New Years Sweepstakes!
Before getting to this weeks edition of the Weekly Word, I want to share with you all that this holiday season, I am bringing back the Sweepstakes! This year we will be raffling off SIX gift certificates for the gym totaling $1000! There will be ONE grand prize winner who receives a $300 prize, TWO second prizes will be given out at $200 each, and THREE third prize gift certificates each being for $100! 

If you would like to enter, click the following link to register: New Years Sweepstakes!

What I've Been Thinking About...
The Quakers. That is right, I am talking about those guys and gals who helped found the great state of Pennsylvania. A few years ago we decided to enroll our daughter in the United Friends School in Quakertown, Pa (great name for a town that has a Quaker school, right?). We chose this school for a few reasons but some of their basic tenants are all things we believe in: peace, integrity, community and the environment. These kids get to explore the outdoors, learn about the inner goodness that we all have within us, and work on projects that are really impact the local community. 

Around the time we made the decision to go there, I decided to buy a book titled Quaker Writings: An Anthology. Since the time of purchase, this book has done nothing but collect dust on my bookshelf! So, after skipping over this book for what seems like a thousand times, I decided to pick it up and start reading it. As I make my way through the introduction, a few things piqued my interest as the author sets the stage for the rest of the book. The author shared that after moments of depression, despair, or challenge, the Quakers viewed these times as a "baptism" or an opportunity for a rebirth. I like this idea. With every challenging moment, there is an opportunity for you to learn and become a new person. It is comparable to the idea of creation after destruction. If you can push through and get to the other side of whatever you are facing, you will become a new, better version of yourself. 

Fitness Tip of the Week
A long time ago I ran into an old friend at the local pool and he looked over surprised to see me swimming laps. We made some small talk and eventually he asked, "What are you training for?" I gave him a little smile and said wryly, "I am training for life, bro". 

In hindsight, I realize that the snarky comment turns out to be pretty accurate. Completing races, playing sports, or hitting personal records in the gym are all fine and dandy but eventually, these things come to an end and you have to find a purpose to train other than for external rewards. There is not always going to be a carrot dangled in front of your nose urging you to keep moving. Eventually, you are going to have to train for that person you see in the mirror. Below I outlined a few ideas that we should all keep in mind when trying to live a long, healthy life!

1. There will be times throughout the year where you work towards accomplishing a goal. Set aside 8-12 weeks and give 100% effort on completing the task. By doing this, you will learn a lot about yourself and your willingness to succeed. This success or failure will carry over into other areas of life so make sure you give it your all! 
2. Cardiovascular training is important if you want to live a long and healthy life. Don't skip it! You have some options here as you can train for long periods of time at a slow pace, perform intervals (2-4 minutes at a higher intensity, then a recovery), or perform sprints (4-10 second bursts). You can bike, swim, walk, jog or use any piece of cardio equipment you want. 
3. Variety is the spice of life. Just like the seasons change, so too should your exercise selection! Rotate through the cardio ideas listed above and do the same for strength exercises, sets and reps. Lift heavy for low reps, lift moderate weight for high reps, perform exercises for time, or work to failure for one set. Sky is the limit here so do a little research and find something that you will enjoy. 
4. Take time to practice and learn new skills. These new skills provide a fresh stimulus for your brain that will create growth in mind and body. This could be yoga, kettlebell training, rock climbing, hiking, swimming, or anything else you want to try!

If you would like more on the topic, check out podcast episode 174: Need Help with Creating a Fitness Plan?

What I've Been Watching...
Ancient Apocalypse on Netflix. 
The creator of this series is a very interesting man. He is an investigative reporter who believes that he has found evidence of advanced lost civilizations that pre-date our current understanding of human history. Like any good reporter, he has ruffled some feathers as his work exposes flaws in the current belief system. As a result of this, he has been ostracized and his work has been viewed as junk science. In this series, he visits and makes reference to over a dozen sites and ponders what could have been.

My understanding of ancient civilizations is beyond amateur but I will say this, Graham Hancock paints a convincing picture! One thing I really enjoy so far is the parallels between civilizations that existed on opposite ends of the world, and sometimes thousands of years apart. The physical structures are similar as are their beliefs systems in some instances. It seems most of these cultures had a flood story that helps explain their origins, snakes references show up all over the world, a crazy understanding of astrology, and more. These similarities in today's day and age are not that impressive, but considering these stories and structures are thousands of years old, Hancock really makes you wonder about their connectedness.  

Quote of the Week
"Sports is like a double-edged sword. Swung in the right direction, the sword can have tremendously positive effects, but swung in the wrong direction it can be devastating. The sword is held by adults who supervise children's sports" -- Rainer Martens

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Watching...
A few weeks ago I was chatting with a friend via email and they recommended that I check out a documentary titled Stutz. This film was directed by Jonah Hill and its goal was to highlight the psychological teachings of Phil Stutz, Hill's real like therapist. This film starts a bit slow with Hill asking his therapist a series of questions about his life, his techniques and other basic interview type questions. Around the 30 minute mark, they realize they need to make a change as it seems the film is going nowhere. After talking with Stutz, they decide that it was time to open up and become vulnerable. There will be no more hiding behind safe answers or sneaky production tricks. If they want this film to work, they must be authentic. 

There are some tough moments for these men during filming. They discuss childhood struggles, share stories of losing their brothers, the relationships they had with their parents, whether or not the let love into their lives, and one of my personal favorites, their ability to crack jokes during tough times rather than feel the emotion of the moment (I suffer from this disease too!). As this film wraps up, you begin to see that these two men care deeply about one another. They dedicate the film to their brothers and in hindsight, the bond that they share is comparable to brotherhood. It was a very good film and one in which I plan on watching again. 

Fitness Tip of the Week
The Aspen Institute's Project Play does a great job researching trends in physical activity levels in children in an effort to build healthy communities through sports. It is their belief that active communities do better and they have the data to support it. Some of the interested areas highlighted in their research is that they discovered that active communities have lower obesity rates, less smoking, less heart disease, higher property values and lower unemployment. So how do we get these benefits and improve the health of our communities? 
To me, the biggest impact we can make in a community is through the children. Physically active children are usually associated with being influenced by physically active adults. If we want the future generation to be active, then we have to be active. If you are a parent, teacher, coach or in any other mentor-type of role, you have the ability to positively effect the activity levels of the children you work with. In turn, our community will benefit not only in the short term but for many years to come. Remember, what you prioritize in your everyday life, they (the kids) will prioritize. If we want to improve the health of our community, we need to lead by example and show these young bucks what healthy living is all about!
The benefits and motivation to be physically active goes way beyond looking healthy. In early childhood, physically active kids have been found to have higher test scores and improved self-efficacy. As they move through adolescence, these kids are 15% more likely to go to college, they're less likely to partake in risky behavior like smoking and drug use, and have higher self esteem. As they progress into adulthood, they become more productive at work, have higher earnings, and reduce the rate of disease. If we want a healthier, more productive community, it starts with us and the example we set forth!
For more, check out podcast episode 171: Active Communities do Better 

What I've Been Thinking About...
Did you ever just wake up one morning and feel like you were in a funk? Nothing seems to be going right and you say things like, "it's just one of those days?" Well, I had one of those days last week and it happened to occur on the morning after watching the aforementioned documentary. When Stutz was a child, he and his father were on a plane and as they were taking off, Young Stutz was a little uncomfortable. The plane was surrounded by dark clouds and he worried that they might have to deal with it for the entire trip. If any of you have ever flown through storm clouds, you know it can get a little turbulent. His father tried to reassure him and let him know that the sun is just beyond those clouds. They had to experience some tough moments but soon, they will burst through the dark clouds and see the light. Those dark clouds will be a thing of the past, they just had to work through it. 

As a therapist, he uses this plane story to help his clients understand that the "Black Cloud". The black cloud is that feeling I had when I woke up last week. At some point, in all our lives, we will all experience these thoughts. It may be there for short periods of time or it may stick around a little longer. One thing we must remember is that the sun is shining on the other side of those clouds. We just have to work to get there. To Stutz, the one thing that can help get you through those clouds sooner, rather than later, is gratitude. On these days, if you take a few moments periodically throughout the day to recite things you are grateful for, the sun will slowly start to appear. I tried this last week and it really helped. If you are having one of those days, give gratefulness a shot and see how it makes you feel! 

Jesus in Disguise?
Over the past decade-plus, in my line of work, I have been fortunate to meet people from all walks of life. There have been members of both political parties, atheists, churchgoers, high income earners, low income earners, various ethnicities and more diverse encounters than one can count. I have learned that if you treat people reasonably well, they will most likely reciprocate. If you act is if everyone you encounter is a friend, the world becomes a much more pleasant place for all involved.

I recently heard a story involving Mother Theresa that really made an impact on my mindset. During her life, she served the poorest of the poor, the infirm, the homeless, practically anybody that was in dire need of assistance. As a result, she was awarded the Noble Peace Prize and was canonized posthumously. In her case, she treated everyone as if they were Jesus in disguise. She asked, if this sick person was Jesus, what would I do? She served every individual with incredible care and made them feel like they were the most important person in the world. The results of her work speak for itself. I like this approach!

Quote of the Week
"My biggest fear is not getting enough done before I die" -- Phil Stutz

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Thinking About...
I was listening to an interview with author Steven Pressfield and he shared a story from one of his books involving Alexander the Great. On the quest to rule the world, Alexander and his lieutenants were stopped in their tracks by four men sitting in meditation. After refusing to move, one of Alexander's henchmen lost his cool. He looked at them and said, “This man (Alexander The Great) has conquered the world! What have you done?” The philosopher replied with no hesitation, “I have conquered the need to conquer the world.” Alexander marveled at this response and said laughingly, if I wasn't the man I am today, it is this man I would aspire to be. 

I absolutely love this response. These yogi's were all warriors at some point in their lives but they moved on. They no longer fight the external foes that come with battle but rather focus on the internal conflicts associated with life. These men found peace with their former self and no longer have the desire to fight, to destroy, to pillage. This is a powerful thing. The inability to do this is why we see so many people who seemingly "have it all" struggle with depression, addiction, suicide and other mental health issues. They continue to try and conquer to prove one's worth and in the end, it destroys them. The cars, the money, and the drugs offer nothing but short term pleasure and a distraction from the real work which is working on one's self.

Fitness Tip of the Week
I am a firm believer in the idea that their are seasons for everything. Just as the weather changes, so too should your physical training. Throughout the year, an optimal training program will have periods of time where we are trying to accomplish a challenge, periods of learning, and periods of just checking the box making sure we do something physically active each and every day. 

1. Challenges: Take a look at your calendar and see if you have a gap in there where you can dedicate more time to training. What you will do here is dedicate 6-10 weeks to work on fat loss, accomplish a strength feat, participate in a race, or any other physical challenge that suits you. You learn a lot about yourself as you train and troubleshoot the best way to reach your goal. This time of the year spices up training a bit and takes things to another level. 
2. Learning: Imagine if each year we can learn or improve upon a new skill. The options are endless but it could be swimming, olympic lifting, rock climbing, hiking, yoga, or anything that provides a new training stimulus. You will most likely be terrible at it initially but when you finally figure it out, and do something you have never done before in your life, the joy from that is something special.
3. Punch the clock sessions. It is this stage that I am personally at right now. The schedule is busy so to set myself up for success, I keep a kettlebell on the front porch and a TRX strap in the house. Depending on the day, I will perform exercises like kettlebell snatches, clean & presses, turkish getups, swings, squats and a few suspension trainer exercises over the course of 10-20 minutes. I typically do this first thing in the morning so I can "check the box" before the days distractions begin to show up. One added benefit, I haven't used kettlebells consistently in awhile so the workouts are challenging. My grip strength and cardiovascular system are seeing great benefits from these HIIT-type of workouts.

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What I've Been Listening To...
This week I was reminded of a Linkin Park song and after going down the rabbit hole known as YouTube, I came across this performance of One More Light. To give a quick backstory, the lead singer Chester Bennington was very close with Chris Cornell who, one day prior to this performance, took his own life. I remember the day Cornell died as I was a big fan and was a bit heart broken. I am not one to get caught up in celebrity deaths but this one effected me for some reason. Cornell was special in the way he can emote through his music with that once in a lifetime type of voice. Same can be said of Bennington from Linkin Park. I don't love all their music but to hear their front man sing you have to admit, the dudes got some pipes!

At the end of the performance, he loses it a bit and I don't blame him. To make matters even worse, Bennington took his own life two short months after dedicating this song to his friend. On the surface, one might think these men had it all. They were known throughout the world for their voice and had crowds eating out of the palm of their hands. Their talent allowed them to dominate the music charts but, like so many others, their gift came from a place of pain. It is this pain that made them special. It was this pain that they were not able to overcome. It is a beautiful song with a great message. 

A Few Random Thoughts from a Parent
I came to a realization recently about our role as parents and the impact it has on our children. The things that you prioritize are going to be the things that they prioritize. If all you talk about is fancy clothes, then they are going to want fancy clothes. If you make fun of someone for the way they look, then they are going to make fun of the way people look. If all you talk about is winning at all costs, then the child is going to do the same thing. To think otherwise is foolish. What you say and do matters. There are no free lunches as the saying goes. Everything has a consequence, intended or not. Being a parent is the greatest responsibility that one will ever have. Take it serious and choose your actions wisely!

Quote of the Week
“The hardship of the exercises is intended less to strengthen the back than to toughen the mind.” -- Gates of Fire

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck