close up of carbonated soda drink Nutrition

What Everyone Gets Wrong About Artificial Sweeteners

Are artificial sweeteners bad for you? We get this question all the time. First and foremost, it needs to be said: diet beverages have an undeserved bad reputation. They’ve been blamed for everything from making you gain weight to messing with your hormones. And, study-after-study tries to pardon the beverages without any luck.  Plenty of […]

man stretching on a track Fitness

Quick Warm-Up Routines That Will Change How You Exercise

Here’s something you won’t hear many trainers admit: A long workout warm-up — you know, the type that asks you to foam roll, stretch, or otherwise activate every muscle imaginable — can backfire. Before you think we’re railing against common advice for the sake of being counterintuitive, we’re not saying warmup exercises are bad. We’re […]

busy crowd of people walking Fitness

The Surprising Health Benefits of the 5-Minute Walk

The idea of keeping it simple is something that is embraced in almost every area of life — except exercise. Unless a behavior is extreme or challenging, it’s assumed that it won’t work.  Believing this reality is not only likely to lead to injury and burnout, but it’s also a big reason why so many people […]

colorful salad bowl with hard boiled eggs Nutrition

The Art and Science of Foods That Fill You Up

The hardest part of dieting is not the self-control or reduced calories that are part of any weight-loss plan. It’s the seemingly cruel way that your body fights against you to make you hungrier than ever and push you towards the foods you’re trying to avoid.  As you reduce calories and — more importantly — lose […]

woman happily eating vegetables Nutrition

What No One Tells You To Look For In A Healthy Diet

Each week, we review feedback from coaching clients and readers of the site and our emails. One of the most common frustrations is figuring out what to eat, specifically knowing what to look for in a healthy diet. The reason for the struggle is that it’s not clear where to begin to fix the problem. […]

Pouring protein shake powder into a cup Nutrition

What to Eat Before and After a Workout

You might want to think twice before you rush to slug down another post-workout smoothie. Your pre-workout routine of oatmeal and fruit? It might not be helping in the way you think. And the extra BCAAs you’re drinking during your workout? The real impact is likely only on how much money you have in your […]

a variety of assorted vegetables Nutrition

Is An Alkaline Diet Really Healthier?

Of all the ways you can easily become confused by what foods are “healthy,” the most common is the cruelest. The diet industry loves to take a concept that you understand on a basic level, and then twist science to make it seem that certain foods are dangerous to your health. The manipulation of fear […]

Woman performs high intensity battle ropes exercise Fitness

High-Intensity Training: The Most Common HIIT Workout Mistake

High-intensity interval training (AKA “HIIT”) has been a popular training method for years. It’s effective and time-efficient. But, as time has gone on, the methods you see being labeled as “HIIT” are getting farther away from the science that proved the effectiveness of these types of routines. Just because the high intensity is good, doesn’t […]

Nutrition

Why Boosting Your Immune System Makes You Feel Sicker

“You have a supercharged immune system…and that is why you’re so sick.” I’ll never forget the words from my immunologist. It was the same speculation I heard a week earlier from my oncologist, right after a relieving conversation where she shared that I didn’t have cancer. If I’m being open, this was the third time […]