​What I've Been Thinking About...
Last weekend, we were at a family party and while there, we had a great time catching up with everyone. At this point in our lives, everyone seems to have a child of their own and are feeling a bit stressed. We all needed some kid free time or even a few moments talking with other parents or adults. A simple conversation without having a kid hanging on your back or calling your name every 3 seconds is all we were looking for. That is not too much to ask for, is it? Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between!

During the party, when we did have a free moment or two, the chatter typically involved the struggles we are all facing raising a child. For some, it could be mood disturbances, for others it was their child's lack of sleep and having to get a sleep test conducted, or even the ever so common food allergy that afflicts more people than you would think. These conversations oftentimes resemble a therapy session or an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting. Instead of stating, "My name is Chris, I am an Alcoholic" it becomes "My name is Chris, I am a struggling parent". You share your trials and tribulations, they share theirs, and in the end, you all feel a little bit better. The tricky part is actually finding the time to have these conversations!

Fitness Tip of the Week
I ran into a guy this week who experienced a huge weight gain during the lockdowns. This man had a slight frame and went from 130-something to over 180 pounds. Packing on 50 pounds (roughly 40% of his initial bodyweight) during a 1-2 year period is quite alarming. He described his body as "looking like the letter D" and decided it was time for a change.

During this time, he visited Europe (I forget where to be exact) and came to the realization that food tastes better over there and as a result, he felt better. He decided he was going to come home and change his diet. The first thing he did was he went vegan. He saw a decrease in weight but didn't feel quite right. He introduced meat back into his diet and although it tasted great, it made his stomach feel awful. He came to realize that the vegan diet wasn't sustainable long term for him and the traditional diet he was eating was not going to improve his weight issue. So he thought about it and decided he would go vegan for a month, and then switch back to a more traditional diet and continue alternating back and forth each month. For him, this style of eating was something he could adhere to and his body responded well by dropping 20+ pounds. 

The point of sharing this story is not to encourage a vegan diet, a meat diet, or any specific diet for that matter. The point is that when you embark on making a big lifestyle change, it is important to keep a few things in mind. The first is the experimentation process. You have to do a little research, test drive a few things, see how you respond, and continue gathering information in this manner. This takes time so patience is required. The second part is that just because something works, doesn't mean it will be sustainable. Most diets work if you adhere to the guidelines. Adherence rate will either make you or break you. If something is not sustainable long term, then I would advise you to look elsewhere and continue the experimentation process.

Social Media & A Childs Well-Being
As I was researching and preparing to write an article (Is Social Media Killing Youth Sports), I came across some interesting, albeit unfortunate, statistics conducted by The American Journal of Public Health. In 2015, they reported that screen based media is associated with low self-esteem, poor academic performance, obesity and a decrease in fitness. Heavy users of screen based media were less likely to be happy and more likely to have socioemotional difficulties. Young people who chatted on social web sites between 1-3 hours per day were half as likely to be happy than those who chatted for less than an hour per day. 

This was seven years ago. Since that report, social media sites have become more addicting, "binge watching" Netflix or Amazon shows has become a thing, and Youtube is upgrading their user experience to grab your attention and never let go. This type of stimulation has some serious side effects. The more a child uses, the more a child craves. In addition to the mental effect, these services encourage sedentary behavior which is  probably the last thing kids need in their lives. 

What I've Been Reading...
The Afghanistan Papers by Craig Whitlock

During the occupation of Afghanistan, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction conducted interviews with soldiers and high ranking officials to compile a "Lessons Learned" information gathering project. The interviewees were very candid as they shared their thoughts and opinion on the conflict. They did not think that these interviews would get leaked in any way or released to the public. As it turns out, they were wrong. After a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was made and a three year battle in the courts, the details of these interviews were released. This book is a breakdown of what was discovered. 

Winston Churchill once said that, "In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies". It seems the Bush and Obama administration (and eventually Trump & Biden) took that advice to heart in regards to the conflict in Afghanistan. Everything about this 20+ year conflict seems messy and I am having a hard time understanding the rationale behind some of the things that were done, especially after reading these interviews. Either way, it is something I didn't know much about and it is worth the read!

Quote of the Week
"Only the dead have seen the end of war" -- George Santayana, 1922
I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Thinking About...
There is something special about spending time with lifelong friends. Last weekend we were in New York City to celebrate the marriage of one of my long time friends and his wonderful wife. This celebration provided the opportunity to spend some time relaxing with friends at a great hotel in the big apple. When the wedding began festivities began, I took a look around and noticed old friends reunited after years (or decades) sharing stories with one another, cracking up at jokes and just having a blast. It made me smile to see this and appreciate each and every one of them. No matter where life has taken them, their is still that connection from growing up that never seems to fade. 

As I look back and think about why these bonds are so strong, I was a reminded of a quote from author and priest Richard Rohr when he wrote "deep communion and dear compassion is formed much more by shared pain than by shared pleasure". Over the years, these friends and families have been through just about everything with you right by your side. The good, the bad, the loss, the happiness, and every other emotion possible. The best part about it all? They are still there for you and probably always will be. These friendships can never be replicated. Some of these guys and gals are like family to me.

A Moment of Deja Vu
On Friday, we arrived in New York City around 10:30 pm. As we pull up to the hotel, I was exhausted and didn't realize where we were. We got our sleeping child out of the car, checked in, grabbed the rest of our stuff and went up to the room. I then came down to the lobby, said hello to a few familiar faces and went off to find a place to park for the weekend. As I left the building, I saw a sign that read parking with an arrow pointing down. I thought, that was convenient as it was literally one block away. I drop the car off and as I leave the building I was hit with a moment of deja vu...

Roughly 6 or 7 years ago Marisa and I were walking around NYC and came to the area where the Twin Towers once stood. While sightseeing and taking in everything around us, we noticed a small church was open and decided to check it out. Once inside, we were in awe with the story. This small church, literally a one minute walk from the towers, suffered no physical damage. Amidst all the debris and rubble, there wasn't even a broken window! It was a crazy story, one in which is worth the read: Saint Paul's Chapel, The Little Church that Stood. The hotel we were staying at was right in the heart of where one of the worst moments in American history occurred.   

Fitness Tip of the Week
I spent a few hours this week with my old gym comrade, Frank Donley, at what used to be Brickhouse Strength. While there we talked about all kinds of stuff and it was nice catching up with him. During the conversation he brought up how he changed his eating schedule and really saw some huge improvements with his sleep. This approach to eating has been what I have been following for the last 4-5 years and it really fits with my schedule. Let me explain how it works...

The origins of this approach comes from Rhonda Patrick and what she calls Time Restricted Eating (click here for more information). I would say the only rule for this style of eating is that you need to keep your calorie consumption to an 8-12 hour eating window and my personal recommendation is to consume these calories in the first half of the day. I like this for two reasons: one, your glycemic response to the same foods is lower in the mornings and highest in the evenings. So, if you do slip up and eat something not so healthy, consuming it earlier in the day has less of a negative effect than if you were to consume it later in the day. The second reason is that I did not want to eat a meal within a few hours of bed time. While laying down to rest, if your body is digesting food it will impact your ability to get into a deep restful state. Also, for me, a late meal usual equates to me feeling a negative effect in the mornings and sometimes have a heart burn or bloat-like feeling. Either of those things are never desirable! 

If you want more on this topic, check out this video of the Chris Fluck Podcast EP144 (click here to watch)

What I've Been Listening To...
Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, The Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King

I read this book a few years ago while at the beach and found myself speechless multiple times and even today, knowing the story, I am still shocked about how crooked the criminal justice system could be in America. This book tells the story of attorney Thurgood Marshall's defense of four young black men in Lake County, Florida, who were accused in 1949 of raping a white woman. 

Quote of the Week
"I don't want you to be safe ideologically. I don't want you to be safe emotionally. I want you to be strong. That's different. I'm not going to pave the jungle for you. Put on some boots, and learn how to deal with adversity. I'm not going to take all the weights out of the gym; that's the whole point of the gym. This is the gym" -- Van Jones
I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Thinking About...
I was a party recently and while snacking on some food, a life long friend came over and said, "Still doing the health thing I see". I responded with, "yes, I believe I am". Then they said, "it's practically your lifestyle at this point, right?" I said, "yes, I believe it is". They then went on to criticize the food choices they were making and moved on to converse with someone else.

Some of these people were friends with me for most of my life. They remember post-high school Chris as being a bit of a mess in regards to his health. He ate whatever, drank whatever and exercised in a way that wasn't always conducive to being fit. This was a path to slow destruction of my over well-being. The question of "how much do you bench?" was more important than "how big is your waist?" It took years to even get to the point of deciding to get healthier and the combination of a life altering experience (the death of my brother) and meeting the right person (that is you Marisa if you are reading this) finally got me on the right path. 

So what am I getting at with all this? Life is a journey and each year, if you can make it a little more enjoyable, you are doing something right. Old School Chris had a lot to learn and over the years, he started experimenting with different habits. He threw out what didn't work for his lifestyle and kept what did. Over the years, this slow and steady approach has led to some drastic changes in mind and body. Small, incremental change can be a very powerful tool. So powerful that people who haven't seen you in 10 years don't recognize the person you have become...hopefully for the better!

Fitness Tip of the Week
A great way to maximize time and work on all areas of training is to create a mini-circuit or tri-set that includes the following three things: Mobility, Carries and Strength. Lets discuss how to build this program. Lets say you are going to do a pushup. What is involved in performing this act? Chest and shoulders. So, before doing your set of pushups, you perform a stretch that will help loosed those muscles to ensure proper form. Then you pick up a weight and carry it overhead to wake up the shoulder stabilizers and get your trunk warm and ready for action. Then, you perform the pushup. Lets say you are doing 3 sets of 8. Prior to each set, you perform the mobility and the carry. Same concepts for the lower body. Mobility to get loose, sled to get the muscles firing, strength move to get jacked! 

These three tenants support every day life. We want to get up off the floor or out of bed with no discomfort. How do we do that? By staying supple. We want to be able to carry our kid or move a couch with friends without injuring ourselves. How do we do that? By carrying or pushing/dragging sleds for distance. Lastly, we want to fight father time by building and maintaining lean muscle. How do we do that? By performing strength exercises.   

David & Goliath and Parenting
One of my favorite books ever written is Malcolm Gladwell's David & Goliath. I realize I must reference this book often as I ran into an old friend in Easton a few weeks ago and he said, "I read one of the books you mentioned in your newsletter". I asked which one and his response was "David and Goliath". The premise of this book is about how perceived advantages are not really advantages at all. In Goliath's case, he was a huge individual weighed down by armor and heavy weaponry. David was able to strike him at a distance because he was a skilled marksmen and was able to be fleet of foot. The size and armor meant nothing in this battle and actually was a hindrance for Goliath (RIP). 

I was talking with a friend recently who was sharing a story about their child's school experience. While there, the kid gets wrapped up in certain tasks and when it is time to switch and transition to something else, they are in such a zone that they block everything else out, including the teacher talking the them. This leads to child being described as "doesn't listen" (perceived disadvantage) which to me is a bit harsh, unfair and short sighted. As I think about the big picture, a child who has the ability to focus on something with such intensity may actually be a gift. As the child grows in a world filled with endless distractions, this ability will serve them very well so long as what they find interest in serves humanity.   

What I've Been Listening...
I have been listening to interviews with Gabor Mate, a physician and author that specializes in trauma, addiction, stress and childhood development, and each time my mind is blown. In conversations with both Tim Ferriss and Joe Rogan, the role of early childhood treatment and development is greatly emphasized. He even goes so far to say that the stress in a pregnant mothers life will greatly effect how that child perceives the world. Imagine a pregnant mother in an abusive relationship, or in his case, trying to evade the Nazi's, and the amount of stress hormones being released to the body and to the womb. That fight or flight response being constantly activated will impact how that child manages their feelings and their response to stressors as they go through their life.

Hearing it from him will do more justice than me writing about it but I will say this: if you are a parent, everything you do matters. How you talk to your spouse matters. How you handle a crying child matters. Where your child sleeps in the early stages of life matters. How you respond to conflict matters. It all matters. This parenting thing is no joke!

Quote of the Week
"If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate" -Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl who lost his life on September 11th
I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

Summer is Officially Over...
Tuesday marked the end of summer for us as our daughter made her big return to pre-school. All summer long she was pumped to return and then about two weeks ago, she changed her tune. We saw a few glimmers of this throughout the summer as she was hesitant to go to places she loves like Pony Camp. We didn't know what to expect on day one but when she saw a few familiar faces at the door greeting her, she was all smiles!

As I prepared her lunch one day this morning, I realized I was a little bit down in the dumps. I think our entire family has been a little spoiled in the fact that our businesses are at home which allows us to spend a lot of time together and we all took that for granted. Last week I spoke about telling yourself, or your child, a little mantra to get through some tough emotions. I am going to stay with that theme as I try to tell myself over and over that the goal of a parent is to prepare the child for the road and not the road for the child. At some point, we have to let them get on that road of uncertainty and intrigue to explore what the world has to offer... good and bad. 

Fitness Tip of the Week
Now, with that being said, back to school means a little more free time on my end which I am going to try to make the most of. If you are a parent who finds some extra time in their schedule, even if it isn't much, I have a little challenge for you. Over the next 30 days, I want you to improve your physicall fitness and overall well-being. How will you do that? By challenging yourself to complete 20 workouts over the next 30 days. 

What constitutes a workout? Strength training, yoga, a 30+ minute brisk walk, a 20+ minute run, or breaking a sweat on any other cardiovsacular device or training modality you may be comfortable using. This is intentional exercise where you take some time for yourself to better yourself.

What I've Been Thinking About...
For probably close to a decade I have been thinking about the dwindling numbers of kids who participate in athletics. This goes back to my time coaching athletics which began around 2010. Over the years I have seen small football teams, wrestling programs with 2-3 kids on the team, and more recently, sports teams like soccer and baseball not having enough athletes to field a Junior Varsity team. Initially, my thoughts were that there must be some sort of disconnect between youth and high school sports but there is more going on here. 

The Aspen Institute releases their State of Play report every year and while looking at the 2021 trends in youth athletics, I came across some numbers that I have not been able to comprehend. From 2012 to 2019 (this is pre-COVID lockdowns), sport participation decreased in males aged 6-12 from 49.1% to 39.1%. A whopping 10% decrease! In girls of the same age, the numbers went from 33.5% to 32.7%. A small decrease but this makes me wonder, only 33% of young girls play sports? (This is a problem that will be addressed in a future newsletter) Now, for kids aged 13-17 in the same time frame, male participation went from 51.1% to 43.5% and in females from 39.0% to 34.8%. 

Are you ready for a potential new theory/thought experiment: These years align almost perfectly with the rise of social media. This is mere speculation at this point as I am not able to show a cause and effect but it does show a correlation: social media trends upward, sport participation trends downward. 

What I've Been Reading...
The Clergyman's Daughter by George Orwell

George Orwell is one of my favorite writers. His book Animal Farm will forever be a favorite and his other work is equally impressive. What turned me on to his writing happened a few years ago when I read "All Art is Propaganda" which is a collection of critical essays that he penned over the years. Anyway, this book is Orwell's least favorite, one in which he requested to never be printed again. 

At the moment, the pastor's daughter has a spell of amnesia and finds herself in the midst of moving around with various homeless groups. She finally comes to realize who she is but can't seem to figure out a way to get back home. She has written to her father on numerous occasions but has not heard back. She is aware of what the newspapers have been saying about her mysterious disappearance and fears her father may believe the scandalous stories and is ashamed of her. Plus, she comes from a small town and knows that there must be tons of gossip going on there and worries that even know the story isn't true, nobody is going to believe her. 

Quote of the Week
"What really frightens and dismays us is not external events themselves, but the way in which we think about them. It is not things that disturb us, but our interpretation of their significance" -- Epictetus
I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

​What I've Been Thinking About...
For as long as Marisa and I have been together, we have been frequent visitors of the Easton Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. Over the years we have gotten to know some of the vendors and have become quite friendly with a handful of them. This year we have met the owners of De Novo Creamery who sell great tasting non-dairy ice cream. I highly recommend! 

During a conversation yesterday one of the owners was sharing a story of how she realized her interest in the culinary world. While in high school, she signed up for Home Ec but only three kids were registered. The school decided not to offer the class but instead offered a Culinary program. On Mondays they made the menu, on Wednesdays the students placed an order, and on Fridays the food was prepared and delivered. In was during this class that she realized what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. How awesome is that?

When you hear stories about different programs getting cut from high schools or not being a requirement to graduate, it leads me to think about all the kids who may have missed out on an opportunity to be exposed to something that may have been their calling. I think about the kids who never learn how to play an instrument, the kids who never complete an art project or learn the importance of health & fitness in physical education. These missed opportunities carry over into the rest of their life. This culinary class lit a fire in a young girl that led her down the path that she is on now. 

Fitness Tip of the Week
Do hard things. As I write this, my hands hurt from the new program I started. My grip is depleted. I am tired. I also have an inkling that there may be some sore muscles coming in a day or two, but yet, I feel accomplished. Before I move on, let me make something clear: I am no masochist. I don't enjoy discomfort and I don't enjoy sore muscles. I actually whine about it but whining doesn't get you anywhere. Neither does being comfortable. If progress is the name of the game, we have to get a little uncomfortable. As we age and move through life, you either build or decay. Father Time is a cruel master.  

In addition to the health benefits, facing challenges in the physical domain, and overcoming them will prepare you for challenges in the non-physical world. If we do hard things in the gym, in the pool or on the trail, we can use that success to carry us through obstacles outside of the gym. If you fight through a workout when it gets tough, or continue running when you have nothing left in the tank, you can push through some paperword or get up early on a Sunday to finish a newsletter that gets sent in less than an hour.

What I've Been Reading
How the Weak Win Wars by Ivan Arreguin-Toft

This book was referenced in Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath where he discusses how percevied advantages may not actually be advantages. I bought this book at a time where there was no major conflict going on in the world. I remember talking to a Marine in February about how I just don't see how two countries can fight a conventional war. We talked about the style of fighting that went on in places like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan and how that style of fighting has taken over in recent decades. Since that conversation, Russia invades Ukraine and I now realize how wrong I was!

My expectation for reading this book is to understand how David's beat Goliath on the world stage and if any of these lessons apply to everday challenges. MLK once said that "there is a war going on" inside of all of us. Everyone's battle looks a little different and sometimes, you are going to be outmatched. In these instances, are we going to be able to channel our inner "David" and find a way to conquer our inner "Goliath"? 

Lessons from Pre-school
Our daughters pre-school teacher uses the phrase, "calm your body" when the youngsters get worked up. Marisa and I both liked this phrase and began using it at times with our daughter and for the most part, it has been very useful. Early in the week, Emilia and I were leaving the gym and she took a tumble. After scraping her knee on some rocks, she was ready to have a moment. I could see the tears were on their way so I tried to center her attention on something else. I got down on her level and told her to take a deep breathe, that I understood the pain she might be feeling and the sooner she can calm her body, the sooner it will heal up and feel better. I told her to calm her body and then we can talk. She listened, took a few breaths and was able to avoid getting really worked up. I thought to myself, "wow, that worked surprisingly well!"

Having the ability to self regulate and go from a moment of panic to a moment of calmness is an incredible tool to have in your toolbox. I try to remember this myself when frustration sets in. In moments of high stress or anxiety, saying a phrase like "calm your body", or any other mantra, to yourself over and over again may allow you to pause for a moment, to breathe, gain your composure, recenter your attention and perform whatever task it may be that needs to be done. If a four year old could do it, a grown man should be able to as well! 

Quote of the Week
"Do not press a desperate enemy" -- Sun Tzu
I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Thinking About...
I had a great conversation this week with a friend from my childhood, Pastor Matt Gorkos (click here to watch). During the discussion we talked about all kinds of things but at the end of the talk, I came to the realization that what he does for work, what I do for work, and what all the other coaches, teachers, and spiritual leaders do in their profession is try to provide what we called "The Third Place".

The third place is where you spend most of your time outside of work/school and family. The third place can be the gym, a bar, Twitter, your living room watching the news, a martial arts studio, etc. It is literally where you spend your time outside of your two non-negotiable obligations. There is an old adage that goes, "You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with". When you go about looking for a third place, make sure it is a positive environment that can enrich your life. If you surround yourself with good people in good places, you will see those positive influences carry over into your everyday life. 

Fitness Tip of the Week
Sticking with last weeks theme, we are going to introduce the next step in building a strong cardiovascular system. After completing a few weeks of intervals, it is now a good time to add in some longer, slower runs. During this time, an increase in training frequency is of a greater importance than an increase in intensity. What I mean by that is that I would prefer you take a brisk 30 minute walk every morning than one or two grueling workouts each week. 7 days of movement is greater than 2 days of movement. Focus on frequency before intensity. 

When identifying how hard to work while training, I like to follow the incredible advice from Phil Maffetone and what has been deemed the "MAF Method". Here is how it works: MAF Method is where you take 180 and subtract your age from it. If you are 40 years old, you take 180 - 40 and get 140 bpm. Your goal should be to stay between 130-140 for the entire time. If you don't track your heart rate, use the talk test to gauge your intensity level. At this pace, you should be able to have a full conversation for the entirety of the session. If you get short of breath and cannot speak in sentences, you are going too hard. The reason for this pace is that bodies start to break down when they are trained at too high of intensities for too long. Remember the goal: exercise frequency. We want to feel energized by our training, not totally depleted. We are in this thing for the long haul. 

How to implement into your weekly plan... 
I would start with a goal of staying in the MAF numbers for three 20 minute sessions per week. Nothing more, nothing less. When that is accomplished, add 2-5 minutes and continue doing this until you reach 40 minutes of staying in the MAF zone, three times per week. At this point, your conditioning should be greatly improved as well as your body composition. Keeping the heart rate in this zone has been a staple in the world of bodybuilding to burn fat and get leaner. If it worked for them it will most likely work for you!

What I've Been Reading
Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

This guy is one of my favorite authors. His historical fiction books are incredible and so are his motivational, kick in the butt books. This title in particular is a follow-up to his book The War of Art. In each, he discusses chasing your true calling and overcoming the obstacles that everyone will encounter on their journey. 

Over the course of the book he shares stories of personal failures, his contemplation with suicide, historical lessons, and provides the theme of everything you do is practice. You keep showing up. You keep working. You never quit. Often times I think about all the great potential in this world that gave up before the going gets good. They could have literally been one day away from achieving their dream but instead, they quit. Pressfield doesn't want you to quit. He wants you to press on!

Horse Talk
In reading Turning Pro, Pressfield shared a story about an experience he had with a world-class horse trainer. As he went to view a training session of these beautiful thoroughbreds, he thought he was going to see examples of intense training and discipline. Instead, what he saw, was what looked like play. When he asked the world class trainer about this, the response he got was, "A horse that loves to run will beat a horse that's compelled, every day of the week". 

This, to me, identifies the power of intrinsic motivation compared to extrinsic motivation. The horse doesn't run hard becase his trainer is going to give him a treat or because he is scared. He wants to run hard because the trainer created an environment that encouraged that horse to want to do it on his own volition. The key words here are because he WANTS TO, not because he HAD TO. This is a great lesson for all of us who coach or parent. Create the environment where the child wants to do the right thing, not because of some external factor, but because they choose to. 

Quote of the Week
“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” -- Rachel Carson
I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Thinking About...
A big topic of conversation in the gym this week is kids getting cut from sports at public schools. Sports provide an avenue for children to be both physically active and learn the pro-social benefits associated with being on a team. It is not just about playing time or wins and losses. I know people that played a sport for four years and never really saw the field. They have no regrets. They made lifelong friends, have incredible memories, and learned the importance of putting the team first over ones self. These are all incredible things. Unfortunately, some kids are being robbed of these experiences by being removed from the team. 

In middle schools and high schools in my area, the best teams have great participation. Winning is infectious and kids like to be a part of that. Getting more kids into your program, training them, developing them, and turning them into the players you want them to be, is what leads to long term success. It is also what makes a coach a coach. The schools that do this are the schools that win year after year. They don't rely on a good group of kids to carry them to success. It is their program, their coaching and their teaching that builds a great environment which will lead to wins on the field and off. 

I have been on both sides of this equations. Do me a favor this fall, take a look at around at the sidelines and see which teams have the most kids. Then, take a look at their win-loss record over the years and see if there is a positive correlation. In more cases than not, there will be. There will always be star players who create outliers but generally speaking, the more kids you have the greater likelihood that you can build a winning team with coaching and increased competition in practice.

Fitness Tip of the Week
I had a question this week about what to do with an ailing knee and performing cardiovascular training. They enjoy running but it hurts. Prior to hitting the pavement, the muscles, joints, and heart all need to get acclimated to the challenges and rigors of running. In order to do that, I recommend a few weeks of fast walking for about 30 minutes. If this doesn't do the trick and you are looking for more of a challenge, breathe only through your nose during this time. You'll get a great cardiovascular effect without the physical stress that comes with running.

The next thing I would so is the 4x4 interval program. This program works great for beginners or advanced. Begin the session by walking for 5-10 minutes to warmup, then jog at a good pace for 4 minutes. When time is up, you slow down and walk for 3 minutes. That is one rep. In week one, only do one rep. Remember, we are preparing the body for more work in later weeks so don't do too much too soon. In week two, you will do two reps. In week three you do three and in week four you do four. Take 10 minutes to walk after your final rep to cooldown and allow the body to recover properly. 

This slow and steady process will help prepare you for longer runs. We will talk about the best way to incorporate these longer runs in next weeks newsletter!

What I've Been Reading
Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race by Shanna Swan

Heartwarming title for this book, huh? The author of this book, Shanna H. Swan, "is one of the world’s leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists. She is Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. For over twenty years, Dr. Swan and her colleagues have been studying the dramatic decline in sperm count around the world and the impact of environmental chemicals and pharmaceuticals on reproductive tract development and neurodevelopment."

Reproductive viability is decreasing at fast rates, every year. Swan does an amazing job sounding the alarm on this issue and makes me wonder what the future looks like for those wanting to have children. There are a lot of factors that could potentially effect having children and when they are in combination, really limit the likelihood.  Countries like Japan are already seeing this play out with very low birth rates so it may only be a matter of time before this starts to show up in America. 

The Community
As I look around the countryside where we live, I have noticed that things are starting to look a bit different than it did in 5-10 years ago. Warehouses are appearing where wooded areas used to be, farms are turning into developments, and generally speaking, the area itself is working its way towards becoming a little less rural. All of these changes are bringing people physically closer together but does it bring people together socially? 

I have to be honest here, I have a proclivity to keep to myself. I spent a good chunk of my life keeping to myself and staying fairly quiet. One may call this being an introvert and I probably fit that definition to a tee, but every so often, when the topic is right, I feel energized by talking to people. These aren't the, "what do you do for a living" conversations. These conversations are about books, raising kids, physical training, problems in the world, etc.

I also learned that these conversatons don't happen when you stay in your shell. These conversations don't happen online. They come in person, face to face, with one or more people listening to each other, learning, hearing, agreeing, disagreeing. One last thing, even though it doesn't feel like it, it is possible to be friends with someone who you don't agree with on everything. Remember that. 
Quote of the Week
"Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth" - Albert Einstein

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

The Sun Burns Hot Down Here
On Tuesday of this week we boarded a plane in Philadelphia and headed down to sunny Florida. Marisa's brother is getting married and both the bride and the grooms family are spending time together at a beautiful resort. At the current moment, Marisa and Emilia are getting their hair done and I am sitting in our room wondering what to do with some solitude. I did not intend on writing a newsletter this week but here we are... 

When vacations are approaching, I have the intent of working like a madman (on the property, for the business, with my workouts) so when you finally reach your destination, your hard work can be rewarded with nothingness. I have no expectations. I have no plans. All I want to do is spend time with my family, rest, relax, and read if the opportunity presents itself. 
 What I've Been Thinking About...
"Every Marine knows the story of Lewis "Chesty" Puller but not every Marine knows the story of Lewis Puller Jr." -- Jocko Willink

I was listening to a podcast this week and came across the story of heralded Marine Lewis "Chesty" Puller. This was a man who served his country with honor. from 1918 to 1955 receiving the second-highest U.S. military award six times, five Navy Crosses and one U.S. Army Distinguished Service Cross, among others. To say he was a legend would be huge understatement. His service is so revered that the mascot of the Marine Corps, a male English Bulldog, is named in his honor. So, like Jocko stated in the quote above, every Marine knows about Chesty Puller. 

Moving on to his son, he had big shoes to fill. Born in Camp LeJeune while his father serving, Lewis Jr. followed in his fathers footsteps and joined the Marine Corps. While serving in Vietnam, Puller was wounded when he tripped a booby-trapped howitzer round, losing his right leg at the hip, his left leg above the knee, his left hand and most of his fingers on his right hand in the explosion. The doctor that worked on him thought there was no way this man would survive, but survive he did. He became a father, a lawyer, ran for political office, and won the Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography Fortunate Son. He was an impressive man but he was also a troubled man. He struggled with alcoholism, painkiller addiction, depression and eventually took his own life as a result of the darkness he felt he could not escape.

Both of these men are heroes. One of these stories gets told often, the other, not so much. Lewis Puller Jr. struggled for 16 years in civilian life. No matter what he did, no matter what he accomplished, he could not escape the darkness. It is a harrowing tale, one in which we shouldn't forget, enlisted person or not.

Fitness Tip of the Week
“Once you start viewing sunlight in the morning on a regular basis, you not only start to sleep better, you also feel more alert and focused at regular times of day. We all have a hard wired “sunlight hunger’ we need to feed.” Dr Samer Hattar chief and senior investigator for the NIH

After listening to Stanford University Neurobiologist Andrew Huberman discuss the importance of early morning sun exposure, it opened my eyes to an additional benefit of getting outside in the morning for a walk. In his words, as you expose your eyes to sunlight upon waking, you will have "increased day time alertness, better focus, better sleep, and improved immune health." In my opinion, taking a 30 minute walk within the first two hours upon waking sets the tone for the day. Focus, energy, alertness, and overall well-being are all greatly improved by getting outside for some early morning physical activity. 

What I've Been Reading
The Storied Church: A Strategy for Congregational Renewal by Matthew Gorkos

The author of this book is an old childhood friend of mine who is now a pastor. I came across his book somewhat recently and decided to reach out and check in. To me, the main focus of this book addresses the problem most churches face with dwindling attendance. This downward trend was occurring for decades prior to the lockdowns and since, has seen an even sharped decrease. There is some great stuff in this book with a few ideas that are applicable across many professions. If you work with people, there is something for you here.

I am glad I bought this and look forward to discussing it with him very soon on the podcast!

Quote of the Week
“Shame is the deepest of the “negative emotions,” a feeling we will do almost anything to avoid. Unfortunately, our abiding fear of shame impairs our ability to see reality.” -- Gabor Mate

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck

What I've Been Thinking About...
On Tuesday night I was at my daughters gymnastics class and while chatting with a few parents, a young kid worked his way in between us and started talking. The conversation  begins with him telling me about his sister being in the gymnastics room, how old he was (8 years old), how much he enjoys swimming, his thoughts on video games and more. While discussing his love for video games he mentioned the game Minecraft. I told him I wasn't much of a gamer but he continued on the subject and mentioned that he also liked shooter games. I asked him why and he responded, "I want to see what it is like killing someone". 

Those are strong words no matter who delivers them but when it is out of the mouth of an 8 year old, it really makes you wonder. As I was thinking about this conversation I couldn't help thinking about how what we consume effects our brain. When I was younger listening to gangster rap, I did not think the lyrics of that style of music would effect my opinion or thoughts much. Turns out, I was wrong. Those lyrics didn't lead me to commit violence or rob someone but it did kind of desensitize that type of behavior. I think the same is true for video games. If you take in negative stories or surround yourself with negative people, those traits will start to rub off on you. The inverse of that is also true. If you surround yourself with goodness and positivity, your life will be better. I can promise you that!

Fitness Tip of the Week
If you are anything like me, sometimes you just have a need for speed!

There may come a time in your life when you have to move fast. It could be running towards a situation to lend a helping hand or running away from danger in an effort to stay safe. Either way, what gets trained gets improved. Adding speed training into your current program is a fun way to improve your health and increase your capacity to be useful if the situation presents itself. Before embarking on this journey, keep one thing in mind: everything you do prepares the body for what is coming next. Take the necessary time to get your body ready for sprints by slowly adding intensity and reps each week. If you rush this, you will experience problems. It could be extremely sore muscles, a hamstring strain, a back tweak or something worse!

I broke all of this down in a video Speed Training Past your Prime! where I use a whiteboard to explain some of the drills. I would recommend watching it if you embark on this sprint journey. If you do not end up watching it, here is how I would implement it:

• 2-4 weeks of long, slow jogs
• 2-4 weeks of Interval training where you introduce faster running 
• 2-4 weeks of hill sprints 
• 2-4 weeks of flat sprints

What I've Been Reading
Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed by Philip Hallie

I first caught wind of the story of Le Chambon in Malcolm Gladwells book "David and Goliath", which I would consider a must read. I would also add Lest Innocent Blood be Shed to that same list!

It is not often that my expectations are blown away from a book but this Philip Hallie book has done it. I am kind of obsessed with the story and have been maniacally taking notes. Here is how the book is described: "During the most terrible years of World War II, when inhumanity and political insanity held most of the world in their grip and the Nazi domination of Europe seemed irrevocable and unchallenged, a miraculous event took place in a small Protestant town in southern France called Le Chambon."

This book is an incredible example of good beating evil through love, nonviolence, and taking care of their fellow humans. 

One of Them vs One of Us...
In the aforementioned book, the residents of Le Chambon experienced something that still shows it ugly head in present time. There was a hard line in those days of the war for some people between "one of us" and "others". Some people felt they had a moral obligation to help only "one of us". This would mean that a non-Jewish European would refuse to aid a Jewish refugee due to the fact that they were not "one of us" and helping them would put them, and their family in danger. 

The pastor in town Andre Trocme and his wife Magda did not agree with that line of thinking. They decided they would take care of anyone who walked to their door. If there was someone in need, they would try to fulfill that need, to the point that Magda fed the Nazi policemen who arrested her husband because they looked hungry. They were truly unique people. 

The title for the book was taken from a Bible passage: "Lest innocent blood be shed in your land...and so guilt of bloodshed be upon you". They felt if evil was going to be done in their community, and they did nothing about it, then the would be complicit and just as guilty as those who committed the act. They followed their conscience and did what they felt was necessary.


Quote of the Week
"And in every one of us, there's a war going on. It's a civil war. I don't care who you are, I don't care where you live, there is a civil war going on in your life. And every time you set out to be good, there's something pulling on you, telling you to be evil." -- Martin Luther King Jr. 

I hope you all have an awesome week!
Chris Fluck