Krista Stryker – founder of 12 minute athlete

Krista Stryker is the founder of 12 Minute Athlete, a website providing free, incredibly effective high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts and awesome fitness motivation for athletes of all levels. Check out her just released fitness program, Fitter Faster Stronger, and get in the best shape of your life today.

Good things to read.

The $100 Startup by Chris Guillibeau. I’ve read a lot of business books, but this one had an incredible impact on me. Chris is an amazing writer, and his story and the stories of the business owners in the book are incredibly inspiring. It was this book actually that was the catalyst to me starting 12 Minute Athlete—I read it in one day, then the next day had the idea, bought the URL, and got started on my business. I’d highly recommend it to any wannabe entrepreneur or solopreneur!

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon: This book made me smile and want to create really awesome things all the time. It’s a quick read, and I reread it every once in a while to get a boost of inspiration.

The 4-Hour Body: This book is a goldmine of crazy experiments, recipes, and exercises to help you do whatever you’re looking to do with your body, whether it’s to lose weight fast, reduce body fat percentage, or work out as efficiently as possible for the least amount of time you can. I originally bought the Kindle version of this book, but went ahead and got the hardcover after I’d read it because I loved it so much.

Good things to watch.

Gary Vaynerchuck’s Ted Talk. “Hustle is the most important word ever.” In this Ted Talk, which is probably one of my favorites of all time, Gary will motivate you like only he can to get off your butt and go hustle. The first time I saw it, I watched it twice in a row, it was that good. Now I try and watch it at least once a month to remind myself to hustle.

Mobility WOD: Anyone who works out a lot knows it can take a toll on your body. Mobility WOD is packed with short, informative videos on how to prevent injuries, resolve aches and pains, and optimize athletic performance. It’s awesome. Watch it.

Dead Poet’s Society: This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I saw it for the first time in my eighth grade English class and have watched it at least once a year since. I even got a tattoo inspired by the movie’s theme: Carpe Diem (seize the day).

Good things to use.

Nike Fuel band. I wear my Nike Fuel band pretty much every minute of the day that I’m not sleeping. It’s an awesome tool to let you know how active you’ve been for the day. Also, I’m pretty proud that my fuel score is on average over twice the normal Nike Fuel user!

Gymboss timer. Since I pretty much only do HIIT (high intensity interval training), I need some sort of interval timer to keep time during my workouts. Although there are plenty of free interval timer websites and apps you can use, I like the Gymboss timer because it’s durable (I’ve dropped it on concrete countless times and it’s still in tact). Plus it has a clip so you can jump rope or sprint to your heart’s content and it’ll stay put.

Jump rope: I bring a jump rope pretty much everywhere with me. It’s the absolute easiest way to get in an awesome HIIT workout no matter how little space you have, if it’s raining outside, if you don’t have a gym to go to, etc. Plus it’s way more fun to use than running on a treadmill for hours.

Connect with Krista on Twitter, @12minuteathlete.

Audio Helkuik – the always busy, always awesome artist

These are Audio Helkuik’s good things.

Good things to read.

The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau: I’m the designer for a small startup clothing brand, so I find this book incredibly inspiring. It’s full of stories about people who have found success at starting businesses they love with small initial budgets.

Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain: Reading this book was the first step I took in believing that my introverted nature was not a weakness.

Fruits by Shoichi Aoki: This is a great photobook featuring Japanese street fashion. The outfits showcased in this book feature a lot of my design aesthetics: layered looks, over-the-top accessorizing, and heavy-handed themes within an outfit. His follow-up photobook is called Fresh Fruits, which I also adore.

Good things to watch.

My So-Called Life: A short-lived TV series from the 90’s. I first watched the series on TV when I was probably too young for it, but I just loved all the very different, but relatable characters and the introspective nature of the show. It’s a teen show, but I loved it when I was a child, a teen, and now when I’m adult-ish.

Harold & Maude: Who doesn’t love a quirky love story? BONUS: This movie’s entire soundtrack was written by Cat Stevens.

 “Babes” music video by Icky Blossoms: So proud to know so many of the folks involved on the production team for this video. Even without having any personal ties to this video, it is so good. With a design/production schedule as packed as mine, I don’t have much time/patience for YouTube videos, but I make sure I sit down and watch this one every once in awhile.

Good things to use.

Composition notebooks: I have a digital drawing pad, lots of illustration/design software, and piles of expensive sketchbooks, but I still just use a composition notebook. I prefer ones with the classic black & white marble cover. I always keep one for sketching illustration or design ideas and one just as an ongoing personal notebook kind of like a journal. Once I fill one up, I put it on my shelf and start a new one. I’ve been using these for years.

Tea tree oil: I just love this stuff. It’s an all natural antiseptic. If you create different dilutions, you can use for so many purposes: skin cleanser, hair/scalp spritz, house cleaner, air freshener, mouthwash, etc.

Beansmith coffee: I’m still kind of new to the coffee drinking world because I am pretty sensitive to caffeine, but this company is why I skipped right to the world of GOOD coffee. While I was initially drawn to them because of their good design and packaging, I soon realized that they truly have superb coffee. I found out they are a local roasting company in my city (Omaha) so I’ve become a pretty big fan of their company. I’m always drawn to people and companies that are crazy passionate about what they do, and the Beansmith guys are really really really into coffee.