Think Tank: The Neuro Blog
The Right Fitness Routine and Products for YOU
In this day and age of the “new normal”, most people are finding the importance of staying fit and healthy. Now more than ever, more and more people, young and younger, are investing in their health and wellbeing and recognizing that no matter how old the cliche gets, health really is wealth. With all the fitness routine and product options going around, how do you know which one is best for you? YOUR lifestyle In choosing a product or a routine, always go with the one that fits your lifestyle. Do you want to get mental clarity and that energy boost to do more in a day but you only have time to drink your caffeine fix instead of juicing your greens? Do you only have an hour a day to workout or can you commit to training at least two hours, three days a week? However busy your schedule is, there will always be fitness routines and products that will work best for your lifestyle, you just have to find them. Embarking on a fitness and wellness journey requires time, effort and resources. Don’t get caught up with the latest ”fitness trend” only to find out later that you’re losing steam and enthusiasm to do it any longer because it takes too much of your time, energy and resources. Progress, not perfection Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do a perfect burpee or a pull-up yet, not everyone could in their first try! Aim for progress and not perfection, make your journey yours, and own it. What matters is you do it, and you do it consistently. As long as you’re showing up, putting in the work and getting consistent with your efforts, the results will follow. You’re more than doing good, you’re doing great. The choice is YOURS This generation is big on options. Don’t we all want to be able to decide which product works for us and use that, instead of getting stuck with just one thing because we didn’t have a choice at all? When it comes to the products you consume to help you in your fitness and wellness journey, don’t you want to have that choice as well? Whether you need help focusing when you’re studying for an exam or you need mental clarity when training for a marathon, Neuro gives you the option that you need. Neuro functional gums and mints are designed and formulated with YOUR health, YOUR convenience and YOUR journey in mind. You know you need caffeine to achieve mental clarity and get that energy boost but you can’t deal with the jitters that come after drinking just a cup? Neuro energizes, calms and gets your focus in the moment. You want to get into that space where everything is nice, flowing and balanced? The kind of energy you need to get you out of the slump but not too much that you’re in the jitters? That’s where Neuro will get you, right in “The Zone”. Neuro has revolutionized the game for you, because you deserve it. So get your game on, and make it happen. Hero image by Ambitious Creative Co. - Rick Barrett on Unsplash.
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How to Grow Your Indoor Plants
One of the most fundamental things we are taught since childhood is that the oxygen we need to breathe and live comes from plants. Not only are plants a necessity, they can also be beneficial in improving our overall quality of life. Some indoor plants can act as natural purifiers to counter air irritants caused by household items like carpets, cleaners and printer inks. Other varieties can even help restore moisture in your room and help you with allergies! Thinking of getting one for your place? We’ve rounded up some tips to help get you started. Know which indoor plant is best for you We all have that one friend (or maybe even us at some point) who tried growing an indoor plant and failed miserably. The first step to successfully growing an indoor plant is knowing which type works best for you. The rate at which plants grow is affected by a lot of factors such as light, temperature, nutrition, soil and water. Getting an indoor plant without researching and considering these factors first is just setting yourself up to fail. And we don’t want that! If you live in an apartment building with limited space, these factors are pretty much set already, and it will be best if you choose a plant that’s known to thrive in an environment you already have. Does your place have limited sunlight? Are you too busy and only have a few minutes to spare in a day? Try getting a Snake or Spider plant as these varieties are very low maintenance and can survive with minimal attention. If you’re lucky, your Spider Plant will sprout spiderettes, which you can repot to grow more Spider Plants! Ready, Set, Shop! When you’ve decided which type works best for you, it’s time to shop for the essential supplies like pots, soil, and fertilizers! Before you worry about how expensive this new hobby is going to be, you have to understand that it all depends on you. Pro tip, start with the most basic items first and work your way up as you go along. For the pots, make sure to choose one that has good material, drainage capacity, and most importantly, fits your plant and the space where you intend to put it. For the soil, determine which type of soil works best for your plant. Your local garden supply store should be able to help you with this. Finally, fertilizer. In order for your indoor plant to keep growing and thriving, they need fertilizer. You don’t need to buy this, you can make an organic one at home using banana peels! Join a community of indoor plant enthusiasts With social media being all around us, you’ll be surprised at how many other people out there share the same interests as you do - love of indoor plants included! You might pick up a tip or two from these communities on how to better care for your indoor plants or troubleshoot problems and concerns they may have already dealt with in the past. Who knows, you can even trade to grow your indoor garden collection! Growing indoor plants is not only beneficial to your physical health, it can also do wonders to your emotional and psychological health. Seeing and keeping them alive and thriving can give you a sense of accomplishment and purpose, which can make you excited and enthusiastic. So go ahead, make your indoor garden happen today. Because, why not? Hero Image by Luiz Cent on Unsplash
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Zoom Fatigue: What is it and what can you to do to ease it?
Over the last 6 months of this “new normal”, many of us have transitioned to working and/or studying in the comforts of their homes. Part and parcel of this transition is the continuous exposure to what has become a common household name that is “zoom”. Zoom, although only one of the many video conferencing softwares in the market, has gained popularity as the video conferencing choice of many because of its accessibility and abundance in features. How many minutes did you spend choosing the perfect virtual background? Whether you’re working or studying at home, did you ever feel that you’re more exhausted than you were when you were in your office/school? If your answer is yes, join the club because you’re not alone. Countless hours spent in front of your laptop or phone, either watching webinars or attending meetings, is not only physically exhausting, it can also be mentally draining. With more and more people experiencing “zoom fatigue”, let’s try to break down why it happens and what you should do to get your energy (and sanity) back. Why is it draining? National Geographic explains that since humans communicate through a mix of verbal and non verbal cues, and most often non verbal cues like eye contact, hand gestures, and other subtle body languages are not entirely expressed and understood through a zoom meeting, it makes the process harder than it’s supposed to. These nonverbal cues help emphasize your point, however, they don’t always translate well on video calls, making you exert more effort, therefore making you more tired. Being on a zoom meeting requires that you’re properly dressed, at least from the waist up, and in a well lit area. Add this preparation and effort to the number of zoom calls you have to have in a week and multiply with the number of times you’ve had to troubleshoot because someone can’t find the unmute button, well you get the idea. Help! How do you ease zoom fatigue? You’re tired because being on video calls requires you to exert more energy in getting your point across. Since speaking louder or doing bigger gestures might be unavoidable if you want the people on screen to understand your presentation, what other things can you do to ease zoom fatigue? 1. Avoid Multitasking Admit it or not, we’re all guilty of this at some point. Multitasking is something we enjoy, it’s something we’re proud of! Doing and accomplishing multiple things at the same time makes our adrenalines pump, our prides swell and our brains run. Ask yourself how many times have you checked your email while in a zoom meeting? Or how many times did you check your social media account while someone else is presenting? Harvard Business Review relates that in fact, multitasking while you are on your zoom meeting can make you less productive. Because your brain is scattered and working on a lot of different things, you tend to lose focus. When you don’t get to finish a task on time, you have to keep working on it making the process inefficient. No matter how much of a superhero we think we are, our multitasking abilities have limits too. 2. Take a break and stretch Wherever you are, whether in the office, school or at home, you need to rest and recharge. Not because you’re working at home doesn't mean you constantly have to work all the time. Breaks are there for a reason, so use them and thank yourself later. As much as you can, try not to schedule your meetings one after the other, or else you won’t just be physically drained, you also won’t be able to perform at your best mentally . A 20 to 30-min gap in between meetings should be enough to allow you to stretch your tired muscles and eyes for a little bit. Take a break so you can reload, recharge and ready your mental guns for the next battle. 3. Switch to emails and phone calls How many meetings have you attended while thinking to yourself “this could have been discussed in an email”? Now that you know how annoying that feels, the next time you’re setting up a zoom meeting, ask yourself the most important question of all: is a meeting really needed for this? Do yourself, and the rest of the meeting attendees, a favor and make sure that all things requisite for a productive meeting are there before you actually set it up. Also, whoever said phone calls aren’t a thing anymore? If it’s a one-on-one meeting, just have a phone call, not all meetings need to be on video! A phone call will allow you to be more relaxed, concentrating your efforts and energy to your volume and intonation instead. 4. Build boundaries Not because you’re at home doesn’t mean you constantly have to keep working. Repeat that three times until you’ve internalized it. Majority of people at home have this flawed mentality that they constantly have to prove they’re working and not just sitting around binging on Netflix and chips. Long hours doesn’t always translate to productivity in the same manner that longer meetings doesn’t mean more work is accomplished. In fact, the shorter the meeting, the better. Concise and direct-to-the-point meetings should be the standard, especially for zoom meetings. There is a reason why meetings have time limits, so stick to it. Set the boundaries and expectations and very respectfully make sure that everyone is aware. Zoom meetings are already part of our routine, there is no denying that. It is an amazing thing because even in this situation, it allows us to continue being employed, it gives us the platform to study and connect with people and get things done! It’s now up to you to set the limits and take control of the platform and make it something that will help you make things happen.
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30 Minute Yoga and Meditation
Destress and reset as you follow along to this 30 minute yoga session with today's instructor, Chris. Chris is a certified yoga instructor at a high-end gym in Los Angeles, California. For more content from Chris, follow him on Instagram @christilley91.
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30 Minute Hiit Workout | Full Body
Join us in this 30 minute, follow along HIIT workout that'll help tone your entire body with ACE Certified fitness trainer Samantha. This workout will include 3 sets of the following: Prisoner Squats Explosive Jumping Jacks Crab Reaches Walking Push Ups Scissor Switch Twists Oblique Jab Twists Bear Crawl Burpees with Shoulder Taps Infinite Lateral Lunge Spiderman Plank / Crunch with Squat Hold
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Quick 15-30 Minute Workout With Christopher McDonald
Join @teamchrismcdonald in this 15-30 minute, equipment-free workout that he uses to train for professional beach volleyball, cycling, and bobsledding. Here's a 15-30 minute workout that you can do at home with next to no equipment. It's something that will fulfill your needs and get you moving. Today's workout will teach you what Chris did to prepare for volleyball season and his career in professional athletics, with an emphasis on properly warming your body up for movement. Dynamic Stretching Knees to chest Quad to torso Hip glute to chest Walking lunges with hands overhead Hip and hamstrings Warm Up Butt kickers Leg kick toe touches Swinging hip open Workout Cross jacks Knee tucks/Squat jumps Squat rotations Single leg step-ups Perfect squat Chair tricep dips Push ups Cross leg crunches Low leg ab raises Russian twists Christopher started his fitness journey in 2008, when he fell in love with beach volleyball and wanted to pursue it as a profession. From there, he decided to ramp up his fitness and not only perform like an athlete, but look like one as well.
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Our Top 5 Episodes of the Joe Rogan Podcast: Part 2
In 2016, we released a list of Our Top Five Episodes of the Joe Rogan Podcast. Now, we're back with a list of our top 5 (more recent) Rogan episodes recommended by a member of our very own Neuro team. Check out some of our new favorite episodes below: JRE #1480 Kevin Hart - Comedian, Actor and Producer Many of us have a love/hate relationship with Kevin Hart, but his work ethic and determination is undeniable. He’s also entertaining as hell and does a great impression of Dave Chapelle, which will make this episode worth listening to. His intensity is extremely contagious as he dives into his journey to recovery with a fractured spine and shares how his priorities immediately shifted when he realized that he was married to his job and dating his family.Kevin explains how his go-getter attitude is based on his game-like view of life and how he’s constantly challenging himself to open new levels and adopt new mindsets. He says that the grind comes from a balance of discipline and enthusiasm, and you can really grasp that feeling in everything he does. In the episode, Joe and Hart discuss the greatness of Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson and even chat about an epic dinner among comedic greatness. The show ends with a clip of Eddie Murphy slamming Bill Cosby while accepting his Mark Twain trophy in hopes that he’s going to make a comeback and obviously a plug to Kevin Hart’s new audiobook: The Decision. I haven’t listened to it yet, but it’s on my list!JRE #1368 Edward Snowden - An American Whistleblower AKA President of Secrets If you’ve watched the movie Snowden, you’ve heard about how the protagonist leaked classified information from the NSA while he was working for the CIA. But that’s just a glimpse of what went on, and this episode goes into more of what happened. In this episode, Snowden goes through his story in depth with minimal interruptions, and it’s great to hear about his journey and how he came to his position at such a young age. His perspective and insight on 9/11 as an 18 year old kid is eye opening. Snowden shares how he went on to go undercover as a diplomat in Geneva as part of the CIA, was part of the NSA in Tokyo and back to the CIA with higher ups at Dell. If you’re a fan of hearing about corrupt intelligence communities and lack of privacy, then run it! JRE #1227 Mike Tyson - Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion The boxer who bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear might ring a bell or maybe the crazy guy with tigers and a face tat in The Hangover, but he’s much more than just these epic highlights!I’ve never been let down by an article or interview on Mike Tyson. His story always gets more bizarre and yet increasingly impressive. He doesn’t mention his pet pigeons or much of his childhood story in this podcast episode, but dabbles on his early exposure to drugs and alcohol. I was surprisingly shocked to find out that Joe Rogan has never tried cocaine and Mike Tyson has never had a cup of coffee.He has never ending stories that seem short of a movie script, but if you want to hear about how he gave one of his Bentleys to a cop to get out of a crash or how he ordered his tigers from prison, then this is the episode to jump on.JRE #1213 Dr. Andrew Weil - An American doctor who advocates for alternative medicine Dr. Weil is a fountain of wisdom when it comes to this subject of natural healing. He also isn’t a snooze sesh if you’re interested in this stuff. Dr. Weil is fascinated with the body’s ability to heal itself and says that medicine should start right there and that’s the only way out of the healthcare crisis. He also discusses the many health benefits of matcha including cancer fighting antioxidants and the calming alertness effect of L-Theanine, which is naturally found in green and black tea leaves. Weil and Rogan dive into the bullshit trend of detoxing and colonics and reveal the true power of the liver. It was crazy to hear how counteractive medications could be and how they intensify depression, become highly addictive and mess with your mind. Don’t sleep on this episode if you’re into integrative health and wellness! JRE #946 Dennis McKenna - Ethnopharmacologist AKA Mr. Psychedelics My grandpa has been wanting to do Ayahuasca for ages and if it’s his dying wish, I need to give it to him, right? I’ve now dove into the deep end of psychedelics because I need to know everything before I let my old man wild out in a forest with a shaman. If you have a few hours to spare and are in the mood to listen to some far out theories that may make sense, then this is the episode for you. What if we learned that psychedelics were the answer to addictive behaviors, bridged the gap between us and nature, and is the answer to helping us love ourselves, each other, and make us better human beings.In this episode, Rogan and McKenna discuss ayahuasca, DMT, and how psychedelics open the mind. They’re some wild concepts, but you’re onto something Dennis McKenna and I’m here for it!
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35 Minute Barre Inspired Home Workout with Kiara Burns
This 35 Minute Barre Inspired Full Body Sculpt workout requires no equipment - just your body, some space, and water! Follow along on in the video or scroll down for an overview. Warm Up Shoulder Rolls Lunge Stretch Straight Arm Plank / Alternating Lunges / Shoulder Taps Mountain Climbers Downward Dog Squat Series Squat with Arm Reach Squat Pulse Squat Oblique Twist Squat Hold Alternating Side Lunge Passe Position with Right Leg Extended Back, Foot Flexed Curl your heel in and out Tiny bend-stretch Leg out and in Hold it center, point your toes Pulse Squat Jumps Repeat on other side Roll up through center Jumping Squats Cardio Jumping Jacks Diamond Kicks Jump Rope Alternating Heel Kicks Low Squat with Slow Pulse Thigh Sprints Releve Up and Down / Pulse Tuck Side to Side Grande Plie Down and Up Oblique Dips with Releve on Either Side Wide Stance Pulse Glutes Four Point Kneel Kneeling Straight Leg Lifts Knee Presses Heel Curls Attitude position (3⁄4 bend) in right leg Hold your leg up, pulse with the option to extend your leg straight Repeat on the other side Push Up/Plank Series Push up, one twist open into a side plank alternating sides Forearm plank, legs tight together Alternate bending your knees Press back in your heels Puppy Stretch Inner Thigh Series Laying Side Leg Pulse Seated Torso Twist Repeat on other side Abs Slow Crunch Pulse Ankle Side Taps Toe Taps Laying Leg Lifts Lifted Flutter Kicks End Stretch Knee Hug Let knees fall to the side while letting your upper body fall the opposite way. Repeat on other side. Lay on back, extend right leg up, flex and point your foot Straight Leg Lift Repeat on other side Knee Hug, Rock Back and Forth Seated Wide Side Stretch Seated Wide Center Stretch Kiara Burns is a Los Angeles based fitness professional and trainer who teaches fitness classes at Platefit, a vibration studio where all workouts are done on a power plate. She’s also a Certified Personal Trainer who posts workouts and more on her Instagram @kiara_burns_.
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25 Minute At Home Workout with Neuro Co-founder Kent Yoshimura
This 25 minute at home, follow along workout is pulled from Neuro Co-founder Kent Yoshimura's background in martial arts - Muay Thai, Karate, Jiu Jitsu, and Judo. Grab a yoga mat and follow along - no equipment needed! Jumping Jacks Target: Full-body / Cardio Start with feet together in a standing position. Jump both your legs out to your side while simultaneously bringing hands together overhead. Return to starting position and repeat. Burpees Target: Full-body / CardioStand tall with feet shoulder-width apart. Move into a squat position then drop down to a pushup position. Pushup is optional. Bring feet to hands and get back into starting position. Repeat. Steam Engines Target: Obliques and Quads Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands behind your head with elbows in line with your shoulders. Raise your knee up and try to touch it with your opposite elbow. Repeat. Swing Throughs Target: Hip flexors, quads, triceps Start in a squat with both hands on the ground. Raise your left arm and twist your body to cross your straightened right leg out. Return to base position and repeat on opposite side. Lunge Kicks Target: Quadriceps and glutes Start with feet together. Take a step back and enter into a lunge, so that your knee is almost touching the floor. Activate the front leg and thrust your hip to perform a kick with the back leg. Return your leg back to the ground to come back to the starting position.Mason Twists Target: Obliques and abdominals Sit on the floor with both legs up in a bent position. Your hands should be clasped in front of you. While keeping your legs up, twist your body to the left and right, touching your hands to the floor. Repeat.
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