Set Your Fitness Goals. We'll Help You Achieve Them.
Join for free and you'll gain instant access to our tracking and reporting tools, expert coaching tips, and a free trial to our personalized training and nutrition programs.
Blogs
Mindset
Prepare for challenges and stay motivated, focused, and in control with the tips in this blog.
Mindset
Don’t Let a Mean Boss Make You Miserable
Thinkstock
It’s tough enough to succeed in business without feeling like your manager is an adversary. So when you’re exposed to an abusive boss, your career can become significantly sidetracked. To make matters worse, a new study in the journal Personnel Psychology concluded that mean managers can actually harm the marriages of their subordinates. The finding came from surveys of 280 full-time employees and their partners, which also confirmed the expected rise in personal stress and tension that can result from such a workplace scenario.
Mindset
Can You Limit Sitting and Sleeping to 23 ½ Hours a Day?
We love this question, posed in the video above by Dr. Mike Evans, an associate professor of family medicine and public health at the University of Toronto. The video’s a bit long, but educational and entertaining. Plus: whiteboard illustrations! If you’re a sucker for whiteboard illos like we are, after watching this you may be compelled to 1) walk more, and 2) start using UPS for your international shipping.
Mindset
The Science of Pushing Your Limits
The Detroit Lions' Ndamukong Suh shows off his explosive power and sends Sports Science host John Brenkus flying. (Charles Baus/ESPN.com)
As the executive producer and host of the popular "Sport Science" segments on ESPN, John Brenkus spends a lot of time exploring the limits of human performance.
Brenkus, 40, likes to refer to himself as a “human crash-test dummy.” During the segments, he routinely gets tossed, struck, and otherwise knocked around by some of the biggest names in sports—all in the name of gleaning new insight into athletic performance.
Mindset
Why Do You Race?
Thinkstock Photo
Despite the lingering recession, participation in endurance sports continues to grow. In 2010, more than 507,000 athletes finished a marathon, an 8.6 percent increase over 2009, according to Running USA’s annual marathon report. Membership in USA Triathlon has grown from 85,000 at the end of 2006 to more than 140,000 today. Sports such as stand-up paddleboarding and obstacle mud runs have soared in popularity over the last two years as more athletes, especially in the 35-to-45 age category, look for new ways to test their limits.
Mindset
7 Secrets to Get Motivated for a Workout
Dave Cruz
Maintaining motivation in a training program can be a challenge no matter your experience level. There will be days when you just don’t feel motivated to train and periods where it’s tempting to slack off. Here are seven secrets to get motivated to work out.
Mindset
Q&A: Is It Better to Skip a Workout or Tone It Down When Tired?
Thinkstock Photo
Q: By the end of the day, I often feel too tired to exercise. Is it better to skip my workout or cut it short?
A: While your initial reaction to feeling rundown may be to skip your workout, don't avoid the gym. Unless you're sick or you've been overtraining, a truncated workout is better than nothing.
Mindset
How to Prepare Your Mind for a Grueling Endurance Race
Thinkstock Photo
During his nearly 30-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, Paul Roarke developed plenty of core strength. But he noticed that many of his longtime colleagues struggled with maintaining the physical standards needed to perform. As a result, they were forced to retire early, depriving America of some experienced soldiers. It’s no different, Roarke says, than civilians who no longer can apply their skills because of diminished physical performance.
The chiseled 50-year-old Roarke’s fitness regimen over the years has included boxing, martial arts, power lifting, and triathlon, and in June he will compete in “The Death Race,” a grueling endurance event in Vermont so challenging that its website is YouMayDie.com. Participants literally sign their lives away, and only 10 percent of the 200 competitors finish.
Mindset
4 Keys to Track Fitness Improvements
When Alwyn Cosgrove is asked about the value of tracking progress and moving incrementally toward a goal, he brings up his battle with cancer several years ago. “I had a stem cell transplant and doctors took my blood pressure, temperature and other vitals every four hours,” says Cosgrove, the co-author of The New Rules of Lifting book series. “They constantly knew where we were. They had a plan and they were going to check every step of the way so we could make adjustments if necessary.” The situation was extreme, to be sure, but illustrates the value of tracking progress, even for goals that don’t have a life-or-death incentive. Here are a few ways to track progress more effectively:
Mindset
5 Steps to Hit Your Fitness Goals
Thinkstock Photo
Steven Jonas has completed 217 multisport events. He’s written five books on triathlon training. He’s a professor of preventive medicine at Stony Brook University in New York who has written extensively on “mobilizing motivation.” So he knows a few things about setting training goals for a new year and harnessing the motivation to bring those goals to reality. At 74, Jonas also recognizes that athletic goals must be adjusted with age. Jonas’ “Ordinary Mortals” program—a five-step pathway to mobilizing motivation—is especially applicable this time of year.
Mindset
3 Keys to Successful Health and Fitness Resolutions
Thinkstock Photo
Many people will make resolutions this holiday season, hoping the new year will bring the power and leverage (or at least the willingness) to replace bad habits with positive behaviors.
Most New Year’s resolutions fail, of course, but not for the reasons you might think. According to Dr. Roy Sugarman, the Director of Applied Neuroscience at Athletes’ Performance, the key to keeping resolutions is a three-pronged approach of importance, confidence, and readiness.
Page 1 of 4
Stay Connected
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get expert performance tips delivered to your inbox.
Popular Stories
RSS Feeds
Popular Topics
Blogs
Movement
5 Stretches to Refresh Your Warm-Up
Try these dynamic stretches to prepare for a better workout.
Live Better
$250 Billion: The Nation’s Annual Bill for Job-Related Injuries and Illnesses
A new study shows that the cost of job-related injuries and illnesses is greater than previously thought.
One Small Change
The Perfect Posture Experiment
Our resident lab rat tried to attain perfect posture in 30 days. Here's what he learned, along with his verdict on whether you should try it.
Success Stories
What It's Like to Walk a Marathon
How one woman lost 30 pounds and gained the confidence to finish a marathon at her own pace.
The Performance Life
Mark Verstegen Discusses Barefoot Training in National Post Interview
Mark Verstegen shares his thoughts on the best barefoot training shoes, barefoot running, and more.
