What is pop music? The definition of pop music is deliberately flexible. It accommodates the fact that the specific music identified as pop is continually changing. At any particular point in time, it may be most straightforward to identify pop music as that which is successful on the pop music charts.

For the past 50 years, the most successful musical styles on the pop charts have continually changed and evolved. However, there are some consistent patterns in what we know as pop music. It is tempting to confuse pop music with popular music. The New Grove Dictionary Of Music and Musicians, the musicologist’s ultimate reference resource, identifies popular music as the music since industrialization in the 1800’s that is most in line with the tastes and interests of the urban middle class.

A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ― Leopold Stokowski

This would include a vast range of music from vaudeville and minstrel shows to heavy metal. Pop music, as a phrase with the shortened first word, has primarily come into usage to describe the music that evolved out of the rock and roll revolution of the mid-1950s and continues on a definable path today. (Source: thoughtco.com)

This post could also be called “Goals For The Rest Of The Year”, but honestly I don’t want to make these goals into a big, dramatic production. Whenever I do that, I end up putting too much pressure on myself and have a hard time following through with what I want to accomplish.

It’s all good for the beginning of the year, but these aren’t so much “goals” as they are lifestyle changes that I’m wanting to make for the long haul. So, with that in mind, this is kind of a letter to myself that I can look back on throughout these next few months while I work on some self-improvement.

Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I did a bit of soul-searching during my blog break. One of the reasons I took a break in the first place was because I was feeling really unhappy and kind of stuck in a lot of areas in my life. The time off allowed me to reflect on where I was, and it occurred to me that I was not spending near enough time and effort on my relationship with Christ. (Source: agirlobsessedblog.com)

Spartans were notorious for living a simple, frugal, minimalist lifestyle. They ate only what they needed, kept their bodies fit, did not spend money wastefully. A minimalist lifestyle is much more rewarding than the standard consumer lifestyle. To live a minimalist lifestyle you get by on the least amount possible and don’t concern yourself with over-indulgence. That’s gluttony.

It’s quite easy to live like a Spartan. All you need to do is get rid of the junk, the clutter. Go through your belongings and sell or give away anything you don’t absolutely need. Start small at first, but once you get rid of the junk it can feel quite liberating and you may want to have that feeling again. Great! Do it.

Music is everybody’s business. It’s only the publishers who think people own it ― John Lennon

Take a look at your finances and see where you are spending money thoughtlessly and cut back on it. If you’re spending $40 a month on haircuts invest a few bucks on some clippers and cut your own hair. If you’re eating out all the time start actually buying groceries and making your own food. Restaurant food is garbage and will make you fat, quitting it is win-win. (Source: boldanddetermined.com)

At Ancient + Brave our lifestyle philosophy is based on what we know of our ancestral ways, that is validated by scientific research and what is pragmatic and accessible to people living modern lifestyles.

As omnivores, we are the most adaptable species in the world and have always thrived on foods in their natural environments. There are societies living long and healthy lives on mostly meat-based diets and others on largely vegetarian diets – it comes down to what is indigenous to a local environment and an instinctive feel for what balance feels right for you.

We believe it is important to lose the concept of diet and dogma.

We must learn to heed our internal cues, understand our needs, and select the lifestyle protocols, exercise and foods that derive benefits for mind and body. We don’t need to be on ‘special diets’ or adhere to a specific workout protocol; our understanding of our needs must be well-informed, well-intentioned and implicitly understood. (Source: ancientandbrave.earth)

Don’t confuse starter with remedial. While this program is tailored to fit true beginners—those with little to no previous training experience—nearly anyone can benefit from putting the parameters of this program to use in the gym. That’s why we don’t call it a “Beginner’s Guide.” It’s a Starter’s Guide because it allows anyone — novice and advanced lifters alike — to simply start anew. You might not find any complex rep schemes or extreme techniques, but the key tactics we discuss here will definitely present challenges no matter where you’re coming from.

Trink’s program includes three different training days that focus on basic movement patterns. “You’ll tackle each one of the three workouts once per week for a total of six weeks,” Trink says. Despite your enthusiasm or energy levels, resist the urge to enhance this schedule. Training more frequently than this can actually have adverse effects.

Design your life so that the hours you spend outside of the gym don’t screw up your results.

A tough concept for many guys to grasp is that change happens at home, long after your last set. You’re not actually growing muscle during the workout; you’re breaking it down. This makes rest a crucial component of change. A general recommendation for beginners is to train every other day (or three times per week), with the Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule being a classic example. Whatever schedule you choose, just make sure to leave at least one day between workouts. This allows your muscles, joints, and nervous system to better recuperate for the next workout. (Source: muscleandfitness.com)