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Hey folks! This week, PHCI’s curriculum director, Erin Power is answering your questions about cheat days, how to handle hunger during intermittent fasting, and the best thing to do when you get the chills. Keep asking your questions over in the Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group or post them in the comments below.

John asked:

“I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for a few months and it’s working well, but I get hungry after 14 hours or so. Wondering if it’s best to try to muscle through the hunger when I feel it kick in or should I just eat?”

There are several different ways to practice intermittent fasting and they all have proven disease-fighting and anti-agent benefits.¹ There’s the popular 12:12, 16:8, 18:6, and 20:4 methods, alternate day fasting, multi-day fasting, and really any way you can slice a period of time. The best way to figure out which method is right for you though, is to experiment.

A longer fast may have worked for you in the past, but the human body is a miraculous and adaptable organism. What felt great at one point might not be in your best interest now. And if you’re feeling tempted to push yourself to resist eating for a few extra hours, thinking more is better, let me remind you that there’s no award given to the person who can fast the longest. You’re also not going to have your IF card pulled if you decide to eat outside your original window.

Everything about our culture seems to discourage us from listening to what our bodies are telling us. We somehow believe that other people know us better than we do.

Listen, if something isn’t working, my body will tell me, and I trust that. I try to teach my clients the same thing: to trust the signals they get from within; rather than relying on what a scientific paper, influencer, or so-called-expert tells them is going to prolong their life or bestow them with optimal health.

So, instead of pushing through the pain (or hunger in your case), what if you took that hunger as a sign? What if you honored your body by listening to your grumbling stomach and sluggish energy levels and gave it the fuel it was asking for?

I know meditation is good for me, but I don’t know how to start.

I’ve tried to meditate before, but my mind is too busy.

It sounds easy, but it feels hard.

Not sure what the hype is all about? Find out why millions of people have been meditating for thousands of years.

Meditate with us for 21 days, complete with video meditations, a tracker, and community support!

How Do You Recognize Your Body’s Signals?

• Stop a few times a day and take inventory of your body. Identify any sensations going on – what’s happening in your stomach, your jaw, your shoulders, your focus, and your mind.
• Record the negative and positive feelings you observe, then connect the dots. Is your focus starting to wane because you haven’t eaten in awhile? Are your shoulders tense because you haven’t stepped outside all day?
• Adjust as necessary. What happens when you decide to break your fast with an epic protein-forward meal vs continuing to muscle through the hunger? Are you satisfied and satiated instead of unfocused? Experiment with responding to your body’s signs and see what happens.

As I mentioned, I’m a huge fan of listening to my body. If I’m hungry, I eat. I don’t starve myself or battle hunger pangs just because I’m following a program that generally says I should. That being said, you might want to ask yourself if you’re really hungry or if something else is at play.

Does your hunger kick in when you feel stressed at work? You’re trying to avoid a task? Or when you feel bored? Or is it that it’s been 14 hours and your body is ready for fuel? Only you know the answer and once you start to really listen to your body, you won’t have to second guess whether or not it’s time to eat.

Julie asked:

“Someone said they were having a “carb cheat day” for Menu Monday over on the Keto Reset Facebook page. Can you explain how a carb cheat day even works?”

There is some research to support having a “carb refeed” for those who have their insulin sensitivity dialed in, or who perform high intensity exercise on a regular basis – especially for women. But declaring a whole day a cheat day, in my opinion, is an excuse for allowing poor nutrition and lifestyle choices on a regular basis.

The whole concept of a cheat day just doesn’t sit right with me. And when you throw the term “carbs” into that phrase, it really lights me up.

Why Carbs Aren’t the Enemy

Carbs come in a lot of forms, everything from tangerines and turnips to Twinkies. And, as a reminder, foods aren’t good or bad. They just have consequences. Eating a steady diet of processed foods will likely put you on the fast-track to disease, while eating a piece of fruit or a root veggie is called balance.

Depending on what this person’s take on carbs are, they could be binging on highly processed, nutritionally void food under the umbrella of a “cheat day,” feeling justified because they believe they deserve to have a 24-hour period of indulging as a reward for their dialed-in diet the rest of the week.

So, to answer your question, a carb cheat day could look like a big bowl oatmeal and fruit, followed by grilled sweet potatoes and squares of dark chocolate. Or it could look like pastries, pizzas, and beer on repeat.

You Shouldn’t Need to Cheat

I think the bigger question is, why does a person need a cheat day? I typically avoid using that term because it reinforces the diet culture mentality that what you’re doing the rest of the time involves suffering or deprivation in some way. That you’ve got to ignore all your body’s cues 6 days a week in order to reach your goals. Which is total BS in my opinion. White knuckling all week long can and will lead to some kind of consequence, trust me.

Personally, I’m a live-in-the-moment person and believe that life is nothing without treating yourself. But treats should be indulged in on occasion, instead of dedicating a whole day of derailment just to get your fix. I’d rather see someone with a healthy and balanced mindset so that “cheating” isn’t even on the table.

Andrew asked:

“From a primal perspective, when you get chills with a fever, is it better to listen to your body and seek warmth or does it make sense to go the opposite way and immerse yourself in cold temps to trigger an adaptation in immune system function?”

There are some pros to allowing your body to adapt, but in general, I’d take your chills as a sign that you should take steps to warm yourself up.² Any time your body is fighting something off, it responds by increasing your body temperature. Submerge yourself in an ice bath or take a cold shower and you’re causing your body to work harder than it needs to.

I find it interesting that even if we feel awful and have limited energy, we believe that pushing ourselves is the answer. Feel cold? Let’s tough it out. Tired? You should probably fight the urge to sleep. Hungry? Go ahead and starve yourself for another hour or two.

Ignoring Needs is a Learned Behaviour

It’s ridiculous how much people ignore their internal signs. Like it somehow makes you weak to “give in” to the sensations you’re feeling in your body. But blocking these sensations or convincing yourself to suffer through them is a learned behaviour. And it’s something that can be unlearned.

What would happen if you allowed yourself to notice what’s going on in your body and take action on it? Life isn’t meant to be a suffer-fest. It doesn’t make you less bad ass to be in touch with your feelings. And it doesn’t make you less primal to grab a warm blanket when you’ve got the chills.

Practice listening to your body and see what happens. You might be really surprised by what it’s telling you.

Are you team ‘listen to your body’ or are you more used to ignoring your internal cues?

The post Ask a Health Coach: What’s Your Body Trying to Tell You? appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Coffee sometimes gets a bad rap; however, organic coffee is loaded with helpful antioxidants, and the caffeine it contains is quite useful as well. Not only is it good to drink, but it is also great for your skin, the body’s largest organ. Incorporating coffee into your diet and your personal care routine is a […]

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June looms. Summer is almost upon us. The sun’s out, people are starting to gather and mingle, the big box stores are stocking charcoal again, and those chicken drumsticks, that tri tip, that lamb leg, and that salmon filet behind the butcher counter are looking good. You feel the pull of the grill. It calls to you. You need to respond—but how to do it?

Not everyone is a grill master. With baking and traditional recipes, you can follow along just by reading. Oven temperatures and controlled gas ranges make cooking indoors fairly predictable. But outside, out on the grill, things get a little wild.

Grilling is more art than science. It’s about feeling the meat, sensing the heat, intuiting what’s happening beneath and above the grill. The wind, the coals, the flame, the air flow, the ambient temperature all affect and determine the quality of the finished product. It’s all too much to plug into a spreadsheet and figure out down to the millisecond. There are no guarantees. So while I’m going to give you the best methods I’ve learned over the years, don’t take this as settled science. You’re going to have to experiment for yourself.

Today I’ll go over the most frequently asked questions I see about grilling.

How to Determine the Proper Grill Temperature

When you grill, you want areas of high, medium, and low heat accessible at all times. This gives you the ability to modulate the amount of heat your food receives and it gives you more flexibility when cooking. Whether you’re using coals or gas, you can determine the temperature ranges by using feel—actually feeling the heat with your hands. If you can keep your hand a couple inches off the grill only for under a second before it gets too hot, that’s high heat. If you can keep your hand there for 2 seconds, that’s medium heat. If you can keep your hand there for 3-5 seconds, that’s low heat.

How to Determine Meat Doneness

You can use an instant read digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of whatever you’re grilling. This is more precise and it’s a good way to develop your intuition if you pair it with learning by feel. This is a good one that’s served me well.

• Rare: In a chef’s mind, rare means very pink, is closer to 125 degrees
• Medium-rare: You’re looking for 125-130 degrees
• Medium: 130-135 degrees
• Medium-well: 135 to 140 degrees
• Well done: 140 and above

You can also determine doneness by touching your meat, by prodding it, by poking it, by squeezing it. With enough time and trial by error (and using the thermometer to confirm), you can eventually figure out if the meat is ready by how it responds to your manual manipulation, but in general:

Rare is squishy.

Medium-rare is spongy.

Medium-well is firm.

Whatever you do, err on the side of taking it off the heat early. You can always add more cooking time if it’s undercooked, but you can’t take it away.

How to Grill Burgers

Some people like to complicate the burger. They include exotic spices, incorporate cheese or grilled onions into the meat itself, and pre-form them. For my money, the best way to grill a burger is to pack about 1/4-1/2 pound burger meat loosely together right before you throw them on the grill—packed enough that it stays together but not so tight that it becomes a brick. Don’t mix salt into the burger meat, because that will alter the structure of the meat and give it a sausage texture.

Recipe to Try: Cowboy Burgers

Fun fact: Primal Kitchen® just updated the Ranch Dressing recipe, adding organic egg yolks, a natural emulsifier, for a thicker, creamier dressing that’s still dairy-free.

How Long to Grill Burgers

Season it heavily with kosher salt and black pepper on both sides and grill over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes per side. Then flip again and grill for 1 minute on each side, turning the burger 90 degrees so you get grill cross marks. Move burger off to the side to finish cooking on indirect or low heat for another few minutes, adding cheese to melt at this point if you are so inclined.

How to Grill Thick Steak

To grill a thick steak like a ribeye, a NY strip, a porterhouse, or a filet mignon, you’ll need to use a combination of high heat and low heat. First, season all sides, including the edges, with kosher salt and pepper. Be generous. Then, rub a little olive or avocado oil all over the meat and place on a pre-heated grill over high heat for 2 minutes. Flip and grill another 2 minutes. Flip again, turning the meat 90 degrees to get the hash grill marks. Flip again after a minute, again turning the meat to get the hash marks. After a minute, move the steak off the coals/flame to cook indirectly for another 2-4 minutes with the cover on, flipping midway through and making sure any fat caps are pointed toward the heat source. Gotta render that down.

Adjust time depending on thickness, of course. These are just guidelines and ranges.

If you prefer, you can begin with indirect heat and finish with high heat. Both work great.

You can also smear Primal Kitchen mayo all over your salted-and-peppered steak instead of oil before applying high heat. Gives a great crust.

After it’s off the grill, let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing into it. And always slice against the grain.

How to Grill Thin Steak

To grill a thinner steak like skirt, flap, flat iron, hanger, or flank, you’ll want to stick to medium-high heat. Add kosher salt and pepper and any other seasonings you want (or marinade 12-24 hours before, as thinner steaks do great with marinades), spray or drizzle olive or avocado oil, and toss it on the grill over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Place on indirect or low heat to finish.

Make sure you let the steak rest for 5 minutes and cut against the grain.

How to Grill Salmon

Season your salmon on both sides, spray it down or drizzle with olive or avocado oil, and place it skin-side down on a heated grill over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. When the meat-side facing up begins to dry out and you can see the cooked portion of the meat inch up along the side toward the midpoint of the filet, flip it over and grill for another 2 minutes. Move off the heat to finish indirectly.

I can’t recommend grilling salmon directly on the grill without the skin because it always sticks to the grill. I’ve never found a good replacement. What you can do is place the salmon on a cedar plank and cook it for 20-30 minutes. This is a slower, gentler cook.

How Long to Grill Salmon

Because salmon is so varied in thickness and fat content, it’s hard to give one number that encompasses every piece of salmon. What works best is what not to do. If you get the white stuff forming on the meat, you’ve gone too long. Take it off before the white stuff happens.

How to Grill Chicken Breast

To grill chicken breast, season it well, drizzle it with olive oil, and grill it until well-browned on all sides (about 3 minutes per side), then move to indirect heat, cover the grill, and let it cook until done.

An alternative method is to smash the chicken breast flat with a meat mallet, season it, and grill it over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Much quicker this way.

Recipe to try: Devyn’s Grilled Marinated Chicken

How Long to Grill Chicken Breast

Confirm that it’s done with a digital thermometer or by feel (if you’re confident in your intuition). Conventional wisdom says chicken breast must reach 165°F to be safe, but you can take it off at 157° and let it rest for 10 minutes. Residual heat will cause the internal temp to rise to a safe level and you won’t dry out your breasts.

Bone-in breast will take longer to cook, but it will also be juicier since the bone protects the meat from drying out.

How to Grill Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs are more forgiving than chicken breast. All that collagen and connective tissue and fat keep the meat moist, even at higher temperatures and longer cooking times. But if you want to realize the thigh’s potential and enjoy mouth-watering, unctuous meat ribboned with melting collagen, you need to cook it long enough to break down all that connective tissue.

How Long to Grill Chicken Thighs

A chicken thigh can get by with just salt and pepper—or maybe a citrus-based marinade. Medium heat is ideal, about 8 minutes per side, and then another 5-8 minutes over indirect heat. As long as you keep it from burning, it will stay moist and juicy.

How to Grill Whole Chicken

To grill a whole chicken, you have to spatchcock the bird: remove the back bone, lay the bird out flat, and press down hard on the breasts until you hear a pop. Then season it with kosher salt and pepper (and other spices, if you desire, like paprika, garlic, and turmeric) all over, rub some avocado oil on, and place it skin side up on the grill. If you’re cooking with charcoal, pile up the charcoal over to one side and put the bird on the opposite end with the drumsticks closest to the coals. If you’re cooking with gas, leave half of the grill unlit and fire up the other half, putting the bird on the unlit half with its legs pointing toward the flames. Cover.

After about an hour, check the chicken. Grab the drumsticks and jiggle the legs. If they’re breaking free and the juice runs clear, the connective tissue has broken down and you’re almost done. Take the chicken and flip it over, skin side down, directly over the coals, for 5 minutes. Then it’s done.

How to Grill Pork Chops

The pork chop is an underrated cut. Even by me. I always forget to get pork chops, they always slip my mind, but I’m always happy when I do remember. Some salt, some pepper, some avocado oil, medium high heat, time is all you need for a great grilled pork chop. The charred fat cap is really tough to beat.

I treat grilled pork chops like steak. I sear for two minutes, flip and sear for two minutes, flip (turning 90 degrees to get the good grill marks) and sear for 1 minute, flip (turning 90 degrees) and sear for 1 minute. Then move off to the side to finish cooking over indirect heat.

How Long to Grill Pork Chops

With pork, you want to use a thermometer to determine how long to grill it. If I’m eating quality pork, ideally pasture-raised, I’ll serve it medium. That means I pull it at 130-135° and then letting it continue warming up a bit more. There will be a light pink tinge running through the meat and plenty of juice.

How to Grill Ribs

You can’t really grill baby back or spare ribs from start to finish like steaks if you’re looking for that fall-off-the-bone texture. It takes a long time. You need to start with indirect low heat for 2 to 2 and a half hours. Season your ribs, paint them with sauce if you prefer, place bone side down on the grill, cover the grill, and cook them on low until they slide off the bone easily.

Another way to do it is to pre-cook your ribs in the oven, on the stove, or in the pressure cooker. Use a mixture of water, broth, vinegar, and sauce and various other seasonings and braise/boil/pressure cook the ribs until they’re tender. Refrigerate them until you’re ready to grill, then add more sauce to the ribs and quickly grill them over medium high heat on both sides until warmed through and seared.

These methods work for beef ribs, too, but you’ll need more time to get them tender.

How to Grill Shrimp

Shrimp grill up real quick—almost too quick. If you grill them long enough to develop the Maillard reaction, they often overcook and turn rubbery. Here’s how you overcome it:

• Grill with the shells on. The shells protect the meat from overcooking and impart extra flavor to the finished dish. I love shell-on shrimp and actually eat the shells if they’re cooked well; they actually provide prebiotic “fiber.”
• Instead of spacing the shrimp out, pack them close together on the skewer. This protects the meat from drying out.
• Choose the largest shrimp you can find. The larger they are, the more heat they can handle before drying out.
• Grill over high heat, 2-3 minutes per side (depending on size).

Finish with salt and lemon juice.

How to Grill Asparagus

Trim your asparagus and toss it in a large bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper until completely coated. Place on the grill perpendicular to the grates over medium heat. When you see grill lines form, roll the asparagus 90 degrees. Continue this until there are prominent grill lines encircling the entire stalk of asparagus. Remove from heat and squeeze half a lemon over the asparagus. Serve with lemon juice whisked into mayo on the side for dipping.

While this isn’t an exhaustive list of everything there is to grill, it covers just about all the things you’ll want to grill on a regular basis. Leave me your thoughts down below and let me know what you love to grill and how to do it.

Take care, everyone.

The post How to Grill Everything – the Ultimate Guide appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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The beauty of microworkouts is that you can do them virtually anywhere with minimal time investment, and the cumulative training effect really adds up… if you remember to do them.

To be successful with microworkouts, or any form of exercise, consistency is key. Not rigidity—we’re not big fans of rigidly adhering to a strict exercise schedule here—but you need to put in the time and effort. Workouts that don’t happen don’t change you. Unlike going to the gym or taking a Crossfit class, which you might schedule into your busy calendar, microworkouts are meant to be sprinkled throughout your day. Unfortunately, that makes microworkouts all too easy to forget or push off, until you get to dinnertime and realize you’ve barely moved your body all day.

If this sounds familiar, it’s time to get some systems in place to make microworkouts a built-in part of your day. This is a roundabout way of saying: you need to make microworkouts a habit.

Changing Habits: The Not-so-secret Secrets

Habits are behaviors that have become so automatic that you do them with little to no conscious effort. Locking in new habits is no easy feat, though. We’ve all experienced the ups and downs of trying to make new healthy habits stick.

However, the process of habit change is actually quite simple when you break it down. When you’re trying to establish a new habit, you need:

• Cues, or signals, that remind your brain to do the thing (in this case, to do a microworkout)
• Belief that you have the resources (time, knowledge, money) to do the thing
• Desire to do the thing
• Reward or positive reinforcement after you do the thing that makes you want to do it again

Today, we’re focusing on the first: cues that remind you to do your microworkouts. Specifically, we’re leveraging a trick called habit stacking.

With habit stacking, you use behaviors you already do automatically as cues to do the new desired behaviors. In this case, it means pairing everyday behaviors like brushing your teeth, making coffee, or walking out the front door with specific exercises like push-ups or going for a walk. Don’t worry, this will become self-explanatory shortly.

What Are Microworkouts Anyway?

Microworkouts are short bursts of movement that you insert into your day. We’ve been tricked into thinking that the best, or only, way to be fit and healthy is to spend 90 minutes at the gym pushing plates or huffing and puffing through a 50-minute cardio kickboxing class. Not so. While athletes with specialized aims—run a marathon, deadlift twice their bodyweight—need to do specific workouts tailored to their goals, for general wellness, smaller efforts really do add up. You can log a very respectable amount of movement via short workouts lasting as little as 20 or 30 seconds, up to a few minutes, when you do them throughout the day.

Almost anything can count as a microworkout, as long as you’re moving. Microworkouts can encompass HIIT or Tabata-type activities; resistance exercises using bodyweight, exercise bands, free weights, TRX straps, or any other equipment you have on hand; or aerobic activities like going for a short walk.

Don’t overthink it. Any (quick) activity that builds muscular strength or endurance, cardiovascular fitness, even balance or flexibility falls under the microworkout umbrella. Ideally, you want to incorporate a range of movements that engage different muscle groups.

Habit Stacking: Linking Microworkouts to Habits You Do Anyway

Below are 25 ideas for using habit stacking to facilitate microworkouts. Use these as inspiration, but feel free to mix and match them to suit your life.

One safety note, first: Use appropriate caution when transitioning from sitting or lying down to exercising. You may want to perform a light warm-up movement first, especially before exercises involving heavy weights or a large range of motion. Check out the section entitled “How To Incorporate Microworkouts” in Mark’s earlier post here for more details.

25 Ways to Habit Stack Microworkouts

Wake up + do some dynamic stretching

Brush teeth + gentle leg raises

Brew first morning coffee or tea + sun salutation

Turn on computer + tech neck exercises

Check your calendar or to-do list+ jump squats*

Open social media app + mountain climbers*

End a Zoom meeting + walk to the end of the driveway and back, or take a lap around your building

Hang up a phone call + triceps dips*

Close a browser window + biceps curls

Refill your water + kettlebell swings*

Refill your coffee or tea + incline pushups against the edge of the counter

Start the microwave + run in place

Run the blender + hold a plank

Finish lunch + Mark’s road warrior workout

Use the bathroom + pull-ups (or one of these alternatives if you don’t have a bar)

Go up stairs + calf raises on the bottom step

Walk out the front door + jump squats*

Run the vacuum + alternating lunges*

Folding laundry + V-sits*

While watching TV, food commercial = flutter kicks*

Pharmaceutical commercial = glute bridges*

Insurance commercial = elbow-to-knee side planks*

Car commercial = burpees*

All other commercials = Grok squat hold

Brush teeth at night + wall sit*

*These exercises are described in A to Z Microworkouts to Weave Into Your Day

Handy Tips

The more specific you are about your intentions, the better. Don’t just say, “I’ll move more during commercial breaks.” Instead, say, “I’ll do 20 jumping jacks during every commercial break.”

Tailor the movements to your fitness level. If regular push-ups are too difficult, try wall push-ups. On the other hand, if they’re too easy, do one leg push-ups or dead stop push-ups instead.

Make use of whatever equipment you have on hand, and improvise with things like water jugs for upright rows or bags of garden dirt for heavy carries.

Leave yourself reminders. Put sticky notes on the coffee maker, bathroom mirror, or microwave. Leave your exercise bands hanging on the fridge door and your kettlebell in the middle of the office where you’ll see it. Get your family members or housemates involved so they help prod you to move.

Start by implementing a few at a time. Pick two or three cues you know will stand out—for me, it’s making coffee, checking social media, and refilling my trusty water cup—and pair them with distinct exercises that work different body parts. Once you are good about doing those exercises, add one or two more. Pretty soon, you’ll be moving considerably more during the day!

Tell us: What has helped you implement microworkouts into your day?

The post Habit Stacking Microworkouts (aka Working Out Without Having to Think About It) appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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The pandemic taught us one important lesson: everyone has an opinion and people in the fitness industry seem to have a lot more than most business-minded people. And it wasn’t really much fun to watch because, well, I don’t really need a personality dump from a trainer or coach, just training and coaching.

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Crisp and caramelized on the outside, but never burnt. A first bite that melts in your mouth as the savory, perfectly seasoned flavor of beef hits your palate. The rich, smoky aroma of animal fat dripping onto an open fire.

That, my friends, is a perfect steak. You don’t have to make reservations at an expensive steakhouse to reach this sort of steak nirvana. It can be yours any night of week in your own kitchen by following a few simple and painless steps.

Navigating the Meat Case

First things first – you’ve got to buy the steak. To understand the meat case at a butcher shop, you must first understand your cuts of meat. Close your eyes and visualize standing in a field while looking at the side of a cow or steer. The first cut of meat behind the head is the shoulder, known in butchery terms as the chuck. Although flavorful, the often-used shoulder muscle is mostly tough and full of connective tissue. The meat from this section of a cow is less expensive and primarily used for slow-cooked roasts. However, if you’re looking for a bargain, a top blade steak, also called a flatiron, is a flavorful, fairly tender chuck steak to throw on the grill.

Next in the line-up, anatomically speaking, are the portions of a cow that butchers call the rib, short loin and sirloin. The meat from this top, middle area of the cow is the most tender, since the muscles move the least during a cow’s life (as compared to the shoulder, hind end and shank). From these three larger cuts come most of the steaks you see at the market.

Rib or Ribeye Steaks

Rib steaks are basically a prime rib roast cut into portions, with or without the bone.

The Difference Between a Rib Steak and a Ribeye Steak

A rib steak has the bone attached, but the more popular ribeye steak has had the bone removed. The ribeye is also sold as a Spencer steak in the western U.S., and Delmonico steak in the East. Rib steaks usually have large pockets of fat, which add flavor and give the steak a moist, juicy texture.

Short Loin Steaks

Short loin steaks are cut from the area below the backbone. There, you’ll find tenderloin or filet mignon, strip steak, New York strip, porterhouse, and others.  is home to some of the most tender and popular cuts of beef, such as the Tenderloin, Strip Steak, T-Bone and Porterhouse Steaks. Loin cuts are great prepared on the grill or under a broiler.

Which Short Loin Steak Is Best?

Some people find a long, narrow and slightly triangular top loin steak to be less tender than a rib eye and miss the extra ripples of fat. Others think a top loin steak has just the right balance of flavor and tenderness, without being too fatty. When it has a bone, a top loin steak is known as a shell steak. When the bone is removed it goes by many names: a strip steak, Kansas City strip, New York strip and sirloin strip steak, (which, confusingly, comes from the short loin, not the sirloin) are all the same cut of steak.

Tenderloin, Chateaubriand, and Filet Mignon

Also cut from the short loin portion of a cow is the tenderloin, a portion of meat considered to be extremely tender (hence the name). Tenderloins are easy to recognize in the meat case, due to a long, cylindrical shape that’s thicker on one end then tapers down. A tenderloin is cut into many different types of steak, and all are pretty pricey. The thickest part (usually about 3 inches thick) of the tenderloin is cut into a steak known as chateaubriand. Filet mignon (also known as tenderloin steak) is cut from the meat behind the chateaubriand and is slightly less thick. Filet Mignon is thought to be the most tender part of the tenderloin, but on the downside, the flavor can be pretty mild.

T-bone Steaks

Last but not least, the short loin gives us the t-bone, a steak named for, you guessed it, a “T” shaped bone that runs down the middle. On one side of the bone is meat from the top loin, and on the other is a thin strip of tenderloin. Some say this steak combines the best of both worlds: the tenderness of a tenderloin steak and the rich, “meaty” flavor of a top loin steak.

If you’re really hungry, skip the T-bone and go straight for the porterhouse, which is simply a t-bone steak with a bigger portion of tenderloin attached.

Sirloin Steak

The sirloin is basically the cow’s hip. Sirloin steaks are usually fairly large but thin, and the meat is both moderately flavorful and moderately tender. Steaks from this region of a cow tend to be a good value. The most well-known among them are the top sirloin steak and the tri-tip, both boneless. Lesser-known steaks cut from the sirloin are the pin-bone, flat-bone, round-bone and wedge-bone steaks.

Directly below the loin and sirloin, on the underside of the cow’s belly, is the flank. Flank steak is a thin, wide, boneless cut with a texture (grain) that looks very stringy. Cooked very quickly to medium-rare and sliced thinly against the grain, the chewy texture is less noticeable and you will be rewarded with rich flavor.

Seasoning the Meat

If a high-quality cut of meat is cooked correctly, you really don’t need much more than salt and pepper. Which makes one think that seasoning a steak is a very short topic, until of course, you consider the hotly debated “salt early” and “salt late” theories.

Cooking Steak: Salt Early vs. Salt Late

The Salt Early Theory: Salting meat many hours or even days before cooking breaks down the protein in meat and makes it more tender. Initially, the salt draws out moisture, but over time the meat re-absorbs the moisture, which is now flavored with salt and therefore adds more succulent flavor to the meat.

The Salt Late Theory: Salt dries meat out. Period. Don’t add it until immediately before cooking.

In this debate, we take the middle road. In our experience, the salt early theory rings true with larger or tougher cuts of beef. For your average steak, salting about a half-hour before cooking is ideal and seasoning right before cooking works just fine, too.

Before seasoning, always make sure to pat the steak dry. Some people like to brush the steak with oil (avoid olive oil, which can become bitter at high heats) or a combination of melted butter and oil before seasoning to help the outside of the steak brown. Season both sides of the steak, using a teaspoon or less of both salt and pepper. Remember, you can always add more seasoning after the steak cooks, but you can’t un-salt the meat.

After seasoning, let the meat sit on the counter for a bit so it comes up to room temperature (a good rule of thumb is at least 10 minutes for every inch of thickness).

If you want to branch out from salt and pepper, marinades and rubs can be used on any type of steak, but are an especially great way to bring flavor to less-expensive cuts.

Cooking Methods

What we love about cooking steak on the stove is how easy it is to get a crisp, caramelized coating on the outside of the steak without over-cooking the middle. More often than not, this is harder to achieve on a grill. Using a combination of the stove-top and the oven is a tried and true method for perfect steak. The question is, which comes first?

How to Cook a Steak in the Oven and Cast Iron Skillet

The most common method is searing the steak first on the stove, then finishing it in a hot oven.

1. Pat dry and season the steak.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 450-500 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. When the oven is up to temp, drizzle a little oil in an oven-proof pan (cast iron works great) and then heat the pan on the stove over high heat for several minutes until it just barely starts to smoke (you can give the pan a head start by putting it in the oven while it preheats).
4. Drop the steak in the pan and let it sit without touching it for 3 minutes. Be prepared to turn on your fan or open some windows, as there will be smoke.
5. If the steak is stuck to the pan, it’s not done browning yet and needs a little more time. If it comes up relatively easily after 3 minutes, flip the steak.
6. Put the pan, with the steak in it, in the oven.
7. Let it bake for several minutes, then check by temperature or texture for doneness.

Reverse Sear Method of Cooking Steak

A small but vocal population of steak lovers swears by the “reverse sear” technique. The theory behind this method is that cooking the steak in the oven first will dry the outside of the steak while slowly cooking the inside and keeping it tender. If the outside of the steak is dry, it will then sear faster and more efficiently in a hot pan.

• Pat dry and season the steak.
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place a wire cooling rack on a cookie sheet then put the steak on the cooling rack. This allows hot air to circulate around the entire steak.
• Bake the steak until the internal temperature is 100-110 degrees.
• Drizzle a little oil in a pan over high heat. Just as the pan begins to smoke, drop the steak in the pan.
• Cook the steak for 2 minutes on each side.

So does this method really yield a more perfect steak? We have to admit, it did brown the outside of the steak very nicely while leaving the inside really juicy and tender. As a bonus, you get nice grill marks from baking the meat on the cooling rack. Give it a try, and you be the judge.

Grilling Steak on an Outdoor Grill

In some people’s minds, however, the only way to cook a steak is over an open flame in the great outdoors. Many of these same people consider grilling an art form that cannot be mastered overnight. It takes years of experimenting with different types of grills, different heat levels and cooking times and various seasonings and marinades. This may be true for some fanatics out there, but we feel pretty confident that you’ll get a great steak the first time out if you pay attention to a few key things.

Charcoal Grilling vs. Gas Grilling for Steak

The “charcoal vs gas” debate is one that has gone for decades, and we think they both have their place. For convenience and the easy ability to control heat levels, a gas grill can’t be beat. For depth of flavor, charcoal usually wins out.

Either way, you never want to put a steak on a cold grill. Wait until it heats up. For a gas grill, this is easy. Simply turn the knob to medium-high and keep the lid closed for 10-15 minutes. For a charcoal grill, the type of charcoal you use will affect the heat level as well as the flavor of the meat. Briquettes are easy to light, hold steady heat and are inexpensive, but they are also made with questionable additives that can give meat a chemical flavor. We favor hardwood charcoal (made from oak, hickory, mesquite, etc) for a natural, smoky flavor. Hardwood charcoal can be a little trickier to light and once it gets going it burns hotter and more unpredictably, which requires keeping a closer eye on the grill. A small price to pay, we think.

There is no point in using hardwood charcoal and then dousing it in lighter fluid, which will make your meat taste like it was marinated in petroleum. Instead, use a charcoal chimney starter to stack and light the coals. Once the coals are lit (usually about 30 coals are needed to provide adequate heat) wait until they change from bright red to an ashy white, which usually takes at least 20 minutes. Spread the coals out, placing most of them on one side to create a high heat side and a few on the other side of the grill to create a low heat side. Cover the grill for about five minutes so the heat builds to medium-high. To test the heat, simply hold your hand a few inches above the grill. If you can’t hold it there for more then 2 seconds, you’ve got high heat. If you can hold it there for 4-6 seconds without pulling away, the heat is medium-high.

Now, you’re ready to cook. Start by placing the steak (patted dry, seasoned and close to room temp.) over medium-high heat for at least 3 minutes without turning. This is about right for a 1-inch steak; thicker steaks will need another minute or two. Flip, and grill the other side for another 3 minutes. This should brown both sides and bring the steak to the brink of medium-rare.

To bring the steak up to desired doneness, move it to an area of the grill that has less-intense heat. Close the lid and cook for another 3-5 minutes before checking if it’s ready.

Although flames add excitement to grilling, they do nothing for the meat but burn it. Move the steak away from flare-ups as soon as they occur. In general, try to move the steak as little as possible while it cooks – too much movement prevents the steak from searing and getting a crispy, brown coating.

Is It Perfect Yet?

A thermometer is the most accurate way to gauge if steak is done to your liking. Although your thermometer will probably tell you that 145 degrees is rare for beef, any chef you ask will tell you differently.

Temperatures for Steak Doneness

• Rare: In a chef’s mind, rare means very pink, is closer to 125 degrees
• Medium-rare: You’re looking for 125-130 degrees
• Medium: 130-135 degrees
• Medium-well: 135 to 140 degrees
• Well done: 140 and above

You can also give the steak a poke with your finger. Rare is squishy, medium-rare is spongy, and medium-well is taut. The steak will continue to cook at least five degrees when it’s off the grill or out of the pan, so err on the side of taking it away from heat earlier rather than later.

Do Not Skip This Step When Cooking Steak

The final step, which should be included no matter how you cook your steak, is letting the meat rest before cutting into it. As the meat cools down the proteins begin to firm up and hold moisture, so when you cut into the steak all the juicy goodness won’t run out. About 8-10 minutes should do it, and a loose cover of foil or no cover at all is a much better choice than tightly sealing the meat up while it rests. If you’re like us, it takes at least 8-10 minutes to set the table and get everyone to sit down, so usually this step simply happens without having to think about it.

Hungry yet? Get over to your local butcher shop, grab a little salt and pepper, and give one of these cooking methods a try. In less time than it takes to drive to a restaurant, you’ll be sitting down at your kitchen table with a tender, sizzling hot, and dare we stay it, perfect steak on your plate.

The post How to Buy and Cook the Perfect Steak appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Research of the Week

The human cerebellum stands out.

Postprandial glucose dips predict subsequent appetite.

Probiotics seem to help against COVID.

A study into set and setting in a Brazilian ayahuasca church.

Humans attribute more moral standing to animals they deem beautiful.

Feeding a Western diet to mother rats increases omega-6 content and lowers MCT and saturated fat content of the milk.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 489: Autumn Fladmo Smith: Host Elle Russ chats with Autumn Fladmo Smith, who used paleo to resolve IBS and anxiety and eventually go on to found Wild Pastures and Paleo Valley.

Episode 490: Dr. Anthony Balduzzi — The Fit Father Proejct: Host Brad Kearns chats with Dr. Anthony Balduzzi about fit fatherhood.

Health Coach Radio: Erin and Laura chat with Debora Wayne about the fact that everything is energy.

Media, Schmedia

Nature is healing.

Interesting Blog Posts

Encounter with a buffalo.

Where did COVID come from?

Social Notes

Alert.

Truth.

Everything Else

Never thought I’d see this: the genetics of psychic ability.

Nutrient gaps in complementary feeding in East Africa, Southern Africa, and South Asia.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Interesting effect: A single shot of testosterone increases attraction to novelty.

This is why I eat chicken tikka masala postworkout: Curcumin for DOMS.

He’s right, you know: Do not dwell. Act!

We need more wild horses: They dig wells.

Interesting study: Fossil apes and human evolution.

Question I’m Asking

Are you dwelling or are you acting?

Recipe Corner

• People don’t grill enough carrots.
• Paleo Jamaican brown stew.

Time Capsule

One year ago (May 1 – May 7)

• No Equipment at Home Arm Workout (12 Minute EMOM with Video) — No excuses.
• Floor Sitting: Do You Spend Enough Time on the Ground? — Well, do you?

Comment of the Week

“Myths are the poetic, archetypal, yes Paleo/Primal foundation of Sapien consciousness. Please reconsider using myth as a synonym for false belief.”

-Good point, Chris.

The post New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week — Edition 129 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Mike Tromello is back on the show, and in this short, sharp, content-packed episode, he explains:

What your redline is:

read more

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

We’re all looking for the perfect formula, right? Just tell me how many grams of fat and carbs to eat. How many steps to take per day. And how many glasses of water I should be drinking within a 24-hour period.

We love the precision of it all. The safety of micromanaging every detail of our life with the promise that if we can dial it in enough, we’ll enjoy perfect health for the rest of our days. But when you think about all the forcing, measuring, counting, and obsessive overplanning that goes into this kind of micromanagement, there’s actually nothing healthy about it.

There’s nothing healthy about ignoring your body’s own cues in favor of what general nutrition — or random social media influencers say. Nutrition might be a science, but it’s also an art form. And learning to trust your body and what it’s trying to tell you trumps any water-to weight-ratio chart you’ll find online.

But How Much Water Should You Drink?

I’ve always followed Mark’s wisdom around water consumption. We both believe that the body has a well-regulated system for preventing dehydration and a built-in mechanism to let you know when we need more water. That internal mechanism is called your thirst.¹

How much water you need is highly individual. Meaning, it depends on your unique circumstances, your activity level, and the climate you live in. Not only that, the advice to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day or half your bodyweight in ounces isn’t based on actual evidence.

Those guidelines initially game from the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board recommendations back in 1945, stating that people should drink 2.5 liters of water per day.² Unfortunately, people who read that statement neglected to read the following sentence that read, “Most of this quantity is contained in foods.”

I know meditation is good for me, but I don’t know how to start.

I’ve tried to meditate before, but my mind is too busy.

It sounds easy, but it feels hard.

Not sure what the hype is all about? Find out why millions of people have been meditating for thousands of years.

Meditate with us for 21 days, complete with video meditations, a tracker, and community support!

Caffeinated Drinks Work Against You, Right?

A review published in the American Journal of Physiology goes even further to debunk the 8 glasses or 2 liter of water per day recommendation. Researchers looked at studies that measured the food and fluid intake of 28,081 men and women in the United States and found that such large volumes of water weren’t necessary for good health.³

They also found that caffeinated drinks (and to a lesser extent, alcohol) added to hydration levels, specifically noting that nearly one-half (47%) of the total fluids ingested by participants were coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcohol.

So, as a health coach, I don’t push the hydration issue. Instead, I empower my clients to tune into something I think most of us don’t have a good handle on. And that’s trusting your body.

What If You Drank When You Were Thirsty?

And while you’re at it, how about eating when you’re hungry, sleeping when you feel tired, and speaking up when you’ve got something to say? Wouldn’t that be miraculous? It would be so freaking liberating to stop forcing every single detail and instead, have a little faith that your body knows what it’s doing.

The trust your body message is something that gets lost in today’s world. In fact, we work extra hard to ignore those subtle and not-so-subtle signs. In fact, humans are the only species that exerts energy when they don’t need to.⁴

We deprive ourselves of sleep on purpose because there’s more work to crank out, or it’s too early to go to bed. We snub our hunger pangs because we tell ourselves we shouldn’t eat ‘til our fasting window opens if we want to lose weight.

We’ve become so used to ignoring and pushing through the discomfort that we’ve forgotten how to honor the miracle that is our body. I’m not saying you shouldn’t push yourself. But by training your brain to disregard the signs and symptoms, you’re doing yourself and your wellbeing a disservice.

Want to Know the Best Way to Hydrate?

From a health coaching perspective, the best way to hydrate is get tuned in to what your body is telling you. No one knows you better than you do. And when you get really dialed into your internal signals (instead of continuing the pattern of ignoring them), you don’t have to subject yourself to tracking your water intake — or monitoring your macros for that matter.

1. Notice what thirst feels like. We’ve become so used to fighting hunger pains, pulling all-nighters, and completely disregarding our body’s signals, that being disconnected is kind of the new normal. But when your body is feeling something, anything, you should always take it as a sign. Pay attention to when your mouth gets dry, or you get a slight itch in the back of your throat. That’s your body telling you its thirsty.
2. Respond to that feeling. Once you’ve learned how to notice what’s going on, the next step is to take action. Respect your body enough to give it what it’s asking for. Go get some water, drink a smoothie, have a cup of coffee. When you consciously respond to these signals, you begin to trust your body more. And vice versa.
3. Hone your self-efficacy skills. In other words, if you believe you can do it, you’re more likely to actually do it. Even if you’re not naturally inclined to think this way, you can learn to have more self-efficacy by setting small goals for yourself (notice when you’re thirsty and go grab some water), being aware of your patterns (ignoring your body’s signals), and getting up to refill your water glass anyway.
4. Stop worrying about what others are doing. A quick search for “how much water should I drink” brings up hundreds of thousands of results ranging in answers from two liters to fifteen and a half cups. Like I said before, no one knows your body better than you. So instead of stressing over what other people are doing (or saying), keep working steps one through three and tune into your own perfect formula.

Four Ways to Hydrate Better

Forget the 8×8 rule or recommendations to drink half your bodyweight in ounces. The best way to hydrate is to listen to your body. Use these steps to practice tuning into your body’s internal signals, and drink when you’re thirsty. You’ll stay hydrated without having to micromanage your water intake.

1. Notice what thirst feels like
2. Respond to that feeling
3. Hone your self-efficacy skills
4. Stop worrying about what others are doing

Now it’s your turn. How do you decide how much water to drink?

The post The Best Way to Hydrate, According to a Health Coach appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

So you’re having trouble working out consistently?

I get it. 

Life is busy and hectic. You probably wear multiple hats in your life.

Hopefully, one of them is a pirate hat:

So if you are having trouble exercising regularly, know that you aren’t alone. 

Not being able to work out consistently is one of the top issues facing our clients in Nerd Fitness Coaching. Luckily, there are some tips and tricks that help them, which we’ll share with you right now too. 

Want a customized workout plan you’ll ACTUALLY do? Learn more:

Here’s what we’ll cover today:

• Step 1: Why you miss workouts (and why it’s okay).
• Step 2: Building a (specific and realistic) workout plan. 
• Step 3: Why “all of nothing” hurts workout consistency.
• Step 4: The key to getting in regular exercise (make it fun).
• Step 5: How to build workout accountability.
• Step 6: Exercise and workout motivation (and the problems with it).
• Step 7: How to find time to work out.
• How to start working out consistently (next steps).

Let’s jump right in!

Step 1: Why You Miss Workouts

As I mention in the video above, it’s okay to stumble – everyone misses a workout now and again.

Life happens:

• Your job might need you to stay late. 
• Maybe your spouse can’t pick up the kids today.
• Or perhaps you just lost track of time while playing video games.

These things happen, so don’t beat yourself up whenever you miss a workout.

“Wait, wait, wait Jim! I thought this article was about consistency – then you start off saying it’s OK to miss a workout?”

What I’m saying is to not beat yourself up over it. I’ll see people be so tough on themselves for one missed workout, that it spirals downward and then they’re doing NO workouts.

It’s unnecessary, and it’s not sustainable.

Here’s something I remind my clients: If being tough on yourself helped with workout consistency, it would’ve helped by now.

So first of all, forgive yourself.

Then, I share with them a saying we have here at Nerd Fitness:

“Never Two in a Row.”

That means aim to not miss two workouts, back to back.

It’s a mantra you’ll hear throughout the Rebellion (our community!). 

Here’s the justification: as I mentioned, missing one workout is nbd. 

However, two workouts in a row could be the start of a trend. If you’re not careful, after a few missed workouts, you could just stop exercising altogether. 

That’s the real danger.

So we aim to not allow the trend to start in the first place.

Takeaway: If you miss a workout, it’s fine. Just try not to miss the next one.

Step 2:Building a Workout Plan

Here’s a great quote from Benjamin Franklin:

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

When it comes to working out consistently, we need to define what “consistently” actually means.

For that, it’s time to build a workout routine.

As Coach Staci mentions in the video above, we want to focus on three key questions when programming our training:

• What type of workout are you doing?
• When do you plan on doing your training?
• Where will this workout take place?

All three questions are important, but we’re going to focus on “when” right now.

Determining “when” you’ll train is easily the most important step for working out consistently.

That’s why I want you to place your workouts in your calendar!

Schedule your workout like it’s the most important meeting of the day!

(A reminder that you ARE important!)

That’s what I have my clients do in our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. It goes a long way to helping them stick to their workout schedule. 

So if you plan on training first thing at 8am, have a calendar reminder go off at 7:50am. 

It’ll make a difference. I promise. 

What days should be workout days?

For that, I have a couple of resources to share with you:

1. How to Build Your Own Workout Routine. Our MASSIVE guide will teach you exactly how to create a training schedule, including what exercises to do and when to take rest days. If you want to get your hands dirty building your own workout, this is the way to do it.
2. Nerd Fitness Journey. Our fun habit-building app will tell you exactly when to workout, with video tutorials for every exercise covered. No need to create a plan, just open up the app and check your missions for the day. Plus, you’ll build your very own superhero as you go, which is totally sweet. You can try it out for free right below:

Step 3: Why “All of Nothing” Hurts Workout Consistency

Another one of the best things you can do to improve your workout consistency: have a backup plan.

Let’s say a pipe bursts at your gym, and it’s closed for the next few days.

Does that mean you should stop working out until they resolve their plumbing emergency?

It could be a while…

No!

It just means you’ll have to work out at home, in a nearby playground, or maybe you just focus on long walks for the next few days.

That’s why it’s always good to have a backup for any regular emergecny, like:

• If I can’t train at my gym, I’ll do bodyweight training at home.
• If it’s raining heavily and I can’t run outside, I’ll jump on the stationary bike in the garage.
• If I’m sore from a hard workout, today I’ll just do some light yoga. 

Remember, just because your initial plan falls through, doesn’t mean you have to completely throw in the towel.

Or as I jokingly tell my clients, just because one tire goes flat, doesn’t mean you should slash the other three.

Just do the best you can to get back on the road.

Step 4: The Key to Getting in Regular Exercise

If I have one single piece of advice on how to get in more daily movement, it would be this: do something you enjoy.

Every workout doesn’t have to be a slog.

You can schedule things you enjoy, like:

• Hiking
• Parkour
• Video games that get you moving.

If you enjoy the activity, you’ll be WAY more likely to exercise consistently.

For more tips here, here are 40 Ways to Exercise (Without Realizing It). 

Here’s another trick to start enjoying your workouts – do them while listening to some of your favorite music, or a podcast you enjoy.

Heck, you can even flip the TV on in the corner and watch your favorite show while you train.

We call this “Temptation Bundling” and I’ve seen it help a lot of my clients:

• If you only listen to your favorite podcast when you run, eventually, you might start looking forward to running.
• The same thing could happen with music. If you start to associate your favorite tunes with building up a sweat, one day you might actually enjoy building up a sweat.
• Let’s say you only watch The Great British Bake Off while on your elliptical. If that’s the case, you’re going to start protecting your time exercising (“Don’t bother me now”).

Don’t overlook the power of coupling activities you enjoy with your workouts. 

Step 5: How to Build Workout Accountability

Another strategy we can deploy when improving workout consistency: accountability and support.

There’s nothing quite like being accountable to another human being when it comes to exercising regularly.

There are a few ways we can create workout accountability:

#1) Tell Friends and Family.

Share your goals with your loved ones, then let them know the times you’ll be working out.

This will help for a couple of reasons:

• We’re more likely to follow through with action if we commit ourselves in front of others.
• If we don’t show up for a workout, they may politely call us out on it.

#2) Join an Online Community.

In the 21st century, it’s very easy to find a group of people who are on a similar mission.

If you want to exercise regularly, I’d wager you aren’t the only person on the internet working towards this goal.

So join a digital community! That way you can get in on some group accountability.

We regularly hold group challenges through our app, Nerd Fitness Journey. I’ve been told by countless Rebels that they’re more likely to get their training in if they know everyone else in the community is doing it too.

Heck, I did burpees in the snow because everyone in the Rebellion was doing a burpee challenge.

If you want to try out some of these experiences, you can sign-up for a free trial to our snazzy new app right here:

If you want some next-level accountability, I have to mention the ultimate power-up: hire a coach.

It could be a personal trainer in a gym, or you can go digital with an online coach.

Either way, having someone you check in with weekly (who will also program your workouts) is one of the best ways to exercise consistently.

If you know a coach will ask you about your workouts, you’re going to be more likely to do them.

If you’re interested in learning if you’d be a good fit for one of our online coaches, you can click on the big yellow button below:

We can be your accountability partner. Lean more here.

Step 6: The Problems With Exercise and Workout Motivation

In the video above, Rebel Leader Steve outlines the problems with motivation. 

I think all of my clients should watch the video. 

That’s because I’ll often hear them say “I need more motivation to workout” or “I’m just not motivated to exercise.”

This is the wrong frame of mind.

Action creates motivation, not the other way around.

For example, let’s imagine a new client. They don’t particularly like working out and they aren’t very motivated to do it.

But they do it anyway.

Then, after a few weeks of successful workouts, they’ll start to recognize the trend they’ve begun.

Our coaching app tracks all the training we assign, so I’ll often see my clients rejoice when they’ve “hit 20 workouts!” 

It feels good to recognize they’re making progress, which often makes them more motivated to exercise.

So they keep working out. 

The problem: getting started in the first place can be tough.

That’s why you should start with ANYTHING that breaks the inertia.

Coach Matt breaks it all down for you right here:

As a beginner, your first step is the most important. And often the hardest.

That’s why in our Beginner’s Guide to Starting Your Fitness Journey, we recommend your first workouts should be walks.

It could be a half-mile around the block. Or it could be to the mailbox and back. 

The exact amount doesn’t matter, but being intentional is. That’s how we work to build consistency.

So do a short walk today. Then another one the day after tomorrow. Then a third two days from then.

Boom, three workouts in one week, all by just walking. 

Step 7: How to Find Time to Workout

I’ll be real with you: no one is sitting around, twiddling their thumbs with time to kill.

If you’re going to make time to work out, you’ll need to figure out what activity in your life you can change or eliminate:

• Maybe your two-hour nightly TV ritual can come down to an hour.
• Maybe you start biking home from work instead of driving.
• Maybe you catch up with your spouse over an evening walk instead of a drink.

This is why scheduling your workouts in your calendar can be so critical – it helps you see what needs to be moved around to get your training done.

Also, it’s okay to experiment here.

If you create a schedule, and you don’t hit it all, it’s okay. 

Perhaps you just created an unrealistic schedule.

If so, then modify the workout:

• Try a 30-minute workout instead of an hour.
• Try two workouts a week instead of three.
• Go around the block once instead of twice.

Again, we’re not worried about the amount of time here. Instead, we’re concerned about you hitting your workout schedule consistently. It’s okay to scale down to do that.

Once you’re rocking and rolling, we can always scale it up if it seems right.

If you want some tips on how to gauge your adherence to sticking with your workout schedule, then check out How to Track Your Fitness Progress.  

Start Working Out Consistently

There you have it, my friend. 

When it comes to working out consistently, remember to:

• Step 1: It’s okay to stumble (Forgive yourself). Everyone I know misses a workout here or there. It’s nothing to feel shame over. 
• Step 2: Have a plan! Without scheduling your week’s workouts, how do you even know if you’re being consistent or not?
• Step 3: Have a backup plan! (Lose the “all or nothing” mindset). If your first plan falls through, nbd. Just move onto the next one. “Some” workout is always better than “no” workout. Do the best you can.
• Step 4: Make it fun. Your workout doesn’t need to be something you dread. If you like hiking, go hiking. If you like swimming, go swimming. Any movement is beneficial and should be encouraged. No one said you have to hate it.
• Step 5: Find an accountability partner. Going alone is almost always harder. If you can find a friend or coach to team with, it will make working out consistently easier.
• Step 6: Embrace “action” not “motivation.” If you have to wait around for motivation to start working out, you might be waiting for quite a while. You’ll become motivated after you act.
• Step 7: Don’t find time, make time. Your schedule won’t magically free itself. Look at your calendar and start prioritizing.

That’s it.

The most important thing you can do now today: START!

Not tomorrow. Not next Monday.

Today!

If you don’t know what to do, look at the next free spot on your calendar. Then schedule a walk.

Then schedule it a couple of days later.

Then the following week.

BOOM! You just started a plan for working out consistently.

As always, if you need any help here, we gotcha. 

Here are three ways that Nerd Fitness can help you exercise regularly. 

#1) Our Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.

As I said, this is the ultimate way to build workout accountability. Not only will a NF Coach build your workout, but they’ll check in with you too to make sure you’re able to do it.

If you can’t? 

No problem, they’ll work with you to create a new plan.

You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn how!

#2) If you want an exact roadmap for working out consistently, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app tells you exactly what days to exercise, what days to rest, and helps you track it all so you know if it’s working for you.

Interested?

Try your free trial right here:

#3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, our Strength Training 101 eBook, and much more!

Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit

• The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.
• Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
• Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.

Alright, I want to hear from you now:

What’s your biggest issue with working out consistently?

What tips helped the most?

Are we missing any helpful suggestions for a beginner?

Let me know in the comments!

-Jim

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Photo Source: Rugby Player, Bruce Emmerling © 123RF.com, Firefighter, Dog Sitter, Bicycle, Toxic, choneschones © 123RF.com, Morning run with the Fitbit

The post How to Start Working Out (Consistently) first appeared on Nerd Fitness.