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What I've Been Reading
The President who Loved Sport This article, written in December of 1963, was published less than two weeks after the assassination of JFK. In it, it discusses the presidents lifelong dedication to sport and fitness as well as one of his biggest concerns: Americans becoming soft. Keep in mind what I am going to share is from the 1960's which has a slightly different tone (aka not as politically correct) as today's writing. From the article, "If there was one thing that sickened Jack Kennedy, it was the flabby American parked in front of the television set in the middle of a noble spring day. He referred to this contemptuously as "spectating." And over and over again he warned that a nation that spends all its time spectating must fail". To Kennedy, spectating was becoming a national disease and in his words, Americans were becoming soft. He continues, "The same civilizations which produced some of our highest achievements of philosophy and drama, government and art, also gave us a belief in the importance of physical soundness". Since the writing of this, our nation has seen a threefold increase in obesity, an incredible rise in sedentary activities which leads to "spectating", and a serious collapse in the mental health of our country where deaths of despair (overdose, suicide, alcohol related) are rising exponentially each year. I don't know if this is exactly what JFK feared but it sure seems close. What I've Been Thinking About... Last week I wrote about what Iceland did to proactively prevent kids from partaking in negative behavior and other trouble. The government decided to subsidize recreation activities and provide a weekday curfew of 10 pm. By doing this, it kept kids off the streets between the hours of trouble (3 pm and midnight) and also replaced negative behaviors with positive ones. This, in theory, would then carry over into adulthood and currently, it appears that the program is doing just that. Now, tying in last weeks theme with this weeks, JFK's personal physician, Dr. Janet G. Travell, wrote in 1961: "President Kennedy is a walking—or rather running—testament to the principle that people who are active in sports during youth and continue their activity as adults are likely to remain vigorous as they grow older." I think the success of the Iceland model, and the observation from Kennedy's physician in 1961 both confirm that if we can introduce positive behaviors to kids in their youth, then there is a high likelihood that it will carry over it adulthood. Strong kids become strong adults! Fitness Tip of the Week This month I went in for a visit with our physician to ask some questions and to get some blood work taken care of. I never really had a full blood panel done before so this was all new to me. A consequence of not having this testing done is that there is no baseline to compare to. If a red flag were to pop up, you wouldn't know if it was normal for you or abnormal. So in this instance, the only thing one can do is schedule an appointment for a future date and go through the entire process again to compare. If an illness were present, this delay could have some major ramifications. So, my advice is this: get some blood work done on your next visit so you have a baseline! I think this stuff is important because it gives us some insight on what is going on with you internally. We go to the doctor if we have a wound, a fever, something on the surface but it is the things that we cannot see (inflammation in the body, vitamin deficiencies, etc.) that really impact our day to day existence. I write all this as a person whose last doctor visit was in 2016 but the aging process, being a parent and having a family has shifted my mind and following the "ignorance is bliss" model may not be the best approach! What I've Been Watching Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal on Netflix This documentary tells the story of a powerful South Carolina family who believed that they were truly above the law. It starts with sharing a story of a boat accident involving drunk teenagers which led to an incredibly sad tragedy. One life was lost and the kids who lived to tell the tale will never be the same. Then, the series sheds light on the families history, which involves murder, drug addiction, cover ups, and other criminal activities. To be quite honest, it was not the best series that I ever watched but interesting nonetheless. Quote of the Week "The health of the people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their powers as a State depend." -- Benjamin Disraeli I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck
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What I've Been Thinking About...
A few times in my life, actually more than a few, I have gotten myself into a bit of a jam. There is always work to be done and at times, I feel that I keep working with very little consideration to how I am feeling or handling the stress of whatever life throws at you. Then, if not put into check, I find myself getting sick, feeling run down, or experience other health issues that makes you slow down and bring the chaos to a halt. When you feel like crap, you realize that the only thing that matters is your health and getting back to 100%. During this time of feeling a little off, I was reminded of something I heard back at the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. During an interview, Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist, reiterated over and over again the importance of having a healthy body that will eventually play host to a disease. The health of the host body prior to being exposed to any potential threat plays a huge role. So, take care of yourself today, so you can have a better tomorrow. What I've Been Reading How Iceland got Teens to Say No to Drugs20 years ago teens in Iceland had the highest substance abuse rates in Europe. Today, they now have the lowest. In three major categories, they have seen drastic reductions in teens who had been drunk in the past month as that number plummeted from 42% in 1998 to 5% in 2016. Cannabis use went from 17% to 7% and daily cigarette use fell from 23% to 3%. When looking at why kids were chasing these altered states. some members in the government asked, “Why not orchestrate a social movement around natural highs: around people getting high on their own brain chemistry without the deleterious effects of drugs?” They wanted to figure out a way to use healthy alternatives to drugs and alcohol as part of a program not to treat kids with problems, but to stop kids from starting in the first place. The experiment: The country decided to give families a Leisure Card worth over $300 in US money. This money could be used for recreation activities like sports, dance, arts, martial arts, etc. By doing this, and implementing a weekday curfew of 10 pm, it would get kids off the streets between the hours of 3 pm and midnight which happened to be the times where most of the crime, substance use and other trouble was occurring. In addition to the money, they encouraged parents to spend more time with their kids and worked on improving the school experience for every child. So far so good on the experiment and kudos to them! Fitness Tip of the Week It seems spring has sprung and in accordance with the change of season, it may be time to change up our training. Earlier this week, as the sun was shining, I took the kettlebell out in the backyard and got to work. Vitamin D, barefoot training, grounding, and some low level conditioning all while spending some time with the family is always a win. Afterwards, I hopped on the hammock while our daughter played on her swing set and it turned out to be quite a nice afternoon. So here is what I advise:
Some days working with kids are better than others. One day, they may go home and tell their parents it was the most fun they ever had at a workout and on other days, it may be the exact opposite. The same could be said for the coach. I have learned recently that my mood or energy oftentimes dictates how the workouts go. If I have fun, they have fun. If I act like a tyrant, they don't enjoy it and will often times act out like most people do when facing a tyranny. So what is it that I learned? For one, to get engagement, effort and enjoyment out of a bunch of pre-teens and teens, you have to have a little fun and give them some autonomy. This week, we introduced a fun game or activity and then got the heck out of the way! These games included athletic qualities like working on a team, acceleration, deceleration, change of direction, feints, conditioning and more. You give the kids an opportunity to set the teams, follow the rules, and then let them do their thing. The result was high level effort in a competitive environment with little to no play stoppages or instruction. The kids worked through problems and figured out ways to be successful in the parameters of the game. It was great to see them smiling and breathing heavy all at the same time! Quote of the Week "Who will govern the governors? There is only one force in the nation that can be depended upon to keep the government pure and the governors honest, and that is the people themselves" -- Thomas Jefferson I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck Back to Boston
The initial opener for this week was going to be "When it rains it pours" where I was going to share/whine about a variety of little things that have been sprouting up all at the same time. Car issues, ponies getting loose, coaching track, another identity theft issue, hot water heater causing problems and more. There have been a few days this week where I have woken up stressed and anxious about the days to-do list. It felt like I had 100 things to do but only enough time to do 3. Lucky for us, Emi is on spring break this coming week so we decided to visit friends and family in Boston and pick up Emi's birthday gift, a Great Dane puppy! So this weekend, we get to meet Emi's puppy, explore a great American city and enjoy our time with people good people... and relax (I hope!) What I've Been Thinking About In the book Tides of War by Steven Pressfield, the narrator opens with a story from his grandfather. During their dialogue, the elder shares, "One cannot call to mind that which occurred an hour past, yet summon events seventy years gone, as if they were unfolding here and now". How many of you had those moments where you can't recall where you placed your backpack an hour ago but can recite a story from two or three decades past? I have been there and it seems these moments are occurring more regularly than ever. As I think and read on the subject, the conclusion seems to be that experiences that turn out to be very rewarding have been found to lead to stronger and longer-lasting memories. Those childhood moments that created new experiences are totally new to your mind and as a result, get implanted into your brain in a more long lasting way than say, what you ate for breakfast! One more thing on the subject, I believe sharing stories has the power to survive long periods of time (an example is the biblical stories lasting thousands of years). Human beings seem to think and remember stories much better than they would facts, numbers, equations or non-trivial things. Some minor details may change in the story over time but the central theme remains the same. What I've Been Reading 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harrari I just started this book and am excited to work through it. The author has written two books prior to this, Sapiens and Homo Deus, that really changed the way that I think about things. Sapiens takes a look at the history of humankind, Homo Deus looks at what tomorrow and the future has in store for us, and the book mentioned above highlights today’s most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory: the future. Fitness Tip of the Week This week we answer, when and how much cardiovascular training should I do?
"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." -- Thomas Paine I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck News & Notes
Effectiveness of a population-scaled, school-based physical activity intervention for the prevention of childhood obesity The study linked above reviews a large scale study done in Slovenia where 48% of their primary schools and over 34,000 students participated. The purpose of this research was to see the effect of adding an additional 2-3 days of physical activity on the body composition of the students involved in the study. As one might assume, more physical activity led to huge improvements in reducing BMI scores. The greatest improvements were in those children with the highest scores and the results began to really become apparent at the three year mark. What this tells me is that consistent physical activity, done over years, can help fight the childhood obesity rise we have been seeing in recent decades. In volume alone, the schools have the power to impact the most children and as the study indicates, can make a huge difference in the lives of those kids they work with. What I've Been Thinking About In previous research studying the decline in youth sports, one problem presented was the cost of participating in athletics (Nearly 60% of families say youth sports are a ‘financial strain’). As the article estimates, sports can cost anywhere between $100-$500 for a season and if you have multiple kids interested in playing, this expense can become quite costly. For a lot of families, this is just too much and they miss out on the opportunity to gain the benefits of sport and physical activity. When there is no physical activity, negative health effects will occur. So, if the kids aren't playing sports and they are not getting gym class in school, when and where are they getting their physical activity? The global prevalence of obesity has increased at a significant rate in children, growing from about 5% in the 70's to almost 20% today. Along with having an unhealthy weight comes problems like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis and some types of cancer. The likelihood of obese/overweight kids staying that way for their entire life is high. Around 55% of obese children go on to be obese in adolescence, around 80% of obese adolescents will still be obese in adulthood and around 70% will be obese over age 30. If we want to make change, a good place to start is getting physical activity back into the schools! Fitness Tip of the Week I listened to a women in her sixties discuss how grateful she was for her aunt who taught her yoga when she was in her teens. Throughout her life she always used yoga as a way to check in to see if she was centered or not. When she felt out of whack emotionally, physically, or in some cases intoxicated, she would always go back to a few yoga poses to check in. When she failed to perform the move at top form, she knew that she may have went a little too far in one direction or another. I came to a similar realization recently when I participated in one of our yoga classes in the barn. After a few poses I realized I have been neglecting certain areas in my training. I was tight, out of balance and just out of whack. So what did I do with that feedback? I ignored it of course and a few short weeks later, wound up with some serious back discomfort! So here is my advice: Check in with your body, see if there are any potential gaps, and then address (not ignore) those gaps! Quote of the Week "No man should bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nurture and education" -- Crito, lifelong friend and companion of Socrates I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck Who Loves Plants?
This Spring, our daughters school is hosting a fundraiser at Hausman's Fruit Farm located in Coopersburg, PA on May 7th. This event will have family activities, delicious food, skilled artisans, and a fun fitness obstacle course designed by yours truly! As part of the fund raising, they will be selling organic plants from Peace Tree Farm. We have bought vegetables, flowers, herbs, and more from them previously and they have been our go to farm when we start getting our garden prepared. So, when we saw the school was using them, we were excited. If you are interested in checking out the selection, click the following link: United Friends School Plant Sale. If you decide to purchase, you can help Emi and her fellow preschoolers out by entering MANGIAMELI FLUCK into the discount code box and Emi will get recognized for the sale. You won't get a price discount by entering her name but the credit will go towards her and the school is planning a fun treat for the classroom with the highest volume of plant sales. One last thing, pickup is on the day of the event (May 7th). If you cannot be there to pick up your plants, you can assign someone to do so and we will make sure you receive what you ordered. Fitness Tip of the Week The Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) estimates that over 40 million adults suffer from anxiety disorders. For these people, stress and anxiety are a normal part of daily life but it doesn't have to be that way. According to studies cited by ADAA, regular exercise works as well as medication for some people to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the effects can be long lasting. One vigorous exercise session can help alleviate symptoms for hours, and a regular schedule may significantly reduce the likelihood of those symptoms returning. The great thing is that it doesn't have to be anything special or overly organized. Simply adding a 10-20 minute walk has shown similar improvements when compared to those partaking in a 45 minute session. To sum it up, those that exercise are less likely to feel anxious, stressed, or depressed. For one more way to release stress and anxiety, check out the video for a technique that you can do right now in this moment while reading The Weekly Word: Can We Eliminate Anxiety? Healthy Living for Kids Just as healthy kids become healthy adults, unhealthy kids become unhealthy adults. If we want to decrease the likelihood of our child suffering from those scary statistics mentioned above, there are six things that we can start doing today to ensure our children have a better tomorrow!
What I've Been Reading The Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato This story of Socrates has intrigued me in recent years. This man was a philosopher who has been credited with being the founder of western thought and taught many to think, rather than follow. Late in his life, Socrates was put on trial for two "impious acts": the first, failing to acknowledge the gods that the city acknowledges and second, introducing new deities. This was deemed corrupting the minds of the youth in Athens and he was set to face trial. Ultimately, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. Friends and peers encouraged him to flee and it seemed he had an opportunity to do so but he was faithful to his teachings of civic obedience to the law and accepted his death sentence. Socrates drank the hemlock, accepting his punishment, and breathed his final breath. Quote of the Week “I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think” ― Socrates I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck 2 + 2 = 5
In the book 1984, protagonist Winston Smith finds himself in a bit of a situation. In discussion with a friend, they debate whether or not 2 + 2 = 4 or does it equal 5 like they have been told. For some, the idea of 2 + 2 = 5 is all they know and they follow along with that line of thought but Smith knows better. So, he has a choice to make: speak out or follow along. If he doesn't say anything, then the misinformation wins. If he decides to speak out, he may be ostracized, penalized, or worse. This type of scenario plays out in two areas that I am closely connected to. In athletics, multi-sport participation is shown to decrease likelihood of injury, reduce the risk of burnout and promote long term development well beyond high school. In fact, most college coaches in the country want their kids to play multiple sports. This is 2 + 2 = 4. Unfortunately, the information being shared by youth, club or high school coaches contradicts what is known to be best and parents feel pressured or don't have a great understanding of what is best for their kid and follow the coaches guidance (2 + 2 = 5). When it comes to raising kids, we know excess screen time is bad. It leads to decreased physical activity, sleep disruptions, behavioral issues, delays in social skills, and attention problems. As parents, we know this and do what we can to limit it (2 + 2 = 4). Contrary to this, some local schools think otherwise and choose to use iPads for everything causing kids to be on screens 8+ hours a day (2 + 2 = 5). There are some things in the world I do not understand and this is one of them! (click here for more on the topic) Fitness Tip of the Week Last week I woke up at 11:40 pm and couldn't really move. My legs were slightly numb and the back muscles in my lower back were tight. I tried to sit up and failed. I rolled off the bed and hoped it was all a dream and went back to sleep with the idea that I would wake up feeling better. This was wishful thinking! So, after this surprise, I decided to take some time off and then press the reset button. For the first 2-3 days, I did nothing but rest. I wanted to let the inflammation process take its course and on the third day, I started to add in some gentle stretching and did a 20 minute walk. On the following day, the return to training began! Coming back from time off, there were three components I wanted to focus on: Strength, Mobility and Work Capacity. For the strength exercises, I wanted to hit a push and pull for the upper body and then a squat and hip hinge for the lower body. For the mobility, I wanted to help my back heal so I found four exercises that would help promote that. For the work capacity, I wanted to perform a few exercises that were back friendly, core strengthening, and challenging. To find out the details of the program, watch this short video on how I programmed the exercises (click here for the program) and were able to complete them in my living room! Lessons from the Spartans Every few years I either read or listen to the book Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. This book is about the Battle of Thermopylae in which 300 Spartan soldiers were sent to defend the area known as the Hot Gates. The movie 300 was inspired by this tale. Each time I read/listen to this book, something new and thought provoking stands out. This time around, it was a conversation between a young soldier and his mentor Dienekes... Dienekes told his protege that the mind is like a house with many rooms. There are rooms one must NOT go into. Some of those rooms include anger, fear, jealousy, envy, revenge, etc. Any of these passions will lead "the mind toward that "possession" which undoes men in war." Think to moments in your life where you have felt emotions so strong that your mind does not think rationally. Think of those times when you were furious, envious, jealous, and angry: Were you thinking clearly or thinking in a reactionary way? According to Dienekes, it is “that yielding to fear or anger which robs an army of order and reduces it to a rabble." In our own lives, operating that way with our mind possessed by those emotions robs us of thinking clearly and living. So what are you to do when these situations arise? Prepare yourself for anything in a stoic like manner. Respond to situations rather than react and remember, “Habit will be your champion. When you train the mind to think one way and one way only, when you refuse to allow it to think in another, that will produce great strength in battle.” Our battleground will not be as daunting as what Dienekes and the 300 Spartans faced at Thermopylae, but the lessons still relate! (click here for more on this topic) What I've Been Reading Why Not Me: An A to Z Memoir and Self Help Guide for Overcoming Adversity, Addiction, and Relentlessly Pursuing Life Goals by Jason Brader Back when I first started coaching, there was a guy who gave me an opportunity to start working with athletes. He invited me into his gym, had me work speed camps alongside him, and even took me along on a trip to work with the Philadelphia Flyers organization. This man was Jason Brader, the author of the book mentioned above. A few years ago he published his first book and this past week, I finally opened it to give it a read. In it, he discusses his battle with addiction, losing both of his parents to cancer in high school, chasing his dream and so much more! Quote of the Week "Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.” — George Washington I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck |
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