Fitness – Page 7 – Serenity Through Sweat

The Briefest of Moments

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. Today I want to talk about some of the origin story of Serenity through Sweat. This last run got me feeling the same way I did all those years ago, and then thinking about how far we’ve come.

Serenity through sweat was born as a tagline in November of 2010. It was part of my grieving process after the loss of some close friends.

I’m not sure where the inspiration for the tagline came from. Maybe I had been watching Firefly on Netflix, I’ve always been overly sweaty individual, and almost every activity that induces sweat has some sort of ability to change your mental state. Wherever it came from, I put it in writing twice in the weeks following that tragedy.

What I do know is there was something in my mental state that changed, enough for me to perceive it, analyze it, and for the concept to stick with me. “Serenity through sweat, if only for the briefest of moments”. Despite the grief, despite the loss and the depression, physical exertion past the point of sweat, was a mental and emotional oasis, even if it was a temporary destination.

I remember one of those first two workouts was going to play Ultimate frisbee at our Wednesday night league. We played on a set of soccer fields under the lights from 8-10 pm, out in the middle of nowhere. On cool enough nights (like this particular one in November) with a low level temperature inversion, all the sweat would evaporate and form a low fog over the fields.

On that particular night, full of grief, full of anger and denial, I remember thinking it was a field of dreams. This soccer field lighting up the darkness in the middle of nowhere, shrouded in a fog produced from sweat. I felt as though crossing the invisible barrier of the field somehow kept all the emotion on the other side, and I was free to run, to sweat, and to heal.

This memorial day run reminded me of those first visits to serenity. The anxiety of not knowing the future of my job, the stress of sheltering in place with two young children, the sleep debt continuing to accumulate with a newborn, fear over a potential health threat to my family that can’t be seen. All of these emotions have been brewing for weeks now, and my mental state was in need of alteration.

Being a particularly rainy and dreary day thanks to the tropical weather from Bertha was perfect. The outside picture matched my mental state, and the rain would help keep the temperature down and blanket some of the wind. Plus, there is something cleansing about rain, especially running in it.

As soon as El Duderino was snuggled down for his nap I made my getaway without waking him up and strapped on my running shoes. My sunglasses were splattered with rain droplets and fogged up before I even got out of the neighborhood, and my shoes were starting to squish with each step before the first mile, but none of it mattered. I had crossed that same imaginary barrier, and for the next fifty nine minutes and seven seconds, I was in an altered state.

While I don’t think it is a place you ever get to fully stay, I’m very grateful to be able to go back and visit often, if only for the briefest of moments.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

Speedy turns 8 weeks old and El Duderino doing his best Evil Knievel impression

The Importance of Play

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. Today I want to talk about the importance of play. For toddlers, for kids, for parents, for everyone, play is more important now than ever.

El Duderino isn’t really old enough to understand what’s going on in the world, but he is very smart and incredibly perceptive. Most kids pick up on social cues and read the room far better than adults and well beyond what they are given credit for. So when I’m feeling stressed by everything COVID-19 related, he might not understand the nuts and bolts of it, but he reacts to my emotional state.

At the end of the day all he really wants to do is play. Play takes on many different forms depending on the day or mood. The current play du jour is digging in the dirt with his work trucks. Each truck has a name and a job and then when they get dirty they go through the car wash (hose, sink, bath, etc).

The only limit is his imagination, and maybe the weather or daddy’s bladder bringing us inside. That imagination and creativity is the beauty of play. It’s a release from reality and whatever stresses are there, even if they are just picked up from his mother and me. It is mentally stimulating. It helps him grow and come up with new ideas.

I think it’s safe to say most adults struggle with play, especially in the current lack of social climate. How many adult activities leave room for creativity, improvisation, experimentation, and just room to play? Maintaining a balanced approach to overall wellbeing is one of the core tenets of this blog (and one of my top priorities), and play is a huge part of that.

That is one of the many reasons I miss Jiu Jitsu. Running, lifting, cycling, archery, mobility work, have all played a huge roll in my sanity from home over the past weeks. But each of them lack the dynamic playful environment that Jiu Jitsu offers.

Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu offer an incredible mix of physical stressors, mental stimulation, and a plethora of opportunities to be creative and innovative. In other words perfect, a perfect adult play environment. For my brother’s and sisters on the mats you don’t need any further explanation, but for those of you who haven’t ever tried it, I will try to explain as best as I can.

Grappling tends to present itself like human chess. You are always thinking multiple moves ahead (mental stimulation). Each of those moves or techniques requires complex and coordinated physical movement, often under pressure or resistance from your partner (physical stressors). And, there are an endless number of techniques that pair together in different orders, or varitions of those techniques that allow each practitioner to develop his or her own style or “game” (creativity and innovation).

In addition to physical stressors, mental stimulation, and opportunities for creativity and innovation, grappling requires extremely close physical contact. Often times claustrophobia inducing contact. And while this may be an acquired taste, after several weeks of lockdown I think we could all use some claustrophobia inducing contact, whether we are grapplers or not.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

As excited as I am for my local gym (OBJJ) to be opening tomorrow, I will not be in attendance just yet. Speedy hasn’t reached the two month mark yet, and his developing immune system trumps my need for play.

This week in SerenityThroughSweat, El Duderino plays in the mud, does his best salt bae impression baking bread, some interval running, and a sweaty sandbag session.

This Country’s Healthcare Problem

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. If the title is any indication, I might have bit of more than I can chew. Healthcare is a hot button issue, only made hotter by being an election year in the face of a global pandemic. Here’s my two cents, take it for what it is worth, ( but you should take it we are headed for a recession after all and every penny counts)

Finding uses for our quarantine Amazon habit

This country has a huge problem with healthcare. There I said it. But not the problem you think. This country has one of the most robust hospital networks in the world, some of the most talented practitioners, and some of the most innovative medical scientists. The overall cost and access point might be a bit askew but that’s not really the major problem either (although it does need addressing). So what is the problem?

All of these items just mentioned are “sick care” not Healthcare. The system currently in place is designed to help you get healthy from a point of injury or illness, rather than cultivate you as a healthy individual from the start. Taken in that context, America’s sick care although expensive is tremendous. But it doesn’t take a long look to realize our healthcare is in the trash. Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, sedentary lifestyles, and a plethora of highly processed garbage food options are there not for far too many of us.

If you’ve been a reader of the blog for any length of time, the message (although it is likely lost in my lengthy lecturing) is one of total well-being, and largely by taking steps that are within our reach. Diet, exercise, sleep, hydration, mental and emotional well-being, these are life skills that everyone has room for improvement in, and lead to this hazy concept of Serenity.

There is no time like the present to start the work on your own Healthcare. If extra time home and a global pandemic isn’t the kickstart you need, what is?

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

This week’s SerenityThroughSweat, STEM challenge with Amazon boxes and matchbox cars, some quality backyard time in the kiddie pool, some solo miles sans stroller, and I even went back to my roots for an old jump rope workout I did years ago.

Bad Mood Rising

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. As COVID-19 continues to direct our everyday lives, and quarantine and social distancing measures carry on, a lot of negative emotions that normally run in the background are bubbling up to the surface.

Just like the classic Creedence Clearwater Revival song, many of us may find a bad mood on the rise during these times. I think it’s important to recognize we are not our thoughts or emotions, but we are largely defined by our actions and choices.

Having negative thoughts, having a bad day, feeling angry, depressed, afraid, jealous, etc… Does not make you a bad person. Thoughts and emotions are natural parts of being human, and the “negative” feelings have their place. It is up to us to be mindful of these thoughts and feelings and choose to act on them with purpose.

We carry these negative emotions with us all the time. They are a natural and normal part of us. Most of the time they are a small fraction of the whole. Like an ounce and a half of yeast in six cups of flour. But with the right environmental stressors, that tiny amount of yeast can cause us to bubble over. But those emotions can also help us create something beautiful.

Many times over the course of this last week, I’ve found myself jealous of my wife. She went back to work as a teacher two weeks after giving birth, and is maintaining caring for our family with her new work schedule like a rockstar. I on the other hand, am still adapting to what my self identity looks like staying at home and not flying. I know this emotion is based on my own uncertainty and insecurities. It is a constant battle to be self aware enough to remind myself that this is a natural, (even if uncomfortable) feeling, and that my outward demeanor as a husband and father is my choice.

I think any of us at home with kids, particularly toddlers, are finding new limits to our patience. El Duderino, at two years old doesn’t understand why we can’t go to the playground, or the library, or to see his friends at daycare. And those frustrations, along with the normal two year old toddler temper tantrums, are enough to test anyone’s mood. It’s my job as his father to maintain composure despite the uncertainty, and throughout the temper tantrums, to foster a nurturing environment.

Now more than ever, Serenity Through Sweat, is a vital part of my mental health regimen. Especially for grapplers, who are normally used to relieving stress by consensual choking, finding alternative and positive physical outlets is crucial. Those negative thoughts and feelings can control us, they can define us, or they can fuel us. The choice is ours, and the path to serenity is long.

Thanks for joining me and stay sweaty my friends.

This week’s Serenity Through Sweat, my second go around and homemade bread, (the first batch didn’t have yeast) some stroller run miles with El Duderino, and throwing some arrows down range in the backyard happy place.

Running Through the Rage

All alliteration aside, thanks for joining me for another edition of the Serenity Through Sweat blog. I think all of us have trouble adapting to new situations, and the new routines brought on by COVID-19 are no exception. This resistance to change alone is enough to bring out the worst in us, add some bad news to the mix and it is a recipe for disaster.

This was the situation I found myself in this afternoon. I was feeling sorry for myself and my new role at home. I was frustrated by the reversal of rolls, where normally I’m the one working and my wife is the one taking care of our son while I’m gone. I was envious of my Rockstar wife who is rolling with the punches and solving problems at her job remotely while 38 weeks pregnant. I had just put my son down for his nap and opened up my email to find some work related rage induction.

Without going on to detail, and without throwing out any technical jargon, let’s just say someone didn’t live up to the intended spirit of an agreement. On top of my self pity, this new development sent me into full blown rage.

Fortunately, I’m no stranger to rage. I spent a large portion of my youth in the state, both knowingly and unknowingly. And, as you might guess, the best medicine for me is sweat. Thankfully El Duderino had gone down for his nap without a fight, and I was able to strap on my running shoes.

Rage, can be a huge motivator. It can also be a curse. The key is how it is managed. I like to think of it like NO² going in to a car. It can make your car go faster, or it can blow the piston rods out of the cylinder. But Serenity, can always be in the driver’s seat.

I was out the door, fueled by rage, but managed by Serenity. The NO² was in the tank, but the driver was listening to Beethoven and sipping a latte. I ran a PR 10k, and was able to maintain cadence and stride form throughout.

Serenity Through Sweat consistently provides me a positive outlet for my rage. The mindset that the circumstances of our life that enrage us can fuel the fire to build a better tomorrow, is a great way for all of us to look at this crisis.

Thanks for joining me and stay sweaty my friends.

“Keep in mind that a mans just as good as his word.
It takes twice as long to build bridges you burn.
And there is hurt you can cause time alone cannot heal.
Keep your nose on the grind stone and out of the pills.” Tyler Childers Nose on the Grindstone

Facilitate the Exchange

I attended the Florida Institute of Technology for the better part of a decade. I graduated early with a BS in Aviation Management with Flight, and then continued part time eventually finishing my Masters in Airport Management and Development. The primary purpose of my higher education was always to place myself in the cockpit, but because both degrees are management relayed, I took a lot of business courses.

I have never been terribly excited by business and especially by business classes, but I always appreciate an opportunity to learn. A large portion of that material has been filed away or lost due to disuse, but one thing my marketing professor said always stuck with me.

I don’t remember a whole lot about that class, and I dont even remember his name, but I remember him telling us that marketing is just facilitating the exchange of goods between the seller and the buyer. That phrase and that concept was something that I have used and referred to in multiple different contexts ever since then.

In the marketing sense, facilitating the exchange is about bring buyers of goods and sellers of good together, whether they were looking for each other initially or not. Outside of marketing I use it in many different ways but it is mostly about making things easier or convenient. If there are other people involved, remove the roadblocks to the desired outcome.

In a fitness context I use this idea to remove all my excuses to train. I plan out my week and hold myself accountable. If I need to wake up early, I’ll set my alarm, lay out my gear, and do any prep work I can the night before. With social distancing now in full effect I’ve removed myself from the BJJ gym, but running, cycling, kettlebells, sandbags, and the Monkii system are all tools at my disposal. If I’m in dad mode all day I’ll run with the stroller or do push-ups with El Duderino on my back. The point is I do what I can to facilitate my fitness

In a personal context, facilitating the exchange can not only help you achieve the outcome you want, but make it a win-win for everyone involved. When talking to your children or your partner instead of saying “do you need any help?” you can say “how can I help you?”. The subtle difference facilitates the main idea (you helping), and directs them down a pathway to make sure that help comes in a way that is needed. If you are asking for someone’s help, do the homework first. Understand your question and what it is you really need before asking someone else to solve your problem. Make it easier for them to provide their assistance

As we continue this period of uncertainty around Covid-19, remove the roadblocks to spending time with your loved ones in person if it is safe to do so, or digitally otherwise. Facilitate time for your well being, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Facilitate communication especially on difficult topics, health, finance, politics, with your spouse, neighbors, employers as needed. Facilitate the way to a better you, regardless of the chaos and craziness of the outside world

Thanks for joining me and stay sweaty my friends.

Today’s Serenity through Sweat, 5 miles in the mid day Florida sun.

Stockpiling

Welcome to 2020, where the American people have become hoarders of toilet paper. As a husband of a pregnant wife, there is plenty to be concerned about the current events, and as a long time resident of Florida, I’m no stranger to the histeria that leads to stockpiling supplies. That being said, there is one thing I’m always stockpiling, and it is a huge asset to have in your backup plan.

I’m talking about fitness, overall wellbeing, and of course serenity. Obviously any fitness and/or wellbeing pursuit is valuable in and of itself. It also caries its own sort of insurance against future uncertainty. Whatever happens, or doesn’t happen, you will be in a better place to deal with it from a place of fitness, general wellbeing, and serenity.

This is even more important when there is a known or forecast period of uncertainty ahead. Who knows where this virus will end up, public places especially ones where multiple people are sweating and touching communal surfaces might end up being shut down temporarily. Will you be any worse off if you “stockpile your fitness”.

As a father expecting a new child soon, I know my sleep and my free time will be limited. Extra training now will help carry me into that period of uncertainty and leave me better off to return to regular training after what will inevitably be a period of reduced fitness load (although caring for a newborn is a full time routine of its own).

Mental and emotional wellbeing should be treated the same way. Know you have a stressful project coming up at work, or some other challenging life event on the horizon? Just like trying to build momentum before climbing a hill on your bike, building a positive mental and emotional foundation can help carry you through times of uncertainty.

So stop stashing supplies and switch to stockpiling strength, stamina, swagger, sweat, and serenity. All alliteration aside, when a sinister storm suddenly sneaks up, you’ll be all set. Next to the rice, beans, toilet paper, and beer, don’t forget to leave room for all the serenity and sweat.

Thanks for joining me and stay sweaty my friends.

Today’s Serenity through Sweat, chasing “stinky dirty” the garbage truck on a stroller run to the playground with El Duderino. Some simple and sinister kettlebells during his nap, and some mobility work in the bottom of the squat position while he is potty training.

Peaceful Vs. Harmless

Thanks for joining me here at the SerenityThroughSweat blog, this is the third of a three post series that all kind of ties together. The previous posts (Finding Calm in the Chaos, and Fostering Comfort) are available here, and set the stage for today’s post.

To summarize, finding calm in the chaos is a mental skill of being able to relax within ourselves when things start going crazy. The only way to do that is to actively put ourselves in uncomfortable situations and develop a level of comfort there. In today’s post we will talk about testing those theories so they can be managed and improved.

Most of us probably have a friend, family member, or co-worker, who we can describe as calm. But what does that mean, and how does it help us on our way to serenity? The following quote from Stefan Grant got me thinking about our calm and comfort discussion, “you cannot truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of great violence, if you aren’t capable of violence, you aren’t peaceful you’re harmless, important distinction”

As a martial artist and a lifelong grappler, this speaks volumes to me, and it is a paradigm that I believe most martial artists have, often times without realizing it. When practicing any technique that has the potential to harm a training partner or an opponent, a certain level of restraint and personal mastery is required. Those that lack this restraint are generally weeded out entirely or exist only on the fringes. This is the heart of the case for being peaceful instead of harmless. Skilled practitioners who are able to continue training without hurting their partners/opponents, are capable of violence, but are also capable of harnessing that violence into a peaceful practice.

I believe the same mindset applies to calm and comfort. If you haven’t fostered your comfort or calm from a place of discomfort, you aren’t comfortable, you are complacent. Only by fostering a sense of comfort through times of discomfort, whether naturally occurring or manufactured, can we truly be comfortable. Just like a man can only be brave when he is afraid, he can only be comfortable and calm when amidst chaos. This is the measure by which we can test ourselves.

I think it is a fair assumption to say that calm, comfortable, and peaceful are all desirable qualities. So in turn, managed and risk assessed, violence, chaos, and discomfort, should be embraced as learning tools and opportunities. I should point out this IS NOT me advocating for violence or chaos in a classical sense. But, it is possible to describe lifting weights in a controlled but violent manner. You can have a training roll or wrestling match that is chaotic. You can have large portions of workouts that are both physically and mentally uncomfortable. All of these can also describe family or professional situations. How many times could you have described your work day as chaotic? These words (violence, chaos, discomfort) are merely descriptors, and can take on different connotations based on contextual intentions.

The path to Serenity through Sweat is paved with uncomfortable, chaotic, and violent scenarios. And navigating that path requires us to find our calm, foster our comfort and maintain a peaceful practice. Luckily for us, the path is long and the opportunities are many.

Thanks for joining me and stay sweaty my friends.

Today’s Serenity through Sweat, 10 miles on the Buffalo Bayou trail and then some mobility work for the #14daymobility challenge.

Fostering Comfort

Thanks for joining me for the second of a three part post. The previous post (Finding Calm in the Chaos) talks about the mental space required to push through when we start feeling overwhelmed, this post will talk a little about how we can build that skill.

There is a line in the first chapter of the first book of game of thrones where Ned Stark lays down some serious wisdom to his young son Bran. Bran is about to watch his first execution “bran thought about it, ‘Can a man still be brave if he is afraid?’. ‘That is the only time he can be brave’ his father told him.”

The lesson here is something that transcends literature and the father son dynamic. The true accomplishment worthy of recognition, is the overcoming of the obstacle, being brave when you are afraid. Being brave absent of fear is uneducated bravado, but overcoming fear in spite of the knowledge and understanding of it, is worthy of praise. The same can be said for fostering comfort in uncomfortable situations. It is only an accomplishment to cultivate a sense of comfort in an otherwise uncomfortable situation.

One of the things that I appreciate having wrestled and grappled for the majority of my life is the plethora of opportunity to foster comfort in uncomfortable situations. Not that this is a skill that is easy to develop, but grappling, especially during formative years provides plenty of opportunity to develop the skill.

It is also a skill that largely defines the arena of triathlon. The argument can be made that a grappler can find success because of his/her ability to be more comfortable than the opponent, or because of technical advantage. In triathlon, most competitors are on the same technical playing field when it comes to running, cycling, and swimming, or at least close enough to not make a huge difference, especially in the long courses. So often times the difference comes down to who can be the most comfortable when pushing into that uncomfortable zone.

Being comfortable in uncomfortable positions can be bit of an ambiguous idea, so I’ll define what it means to me. The ability to maintain composure, deescalate breathing and heart rate, and think tactically while under some form of duress, are critical skills in both sport and life. This is also a skill that can only be improved within itself.

For example if you want to run faster you obviously have to run, but you might also stretch, lift, or do plyometrics. The skill of running faster can be improved outside of running, by different forms of cross training. There is no cross training for being uncomfortable. Learning how to be comfortable, can only happen by repeatedly being exposed to uncomfortable situations.

Being comfortable in uncomfortable situations is a skill that builds on itself, meaning, the better you get at it, the more you can do it. The greater ability you have to remain calm under pressure, the longer you can stay under pressure and still perform. Similar to swimming, the better you are at it, the faster you can go with less effort. This is also a skill that can translate to your personal and professional life as well.

Maybe it is a group project at work with some interpersonal friction that is causing an uncomfortable situation. Or it could be a tricky parenting decision, but either way, maintaining composure and thinking tactically (finding comfort) is the key to navigating these uncomfortable situations.

Next time you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, try to dig in and embrace it. Maintain to your composure and appreciate the opportunity to grow the skill of fostering comfort. Once you’ve got that down you can start to manufacture your own discomfort to improve your adaptation response (similar to what we talked about in smooth seas). Being comfortable in uncomfortable situations can help us all on the journey towards Serenity.

Thanks for joining me and stay sweaty my friends.

Today’s Serenity through sweat, 30min peleton HIIT ride and some simple and sinister KBs, and then some mobilization work from The Ready State

Finding Calm in the Chaos

It’s 2:45 in the morning and I’ve just finished a much needed guys night with some great friends. It’s things like this that remind me to try to take stock of events as they are happening.

It is a skill that is easier said than done. Finding calm in the Chaos is a skill, and the ironic part is you have to put yourself in Chaos’s way continuously, in order to refine the skill.

I had done a number of triathlons before Ironman FL in 2013, but nothing prepared me for the swim start. I had done numerous open water swims both solo and within a race context, but nothing was the caliber of 1500 athletes scrambling over top of each other for position.

There were several moments within the first 10 minutes of the race where I thought about giving up. This was an event I had trained for specifically for 6 months and had signed up for more than a year in advance. A goal I had been training for, for years. And I saw it all, realistically coming to an end, minutes after it began.

I have described it to people by saying, “the first 10 minutes, I touched more people than water”. That goes a long way for describing a swim in the gulf of Mexico. But, after those first 10 excruciating minutes, I was able to settle in to the familiar calm of my training. I had put in enough training time to find calm in the chaos of both my mind and the outer world. At a certain point, they are much the same.

Obviously there are things within our control and those that are outside of our control. But often the greatest challenges we face are those mental barriers that we set for ourselves. Being able to find calm within the chaos in a gym setting, will help you better navigate the problems that may arise in the boardroom or cubicle.

Struggling mentally and physically, or, finding calm in the chaos, is a transferable skill, and something you can get better with, with practice. We can all cultivate in ourselves the the inner strength to persevere, if we can only reach for it in our most desperate hour.

After a very rocky IM swim start, I was able to not only beat my swim time goal, but beat my overall race goal. Finding calm in the chaos was the saving grace for my race and for my overall perspective. It is a hard earned skill that contributes to pay dividends.

Thank for joining me and stay sweaty my friends.