Stresscraft

Folks, I have some great news.

Frank Forencich, the Exuberant Animal himself, has written another book. It's called Stresscraft. I'll give you one guess as to what it's about.

Given our modern stressful lives, I will assume that you are short on time, so here's a "bottom line on top" summary:  Go to the website, buy it, and read it. I am hard pressed to think of a better use for $10.

***

I've talked a lot about Exuberant Animal and Frank's other books in the past. Out of everyone in the primal health/fitness world, Frank stands apart as one of the few who understands and talks about Big Picture stuff. While a pathetically large percentage of the paleo community wastes time arguing with everyone (and themselves) about carbs, macro nutrient ratios, and whatever else they want to squawk about, Frank continues to tell a bigger and better story. If you haven't been to an Exuberant Animal event, heard Frank speak, and/or read his books, you are missing out on a fantastic voice within the community - one that has a lot of wisdom to share.

This book is a little different than some of Frank's previous ones in that it is tightly focused on discussing stress. Well, maybe tightly isn't the right word. As Frank points out early and often, stress is a far reaching force in all of our lives. The book is not so much about the physiological and psychological components of stress. If you're looking for that, as Frank mentions in the book, you should really read Robert Sapolsky's Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. Stresscraft is more about how to actually manage stress in your day to day life.

It's important to say that this isn't a book about stress elimination. As Frank discusses, stress can be an extremely positive force... in the right amount. The trick, Frank says, is to hit the sweet spot between not enough stress and way too much. Dosage is everything.

The meat of the book, entitled "Arts and Crafts" dives into the nuts and bolts. The advice and techniques start small and specific. There's a lot about breathing, food, and movement. Then Frank steps back a bit and discusses learning, focus, attention, and flow. There's a fantastic chapter on Control that really spoke to me.  Then Frank blasts off into the stratosphere and does what he does best - talk about Big Picture. Emotions and Time are in there (including a great bit on Chronos vs. Kairos that really got me thinking) as is the importance of community, connection and compassion. Ubuntu is prominently featured (the font nerds among you have probably noticed my homage to Ubuntu on this website) Finally, there's some musings on creativity, story, beauty, and meaning that in the hands of a less talented writer and teacher would come across as simplistic puffery, but Frank really makes work.

I've read everything Frank has written and I think this is my favorite yet. Frank's writing is as engaging as ever and while there were some standard Exuberant Animal themes covered, there was also a lot of "new stuff" in this book. I strongly recommend you check it out.

And remember to breathe.

Office Hours #8

We had some technical issues with the live show, but here is PK Office Hours #8! This one is special because we somehow convinced Duncan Germain (aka TK17, aka the guy who basically launched the Parkour scene in the USA with his video Go back in 2005) to come out and share his wisdom with us. So, sit back, relax, and prepare to learn from the best:

Did you know that Duncan is also responsible for our long form runs? I watched his video One and decided to go try it. You should also read his article on strides.

He also made a full length documentary about Parkour, called Pilgrimage, which is awesome. And free. I make all PK Fundamentals students watch it. You should also watch it - right now. Okay, maybe tonight after work.

Big thanks to Duncan for joining us - we may try to convince him to come out again in a month or two... if we succeed what would you want him to talk about?

Fantasy and fitness

I'll be up front with you. This post is a giant excuse to talk about the new Avatar show. Did you know the first two episodes are available on iTunes? For free! You should really watch - especially if you are a fan of the first show.

I'm a sucker for well made animated shows. Batman the Animated Series was a pretty formative part of my childhood. My silly adult life kept me from Avatar until Netflix came along, then I devoured the whole thing in about 4 days. In fact, I routinely use Avatar references as coaching cues ("Relax - Water bend it" or "Get aggressive! Fire bend!")

Fantasy in general has had a major influence on me and my approach to fitness and health. I think this has been an incredibly beneficial thing.

As a young boy I never much cared for team sports. They were fine, but they had nothing on the holly bush. The holly bush was this giant gnarled thing on the outskirts of our property. With a little imagination it looked just like a giant green scaled dragon. I spend hour after hour dueling with that dragon, using sticks for swords and spears. I had a blast and, unintentionally, got pretty strong.

The narrative was the thing that kept me coming back - the story of knights and dragons. All myths and legends - and the subsequent fantasies that evolved from them - revolve around elemental and archetypal narratives.  Good, evil, order, chaos, life, death, triumph, defeat, love, fear, day, night... you know, the basics. This is powerful stuff - deeper than humanity, deeper than mysticism, deeper than animism, approaching that unknowable primal/cosmic core of what it means to be alive.

If you can tie elements of that narrative into your life, the health and fitness stuff will follow naturally - inexorably. Story is a powerful thing and the stories we tell to ourselves about ourselves are particularly potent forces - for better or worse. If the story you tell yourself is that you absolutely need to hit a certain number on the scale or fit into a particular pair of pants in order to be a good person then I'd say it's time to tell a bigger and better story about yourself. 

Use a favorite fantasy as inspiration. If you decide you want to be Batman, then you've got some pretty clear goals in front of you. You'll need to learn a lot of movement skills. You'll need to learn how to fight. If you got really into it, you'll need to learn about sneaking, hiding, and tactical movement. The billions of dollars wouldn't hurt either, but, hey, we can't have everything. Along the way, you'll probably find you've gotten pretty darn strong and agile.

Hell, it doesn't even have to be that elaborate or physical. Learn how to quick-draw like Mal. You might not get jacked doing it, but the focus of regular practice will absolutely have positive effects on your health. Or, just resolve to be the type of person who has adventures. That'll do it.

(Incidentally, "Batman training" is my two word answer for "What's Fifth Ape all about?")

In the fitness industry, the biggest challenge facing trainers is getting people to invest themselves in the process - to not just show up and expect magic to happen but to actually take responsibility for their own progress. I think that a powerful archetypal narrative is vital to making this happen.  We seem to be on a Batman kick so let's run with it - paraphrasing here: You need to be more than just a man or woman. You need to be an idea - you need to devote yourself to an ideal. Then, you'll become something bigger and better; A legend, Mr. Wayne.