, take training courses, make dream boards, tell friends what you’re going to do, sign up for a gym membership, or consult with a coach or fitness professional.

You feel excited about the possibilities. You imagine the achievement. You daydream about your destiny.

You can picture yourself succeeding, but you haven't yet stepped forward to make any progress.

Some research shows that your brain gets as muc...

Got goals? As you get after them, get ready for the Emotional Cycle of Change. It's the mental and emotional roadmap for each stage of the journey, from starting line to celebrating success. 

It doesn't matter if your goal is to drop 50 pounds, build financial freedom from your home-based business, become debt-free, foster the world's greatest marriage, or something else that could change your life. You will walk through a myriad of emotions, from excitement and confidence to pessimism and doubt.

The good news is, everyone who pursues something significant walks through the Emotional Cycle of Change. Your goal might be unique, but the mental journey is the same.

Like any adventure or road trip, you’ll be more likely to stick with it and succeed if you know what's in store.

You, like everyone else, will walk through the five stages of the Emotional Cycle of Change.

Those who see it through to the end, and experience success, get far more than the goal itself. They become better versions of themselves, and more influential to those around them.

The Emotional Cycle of Change

I learned of the Emotional Cycle of Change through reading The 12-Week Year by Brian Moran. 

In the span of a few pages, I understood where and why so many people throw in the towel on their goals, or become consumed by excuses, even though they have what it takes to succeed.

As I reflected back on the clients I'd trained, and the goals I'd personally pursued, I could see the Emotional Cycle of Change play out in my own life, as well as those I'd worked with.

Note: If you are a fitness professional, coach, or mentor, I hope you can use the Emotional Cycle of Change to lead and guide your clients, students, and mentees through their cycles of change.

Success rates in a gym, network marketing business, debt reduction program, and almost any other personal or professional growth opportunity are very similar. And they are very low.

It’s not that the gym is a scam, the business is flawed, the program doesn’t work, or that personal growth is a hoax.

The issue is, people give up! It’s not because they’re incapable, have bad luck, or have a more difficult life than anyone else. They give up for a variety of reasons (excuses), but the simple fact is, they give up.

The Emotional Cycle of Change helps you understand where in the journey, and why, you're tempted to give up. As you consider the different stages, it will empower you to push through them yourself, as well as pull others from one to the next, and onto their goals.

The Emotional Cycle of Change involves five mental and emotional stages. Everyone goes through each step, in order, whether they realize it or not.

I hope that by sharing the Emotional Cycle of Change, you’ll know what’s to come, emotionally as you build a business, shed body fat, get rid of debt, improve your relationships, or build the fittest body you’ve ever had.

Stage I: Uninformed Optimism

Uninformed Optimism is the starting line. Some people don't even make it to the starting line, so if you make it here, kudos to you. Of course, it's just the start...

If Stage 1 were a physical location, I imagine it being in a beautiful park with a lake nearby. The sun shines bright and feels warm on your skin. The crowd around you is just big enough to make you feel like you're not alone, but not so crowded that it becomes intimidating.

Stage 1 is 100% excitement, 0% effort.

You come up with new ideas, write out your goals, attend motivational seminars, read encouraging books, take training courses, make dream boards, tell friends what you’re going to do, sign up for a gym membership, or consult with a coach or fitness professional.

You feel excited about the possibilities. You imagine the achievement. You daydream about your destiny.

You can picture yourself succeeding, but you haven't yet stepped forward to make any progress.

About 80% of women who make more than $100,000 per year earn it in network marketing. In fact, women make up three out of four network marketing distributors.

It makes sense, though. The model works really well for building a part-time income and being able to do so while raising a family, or working at a temporary full-time job.

Women are also (typically) more social than guys, and creative when it comes to marketing products.

Anyway, the reality is that women usually take the lead with network marketing business opportunities.

At some point between earning her first $10 and $100,000+, men start to pay attention. Money talks.

When it becomes apparent that this “thing” his wife does in the evenings and on weekends is more than just a hobby, he gets curious. Sometimes, husbands come around to the idea of playing a role in the business, too.

Note: Throughout this article, I use the terms "wife," but also include "girlfriends" or "significant others." I just didn't want to keep writing "your wife, girlfriend, or significant other." It's annoying. So, please understand that "wife" could be used for any of those variations.

I got curious about five months after Vanessa first enrolled with our company. She showed me her first five-figure check.

A month later, I listened as she painted a picture of us working the business together.

Ten months after she enrolled, she surpassed my income.

Three months after that, I resigned from my Senior Director role at Life Time and joined her in the business.

Some guys jump in earlier than I did. Others take longer. But, at some point, most express an interest in contributing to their wife’s business.

I learned the hard way…there are some “right ways” to transition into the business with your wife. There are also a lot of “wrong ways.”

Before you add value, you’ve got some preliminary work to do, both in mindset and skill development.

If you read something in this article that rubs you the wrong way or even pisses you off, hold the thought for a little bit. Think about it. Chop some wood, mow the lawn, or wash your car. Then come back to it and see if there isn’t some truth here.

In my opinion, if I don’t stir a little irritation or frustration, I'm not direct and honest enough. I wish another guy would have made these points for me when I got started with Vanessa.

One other note: I presented this topic at a recent men's event, and since I had already created the slides, I included them in this article for some "visual interest." 

Here we go.

Don’t Be a Jock Strap

What’s the purpose of a jock strap? To keep your cojones in place, right? In a single word, a jock strap’s job is “support.”

If you ask most guys what they do with their wife in the business, they say “I support her.”

But what does that even mean?

Do you support her by giving her a pat on the butt when she’s feeling down, and encourage her to get up and try again (If you do, that isn’t very helpful)?

Do you mean by support, that you earn the income so she can pursue what you believe is an expensive hobby?

Or, when you say you support her, do you mean you follow along behind her holding her (figurative) balls in the air, so they don’t drop?

In my opinion, the word support takes a guy off the hook for committing to anything of substance. And when his wife uses the word, she often has a much different perception than he does.

Have you ever told a co-worker that your wife supports you in your corporate job or trade? Could you imagine a friend asking you what your wife does, and then responding, “She supports me.”

Heck no!

Stop saying, "I support her."

Figure out what you can do that’s meaningful and enhances the business, even if it’s a short list, and do it.

I handle our schedule, write drafts of most of our content, teach classes, make travel arrangements, and deal with many of the emotionally-charged relationship issues.

About 80% of women who make more than $100,000 per year earn it in network marketing. In fact, women make up three out of four network marketing distributors.

It makes sense, though. The model works really well for building a part-time income and being able to do so while raising a family, or working at a temporary full-time job.

Women are also (typically) more social than guys, and creative when it comes to marketing products.

Anyway, the reality is that women usually take the lead with network marketing business opportunities.

At some point between earning her first $10 and $100,000+, men start to pay attention. Money talks.

When it becomes apparent that this “thing” his wife does in the evenings and on weekends is more than just a hobby, he gets curious. Sometimes, husbands come around to the idea of playing a role in the business, too.

Note: Throughout this article, I use the terms "wife," but also include "girlfriends" or "significant others." I just didn't want to keep writing "your wife, girlfriend, or significant other." It's annoying. So, please understand that "wife" could be used for any of those variations.

I got curious about five months after Vanessa first enrolled with our company. She showed me her first five-figure check.

A month later, I listened as she painted a picture of us working the business together.

Ten months after she enrolled, she surpassed my income.

Three months after that, I resigned from my Senior Director role at Life Time and joined her in the business.

Some guys jump in earlier than I did. Others take longer. But, at some point, most express an interest in contributing to their wife’s business.

I learned the hard way…there are some “right ways” to transition into the business with your wife. There are also a lot of “wrong ways.”

Before you add value, you’ve got some preliminary work to do, both in mindset and skill development.

If you read something in this article that rubs you the wrong way or even pisses you off, hold the thought for a little bit. Think about it. Chop some wood, mow the lawn, or wash your car. Then come back to it and see if there isn’t some truth here.

In my opinion, if I don’t stir a little irritation or frustration, I'm not direct and honest enough. I wish another guy would have made these points for me when I got started with Vanessa.

One other note: I presented this topic at a recent men's event, and since I had already created the slides, I included them in this article for some "visual interest." 

Here we go.

Don’t Be a Jock Strap

What’s the purpose of a jock strap? To keep your cojones in place, right? In a single word, a jock strap’s job is “support.”

If you ask most guys what they do with their wife in the business, they say “I support her.”

But what does that even mean?

Do you support her by giving her a pat on the butt when she’s feeling down, and encourage her to get up and try again (If you do, that isn’t very helpful)?

Do you mean by support, that you earn the income so she can pursue what you believe is an expensive hobby?

Or, when you say you support her, do you mean you follow along behind her holding her (figurative) balls in the air, so they don’t drop?

In my opinion, the word support takes a guy off the hook for committing to anything of substance. And when his wife uses the word, she often has a much different perception than he does.

Have you ever told a co-worker that your wife supports you in your corporate job or trade? Could you imagine a friend asking you what your wife does, and then responding, “She supports me.”

Heck no!

Stop saying, "I support her."

Figure out what you can do that’s meaningful and enhances the business, even if it’s a short list, and do it.

I handle our schedule, write drafts of most of our content, teach classes, make travel arrangements, and deal with many of the emotionally-charged relationship issues.

What are the benefits of a high-protein diet? Are there risks? Are the risks exaggerations by alarmists, or could you eat too much protein?



Fat and carbohydrates have shared the nutrition spotlight for decades, while protein is rarely discussed. Is it low-carb/high-fat, or high-carb/low-fat, or somewhere in between?



While carbs and fat have had all the attention, protein’s been sitting in the background, waiting for it's time to shine.



I’ve been intrigued by protein for years. In my opinion, it’s the most important, and most powerful of the three macronutrients. However, it isn’t sexy.



That’s too bad because it’s this macronutrient that has the potential to transform your physique the most.



Give this article a full read. Take action and increase your protein intake. Then send me a thank you message in a few months when you look, feel, and perform better than you have in a long time.



After almost two decades in health and fitness, I've determined there are just three things you can do that, which if you do them consistently, dramatically improve how you look, feel, and perform more than anything else.



It's these three things that I focus my attention on the most when coaching new clients.



* Eat a high-protein diet* Weight train at least four days per week* Sleep at least seven hours every night



Today, we’ll tackle the why and how of a high-protein diet.



Article Shortcuts* Science, Observation, and Experience* What is a High-Protein Diet?* Percentage-Based Protein Intake* Weight-Based Protein Intake* Weight Management* Satiety* Weight Loss* Muscle Growth and Maintenance* Thermogenesis* Other Metabolic Benefits* Bone Health* Blood Sugar* Stress* Kidney Damage* High-Quality, Great-Tasting Protein Sources* Frequently Asked Questions* Time to Eat!



Science, Observation, and Experience



Whenever I make a health and fitness recommendation, I make it based on what I’ve read, observed, and experienced.



Too many people play the “telephone game” with health recommendations they heard from someone else.



As the recommendations get passed along, they get twisted, distorted, or exaggerated. As a result, there’s an enormous amount of confusion about, and overcomplication of good nutrition.



I've read, researched, studied, and experimented with protein for years. While I'd never claim to be an "expert" in any health and fitness topic, this is one for which I have a lot of experience.



I believe that it's the one macronutrient that can truly impact your health and fitness more th...

Your feelings are not your friend if you want a future filled with good fortune and fulfillment. Said another way...follow your feelings and you're f'd.

Most of us aren't aware of how many decisions we make each day, based on how we feel in the moment.

Do you hit the snooze button or get out of bed right away? Order your coffee black, or get a coffee-flavored milk shake? Go to the gym after work, or negotiate with yourself about how you feel, and then drive home?

We make dozens, if not hundreds of little decisions every day. Each decision itself might seem insignificant. But, when you add them up over a month, year, or a lifetime, those little decisions shape your life and legacy.

If you're not conscious of the choices you make, you'll default to how you feel at the moment. You won't make the logical choice. You'll make the choice that (temporarily) feels good.

If you want to suck the marrow out of life, rather than just having things suck, take charge of your choices, no matter how you feel when you make them.

Ever notice how fast fear and self-doubt take over your head and you start making up excuses for why you shouldn’t say something or do something? We hold ourselves back in the smallest, most mundane moments every day, and that impacts everything. If you break this habit of hesitating and you find the courage to “take some kind of action,” you’ll be astonished by how fast your life changes.

Mel Robbins, The 5 Second Rule

Sometimes it's helpful to talk about your feelings, such as when you feel sad from the loss of someone, hurt because a friend stabbed you in the back, or angry after someone disrespected your spouse or your child.

But those are the rare circumstances where feelings steer you in the right direction. Most of the time, feelings cause you to trade short-term comfort for long-term success and fulfillment.

Your feelings fail you. Here are five reasons how...

1. Your Feelings Make You Act Like a Child

Think back to being a kid. Did you ever feel like cleaning up your room, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, or eating your vegetables?

I bet there were many times when your parents asked you to do something, and you put up a fuss because you didn't feel like doing what they asked you to do.

Sometimes, they probably even raised their voices or threatened consequences if you didn’t do what you were supposed to do.

Parents have to hold their kids accountable to doing the stuff they don't feel like doing, or they won't do it.

The desire to do what you feel like doing never goes away. Even as an adult, you'll be tempted. But grown-ups don't think or behave like kids do.

Grown-up: to grow toward or arrive at full stature or physical or mental maturity; to stop thinking or behaving in a childish way

Merriam-Webster

Children think and behave based on how they feel.

Grown-ups set their feelings aside, and do whatever needs to be done to move closer to their goals.

A parent has the authority with their kids to get them to do something, even when they don’t feel like it.

As a grown-up, you need to parent yourself. You need to make yourself do what you don’t feel like doing.

You don’t get a participation ribbon or a gold star for getting up on time, eating a healthy breakfast, going to the gym, or being kind to your spouse. I know it’s popular to post about that stuff, and then hashtag it #adulting.

But, grown-ups don’t need a pat on the back to do what grown-ups are supposed to do. Sometimes you just need to suck it up and do it.

It doesn’t matter if you’re tired, scared, nervous, or feel like you don't have the skills. You're a grown-up, so you do what needs to be done.

Guys need to man up, and ladies often need to woman up.

Follow your feelings and you'll make choices like a child. The world needs more grown ups, not just "legal adults."

2. Your Feelings Trick You Into Staying the Same

Except for the few number of non-negotiable act...