Motivation Isn't Black or White

NUTRITION
Recipe Of The Week

Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
Approx Macros: 2g C/ 27g P/ 11g F

Ingredients:
- 1½ pounds of chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lemon + zest
- ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup of chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:
1. Marinate – add the chicken to a bag, then add the garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, chopped chives, olive oil, and sea salt. Massage the bag to mix the ingredients together, then let the chicken marinate for up to 24 hrs.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F 
3. Bake – transfer the chicken thighs to an oven-safe skillet or baking dish, and bake for 25 minutes.
4. Serve and enjoy – finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, then serve and enjoy!

FITNESS
Bodyweight Strength Workout

This is a great at-home friendly workout for beginners and pros alike. You’re going to do 5 rounds of the following exercises:

1. 5 Push Ups

2. 10 Air Squats

3. 5 Incline Push ups

4. 12 Front Foot Elevated Split Squats

5. 15 Glute Bridges

HEALTH/WELLNESS
Is Grounding Beneficial Or A Bunch Of Woo-woo?

I’ll be the first to admit…I love researching all things health and wellness and will take on some pretty crazy habits to improve my health. But when it came to grounding, it was hard for me to get past the totally hippie woo-woo vibe it gave off….until I kept learning more.

The more I learned, the more it made sense. Historically, humans were almost always in contact with the earth, but with today’s rubber soled shoes and indoor living, we have severed this natural synergy we once had.

You see, humans are electrical beings. Our bodies function electrically, with cells and systems operating on electrical charges.

The issue is we don't have as much direct contact with the earth as we once had. We're in constant contact with static electricity from our modern environment too - which leads to a build-up of positive static charges in the body.

This imbalance of electrons in the body can be problematic as it can cause free radicals to accumulate/increase oxidative stress… which leads to inflammation, cellular damage etc.

However, the Earth itself has a negative surface charge, rich in free electrons, primarily sourced from the sun and the Earth's core.

So, putting yourself in physical contact with the Earth's surface electrons by walking barefoot, touching grass or rock or swimming in the ocean helps rebalance the electrical charge in your body and neutralize free radicals.

The benefits are clear and numerous including:

1. Reduced Inflammation

2. Improved Sleep

3. Reduced Stress

4. Enhanced Circulation

5. Improved Immune System

And it’s a free and easy practice you can incorporate into your daily routine by :

• walking outside barefoot

• eating lunch sitting barefoot in the grass

• gardening

• or simply standing outside barefoot a few times a day

By taking time to reconnect with the Earth, you can enhance your well-being and enjoy a healthier, more balanced life. Give grounding a try and experience the positive changes it can bring to your overall health.

References: PMID: 36528336, PMID: 25848315, PMID: 22757749. PMID: 22291721

MINDSET
Motivation Isn’t Black or White

Motivation isn’t as black and white as everyone would like to make you believe.
It’s not that you either have it or you don’t.
That’s just not how it works.

But with the right strategies, you can create and increase motivation in any area of your life. In this article we will focus on Weight Loss, but the principles are the same for whatever goal you are working towards.

First, you need to believe this statement: YOU ARE STRONG. YOU ARE CAPABLE. YOU ARE MOTIVATED.

You might now believe me yet, but you really can do it.

Most people don’t recognize this fact, but your motivation is almost entirely influenced by your perspective and what you perceive to be realistic.

Think about it like this:

If you know anything about Women’s gymnastics (hello Olympic season!), you would know that there are roughly 4.7 MILLION girls who compete in the US gymnastics program. Out of those 4.7 MILLION, only 5 girls make it to the Olympic Team every four years. I can’t even figure out how small of a chance that is in percentage form.

But if you didn’t know a lot about gymnastics, you might think that being as good as Simone Biles and winning the olympics is the only measure of success.

But imagine if those girls on the olympic team gave up their dream because there was no way they can beat Simone. To them, it may be defeating, when in reality they are still among the greatest of all time in the sport.

See where I’m going with this? Perspective affects your fitness or life motivation in the exact same way.

For example:

What if you think you aren’t losing weight quickly enough when you’re actually doing great?

Or

What if you think you should have reached your goal a long time ago but your time-frame is actually ahead of schedule?

Or

What if you think you screwed everything up over the weekend but it really wasn’t a setback at all?

So here are three things I want you to think about when thinking about your goal you are working towards,:

1. Screw The Scale (Or the measure you’re using to gauge success): progress is not linear. There will be ups and downs. You will not lose weight every single day or week. You’re not supposed to. So when you’re relying on a varying scale to gauge your success and it’s not immediately responding how you want it to, it’s easy to throw in the towel. Learn to gauge long term consistency instead of short term arbitrary measures of success, and your motivation will increase.

2. You Can’t Screw Up Your Diet (Or the goal you’re working towards): You can’t, as long as you keep working. Is every day working towards your goal going to be perfect, I hope not. Perfect is boring. Are you going to go out with your friends one night and demolish a pizza and margs? Probably. And in that moment it can become “F it, I messed up let’s go get ice cream”, or it can be “Cool, I had a great night with my friends”. Option 1 leads to guilt eating, overindulging, and giving up on your goal. Option 2, no big deal, stay on track tomorrow. Which option do you think will lead to long term success? Allowing yourself to think you screwed up is an EXCUSE.It’s an excuse to continue eating like crap and avoid getting back on track. Because it’s much easier to convince yourself you’re a failure than it is to believe you can and will succeed. The ONLY way to screw up the goal you’re working on is to not get back on track after you have a bad meal, day, moment, etc.

3. Think Of Your Goal As A Growing Bank Account: When you open a bank account, you start with barely any money. It’s not impressive or fun to look at, but with some time and investment, every small deposit adds up. Start to think of your goal as building your bank account. Every meal, workout, step, etc. is a small deposit that is slowly adding up.

Motivation doesn’t stick around, but your habits and actions do.