December Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets.

Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in December

If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below.  That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend.

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Biggest Lesson of the Month

I’ve been thinking a lot about generalism and specialism. Becoming a generalist involves implementing things with an individual that intend to have systemic effects, whereas the specialist implements things that intend to have a specific effect.

Think about encouraging your clients to sleep effectively, eat more vegetables, and move effectively. Implementing these three strategies will lead to system-wide effects first and foremost, and may impact a specific goal that you have. These are the tools of a generalist

On the flipside, consider a surgical procedure, medication, etc. These modalities have a higher likelihood of meeting a specific goal first and foremost, but the system-wide effect is less certain.

Though upon careful reflection on this thought, really anything we implement as a generalist or specialist is riddled with uncertainty.

Both types of practitioners are necessary to maximize health, longevity, and/or performance.

Quote of the Month

“Ego is about who’s right. Truth is about what’s right.” ~Mike Maples Jr

Ego is something I’ve been working on getting control of over the last year, and it has been most impactful in my overall happiness and well being. I just wish I took this quote to heart much earlier in life.

Hike of the Month

Hiking frequency has gone down a bit because it’s so…dang…cold, but I had a dope hike at Joshua Tree.

It wasn’t the most challenging hike, but had a wide variety of things to see. Whether it was an old mine, or climbing a mountain, you could definitely get your nature gains on point.

And the Joshua Trees themselves, Hyoooge. Way bigger than any of the others I’ve ever seen.

Rehabilitation

Is keeping up with evidence realistic? Welcome to a Blog I’d Like to Read

Peter Attia is one of the most interesting MDs I’ve come across. While most of this blog talks about his plans for the future, his thoughts on keeping up with the evidence are worth the read alone.

Destruction of a medical divide with “Complimentary and Alternative Medicine” Belongs on a Tombstone

Douglas Kechijian just keeps killing it with content. In this post, Doug provides coherent critiques on the supposed separation between CAM and EBM. The two aren’t as far off as you think.

Here are Three Reasons to Consider Travel PT

Here are the reasons why I considered this wonderful job style.

The struggles of keeping up with the EBP Joneses.

With the shear amount of journal articles released on a given day, it can be near impossible to stay fully evidenced-based.

Here is a quick little tip on how I keep up with the research if you aren’t already doing this.

Research shows breathing critical for survival

So you should probably master the basics on how to do so. Daddy-O-Pops Bill Hartman put out a great article this week titled Breathing Exercises to Move Better and Reduce pain.

In this joint, pops goes over why breathing retraining is important, how it can impact movement, and how to master the basics.

Definitely check this one out.

How to reach like a legend

I found quite an effective cue that I’ve been using as of late to enhance reaching-based activities.

Many times, peeps will round their back as opposed to retracting the thorax, but if you use this cue, the problem is often solved.

Give it a shot!

Performance

Do you even recover, bruh? 

All Pain, No Gain: Why High Intensity Training Obsession Has Failed Us All thinks otherwise.

I was first made aware of the constrained theory of energy expenditure by Mike Roussell, and Joel Jamison takes the concept to another level. This article made me really think about how I am approaching building my own fitness, and just how important recovery is.

Excited to make it through the series as it comes out.

What these coaches want from a strength coach.

Monitoring players for fitness and fatigue: what do coaches want helps bridge that gap.

One of the most challenging aspects I had with sports science is getting buy-in from the coaching staff.

Here, Yan Le Meur boils it down to the most important aspects that a coach wants to know, as well as which variables are most actionable from an intervention standpoint. It’s an infographic I wish I had while in the league.

Insights on assessment

Thoroughly enjoyed Dean Somerset’s take on What Assessments Work Best.

I love how Dean preached individualization in regards to the assessment process. Many times we seek models that place clients into buckets or patterns, but Dean reminds us to keep the client’s goals in mind. This cannot be emphasized enough.

Sports science overrated???!?!

Hearing Doug Kechijian’s podcast with Fergus Connolly definitely has me thinking so.

In this podcast, Fergus talks about why it is hard to make decisions on sports science data, why you should sleep on technology for awhile, why the art of coaching is still relevant, and so much more.

Personal Development

The One Key to Happiness

Moving from Impressing Others to Impressing Yourself was a very salient read for me.

Many times we all fall into the trap of saving face, of looking good in front of other people. Trent Hamm provides a coherent argument against this type of thinking in order to curb spending.

But the lessons extend well beyond money.

Kill those unproductive days with Death Clock

Ever find yourself having a hankering to watch just one Youtube video only to find yourself watching 6 hours worth of cat videos? This app, which Tim Ferris exposed me to, nips that time waster in the bud by showing roughly how many days are left in your life. Like sand through the hourglass or something, fam (see what I did there?)

Turning 30 is all types of hell…

But my boi Seth Oberst makes the most of it.

Seth recently reflected on the 30 lessons he learned by age 30, and I found the post incredibly inciteful. I’d call it part rehab, part philosophical, part psychological, and full awesome.

Learning from a cat like Seth has made me a much more well-rounded clinician.

Confidence low? Become a philospher

More specificially, a Stoic philosopher.

In Eric Barker’s Stoicism Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You Confident, Eric discusses strategies that the Stoics used, which are also used in cognitive behavioral therapy, to improve confidence levels when things go awry.

My favorite has to be challenging distored thoughts. Way more productive than challenging your mortal facebook enemy on Dry Needling for the 17th time this month.

The choice is yours…or is it?

Making decisions can be an overwhelming process.

So do fewer of them.

In Choosing without Deciding, Seth Godin briefly provides an effective strategy for deliberating on decisions that require deliberation, and leaving less important choices to easier means.

Health & Wellness

Helping save healthcare with Chris Kresser – Unconventional Medicine

More great Robb Wolf podcasts. This time, it was my boi Chris Kresser. I absolutely love some of the solutions he presents to saving healthcare, as well as how salient he creates awareness of the problem of healthcare.

Am I stressing you out? Doubtful according to Andrew Bernstein – The Myth of Stress

Stressors are a myth. It’s all in how you react to stress. Hearing that concept alone is worth the listen from yet again, another great Robb Wolf podcast.

Are you selling your sleep short?

If you only give yourself 7 totals hours in bed (with 1 hour of scouring the cats of Instagram), chances are your sellling your sleep game short.

In this great read called How to Get a Tiny Bit More Sleep, Melissa Dahl discusses the concept of sleep opportunity. Something we rarely consider when we are trying to catch those z’s.

You can have holiday cookies…

If you are getting after it the rest of the time.

In a wonderful post, Daddy-O Pops Bill Hartman talks about How to Eat Whatever You Want Over the Holidays and not Feel Guilty. Having the habits in place throughout the rest of the year is the key to enjoying the holidays guilt-free.