How Many Calories Does Extra Muscle Burn? (Translated: How Much Extra Food Can I Eat?)
Article Round-Up: 6.18.23
Enjoy this week’s curated round-up of articles, podcasts, and more from the web to help you live a better, healthier life.
Featured Thoughts - Public Speaking
Takeaway: From author Sahil Bloom—These nine strategies will work wonders for your public speaking:
Study the Best: Use YouTube to study speakers you admire.
Create Clear Structure: Be deliberate about the storytelling arc.
Build Your Lego Blocks: Relentlessly practice the opening, transitions, and key lines, but avoid rote memorization.
Address the Spotlight: Ask "So what?" about your worst fears and stop suffering in imagination.
Get Into Character: Turn on your ideal character prior to the start.
Eliminate Stress: Use the "physiological sigh" to eliminate stress.
Cut the Tension: Find a way to cut the tension early with a joke or self-deprecating remark to get the audience on your side.
Play the Lava Game: Use big, confident gestures and avoid touching your pockets or torso.
Move Purposefully: Slow, methodical, purposeful steps.
A few interesting things about public speaking:
The majority of people rate the fear of public speaking as worse than the fear of death. (Let that sink in.)
As a result of this fear, the vast majority of people are really bad at the skill of public speaking.
The good news: Because most people are bad at it, the bar is set pretty low for standing out as a good speaker. If you want to set yourself apart from your peers, learning to get good a public speaking is the easiest route to more confidence, better work performance, and a more robust social life.
I dedicated a lot of time early in my career to improving my speaking skills. I took the typical courses on public speaking, but I also looked at more unusual examples too. I studied things like stand-up comedians and professional wrestling promos. I talked to people who work with news reporters and press who gave me powerful nuggets of advice. I am in front of dozens of people each week having conversations that give me the opportunity to practice speaking and thinking on my feet.
And that work over all these years helps set me apart. Put me next to 99.9% of other fitness coaches and you’ll notice the difference.
Most importantly, however, is that this skill helps me be a better overall communicator, and that helps my clients get better results. I can attest to unknowingly using many of Bloom’s tips above, so I know it works.
I can also attest to how it could improve your life to embrace this skill for yourself.
“Two Red Flags of Every Scam Artist” [Podcast]
Takeaway: Podcaster Jordan Harbinger interviews Frank Abagnale, whom, if you don’t recognize the name, is the real life individual who impersonated pilots, doctors, lawyers, and professors, and who was the inspiration for the movie, Catch Me If You Can.
Abagnale was believed to have scammed his way to fortunes. Surprisingly, his greatest scam might have been… that he made it all up. Many of his stories and shenanigans are being called into question as being, at best, over-exaggerated, and at worst, outright false.
Perhaps that’s the sign of a truly masterful scam artist: To scam everyone—including Hollywood—into believing he was the cream of the crop of scam artists.
Nevertheless, Abagnale shares this about scam artists:
“Every scam, no matter how sophisticated or how amateur it is, there are two red flags. At some point, sometime, I'm going to ask you for money and I'm gonna tell you I need it immediately.”
Building a believable sense of urgency to extract money from you before you can question what’s happening is a cornerstone of every successful scam. Something to keep in mind. This is also the benefit of my Life Rule #18: If someone is rushing you to make a decision, the answer should be no.
“How Many Additional Calories Does Each Pound Of Muscle Burn?”
Takeaway: This article talks about the idea that gaining muscle helps burn a lot of extra calories. However, the actual number is much lower than what is often claimed—only about 6 calories per pound of muscle. Adding 10 extra pounds of muscle only yields 60 extra calories burned at rest per day, not enough to give free reign to our diet choices.
Some good news: Gaining muscle also affects how many calories you burn when you're active. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn during physical activities. In the end, gaining muscle can increase your total calorie burning by around 9-10 calories per pound per day, which is less than what many people think but still beneficial.
“5 Reasons Why It’s Important To Keep A Workout Schedule”
Takeaway: If you want better results, create a better schedule. Having a workout schedule is crucial for consistent exercise and achieving your fitness goals. It provides structure, accountability, and prevents boredom. A schedule improves overall health, time management, and productivity.