Ruck and Field Fitness

Cooking out

2020-05-242020-05-24Gio

Spent the majority of my morning wishing I had a bottomless cup of Coffee, but it was not in the cards! It all started with placing an order from a Big box retailer for pick up. Got up, walked my Gunner, fed him and made a cup of Joe. Got in the car and headed out with the assumption of just driving up, pick up and haul it back home to use it.

The it happens to be a grill. Our first grill that we can call our ow, and it’s awesome. Ok, back to our debacle. Arrived, gave our info and waited. The website does not provide information stating that our product was prebuilt, and we assumed ( you know the saying) that it was boxed. Hahahahaha on me! Pre built equipment does not, and repeat does not fit in a small car no matter what you try to throw out to make things fit!

Heck, I tried to unscrew some of the attachments (one actually popped right off to our surprise but we were stumped. Sideways, backwards, forwards and even had a gentleman offer to take to our house and wanted for us to pay him. Heck, we both had the same car, and who’s to say he wouldn’t driven away with it and left us high and dry anyway?

We made a few calls and had a bite, and it totally fit! Drove it back, and got it situated. Oh, heck we need gas/propane container so we can use it. So off we went to our provide around the corner. Oh, the luxury of having something close by and open. Of course that was an event too. Called to reserve it, but could not reserve. First come first served. Arrived only to be sent to the filling station, then directed back to storefront and back twice without container because two people could not communicate with their handsets properly.

Purchased the container, put everything on properly and tested the connection. Safety first, so they said. ‘Nene said ‘how do you know if it turned on?’ (You know where this is going don’t you?)

Well, of course I being the intrepid gentleman I said it feels warm, but it’s hot today and it could be just the sun radiating from the grill so reaching in I glanced my thumb on one of the burner shields and ooooohhh boy yeah it works alright!

Prepped a little meal for us to break it in, and boy was it delicious!

Oh, now after late lunch enjoying my Perdomo Cigar, Guinness, and much needed sun! Food was delicious! I can’t wait to use it again and explore some delicious ways to cook food also.

Have a great Sunday all! Grill on, and be merry!

Sunlight and you

2020-05-232020-05-23Gio

It has been eons have gone by with hominids enjoying the benefits of the sun. How, and in what ways? Let’s see –

Agriculture, hunting, gathering, pro-creation. Yes, the sun has the ability to help in all of the above items. It helps the soil enrich itself, along with the rain for you to grow crops. The land, and the crops feed the wildlife, which in turn feed, and fuels us.

Thus the wildlife with which we’ve cultivated our livestock, and wild game for nourishment for such a time prior to gains. The gathering or harvesting of our agriculture has placed food on our tables, plates, hands for us to grow as a species to become what we are today.

Procreation, yes the ability for our species grow has helped us to also nourish our ability to be able to have off spring with a healthy immune system that we can thank our beautiful Sun. Vitamin D has shown to be one of the most incredible substances on earth that we can really not be without.

We get it through our wonderful first line of defense, the skin. We absorb it, and cherish its wonderful sensation on all of our being. We feel happier, feel energized, and at times euphoric on very cold, frigid days when we can not even imagine functioning. We grab a beach towel, and head to the beach, park, backyard just to lay in it to have us soak it up and feel like a new human being.

Above it all it is FREE!! Go get your Sun on people If you have a dark pigmentation stay out longer.

Summer is here!!! It is time for you to recharge that low Vit-D storage and be healthier. No sunblock, just the un adulterated sun baby!

Sun on!

p.s. A study here you can read up on Vit-D

link – https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/12/2794/htm

Virtually

2020-05-16Gio

The drop phrase for 2020 is ‘Virtual’. Yup, you read it right. I began to see this as a trending subject mid year 2019 while training for some races in the U.S. Virtual racing was not starting out, it was gaining speed.

Run to the Moon, run across the U.S., and all virtual. Solo, partnered, or Team. You choose how you want to do it as long as it gets done. Run, train, run, sign up, get a virtual and printable certificate of completion and some cool swag. Maybe even a really nice collectible medal to boot, or trophy if you raced in an Elite category.

I don’t know about you, but lacing up and pinning my bib on race day and walking into a starting line with other runners to gauge my competition – nothing like it in the world! It is however our reality. Would I race as I’ve raced before? Yes. I maybe alone on that starting line, but it is my choice how I live my life.

I love going for my runs, training in the park alone or with my fiance. I get weird looks now as I did before this ‘pandemic’ was here so I’m okay with it. I’m not okay with people being socially isolated, and not having a true outlet. Yes, I have made a choice to be active and to remain active regardless. Others have also made a choice to not be active. I get it. We are adults and as such we live with our choices, and also be it as it may die by them.

Being active provides me the opportunity to be healthy both mentally, and physically. How can we reach out to others to have what we have? Well, all it takes is honestly a wave when you’re running, or a funny remark while you’re suffering in the park while you workout to show that there is something that seems doable, or attainable to anyone because you made them feel like a human, made them smile or even laugh and now they’re intrigued about what you are doing.

There may be a possibility of them watching How To videos on exercise without equipment, or finding a running club or even ‘Virtual’ coaching. That’s where I come in, yes I do virtual / Remote coaching. Have been doing it for some time, and it is not going to go anywhere anytime soon. It’s actually going to pick up momentum as time goes by.

So, what are your thoughts on ‘Virtual’ coaching, racing? How will you motivate yourself, then others to help them become better versions of themselves in this environment we find ourselves in?

I’ll see you soon,

p.s. I’m actually contemplating signing up for some virtual races. What are you running/racing this summer?

Keep moving, mental health is your reward

2020-04-122020-05-18Gio

The continuing order to endure enclosed spaces for most people means a lot of time spent being either complacent in their life’s choices, or deliberate on staying focused and active. Which are you?

Well, for starters I like being active. I love to workout, mostly outdoors with my ruck, kettlebell, sandbag, hilly area or just a trail. Either way, I can make it work also at home since exercise is not exclusive to either out of doors or indoors in the context of moving. Complexity is not useful, simplicity is the norm.

Using basic movement patterns of push/pull, press, extension, flexion, and rotation you can basically move in any pattern that your body can get into without much effort, but the magic in that pudding is the amount of times you perform it, and frequency with a good serving of either resistance, time or speed.

Look around your environment right now. Where are you seated? Let’s begin with a simple chair, either folding, fixed four legged model with or without padding. Pry it up against a wall and you can use it for squats if you’re learning to sit and stand again for rehab or prehab. Squats once more if you are trying box squats with a weight to a prescribed depth. How about upper body work by performing dips, on one chair while legs are elevated on the other, or push ups with feet atop of seat while hands are on floor?

Core work? Sure, lets try this: Sit ups with elevated feet on the seat portion of the chair, plank holds in same manner, or glute work like butt biters- where your butt raises from the floor while feet (heels) remain on seat portion of chair for multiple reps. Bridges (one legged) with heels in the same place (atop of seat) go for multiple reps/sets. You see that it’s just imagination that is the limiter.

Food items – no, not raw food like chicken or frozen fish. I’m talking about canned foods, and there are plenty of sizes and weights to use for exercises. Cans in a backpack/rucksack wrapped in a towel so it doesn’t jostle around in the pack while you exercise with it. You can run with the pack, squat it, swing it, plank with it and press it. Imagination once again is your limiter. Indoors/Outdoors are your playground.

Just because you’re asked to stay home does not mean you should be sedentary. You need to keep moving, because mental health is not a given. You’ll need to make the effort to sweat a little and get the benefits you so desire.

Happy Easter All!!

Butt biters, dips, hill bear crawls, ground to overhead, and team squats!