Month: June 2021

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”—William Faulkner

We like to play it safe. We like it within the confines of our comfort zone. Safe is good, but it doesn’t produce growth. Safe does not take us to new horizons.

The great explorers, the great inventors, the record-breakers in sport, the great entrepreneurs, and all who would make history have dared to “leave the shore.” They swam into the waters of uncertainty and risked failure. It takes courage to do what others won’t. However, doing what others won’t will certainly bring different results.

We are not meant to remain where we are (Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially). It is uniquely human to grow—to become someone better; to make the Universe better. We are meant to swim for new horizons.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

My 15-year-old son ended his sophomore wrestling season with two disappointing losses in the state tournament. The end to an 11-4 season was less than pretty. My heart aches for the kid, because he worked his heart out for this season. He lifted weights and moved from the 172-pound weight class to 220. He was on the light side of the new weight class at somewhere less than 210 lb, but he had amassed a good 35 lb of added muscle—mostly in the legs from squatting and deadlifting (the exercises least favored by teenage boys who prefer bench press and arm curls). He pinned 11 kids this season. Two of his losses were to ranked kids, who will likely place today in the final rounds. He had a great season. I am always proud of him (and my daughter).

This weekend is also the conclusion of the Olympic trials in Track & Field. These competitions and the end of the wrestling season remind me that very few who try ever come out on top (that is, “win the gold”). Nearly one-hundred percent “lose” their final bout/race. This does not lessen the accomplishment.

I reconnected with my high school wrestling coach after many decades. I carried a burden of having let my team down my senior by selfishly refusing to take my place on the team at 185 lbs (in the days before the 195 and 220 lb weight classes; when there was only 185 and Unlimited). I was dealing with a lot of sh** and had come out of an equally sh*tty football season with a pinched nerve in my neck. I didn’t want to lose the 30 pounds of weight that I had lost and gained over the previous two seasons. I wanted to wrestle heavyweight, where we already had a capable wrestler. Unfortunately, we were too comparable for me to take the position, and I rode bench as a result. Finally, wised up and dropped the weight (at this point 17 lbs) to make weight for a match for which the 185 pounder (who could now move to 165) was sick. I lost the weight in 24 hours (something that can’t be done anymore in wrestling) and remained there for the rest of the season. Dropping weight like this is certainly unwise, and, though, I wrestled well in that first match, it showed for the rest of the season. I really let my team down. After nearly forty years, my coaches only response to my regret was “you showed up.” I still regret having been so selfish, but this eased the burden.

Life is about showing up. It is about being our best today (even when today’s best isn’t as good as we hoped) and being better tomorrow. It is about the doing. It is not about the winning. They say, “in wrestling there are no losers, only winners and learners.” This is why wrestling is such a great analogy for life. In life there are so few “winners”, but there are countless “learners”—IF we allow ourselves to be.

Yesterday was rough for my son (and the sons of many other wrestlers—Friday was the girl’s tournament or I would have included “daughters”), but today is a new day. Tomorrow will be, as well. He is already planning what he needs to do for next season. There will be more weights and conditioning. There will be more work on technique. As we went to go to bed last night, my wife discovered that our son was not to be found. We soon learned that he had gone for a run. It did not seem as self-punishment. Rather he ran to clear his head. He learned yesterday.

We are going to lose more than we win. It is our choice to learn or to be defeated.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

A number of years ago, a student asked in class how I would respond to a personal training client who says they don’t want to lift heavy weights because they don’t want big bulky muscles. Instead of my usual lengthy physiological response, I simply said she should tell he not to worry because she isn’t willing to put in the work to get big muscles. In truth, that is the accurate response. Most of us can’t or won’t grow muscle because we don’t do the necessary work—not because of age or a lack of genetics.

As we age, it is harder to grow muscle for a number of physiological reasons, but it is not impossible. The textbook I use in Physiology of Exercise suggests a 10% loss in muscle mass from 25 to 50 years of age and an additional 40% loss from 50 to 80 years. This, however, is not a trend that is predetermined in the genetic code. It is not an absolute of aging—though it is the norm. Why do we lose so much muscle as we age? Because we stop using it. The principle of reversibility supersedes the principle of overload. We don’t use it? We lose it. Likewise, if we don’t stimulate muscle hypertrophy we don’t achieve it. Don’t blame age for deconditioning. Blame the lack of effort.

There are no excuses. No hacks. Only the opportunity to get better.

I often refer to “opportunity costs”, a phrase I picked up from Dr. Mike Israetel (Renaissance Periodization). In a recent video, he gives what I consider a spot-on definition:

“Time trying dumb sh** is time not growing from guaranteed sh**.”—Mike Israetel

Why are you not growing? Maybe you are wasting time on the :dumb sh**.” Stick to the basics and work ‘em hard.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.”—Mandy Hale

None of us is where we belong. In the moment? Yes. We are where we are supposed to be–or, at least, simply, we are where we are. In the next moment? We are to be better. We are to have grown. I would not consider Growth and Change to be painful as much as uncomfortable.

Pain is a perception of the mind. Pain is an instinctive protection mechanism. The human being is wired to grow—to adapt/change. To perceive Growth and Change as painful is to limit us. Discomfort is always a by-product of what stimulates growth. In exercise physiology, we refer to this as “the overload principle” (in order for a body system—this includes the Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social, as well as the Physical, dimensions—to grow, it must be challenged to a level greater than that to which it is accustomed). We try to avoid the phrase, “no pain, no gain,” because it implies injury, but it is somewhat fitting. Perhaps, for many of us, Growth and Change are “painful” as we overcome the initial resistance to change—as we get “unstuck.” Such pain is only in the mind—as is any perception of pain. As we challenge ourselves, our perceptions change. As we see Growth and Change, we become motivated to challenge ourselves.

Who we are is not who we are presently. Who we are is who are yet to become. We either fear that becoming and stay “stuck,” or we step beyond our comfort zone and move forward.

“Painful”? Perhaps, but only briefly as we adapt to our new self in preparation for the next challenge/opportunity. In time, pain gives way to a sense of accomplishment. Remember: “That which does not kill me makes me stronger” (Friedrich Neitzche).

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“As nice as it may sound to live in a world without mosquitoes, it’s not as easy as eradicating species that cause us harm or even those that just annoy us. That’s because all living things play an important role in the ecosystems in which they exist, and removing one living thing from a habitat can disrupt all the other species within it.”¹

I keep seeing a sponsored post on social media with the claim: “Genius College Student Builds a Device to Rid the World of Mosquitoes.” The creator was so inspired because he suffered from a rare allergic reaction to mosquito bites, called “Skeeter Syndrome.” Most are also aware of the involvement of mosquitoes in the spread of diseases, such as malaria and West Nile. So, eradicating mosquitoes sounds like a great idea, right? Of course, not. Like all living things, mosquitoes are an essential part of the ecosystem. We humans simply have to adjust. (Sickle cell trait, interestingly, is actually a natural human protection against malaria.)

We have a tendency to prioritize our own circumstances without realizing that we fit into a complex and interconnected Universe. We neglect a sense of greater Purpose. We neglect that the eradication of our problem(s) can have a profound effect on countless others.

Rather than trying to rid our lives of “mosquitoes”, perhaps we should be asking ourselves “Why?” Perhaps, we should be learning to deal with our circumstances—to grow from them—rather than run from them.

Mosquitoes suck. No doubt. I suspect that living with Skeeter Syndrome sucks, too. Certainly, we need to deal with our own pressing problems, but we have to be cautious in imposing our solutions on others. Someone or something along the food chain is benefiting from that mosquito, and that benefit, in turn, benefits others. Indeed, that “mosquito” provides a cascade of opportunity and benefit. The solution to a problem is never as simple as eliminating the problem. The solution to every problem though is growth.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/the-buzz/world-without-mosquitoes-not-as-easy-as-it-seems

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore to be happy”–Nightbirde

We are all interconnected—Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially. When we feel, we are not in a vacuum. We affect and are affected by others—those with whom we are in relationship, as well as those with whom we casually and unknowingly interact. We rarely take notice of how people positively affect us and vice versa.

Recently, a friend lost her father. It wasn’t until she formally shared of his passing that I realized that she had not been sharing her usual “good morning” and “rise and shine” type memes for several weeks (the period during which her father was in hospice). She has her own health issues that make “rise and shine” challenging. I know that she posts these as much for her own benefit as for others. I know I find them encouraging. I had not realized how much I had missed her morning cheer. Moreover, I realized how I have neglected my own efforts to encourage myself by encouraging others.

I had recognized a tendency to be increasingly negative—something I found that, paradoxically, could only be countered by intentional positivity. I learned to encourage others that I too might be encouraged. It changed my demeanor. Sadly, however, my efforts have declined over the months—as has my own gratitude.

My friend needed encouragement (as did I). I was in the position to and did not. I was letting my own discouragement blind me to the need of others. This is, of course, not very other-centered.

Amazingly, some of the most positive people are the ones who are struggling the most. They have learned (as I often forget) that being happy for others has a profound effect on one’s own happiness. Personally, I can do better—I get to do better.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.”—James Allen

Growth and change take work. They take consistent effort. There are no hacks—no shortcuts. Until we realize that improvement is only within in ourselves, we are bound by our circumstances. A choice remains: accept where we are, improve ourselves, or be forever bound where we are.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I read an article, “CDC: Worrisome Spike in Younger Teens’ COVID Hospitalizations”¹, that discussed a recent rise in the number of adolescent cases and hospitalizations from SARS-CoV-2 infection. While the CDC is focused on encouraging all eligible persons to be vaccinated, I could not help but be drawn to the following:

“The study looked specifically at the 204 adolescents ages 12 to 17 in that dataset who appeared to have been admitted primarily due to COVID-19 from March 1, 2020 through April 24, 2021.

Among these patients, 52.5% were girls, 31.4% were Hispanic or Latinx, and 35.8% were non-Hispanic Black. Most had an underlying medical condition (70.6%), most commonly obesity (35.8%), asthma or other chronic lung disease (30.9%), and neurologic disorders (14.2%). In adults, 92% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 have had an underlying medical condition.”¹

Again, we focus on the treatment of the symptom rather than the underlying disease. In this case, it is to focus on a vaccine and to ignore the gender and racial disparities and the medical conditions that are increasingly prevalent among adolescents, such as obesity, asthma and chronic lung disease, neurologic disorders. We want to avoid the issue of addressing the root causes of these conditions. Rather we prefer to focus on disparities in health care rather than on disparities in health. (Not to say that the former should not be addressed.)

It is no surprise that there is an up-tick in cases in adolescents as they begin interacting again. Undoubtedly, however, there has been an upswing in the aforementioned medical conditions as our young people have even more sedentary and isolated over the last 15 months. Still, as kids return to in-person school to varying degrees, physical education and sports continue to take a back seat. Now is the time to take a JFK approach to physical inactivity and the (un)health of our young people. President Kennedy’s vision and the mission of the then President’s Council on Physical Fitness has been lost. Locally, regionally, and nationally, we need to commit ourselves to ending childhood obesity by the end of this decade. We need to begin by addressing the underlying issues, such as social inequality, (lack of) urban planning, the use of school funding, health education, our system for providing nutrition (not just “food”) to the poor, etc. We cannot afford the continued rise in the costs to treat preventable disease. As my teenage son pointed out to me, we need to make corporations accountable for the crappy foods that they are addicting people to. We need to hold politicians and community leaders accountable. We have to accept personal accountability. We have to shift from a health care mindset to one of universal health. It is achievable by the end of this decade.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/92925?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2021-06-05&eun=g1854320d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%20Top%20Cat%20HeC%20%202021-06-05&utm_term=NL_Daily_DHE_dual-gmail-definition&fbclid=IwAR3j0aJj2TwfVmre_CVb5nL7YsUFkb5FJFyE2yTgbc8xLMRSemUoz6TItfw