Articles and Essays

Catch up on my latest articles and essays on faith, fitness, and fortitude.

5 Common Weight Training Mistakes You Might Be Making | Tom Nikkola

5 Common Weight Training Mistakes You Might Be Making

Weight training has a way of mimicking life, which is why the lessons learned in VIGOR Training are as practical outside the gym as they are inside it. And just like life, the shortcuts or easy options rarely produce long-lasting results. The following are the five most common mistakes people … Keep reading…

Health Benefits of Fish Oil Tom Nikkola

Do You Take Fish Oil? If Not, You’re Missing Out!

Though most people know fish oil is an important supplement to use each day, surprisingly, few people take it consistently. I’ve even been surprised by how few of my nutrition coaching clients use it regularly when we connect for our first session. It is often advertised for its heart health benefits, but … Keep reading…

Best Muscle Building Supplements List Tom Nikkola

The Best Muscle-Building Supplements

Amidst all the supplements that are just marketing hype, are there some that actually help you build muscle? What is the best muscle-building, strength-supporting supplement? The supplement industry is filled with bunk products, empty promises, and companies hoping to find the next sucker looking for a shortcut. Inevitably, those products get … Keep reading…

What You Need To Know About Adrenal Fatigue Tom Nikkola

The Truth About Adrenal Fatigue

Worn out. Unmotivated. Achy. So tired. Depressed. These are just some of the words people use to describe adrenal fatigue. Others are wired, anxious, and overstimulated. The most frustrating part is that those with adrenal fatigue are often ambitious, driven, and hard-working. Yet, exhaustion makes it difficult to function. Don’t … Keep reading…

6 Fatitudes You Need to Fix If You Want To Get Fit

6 Fatitudes You Need To Fix If You Want To Get Fit

A fatitude is a belief or attitude that keeps you fat and unhealthy. In today’s other-blaming victimhood culture, many people point their fingers at others for their personal and professional problems, including their health. They cling to beliefs that harm, not help. I call these beliefs “fatitutdes.” Even if you … Keep reading…

VIGOR Commitment 1 | The Cornerstone of Long-Lasting Health and Fitness | Tom Nikkola

The Most Important Factor in Long-Lasting Health and Fitness

This could be the most important health and fitness article you read this year. It’s also one of those articles that everyone (including me) needs to read and reread, but most skip over. They think they “know it” already, or they believe the content doesn’t apply to them. Your willingness … Keep reading…

Beauty in Her Badassness | Tom Nikkola

Beauty in Her Badassness

No matter her shape, size, age, or position, there is something beautiful about a woman who unleashes her honest and authentic self to the world. To be clear, I always find my wife, Vanessa, to be beautiful. But just as cookie dough ice cream has different layers of deliciousness, there’s … Keep reading…

Why We Need to Stop Bastardizing Struggle | Tom Nikkola

Why We Need to Stop Bastardizing Struggle

I’m going to Baader-Meinhof you: “STRUGGLE.” The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon occurs when you become aware of something, and then start to notice it everywhere around you. Like Cole in The Sixth Sense who saw “dead people,” I see struggle. If you don’t see it already, you’re about to see struggle too. I don’t … Keep reading…

Uncivil War - Why We Are Better At Condemnation than Conversation | Tom Nikkola

Uncivil Wars: Why We’re Better at Condemnation than Conversation

Finger-pointing. Helplessness. Hissy-fits. Name-calling. And unicorns. We can’t forget the unicorns. No, I’m not talking about toddlers, adolescents, or teenagers. I’m referring to the attitudes and behaviors of too many “adults” across America. Is it just me, or does it seem almost impossible to have a constructive conversation about a controversial … Keep reading…