Click here to view the embedded video.

How do we develop mental toughness? What is the means to improve an athlete’s ability to push harder and run faster?

We begin with a goal. What is the goal of the individual? What motivates them? How strong is that desire to achieve the goal? This must be carefully assessed and tested. If a person is unwilling to accept some suffering and discomfort in order to accomplish the task, then you have encountered a problem. The need to understand the positives of achieving their goal, and then the downsides of NOT achieving their goal. Often, the negatives are enough to motivate someone. Sit down, write it out, talk it out. Thorough self-assessment.

Next is adversity. Adversity must be created and presented to the individual. Very quickly, adversity will reveal a persons character.  They will either rise of fall in response to the challenge. Herein lies the job of a coach – to train attitude. Attitude can be trained in most people; a consistent cycle of stimulus and response will induce change. Encouraging people to take pride, accept and enjoy the suffering that can occur in the gym. The individual can do this through reward strategy, group workouts, and a consistent thorough self-assessment. Make them identify their weaknesses. Then, expose that weakness, and challenge them to correct themselves. Random and surprise “Test” days can be extremely helpful. “Unknown Distance” events work as well. (if interested in more ideas contact me). The results can be stammering.

At Upstream Fitness we work with all abilities and help all populations achieve their goals – weight loss, training for a competition, longevity. It is our mission for you to reach your goals. Our facility and staff will provide you the tools and motivation to succeed. We look forward to it.

We extend the term constantly varied a bit further than most. While it is important to do a 1RM Deadlift one day, and then run a 5K the next, or do short anaerobic workouts,…..how varied are our tools for fitness? Everytime you lift, do you use a barbell? Everytime you jump, is it on a flat box? Are your varied movements constrained to the confines of a gym?

Adaptability is a precious concept – the ability to adapt to different circumstances. In nature, animals have all the tools of fitness they need: hills, valleys, cliffs, trees, boulders, the ocean. They thrive in nature, both physically, and mentally. Nature is perfect yet imperfect; while amazing in so many ways, it’s lack of symmetry and unpredictable structure make it rife with elements of variation. Constantly challenging its inhabitants. Constantly…varied.

Our “new” nature (urban/modern/domesticated life) is not much different. If we need to jump it is not on a flat box. If we need to lift something it is never a perfectly round barbell. Our approach to fitness must be grounded in the strength and conditioning resources that improve athleticism, and promote rehabilitation. Without these modern tools we would be unable to accomplish such feats of strength or take steps towards recognizing our full potential. However, we must go beyond the gym, and look towards nature, to vary our training EVEN more, to promote adaptability, to constantly vary our activity.

Sleep is enormously important for our bodies. At it’s root, it is a time when our body replenishes itself and recovers from our daily activity. Numerous hormones such asHuman Growth Hormone (HGH) are released and assist in repair of tissue. In fact, nearly 50% of HGH is released during sleep cycles. This hormone is an integral part of our physiology, allowing us to rebuild muscle, bone, improves calcium stores, and stimulates the immune system. Thus, without adequate sleep, on average 7-10 hours, your body is not recovering as it should or receiving proper hormone control. As a result, people often experience irritability, joint and muscle soreness, and even headaches.

Another important hormone with regard to sleep is Leptin and Ghrelin. Leptin is a hormone that sends signals to the brain to let you know you are full. Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates hunger. Michael Braus, a PhD from the Atlanta School of Sleep and Medicine says, “when you don’t get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don’t feel satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food.”

If you have trouble sleeping, or experience any of these issues, there are lots of ways to rectify it: Click HERE for more info

You ever wonder why we have a “sweet tooth” ? Our body yearns for sweet foods, but it is not supposed to be chocolate, soda, or sugar. It yearns for naturally sweet foods that are rich in Vitamin C. Foods such as oranges, berries, and other fruit.

The human animal is among few animals that cannot produce vitamin C on it’s own, (other animals include bats and guinea pigs). We must source it from external sources. It should make sense. Historically speaking, sailors who crossed the Atlantic years ago suffered from scurvy (due to diminished Vitamin C) BUT, the rats never did.

Besides preventing scurvy, Vitamin C is an important and essential nutrient for humans as it acts as an antioxidant against oxidative stress. In other words, it promotes the vitality of our immune system. In a world filled with stress, it is an important nutrient to have.

So, how much do we need a day? There are many sources for how much to take a day, but we recommend at least 500mg with every meal, or at least 2000mg a day. We can obtain this amount in a couple ways:

1.) eating foods that are rich in Vitamin C:

- Vitamin C is a perishable Vitamin, meaning the longer it is sitting on a shelf, or picked from a tree, the less Vitamin C is in it. For a complete listing of the amount of Vitamin C in food click HERE

2.) using supplements:

- While we encourage sourcing Vitamin C from natural sources, it is often difficult in our busy lives.  Generally, you will get what you pay for, i.e. the more expensive supplement will often be the best. It is important to understand where the supplements came from and how they were made. Click HERE to learn more.

Am I hitting a cord?  Does this sound familiar to anyone?  Enter Tyler Durden …

For those who have not read the book Fight Club by Chuck Palahnuik, I suggest you do yourself a favor and read it, or rent the movie.  Although the plot is dark, the message is poignant and hits at the core of this conversation.  In brief, the nameless narrator (Edward Norton in the movie) starts an underground Fight Club to escape the despair and paralysis he feels from having inherited what is dubbed the “advertising” value system – i.e. work to make money so that you can buy material things that are supposed to make you happy.  He realizes that taking a bare knuckle blow to the face is the perfect antidote to working in an office every day.  To make a long story short, he becomes a mythical figure to Fight Club members who begin to need the adrenalin and pain to feel alive and present in their own bodies.

I’m not advocating that anyone needs a shiner to show off around the water cooler,but rather that everyone needs to find their own Fight Club to balance out their life.Whether you’re more of an adrenalin junkie or yogi-type, physical activity holds the key to reinvigorating the sense of presence and clarity to which we often become numb in the course of our daily grind.  We need to carve out the time in our busy lives to be present in our bodies and to feel strong and fit.  For some, that could be hanging from an I-beam with the risk of falling that forces us into the moment and requires deliberate and calculated movements.  For others, it’s deep rhythmic breathing and the mental stamina required to hold strenuous positions.  Whatever your Fight Club is, it should require commitment, presence, and physical intensity.  Running on a treadmill while watchingTV or reading your company’s annual report doesn’t count!  The reward of Fight Club is a sense of confidence and calm that separates you from the monotony of your daily grind and makes you feel alive.

The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), on the other hand, is called the “rest and digest” system. It conserves energy as it slows the heart rate, increases intestinal and glandular activity, and relaxes sphincter muscles in the gastrointestinal tract. When our bodies are in this state, blood flow can return to our digestive system, reproductive system, and healing and regeneration can only occur. Our body can now assimilate the food that we put into it. But switching from PSNS to SNS can take some time. Have you ever noticed that when you take off for a vacation, it takes you anywhere from 1 to 3 days to relax? That is your body shifting from the SNS to the PSNS. True rest and relaxation can only occur once this happens, and the body is then able to begin the process of self-healing, which it is absolutely designed to do.

Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night, and/or use medication to help you fall asleep?

Do you have an upset stomach most of the time, and have difficulty digesting food?

If you answered yes to some of these questions then you may benefit from some of the ways to slip into parasympathetic tone. A couple easy remedies, besides an expensive caribean vacation, are:

Deep breathing techniques, meditation, or yoga

Eating your lunch in a quiet place away from the computer

Avoiding excessive caffeine use

…and there are many more…

It is a stressful world we live in. But the human animal was not designed to be in a stressed state all the time. Take some time to rest and digest. Your body will thank you for it.

In the process of figuring out what is wrong with the world, Shadyac realizes there is more right than he thought. He learned that human consciousness can affect the physical world and that the heart, not the brain, may be mans primary organ of intelligence. Digging into native cultures he learned they equated gross materialism with insanity, and are fully aware money is not the pathway to happiness.

He discovers that contrary to conventional thinking, cooperation and NOT competition may be nature’s most fundamental operating principle. This is supported by showing consensus decision-making is the norm amongst many species, from insects and birds to deer and primates. Humans thrive and remain healthier when expressing positive emotions such as love, care, compassion, and gratitude rather than negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, and anger. Charles Darwin is best known for his theory of evolution and popularizing the notion that “nature is red in tooth and claw.” However in the movie Shadyac points out, Darwin used the word love 95 times in “The Decent of Man,” while his most famous phrase “survival of the fittest” appears only twice.

Ten of thousands of years ago indigenous cultures taught we are inherently good, and now science is following this ancient wisdom and discovering tons of evidence about our hardwiring for connection and compassion. For example, the Vagus Nerve, which releases oxytocin when we witness a compassionate act, or the Mirror Neuron, which causes us to literally feel another person’s pain. Darwin, who was misunderstood to believe that competitiveness is our exclusive nature, noted that humankind’s real power comes in their ability to perform complex tasks together, to sympathize, and cooperate.

With the beginning of a new year make it your intention to be more positive and connect with your community whether it be at the gym, work, or your friends. We are meant to interact and work together.

Watch I AM trailer 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Until the last 100 years or so, you had to be quite active to just live your life. Now, in most modern Western societies, so much of what we do is done by machines. We drive cars, vacuum cleaners make cleaning easy, and all our washing is done by a machine. Even at work, we may not even have to move around in the office – it’s enough to just sit at the computer. We have become VERY inactive as a culture.

The result of such inactivity can be extremely negative and catabolic on the body. Not only does it lead to being overweight but can increase depression and create anxiety. Take a look at the image below, and you can see the cyclic nature of a lack of exercise.

Depression from lack of exercise can be very traumatic, and eventually lead to some very serious illnesses. It’s important to understand this process, even the physiological reactions that take place. AND, it is just as important to understand that exercise has been proven to make you happy!

So…we don’t want to be depressed, or out or shape, or suffer from different ailments like high-blood pressure or type II diabetes. The solution: A Movement Snack. Simply increasing your daily expenditure of activity throughout your day. Here are some great ways to break up your day with some movement.

1.) Take the Stairs: A no brainer. Why take the elevator when you can slightly increase your heart rate, develop your quadriceps, and take the stairs. Yes, it may take you longer to return to the comfy desk and chair – but who cares!

2.) Daily Mobility: No desk or workspace is too small to keep a yoga strap. This little tool is perfect to loosen up the shoulders after sitting and typing all day. Take 5-10 minutes and do some mobility. Watch this video for a good example (note: you don’t have to be sitting like she is). There are plenty more to find on the world-wide-interweb.

3.) Air Squats: The hips get incredible tight from sitting all day. This can lead to chronic lower back pain and injury. The main issue, hips never go through their full range of motion if stuck in a chair. A squat – is a great way to put them through their full range of motion. Do 3 sets of 15 air squats. Watch the video below for guidance:

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Movement Snack can be ANYTHING that is some activity and break up your day. What are some ways that you break up your day? Give us an idea for a Movement Snack….

We live in an environment that is much different than years ago. We do less physical work then we used to, (thank you internet), leave our house less frequently, (thank you internet again – READ THIS). But despite the convenience of less work, we probably have more stress in our lives! Ironic but true. Needless to say, our environment today is less risky and less filled with danger than it used to be – we simply don’t leave the house as much.

However, there are those moments when we must summon strength and actually move in capacities that are instinctual to us as humans. Examples: lifting porch furniture, carrying luggage, crawling under the car, running to catch your pet. Or perhaps there are those rare terrifying moments that we must be prepared for: jumping out of the way of traffic, climbing over a wall, dragging a friend to safety.

These instances do occur. The question remains: are you strong and “adaptive” to meet these physical demands?

First, there is strength. Think of strength as a big cup, the more strength you have the bigger the cup will be. A big cup allows one to perform a variety of movements well. A big cup is also less affected by a day or two of bad sleep and poor diet. In other words, you can get away with a bit more. Most of us need to greatly improve out strength as most people LOVE their aerobic workouts. Second, being “adaptive” means being able to adapt to a variety of different circumstances. If you JUST constantly work out in a gym, with nice rounded barbells, symmetrical objects, you are not constantly challenging your mind and body to be adaptable to new circumstances. Being adaptive is skill, like anything else. Anytime I perform a deadlift, if it is with a barbell…I’m not preparing myself for different circumstances. I may be developing strength, but then I need to work on being adaptive.

We need to train with the words “practical” in mind. Here is a great workout that requires little equipment and is quick and fun:

1.) Wall Climb and Push-Up. Equipment: A wall, 4-8 feet high

Climbing a wall is a great full body workout but is also highly practical (running away from someone, chasing something). Check out the video below. A push-up is simply getting up off the ground. Click HERE for some video. This is a 10-minute workout. Every minute, on the minute you perform 10 Push-ups, 2 Wall Climbs, 10 Push-ups. The remaining time left in the minute is rest. This will induce a level of intensity but also keep you highly engaged and focused on your task. There is some level of risk when climbing a wall, thus mental focus and attention is a must.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Practical workouts are fun, because they are real-world and the value is never hidden. Get out of your comfort zone and try some new workouts that involve real world situations. Time spent in the gym is great to develop strength, power, and endurance. But devote some attention to other capacities, such as your ability to adapt to new circumstances.

By developing proper eating habits with our children they are much more likely to continue good eating habits into adulthood. By doing so you can help them increase their success in an age of high-fructose corn syrups, sweeteners, and refined carbohydrates. Not to mention – YOU, the parent, will probably start eating better too. Here is a great LIST of Do’s and Don’t for your kids.