The Secret to Achieving Your Fitness Goals: Aim High and Break it Down

There’s no question that the health and fitness community is abuzz with goal setting, especially around New Year’s. Yet, a staggering 80% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions within 30 days, and only 8% achieve them. The key issue? Many don’t know how to set and stick to attainable goals. At 12 Minute Athlete, …

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Short Workouts, Big Gains: Making Fitness Work in Any Schedule

  We all have time to work out. Believe it or not, just 10 to 20 minutes of exercise a few times a week can significantly impact your fitness. Yes, even those 12-minute sessions can burn fat, build muscle, and boost strength as part of a healthy lifestyle. Think about it – we all find …

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Rethinking Pre-Workout Stretching: Maximizing Performance and Minimizing Risk

Many of us have a standard pre-workout routine that includes what we often consider an essential component: stretching. But when it comes to pre-workout stretching, the latest research might change the way you prepare for your workouts. Understanding Static Stretching Static stretching, which involves holding a stretch without movement, has been a long-standing staple in …

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Know When to Grit it Out — and When to Quit

I did my first handstand in 2013 and quickly became obsessed. But like many pursuits, whether it’s chasing a hobby, pursuing career goals, or building a relationship, I eventually found myself at a crossroads: Should I persevere or pivot? My journey into the world of handstands began earnestly. Every day, I dedicated a chunk of …

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Time, Choices, and Our Pursuit of Mastery as an Adult

I was talking to a friend the other day about mastery and how different it is trying to master something as an adult compared to when we were kids. So much of it has to do with our concept of time. As kids, our sense of time is so strange. Months feel like years, and …

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Devoting Yourself to a Craft

Next week will be my one-year anniversary of training jiu-jitsu. What a journey it’s been. I’ve been a “fitness person” most of my adult life—beginning after college, I started working out to counteract all the sugary drinks and pastries I’d been consuming as a Starbucks barista. Though I originally got into fitness for appearance reasons, …

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Finding Moments of Flow

mind The bell rings, and my training partner and I fist bump to start the round. We circle, both of us in a fighting stance, right foot forward, bent over slightly. I fake grabbing his collar with my left hand, only to grab it with my right immediately. I switch my left grip to the …

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When You Can’t Think Straight, Move Your Body

A few days ago, I was attempting to write an article, and my brain just wasn’t working. I sat staring at the screen for a good hour, repeatedly tweaking two sentences and liking neither until I finally declared my efforts were pointless and slammed my laptop shut. I grabbed my jump rope and boxing gloves, …

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Seven Things I’ve Learned After Seven Months Training Jiu-Jitsu

I attended my first Brazilian jiu-jitsu class a little over seven months ago. If you don’t know much about it, jiu-jitsu is a martial art based on ground fighting and is one of the fastest-growing combat sports in the world. Jiu-jitsu attracts a passionate and dedicated community, which is one of the reasons I first …

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Weights Vs. Bodyweight Training

Happy Monday, One of the things I get asked about the most is whether I train with weights. The answer is: kind of. I’ve been training using mostly my own bodyweight for over a decade now. I like bodyweight training for several reasons: It’s portable! I love the fact that I can work out anywhere, …

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