Welcome to the first edition of Sunday Reads on Refocuser.  In an effort to both engage with my readers and have a complete archive of awesome stuff I’ve been reading, I’m going to start filtering the web for things that are most applicable to Refocuser subscribers.  This way you get the most out of subscribing to this blog and email newsletter.

These updates will consist mostly of links to other sites with minimal commentary, and will vary in length and depth.  They should be easily consumable… and should be fun.  Here we go.

Reading is Fundamental

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Founder of Facebook, believes in the power of reading books.  He says, “I’ve found reading books very intellectually fulfilling. Books allow you to fully explore a topic and immerse yourself in a deeper way than most media today. I’m looking forward to shifting more of my media diet towards reading books.”  I agree 100% and have joined his book club to follow along.

More on reading books: Reading in the Age of Amazon is a great profile of the people I work with every single day at Amazon and our mission to empower the world to read more every day.  In short, reading is good for you and, of course, Kindle is the best way to do it.

On Fitness, Nutrition, and Sleep

“Optimized meat products higher in omega-3″ reduce body fat more than “optimized” products lower in overall fat. This implies that if we’re going to be eating meat, we should seek out the grass-fed variety. (via Mark Sisson)

Teenagers aren’t getting nearly enough sleep – and neither are the rest of us.  “Insufficient sleep during childhood and adolescence is associated with poorer academic performance, physical difficulties (such as weight gain), emotional difficulties, trouble with social relationships, and a slew of other problems.”

Kettlebell swings have a “What the Hell” effect and can improve almost all aspects of your fitness.  Every week I see people doing swings completely incorrectly – they squat instead of hinge, they swing heavy bells overhead, or their bodies look like wet noodles instead of solid boards at the lockout.  If you want to get stronger and leaner, nothing beats moving weight through space.

Gretchen Reynolds (@gretchenreynold) has a great write-up on how “exercise changes the shape and functioning of our genes, an important stop on the way to improved health and fitness.”  It’s an overview of epigenetics which is about how genes express themselves based on environmental or lifestyle factors.  Bottom line: you can improve the overall quality of your life just through a little exercise (surprise!).

Christopher McDougall (@mcdougallchris) of Born to Run fame has a new book coming out in April called Natural Born Heroes and it looks fantastic.  I’m a sucker for books on unleashing the human potential and learning new things.  This article series had me at the first paragraph, “The Ancient Greeks believed anyone could unlock superhuman potential by mastering the three pillars of heroism: skill, strength, and compassion. And they were right.”

Very interesting article on Outside Online on a “top-secret food that will change the way you eat.”  The claims are massive: “More protein than beef. More omegas than salmon. Tons of calcium, antioxidants, and vitamin B.”  It’s not clear how well they’re delivering, but I’m definitely intrigued, especially because they’ve avoided gluten and phytoestrogenic soy (yuck)… and they claim it tastes pretty good.

Proper Goal-Setting

An older article on the “Goal-Gradient Effect” and how the closer a goal is perceived to be, the faster and harder a person works for it.  The implications of this at home and at work are huge.  This one deserves a longer write-up at some point soon.

Long-form Reads

I finished two books this week that I’d highly recommend to anyone interested in the stuff covered on Refocuser:

• The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work
• Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind

You can always follow me on Goodreads to see what I’m reading.

Random Musings

This is the coolest thing I didn’t get for Christmas and now want, though $642 for a toy car is a bit steep.

Time Capsule

Some of my favorites from the Refocuser archives, especially given the start of the new year:

• How the Psychology of Time Can Help You Focus
• Precommitment: Commit in Advance to Keep Yourself On Track

If you’re not already subscribed to Refocuser updates, research shows you’ll be a much happier person just by reading more inspiring stuff.  Subscribe now.