Simple but powerful movements you could do in less than 15 minutes
Your core is the foundation for all movement. Without it, you’d regularly suffer from unbearable pains — day in, day out. It comprises a series of muscles that help you perform what’s needed to help your body stabilise, contract, and move without risking injury. In other words, it’s essential for everyday movement. Core training is usually seen as an integral part of athletic development; however, I also believe it’s crucial for every single person, including you, to build core training as a daily habit, here’s why.
Much of the limited research on core training links it to be an integral…
Complete rest is never a fix — it’s only half the battle
If you’ve ever suffered from back pain, you’re not alone. According to the American Chiropractic Association, up to 80 percent of the population will experience back pain in their life. And around thirty-one million Americans experience back pain at a given time. It’s also said that poor stability — and therefore back pain — is one of the most common problems we face today. So, what’s the best way to fix it and avoid long-term pain?
Core training.
To fix back pain, alleviate weaknesses, and improve your overall health, you should first know the common causes of back pain, understand…
Recommendations from Dr Stuart McGill, a professor and specialist in low back pain, core training and rehabilitation
Back pain will affect most of us at some point in our lives. Mostly because we have become more sedentary than we seemingly care to admit. For many of us, our daily routine tends to be that we wake up and head to work in the car or public transport — or move to our home office space. Then we at our desk, followed by travelling home and spending the evening sitting or lying down to rest and repeat tomorrow. This is why our back can suffer long-term pains, and it’s why good habits are ever-important.
It’s naturally hard for…
Dealing with knee pain? Here are 5 exercises you can do to treat it
I never like thinking about how long I’ve had to deal with chronic knee pain. It was something that plagued my motivation and happiness for years.
The thing is, I’ve had to try and fix my knee pain on more than one occasion. The first day it appeared, I was out for a training ride on my bike. I was just starting to ramp up the training volume to build my endurance. Then, half-way through the ride, my knee started to seize. It felt like a searing, prolonging burn. And I was in the middle of nowhere, so I had…
Meaningful self-improvement requires an answer to this fundamental question
Self-improvement, the path of meaningful and continuous improvement, is what most of us want to live our lives trying to achieve. But how can we make it easier to know we’re moving in the right direction, at the right pace? Well, self-improvement always begins with self-awareness, an open mind, and the ability to transform your habits — which everyone has. And if you’re serious about reinvigorating your life, getting the best out of yourself, you should be integrating self-improvement practices into your habits and thinking. …
They’re secrets because they are hidden within ourselves
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. To simply ‘keep going’ is everything you need to achieve anything you want.
To work well and live a good life, we must become comfortable with is the axiom that many people in this world are much more talented than us. People who are sexier. Smarter. Faster. Stronger. More likeable, more charming, better-connected and, frankly, luckier than we are.
But none of this matters if you do this one thing:
You outwork them.
It’s as simple as that. Although I strongly advocate for escaping the idea of “competition” — because…
Perfection kills productivity and progress. Better priorities help you avoid that.
I used to struggle a lot with chasing perfection. Even now, some articles I write take too long for me to finish — simply because I spent my time chasing the perfect word or the cleanest sentence or the best research to back what I wanted to say. Perfectionism was my attempt to escape being seen as a fraud. It’s a problem that plagues many people. Because perfection leads you to obsess over getting things done flawlessly, the first time around. It’s hard to get rid of, but this is what I did.
When I started writing, composing perfect prose…
Learn to master prioritisation through better decision-making, while increasing discipline and motivation
Few decision-making frameworks are as simple and compelling as the Eisenhower Matrix. Based on someone who, quite possibly, lived one of the most productive lives you could imagine: Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States between 1953 to 1961.
His vast array of accomplishments includes serving as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II, directing critical operations including the famous D-Day Invasion of Normandy. He also helped launch the valuable programmes we now know as DARPA, the Interstate Highway, and NASA. He also served as the 13th President of the University of…
Sometimes you need to look back to know where to go
When we commit to apposite growth in the things we care about, whether in our work, our relationships or in wealth, it can feel as though we’ve chosen to make powerful strides towards a better life. One that provides energy and purpose. And having a sense of purpose is the keystone of our happiness. But how do we create the best purpose for ourselves? And how do we ensure that we’re achieving our purpose through the right process?
Well, to have a purpose, you need progress. And to have progress, you need meaningful action towards a worthwhile, viable goal. …
Joxen
Writer and Cyclist ✣ BSc Sports Science | Writing about self-mastery, health, fitness and core training. Join my newsletter: Self-Mastery joxen.substack.com
