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alexbraindump · 4 years

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Night in the Woods & Optimistic Nihilism, Pt. 1: Constellations

“So I believe in a universe that doesn’t care and people who do.”

Night in the Woods manages to create one of the most realistic narratives I’ve ever seen crafted in a video game. And that’s a bold statement, one that shouldn’t be tossed around lightly. Yet I feel entirely concrete in saying it. It’s quite the diverse game, dealing with a range of topics so wide that it’d be hard to cover all of them in one single post. I hope to cover more of them someday, but today I’ll be narrowing in on one specific point that resonated especially well with me personally: finding purpose in an existence that is inherently devoid of it.

And it’s here that I’m going to say that, to anyone who hasn’t played NITW yet, stop reading this right now and go pick it up. It’s only $20 and with it comes an experience that remains consistently enjoyable and impactful throughout its entire runtime. I won’t be holding back from relevant spoilers for the rest of this post, so now’s your only chance. Go away. But come back once you’ve played the game. That’d be pretty cool I think.

~~~~~~~~~~~MILD SPOILER TERRITORY BELOW~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that the uninitiated are gone, it’s finally time to wrap back around to that quote at the beginning of this post. A universe that doesn’t care, and people who do. It perfectly aligns with the definition of optimistic nihilism, a term seemingly dubbed by a youtube channel in 2017. For those who are unaware, optimistic nihilism is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s the philosophy that the universe is inherently uncaring, that there’s no concrete meaning to life that we can grasp onto, yet we as human beings are uniquely capable of creating our own meaning without requiring some higher power or order to do it for us. We can choose to pursue what we wish for out of our lives, free to choose our own individualized path through the blank slate that is existence and draw whatever patterns we may choose from it.

As you read through that brief summary you may have already begun to understand exactly why I consider Night in the Woods to align particularly well with optimistic nihilism. The game is not exactly lacking in the theme of finding meaning within things that may be meaningless in the most literal sense. It’s been there since the very beginning, with NITW’s first supplemental game Longest Night. It’s a simple little game featuring Mae, Bea, Gregg and Angus identifying various constellations and making characteristically entertaining quips about each of them. Despite the game’s relative simplicity it acts as an early (over 3 years before NITW itself released!) establishment of NITW’s ever-present theme of establishing meaning in things that don’t have meaning by themselves by using one simple thing: constellations.

Constellations are a perfect medium to establish the philosophy of optimistic nihilism and it is evident that Infinite Fall were acutely aware of that from a very early point in the development of NITW. All constellations really are just patterns of stars we may see in the sky at night that people have assigned their own patterns and meanings to. Most stars sit so far away from the Earth that the human brain struggles to even comprehend how far away they truly are beyond a simple “Wow! That’s pretty far!” They’re balls of gas, unable to care about or even recognize whatever we humans see within them. Most of them have existed for longer than we have and will continue to persist long after we die. Yet the human race has taken it upon themselves to assign patterns to them and continue recognizing said patterns long after we’ve obtained knowledge about what the stars that form them truly are. In nature they hold no inherent meaning and have no rhyme nor reason to their locations relative to each other from our perspective, yet we have used our minds to instill meaning into them and draw patterns that can only be drawn from where we stand. The universe did not care about how it put them there nor how any living being may interpret them, but people cared enough to give them meaning.

Years after the release of Longest Night, Night in the Woods proper came out. And in it the usage of stars was far from ditched. Their function as being one of the elements perpetuating NITW’s optimistic nihilism was only expanded. Every two days in the game you are offered the opportunity to choose to hunt for dusk stars with a character named Mr. Chazokov. The interactions with him themselves don’t offer much in the ways of adding upon the pre-established theme of finding meaning within none, though their mere inclusion does help cement the theme as an important part of the game. The true point in which the theme is finally brought front and center is when the player can choose to go ghost hunting with Angus at Possum Jump. After some uneventful ghost hunting, Mae and Angus decide to rest at the top of a hill and do some stargazing. At this point the game essentially retraces (literally and figuratively) all the ground covered in Longest Night. Mae connects constellations together and Angus names them and gives a brief explanation for each of them. It’s a charming little moment that eventually evolves into Angus explaining the abuse he endured throughout his childhood to Mae. But what’s relevant to this specific analysis is Angus’s attitude throughout. He continually stays true to and loops back upon the fact that, while the stars themselves are very real and the stories given to them do very much exist, the stars really don’t mean anything by themselves. It all culminates with Angus explaining his tragic childhood to Mae. But what’s important to the overall narrative of this essay is Angus’s response when Mae asks him if he believes in anything.

It’s at this point that the game gives its most obvious addressal to its philosophy of optimistic nihilism. It’s like the pot finally boils over and it says “alright, time to finally talk about this.” As a response to being prompted about his beliefs, Angus explains his thoughts by using the constellations recently outlined as a convenient example. It’s here that the quote that spurred this whole essay on shows its head. “So I believe in a universe that doesn’t care and people who do,” is the final quote summarizing Angus’s philosophy on meaning in the universe. And if that isn’t the clearest possible representation of optimistic nihilism in NITW then I don’t know what is. It’s a simple little quote, yet it manages to single handedly encapsulate what optimistic nihilism is. Of course, it’s framed as the view of one character in the game, and a character thinking something doesn’t immediately mean that the entire work subscribes to that philosophy, but as you think about NITW and its various elements more and more it becomes increasingly apparent that it is indeed representative of the philosophy of optimistic nihilism.

And with that vague statement I’ll be leaving off the first part of this little mini-project for the time being. I do intend to come back to it at some point in the (hopefully near) future, as I feel that there’s a lot more that could be said about the themes of finding meaning in Night in the Woods. Currently I’m planning on writing about why I enjoy Mae Borowski as a character so much and see her as one of my favorite video game protagonists, so that’ll probably be done before any other parts to this essay come out. Keep an eye out if you enjoy what I’m posting and want to see more, and don’t be afraid to offer any feedback you may have. There’s a contact section on my profile if you’d like the most effective ways to get in touch.

#night in the woods #nitw #analysis #optimistic nihilism #writing #fiction #nitw angus #night in the wood angus #angus delaney #video games #games #indie game #longest night #nitw spoilers

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athela-3 · 4 years

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mankai company: cyberpunk

I never asked for this. But that’s just how ideas work, ain't it? One minute you’re mindlessly going through the daily grind, and the next moment it hits ya like a sucker punch to the gut. Then your mind’s racing, and you think: Why not? Whaddaya have to lose? You’ve rambled your way through semi-coherent flashes of inspiration before. Why should this one be different?

Note: everyone is aged up, oh, let’s say at least five years. Also, long post is long. I’m not joking. The page break is there for a reason.

Mankai Company is a modest-sized corporation specialising in biotechnology and cybernetics. But operating beneath its public face is a semi-covert band of mercs, private eyes, and fixers called Kaga Solutions, fully-equipped to navigate the mean city streets on command. Their founder and CEO, Yukio Tachibana, has recently disappeared; as per his express wishes, the company leadership is transferred to his estranged daughter, Izumi.

Izumi Tachibana: the new CEO, more experienced in programming than in biotech, she wants to lead Mankai in a new direction focused on augmented reality and fluid human-machine interfacing, while also investigating her father's disappearance with its covert Kaga operatives.

Isuke Matsukawa: Yukio's—and now Izumi's—personal assistant who also handles most of the day-to-day finances, a seemingly bumbling man with hidden talents. He has more connections than you'd expect, and his loyalty is bone-deep.

Yuzo Kashima: a major shareholder in the company whose investments helped Yukio jump-start his dream into reality. Initially skeptical of Izumi's direction, he slowly grows to believe in her vision, even if he's still brutally honest about many things. He's aware of Kaga and the hidden side of Mankai, and is implied to have once partaken in it more personally.

Tetsuro Iwai: the local hardware genius. If you need something built, he'll figure out how to do it in record time. He's happy to work with the old boss' daughter, even if her ideas can stretch him to his limits sometimes.

Ken Sakoda: nobody's really sure what his official job is. He's just always there, usually appearing out of nowhere to do whatever Sakyo asks him to (there's rumours of a personalised cloaking device). This ranges from coffee runs to, ah, semi-legal inventory procurement.

Kamekichi: a robot parrot Yukio personally built as a pet project. Originally a prototype for robotic therapy animals, his code gave birth to his own emergent sassy personality.

Sakuya Sakuma: head of Engineering, what he lacks in experience he makes up in talent and dedication. Has politely declined playing a more active role in Kaga's assignments, declaring his current job to already be his dream job anyhow.

Masumi Usui: a tech prodigy, a quick learner who's always keen to impress Izumi for reasons which may not be strictly professional. Built his own memory implants from scratch, and is always willing to help with Kaga if ever asked.

Tsuzuru Minagi: the top dog when it comes to programming and software. Tends to overwork himself, especially at crunch time, but he writes top-notch code that leave Mankai's competitors scratching their heads. Also helps oversee and plan Kaga's missions, especially when it comes to concocting cover stories and identities.

Itaru Chigasaki: yet another punch-clock worker whose only skills lie in testing and bugfixing… or so he'd have you believe. In reality, he's one of Kaga's most reliable operatives, using his salaryman persona to relieve suspicion and gain people's trust. By the time his targets notice the "GG EZ" hacked onto every screen, it's too late.

Citron: another Kaga operative, people see him and think he's the expat office worker who struggles to string a coherent sentence together, so they don't always pay attention to what they say around him. Big mistake. If he can't evade you in conversation, then he'll evade you the traditional way and vanish seemingly into thin air.

Chikage Utsuki: formerly Itaru's senior at their old job, who followed him to Mankai for reasons of his own. He does minor coding for them now, but his primary focus is on being a field agent for Kaga, where his charm and covert investigative skills really come into play.

Tenma Sumeragi: a former child actor, now the company's face, appearing in advertisements and endorsements. He's great at both presenting Mankai's personable, human-interest agenda and selling Kaga's sharp professionalism to potential clients.

Yuki Rurikawa: hired fresh out of university, his sharp sense of aesthetics led Izumi to trust him with practically all of their product design. Every concept has to have his seal of approval before moving to the production stage. He also handles disguises for Kaga's operations.

Muku Sakisaka: formerly slated to compete in the Olympics before an accident, he now provides another public face for Mankai alongside Tenma. He writes a good deal of the company's promotional material, and has a strong sense of what would affect their clients.

Misumi Ikaruga: officially, he tests the more physical cybernetics, such as Sakuya's impact-dampeners or Tasuku's mountain-climbing legs; his videos performing literally superhuman parkour feats often end up as promotional material. Under the table, he's Kaga's go-to operative for situations requiring speed and agility.

Kazunari Miyoshi: head of the PR department, in charge of keeping their public image in the positive while also keeping Kaga’s activities mostly out of attention. He keeps everyone in the loop with current affairs, often feeding intel to his old friend Tsuzuru for planning.

Kumon Hyodo: baseball's new rising star, he started doing sponsorship and endorsement deals after Muku and Juza introduced him to Izumi. He's enthusiastic about working with them and often helps coming up with ideas for reaching into the sports demographic.

Banri Settsu: a bio-augmentation enthusiast and grey hat hacker, he once breached Mankai's firewalls basically out of boredom; when Izumi tracked him down, she decided to offer him a job in her cybersecurity division, and he agreed. Of course, as soon as he hears about Kaga, he all but jumps into it headlong.

Juza Hyodo: wanted to be a cop as a kid; that was before the city's corrupt police force disenchanted him of the idea. His cousin Muku convinced him to work for Mankai, so he thought he'd give the corporate samurai gig a chance. His earnest dedication quickly wins him a spot on Kaga, as do his excellent combat skills.

Taichi Nanao: initially a mole from Godza, sent to tear Kaga apart from within, he went turncoat within months and is now their primary source on Godza's methods and internal affairs. He balances quick and dirty combat tactics with his boyish charm and knack at appearing harmless.

Omi Fushimi: former military, honourably discharged after a terrorist attack took out his best friend and left him heavily injured. Now he works for Mankai as head of security, with a bit of unofficial HR thrown in there. Unlike the rest of Akigumi, he isn't part of Kaga, as he believes his focus should be on keeping the company safe and secure.

Sakyo Furuichi: head of Kaga, and its oldest member still on active duty. These days he mostly sticks to mission control, but occasionally lends support on the field if he deems it necessary. His sharp mind and eye for patterns makes him particularly good at planning missions, exit strategies, and backup plans.

Azami Izumida: the son of a yakuza boss who decided to leave the family business behind to strike out on his own, he still keeps a number of his old underworld contacts. Officially an intern, he's also eager to get into fieldwork with Kaga, putting his years of swordsmanship lessons to use.

Tsumugi Tsukioka: head of biotech, his research on how cranial implants can be used to treat sleep disorders turned him—and Mankai—into a household name. He infrequently lends a hand to Kaga by developing and fine-tuning their cybernetics.

Tasuku Takato: a former member of Godza, he quit his job to work for Mankai instead, and is now a valued member of their biotech team. He specialises in developing prosthetics for their more athletic clients, and like Tsumugi, focuses on his R&D most of the time.

Hisoka Mikage: formerly working for a similar fixer/PMC group, a near-fatal neuro-implant malfunction caused him to forget everything that happened since its installation. As Mankai found him, removed the bad implant, and nursed him back to health, he thought it's just apt to repay the debt by working for them. One of Kaga's most well-rounded operatives, he is strongest in stealth and wetwork.

Homare Arisugawa: an eccentric professor to his core; his studies range from urban to agrarian, sprawling across fields and topics, but his passion project lies in developing ocular implants that can read micro-expressions on the fly, allowing its owner to identify and record people's emotional reactions easily.

Azuma Yukishiro: the face of the biotech divison, he works closely with Mankai's clients to help them find the perfect cybernetics for their personal needs. He also often gleans information and gossip from his endless well of unsuspecting acquaintances and old contacts, passing them on to Kaga for their missions.

Guy: a friend of Citron's from his homeland; extensively cybernetically augmented after a major accident years ago, he claims to be more machine than human by this point. Ostensibly Homare's research assistant, he is a field agent for Kaga, equally skilled in hacking as he is in hand-to-hand combat.

#a3!#a3! au #mankai x kaga #that's what imma call it #not gonna tag everyone bc hoo boy #a3! act! addict! actors!#it started from an icon #then a header #then a whole bloody au #also #in which azami is kinda genji shimada #hisoka owes inspiration from morgan yu #guy and omi bears the adam jensen legacy #and homare's backstory has a random mordin solus reference #don't mind me explaining my own jokes lol #ari's stuff

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aquarianwisp · 8 years

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Tarot and mediumship questions

Some of my lovely followers have been messaging me asking many interesting questions for tarot cards and spirit work. So I just wanted to make a post that answered all of them at once ^^ If you see your question here, I’m sorry, I had to rewrite the questions a bit because I couldn’t remember them all word for word off the top of my head. Brace yourselves, this is going to be a big one.

1. Do the meanings of tarot cards stay the same, or is it ok to apply my own meanings? This depends how you are reading. To really connect with your client or querant, you need to be reading intuitively rather than just with the memorised readings. While the general meanings of the cards can be helpful, they don’t always apply and this can make your querant disconnect from the reading because they cannot see themselves in what is coming through. To read intuitively, the first step is to read what is around each card rather than reading each card by itself and then interpreting as a whole. Often tarot presents you with a concept over 2 or 3 different cards and the cards will be interrelated.You may also find a particular card may have a feature on it that stands out to more than anything else, be it an animal, a pair of wings, or even a color. And these symbols will usually have a meaning to the querent in some way or another, but it is up to the reader to interpret them through intuition. If you are reading the cards intuitively you will also find the meanings of the cards will change for you on each reading. You’ll find that one card means waiting for one person, but may mean something entirely different to another person you are reading for. And this is all determined by your intuitive feelings that you receive during the reading. 2. Do you have to be born psychic? All of us are born with intuitive abilities, it’s a survival instinct. You ever have that feeling that you know what someone is going to say or you know that something will happen? Some people even know when their phone is going to ring before it even begins ringing. Or maybe you’ve had a time when you’ve been given a choice to do something, and you don’t know why, but you just know that you really shouldn’t make that choice. This is called your gut instincts or your intuition. This is the basis for really growing your psychic abilities. The beginning step here is choosing to trust your intuition more regularly. If you believe something is wrong, don’t do it. If you believe something is right, then do it. Choose to trust it, because trust helps to give a solid foundation that your intuition can grow on. To further grow your intuition, you need to begin practising meditation more regularly. Meditation can mean different things for different people. Some people can’t sit still, so walking meditation or yoga are really good ways to meditate if you can’t sit down for more than a couple of minutes. Buddhist temples sometimes offer free meditation classes in your area, so google around your home or city for some classes if you want to learn traditional meditation techniques. Don’t just stop at one class either, go regularly to make sure you really master it, even if you are told the same thing every lesson. Meditation takes practice, and even seasoned meditation practitioners can struggle sometimes. Be patient with yourself! You can also try singing or chanting meditations to assist you in your tarot readings or spirit work. Youtubing mantras will return some beautiful songs to you sung by many different artists. Find the ones you like and practice along with those. The English translations are gorgeous, so make sure you read the translation so that you understand the nature of what you are singing. They are all gorgeous, seriously. 3. How do I find out who my guides or deities are? This is up to you. Your guides can be any one, they can be Deities, Angels, Fairies, Ancestral spirits, nature spirits, etc. Literally any one can be a guide for you. I have a friend who went to a public park here in Sydney, met a tree spirit, and now regularly works with that tree for spiritual guidance. I have several goddesses, fairies and ancestors who are my guides for readings, however this varies for each reading. You don’t have to wait for deities or spirits to contact you either (although they will, trust me.) But if you are drawn to a deity or you like a deity that you have seen before, it is perfectly ok to approach them. Be careful here because if the deity is from another culture you will need to make sure that you work with that deity in a manner that is well researched and respectful to the culture. Please ensure that any deity you have approached is also not from a closed culture as well. The same idea applies to other types of spirits like fairies, angels, ancestors etc. It is perfectly OK to approach them first! 4. How do I connect more with the spirits or deities etc? Again, regular practice. You need to meet them half way! Make sure you are regularly practising prayer rituals, even if that means you just quickly light a candle before work and say hello. Give offerings of incense, food, or anything you feel they may like. Write them letters, sing or play music to them, just make an effort to connect. Just like any relationship, things wont be amazing from the get go. It may be awkward at first and you may feel uncomfortable. Persistence and time are all that are needed there. It wont be like angels descend and sing praises while you receive a blessing from a god. It will be a slow progression and growing of a really beautiful friendship. Give it time. But just as much as you speak, you must always listen as well. Meditation again is key to this, as it allows you to quieten the mind and focus on your guides. Practice is super important. Seek their presence and their energies and learn to recognise the energy “stamp” of a particular spirit. With regular practice daily, you should be confident within a few weeks to a month at least to begin feeling the energies of these spirits and who they are. 5. How do I work with spirits and deities in my tarot readings? Once you have begun to practice regular contact both speaking and listening with your spirits or deities, and you have begun to recognise their energy signatures, you can simply ask them to join you for a reading. A lot of the time though, they may show up unannounced. Regular practice in recognising energies when they arrive to a reading and practice with listening and seeing their messages can help you to also identify spirits or deities that you have never met before who may be working with your querent. When you are doing a reading, write down any images, ideas or words that you are seeing or hearing, even if you aren’t sure if it the relevant. It may become relevant later in the reading or not at all. All that matters here is that you acknowledge the messages and trust yourself. 6. Do tarot cards have a yes or no meaning? Yes they can, kind of. The best way to get a yes or no answer is to ask the question and then pull at 8 cards to look at the issue overall. When you see the overall issue, continue pulling cards until you see the end of the “process.” The end will have the yes or no answer. 7. How do you use tarot to look at deeper subconscious stuff? If your querent is struggling with something like mental illness for example, you need to look into their past for the answer. Often times they will not remember the particular issues in their past that have caused part of the illness because the subconscious buries this stuff as a coping method. But if you look at their thought processes, you can take each thought process one by one and question what created this thought cycle. An example would be “I am not good enough”. What made that person think that? You need to look at their past and see what they were exposed to. Then you can challenge the thought process by looking at the actual evidence. Did that event actually dictate the self worth of that person? Nope. Most likely what happened was caused by some selfish dickhead and in reality, the behaviour of that selfish dickhead has nothing to do with the self worth of your querent. It is just that their mind misunderstood the issue due to a variety of factors at the time. You can then change the thought pattern by using energy healing and positive affirmation. (It takes fighting to defeat these things, so the querent will need to put in regular effort to heal whenever the thought cycle arises. But once the painful experienced deep in the subconscious is brought to the surface, it can be dealt with easily with persistence. It is best to suggest a positive affirmation is practised every time they experience one of their symptoms.) 8. Is tarot a doorway to evil? No, that is what religious parents tell their children to stop them getting involved in “evil occult” practices. It’s just like saying marijuana is the gateway drug. These kinds of statements don’t really help anyone. If someone wants to do drugs they will. In the same way, tarot has nothing to do with the choices of someone getting involved in some of the darker crafts. In the end, it is that person’s choice, and blaming tarot isn’t helping people. On the contrary, I find tarot to be a very healing tool. You can use it to understand not only situations, but also yourself and other people. It has helped me numerous times to figure out what on earth is going on with my own mental illness, and I use it to help others in the same way. Tarot has nothing to do with darker crafts, demons, satan etc. They are instead a wonderful tool to contact healing guides, goddess, spirits etc and bring love and light to many people who need it. 9. How do you know that you are not just schizophrenic? Schizophrenia has a lot more symptoms than just hearing and seeing things, and there are many types of schizophrenia. If we keep accusing people who hear and see things of being schizophrenic, then we are only helping to spread ignorance and stigma around this debilitating illness, which doesn’t help anyone who actually suffers from this illness or knows someone who does. There is a clear line between a psychic medium and a schizophrenic. Psychic mediums can receive information from spirits that they wouldn’t other wise know, and this helps to confirm who they are contacting. Often, someone’s ancestors pop up in readings, and a psychic medium can confirm details of that ancestors life that only the querant will know. This kind of information can be anything, but some notable examples I’ve experienced are being able to describe the exact speech patterns of a deceased relative, their mannerisms, and past childhood experiences of that ancestor that I would not know otherwise. This kind of information will not be available to someone suffering schizophrenia, rather they will suffer with false delusions that cannot be confirmed. Additionally, psychic mediums can control the information coming in. If we do not want to hear or see anything, we can simply say no. This allows us to lead very normal lives, while some suffers of schizophrenia can really struggle to do so (Not saying they cannot lead a normal life, but it is very difficult, just like it is with any other mental illness.) Schizophrenics may also struggle to turn off these experiences in the same way that a psychic medium can, which is why the condition can be so debilitating. Rather than just accusing everyone who claims to be able to hear and see spirits of being schizophrenic, it is better to educate each other on the symptoms so that we can learn the true nature of this illness. These are some of the symptoms below. As you can see, it is more extensive than just seeing or hearing things. Behavioural: social isolation, disorganised behaviour, aggression, agitation, compulsive behaviour, excitability, hostility, repetitive movements, self-harm, or lack of restraint Cognitive: thought disorder, delusion, amnesia, belief that an ordinary event has special and personal meaning, belief that thoughts aren't one's own, disorientation, memory loss, mental confusion, or slowness in activity Mood: anger, anxiety, apathy, feeling detached from self, general discontent, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, elevated mood, or inappropriate emotional response Psychological: hallucination, paranoia, hearing voices, depression, fear, persecutory delusion, or religious delusion Speech: circumstantial speech, incoherent speech, rapid and frenzied speaking, or speech disorder Also common: false belief of superiority, fatigue, impaired motor coordination, or lack of emotional response 10. What if I see evil spirits and demons when I do a reading for someone intuitively? This can happen sometimes, and this has happened to me. Sometimes this person has an evil attachment on the astral, or you may find that during a reading you are actually attacked on the astral by this attachment. You need to make sure you have protective crystals with you, such as pyrite, obsidian arrowheads or black tourmaline. Make sure you have protective spells over you if you practice witchcraft, and that you can cleanse the evil you are experiencing. If you are using crystals during your readings, stop using your clear quartz or celestite (whatever it is you are using to help you get there) and switch to your protective stones until whatever is attacking you goes away. You can then cleanse with fluorite. This comes from personal experience, I did a reading and got attacked by some sort of flying demon thing on the astral that was attached to this person I was doing the reading for. I was like K WELL FUCK OFF BRO and immediately swapped to my black tourmaline, started burning sage in the room, and placing white energy over my client to protect them. The demon left, but I had to do a pretty thorough cleanse afterwards. Like fuck off you demon fucktard, can’t you see I’m busy? GOSH I don’t have time to deal with your shit today. That’s it for the questions, I hope this huge post helped some of you lovelies who messaged me~!

#tarot #tarot cards #psychic medium #mediumship #medium #tarot reading #divination #tarot decks #tarot meanings #spirit work #hedgecraft #witch #witchcraft #wiccan #not actually wiccan though #pagan

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bpd-black · 8 years

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hey guys, so this is gonna be a long ass post, but here’s the tldr version: i love you and i hope you continue to learn about yourselves, and advocate for your mental wellbeing cause y'all are literally so beautiful and important and an integral part of our universe, the world literally wouldn’t be the same without you ✊🏾💕

SO, i just wanted to let y'all know that if you’ve ever messaged me (and this is for my black followers, btw, the rest of y'all … i don’t know why tf you’re here, but none of this is for you so ✌🏾bye, you can leave lol) please please know that i almost always read whatever’s in my inbox right away, and that i do care about your questions and what you have to say, even when i don’t answer right away or at all. you guys reaching out to me is NEVER bothersome. NEVER dumb. NEVER ridiculous. and tbh, it’s always flattering to think anyone would come to me w/ mental health concerns, considering that this blog literally started as a place for me to just vent out into the void & that i used to block anyone that followed me, lol.

(i jus didn’t want people to follow my blog ??? idk, i just felt like i had no other outlet to scream, and i was in a really bad place back then, idek, it made sense at the time. anyway, NOW this blog is a place for me to store information, affirmations and links to resources that i find informative or helpful. and i actually really love getting feedback (cough and validation cough) from you guys 💖 so pls, just know that you mean a lot to me.)

THE THING IS, though: i’m still not a professional. and when it comes to something as serious as mental health (especially in the black community) i just feel like i still have too much learning to do and too much healing to do before i’m qualified to offer any real advice. rn, all i have to say to most of y'all is ‘damn, thas unfortunate, me too’ and i really don’t want to give anyone a half assed answer like that, lol. it might take me a while to research what you wanna know, so yeah. bls be patient with me.

also i kinda wanted to introduce myself, since i don’t think i’ve ever posted an intro on this blog lol:

in summary, i’m a twenty one year old black girl, gay as hell, still living at home, still unemployed, still on leave from college, and still struggling just to shower and get out of bed every day :)) which sucks and i hate my life rn and i battle with like, intense self hatred cause a lot of my family is very disappointed in me and, quite frankly, i’m very disappointed with myself.

moving on, lol, more about my mental state: i’ve only ever been professionally diagnosed with depression and gad, though i personally believe i experience too many bpd symptoms to rule out the possibility that i am, in fact, borderline, and so i consider myself as such.

(( a small rant about that real quick: imo, and tbh, labels are just terms that researchers make up to help organize studies, keep track of patterns, and come up with plans and solutions to help large groups of people. so, basically, i am a strong advocate of NOT beating yourself up too much when it comes to finding the ‘right’ label for you and NOT attacking someone else that you don’t think ‘fits’ the description for a disorder or illness according to your research. like, yeah, fake ass neurotypicals are annoying as hell and they can all choke but ! the only person who really knows what’s going on in someone’s brain is that person themselves. and NO ONE owes you a dissertation on their mental struggles just to ‘prove’ they’re in pain. so, imo !!! it’s just a lot more important to recognize and identify what SYMPTOMS you struggle with, and the severity of said symptoms, and worry about umbrella terms later !! cause that insight will make it easier to look for help and advice and !! mental illness and personality disorders are all on a spectrum. so yeah. go easy on yourselves 💕 anyway, i struggled a lot with that concept, and for far too long, SO just wanted to get that out of the way before i continue (hope that made any sense) but i digress!!! ))

i also struggle with both intrusive and suicidal thoughts, a few minor self destructive habits, and i’m currently taking medication for my depression and anxiety. and tbh, though i still have some pretty terrible days, i will say the meds have helped a LOT. and i’m so glad, cause i’m the first in my family to openly take medication for a mental illness (stigma stigma god fucking stigma) and i was so so scared the meds would just make it worse, but they didn’t, so yeah :)

also, and this is a bit personal (but i’m willing to be a bit vulnerable with you guys, if it’ll help anyone at all) but, i planned on killing myself last year. it didn’t happen (evidently lol) but i ended up staying at the hospital for a week and then participating in a two week partial program after that. i’m currently looking for a new partial program or support group that i can join, and i’m trying to get a job and get back to school.

also, i have been seeing a therapist since my senior year of high school (which !!is a bit of a wild tale tbh, but long story short, my parents literally refused to believe mental illness was a real thing for the longest time. and it wasn’t until i told them i literally wouldn’t graduate high school if i didn’t get some help that they believed me.) my first two therapists were awful racist white women (still fuckin hate them btw) but my third therapist was a really cool white woman who actually introduced me to my current therapist who is this really amazing black woman and so far, i feel like she’s been the best fit for me. but i’ve very recently had to put my therapy sessions on pause cause i’m poor as hell and couldn’t pay for them anymore, so yeah. and, tbh, that’s really been stressing me the fuck out as of late, but what i’m trying to do is make the most of whatever other resources are available to me (helplines, textlines, self care strategies, forums, blogs, google, etc.) and i still have a social worker so idk, i should be okay 👌🏾

anyway, that was a lot of oversharing but, now you all know where i am atm ;) and i only share this with you guys cause a lot of asks i receive are about feeling like shit for not knowing what pd you have, or about being too poor to afford good health care, or not knowing how to convince your conservative ass black parents that you’re dying and need help and like !!! all of those topics are so so important to me on a very personal level !!! and i wanna help y'all so bad. but tbqh, i’m still trying to figure this shit out myself 😕 so, what i’m hoping is, just by letting you know more about my experience and being as honest as i can about it, at least one of you readin this might feel a little less lonely dealing with your pain. idk.

anyway, second to last thing: fr tho, i hope y'all know that it is both a rare, and amazing trait to be as insightful as so many of you are. even just trying to figure out ‘god, what is wrong with me’ and taking the time to do the research, is self care. it’s defiance. it’s acknowledging that a better life is possible, and it’s straight up refusing to settle for the pain you’re in now, for a life less fulfilling than what you know you deserve. i feel like the generations before us didn’t do that enough (with good reason, tbh, even today it’s still hard to know who we can trust) but it’s high time black people start healing our minds and our hearts. so power to you ✊🏾

and yeah. that’s all i wanted to say this morning. i’ve been wanting to say all that for a while, but wasn’t sure where the hell to start. i just hope that was all coherent and made sense, lol. don’t ever hesitate to message me guys. i may be an emotional wreck that takes too long to reply, but i do love you. lol.

and please please please continue to research things on your own as well, like. keep up with the latest studies, the TED talks, the blavity articles, the mental health blogs etc. etc. learn as much as you can about how to take the best care of you, even if my executively dysfunctional ass can’t help right away lol.

also !! (last thing, i promise) a quick update about this blog: i edited it a bit, namely my tagging system, to make it a bit more useful. i won’t go through all my tags here (maybe i’ll add an about page and a tag page later) but, for example, there’s my new affirmations tag (full of helpful reminders that i like to think about everyday) my positivity tag (just, yk, positive shit that makes think positive thoughts) and my black tag (whatever content i feel like pertains to just my fellow black + mentally ill peeps, cause lbr a lot of our struggles only happen at the intersection of both identities) 💕

i also have a music tag for music recommendations!! cause i like to believe music is very healing all on its own ;)

AAAAND that’s it lol 😘 stay safe out there guys !! this world is wild but, tbh, we know better than anyone what it means to make the very most out of our lives no matter what. happy black history month 🖤

#bpdblack.txt #ask #about me #blackness is ethereal #recovery #medication #self dx #hospitalization #bpd

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fitnessexpert00-blog · 5 years

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Beginner Body Weight Workout & Exercises: Lose Weight, Build Muscle ANYWHERE!

New Post has been published on https://fitnessqia.com/awesome/beginner-body-weight-workout-exercises-lose-weight-build-muscle-anywhere-2/

Beginner Body Weight Workout & Exercises: Lose Weight, Build Muscle ANYWHERE!

So you want to get in shape, but you have no gym membership and don’t know what to do.

Ruh roh…

That’s fine, you don’t need one to get into great shape! You can work out anywhere, like me in the photo above, doing push-ups on a cliff in South Africa.

Luckily, you can burn fat, build muscle, and get a great workout by merely doing body weight exerts- no gym or workout equipment required.

Cardio can actually be one of the least efficient methods of burning calories( which I explain below ).

Why not devote bodyweight educate a try and be more efficient with your time?

I realize doing just STARTING bodyweight training can be intimidating, and you’re probably also thinking “this better be worth it!”

I know. I struggled with progress for a decade despite exercising regularly – it’s because I was developing the wrong way!

After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than putting in endeavor for months( or years) and not insuring results. And regrettably, “thats what” I see from most people :P TAGEND

Lots of well intentioned- but misguided- endeavor when it comes to exercise and no progress!

You probably don’t have years to make the mistakes that I did, and you want to start get results today. I hear ya!

In addition to the free workout below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and objectives, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness!

Today however, you can get started with our free bodyweight circuit below in the convenience of your own home: you’ll complete one exercising right after the other without stopping, you’re both build muscle and getting a cardiovascular workout.

Combine that with a good diet and you got yourself a kick-ass plan to follow!

Why BodyWeight Circuits Kick Ass

What constructs bodyweight circuits run so well?

Every body weight exercising involved utilizes multiple muscle groups, gets your heart rate pumping, and burns tons of calories.

Essentially, circuit weight educate, or circuit bodyweight develop, burns more calories than interval develop, and that in turn burns WAY more calories than steady cardio. When you strength develop, you burn calories.

Then, your body needs to spend hours and hours afterwards rebuilding your muscles, which in turns burns even more calories( they call this the’ afterburn consequence ).

As we cover in our Coaching Program and the NF Academy, our nutrition will account for 80 -9 0% of our success or failure when it comes to getting in shape, might as well spend our time exercising being efficient and strong, right?

Want to make better food decisions? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating.

If you’re trying to lose weight, spending hours doing cardio on a treadmill is a really crappy, boring, inefficient use of your time.

If you’re a busy person( and I know you are ), why spend hours doing something when you can be MORE efficient and build a better physique with less hour?

Enter the novice bodyweight workout.

I’m going to take you through a basic home workout today that can be completed anywhere- in your house, apartment, out at a park, in your cellar, on the moon, wherever.

Speaking of which, you can publish out this Beginner Bodyweight Workout and follow along at home when you sign up in the box below :P TAGEND

Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!

Complete this workout at home , no equipment necessitated

Avoid the common blunders everybody constructs when doing bodyweight exerts

Learn how to finally get your first pull-up

I identify as a:

Woman

Man

Beginner Body Weight Workout& Exercises

youtube

This is a basic body weight circuit.

In a circuit routine, you’ll do each exercising in succession without a break in between( if you’re able ). Once you’ve finished all exerts in the circuit, do it again.

If you’re still able after the 2nd work through, go for a third.

Because all of these exerts come one after another, you’re bound to get tired- and that’s okay! We all start somewhere.

It’s better to stop and take a break than to do an exercise incorrectly. If you can’t do all three circuits without stopping, great! That gives you something to work towards.

Before you start, don’t forget WARM UP- Never ever ever ever forget to warm up. Make sure to get your heart rate pumping and get your muscles warm or you’re just asking for injury.

You can run in place, jump rope, do a few push ups, pedal on a stationary bike, do some punches and kickings, jog up and down your stairs, and/ or spin and swaying your limbs and legs to get them moving!

Give it about 5 minutes, and don’t wear yourself out completely, but get your heart rate elevated and little bit of sweat never hurt anybody.

After the warm up, here is exactly what you need to do:

20 bodyweight squattings 10 push ups 20 walking lunges- 10 each leg 10 dumbbell rows( using a gallon milk jug or another weight) 15 second plank 30 jumping jacks

After you’ve completed your workout at home, do some stretchings. All of your muscles have been contracted from lifting and need to be stretched back out and rebuilt.

For either the body weight squats or lunges, if you can’t do them properly yet, it’s okay to put your hand on a support to keep your balance.

For the body weight squats, think of it like sitting back into a chair. If you can sit down onto a chair, and then stand immediately right back up without having to lean forward, you are in balance.

For the lunges, keep your eyes ahead and your upper body completely vertical. I had a slight bending at times in the video due to trying to exercise and explain at the same time.

I employed a milk jug for my dumbbell, but you can use whatever is heavy enough for you. Find something that is challenging to lift 10 periods in a row.

Do this routine 2-3 times a week, but never on consecutive days. You don’t construct muscle when you’re exert, you build muscle when you’re resting.

Generally I like follow a pattern of strength develop on one day, then 20 minutes of interval training on the next, then strength train, then interval training, and so on.

Generally, I try not to do a strength educate routine( of the same muscle groups) two days in a row, as your muscles need plenty of time to recover.

An Important Note About Nutrition!

Along with this bodyweight routine, you need to make sure you’re eating properly!

A good workout and crappy diet won’t get you results.

After all, one of the rules of the Nerd Fitness Rebellion is” you can’t outrun your fork” and you can’t outtrain a bad diet!

This means if you don’t ALSO fix your relationship with food, then all the exercise you do won’t be helping you lose weight and build muscle.

We’ve actually developed a 10 -level nutrition system and mindset blueprint in the Nerd Fitness Academy, but let me infringe this down into some basics :P TAGEND

Eat natural, whole foods whenever possible. Leave the soda, candy, and junk food out of your system. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks- cut back on sugar and liquid calories wherever you can. The stuff is in everything! Swap out the grains on your plate for veggies when you can. Make sure you get enough protein each day( meat, chicken, fish)- this helps with rebuilding muscles and things like that.

The raw honest truth: how you eat will be responsible for least 80% of your success or failing.

I’m not kidding when I say that. If you don’t develop a healthier relationship with food , no amount of workout will get you there.

So if you’re doing this workout program because you’re interested in losing weight, know that training is only 10 -2 0% of the puzzle!

The WORST is dutifully doing this workout routine for months or going to the gym for years and not getting results because you didn’t eat the right way!

That was me- I expended 6 years without results because I didn’t know how to eat correctly to go along with my educate!

If you don’t have months or years to stimulate blunders, and simply want your own Yoda to tell you what to do, you’re in the right place!

We’ve been helping busy people like you train at home and make better food decisions without disliking life! It’s our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, and it might be a great fit for you.

Schedule a call with us to learn more by clicking on the image below :P TAGEND

Help Me Help You

Thanks for reading up to this point- I hope you had a great time getting stronger and challenging yourself in a new way. Strength training is one of the pillars of Nerd Fitness- it attains literally every part of life better, will help improve your physique, help you lose fat and build strength and muscle, and it can be done quickly, anywhere.

Stick with it! Do this routine a few times a week and note how much better you get at it.

If doing just one circuit of the workout was really challenging , no big deal! Write down how you did, and try to do only 1 more rep or exert next time through.

The whole point is” do a bit more than last period .”

We’ve got you encompassed!

-Steve

PS: If this routine is too easy for you, I have an Advanced Body Weight Circuit too. You’ve been advised

PPS: Don’t forget to download this Bodyweight workout sheet so you can print out the sheet and train at home!

Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!

Complete this workout at home , no equipment required

Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing bodyweight workouts

Learn how to finally get your first pull-up

I identify as a:

Woman

Man

###

Read more: nerdfitness.com

#best of #body weight #exercise #no gym #training #workout #workouts

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drawerevent03-blog · 5 years

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Cinnamon Crunch Cereal and Hemp Milk

“It is easier to change a man’s religion than to change his diet.” – Margaret Mead

Yup. Pretty much. This entire shift began when I had a particularly gnarly couple of months with manic mood swings that rivaled my adolescence, acne flare-ups, bloating, low energy, night sweats, and all-round malaise. Knowing what I know, I looked at my diet first to see what could be adjusted. Everything was organic, whole, plant-based and totally “healthy” by most peoples’ standards. But it just wasn’t working anymore. I knew something had to give.

Delving in deeper, a typical day for me was a whole-grain porridge in the morning, topped with all kinds of seasonal fruit, homemade granola etc. Lunch was a couple slices of organic sourdough rye bread from the local bakery, with homemade hummus, avocado, sprouts etc. Dinner was often a mixed bowl, the base of which was brown rice, quinoa, millet or buckwheat covered in a rainbow of vegetables, homemade pickles, superfood-loaded sauce, and fresh herbs. I wasn’t eating sugar, drinking coffee, I was keeping up with my exercise and sleeping well. So what was the problem? In this case, I had a feeling it was a big ol’ grain overload.

The idea of cutting back on my morning oats, bread, and grain bowls was literally devastating to me. I cried. On multiple occasions, just talking about giving up muffins made me weep, and I felt like there was just no way I could make even more changes, or think about my diet even more than I already did.

I have had two serious experiences with orthorexia in my life. For those of you who don’t know what orthorexia is, it is defined as an obsession with healthy eating. It is considered an eating disorder, and one that is becoming more prevalent in Western culture as healthy eating becomes increasingly “trendy”. The first bout happened the year I moved out of the house to study at university. While many of my friends were bingeing on junk food and beer, I swung in the opposite direction entirely and took advantage of the incredible meal program that was offered at school, and fueled myself with enormous salads, delicious sandwiches and wraps, veggie-heavy soups and stews, and protein-rich smoothies. I also signed up for the free fitness classes at the university gym, got hooked on kickboxing, step aerobics, boot camp drills, and the weight literally fell off me. I lost about 25 pounds that year, and for the first time in my life I felt like I was in control of the way I looked. The sudden attention from guys – which I had never had before – further stoked the fires for my desire to be even thinner, even though my initial motivation to eat this way stemmed from a desire to be healthy. As my attitude towards food morphed from friend to enemy, I flirted with a full-on eating disorder at this point, playing games with myself to see how long I could go without eating, how many exercise classes I could fit in between classes and study groups, how long I could make my bean salad from lunch last (too long!). Eventually my energy levels dropped to the point where I had a very hard time getting out of bed in the morning and I couldn’t concentrate well in school. I realized that I had taken things too far and started eating in a more balanced way again. I put the experience behind me without giving it too much thought.

The second time this resurfaced was, ironically, while studying holistic nutrition. While I was learning all about foods and how my body worked, I became almost afraid to eat, toxifying my body, or “poisoning” it with sugar, gluten, dairy and the rest. I became obsessed with detoxing and subsisted only on “clean foods”; mostly vegetables. I was stressed, my hair started falling out, my acne came back and my energy hit an all-time low. Despite my obvious physical misery, I somehow felt validated since I wasn’t putting anything “bad” in my body. Eating as healthy as possible became obsessive for me and my classmates, and we’d all proudly bring our lunches to school, subtly scrutinizing each other’s Tupperware contents. Again, food had lost its pleasure, its joy, and had become something that I saw as more of an enemy than a friend. And that really scared me.

After graduating, I finally got a grip, and once again slowly re-established a healthy relationship to what I was eating. It is for these reasons that food is such a tender subject for me, and changing my diet dangerous territory. I spent so many years struggling to achieve a positive connection with food, and when I finally got there and it felt like such a relief. The prospect of having to go “back to that place” of thinking about food more than I already did felt unsafe for me, and slipping back into an obsessive place felt like an inevitability. Meanwhile, the negative self-talk voices were loud and overpowering, telling me how I was fat, flabby, weak, old – things that I KNEW weren’t true. But that’s the sad thing about internal monologues, they don’t need to make sense to play like broken records in our minds all day every day. It’s enough to drive a person insane. The cruel voices coupled with my extreme fear of reverting back to my old thought patterns and eating habits absolutely terrified me. I felt like I had hit a wall of hopelessness. And all I wanted to do to feel better was to eat a piece of eff-ing bread.

The reason I suspected the grain thing was because of the unique relationship that blood sugar has to our hormones. If we’re consuming carbohydrates at a faster rate than our bodies are utilizing them for energy, that extra glucose gets stored in the fat cells of the liver, which decreases its ability to breakdown excess estrogen, and allowing it to hang around in our systems longer than it should. This excess circulating estrogen causes a whole host of symptoms, including, you guessed it: mood swings, bloating, sluggish metabolism, tender breasts, fatigue, foggy thinking, PMS, and many more less-than-desirable issues. Now, these things can be exacerbated by stress (shocker), inadequate fat and protein intake, and environmental factors, all of which I was likely suffering from.

I set out by making a plan, since I know how hard it is to make positive changes without preparation. Instead of focusing on the all the things I wanted to reduce or eliminate, I focused on the foods I could have, foods higher in fat and protein, since I knew that those things would naturally elbow out the things I would normally fall back on (I’m looking at you, banana bread). I made a list that I could refer to when I was grocery shopping for ingredients. I cooked and froze things. I stocked the fridge and pantry. I was ready.

Within the first few days I already noticed a difference: my energy was incredibly stable, my emotions were in check, the bloating in my stomach dissipated, and I just felt good. As the days rolled on my compulsive urges to down half a dozen muffins subsided, and it was like I could clearly see that what I had actually been battling was blood sugar issues – not just “too many” grains or carbohydrates. It became clear that I had been taking my bod on a wild rollercoaster of high and low blood sugar for years, which had in turn been tossing my hormones around like a pair of sneakers in a washing machine. Stabilizing blood sugar is the first step in managing your endocrine’s system ability to do its job properly. I realized that if I was going to eat grains (or any carbohydrate-heavy food), I had to eat them in smaller amounts, balance them out thoughtfully with enough fat and protein, and make sure that I was actually using that energy instead of letting it sit around in my body. So far, things have been going incredibly well, and I am so darn proud of myself for not only identifying the issue, but actually doing something about it.

We are fluid beings with needs that evolve and change over time. Our diets need to reflect that, which is why it’s imperative to listen to our bodies and be advocates for our own health. No one knows your body better than you, and once you quiet all the noise out there telling you “how” to eat in black-and-white terms, you’ll be able to hear yourself, without judgement, and choose the way of eating that is just right for you, right now. It may be different tomorrow, and that is okay too. In sharing this all with you, I am trying to set an example, because you too have this intuition that is telling you just what you need to eat and do right now. It’s actually fun to be connected to yourself, your unique rhythms and needs. Learning about how you operate and designing a plan that caters to your exceptional self means that you can celebrate, instead of berate your body the whole month through, and experience pleasure in every stage of our cycle. I promise.

This is undoubtedly a huge topic, and one that I plan on chipping away at over the next few blog posts. Some things I want to reiterate here are, that I do not believe that grains or carbohydrates are bad. No natural food group should be vilified, just as no macronutrient should be either. If you’re thinking about giving up carbs, I’d advise you not to. Glucose, the sugar found in carbohydrates is your brain’s primary fuel source, and when consumed responsibly, carbs will help you on your wellness journey, not hinder you. I still stand behind each and every one of the recipes that I have created for this blog, the app, and both of my cookbooks, and I believe that they are appropriate for many people to enjoy. However at this stage of my life, some of the recipes do not serve my needs any longer, and I’ve had to make small changes to them, or put them on the shelf for another time. I’m okay with that.

Whew! Now for some notes on the recipe.

The base recipe for my Cinnamon Toast Crunch-inspired cereal is grain-free, but it does rely on almond flour, which can be expensive. If you can tolerate pseudo-grains, feel free to top up the base with buckwheat flour. This will bulk up the cereal considerably so you’ll have more for less money.

This cereal is r-i-c-h. You really only need a small amount to fuel you in the morning – not like the bottomless bowls of that we’re used to consuming in the morning without every really feeling satisfied, ya know what I mean? And paired with a luscious liquid like my Super Creamy Hemp Milk will keep you full for even longer, help stabilize your blood sugar, not to mention flood your bod with the delicate nutrients and powerful enzymes that store-bought, plant-based milk is missing. This recipe is dead simple and pretty much like cream – I shouldn’t even call it milk, since it’s so rich and thick. And since we’re thinking outside the cereal box here, don’t stop at breakfast…this milk is amazing in coffee and tea, in raw treats and baked goods, soup, smoothies, ice cream and popsicles. You’re gonna love it!

I made the cereal the first time with just almond flour and a full half-cup of applesauce. It was definitely delicious, but I loved it just as much when I cut this amount in half. If you don’t want all the sweetness, use just ¼ cup / 60ml of applesauce instead of the full amount. If you’re using buckwheat flour, you will need the full amount of the applesauce’s moisture to bind it all together. I haven’t tried a version without the coconut sugar, so if you’re not into that stuff feel free to play with the recipe on your own.

Print recipe

Grain-free / Gluten-free Cinnamon Crunch Cereal Makes 5-7 servings

Ingredients: ½ cup ground flax seeds / 50g 1 ½ cups / 150g blanched almond flour 1½ Tbsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. fine sea salt ¼ cup / 35g coconut sugar ¼ cup / 60ml – ½ cup / 125ml applesauce (½ cup / 125ml if using buckwheat flour) 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted optional: ½ cup / 85g buckwheat flour

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C.

2. Combine the ground flax seeds, almond flour, cinnamon, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir well. Then add the desired amount of applesauce and coconut oil, and stir to fully incorporate (you made need to use your hands if it gets too dry). Gather dough into a rough ball.

3. Place dough ball on a sheet of baking paper with another sheet on top. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough as evenly as possible, about 2mm thickness (not quite paper thin). If you’re using buckwheat flour, you’ll need to separate the dough into two batches to achieve this. Remove top sheet of baking paper, and using a paring knife, score the dough into small squares of your desired size (mine were about 1.5cm / .5” square).

4. Place in the oven to bake for about approximately 25 minutes until turning golden around the edges, then turn the oven off and let the cereal sit in there until cool (this will help dry it out and make them extra crisp).

5. Once the cereal is completely cool, break up the pieces into squares and place in an airtight glass container. Store for up to one month at room temperature.

Super Creamy Hemp Milk Makes 1 liter / 1 quart

Ingredients: scant 4 cups / 1 liter water ¾ cup hulled hemp seeds / hemp hearts

Totally optional add-ins: sweetener (stevia, dates, honey, maple syrup…) vanilla sea salt raw cacao powder

Directions: 1. Place all ingredients in the blender and blend on high until smooth (this make take a couple minutes). 2. Pour directly into a sterilized bottle and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Initially, I was really afraid to come out about any of this stuff – the changes my diet is undergoing, the orthorexia, the internal voices! But I know in my gut that if I’m going through it, someone else out there is too. And the reason I wanted to start My New Roots in the first place was to create a safe space for everyone to share and support each other on our health journeys, so I have to be as transparent and honest as I feel I can be to set that example. I want to say a huge heartfelt thank-you to all of you who have stood by me all of these years and continue to do so. It feels pretty amazing to have you, and to be getting better all together.

In light and gratitude, Sarah B.

*****

Also… There’s one spot left for the upcoming retreat in Ibiza, click here to join me for a week of total inspiration and rejuvenation!

Source: https://www.mynewroots.org/site/2017/08/cinnamon-crunch-cereal-hemp-milk/

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mrcoreymonroe · 6 years

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Veteran Pilot Identifies Similarities In Younger Pilot

At the Barnstormer’s Grill in Williamson, Georgia, I sat in a booth next to myself at age 20. Okay, so he was redheaded and thin, but the parts that really mattered were all but identical. Similar socioeconomic upbringing, same struggle to continue higher education, same desire to fly airplanes for a living.

And friends, this young man could fly the stuffing out of an airplane.

Our paths crossed by way of mutual friend Kelly Leggette. Kelly, my friend, mentor and the benefactor who wrote a blank check noted “pay me back when you can” so I could finish the ratings to become a professional pilot back when I often searched my Toyota’s cupholder for gas money. Kelly owns two of the Zlin 526s that were part of the airshow team I grew up helping with, and every once in a while, we get together for a day of flying. Kelly’s a retired Air Force pilot who’ll leap at any chance for some formation work in the Zlins. For the better part of two decades, he’s kept me on his insurance for just this reason.

“Hope you don’t mind that I invited Nathan to come along today,” Kelly said.

I’d have been disappointed had he not.

As we had prepped for our $100 hamburger sortie, I strapped into the two-seat Zlin for a quick hop around the patch to polish a little on my tarnished tailwheel skills. This is the airplane my airshow team’s leader, Chris Smisson, had opened numerous airshows with, a red, white and blue airplane trailing matching colored smoke, flying to patriotic tunes, and taxiing in under a ruffling American flag; a somewhat conflicted performance given the airplane began life on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

The staccato snarl of its inverted-inline six-cylinder mill starting up puts a little tear in my eye every time I release the starter button. If anyone asks, I’ll swear up and down it’s the smoke, not the nostalgia. Once the engine temperatures came up, I pushed the canopy closed, drove the throttle forward, and clawed into the air for a couple circuits to make myself legal. Sometimes years fill the gaps between our dances together, but she’s always a familiar partner as soon as the music starts playing. With three patterns and about five landings under my belt, I joined Kelly and Nathan in the workshop where Kelly briefed up our flight. I’d be leading the formation, and he ran through all the procedures and techniques that once were second nature. We hashed out how the Atlanta Class B airspace had changed since I used to romp around beneath it, figured out our route of flight, brushed up on emergency procedures, frequencies and our plan for the traffic pattern once we got to Williamson.

“Let Nathan fly a little,” Kelly said. “Just point to the back of his head so I know I’m on his wing, and I’ll fan out a few feet.”

We fired up, taxied out, took off with a few seconds’ in-trail spacing, and formed up over the tree farm that’d been the setting for so many shenanigans back when we had an aerobatic box here. Nathan, in the front pit, armed with an iPad, called out a heading for me. I pointed our nose in the general direction, and he kept feeding me with corrections. “Hey, you’ve got a stick up there. You know where you’re going. Hold this altitude (the front altimeter is in meters) and take us there. You’ve got the controls,” I said with a small wiggle on the stick.

He locked onto the heading, held the altitude and beelined for our first checkpoint. With my copper-headed autopilot on the task, I put my feet on the floor, looked a few yards across to Kelly, and dramatically pointed at the back of Nathan’s head. Then I tucked both hands behind my head, and gazed around for traffic, slowly baking in a Plexiglas greenhouse beneath the hot August sun and making a big show of looking like I wasn’t doing a thing.

Then it dawned on me. I was exactly where some of my mentors had been, watching me grow as an aviator 20 years prior. “You’re doing great,” I offered, remembering the effusing praises heaped on my developing skills that’d helped bolster confidence in the young me. The kind words given me in spite of knowing that, back then, I was way out of my league, breathing rich air while living on lean-of-peak finances.

My sentimental reverie was interrupted when Nathan announced, “Hey, there’s the airport.” I had him lay off to the right, setting us up for an overhead pattern, and I took the controls as I waved Kelly to tuck it in tight for the break. I pitched out to downwind, then repeated the words Smisson had whispered into the intercom for me all those years ago, two-thirds ground, one-third sky, keep the turn coming as I banked around to final. With several kilometers of speed to spare, I wheeled it on and rolled long up the hill with some added power, giving plenty of margin for Kelly, who was floating down final behind us. He was invisible in my blind spot but clear in his position since we’d briefed it up. One man’s runway incursion is another’s formation arrival.

As we walked to the grill, I turned and shook Nathan’s hand, another habit I learned at his age. A handshake and the words “you’ve got good hands” were the crowning compliment of my early days as a pilot, and being on the giving end of a similar exchange was an out-of-body experience.

Seated around the table, Kelly and I shared a few stories from our day jobs flying heavy metal, and I floated a couple ideas for Nathan as he’s on the brink of his private check ride with concerns of cash flow, continuing college and chasing the dream of flight. The bar is even higher for him than it’d been for me: New hires in my regional airline class had sported fresh commercial tickets with less than 300 hours’ experience; now he’s tasked with reaching ATP minimums to do the same job. The flight school where he pumps gas presently seems to be welcoming him with open arms and hopefully will fast-track him to CFI status so he can build some time. Not having instructed was one of my biggest challenges in transitioning to the multi-crew environment: I’d sung songs and talked to the airplanes I’d flown but had rarely had to communicate to keep anyone else in the plane on the same page, operationally. Having to spend a year or so instructing will be great in helping him avoid the stumbles I encountered.

As we dragged our fries through the ketchup while plotting and scheming, it dawned on me: This was as close to writing a letter to my younger self—that trite and clichéd creative writing prompt—that I’d ever encounter. Don’t get preachy, I reminded myself.

For the flight back, I swapped to the single-seat bird, a Zlin 526 AFS. Clipped wings, dual ailerons on each wing, and a few refinements make this bird even more of a hoot to fly. We’d wanted to work in some formation practice on the flight back, some pitch-outs and rejoins for me to continue with the refresher, but the single seat’s fuel capacity is measured in drips, not gallons. Halfway home, Kelly called for a fuel check. I slid out a few extra yards and glanced to the fuel gauges in the wing roots. There was a lot more black than red showing. “Lead is showing 50 liters,” he said. “Two has 30,” I replied. “Let’s head home for some go-juice.” The Czechs built magnificent flying machines, but they designed them so that defecting was mighty difficult. I had about 15 minutes remaining on top of the VFR reserve fuel requirements and home was just about that far away. We landed and fueled up. I’d have to fire up to taxi back to its stable anyhow, so I went around the patch right quick for one last dance, quick and dirty. A quick run west got me out from beneath Atlanta’s airspace restrictions, and I held the stick against the left aileron’s stop for a quick roll, my phone’s camera button held for a burst of selfies, reminders that this stuff is fun, for the next rough day at the office.

On my return, I misjudged the flare, flew the mains right into the grass and ricocheted for two more bounces before a properly timed burst of power set her down to stay. As Nathan walked over to help me push her under cover, he smiled a knowing smile, having watched the big show, and offered these few words. “Most of those three landings weren’t half bad.” I chuckled at the good-natured brotherly ribbing.

Stay with it, kid. Don’t give up.

I mean every word of it.

Sincerely,

The post Veteran Pilot Identifies Similarities In Younger Pilot appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

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king-shrug · 6 years

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Learn How To Make More Money With SEO 2019

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chocolate-brownies · 6 years

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As human beings we have created the ability to explore the depths of the ocean and the limitless skies, but when it comes to matters of death and loss, we struggle to understand those who are grieving.

Time off from work or discounted flights for bereavement rarely exist anymore. The family unit is uncomfortably assumed. We now live in a society that celebrates instant joy and pleasure, not pain or sorrow. Yet we all feel, or will feel grief at times in our lives. Loss is inevitable for everyone—how can we be dismissive of our human constitution, or attempt to avoid it?

One way our culture treats or copes with the mundanity of life is with holidays: to look forward to something, to dress up, to call that day special. Mother’s Day (Father’s Day, also) can be a powerful effect and in cases of loss or omission, tends to isolate a person without providing any support. If you have a mother, check yes. If you don’t, oh well.

For a point of reference, this year will be the fifth Mother’s Day without my mom. The first holiday was the hardest, as were many firsts without her. I spent the afternoon with a friend’s family. We walked through their wooded backyard picking wildflowers, and before dinner, I sat in the sunlight arranging colorful bouquets within vases by the length of each stem. Last year, I made a garden in our front yard. Every time I leave the house, I think of her bravery throughout her illness and her otherwise outgoing spirit so to take on the world.

Triggers, for me, are everywhere. Holidays are the trickiest. My mother died on Christmas morning and through all the noise of sequin dress shopping and new year’s resolutions, I was quiet about it. I still am. In meeting people, sometimes I am asked, “where do your parents live?” or “what do your parents do?” and I have to break it down, as if it were a responsibility, the fact. Other times, I am questioned why I did not say something sooner, or more loudly.

I have scripted a short stack of stories that I’ll say each depending on the moment, trust, my energy. My loss has demanded intuition. My loss has made me feel decades older. While of course I hope for a semblance of peace in the years ahead, I remind myself the importance of staying present.

I know I am not alone. I turn towards my grief, and hold close stories of those who share something similar. I write everything down, because despite what they tell us about grief being clean and orderly stages, it’s not, and I know I will return to those feelings. The recollection of memories is not a linear process. I cannot count on the lines of an old pine how many times I have cried, without literal sense, in front of a friend. I have left the room. I have gotten up from the table. I have been known to have the meanest mug so much so it has a nickname, while others gather over plans for communal meals.

Sometimes I will hear “Are you okay?” and I’ll turn to see all eyes on me. Timid with emotion, I’ll respond “I’m fine” when I’m not. Sometimes I won’t hear anything at all. If the room is familiar, the chatter hums as an undertone, and later a friend will reach out, hand on arm. I am personally more willing to receive attention on matters most intense when a friend and I are one on one, or after the moment has passed. Whoever knows this, knows I’m not okay and knows to say that is okay.

Support can look different for everyone, but cliches exist for a reason. A shoulder to lean on, talking it out, grabbing a coffee, taking a nap in a hammock, the underwire of a bra, good shoes with an arch on a long walk. To support a friend is to aid in ways that hold them up. We all can relate, and if not, we all can try.

When someone you love is grieving, you are also grieving. I believe the most encouraging support is found as an honest recognition that we are humans dealing with other humans. We are in this together. I might go so far as to say, how we treat one person is how we treat all people. Empathy is something to strive for, for it is how we share.

Ask questions.

One of the gentlest, yet strongest of questions can be “Do you want to talk about it?” Want to see my face light up? The dearest inquiry is “Tell me about her.”

Listen.

Like really listen. Never stop someone from crying. When someone you love is feeling alone, be with them. Away? Check-in anyway. Check-in especially.

Observe.

Notice shifts in moods and patterns in coping mechanisms. Even the simplest acts of awareness can offer kindness. Consider the natural wear and weather of self-care in times of loss. Encourage something familiar, or even new. Could it be a coloring book, knitting as a meditation? A class pass to yoga? An hour-long bath? Gift your favorite soap and draw the water. The gesture may outweigh the words.

Give into their wild ideas.

Create a ritual, an event to return to. Suggest a trip. Celebrate in their own way. Make concrete, reliable efforts. Offer assistance and follow through. Grief belongs to those who grieve. It is a personal experience. It is not yours to determine how you could, would, or should. Follow their lead. Which leads me to…

Let go of you.

When someone you love is grieving, you do not need to know everything. You might very well be wrong. It is not possible nor necessary to know what to do or how to be. Rather, be open to witness pain without the ability to fix or heal. Be patient.

Never mention religion, the afterlife, a better place.

Now is not the time.

Do not say “Call me if you need anything.,”

They will not call. Not because they do not have the need, but because identifying a need, figuring out who might fill that need, and then making a phone call to ask is light years beyond their energy levels, capacity, or interest.

Show up. Give time.

A friend who is a parent shared this idea with me: when someone you love loses a parent, they become their own parent. The idea inspires hope, growth, legacy, and respect. When someone you love is grieving, the grief never ends. It is a process, personal, and strange, without destination and without knowing. It is maintenance and an obstacle course. It is “never too late” and it is kindness.

My mother always said, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” When she was alive, I witnessed the embodiment of what it means to truly care, and when she died, I picked up her advice and now carry it with me wherever I go.

While you might not be able to relate to what someone is going through, try to, at the very least, let them know you are thinking of them. It helps.

—

Karen Cygnarowicz is a writer and visual artist living in Portland, Oregon. She received her MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and founded Wild Light Design, an art business and journal. Follow her Instagram, @thiswildlight.

The post How to Be a Sensitive Friend on Mother’s Day appeared first on Wanderlust.

#sleep sounds #sleep music #white noise app #nature sounds #relaxing sounds #rain sounds for sleeping

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fitnessexpert00-blog · 5 years

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Beginner Body Weight Workout & Exercises: Lose Weight, Build Muscle ANYWHERE!

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Beginner Body Weight Workout & Exercises: Lose Weight, Build Muscle ANYWHERE!

So you want to get in shape, but you have no gym membership and don’t know what to do.

Ruh roh…

That’s fine, you don’t need one to get in great shape! You can work out anywhere, like me in the photo above, doing push-ups on a cliff in South Africa.

Luckily, you can burn fat, build muscle, and get a great workout by only doing body weight exercisings- no gym or workout equipment required.

Cardio can actually be one of the least efficient methods of burning calories( which I explain below ).

Why not dedicate bodyweight train a try and be more efficient with your time?

I realize doing just STARTING bodyweight develop is also available intimidating, and you’re probably also thinking “this better be worth it!”

I know. I struggled with progress for a decade despite exercising regularly- it’s because I was developing the incorrect way!

After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than putting in attempt for months( or years) and not seeing results. And unfortunately, “thats what” I is evident from most people:

Lots of well intentioned- but misguided- endeavour when it comes to workout and no progress!

You probably don’t have years to induce the mistakes that I did, and you want to start getting results today. I hear ya!

In addition to the free workout below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and aims, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness!

Combine that with a good diet and you got yourself a kick-ass plan to follow!

Why BodyWeight Circuits Kick Ass

What attains bodyweight circuits run so well?

Every body weight exert involved utilizes multiple muscle groups, get your heart rate pumping, and burns tons of calories.

Essentially, circuit weight training, or circuit bodyweight training, burns more calories than interval train, and that in turn burns WAY more calories than steady cardio. When you strength train, you burn calories.

Then, your body needs to spend hours and hours afterwards rebuilding your muscles, which in turns burns even more calories (they call this the’ afterburn consequence ).

As we cover in our Coaching Program and the NF Academy, our nutrition will account for 80 -9 0% of our success or failure when it comes to getting in shape, might as well expend our time exert being efficient and strong, right?

Want to make better food decisions? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating.

If you’re trying to lose weight, spending hours doing cardio on a treadmill is a really crappy, boring, inefficient use of your time.

If you’re a busy person( and I know you are ), why spend hours doing something when you can be MORE efficient and build a better physique with less hour?

Enter the beginner bodyweight workout.

I’m going to take you through a basic home workout today that can be completed anywhere- in your house, apartment, out at a park, in your cellar, on the moon, wherever.

Speaking of which, you can publish out this Novice Bodyweight Workout and follow along at home when you sign up in the box below :P TAGEND

Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required! Complete this workout at home , no equipment involved Avoid the common mistakes everybody constructs when doing bodyweight exercises Learn how to finally get your first pull-up

I identify as a:

Woman Man Beginner Body Weight Workout& Exercises

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This is a basic body weight circuit.

In a circuit routine, you’ll do each workout in succession without a break in between( if you’re able ). Once you’ve finished all exerts in the circuit, do it again.

If you’re still able after the 2nd run through, go for a third.

Because all of these exercises come one after another, you’re bound to get tired- and that’s okay! We all start somewhere.

It’s better to stop and take a break than to do an exercise incorrectly. If you can’t do all three circuits without stopping, great! That gives you something to work towards.

Before you start, don’t forget WARM UP- Never ever ever ever forget to warm up. Make sure to get your heart rate pumping and get your muscles warm or you’re just asking for injury.

You can run in place, jump rope, do a few push ups, pedal on a stationary bike, do some punches and kicks, jog up and down your stairs, and/ or twist and swaying your arms and legs to get them moving!

Give it about 5 minutes, and don’t wear yourself out completely, but get your heart rate elevated and little bit of sweat never hurt anybody.

After the warm up, here is exactly what you need to do:

20 bodyweight squats 10 push ups 20 stroll lunges- 10 each leg 10 dumbbell rows( use a gallon milk jug or the other weight) 15 second plank 30 jumping jacks

After you’ve completed your workout at home, do some stretches. All of your muscles have been contracted from lifting and need to be stretched back out and rebuilt.

For either the body weight squats or lunges, if you can’t do them properly yet, it’s okay to put your hand on a support to keep your balance.

For the body weight squats, think of it like sitting back into a chair. If you can sit down onto a chair, and then stand immediately right back up without having to lean forward, you are in balance.

For the lunges, keep your eyes ahead and your upper body altogether horizontal. I had a slight bending at times in the video due to trying to exercise and explain at the same time.

I employed a milk jug for my dumbbell, but you can use whatever is heavy enough for you. Find something that is challenging to lift 10 periods in a row.

Do this routine 2-3 times a week, but never on consecutive days. You don’t constructed muscle when you’re exercising, you constructed muscle when you’re resting.

Generally I like follow a pattern of strength develop on one day, then 20 minutes of interval train on the next, then strength training, then interval educate, and so on.

Generally, I try not to do a strength training routine( of the same muscle groups) two days in a row, as your muscles need plenty of time to recover.

An Important Note About Nutrition!

Along with this bodyweight routine, you need to build sure you’re eating properly!

A good workout and crappy diet won’t got to get results.

After all, one of the standards of the the Nerd Fitness Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork” and you can’t outtrain a bad diet!

This means if you don’t ALSO fix your relationship with food, then all the exercise you do won’t be helping you lose weight and building muscle.

We’ve actually developed a 10 -level nutrition system and mindset blueprint in the Nerd Fitness Academy, but let me breach this down into some basics:

Eat natural, whole foods whenever possible. Leave the soda, candy, and junk food out of your system. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks- cut back on sugar and liquid calories wherever you can. The stuff is in everything! Swap out the grains on your plate for vegetables when you can. Make sure you get enough protein each day( meat, chicken, fish)- this helps with rebuilding muscles and things like that.

The raw honest truth: how you eat will be responsible for least 80% of your success or failure.

I’m not kidding when I say that. If you don’t develop a healthier relationship with food , no sum of workout will get you there.

So if you’re doing this workout program because you’re interested in losing weight, know that training is only 10 -2 0% of the puzzle!

The WORST is dutifully doing this workout routine for months or going to the gym for years and not getting results because you didn’t eat the right way!

That was me- I spent 6 years without results because I didn’t know how to eat correctly to go along with my training!

If you don’t have months or years to make blunders, and simply want your own Yoda to tell you what to do, you’re in the right place!

We’ve been helping busy people like you train at home and induce better food decisions without detesting life! It’s our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, and it might be a great fit for you.

Schedule a call with us to learn more by clicking on the image below :P TAGEND

Help Me Help You

Thanks for read up to this point- I hope you had a great time get stronger and challenging yourself in a new way. Strength training is one of the pillars of Nerd Fitness- it makes literally every part of life better, will improve your physique, help you lose fat and build strength and muscle, and it can be done quickly, anywhere.

Stick with it! Do this routine a few times a week and notice how much better you get at it.

If doing just one circuit of the workout was really challenging, no big deal! Write down how you did, and try to do simply 1 more rep or exert next time through.

The whole point is “do a bit more than last time.”

We’ve got you covered!

-Steve

PS: If this routine is too easy for you, I have an Advanced Body Weight Circuit too. You’ve been advised

PPS: Don’t forget to download this Bodyweight workout sheet so you can print out the sheet and develop at home!

Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required! Complete this workout at home , no equipment involved Avoid the common missteps everybody stimulates when doing bodyweight exercises Learn how to finally get your first pull-up

I identify as a:

Woman Man

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