Referral Reward: Refer "The TriumFit Community" to just 3 friends & get one of my training plans for free ($20-$35 value). Just reply to this email with subject line: "Newsletter referrals" and list the emails of your 3 amigos, and I will add them manually! (Ideally you tell them how awesome it is first, of course...)
Now you have a proper training plan for the body you want to get your swagger back.
What I've Learned So Far:
Last month I completed a 10-Day silent meditation retreat.
Here were my 10 take aways...IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
1) Say it to the person now
Being trapped in silence for 10-days had me replaying old conversations in my head on repeat. It simulated death in that sense, because there was absolutely no way to relay a message to the person I wanted to reach. We take that for granted everyday, but we shouldn't, because any day could be the last. So say the damn thing to the person, before that silence is no longer simulated, but permanent.
2) People really do care about you
I was blown away by the out reach of people asking me if I was ok when I posted I was "dropping off the face of the world" to go into silence. I have done some hard core things in my life, so I didn't think it would be too out there, but so many people called or texted to check in before I left to see if I was doing alright in my mental space. I was, I just had a lot of life decisions and processing to do, so it was a great time to sit and embrace what come up.
3) Silence can speak to what you have been neglecting
It really is when we slow down and remove all distractions that we can have profound insights. Not profound in the sense of changing the world, but profound enough to change YOUR world.
4) True love is worth trusting again
I had gone through a bit of self-inflicted relationship turmoil earlier this year, before the retreat, that broke my trust in a partner. But during the only sanctioned Q and A time with the meditation teacher, he said something that struck me instantly: "True love is worth trusting again." I often fear diving in head first to protect my heart, and that pattern was about to repeat again, had I not received that wisdom.
5) Everything changes, so don't attach too much to any (good or bad) sensation
The concept of "anicha" is HUGE in Vipassana meditation. That is the idea that every sensation in the body is constantly arising and passing away. So why attach to either feeling, when you know it is in it's very nature to leave? Don't crave the good sensations, or hold aversions to unpleasant sensations, when they come (even when you are uncomfortable, after sitting for a hour in the lotus position meditating...)
6) Peace is found internally, first
Sounds like some self-help bullshit. But honestly, big fact.
7) I have been putting way too many "hit points" into my fitness, at cost of other areas of my life
I realized that every day I had about 10 things to cross off to even function:
My "stochastic strength" standards game
My sprint streak
My "Champions League" workout of the day
My rotator cuff shoulder strengthening routine, before I leave the house
A 5:30 AM "F3" workout
A Tacoma run club
My Bear Crawl Club
etc, etc.
While I enjoyed all of these individually, it was not sustainable to do them all every day/week. So I have paired down my daily routine to be ACTUALLY SANE.
I have been known as the "healthy" guy since my early twenties, when I took an interest in health, in order to combat flare ups of adult acne (a very dark time in my life).
But I didn't realize how much my life revolved around endless fitness routines, which were no longer adding to enjoyment, and really just distracting from other neglected areas of my life (e.g. relationships, spontaneity, adventures)
8) Being a monk is actually hard af and not for the lazy
Those MF'ers had us up at 4:30 every morning and doing approximately 11 hours of silent meditation DAILY. Monks are BUILT DIFFERENT YALL.
9) We all need a dopamine detox at least once a year
Will I ever do another 10-day retreat? I don't know. But I will certainly make time to unplug in a SERIOUS way each year. I always thought the world would be a better place if everyone was mandated to see the 'Milky Way' in all its glory, at least once a year. Simply to realize our tiny place in the universe...
10) If you want to run away, that is normal
On the final day we were allowed to break silence. I sheepishly admitted I almost ran for the hills after Day 4 and Day 7. Turns out almost EVERYONE said the same thing, there was a breaking point for each meditator in the group. It was comical actually.
Thanks for reading to my mediation take aways!
Dhamma.org is the website, and it is COMPLETELY free of charge to sign up for a retreat. Highly encourage you to take a vow of silence at least once in your life.
Charity Challenge Updates:
This month (JUNE):
"19-MILES TO FREEDOM" a spoken word poem
by Ty from TriumFit
They ran...through the night, through the thicket, with no 'ticket' in sight on this railroad.
Feet raw, backs sore, but freedom called, so they answered with motion.
19 miles on foot every day.
The journey of a runaway scheme, somewhere between terror and hope, between shackles and a dream.
They ran, not for medals, not for likes or swipes, but for life, through mud, through rivers, through thorns, tearing at their flesh.
Each mile a prayer, a whisper to the north, each step of defiance, against compliance, henceforth.
So now we walk, 9 to 19 miles, at least one mile barefoot.
Not to suffer, but to remember, not for pain, but for perspective, to honor the bodies that ached before ours, to feel just for a moment the weight of their scars.
This is for the dreamers who dared to run for the rebels who called for their time in the sun.
For those who bled into the soil that would come to bear 'strange fruit,' and enough bodies laying horizontal. We could salute.
Step by step, mile by mile, because their fight made our freedom possible, because Juneteenth is not just a date, it's a legacy, and we carry it forward, past a history of white supremacy.
CONGRATS TO THE NEWEST COHORT OF "TRIUMFIT ATHLETES!"
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AND THE COMMUNITY IMPACT
Next month (JULY):
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This year the "Feast and Fast" is kicking off with a food-eating contest.
β I am grateful to "El Toro" Parkland for stepping up as the food sponsor and R.I.S.E center for hosting the competition.
β Instead of the usual 25%, 50% of gross entry ticket sales will support RISE and their mission to feed and house our citizens. β Date: July 5th, 2 pm
Location: R.I.S.E Center 2136 Martin Luther King Jr Way Suite 104,
Tacoma, WA 98405
β Challenge: Taco eating contest, fastest to finish 10 wins!
β Buying an entry ticket below gets you into the contest. You can invite friends for free to watch. β Text me for any additional questions: (213) 839-8405 β There are 2 Optional challenges below:
THESE ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN the TACO EATING CONTEST.
β These are if you want to earn your gold or silver TriumFit commemorative coin.
(Gold division) Eat 10,000 calories in one day and then complete a 48-hour fast (Silver division) Eat 5,000 calories in one day and then complete a 24-hour fast
β Purpose: To honor the history of hunger strikes as a tool for nonviolent protest and the duality of abundance and absence in the American food system
Pay $25 for any event to be registered as a "TriumFit Athlete" (25% of TOTAL ticket sales are now going to a relevant charity)
Or buy ALL 7 challenges at once and get 1 challenge FREE
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"Bear Crawl Club" Updates
I made a new swaggy logo
"TriumFit and Chill" is now "Bear Crawl Club." A bi-monthly group fitness challenge and social hang in Tacoma, WA. Read more about the WHY below!
Shoutout to all the Bear Crawlers who made it out June 28th!
The next couple dates are:
>> July 12th (need someone to host for this, I will be out of town biking from Seattle to Portland...)
>> July 26th
>> August 9th
>> August 23rd
ETC. (every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month)
P.S. the first 3 badges are IN! These look incredible.
If you show up to Bear Crawl Events you can earn these bad boys
(or bad bears rather) ;)
These will be $5 each. The "Cub" arm band is FREE for showing up the 1st time though :D
What is Bear Crawl Clubs purpose?
America is Broken. β Not beyond repair, but cracked where it matters most. β Weβre politically polarized, physically unfit, and angry at anyone but ourselves. β Weβve lost the muscles that made us: grit, grace, unity, humility. β So letβs rebuild it. Not with opinions. With actions. β βIntroducing: TriumFitβs Moonshot Challengeβ β βThe Fall Bear Crawl Across Americaβ β 3,000 athletes. 3,000 miles. $300,000 raised for charity. One mile at a time. β In October the goal will be to get every day athletes to register to commit to Bear Crawling 1 mile in 1 day, and raising $100 for GiveDirectly.org β It will be a completely VIRTUAL challenge, no location limitations. β One day it would be cool to actually pass a baton or something across the United States, but not yet. β We start on all fours β bear crawling across a divided country to prove something simple: We donβt need to agree on everything to move in the same direction. β Because strength isnβt found in shouting louder. Itβs found in those who bear their weight and keep moving forward.
π§ What Training For This Looks Likeβ (local to where I am) β Every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. Unless otherwise noted. β βπ Locationβ β Stadium High Football Field, Tacoma WA β βπ Timeβ 2:00 β 4:00 PM β Hour 1: Fitness (Bear Crawl Challenge) β Hour 2: Fun β bring a nostalgic snack + drink combo to share β βπ» Distances (choose your level)β ΒΌ mile Β· Β½ mile Β· ΒΎ mile Β· 1 mile β π Gloves recommended β Each crawl contributes to our national mission β one local effort at a time. β This is where community meets commitment. Where fitness becomes a statement. Where America begins to rebuild. β Join the mission. Crawl for a cause.
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What all the badges will look like!
p.s. If you paid for and completed a TFC event, then use this editable document to keep track of your completion times after each event, to see how your fitness is improving!
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