Track careers might be ephemeral, but the lessons learned therein are eternal.
Access and Opportunity: The Cornerstones of Equity
“Keeping kids physically, mentally, culturally, socially, and intellectually fit during their school years, and beyond, is paramount,” says Schindel. “The best way to achieve this is to develop healthy, well-rounded children who are prepared for success in and out of the classroom, instill in them a love and passion for movement, and then provide them with fun opportunities to develop this passion.”
Currently, The Armory offers no-cost CityTrack, Little Feet, and Tiny Feet after-school exercise programming for elementary and middle school kids (Great Minds is a program that teaches fifth graders who participate in Little Feet how to build and code robots). There’s also Armory College Prep Middle School and Armory College Prep, an after-school summer initiative for high school students, which places 100 percent of those enrolled into four-year schools.
This partnership will help underscore The Armory and Nike’s ongoing commitment to uniting local and global communities and servicing underserved demographics—bringing sport to BIPOC communities and girls, in particular—all through the unifying power of movement.
Interested in getting involved? The Armory has opportunities to become a coach for CityTrack & Little Feet; you can seek volunteer opportunities at local NYC running events through New York Road Runners and Girls on the Run; and, of course, inquire in your own community about ways to make an impact.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
This article is an installment of the Men’s Journal Everyday Warriorseries, which features advice, key interviews, and tips for living a life of consistent impact, continuous growth, and continual learning.
Success means different things to different people. For some, it may be achieving financial stability or career advancement, while for others, it may be finding happiness and fulfillment. Regardless of your definition, the cost is often high. Author Brian Tracy said, “The price of success must be paid in full, in advance.” We recently wrote about the three things it takes to succeed: planning, preparation, and execution. Now, we explore the cost of success and ways to pay in full while staying healthy.
Time
Time is our most valuable commodity. How we use it is a significant factor in determining our level of success. Nearly all successful people sacrifice their time by working long hours, taking on additional responsibilities, and even living to work. Vince Lombardi once said, “The price of success is hard work, dedication… and determination.” While true, we must also have enough discipline to set boundaries, prioritize responsibilities by the level of importance, and ask ourselves whether our actions are a good return on investment. This may mean delegating tasks, saying no to additional commitments, and setting limits. There’s no way around working hard if you want to succeed; then again, earning it is part of what makes success feel so great. Still, you can be dedicated while continuing to care for yourself. Self-care prevents burnout, helps you maintain balance, and gets you that much closer to achieving your goals.
Social
Another cost of success is the toll it can take on our social connections and relationships. Highly driven people can sometimes hyper-focus on their goals, leaving less time for socializing and maintaining friendships. This can lead to isolation and loneliness, causing people to lose touch with loved ones. Maintaining and strengthening relationships is key, which may mean setting aside dedicated time for socializing, staying in touch with loved ones, and being open and honest about the demands of your career or personal goals. It may also be helpful to seek support from friends and family if you feel overwhelmed or isolated.
Mental and Physical
The mental toll of striving for success can be significant. When the pressure to perform and achieve becomes overwhelming, it can lead to anxiety, stress, and depression. In addition, constant demands can take a physical toll when people neglect their health to pursue their goals. This may be skipping meals, cutting sleep, or engaging in unhealthy habits like smoking or excessive caffeine consumption. To minimize the mental and physical impacts of success, we must prioritize our well-being. This may involve setting aside time for relaxation and hobbies, regular exercise, a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep. It’s also important to proactively schedule routine doctor appointments and seek help from a mental health professional if you’re struggling.
Early Adjustments
While success can bring a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, it’s imperative to recognize that it can also come at a cost. Be mindful of how pursuing success may impact your time, social connections, and overall well-being. Take steps to mitigate these costs whenever possible. Also, defining success and developing achievable goals can keep you motivated and prevent the disappointment of striving for unrealistic or unfulfilling goals. Making a few early adjustments can increase your chances of achieving success in a healthy and fulfilling way.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
Got a race coming up? Trying to boost your performance? Pro tip: Layer up before you hit the treadmill or bike for your next training session. Turns out heat training really can benefit endurance athletes, according to research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
In the study, Norwegian scientists monitored the cycling performance of young, fit men who biked five days a week, averaging 50 minutes each time. The cyclists wore heat suits consisting of a wool base layer, wool hat, nylon jacket and pants, and a down jacket.
At the end of five weeks, athletes saw a 2.6 percent increase in their hemoglobin mass (the amount of red blood cells), indicating a significant boost in performance since red blood cells are used to transport oxygen from the lungs to the muscles.
Heat training isn’t new: Pro athletes frequently train in heat chambers or travel to hot countries to give their red blood cell count a boost. But for those who can’t afford high-tech rooms and international tickets, layering up appears to have the same benefit (the scientists also had a group train in a heat chamber with similar hemoglobin benefits). Want to give heat training a try? Hit the gym as if you’re going skiing:
Base layer (try Smart Wool Intraknit Thermal Merino Base Layer Crew, $125; smartwool.com)
You’re familiar with whey, pea, and soy, but potato protein? It might not be just a fad. A new study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise finds that consuming protein extracted from potatoes has the same benefits for helping your body rebound after a workout as consuming milk protein—long believed to be the go-to source for post-exercise recovery.
Plant proteins are typically considered less useful in recovery because they’re harder to digest and are incomplete in their amino acids compared to animal protein, but potatoes, it turns out, have all the essential amino acids that milk does.
In the study, Dutch biologists asked a group of fit guys to consume a beverage made with 30 grams of either potato or milk protein powder after resistance training. The result? Muscle protein synthesis (a.k.a. recovery) was enhanced equally for both groups, says study co-author Luc J.C. van Loo.
But since whole potatoes contain a measly 1.5 percent protein based on their weight, potato protein powder (protein extract from the “juice” of the potato) is definitely the way to go.
A newcomer to the fitness supplements market, potato protein is expected to reach $115 billion in sales by 2030, according to some estimates. For now, though, look for it in your local health food store.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
The best ab workouts aren’t just for those seeking chiseled physiques. Anyone looking to improve their core strength can utilize compound movements to maximize gains. Learning how to engage your core is crucial for protecting the spine during everyday movements, as well as while engaged in physical activity.
We’ve highlighted 50 abs exercises that you can mix and match to create an endless array of core workouts, including suggested reps and sets.
Lie on your back with legs straight and arms extend out at your sides.
Lift your heels about 6 inches off the floor and rapidly kick your feet up and down in a quick, scissor-like motion.
8. Getups
How to do it
From a sitting position, raise your right hand in the air and stand using (at most) your left hand. If you have sufficient core strength, get up without the use of your arms.
Do the prescribed number of reps on one side and switch sides.
Work to the point where you get up without the use of your arms.
Stand with feet shoulder width apart, perpendicular to the anchor point, and arms extended, far enough away from the machine so there’s tension on the cable.
Twist away from the machine as if you were chopping into a tree.
Get into pushup position with your toes on the stability ball.
Bend your hips and roll the ball toward you so your torso becomes vertical.
Roll back so your body is straight again and extend your spine, then roll the ball up your legs so your body forms a straight line with arms extended overhead but hands still on the floor. You should look like Superman flying downward. That’s one rep.
Pull with your lats to return to the pushup position and begin the next rep.
Keeping your torso tall and shoulders back, lean back until core engages, making sure your lower back doesn’t slump.
Bend elbows at 90 degrees, and lift left knee toward ceiling, allowing left hand to come up and right hand to go back, like a runner, to start.
Switch arm and leg positions back and forth continuously and fast, as if sprinting.
Perform 40-sec. reps.
30. Half Kneeling Chop
How to do it
Get into the bottom of a lunge position with your left leg forward and reach up over your left shoulder to grasp the resistance band.
Pull it diagonally downward across your body to the outside of your right hip.
31. Boat Pose
How to do it
From a sitting position, extend your arms out, palms facing each other.
Extend and lift both legs.
If keeping your legs straight is too tough at first, bend at the knees, with the insides of your feet touching to do half boat.
Keep your arms extended on either side of your legs.
Use your abs to keep your back straight.
Stay in this position for five deep breaths, roughly 10 seconds.
32. Oblique Mountain Climbers
How to do it
Start in pushup position, with the balls of your feet on the ground.
Alternate driving your knees toward the opposite arm, twisting your body to that side, for 30 seconds.
Keep your hips down for the entire motion.
33. Hanging Windshield Wiper
How to do it
While hanging from a bar, pull your toes toward the bar.
Keeping control with your obliques and toes together, rotate your legs side to side.
If this is too challenging at first, you can do a hanging leg lift.
34. Banded Reverse Crunch
How to do it
Attach a light resistance band to a pole at shin height.
Sit on the floor facing the anchor, knees bent, the free end of the band across thighs.
Scooch back until the band is taut, then lie back and grasp a heavy kettlebell behind your head to anchor the upper body.
Draw belly in, lift lower back off the floor, and roll hips and knees toward shoulders, then reverse.
35. Waiter’s Walk
How to do it
Grab a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand and hold it either overhead or with your elbow bent so it’s near your face.
Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down and fire your glutes as you walk.
Keep your wrists straight, as if you were waiting tables and holding a tray.
Walk 10 yards out and 10 yards back.
Switch hands and repeat.
36. T Pushup
How to do it
Start in pushup position, arms straight, with hands on light dumbbells (or start without weights, as shown).
Lower yourself and as you push back up, lift your left arm and rotate to the left until your left arm is straight up and your right side faces the floor.
Your body should look like a “T” on its side.
Return to starting position and repeat on the other side.
37. Bird Dog Crunch
How to do it
Kneel on all fours.
Reach one arm as far as possible forward and the opposite foot as far as possible behind.
Bring your elbow and knee together to crunch, drawing in the abs.
38. One-Arm Farmer’s Carry
How to do it
Carrying just one dumbbell forces the abs to work overtime to keep you stabilized.
While carrying a dumbbell in one hand, walk 10 yards out and 10 yards back. Don’t hunch over.
Keep your shoulder blades pulled down and back, and fire your glutes as you walk.
Switch hands and repeat.
39. Burpee
How to do it
This is a full-body move that’s an underrated abs exercise.
From a standing position, squat, place your hands on the ground, and “jump” your feet out into a pushup position.
Perform a pushup, then jump your feet to your hands.
Explosively jump as high as you can, throwing your hands over your head.
40. Swiss Ball Plate Crunch
How to do it
Lie supine on a Swiss ball with your torso arched over the ball.
Touch your shoulders, back, and glutes to the ball so your abs are stretched.
Hold a weight plate over your head.
Roll your hips and chest up, crunching from the top of your torso.
Lower your hips and chest to the starting position.
41. Medicine Ball Rotational Throw
How to do it
Stand facing a wall with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball in both hands.
Rotate your shoulders, hips, and torso away from the wall, taking the ball behind your hip.
Turn your hip back to the wall and rotate the rest of your body, throwing the ball to the wall.
Switch sides.
42. Medicine Ball Slam
How to do it
With knees slightly bent, raise the medicine ball with two hands overhead with arms extended.
Rise on the balls of your feet and bend at the waist to slam the ball to the ground.
43. Corkscrew
How to do it
Lie on your back, arms along sides, legs straight at a 45-degree angle to floor to start.
Inhale, bring legs toward torso and roll spine off mat into a hover position—hips are off the ground and tipped back, feet are overhead.
Exhale, press through hands and tilt legs to left as you roll down the spine through the center at a 45-degree angle.
Tilt legs to right and roll back up to hover to complete a circle.
44. Cable Crunch
How to do it
Attach a rope to a high pulley.
Kneel in front of it, grabbing the rope handles on either side of your neck.
Contract your abs to bring your elbows to your thighs.
Pause briefly and return to starting position.
45. Side Plank Row
How to do it
Start in a right forearm-down side plank, feet stacked, left hand holding a resistance band anchored in front of body.
Pull left elbow back, then release for one rep.
Do all reps on the left side, then switch sides.
46. Single-leg Oblique Dip
How to do it
Stand on left leg with right leg bent at 90 degrees, foot flexed, holding a heavy dumbbell in left hand.
Don’t rush: Keep obliques and glutes engaged as you dip toward the left.
47. Plyo Plank Shuffle
How to do it
Start in a high plank, hands under shoulders, toes on a BOSU.
Keeping your upper body still, and arms and legs straight, step left foot to the side, a foot away from the BOSU, then return foot to the ball.
Repeat on the right side for 1 rep.
For a challenge, move legs in unison.
Start with the left leg a foot away from the BOSU, then engage hips and push off with both feet, so the left foot lands on the ball and right foot on the floor.
Hold a high plank with a kettlebell just outside your left hand.
Reach under your torso to grab the kettlebell with your right hand and “sweep” or drag the KB back and forth with a full range of motion.
Keep your core tight, glutes engaged, and hips level.
Your obliques should power this exercise.
Perform 60-sec. reps.
Tips for Maximizing Your Abs Workouts
Whether you’re a pro athlete or just want to get ripped abs—a comprehensive core workout should comprise three planes of motion: frontal, sagittal, and transverse to hit your rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, and transversus abdominis.
An endless number of total-body exercises light up your core muscles, but targeted ab workouts can really make a difference in strengthening your core from every angle. And doing core exercises in a circuit keeps the intensity high and will likely lead to more fat loss.
But we need to acknowledge a hard truth: Not all six-packs are created equal. Some guys need to work their belly to exhaustion before they can carve out abs, while other dudes seem to get a six-pack to pop without a single sit-up or side plank. Yes, genetics play a significant role here, too.
Your meals are also crucial. The visibility of your six-pack “really comes down to the amount of body fat that covers them,” says strength coach Lee Boyce. “This will mainly be affected by diet, though proper core training is still beneficial for the health and function of your abdominal region.”
Once you’ve cleaned up your diet, be patient with progress, and stay consistent. Of course, ab exercises aren’t just hitting your upper abs, rectus abdominis, and deep core muscles. Some of these exercises also hit the upper body, lower body, or total body to help prevent injury by bolstering muscles like erector spinae (muscles along the spine) and hip flexors.
Here’s a little New Year’s trivia before jumping into our next part. Who do scholars credit with being the first to adopt the tradition of making annual resolutions?
A.) Romans B.) Babylonians C.) Assyrians
If you said the Romans, you are…wrong. The correct answer is the Babylonians, an ancient culture that existed in Mesopotamia from 1894 BC to 539 BC. The tradition dates back four millennia to Akitu, a 12-day festival in mid-March celebrating the spring barley harvest.
Let’s get back to helping you make good on your 2023 New Year’s resolution. After setting, defining, and writing down your short- and long-term goals, it’s time to move on to the third and fourth steps.
3. Prepare
Many confuse planning and preparation, some even use the terms interchangeably, but they’re far from the same. While you can plan on baking an excellent apple pie, if you don’t buy the right ingredients, preheat the oven, and follow the recipe, you’ll fail. Let’s use our weight-loss goal as an example. Preparation may mean getting what you need to cook healthy meals, buying running shoes, and joining a gym. No matter how much you plan, you must start preparing at some point. Together, planning and preparation will get you ready for the final step.
4. Execute
Our new book, The Everyday Warrior, lays out a practical framework for overcoming obstacles and achieving your goals. This brings us to the final step of following through on your New Year’s resolution. In the military, we describe this step as having a bias for action. In the book, we say, “Get shit done, make shit happen, and do it all again tomorrow.” These are just different ways of saying that after you’ve planned and prepared, it’s time to execute.
In a continuing effort to bring sport to everybody, Nike has announced an initiative that will reach athletes where they are. Starting December 30, 2022, Nike Training Club (NTC) content will be arriving on Netflix where it’ll be available to 223 million worldwide subscribers. It also means that if you’re planning on getting in better shape in 2023, you can start two days early.
Made “for everybody and every body,” there will be more than 90 NTC workouts requiring little or no equipment. These workouts will meet the needs of every level of fitness with a range of workout types, times, and intensities. Among the available workout categories will be yoga, strength, and high-intensity interval training. Providing guidance and motivation in these workouts will be a dozen of Nike’s world-class trainers, including Kirsty Godso and Betina Gozo.
Each NTC training program has multiple episodes. In total, there will be more than 30 hours of sessions released on Netflix in two parts. Five training programs will be available at the end of December, while additional programs will arrive throughout 2023. Netflix subscribers will be able to access curated programs or select workouts by type or duration. In addition, the NTC content will be available in 10 languages.
The new Nike content will give you an opportunity to be more active with your fitness goals. To find the NTC workouts, all you need to do is search “Nike” on Netflix.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
Dry January has become increasingly popular in recent years, but we’ll be the first ones to say it: There’s nothing quite like sipping on some good whiskey after a long day or enjoying a glass of red to enhance the deliciousness of dinner. Even so, that evening beverage—and the subsequent false feeling that everything’s suddenly a little easier to handle—can easily snowball into multiple drinks or drinking every day of the week. Even if you stay under two drinks per night (that’s considered “moderate” drinking for men), the effects of alcohol can add up night after night.
The problem: “Alcohol is a neurocognitive depressant, meaning it depresses the central nervous system. Over time, it can negatively impact nearly every system in the body,” says Abe Malkin, M.D., family medicine physician and medical advisor at Monument, a digital alcohol treatment platform.
Fortunately, the human body has an amazing ability to heal.
“The benefits of sobriety can become apparent in just a few weeks,” Malkin says, “like during a sobriety challenge.”
Taking a 30-day break from alcohol, such as during Dry January (or any time of year), can create a host of benefits, including better sleep, a more stable mood, less brain fog, and an improved immune response. Perhaps most notably, studies show it can improve your relationship with alcohol if and when you decide to imbibe again. Research even shows staying off the sauce for 30 days can actually make you feel more satisfied with life and more motivated and confident in your own abilities.
If you’re toying with the idea of going booze-free for a bit, it’s smart to commit to a challenge that has defined rules and expectations: A 2017 study in the European Journal of Public Health found that people who committed to Dry January were more successful at staying sober for the 30 days and had reduced problematic drinking six months later compared to people who set a more general goal to drink less.
“Popular sobriety challenges like Dry January provide an extra level of peer accountability and help normalize alcohol-free living as a proud choice,” Malkin adds.
And it doesn’t mean you have to give up booze forever: Dry January is a great way to develop a more mindful relationship with the joy juice moving forward.
When tallied up, the benefits of abstaining from alcohol for 30 days make a compelling case for giving it a try. Here are all the upsides you could see by taking a break from booze during Dry January (or anytime this year).
Dry January: 10 Benefits of Taking a 30-Day Break From Alcohol
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
We hate sounding like your mother. But there’s a reason we always repeat training tips and rules, like wrapping your hands—including your thumb!—around the bench press bar, or making sure your feet are pointing straight ahead.
Actually, there are a few reasons. Safety is one. But as with most fitness rules, doing things the right way pays dividends in the short term (less chance of injury) and the long term (improved muscle growth). Pay close attention to the rules and training tips below, and you can avoid making critical mistakes in the gym.
7 Training Tips Every Lifter Should Know
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
Winter is a pivotal season. It’s often a turning point for those who’ve been dragging their feet about making healthier choices, like moving more and eating healthier. That’s why, each year, U.S. News & World Report evaluates the most popular diets, and ranks them by category. The folks create a sort of hierarchy of meal plans, delineating which are best for overall health and body-fat maintenance, which are best suited for quick weight loss, and more.
For 2022, the Mediterranean diet reigned supreme (as it has for many years), ranking no.1 in the best diets overall. If you’re trying to lose weight and optimize your health, check out the top nutrition plans—including what each entails—below.
Best Diets Overall
Mediterranean Diet The goal: Melt fat and avoid chronic diseases, like cancer and diabetes. Pros: You can enjoy poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt in moderation; eat sweets and red meat on special occasions; and have red wine with your fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and seafood. There’s a plethora of research backing up this diet. Cons: You have to be accountable for figuring out calorie consumption to lose or maintain your weight, as well as your workouts.
DASH Diet The goal: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan does what its name suggests: helps lower high blood pressure and encourages weight loss. Pros: It’s straightforward. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy; eat less red meat, salt, and high-calorie sweets. Plus, The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers free guides. Cons: You might not lose as much weight as you would on other plans because it’s more catered to improving your health (not necessarily a bad thing).
Flexitarian Diet The goal: Cut fat and live longer with optimal health. Pros: It’s said “flexitarians” (flexible vegetarians) weigh 15 percent less than meat-eaters, live nearly 4 years longer, and can dodge heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Cons: If you’re hell-bent on eating beef, this might be difficult to adhere to. You’ll also be cooking a lot of your own meals.
Best Weight-Loss Diets
Flexitarian Diet
Volumetrics Diet The goal: Drop 1-2 pounds per week. Pros: Created by a Penn State University nutrition professor, Volumetrics is more of an approach to healthy eating than a regimented diet. You’ll learn to identify and prioritize low-density foods, which are low in calories but high in volume (think: broth) to help you stay full. It’s also affordable, since you’re not purchasing a book, program, or special ingredients. You won’t feel hungry or starved either. Cons: This might be easier to stray from because you have more freedom.
Weight Watchers Diet The goal: Lose 2 pounds a week. Pros: The meal plan’s flexible; you have access to a support group; and there aren’t hard limits on what you can and can’t eat. You’ll simply opt for the most nutritionally dense foods that keep you fuller longer. (i.e. your meals will be lower in calories, saturated fat, and sugar, and higher in protein.) Cons: It can get a bit pricey, and tallying your meal points is a pain.
Best Fast Weight-Loss Diets
Atkins Diet The goal: The diet has four phases. You cut carbs, then eat progressively more until you hit your desired weight. Low-carb diets force your body to burn fat as an alternative source of fuel. Pros: Protein and fat take longer than carbs to digest, so you’ll stay full on the diet. You’ll see weight loss fairly quickly (even if it’s initially due to water loss). Cons: It’s difficult to maintain in the long run. People struggle with getting variety in meals and eating out is difficult.
Health Management Resources (HMR) The goal: Drop 1 to 2 pounds per week for an average of 23 pounds over the first 12 weeks; keeping the weight off is a main priority. Pros: The crux of this diet is meal replacement, which is said to help people cut 3x as much weight compared to traditional diets. You’ll have low-calorie shakes, meals, nutrition bars, multigrain hot cereal, and fruits and vegetables in place of other meals and snacks. You’ll also receive food for the first 3 weeks to drop weight as quickly as possible; then, you’ll transition to the second phase where the diet is less structured and you’ll receive food monthly, as well as weekly telephone coaching sessions. Cons: The first phase can be difficult to adhere to. It’s a tad expensive, especially if you’re not used to buying fruits and vegetables in bulk. The initial 3-week HMR starter kit costs $301 and the 2-week reorder kit costs $185.
OPTAVIA: The goal: Like most weight-loss diets, OPTAVIA relies on a low-carb, low-calorie approach to cut weight quickly with most of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber coming from fortified, pre-made meal replacements, coined “fuelings.” This calorie restriction diet also centers around six “Habits of Health Transformational System”: weight, eating and hydration, motion, sleep, mind, and surroundings. Pros: This is a variation of the Medifast diet. The “fuelings” meals have an identical macronutrient profile, only they’re void of artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. You’ll eat four to five prepackaged meals, then cook your own low-carb meal, prioritizing fatty fish twice a week. You’ll be matched with a coach who can provide support, too. Cons: You may feel hungry on the diet and won’t get the full micronutrients you’d receive from a whole-food diet.
Keto Diet The goal: Quickly lose weight by causing your body to burn fat versus carbs, entering a state of ketosis. Pros: You’ll eventually have fewer craving and boost mood and energy, though it’s a tough transition at first. Cons: You can experience headaches, fatigue, and mental fogginess during the first few weeks. This is difficult to sustain over a long period of time, too. It’s better for quick weight loss.
Easiest Diets to Follow
Mediterranean Diet
Flexitarian Diet
MIND Diet The goal: The MIND marries the DASH and Mediterranean diets and focuses on foods that support brain health. It’s believed consuming leafy greens (7 1-cup servings weekly), nuts (snack most days), and berries (5 half-cup servings weekly) may lower a person’s risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s. The pros: It’s nutritionally robust with no need to count calories, plus the fiber-rich foods keep you full. The plan also has plenty of recipes to follow. The cons: Not a ton of guidance.
