It is crazy how things work out...
After thinking about emailing our daughters school for literally a year, I finally sent them a message letting them know what I do for a living and if there is ever a need for help with anything fitness related, to keep me in mind as I would love to lend a hand. This email, as it turns out, was received at a time where they were looking to create some sort of health and wellness room at the school. This discussion began before Christmas and we decided to meet in the New Year to discuss this idea. 

One week prior to our meeting, Emi came home and told us that their gym teacher left and one of their administrators was running physical education. I thought this was interesting and checked their website to see if they were hiring. No job was posted but Marisa wanted me to reach out and offer some help and/or ask if they were hiring but I decided to wait until the meeting. Well, as it turns out, they had the same thing in mind and offered me the job before I had an opportunity to even bring it up! So, with that being said, starting on Wednesday I will be working as the physical education teacher at my daughters school. 

Fitness Tip of the Week
Here is a fun challenge that does not require too much equipment. First, you need to choose two exercises that you can perform for up to 20 reps. This week, I chose a Goblet Squat and a Pushup. I chose these two as they are two movements that I can do in my living room whenever time presented itself and it involves very little setup. 

Here is how the challenge works:
Set One: 1 squat and 20 pushups. Set Two: 2 squats and 19 pushups. Set Three: 3 squats and 18 pushups. As you can see, for the squat you start at 1 and with each set, you add a rep until you get to 20. For the pushup, you start at 20 and countdown to 1. At the end of all this you perform 210 reps of each which is quite remarkable... and a lot. If you can do this in a day, you're a machine!

For the record, I am no machine. I started this one day and worked on it for about 10-12 minutes. It is a ton of reps so I decided to spread it out over the course of 2-3 sessions. Another option would be to only do it from 1-10 and 10-1. If you do this, you end up doing 55 reps and this would be a great starting place for those concerned about the total rep number. 

What I've Been Thinking About...
The world of youth sports is reliant upon volunteer coaches. The great football coach Chuck Noll once said, “The mercenaries will beat the draftees but the volunteers will crush them both”. Coaching sports and going to war are two different things but the idea behind volunteerism remains the same: The volunteers choose to do it! They aren't paid to show up (mercenaries) and they are not forced to do it (draftees). Anyone who volunteers is an asset and in the world of youth sports, more of this is needed.

A few other observations that may apply on and off the field...
If you run an organization, SUPPORT YOUR COACHES! Don't have cliques, try to educate everyone on the ins and outs of sport, work on effective ways to communicate, and lastly, try to ensure a positive experience for all involved. If you are someone contemplating getting involved in coaching, here are a few qualities that kids say they want in their coach: Be respectful, not act a fool, communicate appropriately, have a little knowledge in the sport and listen when they speak, then you have the tools to work with others!

If you want more on this, click here: Volunteers are the Backbone of Youth Sports 

What I've Been Reading...
Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams by John O' Sullivan

When I first started coaching junior high football, I thought I knew a lot about the game. I played my entire life and watched countless games each week and attended conferences. Then, when the season began, I realized I didn't know as much as I thought I did. This same realization occurred many times in my coaching career and now, after being involved in athletics for over 12 years, I pick up a book like this and realize there is still so much left to learn!

In this book, John O'Sullivan has collected hundreds of interviews with top coaches, sport scientists, psychologists, and athletes and distilled them into a blueprint for becoming a more effective and inspiring leader. Great coaches realize something that others do not: every moment matters!

Quote of the Week
"Great effects often result from small beginnings. Your resolution will influence that of your friend and neighbors- each of them will, in like manner, influence their friends and neighbors- the example will spread from house to house, -from city to city,- till, among those who have any claim to humanity, there will be but one heart, and one mind,- one resolution,- one uniform practice" -- Elizabeth Heyrick, 1824 on the abolition of Slavery

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Thinking About...
One of the best books I read last year was titled "Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed" written by Phillip Hallie. This book tells the story of how minister Andre Trocme and his wife Magda saved over 5,000 people from Nazi persecution between 1940 and 1944 in the small French town of Le Chambon. It was written that if the Holocaust was storm, lightning, thunder, wind, and rain then Le Chambon was the rainbow. 

One night, as the Trocme's were preparing to sit down and eat dinner, Nazi guards pounded on their door to arrest Andre. After taking her husband away, Magda looked at the prepared food and invited the two Nazi policemen to have dinner with her. The Trocme's believed in the preciousness of all human life and felt that even though these guards came to take away her husband they were still human and because of that, can be redeemed. This family believed that, "there was no limit to what might be possible in terms of the reclamation of persons". They might be doing evil now but they believed kindness can overcome evil and they would do everything in their power to showcase that. 

This makes me think about situations in my own life where I sometimes lose patience with others behavior. Just because they are that way now doesn't mean they cannot change. They might do shady, harmful or hurtful things but if the Trocme's taught me anything, it is that you should respond to unkindness with kindness. That you can rid out evil with love and the belief that all human beings have the potential to change for the better. If Magda Trocme can feed the Nazi guards arresting your husband, then I too, can handle those that I do not see eye to eye with at the moment.

Fitness Tip of the Week
As we are a few weeks into the New Year, I have been thinking a lot about resolutions and how to make changes that last. In my opinion, it is those small changes, done consistently over time, that will produce the biggest results. So how do we implement this? I think the first thing we should do is spend a few weeks trying to understand our current problem areas. Is it diet, lack of exercise, poor sleeping habits, too much stress, all of the above? 
Once identified, a plan should be put into place to eradicate these problems, one by one!

The next step would be to add in physical activity. This could be anything from taking a 10-30 minute walk per day to joining a gym or following a structured plan. Physical activity not only offers us a calorie burn or boost in muscle, but it is an incredible stress reliever, improves mood, alleviates anxiousness and helps aid in sleep quality.  These are areas that I feel we can all benefit from improving!

Once that habit is established, it is time to get serious about what you are eating and put in one solid month of really making nutrition improvements. This could be food journaling, food prepping, following a diet, or talking with a nutritionist. To sum these ideas up, in January, clean it up and eliminate poor habits. February is about increasing physical activity frequency and/or duration. In March, we focus on our meals while still following the principles from January and February. In April, we put it all together and cut poor habits, train hard, and eat a healthy, nutritious diet. Then, in May, we re-evaluate and start all over! 

New Podast with Coach Ben Chunko!
In this episode, I sit down with my friend, former coach and current owner of Grit Mat Club Ben Chunko. We touch on a variety of topics including coaching wrestling, being a parent, what the word Grit means, creating a culture for his club, and so much more. You don't have to be involved in wrestling to listen to this as most of our talk is trying to help others become better versions of themselves.

Over the years, Ben has always been a great example of always learning, always willing to help, and most importantly, always coaching to help kids reach their full potential. He is an asset to the local community and the sport of wrestling and I am grateful that there are guys like him out there. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Video link: An Interview with Coach Ben Chunko
Audio Link: Episode 183

What I've Been Listening To...
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

In this book psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed—be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people—that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.” 

Duckworth blends insights from a wide variety of fields and it is no wonder this book became a best seller. One of my favorite concepts is one in which she discusses a potter. Each day, a potter wakes up and throws clay on the wheel. It doesn't matter if they are having a bad day, feel sick, are unmotivated, or struggling because none of their stuff is selling. The potter knows that if they want to be a pro, they must create each and every day. Through persistence, perseverance, and doggedness, they will be successful, one way or another. In essence, this is what Grit is all about!

Quote of the Week
“Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.” -- Angela Duckworth

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Thinking About...
Early education teachers are something special!

This past week we got to check out our daughters kindergarten classroom and meet her teacher for next year. She was amazing and we feel pretty fortunate that we found a school with such incredible people teaching. After giving us a rundown on their day to day activities, she opened the floor for questions and one of the parents raised their hand. The question asked involved conflict resolution and how they handle it with kids of their age. Some of the other parents nodded their head in agreement as this is a tricky situation for all parents, coaches or teachers. 
 
According to the teacher, most kindergarten conflicts stem from lacking in one or two things: a voice and a choice. Kids get frustrated when they feel their voices are not being heard. I cannot blame them here. When you feel like people don't listen to you, it will lead to frustration and resentment. If not addressed, things can, and will, erupt. The same can be said when people feel they don't have a choice. Feeling stuck with no options is a  terrible place to be but often times, there are other options out there, you just haven't found them out yet. If we learn to resolve these two issues (lacking voice & choice) then I believe most conflicts will go by the wayside, for kids and adults!

Fitness Tip of the Week
Last week I was doing some farm work and found myself to be extremely winded. The task I was doing was difficult but I thought my conditioning was a bit better than what was on display. Due to this unfortunate feedback (aka sucking wind while working), I decided to start implementing a change in my cardiovascular training. Enter the 4x4 Interval Program.

My favorite types of programs are the ones that practically have the directions in the name. The 4x4 program requires you to perform four-four minute intervals. It is simple in theory, but hard in practice. The benefits of this style of training is pretty remarkable. There are multiple studies that found that following this exact protocol will improve your VO2max which is your bodies ability to utilize oxygen while training. By doing this, not only will you improve sport performance but you will also increase the likelihood of living longer as there is a positive correlation between longevity and VO2max. Sounds like a win win to me!

Here is how we do it...

I begin each session with walking for about 10 minutes in an effort to warmup. Once the 10 minutes is complete, you begin to run the first of your four intervals. The pace for this is pretty fast as you want to be moving anywhere between 80-95% of your maximum heart rate (MHR). To find MHR, take 220 and deduct your age from that number. For a 40 year old, the equation would look like this 220-40 (age) = 180 (MHR). Your pace would be between 80-95% of 180 (MHR) which equals 144 bpm and 171 bpm. This is a fast pace, one in which you cannot carry a conversation at. Once the four minutes is up, you then walk or slow jog for three minutes to allow your heart rate to return to about 70% MHR (126 bpm). Repeat this for four total reps and then cooldown. Give yourself about 45 minutes to complete. 

Keep in mind, it is not about what you choose to do for the interval but rather the intensity at which you work. The heart and lungs don't care if you use a bike, stair-climber or elliptical. All they know is that they are being stressed with physical activity and that is exactly what we are looking for. 

A Winning Mindset
Carol Dweck is a psychologist, professor and author of a great book titled Mindset. In it, she discusses the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. To define these simply, the fixed mindset believes that things like intelligence, skill and talent are innate. You either have it or you don’t. On the other hand, the growth mindset believes that your current state is just a starting point. It believes that the abilities that you have are not set in stone and that with hard work, things like intelligence, skill and talent can be improved. In her research, she has conducted numerous studies on the topic of mindset and below, I share one that had me in disbelief! 

The study began with a test that every student took. These tests were graded and it was fairly simple. One half of the class was praised for their intelligence and the other half was praised for their effort. In the end, everyone was feeling good about themselves as they scored pretty well on it and were ready for whatever the teacher had in store for them. Then things began to get interesting… 

To continue reading, click the following link to read my latest article titled: A Winning Mindset

What I've Been Reading...
Animal Farm by George Orwell

This is the book that got me on the Orwell bandwagon a few years ago. I really enjoy satire and this book fits it to a T. Orwell creates a world where farm animals decide that their living conditions are poor. After listening to the elder animal on the farm share his dream for the future, they decide to lead a rebellion and overthrow the owner. It is the animals hope to create a society where they can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, the ideals that led to the rebellion get betrayed under the dictatorship of a pig and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before. Unfortunately for these poor animals, not all revolutions have a happy ending!

According the Orwell, this book satirizes the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union.

Quote of the Week
"Satire is tragedy plus time. You give it enough time, the public, the reviewers will allow you to satirize it. Which is rather ridiculous, when you think about it." -- Lenny Bruce

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Thinking About...
We had an interesting talk this week at the gym with some of the kids about whether or not they would rather look cool or be cool. The way to define "cool" varies but my response when asked was similar to Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's remark in the sixties regarding obscenity in film: "I know it when I see it". Surprisingly, in what I thought would be a slam dunk win for "Be Cool", "Look Cool" ended up getting about half of the votes. This frustrated me a bit.

Kids put a lot of pressure on themselves to look the part. They make decisions with others in mind rather than doing what they feel is right. This leads these kids down a path of decision making that is effected by outside variables. They choose based on how others will respond and in the end, they are not being true to themselves. They will not feel comfortable in their own clothes and this is no way to live. I think we all go through at some point in our lives and the sooner we can choose based on how things make us feel, rather than what others think, the sooner we can find happiness in our own lives. 

Fitness Tip of the Week
I had a great talk with a friend this week who has her doctorate in physical therapy. We discussed a lot of things but one area that really stood out is the importance of taking a holistic approach to healing. When I say holistic, I do not mean putting crystals in your window at night and chanting sacred chants. What I mean is taking a look at the whole picture and understanding that with the body, just about everything is interconnected in one way or another. 

One of the areas we discussed involved pain and how the pain site is only a small piece of a giant puzzle. Often times we treat the pain site with stretching, ice, and/or NSAIDS without first looking at what might be at the root cause. Factors like sleep, hydration, stress, and activity levels can all play a role in that hamstring feeling tight, the back being sore or the shoulder pain you experience placing something overhead. If we fail to look at the whole picture, we may never get to the root cause of the pain or discomfort that you are feeling. If this occurs, the pain will linger and potentially worsen to the point of it becoming chronic. Chronic pain then leads to depression, anxiety, difficulty sleeping and an overall decrease in quality of life which will exacerbate the pain. This cycle will then continue and it is no wonder that over 50 million American suffer from chronic pain. 

To view the full discussion, check out our talk: An Interview with Dr. Becca Eberly!

Creating a Positive Sport Experience
By the age of 13, over 70% of athletes stop participating in a given sport. When asked what the reason is, the most common response is that they just aren’t fun anymore. If we want to reduce the dropout rate and keep kids participating in sport for a lifetime, they need autonomy, intrinsic motivation and of course, joy! In order to bring joy back into youth sports, I will share six things that all grownups should stop doing if we want the kids we work with to have a positive sport experience. 

1. Stop coaching from the sidelines. 
2. Stop yelling instructions while play is on. 
3. Stop disrespecting officials. 
4. Stop disrespecting the coach.
5. Stop discussing the play of their teammates.
6. Stop using the car ride home as a teaching moment. 

If you'd like more on this topic, take a listen to my latest podcast Attention Grownups, Stop Doing These Things! (audio link) (YouTube link)

What I've Been Watching...
The Playbook on Netflix. This documentary series interviews five of the top sport coaches in the world as they share the rules they live by to achieve success in sports and in life. So far I have only watched episode one which features NBA Coach Doc Rivers and I have to admit, I love that guy! 

There were two things that really stood out to me. The first is the declaration of "I will not be a victim." Over his 60+ years on earth, he faced setbacks being a black man in America, in sport, in life, and just about everywhere. One thing he never tried to be was a victim of any circumstance that he encountered. This mindset allowed him to persevere through difficult times and the man he became today. The second is his team-first mentality. It is not me, but we on his teams and every decision he makes is in the best interest of his team. Not him, not the owner, not the fans or his star player but the team. I respect that and believe it is a reason he has been a successful coach for 20+ seasons. 

Quote of the Week
"If anyone can refute me – show me I’m making a mistake or looking at things from the wrong perspective — I’ll gladly change. It’s the truth I’m after and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.” -- Marcus Aurelius

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck