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Who Are The IAMMAI Heroes? September 04 2014
I started IAMMAI because I wanted to create a company that inspired people to do what inspires them. Along the way I kept meeting some amazing people. I called them ordinary people who do extraordinary things. I decided I wanted to share their stories, so we began putting their pictures and inspiring stories on our hang tags, so that each time someone bought our clothes they would also get to read about one of these inspiring athletes. Our Heroes have done some amazing things, from climbing the highest mountains in the world to literally running across the country, they are inspiring us to be our very best. Lets meet some...
Noah Galloway
On December 19, 2005, Noah lost his left arm above the elbow and left leg above the knee in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in Yusafiah, Iraq. He was quickly transported to Germany to receive medical treatment and was unconscious for five days. Noah woke up late in the evening on Christmas Eve to find out he had lost two of his limbs and also sustained several injuries to his remaining leg and his jaw. Despite his injuries, Noah has participated in the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon, three warrior Dash events, 7 Tough Mudder events, a Barbarian Challenge, 6 Spartan event, completed the Spartan Death Race, ran the Bataan Death March Marathon as well as a member of Operation Enduring Warrior completed the Bataan Death March in the heavy division a year prior to running it, 3 Crossfit competitions put on by Garage Games, plus several 5k and 10k races
Noah is determined to inspire others by his actions, by training like a machine and demonstrating that challenges are meant to be conquered no matter how big they might be.
To support IAMMAI and our current Kickstarter Project go here: http://kck.st/1kBriKC
We Cannot Wait for The Next USA Game! June 25 2014
It's hard to get that last goal off our minds. But here is a video to inspire us and get us ready for the next game!
10 Life Lessons From A Navy Seal. Amazing! May 29 2014
Naval Admiral William H. McRaven returned to his alma mater last week and spoke to the graduates with lessons he learned from his basic SEAL training.
Here’s his amazing Commencement Address at University of Texas at Austin 2014 from Business Insider.
The University’s slogan is,
“What starts here changes the world.”
I have to admit—I kinda like it.
“What starts here changes the world.”
Tonight there are almost 8,000 students graduating from UT.
That great paragon of analytical rigor, Ask.Com says that the average American will meet 10,000 people in their lifetime.
That’s a lot of folks.
But, if every one of you changed the lives of just ten people—and each one of those folks changed the lives of another ten people—just ten—then in five generations—125 years—the class of 2014 will have changed the lives of 800 million people.
800 million people—think of it—over twice the population of the United States. Go one more generation and you can change the entire population of the world—8 billion people.
If you think it’s hard to change the lives of ten people—change their lives forever—you’re wrong.
I saw it happen every day in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A young Army officer makes a decision to go left instead of right down a road in Baghdad and the ten soldiers in his squad are saved from close-in ambush.
In Kandahar province, Afghanistan, a non-commissioned officer from the Female Engagement Team senses something isn’t right and directs the infantry platoon away from a 500 pound IED, saving the lives of a dozen soldiers.
But, if you think about it, not only were these soldiers saved by the decisions of one person, but their children yet unborn—were also saved. And their children’s children—were saved.
Generations were saved by one decision—by one person.
But changing the world can happen anywhere and anyone can do it.
So, what starts here can indeed change the world, but the question is… what will the world look like after you change it?
Well, I am confident that it will look much, much better, but if you will humor this old sailor for just a moment, I have a few suggestions that may help you on your way to a better a world.
And while these lessons were learned during my time in the military, I can assure you that it matters not whether you ever served a day in uniform.
It matters not your gender, your ethnic or religious background, your orientation, or your social status.
Our struggles in this world are similar and the lessons to overcome those struggles and to move forward—changing ourselves and the world around us—will apply equally to all.
I have been a Navy SEAL for 36 years. But it all began when I left UT for Basic SEAL training in Coronado, California.
Basic SEAL training is six months of long torturous runs in the soft sand, midnight swims in the cold water off San Diego, obstacles courses, unending calisthenics, days without sleep and always being cold, wet and miserable.
It is six months of being constantly harassed by professionally trained warriors who seek to find the weak of mind and body and eliminate them from ever becoming a Navy SEAL.
But, the training also seeks to find those students who can lead in an environment of constant stress, chaos, failure and hardships.
To me basic SEAL training was a life time of challenges crammed into six months.
So, here are the ten lessons I learned from basic SEAL training that hopefully will be of value to you as you move forward in life.
Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed.
If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack—rack—that’s Navy talk for bed.
It was a simple task—mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle hardened SEALs—but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.
By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.
If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
#1. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.
During SEAL training the students are broken down into boat crews. Each crew is seven students—three on each side of a small rubber boat and one coxswain to help guide the dingy.
Every day your boat crew forms up on the beach and is instructed to get through the surf zone and paddle several miles down the coast.
In the winter, the surf off San Diego can get to be 8 to 10 feet high and it is exceedingly difficult to paddle through the plunging surf unless everyone digs in.
Every paddle must be synchronized to the stroke count of the coxswain. Everyone must exert equal effort or the boat will turn against the wave and be unceremoniously tossed back on the beach.
For the boat to make it to its destination, everyone must paddle.
You can’t change the world alone—you will need some help— and to truly get from your starting point to your destination takes friends, colleagues, the good will of strangers and a strong coxswain to guide them.
#2. If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.
Over a few weeks of difficult training my SEAL class which started with 150 men was down to just 35. There were now six boat crews of seven men each.
I was in the boat with the tall guys, but the best boat crew we had was made up of the the little guys—the munchkin crew we called them—no one was over about 5-foot five.
The munchkin boat crew had one American Indian, one African American, one Polish American, one Greek American, one Italian American, and two tough kids from the mid-west.
They out paddled, out-ran, and out swam all the other boat crews.
The big men in the other boat crews would always make good natured fun of the tiny little flippers the munchkins put on their tiny little feet prior to every swim.
But somehow these little guys, from every corner of the Nation and the world, always had the last laugh— swimming faster than everyone and reaching the shore long before the rest of us.
SEAL training was a great equalizer. Nothing mattered but your will to succeed. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status.
#3. If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.
Several times a week, the instructors would line up the class and do a uniform inspection. It was exceptionally thorough.
Your hat had to be perfectly starched, your uniform immaculately pressed and your belt buckle shiny and void of any smudges.
But it seemed that no matter how much effort you put into starching your hat, or pressing your uniform or polishing your belt buckle—- it just wasn’t good enough.
The instructors would find “something” wrong.
For failing the uniform inspection, the student had to run, fully clothed into the surfzone and then, wet from head to toe, roll around on the beach until every part of your body was covered with sand.
The effect was known as a “sugar cookie.” You stayed in that uniform the rest of the day—cold, wet and sandy.
There were many a student who just couldn’t accept the fact that all their effort was in vain. That no matter how hard they tried to get the uniform right—it was unappreciated.
Those students didn’t make it through training.
Those students didn’t understand the purpose of the drill. You were never going to succeed. You were never going to have a perfect uniform.
Sometimes no matter how well you prepare or how well you perform you still end up as a sugar cookie.
It’s just the way life is sometimes.
#4. If you want to change the world get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.
Every day during training you were challenged with multiple physical events—long runs, long swims, obstacle courses, hours of calisthenics—something designed to test your mettle.
Every event had standards—times you had to meet. If you failed to meet those standards your name was posted on a list and at the end of the day those on the list were invited to—a “circus.”
A circus was two hours of additional calisthenics—designed to wear you down, to break your spirit, to force you to quit.
No one wanted a circus.
A circus meant that for that day you didn’t measure up. A circus meant more fatigue—and more fatigue meant that the following day would be more difficult—and more circuses were likely.
But at some time during SEAL training, everyone—everyone—made the circus list.
But an interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list. Over time those students-—who did two hours of extra calisthenics—got stronger and stronger.
The pain of the circuses built inner strength-built physical resiliency.
Life is filled with circuses.
You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core.
#5. But if you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses.
At least twice a week, the trainees were required to run the obstacle course. The obstacle course contained 25 obstacles including a 10-foot high wall, a 30-foot cargo net, and a barbed wire crawl to name a few.
But the most challenging obstacle was the slide for life. It had a three level 30 foot tower at one end and a one level tower at the other. In between was a 200-foot long rope.
You had to climb the three tiered tower and once at the top, you grabbed the rope, swung underneath the rope and pulled yourself hand over hand until you got to the other end.
The record for the obstacle course had stood for years when my class began training in 1977.
The record seemed unbeatable, until one day, a student decided to go down the slide for life—head first.
Instead of swinging his body underneath the rope and inching his way down, he bravely mounted the TOP of the rope and thrust himself forward.
It was a dangerous move—seemingly foolish, and fraught with risk. Failure could mean injury and being dropped from the training.
Without hesitation—the student slid down the rope—perilously fast, instead of several minutes, it only took him half that time and by the end of the course he had broken the record.
#6. If you want to change the world sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.
During the land warfare phase of training, the students are flown out to San Clemente Island which lies off the coast of San Diego.
The waters off San Clemente are a breeding ground for the great white sharks. To pass SEAL training there are a series of long swims that must be completed. One—is the night swim.
Before the swim the instructors joyfully brief the trainees on all the species of sharks that inhabit the waters off San Clemente.
They assure you, however, that no student has ever been eaten by a shark—at least not recently.
But, you are also taught that if a shark begins to circle your position—stand your ground. Do not swim away. Do not act afraid.
And if the shark, hungry for a midnight snack, darts towards you—then summons up all your strength and punch him in the snout and he will turn and swim away.
There are a lot of sharks in the world. If you hope to complete the swim you will have to deal with them.
#7. So, if you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks.
As Navy SEALs one of our jobs is to conduct underwater attacks against enemy shipping. We practiced this technique extensively during basic training.
The ship attack mission is where a pair of SEAL divers is dropped off outside an enemy harbor and then swims well over two miles—underwater—using nothing but a depth gauge and a compass to get to their target.
During the entire swim, even well below the surface there is some light that comes through. It is comforting to know that there is open water above you.
But as you approach the ship, which is tied to a pier, the light begins to fade. The steel structure of the ship blocks the moonlight—it blocks the surrounding street lamps—it blocks all ambient light.
To be successful in your mission, you have to swim under the ship and find the keel—the center line and the deepest part of the ship.
This is your objective. But the keel is also the darkest part of the ship—where you cannot see your hand in front of your face, where the noise from the ship’s machinery is deafening and where it is easy to get disoriented and fail.
Every SEAL knows that under the keel, at the darkest moment of the mission—is the time when you must be calm, composed—when all your tactical skills, your physical power and all your inner strength must be brought to bear.
#8. If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment.
The ninth week of training is referred to as “Hell Week.” It is six days of no sleep, constant physical and mental harassment and—one special day at the Mud Flats—the Mud Flats are an area between San Diego and Tijuana where the water runs off and creates the Tijuana slue’s—a swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you.
It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that you paddle down to the mud flats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing cold mud, the howling wind and the incessant pressure to quit from the instructors.
As the sun began to set that Wednesday evening, my training class, having committed some “egregious infraction of the rules” was ordered into the mud.
The mud consumed each man till there was nothing visible but our heads. The instructors told us we could leave the mud if only five men would quit—just five men and we could get out of the oppressive cold.
Looking around the mud flat it was apparent that some students were about to give up. It was still over eight hours till the sun came up—eight more hours of bone chilling cold.
The chattering teeth and shivering moans of the trainees were so loud it was hard to hear anything and then, one voice began to echo through the night—one voice raised in song.
The song was terribly out of tune, but sung with great enthusiasm.
One voice became two and two became three and before long everyone in the class was singing.
We knew that if one man could rise above the misery then others could as well.
The instructors threatened us with more time in the mud if we kept up the singing—but the singing persisted.
And somehow—the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little tamer and the dawn not so far away.
If I have learned anything in my time traveling the world, it is the power of hope. The power of one person—Washington, Lincoln, King, Mandela and even a young girl from Pakistan—Malala—one person can change the world by giving people hope.
#9. So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud.
Finally, in SEAL training there is a bell. A brass bell that hangs in the center of the compound for all the students to see.
All you have to do to quit—is ring the bell. Ring the bell and you no longer have to wake up at 5 o’clock. Ring the bell and you no longer have to do the freezing cold swims.
Ring the bell and you no longer have to do the runs, the obstacle course, the PT—and you no longer have to endure the hardships of training.
Just ring the bell.
#10. If you want to change the world don’t ever, ever ring the bell.
To the graduating class of 2014, you are moments away from graduating. Moments away from beginning your journey through life. Moments away from starting to change the world—for the better.
It will not be easy.
But, YOU are the class of 2014—the class that can affect the lives of 800 million people in the next century.
Start each day with a task completed.
Find someone to help you through life.
Respect everyone.
Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but if you take take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up—if you do these things, then next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today and—what started here will indeed have changed the world—for the better.
Thank you very much. Hook ‘em horns.
GoPro Just Released New HD Footage of Felix Baumgartner’s Space Jump and it’s Insane February 02 2014
When a Stanford Ph.D Says it, We Listen! January 31 2014
Natalia Petrzela is an amazing mother, professor and inspiring instructor at Equinox. Love seeing her in some IAMMAI gear! She writes:
Sometimes the most beautiful ideas get meaningless with overuse - this @iammai_ig tee wakes us up to the strength of #gandhi 's words, no matter how many "be the change" mugs and bumper stickers you've seen! So #getafterit and#bethechange #mofos #andnotjustinthegymeither#equinoxmademedoit — at Equinox.
12 things successful people do before breakfast January 29 2014
If it has to happen, then it has to happen first, writes Laura Vanderkam, time management expert and author of "What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast."
Those among us who have managed to find professional success and eke out a life actively embrace this philosophy. They must set aside their first hours of the day to invest in their top-priority activities before other people’s priorities come rushing in.
Science supports this strategy. Vanderkam cites Florida State University psychology professor Roy Baumeister’s famous finding that willpower is like a muscle that becomes fatigued from overuse. Diets, he says, come undone in the evening, just as poor self-control and lapses in decision-making often come later in the day. On the other hand, early mornings offer a fresh supply of willpower, and people tend to be more optimistic and ready to tackle challenging tasks.
So what do successful executives and entrepreneurs do when they are rested and fresh? From Vanderkam’s study of morning rituals, we outline the following 12 things that the most successful people do before breakfast.
1. They wake up early.
Successful people know that time is a precious commodity. And while theirs is easily eaten up by phone calls, meetings, and sudden crises once they’ve gotten to the office, the morning hours are under their control. That’s why many of them rise before the sun, squeezing out as much time as they can to do with as they please.
In a poll of 20 executives cited by Vanderkam, 90% said they wake up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, for example, wakes at 4 a.m. and is in the office no later than 7 a.m. Meanwhile, Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at 4:30 to read, and Square CEO Jack Dorsey is up at 5:30 to jog.
The bottom line: Productive mornings start with early wake-up calls.
2. They exercise before it falls off the to-do list.
The top morning activity of the rich and powerful seems to be exercise, be it lifting weights at home or going to the gym. According to Vanderkam, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns schedules an hour-long personal training session starting at 6 a.m. twice a week; Christies CEO Steve Murphy uses the mornings to do yoga; and Starwood Hotels CEO Frits van Paasschen runs for an hour every morning starting at 5:30.
"These are incredibly busy people," says Vanderkam. “If they make time to exercise, it must be important."
Beyond the fact that exercising in the morning means they can’t later run out of time, Vanderkam says a pre-breakfast workout helps reduce stress later in the day, counteracts the effects of high-fat diet, and improves sleep.
3. They work on a top-priority business project.
The quiet hours of the morning can be the ideal time to focus on an important work project without being interrupted. What’s more, spending time on it at the beginning of the day ensures that it gets your attention before others (kids, employees, bosses) use it all up.
Vanderkam uses the example of business strategist Debbie Moysychyn, who dealt with so many ad hoc meetings and interruptions throughout the day that she felt she couldn’t get anything done. She started thinking of the early mornings as project time, and chose a top-priority project each day to focus on. Sure enough, not a single colleague dropped in on her at 6:30 a.m. She could finally concentrate.
4. They work on a personal passion project.
Novel-writing and art-making is easy to skip when you’ve been in meetings all day, are tired and hungry, and have to figure out what’s for dinner. That’s why many successful people put in an hour or so on their personal projects before they officially start their days.
History teacher Charlotte Walker-Said told Vanderkam she spends the hours between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. working on a book about the religious politics of West Africa. She can read journal articles and write several pages before dealing with her teaching responsibilities at the University of Chicago.
Carving out the time in the morning to write, and making it a habit, meant she would actually follow through. Vanderkam cites one study of young professors that showed writing a little bit every day rather than in intense bursts made them more likely to get tenure.
5. They spend quality time with family.
We may exalt the family dinner, but there’s nothing that says you have to have a big family meal at night, says Vanderkam. Some successful people use the mornings to invest in family time, whether reading stories to the kids or cooking a big breakfast together.
Judi Rosenthal, a financial planner in New York, told Vanderkam that unless she’s traveling mornings are her special time with her young daughter. She helps her get dressed, make the bed, and occasionally they work on art projects together. They also make breakfast and sit at around the table and chat about what’s going on. She calls those 45 minutes "the most precious time I have in a day."
6. They connect with their spouses.
In the evening, it’s more likely you’ll be tired from the day’s activities, and time can easily be wasted with dinner preparations and zoning out in front of the TV. That’s why many successful people make connecting with their partners a morning ritual.
Besides, as Vanderkam wonders, what could be better than pre-dawn sex to energize you for the day? After all, regular sex may make you smarter, boost your income, and burn calories.
Even if they’re not getting frisky every morning, many couples use the early hours to talk. For instance, BlackRock Managing Director Obie McKenzie and his wife commute from the suburbs into New York City every morning. They spend the hour-plus trip discussing their lives, finances, household to-do lists, and plans for the week.
7. They network over coffee.
Especially if you like to make it home for dinner, the mornings can be a great time to meet with people for coffee or breakfast. Plus, networking breakfasts are less disruptive than midday lunches and more work-oriented than boozy cocktail parties, Vanderkam notes.
Christopher Colvin, a New York-based lawyer and entrepreneur, started a networking group for Ivy League alums called IvyLife. Most days he wakes at 5:30 a.m. to walk his dog and read, but every Wednesday he attends an IvyLife networking breakfast. "I feel I’m fresher and more creative in the mornings," he told Vanderkam. "By the end of the day my mind is more cluttered."
8. They meditate to clear their minds.
Type-A personalities typically demand as much from others as they do from themselves, so it can be difficult for them to disconnect from their mental to-do lists and calm their minds. Before they head out the door, many successful people devote themselves to a spiritual practice such as meditation or prayer to center themselves for the rush of the day.
Manisha Thakor, a former corporate executive who founded and now runs MoneyZen Wealth Management, practices transcendental meditation to clear her mind. She does two 20-minute sessions a day, the first before breakfast and the second in the evening, and focuses on breathing and repeating a mantra in her head. She’s found it to be "one of the most life-enhancing practices" she’s ever experienced, she told Vanderkam.
9. They write down things they're grateful for.
Expressing gratitude is another great way to center yourself and get the proper perspective before heading to the office. Writing down the people, places, and opportunities that you’re grateful for takes just a few minutes but can make a real difference in your outlook.
Pharmaceutical exec Wendy Kay told Vanderkam she spends a good chunk of her morning "expressing gratitude, asking for guidance, and being open to inspiration." When she gets to work, she always has a clear vision for herself and her staff.
10. They plan and strategize while they're fresh.
Planning the day, week, or month ahead is an important time management tool to keep you on track when you’re in the thick of it. Using the mornings to do big-picture thinking helps you prioritize and set the trajectory of the day.
Banking exec turned teacher Christine Galib wakes at 5 a.m. on weekdays, exercises, reads a few Bible verses, and reviews her tasks for the day before making breakfast. She told Vanderkam this ritual makes her days more manageable and effective.
11. They check their email.
While time management gurus may suggest putting off email as long as possible, many successful people start the day with email. They may quickly scan their inboxes for urgent messages that need an immediate response or craft a few important emails that they can better focus on while their minds are fresh.
For instance, Gretchen Rubin, author of "The Happiness Project," wakes at 6 every morning before her family’s up at 7. She uses the time to clear her inbox, schedule the day, and read social media. Getting these tasks out of the way from the start helps her concentrate better when she moves on to more challenging projects, she told Vanderkam.
12. They read the news.
Whether it’s sitting in the corner diner and reading the papers or checking the blogs and Twitter from their phones, most successful people have a pre-breakfast ritual for getting the latest headlines.
For example, GE CEO Jeff Immelt starts his days with a cardio workout and then reads the paper and watches CNBC. Meanwhile, Virgin America CEO David Cush uses his mornings to listen to sports radio and read the papers while hitting the stationary bike at the gym.
By the time they get to work, they have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in the world. Then, they can get down to the business of changing it.
This article was originally published on Business Insider.
Happy Holidays - Apple commercial nails it! December 28 2013
Growing up as a young filmmaker this commercial really nailed it in my opinion. We loved it! Happy Holidays to everyone and have a safe NYE!
Great Buns... November 25 2013
Want great buns?! Check out IAMMAI's Rachele Brooke Smith in this new Carl's Jr. commercial. It shows you what hard work can get ya!
Check out more about Rachele here www.unbreakabledreams.com
Instagram Co-Founder Mike Krieger’s 8 Principles For Building Products People Want November 30 2012
“Just because you’ve Googled something doesn’t mean you’ve learned,” Krieger explained in the intro to his design talk. To build something that solves a problem, “You want to know people better than they know themselves.” For example, if you’re trying to disrupt the shopping experience, you have to actually know what the existing shopping experience and behavior set is. “Go to The Gap and watch people shop for three hours,” is Krieger’s advice.
You should come away with serious insights, not just random facts. Krieger says his favorite definition of insight is “Something you’re really excited to tell strangers about on the train.”
And now, Mike Krieger’s Eight Principles Of Product Design:
- Draw On Previous Experience and Understanding – The biggest problem is startups in search of a problem. Chase what you’re passionate about; you’ll probably already have knowledge in the space.
- Have A Hypothesis About How You’re Different – Have a point of view about your startup. Why is there a special opportunity for this now?
- Never Build Without Sketching – Mike says he and Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom would go to a cafe with little iPhone design pads where “we’d build and throw away entire features. You’d waste three or four pieces of paper, not three weeks of coding.”
- Learn In Weeklong Increments – Start with a question: “Will folks want to share photos on the go? Can we build filters that look good?” Spend the week investigating, and by Friday have a conclusion and move on.
- Validate In Social Situations – “We called this the Bar Exam. If you can’t explain it to the guy or girl at the bar, you need to simplify.” Don’t just test with your techy friends.
- Know When It’s Time To Move On – “I know ‘pivot’ has become a dirty word, but if there’s no unanswered questions left, then it’s time to move on.”
- The Wizard Of Oz Techniques For Social Prototyping – You don’t need to build everything at first. You can be the man behind the curtain. Krieger says him and Systrom tested an early version of a feature which would notify you when friends joined the service. Instead of building it out, they manually sent people notifications “like a human bot” saying ‘your friend has joined.’ It turned out not to be useful. “We wrote zero lines of Python, so we had zero lines to throw away.”
- Build And Maintain A Constant Stream Of Communication With Your Audience – Don’t spend months building something without any idea if someone actually wants it.
What Successful People Do With The First Hour Of Their Work Day August 27 2012
How much does the first hour of every day matter? As it turns out, a lot. It can be the hour you see everything clearly, get one real thing done, and focus on the human side of work rather than your task list.
Remember when you used to have a period at the beginning of every day to think about your schedule, catch up with friends, maybe knock out a few tasks? It was called home room, and it went away after high school. But many successful people schedule themselves a kind of grown-up home room every day. You should too.
The first hour of the workday goes a bit differently for Craig Newmark of Craigslist, David Karp of Tumblr, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, career writer (and Fast Company blogger) Brian Tracy, and others, and they’ll tell you it makes a big difference. Here are the first items on their daily to-do list.
Don’t Check Your Email for the First Hour. Seriously. Stop That.
Tumblr founder David Karp will “try hard” not to check his email until 9:30 or 10 a.m., according to an Inc. profile of him. “Reading e-mails at home never feels good or productive,” Karp said. “If something urgently needs my attention, someone will call or text me.”
Not all of us can roll into the office whenever our Vespa happens to get us there, but most of us with jobs that don’t require constant on-call awareness can trade e-mail for organization and single-focus work. It’s an idea that serves as the title of Julie Morgenstern’s work management book Never Check Email In The Morning, and it’s a fine strategy for leaving the office with the feeling that, even on the most over-booked days, you got at least one real thing done.
If you need to make sure the most important messages from select people come through instantly, AwayFind can monitor your inbox and get your attention when something notable arrives. Otherwise, it’s a gradual but rewarding process of training interruptors and coworkers not to expect instantaneous morning response to anything they send in your off-hours.
Gain Awareness, Be Grateful
One smart, simple question on curated Q & A site Quora asked “How do the most successful people start their day?”. The most popular response came from a devotee of Tony Robbins, the self-help guru who pitched the power of mindful first-hour rituals long before we all had little computers next to our beds.
Robbins suggests setting up an “Hour of Power,” “30 Minutes to Thrive,” or at least “Fifteen Minutes to Fulfillment.” Part of it involves light exercise, part of it involves motivational incantations, but the most accessible piece involves 10 minutes of thinking of everything you’re grateful for: in yourself, among your family and friends, in your career, and the like. After that, visualize “everything you want in your life as if you had it today.”
Robbins offers the “Hour of Power” segment of his Ultimate Edge series as a free audio stream (here’s the direct MP3 download). Blogger Mike McGrath also wrote a concise summary of the Hour of Power). You can be sure that at least some of the more driven people you’ve met in your career are working on Robbins’ plan.
Do the Big, Shoulder-Sagging Stuff First
Brian Tracy’s classic time-management book Eat That Frog gets its title from a Mark Twain saying that, if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, you’ve got it behind you for the rest of the day, and nothing else looks so bad. Gina Trapani explained it well in a video for her Work Smart series). Combine that with the concept of getting one thing done before you wade into email, and you’ve got a day-to-day system in place. Here’s how to force yourself to stick to it:
Choose Your Frog
"Choose your frog, and write it down on a piece of paper that you'll see when you arrive back at your desk in the morning, Tripani advises."If you can, gather together the material you'll need to get it done and have that out, too."
One benefit to tackling that terrible, weighty thing you don’t want to do first thing in the morning is that you get some space from the other people involved in that thing--the people who often make the thing more complicated and frustrating. Without their literal or figurative eyes over your shoulder, the terrible thing often feels less complex, and you can get more done.
Ask Yourself If You’re Doing What You Want to Do
Feeling unfulfilled at work shouldn’t be something you realize months too late, or even years. Consider making an earnest attempt every morning at what the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs told a graduating class at Stanford to do:
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
“Customer Service” (or Your Own Equivalent)
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark answered the first hour question succinctly: “Customer service.” He went on to explain (or expand) that he also worked on current projects, services for military families and veterans, and protecting voting rights. But customer service is what Newmark does every single day at Craigslist, responding to user complaints and smiting scammers and spammers. He almost certainly has bigger fish he could pitch in on every day, but Newmark says customers service “anchors me to reality.”
Your own version of customer service might be keeping in touch with contacts from year-ago projects, checking in with coworkers you don’t regularly interact with, asking questions of mentors, and just generally handling the human side of work that quickly gets lost between task list items. But do your customer service on the regular, and you’ll have a more reliable roster of helpers when the time comes.
BY KEVIN PURDY
Self Magazine features IAMMAI and Buti Fitness August 09 2012
Our good friend Bizzie Gold is behind the latest fitness movement know as Buti Fitness. One of the most challenging and fun workouts you can do! IAMMAI and Buti were featured in Self magazine recently.
How Will Power Works November 20 2011
David Blaine — the 38-year-old self-described “endurance artist’’ who once encased himself for seven days in a plastic coffin with no food and little water — credits willpower training for his amazing feats. “Getting your brain wired into little goals and achieving them helps you achieve the bigger things you shouldn’t be able to do,’’ he told Roy Baumeister in the Florida State University psychologist’s new book, “Willpower.’’ “It’s not just practicing the specific thing.’’
In dozens of studies conducted over the past 25 years, Baumeister has found that taking on specific habits - like brushing your teeth with the opposite hand you’d normally use - can increase levels of self-control. In a phone interview, he likened willpower to a muscle: “If you exercise it, you can make it stronger. There’s nothing magical about it.’’
He and others have also identified a host of things that can drain our willpower, including hunger and fatigue, while neuroscientists are struggling to understand exactly how the brain’s higher reasoning center - the prefrontal cortex - manages conflicting wants and needs to help us make the right decisions. The reason for all this interest? Willpower, it turns out, is one of the most important predictors of success in life.
While small studies through the years have linked high levels of self-control to better health, relationships, and finances, a landmark study published this past January provided the strongest evidence to date. In the study, Duke University researchers culled data from a group of more than 1,000 New Zealand young adults followed for three decades and found that those who scored high on tests for self-control when they were 3 years old were far more likely to be healthy and financially successful as adults than those who did poorly on the self-control tests in preschool.
Facing a decision over whether to eat a nutritious apple or decadent chocolate bar activates the brain’s prefrontal cortex. The right side propels you to say no to the chocolate temptation while the left side encourages you to say yes to the apple to curb your hunger.
The researchers took into account differences in childhood socioeconomic class and IQ scores, and determined that 11 percent of those with the highest levels of self-control as children had multiple health problems as adults, such as obesity, gum disease, and sexually transmitted diseases, compared with 27 percent of those with the lowest levels of self-control. Thirteen percent of those with high self-control had been convicted of crimes compared with 43 percent of those with the lowest levels, and just 10 percent in the high self-control group earned less than $17,000 a year compared with 32 percent in the lowest group.
The researchers also found that self-control variations among siblings pointed to their success decades later. “Differences between children in self-control predicted their adult outcomes approximately as well as low intelligence and low social class origins,’’ wrote the study authors.
Those striving to complete a marathon, a diet, or a doctoral dissertation can gain the willpower to help reach their goals by doing little self-control tasks throughout the day, like fixing their posture, avoiding curse words, or controlling their temper at home, according to Baumeister. And those who engage regularly in high-willpower activities like exercise, meditation, or learning a new language or craft tend to exhibit higher levels of self-control in other areas of their lives. Neuroscientists believe these acts reinforce neural pathways in the brain’s prefrontal cortex that help us say “yes’’ to our goals and “no’’ to procrastination and temptation.
The brain’s ventromedial prefrontal cortex helps with goal planning and the making of longterm decisions. It holds memories of what type of person you believe yourself to be and helps you act like that person.
Exerting willpower, however, requires the brain to use a lot of energy in the form of glucose, which it may not have if you are hungry or not able to metabolize glucose as efficiently due to lack of sleep or stress. “All of these things cause mild dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex,’’ said Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal, author of the forthcoming book “The Willpower Instinct.’’ “It’s as if you have brain damage in areas you need to have self-control. And that turns you into the worst version of yourself’’ - the one who snaps at the kids, misses the work deadline, and attacks the ice cream in the freezer.
Recent brain imaging studies indicate that different regions of the prefrontal cortex are responsible for different elements of willpower. The left side revs you up and gets you moving through your to-do list, while the right side helps you avoid temptations that derail your diet, work, or exercise regimen. A smaller brain region in the middle - called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex - helps you weigh the myriad decisions coursing through your mind minute to minute. Should you check your Facebook feed or write that memo? Will you have a chocolate chip cookie or an apple? How will you respond to your child’s whining?
The anterior cingulate cortex regulates conflict that arises as soon as you want that piece of chocolate. It notices craving and sends signals predicting what will happen if you do eat the chocolate and what will happen if you don’t.
Those with high levels of self-control often make better decisions because they consider long-term goals rather than just the instant gratification, due possibly to better coordination among all of their brain regions involved in willpower. When California Institute of Technology researchers performed functional MRI scans on 37 dieters for a 2009 study published in the journal Science, they found that dieters with high levels of self-control considered both health and taste when making food choices and that both their ventromedial prefrontal cortex and their left prefrontal cortex were highly active when making these choices. Dieters with low self-control considered only taste when making food choices and had high activity in their ventromedial prefrontal cortex, with much lower activity in the other brain region.
“We’re still trying to figure out the basic mechanisms by which the prefrontal cortex controls willpower,’’ said Earl Miller, a professor of neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies the neural circuitry of self-control. “We know that those who have damage to their prefrontal cortex due to a stroke or other brain injury often behave in a reflexive, mindless way’’ without any thought of consequences. But, he adds, researchers still haven’t figured out exactly how the brain learns appropriate behavior like muting a cellphone during a concert or whispering in a library.
What is clear is that just like a muscle, willpower can get depleted when it’s overused. In a 2009 study involving 84 college students, Baumeister found that those assigned to write an essay without using words containing common letters - which required a lot of willpower - were more likely to dishonestly report their scores on a subsequent math test to earn a small monetary reward than those who were instructed to write an essay without the same restrictions.
Yes, being honest and avoiding the temptation to cheat both require self-control.
“What I learned is that everything comes out of the same pot,’’ Baumeister said. “There are times when you have to give yourself a break and realize that when you’re coping with high demands at work, you may not have much willpower left when you get home.’’
That could mean doing a shorter workout that day, putting off the bill-paying until tomorrow, or doing an activity that requires minimal effort from the brain, like a bubble bath - all of which allow your willpower muscle to rest and grow stronger. During times when you need to push through a gargantuan set of tasks, research suggests that ingesting a small amount of sugar, like a half a can of cola or a few jelly beans, can provide the brain with the extra glucose it needs to exert more self-control. (Emphasis here is on small amount, according to Baumeister, who conducted studies on this.)
While we all give in to sinful urges on occasion, berating or shaming ourselves into getting back on course may actually be counterproductive, said McGonigal, leading to more slip-ups down the road. One study found that those who forgave themselves for failing at a task were more likely to brush themselves off and try again, while other researchers demonstrated that dieters given a pep talk after eating a doughnut - emphasizing that one small setback wouldn’t ruin all their hard efforts - were less likely to indulge later on than doughnut eaters who didn’t have the talk.
“If we want to have more willpower, we have to learn to be a friend and mentor to ourselves,’’ said McGonigal, “rather than equating self-control with self-criticism.’’
Deborah Kotz can be reached at dkotz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @debkotz2.30 Habits That Will Change Your Life! August 26 2011
30 Habits that Will Change your Life
Developing good habits is the basic of personal development and growth. Everything we do is the result of a habit that was previously taught to us. Unfortunately, not all the habits that we have are good, that’s why we are constantly trying to improve.
The following is a list of 30 practical habits that can make a huge difference in your life.
You should treat this list as a reference, and implement just one habit per month. This way you will have the time to fully absorb each of them, while still seeing significant improvements each month.
Health habits
- Exercise 30 minutes every day. Especially if you don’t do much movement while working, it’s essential that you get some daily exercise. 30 minutes every day are the minimum recommended for optimal health.
- Eat breakfast every day. Breakfast is the more important meal of the day, yet so many people skip it. Personally, I like to eat a couple of toasts in the morning along with a fruit beverage.
- Sleep 8 hours. Sleep deprivation is never a good idea. You may think that you are gaining time by sleeping less, when in reality you are only gaining stress and tiredness. 8 hours are a good number of hours for most people, along with an optional 20 minutes nap after lunch.
- Avoid snacking between meals. Snacking between meals is the best way to gain weight. If you are hungry, eat something concrete. Otherwise don’t. Update: for clarification, I mean don’t eat junk food between meals, but eating real food it’s ok.
- Eat five portions of fruits and vegetables every day. Our body and brain loves getting vegetables and fruit, so I highly recommend eating as much of them as possible. Five portions is the dose that’s usually recommended by many health associations.
- Eat fish. Fish is rich of omega 3 and other healthy elements. At least one meal per week of fish should be enough for getting all these nutrients.
- Drink one glass of water when you wake up. When you wake up, your body is dehydrated and needs liquid. Make the habit of drinking one glass of water after you wake up in the morning. Also, drink more during the day.
- Avoid soda. Soda is often one of the most unhealthy beverage you can find. Limit your consumption of soda as much as possible and you’re body will be grateful for that.
- Keep your body clean. I don’t advise spending your day in front of the mirror, but a minimum of personal care does never hurt.
- If you smoke, stop it. There’s no reason to smoke anymore, and quitting is possible.
- If you drink, stop it. Same as above. Don’t think that alcohol will solve your problems. It never does. The only exception is one glass of wine per day during meals.
- Take the stairs. This is just a hack that forces you to do a minimum of exercise. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs.
Productivity habits
- Use an inbox system. Make the habit of keeping track of all the ideas and things that comes to mind. You can use a notebook to do this, and then sync everything on your computer.
- Prioritize. If you have a list of things to do, where do you start? One way is to prioritize your list. If you are in doubt, ask yourself: “If I could only accomplish one thing today, what would it be?”
- Plan, but not too much. Planning is important, and you should decide in advance what you are going to do today or this week. However, planning for more than a few weeks is usually inefficient, so I would not worry too much about that.
- Wake up early. Waking up early in the morning is a great way to gain extra time. I personally like to wake up at 5 am, so that by 9 am I have already accomplished what otherwise would have taken me many days..
- Check your email only twice per day. Email can easily become an addiction, but it’s usually unnecessary to check it every 10 minutes. Make an effort and check your email only once or twice per day, see if the world will still rotate as before after you try this.
- Eliminate unimportant tasks. Being busy all day does not mean you are doing important stuff. Eliminate every activity that’s not important, and focus on what really matters.
- Clean off your desk and room. Having a clear room and desk is important to maintain focus and creativity.
- Automate. There are a lot of tasks that you need to perform every day or every week. Try to automate them as much as possible.
- Set strict deadlines. When you do something, decide in advance when you’re going to stop. There’s a rule that states that you will fulfill all the time you have available for completing a task, so make an habit of setting strict deadlines for maximizing your productivity.
- Take one day off per week. Instead of working every day, take one day off per week (for example sunday) where you are not going to turn on your computer. Use that time for doing recreational activities like going for a walk.
Personal Development habits
- Read 1 book per week. Reading is a good way to keep your brain active. With just 30 minutes per day you should be able to read one book per week, or more than 50 books per year.
- Solve puzzles. Quizzes, word games, etc. are all good ways to exercise your brain.
- Think positively. You are what you think, all the time.
- Make fast decisions. Instead of thinking for one hour wherever you are going to do something, make your decisions as fast as possible (usually less than 1 minute).
- Wait before buying. Waiting 48 hours before buying anything is a tremendous money saver, try it.
- Meditate 30 minutes per day. A great way to gain clearness and peace is through meditation. 30 minutes are not a lot, but enough to get you started with meditation.
Career habits
- Start a blog. Blogging is one of the best way to put your word out. It doesn’t have to be around a specific topic, even a personal blog will do.
- Build a portfolio. If your job is creating stuff, building a portfolio is a great way to show what you are capable of. You can also contribute stuff for free if that applies to your work.
3 Life hacks that work June 29 2011
Put into effect these small changes can lead to tremendous results. Try and you will see first hand. Enjoy!
1. The 80/20 rule.
This is one of the best ways to make better use of your time. The 80/20 rule – also known as The Pareto Principle – basically says that 80 percent of your results will come from 20 percent of your activities. 80% of your profits come from 20% of your clients etc.
So a lot of what you do is probably not as useful or even necessary to do as you may think. Examining the time you spend on certain activities and the results they have will allow you to cut out many of the things that simply do not produce positive results.
If you do that you will have more time and energy to spend on things that really bring you value, happiness, fulfillment and so on.
2. Parkinson’s Law.
This law says that a task will expand in time and seeming complexity depending on the time you set aside for it. For instance, if you say to yourself that you’ll come up with a solution within a week then the problem will seem to grow more difficult and you’ll spend more and more time trying to come up with a solution. If you give yourself only a day, then the proposed task will seem less daunting and easier to accomplish.
So focus your time on finding solutions. Then just give yourself an hour (instead of the whole day) or the day (instead of the whole week) to solve the problem. This will force your mind to focus on solutions and action. I do this a lot when cleaning. I give myself 20 minutes to clean my entire house (instead of the full day I think it needs). Because I know I will only be cleaning for 20 minutes the task is now very manageable and easy. I almost always go over the 20 minute allotted time but I never seem to mind.
The result may not be exactly as perfect as if you had spent a week on the task, but as mentioned in the previous point, 80 percent of the value will come from 20 percent of the activities anyway. Or you may wind up with a better result because you haven’t overcomplicated or over polished things. This will help you to get things done faster, to improve your ability to focus and give you more free time where you can totally focus on what’s in front of you instead of having some looming task creating stress in the back of your mind.
3. Batching.
Boring or routine tasks can create a lot of procrastination and low-level anxiety. One good way to get these things done quickly is to batch them. This means that you do them all in row. You will be able to do them quicker because there is less “start-up time” compared to if you spread them out. And when you are batching you become fully engaged in the tasks and more focused.
My greatest success with batching has been with checking email. Instead of being distracted every 5 minutes when my computer chimes or my Blackberry goes off I now spend about 30 mintes a day (in one chunk) reading and responding to emails. Batching this alone has probably saved me 1-2 hours a day of time spent on emails.
SUMMER COLORS - NEON IS HERE!! June 09 2011
Summer means great weather, surf, BBQ's and relaxing. Get your daily fox of inspiration and relaxation with these 5 new summer colors. Shop now and receive a 25% discount by typing in "SUMMER"!! As an extra bonus every purchase comes with a free 3 day pass to any Equinox in the country!
POP SUGAR RATES EQUINOX ONE OF TOP GYMS IN LA June 04 2011
50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind May 29 2011
These questions have no right or wrong answers.
Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.
- How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
- Which is worse, failing or never trying?
- If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
- When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
- What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
- If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
- Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
- If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
- To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
- Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
- You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?
- If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
- Would you break the law to save a loved one?
- Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
- What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
- How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
- What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
- Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
- If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
- Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
- Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
- Why are you, you?
- Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
- Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
- What are you most grateful for?
- Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
- Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
- Has your greatest fear ever come true?
- Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
- What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
- At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
- If not now, then when?
- If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
- Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
- Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
- Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
- If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
- Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
- Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
- When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
- If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
- Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
- What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
- When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
- If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
- What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
- When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
- What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
- In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
- Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?
The Fashion Spots Latest Top 10 List May 25 2011
#10 the ultra soft pullover fleece, get it here: click for pullover fleece
Anna Dello Russo may have kicked off her singing career by telling us that “fashion is always uncomfortable” but fitness-wear is one notable exception to the rule (even Russo, I imagine, doesn’t practice her daily yoga routine in Balmain and a pineapple fascinator). That doesn’t mean we have to abandon aesthetics all together, however. Even those of us who are regular gym denizens find it hard to motivate for our daily workouts, and while function is always the most important factor (no one should be running in Prada sneakers constructed for little more than leisurely strolls), with the likes of Stella McCartney, Jeremy Scott, Anya Hindmarch, and Yohji Yamamoto designing athletic wear, there’s no need to completely sacrifice personal style for function. Plus, who knows, next time it’s 6 AM, pouring rain, and your alarm clock rings to alert you that it’s time to hit the gym, those neon pink sneakers and chic gym bag might be just what gets you excited enough to peel yourself out of bed.
Read more: Look Good at the Gym with Stylish Workout Accessories | The Fashion Spot http://www.thefashionspot.com/style-trends/news/167279-look-good-at-the-gym-with-stylish-workout-accessories#ixzz1NPimykGy
1. Adidas ClimaCool Ride, $90 - Featuring 360 degree ventilation, this new style is incredibly lightweight making it ideal for outdoor summer runs. Plus, it comes in 26 of the most vibrant colors you’ll ever see.
2. Adidas Fluid Trainer Shoe, $80 - If you’re the kind of person who runs one day, boxes another, and practices yoga the next, this sock-like shoe is lightweight and flexible while still having enough cushioning to protect your legs during an intense workout.
3. Anya Hindmarch Gym Kit Large Canvas Tote, $135 - Though you’ll have to pack your money away in the inner pocket since this bag doesn’t zip shut, it’s super lightweight and roomy enough to store a change of clothes, sneakers, a large water bottle, and more.
4. Reed Krakoff Gym II Leather Tote, $1,190 - If you fancy yourself the Daphne Guinness sort of lady, Krakoff’s Gym carry-all is without a doubt the way to go.
5. Reebok RealFlex Run, $90 - Go from the weight room to a posh Southampton tennis club with this new style from Reebok that combines the lightweight, flexible feel of a barefoot running shoe to promote natural motion, but offers enough support that you won’t risk having a negative impact on your knees.
6. Adidas by Stella McCartney Gym Paneled Cotton-Blend Track Pants, $80 - Give classic track pants a makeover with these light gray cotton ones that feature slate washed-twill panels along sides. Pair it with the designer’s Run Cotton-Jersey Hooded Top (#7, $145). and her Gym Drawstring Jacket (#8, $150), for the perfect cool down/pre warm-up look.
9. Adidas by Jeremy Scott Fries Swimsuit, $80 - His Teddy Bear sneakers may not be the most practical, but there’s nothing like a pop art swimsuit to wake up tired eyes.
10. IAMMAI Fleece Top, $88 - All of the brand’s tops feature words printed in reverse so you can see them in a gym mirror.
11. Runphones Summer Version, $34.95 - This machine washable, moisture-wicking headband comes with thin, built-in speakers and a plug to connect to your MP3 player.
Read more: Look Good at the Gym with Stylish Workout Accessories | The Fashion Spot http://www.thefashionspot.com/style-trends/news/167279-look-good-at-the-gym-with-stylish-workout-accessories#ixzz1NPizYzlB
VITAL JUICE! April 27 2011
The awesome crew at Vital Juice included us in their Editor's picks for Spring Fit Fashion click here to see. (We are also diggin the Reebok shirts!)
Pure Yoga April 16 2011
Aaron Hunsaker and I will be at Pure Yoga East today (203 E. 86th Street). He is teaching a class at 4:00pm and we are launching I AM Athletics here as well. Come stop by for a class, or just to say hi!!
Josh Duhamel's relief run for Japan March 30 2011
Cool post about the relief run we participated in last weekend on the great website Tonic.com can be found by clicking here , with our good friends Jeremy Tyler (subject of the film My Life), Jordan Ehrlich, Andy Chang, Jolana Nika, Max Musina, Deanna Brooks and about 4,000 other people!
Mehcad Brooks and Jaime King March 23 2011
Check out these two former co-stars wearing someinspiring gear
2nd Annual Equinox Indoor Triathlon March 19 2011
What a day!! Today was the 2nd Annual Indoor Triathlon at Equinox, with proceeds going to an amazing organization called the Heros Project. I went with the amazing Sara Balint (someone you might recognize from our ads and posters). The Triathlon consists of a swim, bike ride and then run. This was my first time ever competing in such an event, but definitely will not be my last. After talking with an amazing friend who is truley an inspiration I decided to dedicate my triathlon to raise awareness for The Street University in Australia and for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.
It was an amazing experience, I feel amazing and am really thankful to Equinox for putting this event together. Who knows, you might even see one hosted by I AM Athletics in the future...
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