January is the Month of Coziness.

Yep, it's true. A whole month dedicated to the art of cozy, of which I am a supreme artiste. I LOVE coziness. Mama says that when I was a baby, she couldn't get me out of my gray and pink sweatsuit no matter how hard she tried. Why was that? Because it was super cozy.

And now? Coziness reigns on high here in the Mooney-Flynn household with a superfluity of pillows and blankets and thick woolen socks and hearty winter stews.

Just yesterday, I made the most delicious Paleo Creamy Chicken Stew. It was the ultimate in cozy. I pass it on to you, my gift to you in this, the Month of Cozy.

Before you go throwing away all those yummy juices from the slow-cooked chicken you just made, watch this video on a super easy and budget-friendly way to make your own chicken stock from scratch!

Remember a time, long ago, when something arrived in your mailbox and you were happy to see it? It was magic in an envelope -- a letter from a best friend who moved away, your grandmother sending you $10 for your birthday, the latest American Girl catalogue.

At one point, mail was actually enjoyable to receive.

But then, the often tragic and bleak adult world crept in and the next thing you know you have American Express bills, cable sales letters addressed "To Our Neighbor", and the gluttonous weekly coupons for lawn maintenance, mattresses, and powerwashing services clogging your mailbox to the point that maybe it wouldn't be so bad if that obnoxious punk kid down the street swooped by with a baseball bat and creamed your mailbox, hightailing the sad, overwhelmed, metal container across the lawn next Saturday night.

Sigh.

But good news, my friends! Because mail is about to become enjoyable again!

Starting in February 2013, my dear friends over at Chronicles of Strength will be launching a full in-print newsletter. That's right! It's delivered to your mailbox, not your inbox. You'll have something to treasure and hold onto forever...well, at least until the next month's issue arrives.

From the words of Pat Flynn of ChroniclesofStrength.com, himself, here's what you can expect from the in-print Chronicles of Strength newsletter due out in February 2013:

A couple of months back, I wrote a post about training grip strength with one of the most primal of movements: The carry.

Today, I'd like to revisit, but rather than focus on the farmer's carry (that is, carrying weight at your side, as you would a pair of suitcases), we're gonna talk overhead carrying.

The overhead carry is a crazy good way to develop:

• core strength
• proprioception
• diaphramatic breathing technique
• shoulder mobility and stability
• better posture
• strength induced from spending time-under-tension

So overall, a pretty sweet movement. And a downright primitive one. It ain't sexy, but it works. It's powerful and so too will you be training this movement.

But before you go and throw two heavy kettlebells overhead, you've got to get the technique down.

Check out the video below on how you can pwn the overhead carry...and then watch a most excellent ab finisher you can add onto your next training session.

Enjoy!

   Check out the military press technique video I referenced in the above video, by clicking here.

Typically, kettlebells come in four kilogram increments--12 kg, 16 kg, 20 kg and so on. For those of us who use the imperial system, those are 8.8 pound jumps.

In lower body movements, such as the squat and deadlift, which are powered by some of the largest and strongest muscle groups in the body, no big deal. But in upper body exercises, 8.8 pounds can be a huge jump.

But there are ways to hack through those plateaus, bridge that 4 kg gap, and move along with your total badassery.

Check out the short video below to find out a few techniques on how to push past a kettlebell military press strength plateau:

There might not be any historical evidence as to why the heck November 23rd is National Cashew Day, but you know what? I don't need any!

The cashew is one of my favorite tree nuts. It's high in monounsaturated fat (7.6 g per ounce) and, while it contains a decent amount of omega-6s (2.2 g per ounce), it’s lower in polyunsaturated fats than almonds (3.5 g per ounce). Its nutritional content is pretty awesome, too:

Sure, like any nut, they should be consumed in moderation -- cashews do have a considerable amount of phytic acid (which blocks the body's ability to absorb minerals from foods) when compared with the other nuts of the world, but you can mitigate the amount of phytic acid by soaking raw cashews before consumption.

Plus, it's a bit too easy to gorge on the little guys, and as much as I don't advocate counting calories or worrying about how much of good fats you're eating, there is still a limit to how much of a calorically-dense food (e.g. the cashew) you can eat before it starts to weigh you down...literally.

But today, we are CELEBRATING the cashew nut in all of its glory! First up, let's talk about the "hollow position." I maintain that you kinda look like a cashew when doing it...

:P

Okay...so maybe that's a stretch, but it gives me the opportunity to talk about this position, which is where you should be starting out in the hanging leg raise and the tactical pull-up.

This hollow position ensures that your shoulders are packed and down and that your lats, abs, and glutes are engaged. It's the difference between hanging passively between your shoulders and dialing in the appropriate amount of tension as your executing a beautiful pull-up or HLR. (I wrote about lat engagement and active hanging in a previous blog post, which you can read here).

Here's a quick how-to video on performing the hollow position:

Directions

1. Combine chicken broth, vinegar, and 4 TBS water together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Heat 1 TBS coconut oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken, resisting the urge to touch it for a few minutes so that the chicken browns slightly. Continue cooking, until the chicken is cooked through (no pink).
3. Remove chicken from heat and set aside. Add remaining 1 TBS coconut oil to the skillet and add the onions, ginger, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, 5-6 minutes.
4. Add curry powder and chile peppers. Toss to combine.
5. Add chicken and the sauce back to the skillet. Stir to combine and continue cooking 1 minute more.
6. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and cashews. Serve and enjoy!


Note: This tasted phenomenal with avocado mashed with lime juice and cilantro and roasted sweet potatoes on the side.


Do you have a favorite cashew recipe? Share the nutty goodness in the comments section!

So many abs on the magazines covers, and flip through the magazine pages and find so many crap ab exercises.

There is a function and a purpose to your core muscles. And no, it's not to look good naked. These muscles' purpose quite often gets ignored. It's easy to see because, well, we live in modern society, sitting in cars, in front of TVs, and at computer desks which takes your core out of the equation and let's the back of your driver's seat, couch, or chair cushion do all the work.

But the true purpose of your core is this: Anti-flexion, anti-extension, and anti-rotation. In other words, the primary purpose of your core is stabilization. Having a strong, stable core is crucial in injury prevention. Most people are already too unstable (i.e. mobile) in their lumbar region. This contributes to poor posture (for more info on this, check out my "Fix Yo' Chicken Neck" post) and an overall weakening of core stabilizers, which not only include the muscles you can see from the outside but also deep core muscles (e.g. transverse abdominal muscles).

So since most people are too mobile in their cores, then it makes no sense to train mobility even more...namely "flexion" exercises which usually go by the names crunches, sit-ups, and so forth. That doesn't mean you shouldn't train your core. On the contrary! What it means is that with the core being so, well, core to your overall health and wellness, it is imperative to train it correctly. Let's see what this looks like:

Okay, so you're practicing diaphragmatic breathing. It's feeling a little less foreign to you, and lo and behold, you're actually getting stronger as you do this. Amazing!

So what's next? The plank. That's what's next.

Done right, the plank is one of the best core-stabilizing exercises around. It provides a phenomenal core workout, helping you to strengthen and stabilize your abs. Ohhhh, hey that kinda sounds like the entire purpose of your core, doesn't it? ;P

It will help you find the right amount of tension to utilize while performing upright/standing exercises, such as overhead pressing, squatting, rack holds, top of the deadlift, etc.  Not only that, it will help you in nearly any other endeavor that requires you to, well, move. It doesn’t matter if that’s a walk on the beach, hauling a heavy watermelon into the house for the barbeque you’re hosting, or tossing your kid into the pool for the umpteenth time because he keeps coming back, begging for more.  A strong core puts your entire body in a much better position than a weak one does. It’s that simple, and the plank is one excellent way to get you to a strong core.

But this isn't the plank you're used to. A full-tension plank is something that you will probably only be able to hold for 15-20 seconds max. Notice, I said "full tension". I mean it. Stay engaged! Don't get loosey goosey in this.

So let’s go over the basics of the plank:

·         Come into a push-up position with your feet together, hands planted beneath your shoulders, perpendicular to the ground.

·         This exercise IS NOT just about your abs so you need to tighten your glutes, squeeze your thighs together, and keep that belly tight.

·         Engage your lats by squeezing your armpits. Envision yourself pushing the ground apart with your hands to get your shoulders back and down.

·         Do not pop your butt up, or let it sag. Keep a nice, neutral spine. You should be able to serve coffee off of your back!

Wakey, wakey, eggs n’ bakey

Wake up, latissimi dorsi! Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you. You’ve been asleep long enough. It’s time to rise and SHINE. Shine, baby!

First things first, watch this brief video here on waking up sleepy lats; then, we’ll delve into some of the scientificals. (No, that’s not a word. But I like it so I’m gonna use it).

It's Not All About You

There are goals in strength, conditioning, and a healthy lifestyle that keep us going back to the gym each week or opting for strip steak instead of fried chicken. Those goals could be anything from killin’ the tactical strength challenge that your gym is hosting or passing RKC or pressing a 20 kg kettlebell or lowering your blood pressure. But those aren’t end goals. They might get you to the next goal, but they’re really just middle-ground goals that roll up into the end goal.

And the end goal for strength, conditioning, and healthful living is to make your life outside of the gym more pleasant, make your life easier to live.

I think that the simplicity of that statement oftentimes overrides the power of it. The first time this concept really hit home was when my grandfather’s health began to fail. Years of taking abysmal care of himself finally caught up to him. Sure, you could argue that everyone dies; it’s only a matter of time. But that’s such a self-centered and short-sighted view. Your life doesn’t end with you. If you get ill from a preventable disease, you are putting yourself above your family who will need to take care of you, who will suffer as you take ill, and who suffer after you are gone. Yes, everyone dies, but there is the life, the emotional toil, the hospital bills before that death that must be greatly considered.

I’m sure many of you have similar experiences, perhaps with an elderly family member. And taking part in my grandfather’s failing health opened my eyes to what I don’t want for myself or those around me. I want to be able to reach overhead and grab a coffee mug from the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet. I want to be able to bring in the groceries without my adult children worrying that I might throw my back out. I want to be able to be as healthy and self-sufficient as possible til the end of my life.

And between now and then, I’d like to have fun. I’d like to be confident that if some challenge presented itself, I’d be able to take it on. It’s an awesome feeling—being confident in your physical capabilities. And you don’t know how cool it is until you feel it, too.


Shuck you, pal!

Speaking of confidence in your ability to take on challenges as they present themselves, today, when Pat, Big Pete, and I got roped into a corn shucking contest outside of Whole Foods (where I purchased something I am so excited to tell y'all about…more on that next post!).

I used my grip strength and strong arms and showed those other competitors who’s boss!! (Sorry, Big Pete…maybe next time?) AND I got a gift certificate to Whole Foods because of it. Instead of buying some of the corn I shucked (corn's a grain...stay away, far far away!), I walked right back in that store and bought organic, grass-fed NY strip steaks. I’m going to roll ‘em around in salt and pepper and cook those bad boys up in shimmering hot grapeseed oil. Roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini, and squash are rounding out the meal. And hey, how about some summer sweet strawberries to finish up? Yep, all because I rocked it at a corn shucking contest.  Makes getting and staying fit even more fun when you’ve got something to show for it. Like strip steak. And strawberries.

Mmmmhmmm life is good!