2021-04-13
Paleo to Vegan: What Happened When I Switched
I’m the creator of Power 20, and here I document my transition from a mostly vegetarian Paleo diet to 100% Vegan diet. I made the switch in 2015 and today, 6 years later, I’m still vegan and feeling great. I…
2021-03-15
Do Juice Cleanses Work?
Juice cleanses are a popular and generally discredited diet trend. While true that diets rich in fruits and vegetables are associated with lower disease risk, juice cleanses bring dieters to a nonsensical extreme, relying on fruit and vegetable juice as…
2021-03-15
How to hypnotize yourself to achieve crazy feats in life
Boxer Kevin McBride used self-hypnosis to defeat Mike Tyson. Hypnosis is a powerful tool anyone can use. Imagine being able to instantly reprogram yourself to hurt less, have less anxiety, form a new habit, or get work done without getting…
2021-03-14
Test Your Fitness Level With This 4-Minute Challenge
Test your fitness level and see how you compare to others your age with pushups and squats. Test your fitness level by starting with pushups. The pushup is a time-honored full-body exercise, which is why it’s used by drill sergeants…
2021-03-07
Short Workouts Work
Yes, short workouts are effective and are underrated when it comes to achieving and maintaining health, but the type of workout matters. Who do you think will become a better piano player: the person who practices intensely for five-hours straight…
2021-02-06
Protein Supplements Are Not Necessary
You probably don’t need any of these. Protein supplements are not necessary for building strength an staying healthy. Vegetarians and vegans are frequently asked, “where do you get your protein?” Never mind that only the deeply malnourished check into a…
2021-01-28
Weightlifting for Weight Loss
@sigrid.mannes Instagram With the simultaneous rise of Crossfit and Instagram, images of impossibly slim-waisted women lifting impossibly heavy weights have become ubiquitous. Is this real, and can weightlifting actually lead to weight loss? Does weightlifting lead to weight loss? Not…
2020-12-11
Are Standing Desks Good For You? What The Research Says
To find out whether standing desks are good for you, we’ve compiled some research on the topic. The short answer is that too much of anything is probably bad for us, and the best work environment combines sitting, standing, and…
2020-11-24
Permanent Weight Loss: Changing The Set Point
Weight gained during the holidays, through stress, or over freshman year of college may seem like a temporary change. But can we actually lose the weight we gain and manage permanent weight loss? In 2000 a team of doctors, nurses…
2020-08-10
Easy Recipes for Berries
Berries are delicious on their own, but there are many easy recipes for berries that are nutrient-packed and delicious. Summer is berry season so expect to find blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and other types of berries at your local grocery…
2020-05-27
Staying Hydrated: Five Tips
Staying hydrated can make you look better, feel better, and even think better. As important as food is to fueling our bodies, water is vital to sustaining many of our bodies’ operations. Our blood is 92% water, our brains and…
2020-05-07
Add Umami to Your Meals: 10 Ingredients
Umami, a Japanese word describing meaty or savory tastes, is one of the five flavors our tongues can detect. While we certainly crave the other four flavors – sweet, salty, sour, and bitter – it is the umami flavor that makes…
2020-03-25
How To Do More Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are the ultimate expression of one’s strength-to-weight ratio. Contrary to popular belief, men and women can both do pull-ups, but men have an advantage because their muscle mass is generally greater. That shouldn’t stop anyone from doing pull-ups, though.…
2020-03-19
How To Improve Willpower
If you could only improve your willpower, you’d get so much more done, right? It’s hard for many of us to stick to a daily routine of exercise and clean eating (or whatever routine we aspire to keep). And when…
2020-02-15
Book Review: The Starch Solution
Adding to the call for people to switch over to a whole food, plant-based diet are the voices of Mary and Dr. John McDougall in their 2012 book, The Starch Solution. The eyebrow-raising core message: “The more rice, corn, potatoes,…
2015-11-11
Helping Your Child Lose Weight: Challenges
Helping an overweight child lose weight is hard, emotionally charged, and feels like an uphill battle. But seeing an overweight child struggle with being teased or feel shame about their body is even more painful. It’s doubly hard because early…
2015-09-21
Help Your Kid Lose Weight With These 7 Tips
ButKids are heavier today than ever before. Childhood obesity has increased from 7% in 1980 to 20.5% today (for kids aged 12-19). The good news is that most children can slim down quickly if the right steps are taken. There are many…
2015-08-22
Energy Drinks: Healthy?
When exploring whether or not energy drinks are healthy, we have to consider more than just their caffeine. Caffeine isn’t terribly harmful. Studies suggesting that caffeine intake is associated with osteoporosis and cancer have been disproven by multiple studies, but not all sources…
2015-07-23
Protected to Death: How Irrational Fears Hurt Kids
Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/ The Power 20 team was recently at a New York City public school for career day and were deeply troubled by what we saw. We challenged kids to pushup contests; out of about thirty kids who tried, only…
2015-07-14
Is Soy Bad For You?
Soy has recently caught a bad rap on health blogs and in the press. But are the fears warranted? If so, it would be a shame, because soy adds wonderful texture and variety to a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Tofu, soy…
2015-07-01
Dad Bod: Get In Shape For Fatherhood
Actionable tips to avoid the dad bod during your child’s first year, as collected by real dads. Power 20 Founder having an incredibly awesome time with his son. “Are you ready?” is perhaps the most annoying question expecting dads can…
2015-06-22
The 14 Reasons We’re Gaining Weight
Today’s obesity epidemic has been over 100 years in the making. Multiple factors are causing America’s waistlines to expand. Today, 70% of Americans are overweight and 30% are obese. According to US military and health records, our average weight has been…
2015-06-03
Eating Well While Traveling
The summer means long road trips and destination vacations, which is great. But airport and roadside food is anything but great… With a little preparation, you can save money and eat clean no matter how far you’re traveling. Before you…
2015-06-03
Smart Ways To Eat Nuts
Only nuts that have twice the polyunsaturated fats (green) than saturated fats will help lower LDL (bad cholesterol). Walnuts are amazing. Source: Nutrition Action Healthletter Oct. 2009 There’s no need to fear nuts. Sure, they are high in fat and…
2015-05-15
High Protein Vegan Recipes: Beans!
Most people get enough protein on any diet, but for anyone interested in high-protein vegan recipes, this post is for you. One of the highest sources of plant-based protein is beans, which contain anywhere from 6-8 grams of protein per…
2015-05-15
How Daily 20-Minute Workouts Can Change You For The Better
Our bodies benefit from almost any amount of exercise. But when it comes to the optimal amount, research indicates that 20-minutes is sufficient to improve and maintain great health, which is why Power 20 created a suite of exercise apps featuring 20-minute…
2015-05-13
Yes, Potatoes Are Good For You
Potatoes have been given the short shrift in light of popular low-carbohydrate diets. It doesn’t help that we equate them with french fries and potato chips, either. Luckily, books like The Starch Solution are bringing potatoes back into popularity as one…
2015-05-01
Best Tools For Keeping A Food Diary
If you find yourself struggling to make healthful choices most of the time when it comes to eating, keeping track of your food intake might help. A 2008 study of 1,700 overweight or obese participants found that the more participants…
2015-04-28
How To Get Enough Sleep… In The Internet Age
A 2014 poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that up to 90% of Americans use a light-emitting electronic device before bedtime. Exposing our eyes to the LED lights emitted from electronics suppresses our bodies’ production of the sleep hormone…
2015-04-22
Whole Food, Plant Based Smoothies
Smoothies can be a great option for breakfast or a snack; they are quick to whip up, require few ingredients, and can be sipped on-the-go. Anything referred to as a “smoothie” is often thought of as a healthy beverage. However, not…
2015-04-21
Healthy Baking Substitutes
Baking is a great way to share delicious homemade treats with those we love, but baked desserts and snacks are often rich in sugar and saturated fat. For those seeking healthier alternatives, we recommend experimenting with your favorite dessert recipe…
2015-04-16
Yes, You Should Exercise While Pregnant
Many of us think of pregnancy as a time to rest our bodies in preparation for labor. With hormone changes, morning sickness, and the change in appetite that comes with being pregnant, it also might be very tempting to do…
2015-04-13
Plant-Based Milk: Which One Is Right For You?
With the growing trend of reducing or eliminating dairy from one’s diet for health, animal welfare, and/or environmental reasons, a number of non-dairy alternatives to milk have been made available at grocery stores to help consumers make the switch. In…
2015-04-08
Vitamin B12 on a Plant-Based Diet
A plant-based diet can provide all the nutrients the human body needs to thrive, with the curious exception of vitamin B12. Neither plants nor animals directly produce vitamin B12. It’s produced by microbes that grow all over the earth’s surface and inside…
2015-04-03
How to Build a Better Breakfast
Breakfast, commonly referred to as the “most important meal of the day,” is vital to providing the body with much of the fuel it needs to get through the day. However, a recent survey by Kellogg’s found that only about…
2015-03-27
Another Reason To Avoid Beef
Diabetes is usually linked with diets high in sugar intake. New research is now confirming that the consumption of red meat is also linked to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes for adults. You’ve probably heard about Type 2…
2015-01-27
More than just looking great.
Matthew sees far-ranging benefits to the Power 20 Method. It’s helped him improve at work and have more energy throughout the day.
2015-01-27
I’ve become a meditator.
Jorge has fallen in love with daily meditation. He’s lost weight and feels stronger through exercise, but it’s the meditation that has changed his life.
2015-01-27
I’m really energized.
Wellington followed the Power 20 Method for a month and found it surprisingly easy. He’s impressed by the ongoing research that goes into creating the Power 20 Method.
2015-01-27
I’ve now got a 4-pack… heading to a 6-pack. Very exciting.
Hemali and her fiancee did Power 20 for a month while following the low sugar diet. Here’s what she has to say about the process.
2015-01-27
My Cholesterol Dropped 50 Points.
We received this inspiring letter from Michael Q., a father of 2 young boys who has been doing Power 20 every day for the past 7 months. I have tried to take care of myself physically but over the past…
2015-01-26
Sports Injury? Power 20 Recommends SimpleTherapy
Power 20 users can try SimpleTherapy for free for 2 weeks. Enter the code “powertherapy” when prompted. Note: Power 20 does not get paid by or have any financial relationship with SimpleTherapy. We just really love their service! If a…
2015-01-20
Why There Is No “Right” Diet
Scientists and nutritionists may never identify an optimum human diet. When it comes to the human body and its interaction with the world, we face unknown unknowns; we don’t know the scope of our ignorance and we’re constantly discovering greater…
2015-01-08
How to Create New Year Resolutions
Resolving to exercise more this year? Here’s how to make resolutions for lasting change. If only we could bottle up January 1’s motivation and take swigs throughout the year. Motivation, for it’s inconsistency, is an unreliable ally in our quest…
2014-12-18
The First 20 Minutes Might be the Only 20 Minutes You’ll Need
You’ll look and feel naturally fit; you’ll be neither a hulking giant nor a sickly waif. It’s simple but infinitely variable. It can be done at any age. It doesn’t require equipment. It can be done in groups or alone…
2014-12-09
How To Dominate The Holidays
The holiday season is here, and for many of us, that means we’ll spend a week or more skipping breakfast, snacking all day, eating big dinners, and staying up late drinking. We’re not our best selves under these conditions. At…
2014-11-18
A Workout For The Rest of Us: Power 20 Beginners Workout
Most exercise apps and fitness programs are made for the already healthy. They don’t consider the impact of old sports injuries, bad knees, or chronic pain. It’s with these people in mind that I created the Power 20 Beginners Workout…
2014-10-22
Exercise Before Exams: Get Better Scores
Exercise before exams works. A brief, vigorous workout before an exam can meaningfully improve test scores because memory, creativity and alertness improve measurably right after exercise. It’s well-known fact that staying fit through exercise is good for our brains. Regular…
2014-10-07
Meditation & Exercise May Reduce Colds & Flu
In a remarkable study published in 2012 in the Annals of Family Medicine by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers found that both exercise and meditation can reduce the severity and frequency of colds and flu, reducing episodes of illness by…
2014-09-25
The Obesity Pandemic: Over 70 Years In The Making
Contrary to popular belief, the obesity epidemic has been slowly and steadily building for over 70 years. By looking at BMI changes since 1882, researchers discovered the pandemic’s roots stretch back to at least the 1950s, and likely much earlier.…
2014-09-02
This Is The Closest Thing To Scientific Consensus On What We Should Eat.
“Everything in moderation” is a common refrain among nutritionists, doctors, foodies and parents. They, along with most of America, believe excluding entire food groups is extreme. And there’s evidence to support this view because we can find positive attributes in…
2014-08-29
How to Lose Belly Fat
Beyonce’s body is celebrated for her curves, not her thinness. Some studies suggest a shoulder-to-waist ratio of 1.6 in men is most attractive to potential sexual partners. The Waist Is All That Matters. Focus on your waist size and good…
2014-08-13
Do You Even Know What Antioxidants Are, Bro?
Despite all the buzz around antioxidants, most of us don’t really know what they are, where they come from, or how they work. This is a problem because when we’re uninformed, we’re susceptible to scam products and, more seriously, we…
2014-08-12
We Looked Into The Protein Debate. We Wish We Hadn’t.
The world of nutritional science seems rife with contradictions and turnarounds: top minds in the field disagree about nutritional guidelines and basic facts, like whether milk is healthful or harmful. So we shouldn’t be surprised to see a debate raging…
2014-07-10
How to become a fashion minimalist
Clothing can be a source of stress, and since we at Power 20 are in the business of saving you time while reducing your stress and improving health, we’ve researched ways to simplify the daily struggle of figuring out what…
2014-07-10
For women: stylish living with just 20 articles of clothing
Save time and money while achieving an enviable look with fewer, high-quality clothes. Choosing outfits is a waste of time and a source of stress. Here’s the Power 20 life hack for saving time and reducing stress related to choosing…
2014-07-10
For Men: stylish living with just 20 articles of clothing
You can get a lot of mileage out of a few simple pieces of clothing. Simplifying your wardrobe is easy to do and will save you plenty of time and money. Decision making is like exercise: we can only do…
2014-06-30
Spend Time In The Sun
In most parts of the world it’s summer time again, so if there’s one very easy thing you can do to impact your mood and overall health, it’s get a little sun. Exposure to the sun helps reduce cancer, improves…
2014-06-30
How to Fall Back in Love
François-Edouard Picot: L’Amour et Psyché Do you want to fall in love again? Do you want to once again feel butterflies whenever you see your lover? Do you want to put passion back into your sex life? If yes, then…
2014-06-03
How to Exercise Through the Ages
The world of exercise and fitness is built around the assumption of periodic bursts of exercise rather than long-term fitness. That’s probably because there’s more money to be made (and marketing appeal) in short-term programs, rapid transformations and crash diets…
2014-05-28
The Secrets of Sugar – A CBC Documentary
Watch this video to see why the Power 20 Method is designed to wean us off sugar. In this video you’ll hear scientists describe Alzheimer’s as diabetes of the brain. Researchers find that sugar literally feeds cancer cells. And the…
2014-05-14
Live Better With Butter
Butter has been wrongfully implicated as a dangerous food capable of causing heart disease. As a result of decades of misguided public policy, millions of people have avoided this healthy food. The result? As butter consumption dropped, heart disease has…
2014-05-12
Tips on Knee Pain
The largest joint in our body, the knee is vulnerable to many injuries and ailments. Some knee injuries are sports induced, like torn ligaments, while others result from normal aging. It can be painful and annoying, but knee pain should…
2014-04-29
Fight Off Dementia and Alzheimer’s With Meditation
The ancient practice of meditation can fight modern problems of Alzheimer’s and dementia. When researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center trained patients with mild dementia to meditate, the patients showed “significantly improved functional connectivity in the default mode network…
2014-04-29
Exercise Can Heal Broken Bones
Exercise can help bones like the one above – the femur – get stronger after a break. Photo credit: australianmuseum.net.au If you’ve ever broken a limb, your instinct may be to avoid exercising or stressing that limb long after it…
2014-04-18
The Best Exercise in the World?
It’s probably the Burpee. The Burpee is an excellent full-body movement that engages large muscle groups, builds balance, strength, and endurance all at once. It can be used as a warm-up or the only move in a day’s exercise routine.…
2014-04-18
How to Power Nap At Work
Mid-day naps can improve cognitive performance, speed reflexes and improve heart health. Unfortunately, only one in three people considers themselves a napper. We love napping at Power 20 and the Power 20 Method asks you to get adequate sleep, so…
2014-03-19
What we’re doing here at Power 20
Here at Power 20 we’re working to build the best-in-class apps for every genre of content-based exercise apps. We’re constantly improving on our simple formula for guiding people through workouts. We deliver the best possible workout given the medium…
2014-03-13
Jerks Die Sooner, Suffer More Heart Attacks
Pol Pot, leader of the genocidal Khmer Rouge and prominent jerk, died of a heart attack. Scientists have long sought to understand the link between personality and longevity. These studies are difficult to conduct, but thus far, evidence suggests that…
2014-03-11
Water is Overrated
It’s heresy in the world of sports to belittle water, especially when we know the terrible impact of sugary sports drinks, sodas, and juices that try to replace it. But the fact remains that the prescribed 8 glasses a day…
2014-03-11
Exercise Relieves Constipation
Exercise regularly for smooth sailing in the bathroom. The promise of more regular and comfortable bowel movements is a wonderfully potent addition to the already-long list of reasons to exercise. Exercise, along with a high-fiber diet and regular fluid intake,…
2014-03-03
How to Think Your Way to Better Health
Just about any exercise – even ping pong – can enhance health if you believe it does. To get the most out of your diet and exercise plan, you have to first believe in its efficacy and in your ability…
2014-02-27
How To Live Longer
In 2009 a medical team won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for solving part of the mystery of human mortality. They discovered that telomeres, which are part of our DNA and which shorten as we age, can actually…
2013-12-14
You Don’t Need To Stretch Before Doing Power 20
When you do Power 20 workouts, you’ll notice that there’s no stretching before, after, or during the workout. When you start doing Power 20 workouts, just get right into it. The first few movements are designed to warm you up, so there’s…
