Back from a super fun weekend in Seattle with the Exuberant Animal crew laying down some exciting collective plans for inspiring movement. And this weekend has elevated the mission to a all new level! So below is lots of info not just from the Animals but from others. Take a few minutes. maybe skip your favorite show tonite and check out some stuff that has worked to keep my stoke, maybe it will for you as well?!
While i was a little banged up from some recent run in's with trees, icy trails and a nasty chest cold thingy, this weekend was still so amazing and fun and inspiring! It was my time to learn more and vibe off of some of the most amazing people in the world of physical movement that I've ever met. People that are driven to make a difference each and every day in their own way.
Some are authors like the chief of the tribe, Frank Forencich who has written many books on the topic of movement and breaking it down into basic, primal patterns with a focus on fun and play. An amazing person with a mission that is purely inspiring to so many of us.
Which doesn't mean easy by any means, it just means FUN. why the f^%k should't movement and "workouts" be fun? what is wrong with that? Nothing.
The Barefoot Sensei takes primal movement to a whole other level. A genuine, authentic warrior who spreads the gospel by example who is unencumbered by the stress and possessions of the modern world by choice, he is a Sensei in every meaning of the word.And so many others throughout the weekend have left an indelible mark upon me and my own mission, and for this I'm grateful. And thanks to those who made the journey possible, Mahalos to you.
Josh Leeger was another of the great personalities there this weekend who taught me many things in a short time and this am I was checking out his site as part of my daily quest for knowledge. On there I found a link to one of his friends sites, Ross Enamait who runs Ross Training and on there i found some really cool stuff including...gasp, cough, a video profiling Will Smith. Now many of you might think of Will as a Hollywood actor and make generalizations like i often do about that industry but look deeper. Will has some cool sh$t to say for sure.
also while on there found this great poem that speaks volumes..
It Couldn’t Be Done
By Edgar Guest
Somebody said it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing and he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has ever done it”;
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing and he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
And finally also got a great email this morning from the Northeast Kingdom protagonist of movement himself, Joe Fox.
In "A Mile in His Shoes" in this month's Runner's World, Marc Parent speaks of a study by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler based on a 1947 Framingham Heart study. Says the article:
"They used the same data to make a startling discovery: Happiness is contagious, as are other good behaviors like quitting smoking and staying thin. These and their opposites- obesity, depression, and cigarettes with coffee- apear to spread between people as if they were viruses; groups of friends "infect" one another with good or bad habits."
It goes on to talk about a New York Times summary of the Christakis/ Fowler study...
"If you want to improve the world with your good behavior, math is on your side. For most of us, within three degrees we are connected to more than 1,000 people-all of whom we can theoretically help make healthier, fitter, and happier just by our contagious example."
"No one is an island. There is always someone watching you leave the house, dig it out, come back, and do it all over again. You are being watched by a roommate, a brother, a spouse. The driver of every passing car. You are being watched by future generations."
Thank you to all you exuberants and everyone out there who feed my fire!