Indoor Activities For Toddlers

These Indoor Activities For Toddlers are perfect for winter or a rainy spring or summer day and many will help develop fine motor skills. Plus tips to make them harder for pre-school aged kids.

{Originally published Jan 2017}

Hi Friends!

Today we're talking indoor activities for toddlers. It's been almost two years since I shared this post so I thought I'd bring it to your attention again in case you missed it the first time!  I'm always looking for fun new activities to do with Squish and a lot of you seem to like when I share them on Instagram so I thought I'd round up some of my favorites to share with you guys!

When I was in middle school, I did a lot of babysitting. I had some sort of babysitting certification from The Red Cross and during that course, they gave us the idea of making an activity kit to bring with you when babysitting. Sure, kids like their own toys, but there's something about new games and activities that is especially exciting and tends to hold their interest longer.

When I was in high school, I had a steady after-school nannying job for a two-year-old (who I just realized has probably no graduated high school and I now feel very old). Anyways, she wasn't allowed to watch any TV and I spent several hours with her every day….so I had to get creative with things to keep her busy.

When I graduated college, I worked at a pre-school for 6 months. Although my classroom was 4-5 year olds, I spent a lot of time in the 2-3 year old classroom as well.

Now, I follow a lot of kid-focused pages on Facebook and Instagram, I browse Pinterest, I read family magazines and am constantly seeing new ideas I want to try.

This post is a roundup of some of my favorite indoor activities for toddlers that I've seen and tried over the years. I've tried them all with Squish over the pas couple years or so and he really enjoys most of them. Note- I took all these pictures on the same day, but I wouldn't advise trying them all out on the same day! Remember the new & exciting part? Save them up and try a couple at a time. We've got several more months of winter ahead of us!

I also included some ways to make them harder. As kids get older, some of the things they could do six months ago are getting too easy….but there are ways to add a bit of a challenge to most of them, to make them more developmentally appropriate for older toddlers and even preschoolers!

A few months ago I placed an Amazon order to stock up on supplies but you could probably find a lot of these at the dollar store as well! Here are (affiliate) links to the ones I bought but there are tons of options

I bought:

• Pipe cleaners
• Clothespins
• Straws
• Golf Tees
• Fly swatters
• Pom poms
• Finger paint
• Balloons
• Popsicle sticks

And here's how I've been using them!

Indoor Activities for Toddlers

Balloon Hockey

I blow up a couple of balloons, we each grab a fly swatter and go to town hitting them around the room. I let him hit it around for a while and then we also work on hitting it to keep it up in the air.

Make it harder:

• Set up a goal and let them try to score.
• Have a contest to see how long they can keep it from touching the ground.
• Let them try to keep two balloons in the air at once!

Pom Pom Push

Take a plastic container and cut holes in the top and let them push the pom poms through the holes.

Make it harder: 

• Draw circles around the holes with a marker and let them push the blue pom poms through the blue hole, the green ones through the green holes, etc.
• Set a timer and see how many they can get in the container in 30 seconds or a minute.

Pom Pom Drop

Save your toilet paper or paper towel rolls. Tape them to a door or wall and let them drop the pom poms through.

Make it harder:

• Give them tongs or a clothespin to make picking up the pom poms more challenging.
• Let them tape the tubes up and see if they can get the angles right so the pom poms go through all the tubes on the way down.
• You drop the pom poms from the top and see if they can catch them in the bottom in a small bowl.

Pom Pom Sorting

Have them sort the pom poms into different containers by size or color.

Make it harder: 

• Divide the pom poms in half and have a race to see who can sort theirs the fastest!
• Give them a clothespin to use to pickup and move the pom poms into the different containers.

Straw Threading

Cut plastic straws into pieces. Let them thread the straw pieces onto the pipe cleaners.

Make it harder:

• Have them thread the pieces on in a pattern of colors.

Ring Toss

Twist some pipe cleaners together to make rings and toss them into bowls or buckets.

Make it harder:

• Have them stand farther away.
• Set up multiple buckets and tell them to throw them into a specific one.
• See how many they can get in a row.

Golf Tee Hammering

Poke golf tees into a cardboard box and let them hammer them in.

Make it harder:

• Give them a smaller hammer.
• Tell them which color nails to hammer.
• Let them practice pulling them out and setting them back up again.

Ziploc Bag Fingerpainting

Put a few blogs of paint into Ziploc bags. Seal them tightly and tape to a window or table. Let them fingerpaint just like they would on a piece of paper.

Make it harder:

• Ask them to draw specific shapes or objects.
• Talk about what colors mix together to make new colors.

Card Slot Drop

Cut a slot in the lid of a container and have them drop the cards in.

Make it harder:

• Cut some holes as well and have them put q tips in.
• See how fast they can get them all in.
• Have them put them in by color or number.

Cheerio Threading

Cut pipe cleaners in half and let them push them through the holes of a colander.

Make it harder:

• Give them Cheerios to thread onto the pipe cleaners.

Car Ramp

Draw lanes on a cardboard box to make a car ramp. Let them race their cars down it.

Fun with Cans

See how high they can stack them up. Set them up like bowling pins and let them bowl with a wiffle ball or tennis ball.

Like the ideas in the post? Be sure to pin it and share with your friends!

Clothespin Painting

Attached some cotton balls (or bunched up paper towels if you're out of cotten balls like i was) to clothespins and let them paint! Work on colors, shapes, etc.

 

Cooking

I wrote a post all about Kitchen Tasks For Toddlers!

Whew! I think that's enough indoor activities for toddlers for one post. If you're looking for more ideas, check out this post filled with Cheap Toddler Activities!

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Like the ideas in this post? Please pin it and share with your friends!

Can't go outside? Try these simple Indoor Activities for toddlers and preschoolers!Click To Tweet

Let's chat:

What's your favorite indoor activity for the kiddos? I'm always looking for new ideas!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Original Content: Indoor Activities For Toddlers

The 7 Supplements I Take, 2019 Edition

Yep, seven. Kind of a lot for a "whole foods" guy, right?

Don't worry, I'll explain.

If you're even a casual NMA reader, you know it's been a loooong time since I wrote two blog posts in a week. We're talking years, I think.

Well, I'm here to boldly declare that I'm back. My goal for the year, No Meat Athlete's 10th anniversary year, is to write a blog post per week, on average. Not because I should, but because I really want to — the time away has renewed my enthusiasm. And after going for so long without writing regularly, I've got a lot I'm excited to share.

But writing more is just one of my goals. This year, I gave myself permission to set a bunch of them — not just one or two, like I usually tell people is best — and to make them BIG.

Upgrading the OS

It didn't take long, though, for me to realize that in order to do more, my "operating system" needs to be better — which means upgrading my daily habits, and to pay particular attention to nutrition, since that affects just about everything else.

For several years now I've been careful to cover the bases: vitamin B12, vitamin D, and DHA/EPA, just to safeguard myself against common deficiencies of a vegan diet (and many other diets, too, by the way). But now I'm paying more attention to things like sleep, recovery from workouts, nagging injuries, and even long-term prevention — and because of that, I find myself both more diligent and more experimental with supplements.

Don't worry, this isn't the post where Matt turns into a biohacker. In general, my philosophy is still "whole foods first," and probably always will be. (Not the store — in that case, it's actually "Whole Foods second," after we've gotten everything we can at a cheaper place!)

In fact, you'll see that several of what I call "supplements" actually are whole foods; it's just that I take them like a robot would take fuel. If robots ran on fuel.

So here goes. I've listed the daily dose I take next to each.

1. Complement (provides B12, D3, and DHA/EPA) — This one is actually a three-for. I've written about Complement at length, since it's the supplement I created, so I won't spend long on this one. In a nutshell, here's why the nutrients it provides are so important:

Vitamin B12 (1000mcg) is just about a no-brainer for vegans. I know there are still a few purists out there who say we can get enough B12 from dirty produce, but I just don't see the point. Even many non-vegans are deficient in B12, and when I didn't take it in my first few years of being vegan, I experienced symptoms of deficiency. So I take it, and make sure my kids do too.

Vitamin D3 (2000IU) is the best form of vitamin D, which our bodies make in response to sunlight. Unfortunately, the combination of our modern, indoorsy lifestyles (plus knowledge about the dangers of UV exposure) and a plant-based diet leaves many of us "D-ficient." Dr. Greger and others recommend supplementing with 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily, so that's what I take.

Finally, DHA (300mg) and EPA (70mg) are two long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that are important for brain health. We can get ALA, which is another omega-3, from vegan foods like flaxseeds and walnuts, so many vegans assume they've got omega-3's covered. But it turns out that although some people can efficiently convert ALA into DHA and EPA, many cannot. I haven't done the testing to know whether I or my wife and kids can, so that's why I take it in supplement form, derived from algae.

You can learn more about Complement here, but see the note at the bottom of this blog post first.

2. Creatine (5g) — This is strictly for building muscle and increasing strength, so I only take creatine when I'm trying to bulk up or doing a strength sport. Creatine is an amino acid that our bodies do make, so it's not essential. And although we're completely fine without it, I find it absolutely helps me to build muscle, and the extra motivation that comes from that is reason enough to take it, given that it's well-studied and appears to be completely safe. (There's some evidence to suggest creatine helps vegetarians perform better on tests of memory, too.)

3. Magnesium (350mg) — As I mentioned in a recent podcast episode ("Matt's Quest for Deeper Sleep"), lately I've been obsessed with increasing the amount of deep sleep I get each night, as measured by an OURA ring that tells me how much time I spend in each sleep phase.

I get plenty of total sleep, and plenty of REM sleep, but very little deep sleep (which, oddly, is not as "deep" as REM). Deep sleep is very important for tissue repair and recovery. I haven't figured out whether my body just happens to need less deep sleep than others, or whether it's something about my diet, lifestyle, and sleep habits that prevents me from getting more of it.

I've been experimenting with a lot of small changes, ranging from obvious ones — like eliminating light from my bedroom at night and limiting screen time after about 7pm — to making changes to my diet (especially around caffeine and alcohol) and supplementing.

Magnesium is a mineral that's associated with improved sleep and helpful in the absorption of iodine (see below), so it's a natural one to test.

I've only been taking magnesium for 10 days or so, but I suspect that it's responsible for adding roughly 10 minutes of deep sleep each night. Which doesn't seem like much, but when I typically only get 30 minutes or so, I'll take whatever I can get!

Once I figure this shiz out, I'll write a whole blog post about my sleep project.

'Supplements' that are Actually Food

4. Brazil nut (1 small one provides ~100mcg selenium) — We don't need much selenium, but we absolutely need it. Selenium deficiency is linked to certain cancers, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. And, thanks to soil depletion, most plant-based diets are low in selenium. Luckily, a single, small Brazil nut each day provides more than enough. So I eat one a day, in my smoothie, and selenium is taken care of.

(Incidentally, one of the reasons I love the daily smoothie is that it's easy to toss in things like a Brazil nut, flaxseeds, a slice of turmeric… things I want to eat each day but don't show up in my diet on their own.)

5. Iodized salt (60mcg iodine per quarter-teaspoon salt) — Let's be clear here, there's no reason to supplement with salt; in fact we should limit our intake. It's the iodine that I want; the fortified salt just happens to be a convenient way to get it.

Iodine used to be in our soil, but with modern agriculture, it's less plentiful in our food than it once was. Which wouldn't be a big deal, except that iodine deficiency affects two billion people (!) and is the leading preventable cause of intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Which is why they put it in our salt. Except we vegans like to be natural, so many of us choose unrefined sea salt… which usually doesn't have iodine added to it.

Non-vegans actually get some iodine from the cleaning products used on dairy processing equipment that make their way into the milk, so it's less a concern for them. Vegans should make sure we have an iodine source, whether supplemental or with fortified salt.

6. Tart cherry juice (1oz concentrate or 8oz juice) — Tart cherry juice has been shown to reduce inflammation and muscle soreness after workouts, which is why I've been a fan for a long time.

Most days out of the week now, I do Muay Thai, a form of kickboxing, and get pretty beat up in the process. So I have a renewed interest in the benefits tart cherries provide.

I don't like to drink any juice on a daily basis; in general whole fruit is much better. But immediately after workouts is one time when juice may be one of the best things we can consume, for its speed in reaching the bloodstream. So that's when I try to take my tart cherry juice, about an ounce a day.

7. Turmeric (1 tsp ground or a quarter-inch slice fresh) — Faddish, perhaps, but I think turmeric is legit. There's a lot of research about how it can help with everything from muscle repair to recovering from hospital surgery, not to mention reducing the risks of cancer and heart disease.

Dr. Greger recommends either a quarter-teaspoon of ground turmeric or a quarter-inch slice of the fresh root daily. Fresh and ground actually do different things, so I try to mix them up, and almost always eat it in combination with black pepper to increase bioavailability.

If I don't use ground turmeric in cooking or don't add a slice of fresh to my smoothie, then at night I'll take it in pill form (turmeric, not just curcumin). But I much prefer getting it in whole-food form.

Blurring the Food/Supplement Line

I actually could go further with the "foods I view as supplements" list, but there's not a clear dividing line between these and the rest of my food.

For example, green tea. I don't really drink it like tea: in order to extract the most nutrients, I steep it at close to boiling temperature and for much longer than the tea-types recommend, producing a drink far more tannic and bitter than green tea traditionally is. Or I'll put the tea leaves directly into my smoothie, not for flavor but for nutrition. Similar with flaxseeds — I don't eat them as snacks like I do other nuts and seeds; instead I just add them to my smoothie because I know how healthy they are.

But I had to draw the line somewhere. So I did.

What's Missing?

Believe it or not, there are two other supplements I believe I should be taking, but am not, simply because it's not convenient to take more pills and I've been lazy about it. These are zinc and vitamin K2, both of which are likely deficiencies in plant-based diets.

Zinc: Beans provide plenty of zinc; the problem is that the phytates in beans interfere with absorption. Zinc may be especially important for heart health, and given family history, this is important to me.

K2: Vegans can get plenty of K1 from leafy greens, but K2 isn't found in almost any plant-based foods, especially not in the West. (It is in natto, a Japanese, fermented soy product, but unfortunately not in tempeh, sauerkraut, or other fermented foods in reliable and appreciable amounts.) K2 is important for both bone and heart health, so not something I want to be missing.

To the Rescue…

Good news here, though. This week, an upgraded version of Complement, called Complement Plus, ships for the first time. (Mine is supposed to arrive today!)

It's in capsule form instead of a spray, and for me will drastically simplify my supplementation routine, not just by filling the zinc and K2 void, but also by providing iodine, selenium, magnesium (all of which I'm currently making the effort to get into my diet), and of course the "Big 3" that are already in Complement.

When I first announced Complement Plus last year as a pre-order, we sold through everything we had allocated for it. But now we've got a few hundred bottles from this first shipment that we can sell, so next week I'll send the details about how to get a special NMA-reader discount on Complement Plus.

If you're thinking about getting Complement or Complement Plus, I'd join the email list and wait until then.

It feels great to be writing again. Look for a new post from me next week, and every week after that!

The post The 7 Supplements I Take, 2019 Edition appeared first on No Meat Athlete.

Original Content: The 7 Supplements I Take, 2019 Edition

Run a Race this Year: Developing Your Ideal Training Plan

It's a new year, which means new running and racing goals. But for many of us, the cold winter, post-holiday lack of activity makes running a big race feel nearly impossible.

So in today's episode, we look at the entire year, not just the next few months.

Here's a breakdown of how to develop the perfect training schedule for your goals, whether they're 3, 6, or 12 months away.

Click the button below to listen now:

Or:

• Click here to download the MP3 file (you may need to right-click and "save link as")
• Subscribe to the show on iTunes or Stitcher so you never miss an episode

If you like what we do at NMA Radio, we'd greatly appreciate it if you'd leave us a rating and review on iTunes. Thank you!

Episode Sponsor

This episode of No Meat Athlete Radio is brought to you by Hemp Daddy's and their full spectrum CBD products, created by a runner for runners.

Learn more at hempdaddys.com and use code nomeat at checkout to save 10% off and free shipping on your first order.

 

The post Run a Race this Year: Developing Your Ideal Training Plan appeared first on No Meat Athlete.

Original Content: Run a Race this Year: Developing Your Ideal Training Plan

Life Lately

Helloooooooo friends!

Anybody still out there? Hard to believe it's been so long since my last post. I've missed you guys! Although I've been away from the blog, I've still been fairly good at sharing our daily life over on Instagram stories so we sure to follow me there if you don't already!

Today is officially 6 weeks since little man was born and I'm headed back to my OB for my six-week checkup! I'm feeling good and oh so ready to start easing into working out again.

Here's a quick recap of the past six weeks:

At baby's 1 week appointment, we found out he wasn't gaining weight. So I spent about 4 days feeding him every two hours around the clock, then pumping and then feeding him the pumped bottle. After 4 days, he'd gained almost 8 ounces. Then I stopped pumping but spent the next week nursing him every 2 hours during the day and 3 hours at night. After that, he had continued to gain weight and I was able to just start nursing him on demand, without following a rigid time schedule. It was an exhausting couple of weeks but I'm thankful we turned the corner and that feeding has continued to go well.

My husband was home for two weeks on paternity leave and as a family, we spent a lot of time hanging out, watching tv and readjusting to having a baby in the house. I got back into my food prep game, we had some newborn pictures taken and even ventured out to eat a couple times.

We celebrated Christmas and enjoyed watching the big kids love on their little brother. They're both doing so well with him. They think he's "so cute" and keep close tabs on where he is and what he's doing. They both have their challenging days, but I think it's more related to their ages (4 & 2) than it is to having a new baby in the house. Hubby went back to work for 2 days after paternity leave ended and then was home for basically another two weeks for Christmas and new years.

My parents came to visit for a week at new years and my sister was also able to come out for a couple of days! Hubby went back to work January 2nd so my parents were here to help for another couple of days before I was totally on my own.

Since new years, baby has hit the one month mark, i've made several solo outings with all three kids including a few trips to the doctor (one for the baby's well check – he's up over 10 pounds (8 pounds at birth) and growing well….and another for sister who hurt her foot after brother pushed her off the end of the bed), Squish has gone back to school after break and I've survived my share of toddler meltdowns and sleepless nights.

One thing I haven't done much is work. And I'm pretty proud of myself for it. I've been working hard to really just soak up this time with my kids and not worry about rushing back to work like I did with my other two. I've only opened my computer a handful of time and it's been so nice. I'm getting ready to slowly start easing back into things, figuring out what our new schedule looks like, spending more and more time in the kitchen etc so look for some new recipes in the next few weeks!

Overall, life with 3 kids is going wonderfully. It's loud, hectic, a little stressful sometimes and did I mention loud? But it's also everything I hoped it would be and more…so full of love, adventure and excitement. If you've been around a while, you may remember that Little Miss was a colicky baby who did nothing but scream for 7 months. I'm pleased to report this little nugget is not following in his sister's footsteps and I am oh so thankful! He's a good baby who is eating well, sleeping decently, likes to be held, doesn't mind his carseat and seems generally unphased by the chaos his brother and sister create.

Thanks for sticking around during this big transition. I'm excited to get back into the swing of things with some new recipes and posts for you guys. I'm also working on a toddler feeding resource that I can't wait to share with you.

If you have recipes you'd like to see, baby questions you want answered or any other requests or questions, feel free to leave them below or email me!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Original Content: Life Lately

30-Minute Tempeh Stir-Fry

Everyone needs a good, classic stir fry recipe in their back pocket for quick lunches and dinners, and I think this should be the one.

It comes together in just 30 minutes, uses up leftover grains and vegetables from the week, is rich in protein and fiber, and delivers big flavor. What's not to love? Let me show you how easy it is to get this dish on the table.

30-Minute Tempeh Stir-Fry from Minimalist Baker →

Original Content: 30-Minute Tempeh Stir-Fry

7 Books Worth Your Time for a Healthy, Happy, and Productive 2019

We're two weeks into the new year… which means when it comes to resolutions, most people have hit the wall.

And that's okay.

When we make New Year's about a "clean slate," our one chance to get things right, we're going to lose. Of course we are.

But there's tremendous opportunity in using this time of year — post-holidays, post-stress, post-busyness — to create new habits that will make this year better than the last.

So the good news is that even if your resolutions are history, the season isn't. We're only two weeks in!

In this spirit, I offer you the list of books I'm most excited about for their capacity to help all of us make change for the better.

Several of them I've read many times (often at New Year's, in fact), a few I've read just once (that's all that was needed), and a couple others that I'm reading now or have on my list for early this year.

I hope they help you make the most of this wonderful season.

1. Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

Maybe the best book for reading at the start of a new year, ever. I've read it four or five times, and I know NMA Radio co-host Doug is a big fan, too.

Turning Pro is about growing up. Showing up. And forever giving up the excuses and rationalizations that keep you an amateur (both professionally and otherwise).

It's written for writers and artists, but the advice is applicable to just about everyone, in whatever area of life you're playing too small.

2. Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins

A few weeks ago, I listened to David Goggins on the Rich Roll Podcast.

I knew he was a ultrarunner, an ultra-distance cyclist, and a triathlete. And I knew he was an ex-Navy SEAL, one of those military dudes you just don't want to mess with.

Usually, I don't really relate to people like this; it's just too big a leap. Robotic discipline and run-through-walls determination? Cool, but not really me.

But when you learn about where Goggins comes from and how he grew up, you realize he wasn't born superhuman. He decided to be this way, and he still decides to choose discomfort and growth over what's easy — every single day, starting at a ridiculously dark and cold hour.

I haven't read Can't Hurt Me, his self-published memoir, yet. I'm still riding the motivation-high of the new year and feeling plenty inspired.

But the second that starts to dip — and I know that at some point, it will — this will be my motivation to get back in the game.

3. The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle

One of the most inspiring lessons I've ever learned is that talent isn't an accident.

That most people who are truly great in their fields are that way not because they were born with it, but because they worked hard.

The so-called 10,000 Hour Rule was eye-opening for me. Our culture wants to be believe that the outstanding performers we admire were born with the gift — because that lets us off the hook: We weren't born with anything special, so it's not our fault.

But when you come to believe that with hard work and lots of it — real, deliberate practice, for thousands of hours — mastery of anything is possible, suddenly you have a lot of choices. (This is especially exciting for kids, who have more time with which to accumulate those thousands of hours.)

Daniel Coyle wrote a long book, called the Talent Code, about this idea, where he shared the best practices he learned by studying talent hotbeds around the world. The Little Book of Talent is a distillation of that advice into 52 short directives — things like "shrink the practice space" and "buy a notebook" — to help you engineer your (or your kids') practice routines for success.

4. The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll

I've been frustrated with journaling for a long time. I'd love to make it work — to have a record of my successes, failures, and lessons learned, plus whatever benefits come from the journaling process itself — but just haven't been able to make the habit last.

I go through spurts where I do it every day, and then I stop for months (or years). I've tried it in different formats, handwritten and typed, notebook, computer, cloud, with no way to pull it all together. It's a mess.

Worse, I keep notebooks of to-do lists and day-to-day notes, but I have no process for revisiting them. Sure, I might write down a great insight or quote, but I'll likely never see it again without any system for making sure I do.

Well, the Bullet Journal promises to be that system, and hundreds of thousands of happy Bullet-journalers give me reason to believe that promise.

Charmingly, it's all done in a blank, pen-and-paper notebook. You can now buy "official" Bullet Journals, but I find that idea much less appealing than the DIY version.

You actually don't need to buy The Bullet Journal Method to learn the system; it's all laid out for free on the author's website. But the book provides additional context around things like goals and intentionality, and the idea that at its best, Bullet Journaling is an exercise in mindfulness.

5. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Yes, this is kind of old. I read it back in 2015, and I felt like I was late to party then.

So why include it? Because it freaking works.

I read a whole lot of books about how to make things better, and for me, none has ever delivered on its promise the way this one has.

Since my epic tidying marathon this book inspired three years ago, I've never gone back to my old ways. It's life-changing, for real.

Now's the perfect time. Ditch the clutter and make room for what matters in your life.

6. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Maybe my mantra should be, "I haven't read the book, but I have heard the author on the Rich Roll podcast!"

Because that's the deal with this one, like it was with #2 above.

I talk a lot about the "small steps" approach, and also the opposite (but not entirely incompatible) idea of "massive action." But there's so much more to the science of changing habits, a lot of which has to do with engineering your environment for success.

I went into this interview assuming I knew most of what there is to know about practical habit change advice, but as I listened, blogger and author James Clear gave so many "ah-ha" tips that I had to add his book to my list of must-reads this year.

If you think your whole habit-change operating system could use a software upgrade, then this is the book to read.

7. Deep Meditation by Yogani

I'm slightly ashamed to admit that, despite investing quite a bit of money and time in meditation courses and apps, I've never made meditation into a lasting habit.

Interestingly, though, none of the fancy courses I've bought or attended have provided more insight than Deep Meditation, a short little volume you can buy for $4.61. It shines light on a lot of the dark corners of meditation, and provides a simple, practical prescription for creating a daily practice.

I'm not sure 2019 will be the year I make meditation last — that might never happen. But when I'm ready to try again, this is the approach I'll go back to.

8. The No Meat Athlete Cookbook by Matt Frazier and Stepfanie Romine (Just $3.99 today!)

Okay, so I promised you seven books, but snuck in an eighth. And one that I co-authored, no less!

And there's a good reason for that. The No Meat Athlete Cookbook was selected by Amazon as a Kindle Daily Deal, which means that today (and today, January 13th, only), you can pick up the digital version for just $3.99.

It's discounted across all platforms today, so you can get it at that price regardless of how you e-read.

This book is our most successful to date, with over 50,000 copies sold and lots of accolades in mainstream press. If you haven't gotten a copy yet, the start of the new year is as good as time as any.

One final time, happy new year. Remember, it's not about the day, but about the season, so make something happen while 2019 is still in front of you.

The post 7 Books Worth Your Time for a Healthy, Happy, and Productive 2019 appeared first on No Meat Athlete.

Original Content: 7 Books Worth Your Time for a Healthy, Happy, and Productive 2019