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A message from Founder and Owner, Coach Tristan Mitchell: There is one clear correlation (I know, not causation!) that’s presenting itself in the Coronavirus data. If you contract the virus you have a far higher likelihood of a poor outcome if you are in poor health. This seems obvious but the numbers are quite staggering. Last week Italy reported that 96% of their deaths due to Coronavirus had one or more underlying health issue and the numbers in the US seem to be tracking very similarly. It’s reported that only 12% of Americans are considered metabolically healthy. We lose countless numbers of people to chronic illness that can often be avoided by changes in lifestyle. Coronavirus seems to be another example of the many mounting health issues in America that could look so differently with a little effort in how we live. This virus presents an opportunity for all of us to look at how we live and how we take care of ourselves as individuals, families, and social circles. We are the makers of our resiliency and we hold the keys to our own health. Become an advocate for your own well-being and for the people that you hold close and we have the start of something special when it comes to public health. If we look through the lens of ancestral health (as detailed in Robb Wolf’s book, Wired to Eat) there are four major pillars to our health - nutrition, sleep, movement, and community. There’s a lot to unpack on each of these but for today we will stay at 30,000 feet and touch on the basics. Nutrition - If you’ve been with us for awhile you know our thoughts here - whole, unprocessed foods is the name of the game. Source your food, especially your meat products well, and if it comes out of a box or a bag it’s probably not great for you. If you need help on where to start contact us and we can help guide the way! Sleep - I get asked about this all the time, if your sleep sucks you need to look at what you are doing in the hours prior to bedtime. Are you drinking alcohol? Are you watching TV? Scrolling through your phone? Eating a bunch of food? The list goes on... to set ourselves up for good sleep we must have good sleep hygiene. Start with lights out an hour before bed, cool temperature in the house, and bag the booze and food at least 3 hours prior to bed and let’s see where that gets you. For a lot more info checkout Dr. Matthew Walker’s book, Why We Sleep or schedule some time with us and we can discuss strategies that can help you. Movement - Exercise is fantastic and does so much for your body and health. Working through full ranges of motion, under load, and getting some cardio in the majority of the week will cover your bases pretty well. That being said, having a clear plan and movement understanding goes a long way to keeping you healthy and maintaining consistency and we are always here to help with that! Community - The human animal is a social animal. In Sebastian Junger’s book, Tribe, he describes “the need to feel connected to others” as an “intrinsic” value and something that far outweighs the “extrinsic” values of money, beauty, and social status in our personal happiness. Find your tribe that builds you up and holds you accountable to stay healthy and staying consistent becomes so much easier. Lions Den is committed to helping people along their journey of health, wellness, and performance. If you’d like to discuss any of the above in further detail and how we might be able to assist you please contact us.
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FROM THE FORGE WITH CRUCIBLE STRENGTHA Message from Coach Shaun Cook
Success: From Goal to Outcome
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James Clear, the bestselling author of Atomic Habits, wrote something profound that has stuck with me ever since I first read it. He made the observation that those who succeed in life and those who don’t, both typically have the same goals. Using fitness as an example I would argue that almost every person who has ever set out to lose body fat and build muscle all started with similar language about their goal. “Hi my name is Stacy and I have my wedding coming up in eight months and I want to lose 15 pounds to look stunning in my dress.” Or how about Jason who says, “So, I went for my yearly physical and my doctor says that I need to lose 30 pounds in the next six months.” |
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James Clear, the bestselling author of Atomic Habits, wrote something profound that has stuck with me ever since I first read it. He made the observation that those who succeed in life and those who don’t, both typically have the same goals. Using fitness as an example I would argue that almost every person who has ever set out to lose body fat and build muscle all started with similar language about their goal. “Hi my name is Stacy and I have my wedding coming up in eight months and I want to lose 15 pounds to look stunning in my dress.” Or how about Jason who says, “So, I went for my yearly physical and my doctor says that I need to lose 30 pounds in the next six months.” |
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You will have a crazy amount of variety in how they say what they say. Some will talk about pounds while others say body fat. She says I want to look lean and he says get me jacked! Sure there are some nuances to every person, but in the end they all want basically the same goal. They want to look and feel better. Yet, as we know, too few people actually succeed with these goals. Now, if that is the case then we have to conclude that GOALS alone are not a predictor of success! If they were then every person who has a big goal or desire would be walking around crazy ripped and crazy wealthy. So are goals important? Absolutely they are important! Research has proven that those who intentionally formulate and write down their goals are more likely to succeed than those who don’t. However, I’m about to lay out for you a blueprint that takes you from just having a goal to being the architect of your life. You ready? First let’s see the components that make this thing up. Then let’s use a metaphor to tie it together. The Components: A Clear Goal:
- where you are going and when you will get there
- where you currently are
- why you want to go there
A Clear System:
- tells you the behaviors/habits and resources used to get there
- tells you your principles for dealing with setbacks
A Clear Outcome:
- tells you if you succeeded
- tells you if you need to take a different approach
*This model all depends on the principle of Consistency* The Metaphor: Traveling across a large lake in a rowboat: A Clear Goal:
- I’m going to the north side of the lake to set up a camp. The location is 2 miles away. I will get there by 10 am tomorrow.
- I’m currently southeast of my destination according to this map.
- I want to set up camp in this place because there are some incredible trails a quarter mile away.
A Clear System:
- I will wake up at 7 am and make and eat breakfast by 7:30 am. Have my bag of supplies/food packed up by 7:50 am. I will leave at 8 am tomorrow. I will be using this old rowboat and this one oar to go northwest for 2 miles. I will keep a close eye on my compass.
- If weather obstructs my view or pushes me off course I will use the compass to get back on course.
A Clear Outcome:
- If I make shore near my destination - Success!!
- If I make shore and I see on the map that I am pretty far away. Then I make a new plan to reach my camp. If I get out onto the water and my boat isn’t moving me toward my goal then I need a different vehicle. I need a different system or habits.
Our goals are like the rudder of a boat. It sets the direction. Now if I knew where I wanted to go, but had absolutely no idea where I was starting from then I’m pretty screwed. It’s just as important to know where you currently are, and honestly this can sometimes be painful to say out loud. Why I want to get to the other side is also key. Let’s say I have a speedboat instead of an old rowboat. Now, if I am not really compelled by a great desire to go to the north end of the lake then I won’t even get in the boat. You might want to lose body fat, however if you don’t believe you are worth it or if you don’t have a compelling “why” then no system or program on this planet will get you there. You won’t even get in the boat. Our systems, habits, and behaviors are like the oars of a boat. They are the mechanism that moves us toward our prize. In this scenario I had one oar to work with. It is possible that I got out into the water and realized, “Hey this one oar thing isn’t working. I need a second oar!” I may have to go back to where I started and either make, purchase, or find another oar. This is how the journey often happens. There are setbacks. Expect them ahead of time and keep adjusting. You keep repeating this process until you get what you want. That is success. Mistakes and course corrections are woven into your story. As you can see, the path to success goes beyond just setting the goal. The good news though is that every person can have this. It is a system that rewards being empowered and consistent. It is a system that puts you in control. It is a journey that changes everything. It’s a journey worth taking!
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De-cluttering has become a new hobby of mine ever since I discovered the world of minimalism. Ah - having less stuff! To me, nothing sounds more appealing and I will share with you why in one word - simplicity! If you think about how chaotic the world around us can be sometimes, doesn’t living a more simplistic life just sound like a less stressful way of living? Minimalism can mean different things to everyone but to me it means living a more intentional life and ridding yourself of things that do not serve you. This can also pertain to the food that you’re surrounding yourself with and the food that you’re eating. Maybe you never become a minimalist in the traditional sense but there are ways you can apply this lifestyle to your nutrition and it can positively impact your health, make decision making around meals easier and give you more freedom to enjoy other areas of your life. Here are a few tips: Plan your meals Shop intentionally Find your staples
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Planning your meals — Find a day during the week that you can sit down and plan your meals. It seems simple but so many people don’t do it. Planning what you’re going to eat takes away the stressful decision-making process during the week when life gets busy and you’re less likely to make a healthy decision. If you don’t follow your “plan” for the week perfectly, it’s not the end of the world. However, it’s always good to have something to fall back on. What’s good meal planning if you’re not prepared? The next tip is the shop intentionally — after you’ve planned what meals will look like for you in the coming week, you want to make sure you’re prepared to avoid unwanted trips to the grocery store. But more importantly, you want to make sure you’re buying only what you need so you can avoid having unnecessary junk food around your house. The best way to do this? Don’t shop when you’re hungry. Honestly, you can shop intentionally even if you haven’t planned meals. Just ask yourself “is this food going to serve my body well?” And if it isn’t... try to avoid buying it. To keep meal planning simple and less stressful, you want to take some time to find your staples. We all have staple clothing items in our closet - you know, that go-to pair of pants when you’re going out or those go-to t-shirts you wear to the gym... we want to do the same thing with our food to keep life simple and easy but also enjoyable. Is chicken your go-to protein source? Is white rice or sweet potatoes your go-to carb source? Are avocados and macadamia nuts your go-to fat sources? If you’re not catching the hint: Find staples for your carbs, fat and protein. Then when you’re planning your meals you can use those staple items to make different meals and this makes it easier to cut down on a long list of ingredients you’ll need for the week. These might be things you already knew. But I hope this encourages you to look more intentionally at the food you’re eating to create a more nutrient-dense environment. Our surroundings have a profound impact on our decision-making whether good or bad. Set yourself up for success by going through these 3 steps and giving yourself the best opportunity to be healthier and live a little more simplistic and intentional. |
The Leg Lock Bridge by Coach JoelImproving mobility can be achieved by systematically focusing on different areas of weaknesses and restrictions. The areas include short and tight tissues, soft tissue and joint capsule restrictions, motor control dysfunctions, and end range joint restrictions. The following exercise has been one of my favorites to improve motor control through glute activation while also actively restoring tissue length through hip extension. It’s called the leg lock bridge, also referred as the Cook hip lift, after Gray Cook a PT and Orthopedic specialist who came up with the unique version of this exercise.
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At first glance it only looks to be a single leg glute bridge, yet under closer examination, the nuances greatly influence its effectiveness. The primary focus of this exercise is to activate a glute while eliminating lumbar spine involvement. Additional magic occurs once the exercise can be progressed to include a ball. Using the ball during the exercise will incorporate greater hip flexion, excellent for getting both hip complexes of the glutes and opposing iliopsoas (hip flexors) working in concert with each other. Use this exercise as part of a pre-workout warmup, correction exercise or during morning movement routines. Setup: Lie on your back in the hook shape (both knees flexed and feet flat on the ground). Then bring one knee up toward the chest, past vertical above the waistline, and grip it in place with both hands. Execute: Activate the glute, then press through the heel of the ground-based foot to lift the hips evenly off the floor with the goal to achieve full extension of the hip. A side shot shows a straight line from the shoulders through the hip to the knee. Keep the knee neutral throughout the movement. Once you achieve hip extension, hold for a count while maintaining core (glute & trunk) activation, then slowly lower the hip back to the floor. |
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Common Faults: Corrections: Progression: Include any tennis sized ball. Setup: Start in hook shape. Place the ball below the ribs and clamp it down with the leg and grab your knee. Execute the exercise the same way as previously described. |
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Important Tips: Keep lumbar and pelvis neutral, squeeze glute before pushing through the heel, hold hip extension to include breath work (2-5 breaths) which will combine motor control and deep trunk activation. Training Protocols: 24-ish repetitions per leg to be broken down into equal part sets (i.e. 2 sets x 12 reps, 3 x 8, 4 x 6, 5 x 5, etc.). As usual if you need some guidance concerning this exercise or have any other questions on how to improve your mobility please reach out. Stay healthy and as always, Stay Mobile My Friends! |
The Joe Rogan Experience | Episode #1478 - Joel Salatin
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