Good coaches

Published August 5, 2015  ·  All posts on Aug 5  ·  

In contrast, a transformational coach realizes the power of the coaching platform to inspire, motivate, and produce positive change in his or her followers. He or she is acutely mindful of the moral, social, emotional, and psychological needs of young people. Transformational coaches offer individual support and encouragement to each player and have a clear vision for the desired impact on their players’ lives. And not surprisingly, a transformational coach, even in organized athletics, allows and encourages young people to simply play.

~ Joe Ehrmann from, InSideOut Coaching

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Shut up and train: Self-directed advice

Published August 3, 2015  ·  All posts on Aug 3  ·  

This entry is part 29 of 72 in the series My Journey

Nature has given us two ears, two eyes, and but one tongue – to the end that we should hear and see more than we speak.

~ Socrates

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I think that “shutting up” has been the most difficult aspect of my Parkour journey.

In my youngling days — let’s define that as sub-30-years-old — I was always the clown: obnoxious; rude, crude and ill-mannered; smart ass. When you have a big ego and low self-esteem, you seek attention to try to make those ends meet. That’s probably a good benchmark definition of dysfunctional. Worse, I had no idea such was the case. Over the next ten years, (or so,) I started to realize that such behavior was dysfunctional and pathetic. That decade was finally followed by my beginning to try to change about 40 years of ingrained behavior.

It was at this point — just as I was trying to change the course of a very large ship with a very small rudder — that I started Parkour. At the time, I simply jumped into Parkour being my usual self. But two pushups into my first class I was stripped of my delusions of grandeur. Two minutes in, and I figured out that I was an out-of-shape pile of bacon. After two hours of trying to do something, anything, and failing and sweating and flailing and sweating more… Well, shit got real.

That first class was followed by a solid year of me having an argument with myself, in real-time, at every class. Every time I’d exhibit some variation of my dysfunctional behavior I’d mentally berate myself; Shut up. Train. After each class, I’d think back on all the cringe-worthy moments and think: Next time, shut up more. Train more.

Somewhere around two years in, my ship’s course had shifted far enough that the dysfunctional behavior was noticeably tailing off. Certainly, the behaviors I disliked were still frequent enough to bother me, but they WERE tailing off.

Now, three years in and going stronger than ever, I’ve made a lot of progress in terms of fixing myself mentally and physically. I can now say, with an air of experience: Everything has changed. And nothing has changed.

Shut up more. Train more.

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Quèbec

Published July 24, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 24  ·  

Recalling a certain chilly trip today. I’m already thinking of September… not certain how I’m getting there, or who else I will get to join me. But get there I shall.

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Recipe for disaster

Published July 23, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 23  ·  

We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology, and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. That’s a clear recipe for disaster.

~ Carl Sagan

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Metabolic advantage

Published July 21, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 21  ·  

This entry is part 6 of 14 in the series John Briffa's "A Good Look at Good Health"

The idea that a particular diet might have weight loss benefits that cannot be predicted utterly by the calories contained in that diet is often referred to as ‘metabolic advantage’. I’ve found it to be a vexed topic, with commentators on it belonging to one of two camps. On the one hand we have those that believe ‘a calorie is a calorie’, and that the form that calories come in have not bearing on their impact on weight. On the other hand, we have those who maintain that the form calories come in can influence body weight in a way that is independent of the number of those calories, or who are least open to the idea that his can be true. Just to be clear, I am in the latter camp.

~ John Briffa from, «http://www.drbriffa.com/2009/10/19/is-there-such-as-thing-as-a-metabolic-advantage/»

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Press firmly to seal

Published July 20, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 20  ·  

Wherein the USPS takes its own ‘press firmly’ printed unstruction VERY seriously… “Neither rain nor sleet nor accidentally wedged packages shall stay these couriers from their appointed rounds.”

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Not useful

Published July 17, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 17  ·  

Just because you are unique does not mean you are useful.

~ unknown

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Max heart rate 189

Published July 16, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 16  ·  

This entry is part 27 of 72 in the series My Journey

New personal best out running with Tracy this morning. The traditional “220-age” formula for me is 177. The newer “217-(0.85*age)” model yields 180.

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What is “intermittent fasting”?

Published July 15, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 15  ·  

This entry is part 5 of 14 in the series John Briffa's "A Good Look at Good Health"

Quelling insulin will help protect against these conditions, and will facilitate fat loss too. One way to quell insulin levels is to eat a diet largely devoid of the foods that cause surges in blood sugar such as those [of] added sugar as well as starchy ‘staples’ like bread, potatoes, rice pasta and breakfast cereals. Another way, though, to moderate insulin levels is to extend the time between eating. This, in essence, is what intermittent fasting is about.

~ John Briffa from, «http://www.drbriffa.com/2012/03/01/my-times-piece-on-intermittent-fasting/»

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The calorie principle

Published July 9, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 9  ·  

This entry is part 4 of 14 in the series John Briffa's "A Good Look at Good Health"

There are a number of potential mechanisms that explain why nuts may not be fattening which were explored in a recent review that appeared in the Journal of Nutrition recently. I’ve summarised them (along with one mechanism that is not discussed but I think is important) below:

Studies show that nuts tend to be effective at satisfying the appetite, which can mean that individuals just end up eating less of other foods. The percentage of calories that come from nuts that are compensated for by eating less of other foods varies from study to study, but comes in at around 70 per cent.

~ John Briffa from, «http://www.drbriffa.com/2008/10/06/why-the-evidence-on-nuts-and-weight-makes-a-mockery-of-the-calorie-principle/»

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The bars they are a’changin!

Published July 8, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 8  ·  

Tracy’s moving her turn-vault bar up inch by inch. My new project is bar-to-bar, near ground level and just slide them farther and farther apart. sketchy. (for me anyway)

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Stop hacking your life

Published July 7, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 7  ·  

Many people have had success using these life optimization tools and tricks, and they’re not necessarily a bad thing. Their effect all depends on which of two relationships someone has with hacking:

…

Hacking approach can be beneficial; every man should have a little MacGyver in him and keep some duct-tape solutions in his back pocket. And if there’s a better way to cut an onion, by all means, go for it.

But hacking approach invariably leads to a life that’s less optimal, not more. The damage results not so much from the actual hacking practices themselves, but from the mindset their pursuit and adoption begets.

~ Brett McKay from, The Pitfalls of Life Hacking Culture | The Art of Manliness

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Trying not to try

Published July 6, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 6  ·  

My guess is that we have all experienced this combination of effortlessness and effectiveness at some point in our lives. While we are completely absorbed in chopping and sautéing, a complex dinner simply assembles itself before our eyes. Fully relaxed, we breeze through an important job interview without even noticing how well it’s going. Our own experiences of the pleasure and power of spontaneity explain why these early Chinese stories are so appealing and also suggest that these thinkers were on to something important. Combining Chinese insights and modern science, we are now in a position to understand how such states can actually come about.

~ Edward Slingerland from, Trying Not to Try – Nautilus

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Growing old

Published July 5, 2015  ·  All posts on Jul 5  ·  

Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.

~ unknown

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