Monthly Archives

February 2018

Feb 27
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Episode 145: Interview with Matt Mosman formulator of PerformElite

By | Podcast

In this episode Mo and Miles chat with Sports Nutritionist and formulator of the best pre-workout supplement for endurance athletes Matt Mosman. We discuss:

• How all pre-workouts are NOT created equal and how most of the products we consume actually constrict blood flow making your training or racing even harder • How most supplements on the market are not what they appear to be
• What makes PerformElite different and actually more beneficial than others on the market
• The importance of quality ingredients in the appropriate amounts for your health and performance
• and more!! Trust us, if you take supplements of ANY kind, you will want to listen to this episode

CLICK HERE to listen or download from iTunes Stitcher or SoundCloud

To learn more check out www.endurelite.com

Find them on social media @endurelite

 

Feb 25
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Mindset & Meditation: The Obstacle is the Way

By | Mindset

The Obstacle is the Way

 

“There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means” – Ryan Holiday

How often have you been sidelined by an injury in training or sport, had a work project rejected or a deal/sale fall through? How many times have you asked yourself “what if”, or said, “If things would have only been different”. I know I have. Yet every time I reflect and really look at the situation that occurred and how it could have gone better, or different, I am immediately glad it didn’t.   If not for those obstacles in my path I would not be where I am today. Writing these words, working with amazing people, married to an incredible woman that shares my values, beliefs, and passions. Let me give you an example.

My journey to become who I am today began with a pretty traumatic “obstacle”. Without going into too much detail I will tell you the story. Late one Friday night in 2004 I was leaving a bar after hanging out with some family that were in town. We had a great time, and by great time I mean we drank and danced… A lot… I vaguely remember leaving the bar. The next thing I know I woke up in a hospital ER bed, with a neck collar on and my mom and sister by my side trying to wake me up. I had no idea what happened. They told me that two men had jumped me when I sat down in my truck in the parking lot outside of the bar. The orbital bone under my left eye along with my nose was shattered and both would need to be surgically repaired. As a result of this incident I have to this day, nerve damage on the left side of my face, I have a plate and seven screws under my left eye which makes me look like I have a shiner, especially after being in the sun, double vision when looking at certain angles, and my breathing is inhibited through my nose. So I have the world’s longest lasting black eye, going on 14 years, and I can’t breathe well through my nose, which is AWESOME as an endurance athlete (insert eye roll). Some, if not all, would say this was a pretty bad deal. I also have to tell you that leading up to this incident I was in the best physical shape of my life. I was training for an off-road Ironman triathlon and had just the day prior swam the best and farthest that I ever had in my life and I felt incredible! My fitness was exactly where it needed to be and I couldn’t be happier. Then WHAM! Literally… not only could I not swim, but I couldn’t run, cycle, lift weights or do ANYTHING that elevated my heart rate for at least 6-8 weeks without the risk of permanent eye/visual damage. Oh, did I mention that I also had a wicked concussion? All that hard work was gone in an instant, and I was devastated.

Fast-forward a couple weeks. During my recovery, two of my clients that were very into holistic health and healing gifted me a session with Dr. Peter Jailet, their Chiropractic Neurologist, that practiced healing by addressing brain function first. What happened during that session and the sessions over the next several months altered my path and lead me to the place I am today. I began to study holistic nutrition and healing which lead to me attend IIN, The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I then studied to be a Dr. of Naturopathic Medicine for two years, learned how to apply that to athletes, became an endurance coach, and on the story, certifications, public speaking, and teaching goes. You see if had not been attacked that night in the parking lot I would have never gone to see Dr. J. If I had not been attacked I would have driven while highly intoxicated and could have had an accident, been arrested for DUI, or even worse, injured or even killed another driver. That terrible obstacle that completely knocked me off of my Ironman path opened the barn doors to the world of healing. What I have been privileged to learn and share with others, especially my work with our adaptive athletes would never have happened. My going to nutrition school is what sparked the first conversation and lunch with my now wife Alix. That too would have never happened. I am exactly where I want to be, doing what I love every day, and I would not change it for the world. That terrible obstacle lead me to MY way, and my perception of that event back in 2004 has changed from anger, regret, embarrassment, and guilt, to gratitude.

Feb 18
0

Mindset & Meditation: Stealing Joy

By | Mindset

Stealing Joy

 

This week’s mindfulness echo’s last week’s post on “Look Within”. Too often, especially in the digital age, we let our happiness be determined by “likes”. We glare at photo-shopped images comparing our bodies to others, and we let other people’s opinions impact OUR attitude and mood for the day. All of these have one thing in common. They steal our happiness, our self-confidence, our self-worth, and our joy.

 

In the meditation from last week we are guided to not seek approval from outside sources, rather, look within yourself to find your happiness, what makes you unique, and THAT is what you should focus on.   There are also those out in the world, fire starters, who thrive on getting a “reaction” out of you. These people are thieves of your joy. If left alone, they have no power, but they poke and poke waiting for the moment you break and reply/react. You have just given them power. Think for a moment about the last time something you read or heard got you all fired up. Now think of how you then acted towards other people thereafter. Were you kind and patient, or were you short and potentially rude?

 

The same rule applies in traffic, where we all tend to lose it from time to time. Nothing gets under our skin more than the person that cuts us off in traffic. This is where your mindfulness practice is put to the test. We think that this jerk cut us off on purpose, and maybe he/she did, but maybe they are rushing to help someone, get to the hospital, make it to an important meeting on time and they simply didn’t see you. Maybe they did see you and they feel bad for cutting you off but don’t have time, or know how to say sorry/thanks/oops in that spit second. Whatever the case may be, don’t let traffic or people in traffic steal your joy. Again, there are folks on the road that like to “poke the bear”, however, it is up to you whether or not you react. Instead of getting angry and letting them know they are number one with that special digit, create a picture of patience and say to yourself and them, “I hope you get where you are going safely and everything is alright”. Then smile and wave. Try it, and I assure you, that you will feel a sense of happiness and peace instead of anger, and you will go through your day a bit more confident in your ability to stay calm and be happy.

Feb 18
0

The Health Episodes #4: If you are Sick of Getting Sick, Listen to This

By | Podcast

With flu, colds, and pneumonia running rampant this year, we want to help keep you healthy and strong. In this episode we talk about our “go to” supplements that can greatly reduce your risk for getting sick, and/or as soon as you feel sickness coming on, can help reduce the severity and length of your ailment and get you back on your feet!

CLICK HERE to listen or download from iTunes, Stitcher or SoundCloud

Get your supplements and build your immune system at www.linkendurance.com/shop

 

Feb 13
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Episode 144: An interview with Beni Gifford Like you Have Never Heard Before

By | Podcast

In this episode Miles and I chat with our friend Beni Gifford.  We start the show as we always do, wanting to not just learn about training and racing, but really dive into what makes our guests tick, and boy did we learn a lot! Beni opens up, enlightens us, and shares some diamonds, not pearls, of wisdom that you absolutely must hear!

You will here and learn:

  •  How to use the “why” technique for things you want or how you want to become, perform, etc.
  • How Beni uses meditation and one of the best/funniest mantras I’ve ever heard to get through hard races
  • How he has made difficult choices and not followed the status quo of what he “should be doing” in order to follow his own unique path to happiness in life
  • How to prevent conflict with co-workers, family, & friends with the “call out at point easy” technique
  • Why it is so important to chase your dreams
  • His greatest OCR influences and heroes
  • How he views his body as a Ferrari and how he uses nutrition to fuel the machine!
  • Why he thinks “NO WAN” will beat Hunter McIntyre on the Skull Buster
  • The reemergence of his alter ego “Antonio”
  • and a LOT MORE!! Seriously you will walk away from this episode inspired

CLICK HERE to listen or download from iTunes, Stitcher, or SoundCloud

Check out Muse Wearable meditation band HERE

Feb 11
0

Mindset & Meditation: Look Within

By | Mindset

Look Within

I first listened to this guided meditation one pre-dawn morning sitting on a beach in Maui.  My external surroundings were incredible, but the message in the meditation helped me to realize that, internally, everything I was working towards and trying to become was already present, I simply needed to be still, look within, and listen.

When we search for a goal, or aspire to be/look/perform/act a specific way we more often than not look at other people. Our thoughts become fixated on, “if I could just be like/look like XYZ, then I would reach the goal, or be happy”. This week’s focus is to set aside your desire to look or be like someone else, and to go within yourself to discover who YOU are and understand that, you are exactly who you are supposed to be, and that whatever it is you are seeking to find/become is already in you. You simply need to be still, be quiet, look within, love yourself, and listen…

 

For this week’s audio you will need to download the free Insight Timer app on your smartphone. Search for Sarah Blondin and listen to “Discovering Your Intrinsic Self”

Feb 04
1

Episode 143: Rea Kolbl Reviews Spartan SoCal, Her New Training, How to Race Happy and More

By | Podcast | No Comments

In this episode Spartan Champ and World’s Toughest Mudder Champ Rea Kolbl stops by and talks about:

  • Her recent domination at Spartan SoCal
  • The pads on Twister and Pre-filled buckets
  • How her training has changed since moving to Colorado
  • Her Manitou Incline run
  • Why it is important to race happy, and how to do this 🙂
  • Her race goals for 2018
  • and more!!

CLICK HERE to listen or download from iTunes, Stitcher, or SoundCloud

Check out these articles on the benefits of smiling 🙂

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/08/smiling-benefits_n_6598840.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/7-benefits-smiling-and-laughing.html

You can grab the coconut milk that I talk about with Rea in our shop at www.linkendurance.com and click the “shop” tab

Here is the pre-workout supplement Rea mentions

Feb 04
0

The Health Episodes #3: Margaret Schlachter talks about Pole Dancing, Simplifying, Finding Balance Amongst fad Diets, and More

By | Podcast

When Alix and I started the Health Episodes I mentioned to her that I wanted to interview some folks to talk about health, fitness, and such. Margaret immediately came to mind, I reached out, she responded in about 3 seconds, and the rest is history :-).  It was perfect timing too, as she just published and article about finding joy and simplifying for her 2018 goal.

In this episode Margaret Schlachter talks with us about:

  • Her adventure in to pole dancing, how damn hard it is, and how it may be an Olympic sport soon.. yep you read that right.. 🙂
  • How she began a social media cleanse to connect with friends better
  • How she found balance and practical application with Wim Hoff and the Keto diet
  • How you can “stack” your training to get in movement, cooking, & meditation all at once
  • Her book recommendations for 2018 that encompass all aspects of health & wellness
  • And more!

CLICK HERE to listen or download from iTunes, Stitcher, or SoundCloud

Check out Margaret’s blog post on “The Year of Simplicity” here

Books Margaret Mentioned:

Best Pole Dance Ever Link:
Brass Monkey Move:
Martini Spin:
Showgirl Spin:
And this gem… 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGbHwliseM
Feb 04
0

Mindset & Meditation: Walking Meditation

By | Mindset | No Comments

Walking Meditation

If you are curious about meditation or mindfulness, but don’t think you can sit still long enough to try, or you simply don’t have enough time in your busy day to add one more “activity” to your list, then listen to this week’s audio on walking meditation. The  first thing I learned about mediation and mindfulness was that it simply begins with being present and being aware. This can be during stillness or can be during movement. Whatever you are doing you are relaxed and focused one hundred percent on you and your surroundings. Here is how to incorporate a walking meditation or moving mindfulness into your day.

If you are already a runner or walker, the next time you go out to run/walk, don’t bring music with you.  So often I hear people tell me that they cannot run without music to “distract” them. They are admittedly trying to not be present during their run, but I encourage you to try. As you are running, or walking, simply breathe and pay attention to your surroundings.  The colors of the trees, grass, or street. The sounds and smells around you. The people and the cars that pass you by. Your foot cadence and your breath pace. Be one hundred percent present, not focused, but simply present and aware or your surroundings. That is meditation and mindful awareness :-).

If you don’t run not a problem. You can do the same thing during daily tasks/chores at home. When folding laundry, be present and aware of how you fold each piece of clothing. Notice the warmth of the garments, how they smell coming out of a fresh hot dryer,etc. Again, that is mindful awareness and mediation.  The same can be done while cooking or cleaning, and in our busy fast paced lives, it is also a great way to “stack” your activities. Don’t have time to cook and meditate? No problem, because if you are practicing moving mindfulness you can do both at the same time, and the same during a walk or run. Give it a try and remember to simply breathe, be present, and absorb what is around you.