The Mechanic

Its one of my jobs to lead and inspire dynamic and natural movement and prepare people to meet their goals, whatever they may be. And in my years doing this, believe me I've heard excuses and whining and complaining. "My knee hurts", "I'm really stressed" or "the weather really gets me down" among a plethora of others. But the people I work with just bring it. This post is dedicated to someone who brings it and is is the first installment in a series highlighting the amazing people I'm blessed to work with.

He pulls in to our meeting spot blasting tunes in his big throaty diesel truck and he jumps out with his steel toed shit kickers on and usually covered in dirt and grease. Its his lunch break so time is of the essence. He kicks off his boots, throws on some shorts and starts his dynamic warmup. "You ready buddy"? I ask and he always responds with a big smile and a "hell yeah" or "bring it on", and we begin.

I put him through the paces. Sometimes we are deep in the woods, gathering boulders from a river to be used as resistance or hanging from rafters in an old pavillion cranking out pullups. Then on to the town sandpile for some brutal climbs and metabolic conditioning. The "mechanic" wants to improve his game. Hone his martial arts(2nd degree black belt). Keep his back strong and work through some past issues. And even though he practically has lived in steel toed boots his whole life, he has embraced going barefoot. Every challenge for the last few months with me, he has been barefoot. "getting better" he says, when I ask him how feet are faring.

You see, the mechanic has some things that don't work like the rest of us. Limited range of motion in his shoulder. Wracked his back pretty good back in the day. And he has one issue that I won't get into here that lets just say, would cause some people to just want to give up and give in. Throw in the proverbial f&^^$%ing towel. But that is not what the Mechanic does. He grits his teeth and he accepts each and every challenge and task I can dish out and handles it with aplomb. He focuses on his breathing and engagement and despite not having much of a cardio base when we started this summer, has made some incredible headway there too. An hour later he is drenched in sweat and has worked in every plane of movement and given 100% on everything.No excuses, no "poor me" and he is always ready for the next challenge even if he has to do it with a little of "his style".


Next time your thinking of giving up,or not giving it 100% think about the Mechanic. And think about others that might only have 1 arm, or 1 leg or no legs or are confined to a wheelchair for the rest of their lives but are still giving it their all. Realize how lucky we all are and never forget how precious and fleeting time is. The Mechanic sure won't.

Mocean365 Movement Adventures

So great to see all of the great progress and FUN in the world of movement adventures at Mocean365. Both from individuals and classes are full of people having fun in the outdoors first and then enjoying all of the benefits of that fun after. People are taking their shoes off, getting dirty and finding stuff on their own to get into trouble with from Downhill Mountain Biking to hiking, parkour and obstacle racing, zip lining and much more.
Here are some pics of people in action, contact us of you want to join The Mocean365 Movement Adventure!

Mocean365 Clean Up and Lean Up Day a sucess

This past Sunday we did a "guerrilla style" trail and cleanup day at the Town Forest In St Johnsbury Vt. I say guerrilla because we JUST DID IT!  We rallied some of our die hard Mocean365 crew, gathered tools and resources and went out and made the forest better than it was. Angel Roy brought and planted some beautiful flowers. Joe Fox came over with a mower and trimmer and along with Mocean Mate' tribe member Will Castle and Mocean365 Team Member Brad Grant, and myself relocated a 15 foot long bridge to a higher and drier spot. Hillary Decarlo swept the yellow trail of trash and debris while Megan Walsh, Hillary, Jen Grant and her son Jack and her nephew buffed out around the pavillion area, getting rid of trash and sweeping and beautifying.
Next up i got the saw out and cleared some trail debris then cut some pieces so we all teamed up to rebuild a problem wet area and construct a new bridge. We also did some armoring and lots of water management work, built ditches and did some selective clearing to let sun in to dry out areas.
 Tracy Gilman and Bill Bennett also helped greatly. After the work, we had a huge feed with some amazing and healthy eats so we could refuel for some fun games. A great day overall and a huge thanks to everyone who came out and participated. I encourage anyone to do the same at their favorite spots!
So remember to come check out the Town Forest and join Mocean365 for a Zone To Zone Action Workout on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-7 ish PM right in St Johnsbury. It is an amazing spot and expect varied dynamic full body conditioning for all levels from beginner to advanced. Cost is 12$ OR do both classes per week and only pay $10 per class.  Hope to see you all there. Call 802-888-6262 with any questions or email me at mocean365@gmail.com

Mocean365 Spring and Summer Programs

Well the long winter up here in north-central VT continues with snow depths still in the waist high range in the woods but we are gearing up for spring anyway. For those of you new to Mocean365, we have switched over to ONLY OUTDOOR TRAINING. That means all winter, all conditions, and the crew has been charging through one of the snowiest winters in a hundred years. Mocean365 has been working with schools, individuals and classes and spreading the stoke of moving the body dynamically 365 days a year.

We combine adventure into all elements of our programs and this spring-summer will be no exception. Want to train for an adventure race like the Spartan Race or get ready to ride your bikes at the Kingdom Trails? Or maybe you  want to increase your joint mobility, coordination and balance so you can chase the kids around or bang nails all day pain free? Mocean365 has an option for all of you and we also are proud to offer nutrition counseling in conjunction with Rootswise Wellness so you can not only work your body to its limit physically but ensure you know how to replenish so you can recover, rebuild and keep making gains. We will be continuing our work with Exuberant Animal ensuring we add moves from the Exuberant Animal handbook that encourage team building and FUN into all elements of our workouts.

We incorporate variety and adventure into every session. You may be using a Indo Board balance board, then a Mocean365 custom designed weighted stick, then climbing a steep sandhill, then walking across a Gibbon slackline, then traversing a slippery side slope in the woods mimicking the animals that live there. You may be using a TRX suspension trainer, then carry a turkish bag, use a  Rubberbanditz resistance band while closing your eyes and balancing on 1 foot then work on basic combat skills, climb a local peak, ride a pumptrack on your mountain bike, meet new like minded people and prepare for whatever life may throw at us! And of course we can drink some Mocean Mate' which is a energy tea created specifically to help you Energize Your Adventures!

Mocean365 can design a custom program for you as an individual, as your own small group of friends and family, as a custom class or we can come to your school, workplace or home and help you move the body the way it was designed. Have fun far away from any gym or "scene", in the great outdoors with a leader dedicated to taking you to your next level, whatever that may be.


Contact us today to get started, we can come to you or you to us but we only work with dedicated people who have made the decision that they want to live a movement adventure 365 days a year. We work on a sliding scale financially as well so NO ONE is excluded due to financial standing. We are looking for passion, not money. Email Mocean365 at mocean365@gmail.com and check us out on the web at
http://www.mocean365.com/  and friend us on Facebook

Mocean365 and The Confluence

We are stoked to be working with the non-profit movement organization called The Confluence. Great people with some complimentary visions to my own and we are going to unveil some big stuff real soon.

I began leading some outdoor classes for them this week on the Statehouse Lawn as well as a private workplace session up at National Life. Check out a free class if you are ever in the area and want to move that body for a half an hour. I will also be leading a Crossfit session on Wednesdays at 2 pm if you want to really get that body shakin!

The Confluence Offers Complimentary Fitness Classes on Statehouse Lawn

When was the last time you had fun working out?

This summer join the experienced staff of the Confluence from 11:30 am-12 noon Monday –Friday  for thirty minutes of free instruction and play!  The summer schedule of guided workouts offers a variety of fitness opportunities for all levels, ages  and abilities.  Children are welcome as well!

The weekday offerings are as follows:

Monday :  Cardio Core led by Richarda Ruffle; Director of Illume Fitness

Tuesday:  Kettlebells led by Abdul Mujib: RKB Certified Level 2 Instructor

Wednesday:  Outdoor Action led by Skye Nacel;  Outdoor Fitness Expert

Thursday:  CrossFit led by Nick Petterssen; CrossFit certified Instructor

Friday:  Hula Hooping led by Lizzie Brood, certified Hula Hoop Instructor

The Confluence is a nonprofit organization that provides an affordable, high quality fitness environment for adults, youth and children in Central Vermont. As a facility and community, The Confluence offers a social and family experience, life and physical skill-building activities though sports, and sustainable pursuit of fitness or athletic performance goals.  Call 229.4131 or visit www.theconfluencevt.com for questions or more information.