We are back in the saddle, training and working on US soil. While the vacation provided exactly what I needed mentally, I was ecstatic to get home and get back into my routine. This is where I thrive, where WE thrive. It’s auto-pilot. This is what I do, at this time, for this reason. Not much thought involved on when and if we’re getting the work in.

Every time I get close to a race day (we are 2.5 weeks out), I fall back on repeating some of the quotes, books, and content that I know get me fired up to compete and challenge myself. A race prep is equally mental as it is physical. You can guess the standard sources of inspiration - David Goggins, Cameron Hanes, Chris Bumstead, etc. I want to continually reinforce to my brain that it has the power to help me perform at a higher level than I believe I can come race day, that other people out there have proved such, and that when the going gets tough, I have something to lean on.

A classic speech from Teddy Roosevelt of all sources ALWAYS gets me fired up, and as I read it again this last week, I knew it was worthy of sharing here. So here is your start to the week - an excerpt from The Man in the Arena

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Brain - The Power of An Accountability Partner

If I reflect on my fitness journey over the last 10 years, and specifically on the last 4+, I don’t think it would be a reach to say that the biggest influence on my success has been having accountability partners in my life to keep me in check and consistent.

When the pandemic started, I was 2 - 3 months into my weight loss journey. I was interacting with few people face-to-face and was left with the challenge of accomplishing my fitness goals with little oversight from anyone else. I still remember to this day starting “Insanity” on the porch of my apartment. Insanity in itself was great for the time and the access to equipment I had, but even better was that my buddy Nate and I were doing it together. Halfway across the country, we would send a sweat-soaked picture every morning to let each other know we had gotten today’s work in.

If you wake up to a text from your friend having already gotten the job done, you are automatically pushed into another mode of thinking that helps you get your portion done too. Those days I didn’t want to do it, I still got it done, often for the sole reason I knew Nate was going to get it done on his end. I am sure he would say the same vice versa.

Running is a very solo pursuit for the most part, especially for me (I am in no run clubs or anything, I just enjoy putting headphones in and logging miles). The number of days you wake up and are dying to get a run in are pretty low. You know you’ll feel good after, but no matter how much you love it, there will always be some mental resistance. You NEED someone to keep you in check.

For the last 3 years, my friend Alec and I have sent each other pictures every day of our watch / treadmill and the miles we have logged. Knowing the person on the other side is getting their work done is a key motivator to make sure you get yours done.

These are personal anecdotes about accountability, but the point is to hopefully encourage you to find someone you can lean on to be this for you too. I would love to be it if you need me, but regardless, I want you to find a friend and commit to sending them check-ins on a scheduled cadence.

There is research around all of this too - According to a US study, you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you tell someone else you're committing to doing it. If you have specific check-ins with a partner, your chance of success increases to 95%.

If you are running - send a picture of yourself or your watch after every single run. If you are losing weight - send a picture of the scale or a picture of you in the gym each day.

Want to get even more creative? Make an email that you only have access to, take pictures of yourself in the mirror every week, and email them to that email. You will be thankful to look back on the transformation one day, but more importantly, it gives you something to check in with.

Losing weight, running races, putting on muscle - none of these are overnight pursuits. There will be lows, there will be highs. There will be days you don’t want to get it done. The best way in my opinion to combat them is to find someone who can be honest with you, has their own goals they’re working on, and that can keep you in check. Turn a solo pursuit into a team game, and push each other!

Body - “Rucking” for Your Cardio?

If you find yourself at all entrenched in the online fitness space, you might already be in the loop on one of the most recent trends in exercise - rucking.

Rucking in itself is far from new. It has forever been a training aid in the military to simulate covering long distances while bearing additional weight. The most basic form pre-World War 1 was the “stick and sack” soldiers used to transport their gear, which has evolved into more heavy-duty backpack setups, and nowadays more fitness over function setups like the weighted vest.

The question is now, why is rucking making such a mainstream surge into the fitness space? It has been around for over a century, and probably much further back in antiquated forms. As I look around, my opinion is simply that we are experiencing 1) An increase in focus on fitness and physical well-being, particularly with exercise and getting outdoors (check and check for rucking). 2) People actively looking for lower-impact alternatives to their cardio. 3) A couple of larger influencers on social media now covering the scientific benefits behind the movement.

If you are looking for a new cardio alternative, here are some of the benefits, plus a couple pieces of equipment you can look into:

Benefits of Rucking:

• Calorie Burn: Rucking has been compared side by side with walking and running, and most of the studies have shown that a ruck with a bearable amount of weight can burn the same amount of calories as a similarly timed run at a steady pace

• Muscle Strength: The most obvious but fundamental. Adding weight, in form of a backpack or weighted vest, and walking activates a number of muscles across your body - specifically legs, back and core. Strengthening these core groups is key to longevity and overall health.

• Bone Density: Research has shown that people who ruck have denser bones, leading to fewer fractures and an improvement in aging.

• Increased Heart Rate: Walking is great for the body, walking with weight is even better. For a marginal increase in effort, we can turn a normal walk into a calorie burning machine, as our heart rate while the body asks more of itself to bear the weight

• Low-Impact - Some people aren’t in a spot where running is suitable for their body and joints. Rucking is a low-impact alternative for cardio that will allow most people to do more cardio, for longer periods. Intensity can easily be adjusted by total weight, elevation change, time, etc.

• Ease of Access: Anywhere can be a playground for your ruck. Walking the dogs? Throw a vest on. Need a break from your screen? Go for a lunchtime walk. Hike that trail you haven’t been to. Climb some stairs. It’s up to you. Rucking doesn’t even require a commitment like the gym. Just find some time to walk, and weigh yourself up. Some obvious mental benefits too here, with a massive impact on stress.

If you think rucking makes sense for you, check out some of these options:

• Free: Throw a bunch of books or weights into an old backpack an go

• Rogue Rucking Gear: Link

• Weighted Vest Amazon: Link

Book - Breath by James Nestor

I have a confession to make - I am, and have always been, a mouth breather. To be completely honest, I went most of my life without thinking anything of it. My few brain cells appear to only have been able to compute “Nose = small holes, mouth = big hole. Big = more oxygen.”

As I started to get into running, I started to see more content around the benefits of breathing through your nose while you ran. I tried it, didn’t like it, and didn’t look back. Then I started training for my IronMan - same thing. Swimming in the pool? Not overly hard because of the tax on the muscles - extremely hard because of the learning curve with properly in taking oxygen to keep going.

A buddy of mine (shoutout Q!) recommended this book 6 - 10 months ago, and so I purchased it and it has been sitting on my shelf. After finishing Slow Productivity, I decided to pick this one up to see what it is all about. I am not a plant my flag kind of guy when it comes to fitness and learning. If I find compelling enough evidence to contradict my current beliefs, I have no problem shifting to a new ideology. My aim with this one is to understand more about the science behind breathing, specifically as it pertains to cardio, sleep, and overall health.

The book’s premise is fairly simple - The author had breathing problems and sought out alternative treatment methods, which sparked a crusade for information that led to this book. He opens up the book by illustrating that most of us never consider HOW we breathe, just that we do it. It’s very passive. But it also makes sense that a more intentional approach to breathing could have positive benefits.

Why is it that meditation and yoga focus so heavily on breathing to lower the heart rate and feelings of anxiety? That science itself probably rolls over to many other things. If we can regulate our heart rate through breathing, we can theoretically regulate how efficiently blood and oxygen is filtered through the body, how well we are able to relax to fall and stay asleep, increase our VO2 max, and more.

You’ve surely seen some content around mouth tape and such, but if you have a desire to learn more on breathing, this one seems like a good place to start. I will share key ideas as I make it further through the book.

Link to Book - But Support Local if You Can! - Breath by James Nestor