2013-05-19T14:34:09-04:00 Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/author/index.php?author=brant-secunda-and-mark-allen Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Brant Secunda and Mark Allen Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3157325 2013-04-27T07:49:51-04:00 2013-04-27T07:49:58-04:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/
It's no coincidence that we also feel a strong urge to tidy up our work and home environments, eat lighter, and get motivated with new projects and goals. Spring, after all, is the season of renewal.

Your springtime instincts are telling you it's time to do some spring cleaning for the soul. Perhaps you want to lose weight, or get outdoors more, or make some new friends. Whatever your goal, here are seven ways to replenish your soul and start off on a new path to health and happiness.

1. Take a fresh look at your life.
See yourself adopting the behavior you want, the pattern of positive reinforcement that will help knock the old negative way of being out of your life. Envision how you will look, feel, be perceived by others, and most important, how you will see yourself with this aspect working for you every day of your life, whether it's a new way of training, or eating, or just a fresh way of relating to others.

2. See down the road.
If you're looking for positive changes in your life, see yourself in the middle of summer still fully engaged in whatever positive behavior you're striving to embrace. Close your eyes and imagine all the transformations in your life as a result of having adopted this new behavior and having made it stick. Really see that future you being empowered by the choices you're making right now.

3. Reach out to others.
Find people in your life whom you trust -- family, friends, coworkers, or like-minded group members -- and tell them what you're embarking on. It can be motivating to tell people that you're looking for a new job, or that you're quitting smoking, or have started back at the gym. We have the greatest reason to continue if we're doing it all together; that's community. Others will help you when you waver, and you can be there for them if they find their old patterns starting to return.

4. Let nature inspire you.
If you're wanting to make a fresh start in your life and clean out old cobwebs that have been holding you back, all you have to do is go outside and quietly observe life going on around you. When the sun rises in the morning, let yourself feel hope come into your body as the first rays of light hit you. Watch a bird build a nest. Notice that she's not discouraged -- she just keeps busy! Look at new leaves unfurling. All that activity should help you see that change is a necessary part of life.

5. Embrace the challenge.
Challenge is normal. It's what makes us stronger and smarter and more resilient. If the behavioral change you've committed to seems too daunting, simply adjust your attitude and focus on putting one foot in front of the other. The Huichol people don't look at the size of the steep hill when they're planting. They just plant one kernel at a time and keep at it until, seed by seed and row by row, they've planted the entire hillside with corn.

6. Make it structured.
Many of us respond well to structure. If winging it doesn't keep you on track, give your intentions a form. Make a schedule of your personal goals each week, and hold yourself accountable to them. This creates clear, short-term, week-by-week goals. Make it a priority to change your body and soul. Life fills whatever space we leave empty -- so fill yours with activities and behaviors that reflect the way you really want to live. Don't forget to make a note of your successes each week to keep you moving forward.

7. Live what you ask for.
Asking for more joy in life but engaging in friendships that are volatile or unsupportive is an example of living out of sync with what you are seeking. Asking to win a race but giving up halfway through is another example. Keep reminding yourself of what you want to change in your life and then renew your vow to yourself. Live with the thoughts and actions that empower you, not ones that weaken you. When in doubt, ask yourself, "Does this behaviour/decision/person help me move forward, or block my progress?"

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2782303 2013-03-01T07:08:57-05:00 2013-05-01T05:12:01-04:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/ What have you done for your heart lately?

Why not take this month to pay attention to your heart's heath? Here are six ways to do it.

Exercise to support, not strain, your heart.

We often believe that exercising more and faster is better. Not so. New research has found that lower-intensity exercise (staying just below your target heart rate) is healthier than exercise that's high stress and high intensity. The research found that athletes who overdo it can develop scarring of the heart over time.

Take time to relax and rejuvenate in nature.

Stress is bad for the heart. At least once a day, if you can, go outdoors and connect with nature. Breathe in fresh air and feel the sun on your skin. Doing anything outside, whether it's taking a hike or sitting in the park, significantly reduces stress hormones and lowers blood pressure, which benefits your heart.

Connect with friends and family.

How is being in community with loved ones good for the heart? Connecting with others helps you keep a positive attitude even in the middle of stressful life challenges. The heart is the seat of your emotions; it's where love, bonding, connection, and intimacy originate. By spending time with others, you have the opportunity to give and receive love, and that's good for the heart too!

Eat more heart-healthy foods.

There are certain foods that are heart protective because they contain omega 3 and other healthy fats, critical vitamins and minerals, and fiber and phytonutrients that help keep heart tissues healthy. Here's a partial list of foods you should eat more of: salmon, ground flaxseed, oatmeal, black or pinto beans, raw almonds and walnuts, and brown rice. Among the many heart-healthy fresh fruits and vegetables, these are especially beneficial: orange vegetables, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, orange fruits, and blueberries.

Get 6-8 hours of sleep at night.

A recent study found that getting too little or too much sleep is bad for the heart, increasing one's risk for heart disease. (Read study here.) However, there's another good reason to work on getting the right amount of sleep. Sleep washes away any negatives from the day before and helps you feel charged up and ready to go for the next day. It's really true that troubles always seem easier to deal with after a good night's sleep.

Laugh, smile, and play.

To our sometimes cynical modern ears, it may seem silly to just laugh your problems away. But scientists have found ample evidence for the health benefits of lightheartedness and optimism for healing and fighting off illness. Seeking happiness-producing activities is a good way to relieve stress, enjoy others' company, and feel better. Give it a try this month. It will do your heart good.

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2528181 2013-01-23T08:01:09-05:00 2013-03-25T05:12:01-04:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/ was recently named ESPN's "Greatest Endurance Athlete of All Time." But when the two of us first met, Mark was a triathlete who just couldn't win.

Mark began his career as a triathlete in 1982. By 1989, after six straight defeats at the Ironman, he decided to give it one final try. The one-day journey through the lava at Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, is a test like no other. It's an exhaustive trial of body and soul that starts with a 2.4 mile open ocean swim, followed by 112 miles of cycling through relentless hot trade winds along the desolate, lava-strewn west side of the Big Island, then 26.2 miles of running in temperatures in the high 90s.

Mark remembers running just behind six-time Ironman champ Dave Scott when his reserves were reaching their limit and he was about to resign himself to second place. Just then an image of the old Huichol shaman, Don José Matsuwa, and his adopted grandson, Brant Secunda, came into his mind. He had recently seen a photo of the two in a magazine advertising an upcoming workshop on shamanism. At that moment, Mark remembers that his weariness dropped away and he was able to overtake Dave Scott for the first time in the race. He ended up winning by 58 seconds.

Soon after, the two of us began working together. It became apparent to both of us that Mark needed to think of fitness in broader terms -- in terms of his spirit and emotions--in order to become the champion he aspired to be.

Here are six lessons that helped Mark -- and can help you -- become a top performer in sports, business, and in life.

Empty your mind.

As any competitive athlete knows, there's usually a moment during the competition when internal chatter starts to erode one's motivation. When this happens, quiet your mind. An easy way to do this, if you're outside, is to shift your attention to the beauty that surrounds you. The instant your mind goes quiet, your mind, body, and spirit can realign to accomplish the task at hand.

Replace fear with joy.

When we become frozen with fear, negative emotions drain the body of energy. If you can learn to be fearless in the face of your fears, you open yourself up to the exhilaration of competing and performing in the moment. It's helpful to concentrate your focus on the nerika, a calm center in front of the heart that the Huichol shamans say is like a doorway that connects your desires and wishes with the realities of the outer world. It's the place great athletes call on when they need endurance.

Slow down to get faster.

Mark's old training program entailed working out as hard as he could. He figured if he trained fast, he could become fast. Yet he was often tired and sick and depleted after these workouts. The Huichols have some of the strongest, fittest elders who, at well over 80 or 90 years of age, can still walk miles every day and carry heavy loads of wood or water up and down the steep hillsides where they live. They never rush, yet they get a tremendous amount of physical labor done. By slowing down your workouts -- by using a heart-rate monitor to stay just below your target heart rate, for example, or by taking breaks in the middle of a big deadline push -- you can increase your endurance, strength, and the pleasure you get from working.

See power in repetition.

Whether it's exercises you do every day to train for an event, or the never-ending practice of clearing away negative thoughts, the effect of performing an action over and over can yield a profound reward. The Huichols find pleasure in planting a steep hillside with corn, one kernel at a time. The work is relentless, but they enjoy the repetition, knowing the immense satisfaction they will feel when the shoots emerge to cover the entire slope.

Strive to be steady.

The steadiest athletes -- the tortoises -- always have the best performances. If you are in the habit of charging full steam ahead, you will then need to slow down and recover until you get up the energy to surge again. There is tremendous strength in being steady and maintaining balance. Being steady is one of the secrets to the longevity that enabled Brant's Huichol grandfather, Don José, to live a long and healthy life all the way to 110 years of age. It takes a lot of self-confidence to let others get ahead in the early stages of the race. But once you learn how to stay calm and focused, put one foot in front of the other, and have faith in your own ability, you have the key to winning -- and doing so consistently.

Shake hands with the impossible.

Good athletes can perform well when things are going as planned. But it's the great ones who are able to rise up and achieve amazing success when nothing is going right. Always remember that no matter how impossible a victory or a great performance might look in the moment, if you take the next step and then the one after that, things can always turn around. Never give up.

This was a mantra that helped Mark keep going in his final Ironman when he found himself 13.5 minutes behind the leader at the start of the marathon, a gap no one had ever closed to become the champion. He did keep taking the steps, making up the smallest of margins until finally, after 23 miles of running and nearly eight hours of racing, Mark took the lead, making the final pass of his Ironman career to overtake a competitor who was 13 years younger than he was. He went on to win his sixth and final Hawaiian Ironman World Championship.

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2164973 2012-11-20T12:06:29-05:00 2013-01-20T05:12:01-05:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/

Once a person internalizes what it means to be grateful, fresh opportunities pop up, barriers to change disappear, and new relationships become possible. Here are five ways to learn and practice gratitude.

Blog continues below slideshow...



Appreciate daily events.
Too often we adopt an all-or-nothing stance toward our life and how we wish it would be. Try turning your attention instead to small ways your life was good today. For example, you snacked on an apple instead of a cookie, or were especially kind to an elderly neighbour. Be grateful for such small moments of satisfaction.

Notice greatness around you.
Gain perspective on your life by looking at awe-inspiring nature -- the rising and setting sun, for instance, or the power of waves. Doing this will help you see the small size of your problems and stressors in the context of universal forces. Be grateful for the wisdom and strength you can draw from the natural world.

Share your experience.
Teach someone how to do what you've become good at, whether it's mentoring a coworker or showing a useful skill to a child. By helping others learn and thrive, you express gratitude in a very tangible way. Because of your generosity, it's inevitable that love and support will come back to you.

Feel gratitude daily.
Gratitude pays off, much like an investment that grows and pays ever-increasing interest the more you deposit over time. Get in the habit of giving thanks daily for all that you have and the people you love. A wealth of gratitude over time leads to a wealth of opportunities.

Live what you ask for.
Try to align everything you do -- your work, your relationships, your self-improvement, your habits -- with what you most want in life. If you want to be healthy, become aware of how all of your daily actions and interactions fit with that goal. Give thanks for how easy and calm your life becomes once you're living with intention.

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Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/ 50 percent chance that their children will also be obese, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. But when exercise is a regular part of the family's activities, everyone wins.

A few things to keep in mind when it comes to motivating kids. First, most young kids prefer "activities" to conventional exercise -- for example, they're more likely to take a bike ride than jog around a track. Second, older kids are more apt to do fitness activities with their parents if their friends come along. And third, many kids are motivated by goals, targets, competition and progress-tracking.

Pay attention to how your child responds to different activities and scenarios, and then find the best ways to make fitness easy and natural for him or her to enjoy.

Here are 14 ideas to help your family make exercising a routine family activity that's fun, motivating and healthy.

Walk the dog. Use the family dog as a motivator. Don't just open the back door and let him out. Find a great walking trail near your house and take Rover for a scenic family stroll. He probably needs exercise too!

Time it right. Schedule workouts for a time that has the highest probability that everyone will actually do them. After dinner, for example, is a great time for a family walk or a game of croquet, because you're all together. After school is also a good time for kids, who've been sitting all day and need to burn off some of that pent-up energy.

Mix it up. Adults often forget that play is exercise. If you take a walk one day, go bowling the next. Work, such as gardening or stacking wood, is also exercise. Don't limit your idea of exercise to just going to the gym. Anything that gets your family moving together counts.

Invite their friends. It's harder for kids to beg off if one of their friends is invited to join your family for a hike. You can even invite their whole family!

Track everyone's progress. Mark the calendar every time you do an activity and keep track of everyone's progress. It's very motivating to see how often everyone is exercising. If your kid responds to competition, keep a chart of games won, best times, miles cycled, and so on. Tracking is a good way to make your family's new fitness-oriented behaviors stick.

Be spontaneous. Exercise with kids whenever the opportunity arises. For example, if you're standing in a long line, do jumping jacks. Turn the trip from the car to the house into a race. Do pushups during TV commercials. Install a basketball hoop on your garage and play a game of H.O.R.S.E. before you bring the groceries in.

Be in nature. Make it a habit to get the family outside as often as possible. An easy way to do this is to swap an indoor workout session with an outdoor one. Playing a backyard game or walking around the block delivers a motivational twofer. Not only will the exercise make everyone feel better, but fresh air and sunshine are mood boosters as well. Find winter activities that get them outdoors, such as skiing, sledding, or snowshoeing.

Give me five. If getting the kids to commit to exercising is difficult, tell them you're only going to do it for five minutes -- long enough to at least break a small sweat. Doing a five-minute bike ride or a five-minute jog is easy for anyone. Most likely, it will turn into ten.

Do it for a cause. If you're a family of couch potatoes, sometimes a good cause can get you motivated. Research which local organizations are hosting fundraising walks -- and then get your friends and relatives to sponsor your family. If you can't find one, organize your own walk for a cause such as your kid's PTA or Little League.

Schedule it. Kids and adults alike respond well to a structured schedule. Set a time and place for your family activity and write it on the family calendar. Ask everyone to commit to your fitness appointment. If you've scheduled a bike ride but the weather is uncooperative, then turn on the Wii and play tennis indoors or blast some music and have a dance competition.

Let them pick. Ask your kids to take charge of the family exercise schedule for a week -- and promise that you'll do whatever they choose. You'll probably be surprised at the creative ideas they come up with. You can also rotate weekly -- every family member gets to be the chooser for a week.

Put it in writing. Write a three-month contract with family members and have everyone sign it. If weight loss is a goal, write down a reasonable goal (no more than 6 pounds a month). Sign it and keep it in a place where all family members can see it.

Start small. We lose motivation when we try to do too much too soon; it's unsustainable. Running 5K may be a goal that's out of reach for your family, but walking one mile isn't. What's most important for motivation is accomplishing and completing a task on a consistent basis, not the size of the task itself.

Think outside the box. Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't go swimming. Find a nearby hotel chain and ask how much an hour of indoor pool costs. Or do an activity you've never done -- such as learning to rock climb at a climbing gym or riding horses. Parents vs. kids competitions are always a hit. So are "old-fashioned" games like Twister, jump rope and kick the can.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1733589 2012-08-03T10:44:22-04:00 2012-10-03T05:12:02-04:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/
Watching the 2012 Summer Olympics, we got to thinking about what it takes to arrive at the pinnacle of one's sport. What is the competition mindset and how does one acquire it?

As an Ironman World Champion, Mark knows a lot about competing and winning. But it wasn't always this way. In fact, when the two of us first met, Mark was struggling to get to that next level of performance, despite the fact that he was in perfect physical condition.

We worked on helping him learn how to think of fitness in broader terms--in terms of spirit and emotions. Once he had developed a fit soul, in addition to his already fit body, he was able to compete successfully on the world stage. Mark went on to break the world triathlon record and win six Ironman Triathlon World Champion titles. Having a fit soul is the secret to acquiring the competition mindset, which is what you need in order to be an Olympic-caliber athlete.

Most athletes and other competitive people, such as entrepreneurs and business leaders, believe that winning is about working harder. Certainly there's hard work involved, but success in any venture is really about living your life beyond limits. We see the "impossible" take place over and over in the world, but we often take it for granted. A leaf transforms the energy of the sun into nourishment. We eat food and transform its energy into fuel for our bodies. These simple yet profound events happening every moment of the day can be used as a model for our own ability to reach the next level of success.

Here are a few strategies that contribute to achieving success with the competition mindset.

Challenge your limits; create a new concept of normal.
Stop thinking in terms of goals. A goal can sometimes be an invisible kind of boundary or limit. It can be a target that becomes the "normal" place we're reaching for. It's often these concepts of normal that keep you from exploring new ground. However, changing your perspective by redefining what can be normal for you can free you from any self-imposed limits. One way to do this is to completely interrupt your normal behavior with a favorable, but extreme, change--whether in exercise, food, or soul--for a short period of time.

For instance, to reset a workout boundary, for two weeks increase your workout time one day a week by 50 percent. This will definitely feel challenging. Then in the third week, reduce your increased workout by 25 percent. What you will experience now is that the 25 percent reduced workout feels easier than your original long workout. You now have a new "normal."

Harness possibility with a mental exercise.
We call this weight lifting for the soul. Competitive athletes and other high performers are often held back more by their negative emotions than by their mental and physical abilities. Practice giving up thoughts that are weighing you down.

This can be very challenging, but give it a try. Instead of "This is too hard," let the thought be "I have all it takes to make it through." Instead of "This is a waste of time," ask yourself "What can I learn right now?" Instead of "I don't have the time," ask "How can I make my next steps a success?" Lift the weight from your soul and let the positive aspects of life become your identity.

Overcome self-doubt by taking action.
We can remedy "what ifs" simply by taking action. Action creates joy, hope, and positive thoughts, and sustains our health and fitness goals. A number of studies have corroborated the fact that exercise has a positive and significant effect on people with depression. The act of moving your body, and doing it consistently, helps to counteract negative emotions, such as self-doubt, that get in the way of your competitiveness.

Bottom line: when self-doubt about reaching your destination starts to creep in and you feel you "can't do it" or "will never get there," there's a simple remedy. Take action. Start moving. And do it consistently--every day.

Seek power and energy from the earth.
At age 37 Mark went to Hawaii to defend his title as the returning World Champion, competing against other triathletes nearly half his age. In the bike portion, a 24-year-old German flew by Mark as if on a motorcycle. By the end of the bike segment he had amassed a lead of more than 13 minutes. Soon three others passed him as well. Mark was feeling defeated, discouraged, and ancient.

And then he remembered a simple tip Brant had taught him. His body and soul were already in great shape. All he needed was a little help. "Everything is alive," Brant had told him. "The trees, the stones, the earth. Call out when you need help." He called out to the Big Island, standing over 30,000 feet tall from its base at the ocean floor to its highest point atop Mauna Kea. Its power is undeniable. Mark called out: "Help me! I'll give it everything I have, but I need your help!" He began to gain steam. At mile 23 of the marathon, he finally caught the leader, three miles after that he closed out his Ironman career with a sixth World Championship title in a race that would go down as the greatest comeback in Ironman history.

Competing and winning are about more than working out and working hard. Learn how to develop a calm, confident, optimistic mindset bolstered by a balanced life. A fit soul, along with a fit body, will help you succeed at anything.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1635460 2012-07-11T15:42:30-04:00 2012-09-10T05:12:03-04:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/ According to the Mayo Clinic, after some initial weight loss, most of us will hit a plateau unless we change a few behaviors -- for instance, by eating less and exercising more. This is because our metabolism -- the process of burning calories for energy -- slows as we lose muscle. We burn fewer calories than we did at our heavier weight even doing the same activities. Our weight-loss efforts result in a new equilibrium with our now-slower metabolism.

Here are seven changes you can make to your routine that will help you pick up the pace of weight loss so you can reach your long-term goal more quickly.

Push yourself a little bit harder.

Up the length or intensity of your favorite exercise by a sizable enough chunk that your body knows it has done something special. To help you boost intensity, have fun with gadgets that monitor your progress and give you an accurate read on how hard and fast you're working. Heart-rate monitors, pedometers, watches that calculate stride and distance -- these are all great ways to view your progress and help you push yourself just a little bit harder.

Be kind to your mind.

More studies are coming out about the power of our thoughts to shape health outcomes. Pick one limiting thought you frequently tell yourself. ("I've already blown it today so I might as well have another drink/cookie.") Every time you catch yourself thinking along this line, stop for a minute and replace it with a positive thought. ("I can stop right now and do better tomorrow.") Make that shift over and over until you begin to see more time pass between negative thoughts.

Boost your odds of success.

Before your workweek starts, think about when you'll have the most time, energy, and ability to do your daily exercise. Whenever is best for you, make that the committed time for your training, and schedule it on your calendar. Planning your workouts at a time that has the highest probability that you will actually do them is one of the best ways to keep your weight loss consistent.

Dial up your frequency.

Add in one extra workout per week for the next six weeks. By doing this, you will burn more calories each week and see a measurable uptick in your progress. If you normally work out three times a week, adding a fourth weekly session of equal duration and intensity can burn a whopping 33 percent more calories per week. Over time this will have a noticeable effect.

Get some solar energy.

Take at least one moment every day to charge up your soul outside, in nature. An easy way to do this is to swap an indoor workout session with an outdoor one. Instead of going to the gym one day, do a hike or enjoy a bike ride. Scientists are learning a lot about the power of sunlight, greenery, and fresh air to stimulate our moods and manage stress. Let the earth replenish your spirit and your weight loss goals will be easier to accomplish, because you'll feel more relaxed, more positive, and more energetic.

Make one small food change.

Cut out one food that you know stands in the way of your desired changes. Keep it out of the house and your life for six weeks. Like adding a workout, eliminating one food can make an enormous difference over time. For example, let's say every day you have bread -- either on a sandwich, or as toast, or with dinner. By eliminating two slices of bread, or 200 calories, every day, that's 8,400 calories in six weeks, or nearly 2.5 pounds lost!

Laugh and have fun.

The Huichols say laughter breaks down self-importance. When we laugh with others or at ourselves, it can take the pressure off that feeling that something is wrong unless everything is perfect. And with that, you open your heart to gratitude. What better short-term goal is there than to feel gratitude along the way to trimming down and getting healthier?

For more by Brant Secunda and Mark Allen, click here.

For more on personal health, click here.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1449944 2012-04-27T06:40:06-04:00 2012-06-27T05:12:02-04:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/
Think about it: The animals are coming out of hibernation and getting active. New shoots are breaking through the frozen earth and feeling the sun. The sunlight is brighter and the days are lighter and longer. Nature sends us messages about how to get healthy by making seasonal changes, too. All we have to do is listen.

Here are eight new springtime strategies that lead to good health for your body and soul, and will help you look and feel your best.



For more by Brant Secunda and Mark Allen, click here.

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Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/
Mark offers a great answer for this: create a structure. To be a six-time world champion triathlete requires systematic training--persistent, day-after-day, scheduled workouts.

We believe that achieving an ambitious fitness goal, whether it's to complete a marathon or lose 30 pounds, is as much an art as it is a science. We say this because the human body isn't going to work out, change unhelpful behavior patterns, and persist at something that's inconvenient and sometimes difficult without our mind's artful self-persuasion and reaffirmation of purpose. To stay motivated, then, you need to learn the art of creating a structure for yourself. (No one else is going to do it for you!)

Just as young children often thrive in an environment that has structure and routine, adults also do well with structure; but in our case, it's intrinsic, or self-imposed. If motivation to stick with your fitness plan is challenging for you, you might respond well to more structure.

Here are five ways to power up your fitness regimen, get back on track, and move closer to achieving your goal using structure to help you.

Know and set the quest.
We Westerners call them "goals." The Huichol people call them "quests." Either way, the first step to strengthening your motivation is to create a vision of where you want to be, say, in six months or a year from now. Whether it's to have your cholesterol number decrease by 30 points, or your pant size go down two sizes, see it, believe it, and say it to yourself. Do this daily. Putting your quest front and center in your mind will help you view every stride in your run, repetition in your strength training, and lap in the pool as progress toward that ever-present goal.

Schedule your workouts.
Many people we work with report that they respond well to a structured schedule. Set a time and place for your workout and write it on your calendar. Hold yourself accountable to your fitness appointment. If you've scheduled a run but it's raining, then pull out the mat and do floor exercises and isometrics in your living room for 30 minutes instead. A written fitness schedule becomes a tool for tracking your consistency and commitment.

Create a written contract.
Write a three-month contract with yourself. "By my July 1 doctor's appointment, I aim to have lost 10 pounds. My ultimate goal is to lose 30 pounds by Christmas." Sign it and keep it in a place where you will see it, such as under your computer keyboard or in your wallet. At the three-month point, take it out and revise it three months forward. Be sure to set attainable short-term goals so that you receive a jolt of positive reinforcement and a renewed sense of accomplishment at regular intervals.

Break it down.
One of the reasons people get discouraged and lose motivation is because they try to do too much too soon, and it's unsustainable. If running 5K is a smaller goal on the way to completing a marathon, then work on achieving that 5K a little bit at a time. Commit to running or walking one mile every day for the first week. Plot it out, then increase the distance or rigor the second week. What's most important for motivation is accomplishing and completing a task on a consistent basis, not the size of the task itself.

Fall in love with repetition.
An Ironman athlete as well as a Huichol Indian has to fall in love with repetition. How else can a person keep going with physical tasks for a long time and not find a way to enjoy the same training regimen? But this does not mean taking the same bike or running path day after day. It means doing something every day -- before work, say, or right after work -- even if it's just a short walk outside. If you mix up your activities but do them consistently, your motivation will turn into a habit. That's the beauty of repetition.

For more by Brant Secunda and Mark Allen, click here.

For more on fitness and exercise, click here.

For more on personal health, click here.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1345496 2012-03-15T17:27:09-04:00 2012-05-15T05:12:01-04:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/ The Chotchky Challenge.

We were intrigued by your idea of "chotchky" -- anything in excess that hinders, distracts, or diverts our attention away from what matters most in life, our "soulful" pursuits. What kinds of things are chotchky?

There are three levels of chotchky: things, body and mind/soul. Thingotchkies can be any thing we have too many or too much of. With things, there is a "line" and once it's crossed it becomes chotchky. Is it one pair of shoes, or two or three? Of course not. It's when we have so many shoes we get confused, even stressed or "apparelyzed," as we stare into our bulging closet.

Bodyotchky is generally food (but can be other stuff too) that enters this precious storage space called the body and is harmful. Anything eaten past the point of hunger, no matter how healthy it may be, is foodotchky.

A good example of mind chotchky is informotchky, the never-ending stream of useless info designed to hijack our attention, causing our thoughts to dwell upon trivial, frivolous matters.

Each aspect of chotchky affects the others, and it all piles up on our soul as our dreams lie neglected in a heap of regrets. One day on our deathbed we may think, "If I had only channeled all that money and energy into my passions..."

How can you tell when people, media and even thoughts have crossed the line into being chotchky?

Peopleotchky are those who do not nourish our souls, but encourage self-destructive, habitual behaviors. Re-cycle them!

Media crosses the line very quickly and often. It's out of control. If you walk into a post or a person while texting, your smartphone has just made you dumb. Wake up!

Thoughtotchkies are sediments floating around in our brain such as worry, fear, revenge, anger and hatred. Very little, if any, good ever comes from such negative thoughts. They can, however, be transformed into excitement, bravery and even joy.

How does too much chotchky cause stress, or tip our lives out of balance?

Everything in excess requires attention; it takes energy. Some things are worthy of our energy; these are not chotchky. However, when we have stuff around that isn't really important but we have been thoroughly convinced by society that it is, we then begin to take for granted what really does matter. Our relationships, our health, our passions, our work and our world slowly begin to bear the brunt of our neglect.

Like you, many spiritual leaders advocate living simply, with few belongings. What are some simple ways to start changing one's overconsumption habits?

Begin practicing "precycling." When the urge to be a "good consumer" overcomes you and you want to "buy" just as an addict wants a fix, pretend for a moment that the thing is already yours. In fact, realize that there is often a sense of happiness that comes before you even own the thing, before it's out of its packaging. Sometimes, what you really want is the feeling you think it can bring you, which of course it can't. This is why as soon as you get it home, the feeling is gone. It has no feelings to give you -- you brought the feeling with you. You carry it everywhere you go, often smothered under chotchky, but it's there! Once you have the feeling, put the thing back and hold to the truth that you already had it, in your size, in stock, in your favorite color, always available in one very exclusive outlet store, YOU! Precyling gives us the ability to reach into the future, saving for ourselves, the earth and generations to come the precious resources needed for a brighter tomorrow.

What are some of the immediate effects one will feel from throwing or giving away all the excess stuff in your closets, pantry, kitchen cupboards, bathrooms, garage, basement and everywhere else?

Freedom, peace, ease, the ability to breathe again. Every piece of thingotchky is basically stress captured in a physical form. As you let it go, so goes the stress.

What would be the collective effect of an entire community that chose to take "the chotchky challenge," and get rid of all the excess in their lives?

You would see a collective return to sanity. Authentic power awakened en masse. There would be a holy retooling, as everything produced would have to, in some way, support the health of the community. Not because it would be a law, but because this practice would become common sense.

Barry Dennis is an internationally known inspirational speaker and spiritual teacher. His new book is The Chotchky Challenge: Clear the Clutter from Your Home, Heart, and Mind...and Discover the True Treasure of Your Soul (Hay House, April 2012). Learn more at www.BarryADennis.com.

For more by Brant Secunda and Mark Allen, click here.

For more on stress, click here.

For more on mindfulness, click here.
]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1290811 2012-02-23T08:20:33-05:00 2012-04-24T05:12:02-04:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/ Hormones found that chronic stress leads to overeating, co-elevation of cortisol and insulin, and suppression of certain anabolic hormones that lead to abdominal fat and increased inflammation. Insulin spikes are also known to inhibit fat burning. Another study found that stress can make it difficult to lose weight because of the complex metabolic effects it triggers.

So if you want to lose weight or avoid weight gain, one step is to get a handle on your stress. Sounds good, but what do you do when you're facing a really difficult problem and it's stressing you out? Here are some simple ways to manage the stress, calm down, and turn your fat-burning machine back on.



You now have more than enough strategies to help you calm down. Try as many of these as you can until you really get the hang of calming down. Once you get really good at managing your stress, your weight-loss and weight-maintenance goals may be much easier to achieve.

For more by Brant Secunda and Mark Allen, click here.

For more on stress, click here.

For more on mindfulness, click here. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1139090 2011-12-31T12:20:39-05:00 2012-03-01T05:12:01-05:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/
The good news is that health and happiness can be your natural state, and it's not difficult to achieve them. All you need is the willingness to try and the commitment to work at it step-by-step.

We travel all around the country teaching people how to manage stress, get reacquainted with nature and become energetic and healthy. Our big message to them and to you is this: It's not hard to change your body, your mood and your relationship to life, work and others.

Here are nine keys to a healthier, happier you in 2012:

Key #1: Pursue a balanced response to the six types of stress.

Chronic stress produces high cortisol levels that gnaw away at your health. Chronically high cortisol will make you sick, physically and emotionally. Stress is linked to multiple factors including these six: negative emotions, too little sleep, poor diet, overwork, toxic chemicals and inflammation. The antidote for stress is balance. Look at each of these six areas individually and work on finding small ways to reduce excesses and achieve more balance in each area. Seek more laughter, calmness and clarity in your life.

Key #2: Seek to quiet your mind.

Ignore the internal chatter that runs through your mind and practice focusing on one thought or a single repetition. This is an extremely effective tool for dissipating emotional stress and helping shift negative thoughts. Learning to quiet your mind also helps to reduce cortisol levels in your body and increase DHEA, a feel-good hormone that promotes a feeling of serenity. Quieting your mind can help you sleep better, eat more healthfully and keep work and life pressures in perspective. One of the best ways to quiet your mind is to exercise, especially outside.

Key #3: Meet fear, anger and jealousy head on.

Good thoughts lead us to incredible awareness and experiences. Olympic athletes know this, which is why they psyche themselves up before a big event. Each day brings personal "Olympic moments" -- for instance, an important meeting, a big workout, a tough but necessary talk with a friend or a commitment to a daily spiritual practice. Fear, anger and jealousy hinder our optimal performance. Bite off a smaller chunk of tasks that seem overwhelming. Get perspective on the real significance of your troubles and reactions by being out in nature. Accept the fact that challenge is normal and life is not controllable.

Key #4: Become one with the spiritual world of nature.

Who hasn't been touched by a rose in bloom or trees coming to life in the springtime? Having a sense that you and Mother Earth share a special relationship lets you know that everything is as it should be, which makes our souls happy. The more you reconnect with nature this year, the more open you will be to its wisdom and calming influence.

Key #5: Use the powerful tool of self-love.

Self-love is the best way to honor yourself and the most immediate tool you can use to fortify yourself against negative emotions like fear or self-doubt. Learning to honor and love yourself instantly transforms "need" into "peace." One of the factors that eats away at self-love is boredom -- boredom with work, boredom with your own repetitious behaviors, boredom with life. Try to find what's new in the old; seek out new ways of thinking and behaving. Draw strength, support and affirmation from community.

Key #6: Know where you want to go.

To get somewhere, you first have to know where you want to go. What physical goals are you striving toward? What kind of person do you want to become? Having these answers sets your intentions, helps focus your efforts and provides you with tangible ways to measure the results. Set small goals. Set yourself up for success; for example, schedule your workouts at a time when you'll be most likely to do them. Turn your attention away from negative thoughts.

Key #7: Whatever you want, learn to live it.

Asking for a healthy soul but choosing unsupportive friends will only prevent you from finding peace. Asking for a fit body but eating junk foods will only sabotage your own success. Surround yourself with actions, thoughts and people who will empower you and allow you to achieve your personal success. In other words, seek to keep your goals and actions in alignment this year.

Key #8: Slow and steady wins the race.

Slow down to be faster, more efficient and more productive. In the modern world, most people feel they must push their bodies and souls to the limit to make any gains in fitness or in life. Slowing down allows your body to run more efficiently. Apply small, focused changes that are gradual versus intense.

Key #9: Eat more like your caveman ancestors.

As scientists learn more about nutrition, it has become evident that our bodies weren't built to withstand the rapid changes we've witnessed in our food industry. The hunting and gathering we once did has turned into drive-throughs, super-sized meals and chemically-laden foods our organs don't have the ability to use or process. Eating the right amounts of carbohydrates, fats and protein based on ancient genetics keeps you from eating either too little or too much, both of which cause us to hold onto unwanted and unnecessary body fat. Drink lots of water and eat whole, unprocessed foods.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1074916 2011-11-04T08:49:00-04:00 2012-01-04T05:12:01-05:00

Brant Secunda and Mark Allen http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brant-secunda-and-mark-allen/ Adapted from "Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to a Healthier, Happier You"

Whenever we teach seminars, a common theme among participants is their desire to find more balance in their lives. They work too much, eat too much, and spend too much time obsessing about things that aren't important. On the flip side, they also complain that they sleep too little, lack passion in their relationships, and have too little motivation and energy.

Most complaints of this sort can be traced back to one culprit: a life out of balance.

During the 12 years he lived with the Huichol people and apprenticed with their 110-year-old shaman, Brant observed that these beautiful people laugh all day long, rest and relax while they work, are exceptionally healthy and happy, and live to unbelievably old ages. Despite the demanding physical work of keeping their mountain village humming and thriving, there was always plenty of time to tell or listen to a story, to play a game, or to be still and take in nature.

Unlike us, the Huichol people don't wake up each day bummed out that they have to go to work, or worried that they're overeating, or exhausted because they couldn't sleep. What's their secret? What can the Huichols teach us about balance?

We have adapted some of their beliefs and practices into seven simple strategies you can try right away. They can make an enormous difference in the way you feel every day.

1. ) Bring balance to your life with exercise.

It's unnatural to sit most of the day. New studies show that sitting is bad for your heart and your spine, and it makes you fat. But it's also an unbalanced way to live. (If you were unable to move or be active, you would be keenly aware of how out-of-balance your life felt!) Start with a daily walk -- simple and effective -- and watch how it rounds out your day. Before long, your daily exercise may be the part of your day you look forward to most.

2.) Develop a relationship with nature.

Why do we say "ahhhh" when our bare feet first step onto a sandy beach? Why do we feel awe when we're somewhere where we can see a brilliant, starlit sky? It's because human beings are part of the natural world, and having a connection to nature feeds our spiritual self. Try spending time in nature at least once a day (walking to and from your car doesn't count!). Notice how extreme thoughts and moods calm down when you're outside.

3.) Quiet the mind to relieve stress.

This simple stress-management exercise, adapted from the Huichol shamans, is a valuable tool that helps you quiet your internal chatter. When your mind is racing with negative thoughts, sit comfortably (preferably outside) and visualize yourself going into a sacred stream of light and energy coming from your heart. Next, find the silent, tranquil place between thoughts that pop up and try to stay there. If a new thought develops, gently deflect it and feel yourself surrounded by the stream of energy and light. Practicing this technique will help you balance your mind and moods.

4.) Bring your caveman to the table.

Many of us don't appreciate the key role food plays in relieving stress. We're not talking about eating a pint of ice cream when you're anxious. We're talking about giving our body foods that keep it functioning at its optimum level -- foods that are easy to digest, deliver a steady source of energy as our body uses them, and provide high-quality nutrients that fuel our brain, balance our hormones, build muscles and bones, and support the organs and systems of the body. The caveman, without ever reading a book, ate these foods in the right proportions. Caveman eating could be summed up as a moderate variety of foods, in moderate portion sizes, and nothing processed.

5.) Clear your mind with laughter.

One of the first things Brant noticed about the Huichol people is that they were always laughing, joking around, and smiling (sometimes at his expense). Lightness and laughter are as much a part of their daily life as hauling heavy loads up steep mountain paths. Practice clearing your mind of burdensome or depressing thoughts by joking around. Think of something in your burdensome situation that's funny and exaggerate it. Share your observations with someone who will appreciate them. The better you get at doing this, the lighter and happier you will feel.

6.) Enliven your day by introducing change.

It's not natural to do the same thing every single day. It throws you out of balance. For the Huichol people, every day brings a new challenge and routine, which is why they don't seem dull or listless, the way we sometimes get when the monotony of our job or routines drag us down. One way to stay mentally fit and balanced is by mixing up your daily routine. If you work 9-5, try working 8-4. If you always check your email first thing, do something else for the first hour. Rearrange your bedroom furniture. Ride your bike to work.

7.) Let repetition inspire you.

A lot of ask us, "How can I live a balanced life if I have x number of things to do and I have to keep doing them day after day?" If you struggle with boredom from doing the same activities over and over at work or at home, do what the Huichols do when they have to plant an entire hillside with corn by hand, one kernel at a time. They embrace the repetition. Start to see chipping away at the same tasks day after day as a powerful way to accomplish your financial, professional, and personal goals. ]]>