February 2019 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 February.

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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 The importance of fam and friends – Biggest Lesson of the Month

I’ll readily admit, I was a bit of a recluse when I lived in Susanville. Work, life, everything seemed to get in the way of me being a social creature. And I paid the price for it.

But moving back to Page, America, has reinvigorated my social life. Despite being a hella small town, I had a bunch of friends here. Although I am still working a fair amount, the fact that I now live with two good friends has made a huge difference in my overall happiness, and has made the challenges of living in a remote area far away from those dearest to you that much easier.

The health effects I’ve noticed since moving back have been fairly astounding. I’m bloating less, stress and anxiety levels are down, I am a bit more productive, and things just feel “right.”

It turns out, there may be something to this. This article right here shows a nice infographic on the negative implications of social isolation. Surprisingly, social isolation takes a greater toll on your health than smoking, high blood pressure, and obesity. [Note: you still don’t want to smoke, have high blood pressure, or be a chubby bunny).

A big priority for me this week is to do my best to restore that social connection I was so desperately missing. Whether that’s just chatting with my boi’s who I live with, spending next month in Costa Rica with my peeps, or whatever, it’s way more important than I’d like to admit. And it’s not just being with people, but being yourself, being transparent, being vulnerable, and as some posts this month advocate, being present.

How do you prioritize and maintain your social connection? Comment below and let us know.

Rehabilitation

Subacromial decompression = bullshit


Mike Reinold released an evidence-based diss track on the dreaded subacromial decompression surgery, providing insight as to why this surgery is worthless, and other factors to focus on instead.

These are the only times you should go to the ER for low back pain


You ever have that client that tells you they had such bad back pain that they had to go to the emergency room? Well, this article ought to make them think differently.

Keith Roper outlines the times you most certainly ought to go to the ER, and when your best bet is to wait it out and move as much as you can.

Quick, this patient needs pain education, STAT.

No one cares about your leg length discrepancy!


One of my beefs in our industry is when I get a client who was told that one leg is shorter then the other, and that’s why they have pain.

Well, after you read this great post by Dean Somerset, you might think differently. He does a great job outlining what the research says exactly on the whole leg length issue.

Performance

Want to get into training after an injury? Look at bodybuilders?!?!


My boi Lance Goyke (finally back to blogging) just put out a dope article on how to improve form, train post-injury/post-pain, and the fix is actually quite simple.

Teach your deadlift well


Many coaches and clinicians get people deadlifting WAY too early, but how do we know when the time is right?

Enter this video by THE Holistic Fitness Connector herself, Lucy Hendricks. In this video, Lucy outlines when she gets people deadlifting and the tell-tale signs that let her know when her clients are ready for this monster move.

The holistic fitness connector is always keeping her deadlift, and hair, on fleek. And quite so easily 😉

How to do handstands, muscle ups, the human flag, and more


For awhile, I had some goals of being able to perform a handstand, as well as other neat bodyweight skills. The problem? My upper body is weak sauce and I’m unsure where to start.

The tutorials on Beast Skills are absolute money if you want to learn how to do this stuff. With a bit of work, I was able to learn the elbow lever and handstand fairly quickly, with more skills to come.

How many times per week should you train for gainzzz?


Yan Le Meur, again, killing it with another infographic summing up how relevant training frequency is when hypertrophy is your goal. Use the evidence to get them huge muscles you so desire.

Personal Development

Who hugs longer, you or others?


I got recommended this book that explains the dynamics between people who are overly loving and those who are overly distant, and how attracted these people are to one another. If you fall into either camp, this book is an essential read. It gets a bit psychobabble at times, but the ways to execute changing the way you relate to others are gold.

I chose both the hug life AND the thug life #BARS

Want an impactful life? Eliminate the BS


I’ve been a big fan of implementing Essentialist principles, but this podcast that Greg McKeown did with Tim Ferris was incredibly practical. I loved how he dissected some of Tim’s own extraneous problems. Seeing the practical application of the principles was insightful for some of the areas I need to focus on. I hope it does the same for you.

Work/life balance is a bunch of BS


If you struggle keeping a balance between your work and life (aka me), maybe we need to think of this problem differently. This article wonderfully illustrates why this concept is outdated, limiting, and looks at work in a negative light. Prepare to have your mind changed.

Health & Wellness

What’s the deal with yawning?

You ever wonder why we yawn? Because we are bored to tears? Need more oxygen? This article gives you all the answers, and discusses a neat way to prevent a yawn from occurring.

Believe it or not, the reason we yawn is one I’ve never heard of, so prepare to have your mind blown 😉 (that’ll make more sense when you read the article).

The worst sleep tip you could ever give someone


My boi Mike T. Nelson brought the heat with this article. In it, he discusses why simply getting more sleep is not the answer for most people. Don’t worry fam, he tells you what to do instead.

Should you get blue light blocking glasses?


It seems like everyone is wearing blue blocker glasses nowadays, but is there any research supporting their efficacy? My homegirl Aline Thompsen wrote a stellar post outlining all of the research regarding blue light exposure, blue blocker effectiveness, and what you should do about it.

Though getting off the screens is ideal, this is absolutely helpful

Why you need to be on social media less


Relationships are the major key to health and happiness, and oftentimes we think social media is an adequate way of relating. This post by Eric Barker may make you think twice about how you spend your time on devices.

My favorite part: when you spend time on social, what are you not spending time doing.

Music

Finally, the hip hop drought is over


It’s been a struggle the last couple months to find some new hip hop, so I went digging in the crates to find this dope joint done by Cormega.

You are probably wondering, who the hell is Cormega? Basically, he was in the running for king of New York after the death of Biggie, but got outshined by dudes like Nas. But his skills have totally been slept on, and I think y’all will appreciate this short and sweet album.

This flow is ridiculous


I randomly found this rapper named Token, young guy, and his lyricism and flow is absolutely unreal. He reminds me of Eminem with a bit more emo and young angst. And his album Between Somewhere is lit with realism and bars atop of bars.

You absolutely must listen to Youtube Rapper, the collab he did with Tech N9ne.