To view this email as a webpage, click here I stumbled across a reddit thread that really grabbed my attention. Somebody asked “What was the ‘one thing’ that finally made weight loss work for you?” And this question had 5,400 replies (and counting). Some of the answers involved environmental changes or changing how they prepared their food: “Pouring snacks into little ramekins to eat them. Suddenly I ate a normal amount of snacks.” “I meal prepped my typical amount of food and instead of...
8 days ago • 4 min read
To view this email as a webpage, click here Last week, I flew to Massachusetts to visit my 94-year grandmother in the hospital. Let me tell you about this amazing woman. Barbara, Auntie B, or Gramma to us grandkids, was born in 1930 to first-generation Newfoundlanders. (No wonder I love the music of Alan Doyle (and Great Big Sea), it’s in my DNA!) Gramma was a preschool teacher for 22 years and has been an active member in her community for her entire life. She was a heck of a quilter and...
15 days ago • 6 min read
To view this email as a webpage, click here I know you’re overcomplicating things, because everybody does. Including me, the nerd who studies this stuff for a living. I shared a quick story the other day on Threads (and Instagram): A few thousand people resonated, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the replies. Magdalena jokingly said it best: When life asks me to juggle chainsaws and then sets those chainsaws on fire, I tend to get away from the things that keep me functioning as a fulfilled...
22 days ago • 2 min read
To view this email as a webpage, click here We have two choices for how we spend the rest of 2024: Path A: Coast and say “I’ll start back up in January.” Path B: Treat it like a Beta Test for 2025. Our brains are going to try and convince us to pick Path A. I want you to pick Path B. Here’s how Beta Testing works: We’re going to experiment with our lives and find out what we want to work on in 2025. We’re not looking to stick with the perfect workout, or trying to build a flawless streak of...
29 days ago • 1 min read
To view this email as a webpage, click here For the first time in 10+ years, I rewatched my 2012 TEDx talk: “Nerd Fitness and Resetting the Game of Life.” My first thought: “Whoa, Steve. Those are some EPIC sideburns.” My next thought: “Bold choice with the striped shirt, jeans, and flip flops!” Then I gave myself some grace. I’m deeply uncomfortable with the spotlight. I hate public speaking. It makes me want to vomit every single time. I also don’t like being on camera. And yet, I have...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
To view this email as a webpage, click here For a long time, I took a lot of pride in never needing to rely on other people. I am a conflict-avoidant people-pleaser, so I would often pride myself on NEVER allowing myself to rely on others. I certainly wouldn’t let myself burden somebody else with my struggles. I jokingly shared how I felt about asking for help the other day on Instagram: I would gladly help others without a second thought. But saw it as a character flaw for myself (and ONLY...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
To view this email as a webpage, click here Nick Cave has taken over my life for the past month. Mr. Cave has been putting out music since the mid 1980s with his band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He’s also a writer, screenwriter, poet, and all-around interesting dude. His band’s most famous song, “Red Right Hand,” serves as the theme song for the show Peaky Blinders, which I have been watching this summer. And last week, Nick Cave turned up again in my life, and I can’t stop thinking about...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
To view this email as a webpage, click here Getting in shape is difficult. Every day, there’s a new trend on social media, a new supplement launched, a new secret workout strategy. It’s confusing, frustrating, and demoralizing. For the past fifteen years, I’ve done my damndest to try and cut through all this crap and help busy people get to the truth and forget the rest. I’ve written about 1000 articles on pretty much every topic related to exercise or nutrition. Here’s the thing: the fact...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
To view this email as a webpage, click here About a year ago, I decided to make a big change to this very newsletter you’re reading. You see, from 2020-2023 I was pretty unmotivated to do my job. Which is kind of amazing, when you realize that I have complete autonomy, created Nerd Fitness, and essentially built my own job. I had spent years trying to be the person that I thought Nerd Fitness and the community needed me to be, instead of doing what I’m actually good at (writing interesting...
2 months ago • 3 min read