The Stoic life centred around habits and routines — practices in which they engaged daily, from their waking moments until going to sleep, that provided the structure necessary for a day lived well. These practices can provide a blueprint for us, to help us to lead good and happy lives. This article outlines these practices, and how you can structure your day like a Stoic thousands of years later.

“Assemble your life… action by action. And be satisfied if each one achieves its goal… No one can keep that from happening…Action by action.” — Marcus Aurelius

Morning

Wake up early

“The day has already…

Detoxing is like a spring cleaning; it removes all the unwanted substances from your body. These include heavy metals picked up from our environment, various toxins, and metabolic waste.

Although we have built-in detoxification mechanisms such as the liver and kidneys, the amount of toxic substances we are exposed to now is a lot higher than when these processes evolved.

Back when we were living on the savanna or in the jungles we weren’t exposed to pollution, pesticides, or heavy metals. Toxins can be found everywhere, from non-stick cookware to the fire retardants put in mattresses.

Signs your body needs a detox

Do you experience any…

Achieving a low body fat percentage is challenging.

Maintaining this low body fat percentage may be even harder. It’s easier to find motivation when you can see the end — the 6 week challenge, the body fat percentage that is almost within reach, the wedding you’re shredding for.

What’s harder is continuing to find that motivation once you’ve reached your goal. Here are the 8 practices I follow each day to ensure I stay on track for maintaining my current body fat percentage.

1. Morning fasted movement

I covered this in a recent article, and it resonated with a lot of people due to…

Creating an evening routine may just be the most powerful thing you can do to improve your sleep quality.

An evening routine is a way of signaling to your body that it is time to sleep — time to turn on certain hormones, and time to turn off others. The hour or two before our head hits the pillow can make or break our sleep that night. It’s crucial we spend this time wisely.

Here are the 4 steps I take to ready my mind and my body for sleep each night.

1. Foam rolling

This practice started as a way to fit…

I used to journal religiously.

As soon as I woke up, I was pumping out my gratitude, my plan for the day, and all the things on my mind. I’d read my Stoic passage of the day and write about this.

Then, at the end of the day, I’d put myself up for review. What did I do well? What did I do badly? What will I do differently tomorrow?

Bookend your day with your journal. That’s what they say to do.

But then I went on vacation. …

Sometimes, we just can’t find the motivation to get to the gym, to go for that run, to do that yoga session.

And that’s okay. Like anything, these things come and go in waves; some days are harder than others.

But there are strategies you can use to make working out easier on the days you can’t seem to find any motivation.

Do less than you can

If you can run for half an hour, run for 20 minutes. If you can do 4 sets, do 3.

Do a little bit less than you’re capable of, to prevent exercise from becoming a burden. The best…

How our bodies respond to exercise depends on what time of day the exercise is performed.

While exercising at any time of day is hugely beneficial for our health, your goals may determine which time of day will be especially beneficial. This is due to the relationship between our circadian rhythms and exercise, and the subsequent response of the body. If you want to reach your goals, you need to work out at the time of day that will best optimize your results.

While one time of day is not necessarily better than the other, they do have some distinct…

Fish oil may be the key to improving both your exercise performance and results.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the beneficial impact of taking a fish oil supplement prior to exercise. Fish oil is a naturally occurring substance, with myriad benefits for almost every aspect of your health. However, it may be of particular relevance for your next workout.

Here, I’ll discuss the 6 benefits of taking fish oil before exercise.

1. Improve exercise performance

Taking fish oil before a workout can reduce perceived exertion — meaning you can work out harder and longer before feeling fatigued. …