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If you’re tired of shelling out $6 for a fancy latte every morning, it’s time to invest in a home coffee machine. We’ve scoured the web and tried out our own fair share of coffee machines to bring you the 10 best home coffee machines.

Ice baths, cryotherapy, and cold showers. I’m sure you’ve heard or done at least one before and here I’ll share the science behind using these cold therapies and why you should or should not add them to your routines.  The biggest thing to consider when you're looking at adding cold therapy into your routine is what type of athlete you are. I’ve categorized the article by the following athlete types: Strength/Power Based Athletes Combat and Multi-day Event Athletes Endurance Athletes General Fitness Athletes Non-Athletes This is a very general categorization, although I feel it was specific enough to allow everyone to put themselves into a category. There are really only 4 types of cold therapy available to the general public. I’ve listed them below in order of lowest to highest intensity: Cooling Devices for Palms Cold Showers Cryotherapy Cold Plunges/ Ice Baths There aren’t many different types of cold therapy, but they do vary in degrees - literally and figuratively. Studies have shown that you’ll get benefits from cold water as high as 59 degrees for as little as 30 seconds so you don’t have to start by jumping into a frozen lake. Even for experienced individuals maximum benefits can be reached in a short period of time. A cold plunge of around 44 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes can give maximum benefits to even the most experienced cold exposure experts.  A cooling glove that circulates cold water has recently been developed for research in increasing strength and endurance in athletes and has also shown to improve the lives of patients with multiple sclerosis. The glove simply circulates cold water through tubes in the palm of the glove. The palms lay flat in the glove and cool capillaries in the fingers and palms which then circulate cooled blood back to your core and immediately show an increase in overall muscular endurance and strength. This is by far the least intense form of cold therapy on the list, but also the most difficult to access because it’s not publicly available. Cold showers are next in line as an intro for anyone looking to experience some benefits without totally freezing their tail off. This is the most accessible form of cold therapy for everyone. Whenever you have access to a shower you can simply ignore the hot water handle and you’ll be getting some awesome superficial benefits. The longer you stay in the water and the colder it is the bigger your benefits will be. Cryotherapy is third on our list and comes in a few different varieties from standing outside in frigid temperatures to full body exposure cryo facilities that can cost up to $75 per visit. Cryotherapy typically uses cold air that can feel as low as -200 degrees Fahrenheit! The benefits of cryo are great, although the air can’t penetrate as deeply as cold plunging before damaging skin. Cryo facilities typically cap exposure at 3 minutes maximum. Finally my favorite, but the most difficult and intense experience, the cold plunge/ice bath. The cold plunge varies from putting single parts of your body to fully plunging your entire body into frigid waters. The plunge reaches much deeper tissues due to the duration of exposure and increases when you plunge from the neck down. Ice baths can get as cold as 33 degrees and companies that have developed cold tubes that circulate water typically cap their lowest temperatures around 44 degrees. Benefits to Athletes and Non-Athletes For anyone training or generally working out the idea is to train harder and recover faster, but finding out how to maximize recovery is an individual challenge. There are a number of factors that influence recovery speed outside the scope of this article, but we’re focusing on cold therapy specifically. My consensus is that cold exposure can help everyone regardless of what they may or may not be training for. Cold therapy ranges from simply adding 10 seconds of cold water at the end of a hot shower to full immersion cold-plunges. The difference is the duration, penetration, and purpose of each therapy.  Let’s look at general benefits and then I’ll move into athlete specific recommendations. Cold therapy is all about resiliency - we’re strengthening the body and the mind at the same time. If you don’t like the cold and you subject yourself to the cold you’re getting mentally and physically tougher. For everyone alike, any type of cold exposure can have the following benefits: Tightening and clearing up skin Reducing inflammation Increasing circulation Increasing alertness Increasing thermogenesis  Spiking dopamine and other neurotransmitters and protective proteins Improving sleep quality This all comes down to burning more fat, sleeping better, and being happier overall simply from taking a cold shower or ice bath. Now for some athlete specific recommendations: Strength/Power Based Athletes This category includes athletes primarily in the type II muscle fiber category such as bodybuilders, powerlifters, sprinters, and strongman competitors. In short, type II athletes who rely on strength and peak power output may not benefit from continuous cold therapy due to the reduction of inflammation around muscle tissues that would actually help repair muscle and aid in muscle growth. If you’re an athlete trying to maximize recovery in this category it’s recommended that you have an active recovery protocol and utilize heat therapy instead. Although as stated above, there are still significant benefits for every type of athlete that aren't recovery related. Another thing to note is that a competitive bodybuilder will have to take into account the significant caloric expenditure when doing a cold plunge and adapt his or her diet for the days in which he or she does a plunge. Finally, athletes of all types should allow the body to recover naturally for a short period and should not rely on any type of cold therapy immediately after a workout to reduce pain or inflammation.  Injured, Combat, and Multi-day Event Athletes Cold therapy is amazing for injury and also creates cold shock proteins and increases glutathione (an antioxidant) that protect muscle. Athletes fighting structural or connective tissue injuries can benefit greatly from cold and also maintain more muscle mass in areas that are affected and cannot be trained, limiting muscle atrophy. This means that athletes who compete in multi-day events like decathletes, and even fighters can see huge increases in recovery and muscle maintenance after fights, intense training weeks, and of course injury. Athletes that are competing in multi-day events that are higher intensity events should limit ice and cold therapy during training to maximize muscle growth, and multi-day endurance based athletes have seen benefits in as much as a daily cold plunge. Endurance Athletes  Endurance athletes, especially those who are keto and need to adapt to burning more fat, benefit the most from cold therapy in terms of sport specific recovery. Some research has shown a larger increase in mitochondria in endurance athletes using cold therapy in contrast with those not using cold therapy of any type. The boost in mitochondria is thought to help increase overall endurance and atp production. General Fitness Athletes Your body should recover immediately after a workout on its own so wait for a while after training if you do use cold, but general fitness athletes see all the same benefits in reduced inflammation and increased mood and sleep. There’s no downside to being mentally tougher either. Non-Athletes For anyone who isn’t working out on a regular basis or training for an event, you get the benefits listed in the intro of this article. You’re getting the boosted resilience and immunity and the cold exposure can even help fight off symptoms of depression and anxiety. Short ice baths and cold showers in the evening have been shown to improve sleep quality as well. I would definitely recommend experimenting with different types of cold therapy to see if you enjoy the feelings you get after warming back up.  No matter what you do you should try out some cold exposure and become more of a beast in your day to day life. Keep Battling! Devin    https://news.stanford.edu/2017/12/27/cooling-glove-helps-athletes-patients/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3766664/

Have you ever heard the term “smart drugs?” If so, you may have already done some research into nootropics to see how they can change your life. If not, let me introduce you!  Nootropics, a.k.a. “smart drugs,” are a wide variety of different substances that can improve memory, focus, brain function, and even athletic performance. The best nootropics occur naturally in our bodies and diets, although most of us don’t have a diet rich enough in the right foods to get the most benefit from these compounds. Luckily, we have the opportunity to supplement our diet with an array of nootropics in the form of pills, powders, and liquid additives that can completely change your ability to perform. I’m a huge proponent of these smart drugs, and benefit greatly from supplementing additional nootropic drugs into my diet every day.  In this article I want to introduce what nootropics are, the ones I take on a daily basis, and how you can couple these same nootropics with your foods to maximize mental clarity and getting sh*t done - i.e. productivity. What exactly are Nootropics? By definition, nootropic is a compound that increases mental functions including memory, motivation, concentration, attention, energy levels, happiness, and even overall physical performance. Some of these compounds exist already in the brain like phosphatidylserine, some come from our diet like caffeine, and some are synthetic like Piracetam. Everything from the caffeine molecules in coffee, to pharmaceuticals like Adderall are considered nootropics as they have an effect on neurotransmitters in the brain and subsequently how the brain functions.  There are dozens of nootropics available both over the counter and with a prescription, but in this article I’m only going to introduce 5 non-prescription nootropics that I take on a daily basis to increase focus, memory, and even athletic performance. 5 Common Nootropics I Use Daily L-Theanine L-Theanine is an amino acid that has structural similarity to glutamine and both neurotransmitters that are produced from it (GABA and glutamate). Benefits include reduced anxiety and stress as well as an increased ability to relax. If taken close to sleep times, this effect likely also leads to an increase in sleep quality. My main use for L-Theanine is as an antagonist to caffeine where it can reduce high blood pressure and jitters from high doses of caffeine. The combo of caffeine and L-theanine reportedly promotes focus and cognition. Phosphatidylserine Phosphatidylserine, or PS, is one of the most significant phospholipids in the brain, a compound similar to a dietary fat that comprises and protects certain types of brain tissue. It is vital for cognitive function, and although the body synthesizes it, supplementation in older individuals seems to improve memory and cognitive capacity. Alpha-GPC Alpha-GPC (Alpha-glycerophosphocholine is a choline-containing supplement that appears to be pharmacologically active at higher doses and it appears to have cognitive-enhancing properties and attenuate the rate of cognitive decline in the elderly. Alpha-GPC at high doses (1,200 mg) appears in studies to be effective in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. In terms of athletic performance, alpha-GPC has been shown to increase growth hormone production and enhance power output.  Caffeine (Coffee) Found in or synthesized primarily from coffee, Caffeine is a powerful stimulant, and it can be used to improve physical strength and endurance. Habitual caffeine use is also shown to reduce risk of Alzheimer's, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Caffeine provides increased energy through a sense of wakefulness by competing with adenosine in the brain, the molecule that tells your brain you’re tired.   Creatine One of the most heavily researched supplements in the world, Creatine is a molecule that's produced in the body from amino acids and carries a phosphate group that can be added to ADP to create ATP, or if you remember from high school biology, the body’s primary energy carrier. This increased ATP availability can increase muscular endurance and power output in anaerobic fitness as well as highly demanding mental activity. There is also some evidence that shows a possible correlation to increased testosterone through creatine supplementation, although there may be other factors that influenced increased testosterone in each of these studies. *Disclaimer* Always consult your physician before adding any supplements to your routine.  Where Can You Find Nootropics The nootropics I’ve listed above are all supplements I consume in powder form, but they can all come from natural sources. As a side note, I add all of these supplements to my morning coffee, just before I get to the grind of things like writing these articles! Creatine can be found in red meat and fish. L-Theanine is found in large amounts of tea. Phosphatidylserine in cow brains, pig spleen and chicken hearts. Alpha-GPC in red meat products and organ tissue. And of course, caffeine in coffee, tea, and cacao. Most of these are incredibly difficult to get from foods in doses concentrated enough to actually benefit cognition or performance, so I’ve built my primary supplement stack around these 5.   If you’re interested in trying any of the supplements in my list check out nvrrest.com for coffee, supplements, and more. Don't Want To Take Supplements?  If you’re not interested in supplementation then try to ensure a diet full of healthy fats, meats and fish, eggs, greens, and definitely coffee :) If you avoid breakfasts and lunches with heavy sugars you’ll have a clearer head regardless of supplementation. If you’re eating heavy breakfasts or lunches like sugary cereal you may experience huge dips in energy and motivation. This is due to the quick release of glucose that spikes insulin and makes you crash. Instead, eating breakfasts and lunches with complex carbohydrates will release glucose more slowly and allow your blood sugar to remain stable while providing you a more consistent stream of energy.  Proteins like eggs and bacon are on my top foods for breakfast, just make sure you stay light on the bacon due to it’s sodium content. Nuts, yogurts, and greens are also amazing breakfast, lunch, and snack foods. Now, one important thing to clarify is that your diet and meal timing has to be specific to you. Lunch and dinner refers more to the times of day you would want to be most productive. If you’re an endurance athlete and are looking to consume heavier portions of carbohydrates, you may want to put those meals toward the end of your day and front load the more protein and fat heavy meals to maximize both productivity and recovery for your body.  Diet varies significantly for all of us, but the general rules apply to most of the population - avoid processed foods, sugars, alcohol, and try your best to source foods that are sustainable and clean. Sources: https://examine.com/refer/devinl_11 https://examine.com/supplements/theanine/ https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/ https://examine.com/supplements/phosphatidylserine/ https://examine.com/supplements/caffeine/ https://examine.com/nutrition/creatine-testosterone/ https://examine.com/supplements/alpha-gpc/ https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropic-foods-the-effects-of-nutrients-on-brain-function/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4258547/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5021479/

You could be using coffee to lose weight, burn fat, and add lean muscle faster. Here's how!

These 5 drinks will give you a great caffeine kick, a little buzz, or even both all while keeping you cool in the summer heat! If you want a top notch coffee for all of them check out our recommended espresso or cold brew!   Coffee Palmer Cold brew and just a splash of lemonade. Don’t knock it till you try it – it’s basically a high-caf version of an Arnold Palmer! Fresh lemonade Cold Brew Espresso Martini Aren’t you fancy! One of my personal favorite vices… 1 fluid ounce brewed espresso (Relentless Cold Brew or Iced Espresso) 1 ½ fluid ounces vodka 1 ½ fluid ounces coffee-flavored liqueur 1 fluid ounce white crème de cacao   Cinnamon Vanilla Oat Milk Latte Infuse coffee and cinnamon into your own ice cubes and you’ve got something fabulous! Cold Brew/ Espresso Coffee-Cinnamon Ice Vanilla Oat Milk   Affogatos Affogatos are simple – take your favorite ice cream, usually vanilla, and pour a fresh hot double shot of espresso over a scoop or two! Espresso Ice Cream   Cold Brew Cold Brew Straight up – mix and match your favorite flavors, coffee ice cubes, or even make it awesome and throw in a shot of whiskey! Relentless Cold Brew – 18 hour brew Coffee Ice Whiskey…  

Reaping the Rewards of Habits The goal of forming Atomic Habits is to end up with better rewards and end up becoming more successful overall. The thing that makes this difficult for us as humans is that we’re animals by nature and we have an engrained need for instant gratification. We’ve been wired for 200,000 years to need to act quickly to survive and we’ve only recently had a long enough lifespan to think past our next meal. Once we accept that we’re animals we can acknowledge the emotions and feelings we have and learn to control them. In 2021, most of us no longer need to hunt for our next meal, weather long deadly storms, or worry about being eaten by wild beasts. Personally, I like the idea that we should embrace our nature as animals sometimes, but our goal is to become the best humans we can and it starts with hacking our need for instant gratification. Reward The final stage of the habit feedback loop is the reward and the 4th law of creating a good habit is to make the habit satisfying. Thinking back to immediate gratification most of our bad habits are immediately satisfying. Eating unhealthy foods, watching tv, sleeping in too long, or even dealing with our emotions poorly. In terms of our nature this was to conserve calories when we needed to worry about hunting and surviving in the wild. Calories were scarce and conserving them was important. Now, calories literally grow on trees and in fast food lanes everywhere. The best ways to make a good habit satisfying is to hack the immediate gratification system and trick yourself into accepting long term rewards. One of James Clear’s examples is how companies use satisfying flavors and smells in hygiene products to increase use and sales. We tend to appreciate the taste of toothpaste more than the task of brushing our teeth and we enjoy the fragrance of clean hair and skin more than the task of using soap. The idea is simple, use immediate gratification to trick yourself into long term success and the delayed gratification of a larger, harder to achieve goal. You can do this by using some or all of the following tactics: Reward good habits Punish bad habits Create accountability measures Track your habits – don’t break the chain and never miss twice Rewarding Good Habits I talked about the idea of creating simple rewards above in examples like toothpaste and soap, but what about creating immediate rewards for saving money or hitting the gym? These rewards have to be specific to you in every case, but also have to be rewards that don’t compromise your good habits (i.e. eating cookies to reward avoiding pizza is a bad idea). The best suggestion I have is to make your reward immediately tangible. One great example in the book was taking the money you would normally spend on something you don’t need or shouldn’t buy and immediately transferring it to a savings account. Seeing that number grow in your own account instead of seeing it leave is immediately incredibly satisfying. Rewarding a gym session monetarily could work the same way. Transfer $1 into a “fun fund” after every workout designed for taking a trip or buying something you’ve had your eye on for a while. Similarly, you can make a checklist and make the gym an item on that list that obviously only gets checked off if completed. The feeling of checking things off or moving items from a place they shouldn’t be to a place they should be is an easy and satisfying way to make any habit tangible. Punishing Bad Habits “What is rewarded is repeated and what is punished is avoided.” Add “immediately” to that statement and you have instant gratification. When we can’t avoid a bad habit by simply adding a good one we have to break the desire to perform the bad habit. Money is a great driver for every habit. Clear’s example was of Thomas Frank who scheduled a tweet for every morning right after his 6am alarm that would send Venmo information to his followers if he failed to cancel the tweet due to missing the alarm. When something causes us to lose money, we tend to avoid it like the plague. Similarly adding painful experiences like extra exercises, publicly admitting you performed the bad habit, or adding literal pain can help prevent bad habits. Keep it simple and find a few things that you hate doing, like losing money or burpees, and tie them to your bad habits. Create Accountability Measures Sometimes the things that hold us accountable are the things that push us further and faster than anything else - public shame and legal obligations are amazing motivators. There are several ways to stay accountable when working on your bigger habits. Two of the best are accountability partners and contracts. First, accountability partners. You can find people everywhere with similar goals, ask them to work with you to accomplish them, and then keep each other on track. Gym partners, wake up call partners, financial advisors, and business coaches are all great examples of these accountability partners. Whether you choose to find a friend or pay an expert, adding an accountability partner is paramount to your success. Second, contracts. These are so common these days with apps and websites that we tend to miss most of the ones we sign. Every time we agree to terms somewhere, we’ve signed a contract. The goal here is to consciously sign a contract with yourself, and possibly others, that you take just as seriously as a legal agreement. These contracts contain a goal, a consequence, and a partner. The goal should be specific: Go to the gym 5 days a week. The consequence should be specific: Every day the gym is missed I have to pay [Partner] $5. The structure of the contract is simple: Write the purpose of the contract at the top State your objective State the consequence(s) of not following through Add an accountability partner to report to on a regular basis Have your accountability partner sign the contract with you Use a Habit Tracker Track your habits. Grab a journal like the Best Self Journal or get a calendar and add your desired habits into the boxes next to each day. Every day you perform the habit check the box off. Be honest with yourself and don’t break the streak of days unless you absolutely have to, meaning don’t give up because you simply didn’t want to perform the habit. If you do miss a day (or more) then get back on track immediately. The rule is, “never miss twice!” If you miss the gym because you’re traveling for an entire day, hit the damn gym the very next day. It won’t be pretty, but it’s getting back in on the bad days that count more, especially after the chain of your habit streak is broken. The last thing to note is to track only the habits that matter. Don’t waste precious time on nuance. Comment below some of the habits you’re tracking, some of the habits you’re avoiding, and go Get Shit Done!