Posts tagged as:

Motivation

Eight steps to become superhuman

March 8, 2010
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Our species is wired for quick feedback loops. We’re compelled towards tiny victories. Some fancy-pants professors link this compulsion to pleasure centers in the brain. I prefer the simple explanation: quick achievement is fun.
Quick response and useful targets create stunning results. Take classic biofeedback – watching your pulse rate change as you try to relax. I mastered stress reduction in a [...]

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Strong song – Hella Good

February 23, 2010
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Time to admit a nasty little habit – I sometimes enjoy “girly” music.
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Too much Pink Floyd warped my musical sensibilities as a kid. I mindlessly accepted that “Disco Sucks” and spent a long time painted in that corner.
The day I caved is seared in my brain. A friend gave me Madonna’s debut album. I’d always thought [...]

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Ok to root for a Canadian?

February 15, 2010
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Amazing interview with Clara Hughes (Canadian Olympic speedskater / cyclist) on CBC (I was hoping to tune in Wayne’s World).
Bringing your body and your brain to the place to output maximal efforts physically while remaining completely calm in your head and remaining technically efficient is to me the ultimate challenge.
What I expect of myself [...]

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Working out for a reason

February 7, 2010
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This isn’t a normal exercise or “healthy eating” article. But it’s important to remember why exercise is worth it.
A pretty decent snowstorm rolled through town yesterday and dropped maybe seven inches. Good news for me. I love winter sports – even shoveling snow. Honestly.
We live in one of the few remaining neighborhoods in New Jersey [...]

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Strong song – Badlands

February 1, 2010
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This post starts a weekly series of “strong songs” – music for digging deeper.
I listen to all types of music when I run. Fast and slow. Jazz and rap, alternative and country. Once, I even tried an NPR podcast. The idea is to take me out of my head, where I think about pain. Some [...]

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Workout hack 6 – great music

February 1, 2010
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The Greeks connected athletics and music in ancient times. Hermes not only played a mean lyre – he watched out for runners. The Olympics were packed with music. And armies were marching to drums well before then.
Music has the power to carry you away from your exertion. The rhythm almost moves your legs for you. [...]

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Workout hack 4 – dilute your efforts

January 27, 2010
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The classic advice was to focus, focus, focus. If you’re a cyclist, bike more miles. If you swim, swim more laps.
Many experts now think it’s better to switch activities. A terrific running book from Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, and Ray Moss suggests three runs and two cross-training (maybe biking) days per week.
There are a few good reasons [...]

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