All posts filed under: Health & Wellness

Change Provides Trade-Offs

Published by Colin Nanka

My trainer started at a new gym this week. I liked the routine I was in where he was. I would typically take an uber to the gym early in the morning and then either run home to get ready for the day or go straight to work.   I got used to the routine based on the logistics. How to get there and home, the best route to take based on the amount I had and the best juice shop nearby!   It was a comfort level.   With the change in locations, the logistics have changed, and so has the comfort level.  The unknown.   What did I find this morning?   It’s farther from home, but closer to the office I have to plan more in advance but the walk to the office is refreshing The juice shop on the way is better! There are always trade-offs! It’s how you look at them.   What changes are coming your way?   What are the trade-offs you will need to think through?   …

This exercise will make you 50% stronger

Published by Colin Nanka

At the gym with my trainer this morning we talked about metrics to track as I look to improve my 50K run performance in May. We were doing squats and one-legged lunge with weights. Where I am strong versus my competitors in races is on the flats. I have good history and volume from 30 years of track and field. Where I am weak is up AND downhill. People blow by me often at 2:1 speed. I’ve been getting better, it used to be 3:1. If it’s taking me 50 percent power to get up and downhill with every step, what would happen if we increased my power base so it was only 25 percent effort? Over thousands of steps?  A LOT! I should be able to squat my current body weight and I can’t. When I can we will have moved from 50 percent to 25 percent. It’s a hard metric and a fact. In the next two months, my goal is to move towards that metric (measuring progress every week). I will also have …

This one measurement will make you skinnier 

Published by Colin Nanka

I was talking to a good friend a month ago and he told me his number one goal was health this year.  He’s been a wildly successful executive for many years. Career and wealth creation had been tops of his list for many years and he can’t recall the last time health cracked the top three. “I’ve got to that place where my family is comfortable and I’m comfortable and it’s time!” he said. Little did he know a week later one of his family members had a real health scare that reinforced this as his crystal clear number one goal. What’s one tactical thing that has been helping him? Weighing himself every day. Why?   What gets measured gets done.   It gives you an accountability point every day when you start to veer off track from a big week of customer dinners, lots of unhealthy snacks or just or losing sight of the goal.  It’s not to be micro on what you consume every single meal, it’s a trend line of where the waistline …

I Was Losing Focus!

Published by Colin Nanka

I was in a training session yesterday morning doing a one-legged exercise and noticed I was thinking about work on my plate that day. My trainer noticed at the same time too! He asked me “what muscle group are you working?” My answer was half right. One of two muscle groups but I hadn’t been focusing on the full extension of the exercise. I was not present in the moment. Time to reset and focus. I came out on the other end feeling the strength and stability like when doing a squat or yoga tree pose well. That stability gave me encouragement – nailing one task at a time setting me up for success for the rest of the day. Start your day focused on the one move that will set you up for success. Colin  

8 Ways to Nourish The Body In 2018

Published by Colin Nanka

One of the questions I get often is about healthy eating, vitamins, and supplements. The first thing I recommend when trying to improve a goal or habit….talk to a professional, or a coach! When I was trying to take on a new habit below, a skill or knowledge, this is the approach that worked (after trying many different methods first!): Healthy Eating – I took on a Nutritionist and a Holistic Naturopath Focus on Energy Level – Holistic Naturopath Running Programs – Running Coach Strength Training – Trainer Rehab Programs – Athletic Therapist Flexibility and Balance – Yoga Class or 1:1 Yoga Session The point is, a coach or professional provides both education, inspiration, and accountability. We often lose sight of the last piece. It’s crucial. So here are the recommendations I have been using for the last five years from my Naturopath and Nutritionist for a healthy and active late 30’s to early 40’s individual that have made a significant difference in my health and well being. Caveat – These work for me, please …

Finding Joy and Meaning in Everything You Do

Published by Colin Nanka

Image by Getty Images After watching Roger Federer win his 20th Grand Slam title in Australia at the age of 36 this past weekend you have to wonder what keeps him going!? Perhaps his ability to find joy and meaning in almost every aspect of his job. “I enjoy practice,” Federer said, when asked how he maintains his motivation at this stage of his career. “Not minding the travel. Having a great team around me, they make it possible. At the end it’s seeing that my parents are incredibly proud and happy that I’m still doing it. They enjoy coming to tournaments. That makes me happy and play better.” At the end of the day, Federer is just a guy who loves his job, and happens to be better at it than just about anybody is at anything. When you can find the joy in every aspect of your job, you will never work a day in your life. Colin

A Picture That Defines You

Published by Colin Nanka

In 2011, With less than 30 seconds to go in the AFC title football game and the Baltimore Ravens down by three, quarterback Joe Flacco threw a back-shoulder pass to the right corner of the end zone. The pass was incomplete, knocked out of his receiver’s hands by a Patriots cornerback. In the blur of real-time action, CBS’ Jim Nantz shouted that “it was Sterling Moore who took it away from Torrey Smith.” A moment later, Nantz corrected himself: The guy who lost the ball was Lee Evans.   Seven years after that play, last weekend, Marcus Williams of the New Orleans Saints, made a blunder, missing what should have been an easy, game-winning tackle, and instead turned into a touchdown for Minnesota and the end of the playoff road for Marcus and the Saints.   Lee Evans after his blunder decided to take ownership and stare his mistake directly in the face. He captured this photo and framed it in his house. To never forget the pain of that moment and have a micro focus …

5 Ways To Your Most Productive Day Ever

Published by Colin Nanka

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.”  – Abraham Lincoln    My wife was out of town this weekend, so I had the house to myself. I really wanted to get a lot done and have a super productive weekend.   So I thought through the best way to do that.  I started with a good question.   What does success look like this weekend?   I already had some things written down that I wanted to get done. I knew in that list were a few important items.  But how important and was the list complete?   So I created I list.   Then I prioritized it!   I resisted the urge to start working!   I spent an hour on the process. Writing down all the things I wanted to get done.  I prioritized and reprioritized until it was crystal clear and noted why each one was important. I also created an aspirational column at the end of it. This gets all the ideas out of your head. …

Seeing Our Addictions

Published by Colin Nanka

“We must give up many things to which we are addicted, considered them to be good. Otherwise, courage will vanish, which should continually test itself. Greatness of soul will be lost, which can’t stand out unless it disdains as petty what the mob regards as most desirable. – Seneca, Moral Letters, 74.12b-13   A friend shared this passage from the book the “Daily Stoic” by Ryan Holliday this week and I thought it was appropriate for the time of the season.   A summary of their interpretation of Seneca’s quote.   What that addiction is can vary: Soda? Drugs? Complaining? Gossip? The Internet? Judgement? Sweets? Self Control? But you must reclaim the ability to abstain because within it is your clarity and self-control.   Harmless indulgences can turn into full-blown addictions It can start with coffee in the am and soon you can’t function without it We are hooked on checking email, iPhone, the buzz, and beeps, and can’t sleep It chips away at our freedom Are we in control? Let’s focus on reclaiming our freedom   January is a …