I find it interesting that in fitness, yoga is the only discipline to earn the right to be called a practice. Sure, all athletes need to practice, but they don’t refer to their sports as a practice. Does that mean that you can master a slam dunk or slap shot, but not a lotus pose or downward dog? I doubt it – but I would argue that it has more to do with the existence of specific rules and objectives that typically govern the movements and limits of organized sports.

As an Upstreamer, I seek fitness in the environment around me. Along my running routes, I’m constantly searching for natural obstacles to challenge my fitness level and push my confidence. The physical variety and asymmetry that exists in nature is boundless and can never be mastered. It keeps you perpetually exploring and aspiring to the next obstacle to test your abilities. There is always a jump that is too far, a branch too high to reach, or a climb too risky. It keeps me engaged and motivated to progress. For these reasons, I consider natural movement training a practice.

By acknowledging that something is a practice is to humbly accept that the skill(s) can never be truly mastered. Proficiency can only be gained and improved through discipline, hard work, and perseverance. The thrill lies in the realization that there is always something ahead that requires more time and practice to overcome. It’s an ever-evolving pursuit to improve.

This subtle change of perspective can radically alter one’s approach. A practice can’t be an activity that you just simply do from start to finish. It is a skill that you are constantly learning and building upon. I encourage you all to think of yourselves as fitness practitioners. Invest the time, push your limits, and reap the rewards for a lifetime!

Ancestral Health is a growing sub-culture amongst the health and fitness community. Understanding the way our bodies were designed to eat, move, and live in their natural state – and then using that knowledge to thrive in modern world. There has never been a time greater than now to examine our past, and understand the natural way to live, eat, and move. After all, over 40% of America is now overweight or obese, diseases of a non-contagious nature commonly occur (type II diabetes, obesity, cancer). All of these illness’ directly related to unnatural living, among other things. Not to mention the incidence of lower back pain, disc degeneration, or muscular atrophy. Something is happening to the human race – too much unnatural living.

Ancestral Health simply takes the benefits of health and exercise from our hunter gatherer ancestors and attempts to mimic them today. By no means will you be walking down a busy street trying to hunt city pigeons for food, but rather making healthier choices in terms of food and exercise to promote longevity, strength, and overall wellness.

At Upstream it is our goal to make you “stronger by nature.” To use the tools around us that make us fitter, to eat things that make us stronger and leaner.

Watching this event saturday reminded me of a powerful quote:

“Suffering provides the opportunity to exercise will and to develop grit.”

- Mark Twight, Gym Jones

These men and women who serve our country had something you don’t see at other competitions: Will, grit, and enjoying those moments of suffering. This is something I think only servicemen and women can grow to understand. That you are part of a group, committed to one another with a higher cause, and will endure pain and hardship for the glory of a honest day.

To develop this attitude is not easy. You cannot buy it, or even teach it in my opinion. It comes through shared adversity. Overcoming odds together. It is through that adversity, triumphs, and failures, that develop this character. What experience have you struggled through with someone? What is your relationship with them like? Share you experience, we’d love to hear them.

Ligaments connect bone to bone, and when your bones are in a certain position for an extended period of time, the connective tissue will stretch – and adapt – to fit those positions. This is called Ligament Creep – literally the process of ligaments stretching and adapting to a new position. When in a sitting position, gravity will begin pulling you to the ground. Even if you are the most physically fit person, gravity will win, and your body will assume a slouched and very unnatural position. Ligament Creep is quick to take hold, easily occurring within 20 minutes of sitting down. What does Ligament Creep lead to?

- Increases chance of injury

- Negatively impacts range of motion

- Creates imbalance in musculature

- Leads to poor posture and chronic lower back pain

The only true way to combat Ligament Creep is to move around – looking Upstream to stop it at the source. A couple good tips to remind you to get up and move around:

1.) Set your watch. During the workday set an alarm that reminds you to stand up and move around

2.) Get a stainless steel water bottle. Not only will you be standing up to refill the bottle, or standing up to go to the bathroom, you will drink at those needed 8-10 glasses of water a day necessary to maintain a healthy digestive and immune system.

3.) Travel with a Mobility Pack. When you travel, set yourself up for success by bring some tools to help you with improving your posture and mobility. Items such as a lacrosse ball, or mobility band. Check out some of these items that can be purchased from Again Faster Equipment.

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.