Costa Rica Beginner’s Mind 2019 Retreat Review

Where can you combine learning, disengaging from life, connection, beach, sun, hiking, and so much more? That’s what Ben House has created with his Beginner’s Mind Retreat at Flō Retreat Center. A place where one can achieve all of the above and more. This trip marked the second time I’ve been here, and for good reason. It gives me the opportunity to personally recalibrate from the hectic work lifestyle I’ve grown accustomed too, while taking time out to better myself in more ways than one. This year’s retreat brought together several bright minds in the health and fitness realms, discussing topics ranging from training, mitochondria, stress, and more. The retreat is set up into two different weeks. The first week was functional medicine-oriented. After a three day break of chillin’ like Bob Dylan, the strength and conditioning week finished things off. The best part of this retreat is that learning is only one component. The lectures took up the morning, then the rest of the day was yours. You get time to train, go to the beach, hike, jump off of cliffs, eat good food, or just chill and play board games. The best part of this retreat is the people you encounter. It can be hard in our industry to find like-minded folks who live the lifestyle that fam like us live. But at Flo, healthy living is the norm. The people I’ve met at Ben’s place are people who I consider to be friends for a lifetime. That’s

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Lessons from a Cadaver Dissection

Y’all Wanna See a Dead Body? I remember my first cadaver dissection way back in undergrad. My first time seeing what the body “actually” looked like, not a two-dimensional representation. Exploring the human body via dissection left an indelible mark on my anatomical understanding. There is something incredibly salient about holding a human heart that the donors so graciously provided. It took my understanding to another level. I had a few other times in undergrad and PT school where I was able to study cadavers, but that was 8 years ago. My lens has changed. My biases have been altered. My appreciation for the human body and relationships is different. In PT school, dissection time is basically 75% fat removal, 20% separating structures, and 5% appreciating. Especially considering the primary objective is rote anatomical memorization for the test, you don’t get to take time and stop and smell the formaldehyde. You do what you gotta do to get that degree, fam. This dissection I got to participate in was hosted by University of St. Augustine. Without the pressures of PT school and better anatomical knowledge, the experience was worthwhile. A breath of fresh…well you know what I mean. It didn’t hurt that anatomical genius Daddy-O Pops Bill Hartman was in the heezy. We had pretty much free reign on these cadavers, which allowed see so many cool things, reinforce many ideas, and develop greater understanding of how to apply anatomy to our advantage. Realize that this post is horrendously biased.

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August 2018 Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in August. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below.  That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”]

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June 2018 Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in June. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below.  That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”]

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Paleofx 2018 Conference Review

I decided to get out of my comfort zone, and attended the health conference, PaleoFx. This conference covered a wide variety of topics and products, ranging from stem cells to pesticides, and everything in between. I appreciate the approach that most people in this domain take towards health and wellness, and being here made me realize both how important nutrition is, and how little I know about the topic. I look forward to diving more into this domain over the next several years. Check out the video review, then read my course notes below.

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May 2018 Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in May. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below.  That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”]

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November Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on from this past August. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below.  That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”] Biggest Lesson of the Month Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t hitting perfection day in and day out. Consistent progress over time is the key. There have been many days where I wasn’t motivated to stay on task, and faltered. The key to getting back on the proverbial horse the next day was to not beat myself up. Instead, acknowledge that these things happen, understand I’m human, and get after it the next day. You’d be amazed at what this shift in perspective can do. Quote of the Month “Greatness is a lot of small things done daily” ~ MJ Demarco MJ Demarco again takes the cake this month. This quote made me reflect a lot on just how many small, quality habits, can make an impact on life. What small things can you do to become great? Hike of the Month A late steal this month, but got a chance to check out Death Valley National Park. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this

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