Change Your Body, Change The World: Part II

We're back with Part II.  Did you see Part I? Did you buy the book?

I'll get to the party in just a sec, but a bird just flew into my house and is causing mayhem in the kitchen. Excuse me for a sec...

...okay, he's been escorted safely out - a chickadee if you want to know. Things get pretty exciting down here in Chapel Hill. Anyways...

I flew in to Seattle on Thursday and was met at the airport by Frank. In the garage was his car - a Honda Element that had undergone a slight modification since the last time I saw it: A fiberglass rhino horn had been bolted onto the hood. "The Element seems like a rhino to me, so it needed a horn," explained Frank.

Chock full of awesome.

The party wasn't until Saturday evening, so the next two days were spent playing. We went to the climbing gym on Friday. I'd never done any "real" climbing before and immediately fell in love. By the end, my hands and arms were barely working. I learned a lot just by watching Frank smoothly conquer some pretty crazy routes.

Saturday morning found us at the Mountaineering club, where the party would be held later in the evening. We were joined by my friends Josh Leeger and Sebastian Alary for a little bouldering. Just the thing for my already-shredded hands...

 We started setting up around 2:00 and the party itself got going around 5:00. We opened with a great presentation by Frank on a panoramic view of what he calls "the primate's predicament."  After a quick movement session we sat back down and the Barefoot Sensei stood up to talk. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mick Dodge, a.k.a The Barefoot Sensei, see this and this)

There is no way I could reproduce what Mick said here - it was a fantastic talk, full of humor and passion. He is truly one of a kind and the next time I am out in the Northwest I am looking forward to spending some time in his Earthgym on Whidbey Island.

Next, I was thrilled and honored to help lead everyone through a series of games. Seby and Dawni Rae got things started with some partner resist challenges. Josh took everyone through his hilariously fun Evolution Training. I led a few rounds of Equilateral Triangles - and we finished with a big Jump for Joy. Judging by the smiles and some of the great feedback, I think people enjoyed it.

Then the party started in earnest and we all got to mingle and talk. I was thrilled to finally meet Barefoot Ted, who was incredibly nice. Erwan Le Corre came running in after his MovNat workshop finished - great to see him again. I finally met Anna Floyd and felt like I'd known her for years. There were many others as well, including Barak Rosenbloom, Jennifer Nerio, and Butch Trail, to name a few. I ended up running outside to climb again (my poor arms!) and the night finished with a big drum circle in the dark.

The rest of the trip was a blur. We went back to the climbing gym where Frank made me do ascents without using my hands. We went to a fantastic park near Lake Washington for a barefoot run. We ate a lot of salmon. Before I knew it I was on an airplane home.

The only downside to the whole adventure was the absence of some stalwart Exuberants. Kwame Brown, recently married and rocking the cause at his new job. Charlie Reid, dreamboat and rockstar extraordinaire. You guys were missed. Next time, for sure.

It was an incredible trip - my gratitude to everyone who made it possible, especially to Frank - your vision is an inspiration. Now get busy on another book so we can do it again soon!

Change Your Body, Change The World: Part I

I'm doing a double-header today - here's Part I:

I have just returned from an incredible trip out to Seattle where I attended the release party for Frank Forencich's new book, Change Your Body, Change The World. I'll get to the trip/party in Part II, but first a review of the book itself:

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of Exuberant Animal. Frank's approach to health and fitness is a breath of fresh air in the increasingly insane world of treadmills, fake food, and "lifestyle diseases." His previous books (found here... you should read them all) are responsible for springboarding me into the vast and rich field of ancestral health and/or alternative fitness. (aka the Movement movement)

In his previous books, Frank focuses more on the individual benefits of primal, practical, playful movement. For Change Your Body, Change The World, Frank takes a step back and explores the concept of "Big Health" or the idea that our individual health is tied to and determined by the health of our communities and the health of the biosphere.

The book is broken into a series of essays, each building further on this idea of Big Health. Frank's writing continues to be highly approachable and the tone moves deftly between gravity and levity. (some personal favorites are his playful smackdown of the "Paleo" lifestyle and his grim recounting of attending a bodybuilding exhibition) Frank has chosen to keep the book highly readable, so there are no footnotes or references to academic journals. Don't let that fool you - this is a very well researched book. I've been in his house and let me tell you, it's floor to ceiling books/articles/journals. For those who care, research links can be found here.

Ultimately, Change Your Body, Change The World is not trying to cite itself into validity - it's playing an entirely different game. It's about getting you to think and getting you to feel. It's about starting a conversation and reminding you to pay attention.

So you should read it - soon. You can buy it here.

In Part II, I'll talk about the trip and the party - here's a preview: it was awesome!

Training log: 09/19/10

A quick entry in the training log:

A good day. Strides continue to feel extremely awkward, but they'll smooth out... I hope...

Also, shot putting an object that is larger than a shot is pretty hard!

Enjoy.