Category: Fitness

Remembering Jeff Giosi And Reflecting On Mortality

by billy, posted in Fitness, People, Reflection

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom
~Ancient Hebrew Prophet

Memento mori. (Remember that you must die.)
~Ancient Roman/Latin Proverb

“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”
~Tecumseh, historic Shawnee leader

A little over a week ago, I learned that another friend of mine had died. The last five years of my life, it seems like I have witnessed a steady stream of friends near my age meeting with death at an earlier time than I would have ever anticipated; I don’t think I’m that old, but at the same time, I’m not a “spring chicken” either. Jeff Giosi is the latest one of these, and in many ways the most shocking to me and to all who knew him. As I write these words, like many others who have been writing and sharing online over the past week, I feel like the words fall short of all that is running through my mind.

I’ve known Jeff for over fifteen years. We served in the same faith communities, and we also shared many friends in other arenas, including several individuals who are from the athletic community in and around West Virginia University. In 2007, we even played on the same community league basketball team together. For anyone who knew Jeff, you know basketball was not his strongest suit, and you also know that we definitely had more fun on our team than any other in the league.

Jeff leading community league teammates through a pre-game warm up in 2007

The last two times I saw Jeff were at the local pool. He and I both were striving to learn how to swim and improve our technique, but for slightly different reasons. Both of us were trying to master a new skill, but for Jeff, he was mastering it as he prepared to compete at an elite level in a fitness competition this past summer.

Jeff is one of the strongest and most disciplined human beings I have ever known. He came to West Virginia University and Morgantown as a decathlete. He then moved on to serve as a strength and conditioning coach on multiple WVU athletic teams, and at the time of his death, he was leading a local CrossFit community and helping hundreds of other people in the community find a renewed sense of health, fitness, and self-discipline through exercise.

When I think about Jeff, I think of him of someone who gives 100% in everything he puts his mind to. He gives 100% to his faith, his family, his friendships, and his fitness. I see images of him in my mind striving to be his best and bring out the best in others. His life serves as an example of a heroic life lived as a warrior seeking the good of all.

I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by a community of incredibly disciplined people who, when I look to my right or left, remind me to keep pushing to be the best version of myself. One of Jeff’s additional strengths in this regard is that he seemed to be able to draw that kind of discipline out of others. Much like sculptors or painters who can envision the finished work of art as they paint and chisel away, Jeff seemed to have an innate sense of the potential of those around him, and he constantly challenged them to realize it.

Jeff chose to believe in many of those around him even when they didn’t believe in their own selves. That was one of Jeff’s amazing gifts to this world. Just imagine what the world would be like, or even your own life, if you chose to believe that you could be better than you are right now, and you began to work for it.

At 40, Jeff was young when he died, and his death has left thousands of people shocked. He was incredibly fit and healthy, at least by all appearances. But he also had a genetic weakness in the form of a weakened aorta that led to an aortal aneurysm. He knew about this weakened aorta—it was with him at birth. His entire life, he lived with the knowledge that death could come for him at any moment through an aortic aneurysm, that his death could very likely come abruptly in this form. His wife and family also knew. He died while exercising with his CrossFit community, and died in the midst of his daily regimen to make himself and those around him better.

While the first thing that comes to mind for most people is Jeff’s pursuit in the realm of fitness, he just lived all of his life with an intensity that is rare. If you were privileged to spend time with him, he thought deeply about life, he laughed heartily and reflected a life lived with a deep and abiding joy. If you knew him, you knew he was also one of your biggest fans. He believed in the possibility and potential living inside each and every person he met, and he longed to help others live a fuller life even as he strived to do the same.

He was fond of the latin phrase, Memento mori, “Remember your death” and he had even talked about this on a podcast (take a minute and give it a listen) approximately one year before he died. The world lost an incredible warrior and champion for good in Jeff Giosi. He lived as an example, to me and to a number of others, of what it looks like to live one’s life mindful of one’s mortality, and striving to bring out the best in one’s own self and in others.

Jeff is survived by his wife and two kids. Unfortunately, in the midst of all of the good Jeff was doing, he did not have life insurance in place for his family. A group of family friends have organized a Go Fund Me page for Jeff’s wife and kids. If you have the capacity to give in support of his wife Sarah and sons Arlen and Mackie, I have every confidence that these funds will be stewarded well, and would encourage you to give.

As I think about the events of the last few days, this statement from an ancient Christian writer, comes to mind. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. I’ve probably been meditating on phrases like this more over the last five years than during my entire life. I don’t want to seem morbid in doing so. For me, contemplating my own mortality drives me to think about how I want to spend each day, not knowing if it is my last. I believe that when I do so, it helps me be more mindful of the impact and legacy I want to have when I’ve breathed my last breath.

For each of us, I believe there is a strength to be found in contemplating our own mortality. It helps us clarify a few things. How do I want to live? What do I want to be remembered for? What good can I be doing today? How can I best love and care for the person or people who are around me right now? How do I best care for my spouse and children? How do I best care for my co-workers and neighbors? What is the most loving thing I can do today for my friends? Where can I help and contribute to a better world? What can I do today in pursuit of becoming the best version of myself?

Around four years ago, Jamie and I found out we were going to have a child. Around two years ago, we found out we were going to have a second child. It led me to begin thinking about my own life on a longer horizon. None of us know how much time we have left on this earth. At the same time, I want to plan as though I could be here for a long time, and build habits that will help me be healthier and stronger than I would be otherwise in the future. There’s nothing to be lost in doing this. Just like Jeff pursued excellence every day, not knowing how long he had left, he did it with the vision of the kind of life he wanted to be living when his boys (who are roughly the same ages as my children) had grown to be adults. I think each of us should live daily mindful of the present and also looking ahead at two horizons, one that stretches to the end of our life, and the second horizon looking beyond this life.

What is it that you want to be true of your life today? What do you want to be true 30 years from now? What do you want to be your legacy? May we all live our lives mindful of the limited time we have to live in this life, and live it in pursuit of the best version of ourselves with a view to what we can do in service of others whether that be our family, our community, or the world at large.

Four Ways To Regain Control Of Your Life During Times Of Uncertainty…Or Any Time

by billy, posted in Fitness, Wellness

A little over 20 years ago, I started my first real “grown up” job. I was working as a chemist for what was at the time one of the world’s largest generic drug manufacturers. I was showing up to work early, staying late to make sure the work was getting done, and I was coming home utterly exhausted. I felt like I had very little energy, and I couldn’t seem to get the most basic things done. I had images in my mind of my parents (who both worked full-time jobs) coming home from work, preparing dinner, working in the garden, going fishing, canning vegetables, playing cards, and still finding time to spend with me and my brother and sister. A year into my job as a chemist, and I couldn’t understand how they did it. I was waking up early, working 10-12 hours a day, and by the time I got back home, I didn’t feel like cooking or even getting groceries, so I would order a pizza or some other delivered food or take-out. Life felt pretty out of control.

One day (I’m not even sure what initially triggered it), I pulled out a piece of paper and started writing out some of what I called “pathetic life goals.” The reason I gave them that name was because they were goals that I felt were actually what most people (aka everyone other than me) already had in place, but I was struggling. My pathetic life goals consisted of daily activities like:

  • Have a consistent bedtime
  • Eat three meals (preferably from groceries I bought)
  • Get eight hours of sleep
  • Exercise for at least 30 minutes
  • Carve out daily time to read at least 15 minutes

I also had some weekly activities included like:

  • Buy groceries
  • Wash laundry

These weren’t big hairy audacious goals like “run a marathon” or “write a book,” but these little goals provided me with an opportunity to aspire toward a bare-minimum of activity that I felt should be normal for someone in his/her early 20s. Amazingly, within a matter of a few weeks of checking these tasks off on my daily lists, I was starting to feel more in control, and I was developing a series of healthy habits that were helping me to be more productive at work and have more energy when I got home.

Maybe you never had an experience like mine as I was starting my career, but we’ve all experienced times of uncertainty where life can feel pretty out of control. It almost feels as though everything and everyone is conspiring against us. We can choose to engage with those moments (and truthfully every moment) with one of two different mindsets or approaches. The first one is called an external locus of control. In this approach, perceive everything as being out of our control, and our only option is to just wait things out, and hope for the best, or just perpetually spin our wheels reacting to circumstances. Truthfully, there are some things out of our control. For instance, I can’t determine whether you will keep reading this post or not (though I hope you will), but I can choose to share this online anyway. A major problem arises for us when we start to think everything is out of our control.

The second approach or mindset is one of an internal locus of control. An internal locus of control helps us understand that there are a significant number of activities in our day that are in our own ability to control.

When things feel out of control, a good practice for regaining control starts with a short pause. Stop reacting for a minute or two, and think about areas of your life that you do have control over. And then, start exercising control there. There are four major areas each of us have control over, and as we begin to exercise control over these areas we and those around us can benefit from our choices.

We can choose to exercise discipline that will help remind us that not everything is out of our control, and help us strengthen our internal locus of control. Most of us, but not everyone, can do all four of these. Take a look at each one and consider how you might be able to make improvements in each area. It is really a strange phenomenon, but I’ve found that as we exercise discipline in these areas of our lives, feel more in control in general, and we feel more fulfilled and more prepared to take what the day throws at us. As an interesting side-note, these areas each seem to have a relationship with each other such that as you exercise discipline in one area, you are better able to exercise discipline in the others. Isn’t that fascinating? Also, each of these areas has an added bonus of boosting your immune system—so you are less likely to have an illness throw you for a loop as you are trying to gain control of your daily life.

Sleep—Did you know that getting eight hours of sleep a night, and establishing a consistent bedtime/wake time have been shown to boost your immune system and brain health? If you don’t have a consistent bedtime, what time could you start going to bed to insure you have eight hours of sleep each night? There’s a great book I recently read that goes into a lot of detail about the benefits of sleep. Check it out here.

Eat—The author Michael Pollan offers this simple seven word piece of advice on diet. Eat food, not a lot, mostly plants. Choosing to reduce the amount of processed food you eat, and boosting the amount of real, whole foods you eat (especially green leafy vegetables, cruciferous veggies – like broccoli and kale – and beans) help boost your diets fiber content and strengthen your immune system. Personally, I’m a big fan of whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diets, but a good start for anyone is simply to minimize the processed food you eat.

Exercise—By exercise, I’m not talking about hitting the gym for two hours a day, or training for a marathon. What I mean is this, get outside (preferably) and do something that elevates your heartrate a little bit beyond its normal levels for 30 minutes a day. For some folks this means getting out and walking for 30 minutes. For others, it might mean running, riding a bike, or doing calisthenics. If you are looking for an app to suggest workouts, check out this one called Bodyweight. The biggest challenge for most of us is turning off the tv, getting off the couch, and getting moving.

Pray/Meditate—A few weeks ago, I read a book by a guy named Daniel Levitin called Successful Aging. He covers a wide variety of subjects (interestingly, including food, exercise and sleep), and he also cites academic studies demonstrating the power of meditation and prayer on brain health. Karl Barth once said, “To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.” If you are uncertain how to start in this arena, maybe start with a minute or two of gratitude for what is going right in your world right now. Maybe it is something as simple as God thank you that I have a roof over my head…food to eat…clean water to drink…my family is healthy. And if you can’t start there, maybe just take four or five deep breaths once or twice a day.

No matter where you are or what you are encountering in your world, I am confident that if you choose to exercise a little discipline in one (or all) of these areas, you will begin to feel a little more in control, and you can be better equipped to do the next right thing in service of those around you.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Reflection: My Goals For 2019

by billy, posted in Fitness, People, Reflection

Last week I shared a few of my goals for 2018 and how I fared on them, so I thought it might be cool to get a few of my goals for 2019 written down as well. One marked difference for me in 2019 is that I am laying out fewer goals. I feel like my goal-setting routine and regimen is a work in progress, and I tend to think this should be the case for anyone. Hopefully, each year as we set, achieve, and/or miss goals, we are able to fine tune what a realistic forward-looking goal should be for the next 365 days. Also, I am finding that my goals tend to be an outflow of my values and what I hold as important in my life. As a result, the goals listed are starting points for me, and are not meant to be exhaustive. Also, since having Sylvia, I think I have adjusted the time horizon for my goals, or at least the outcomes of my goals. I find myself thinking about the environment I want her to have growing up. I also think about my goals not just in terms of what I want to happen right now, but also in terms of where I would like these goals to take me 20 years from now.

Here we go…

Blog again. I say this because writing two blog posts during 2018 does not really seem “active” flow. I have been continuing the practice of maintaining a journal, but it is not the same as blogging. Conservatively, I’d like to write something at least once a month. Moving from two to twelve is a pretty steep increase. Why blog? I feel like the practice of blogging and writing online is good for my soul, it helps me remember and reflect, and I hope that what I write is of some encouragement to others as well.

Practice simplicity. This practice takes many forms, but I’d like to continue the process of getting rid of clothing, books, and objects that have been collected over a lifetime. I’d like to continue efforts to lower our footprint, and make our house more of a home. Wherever we can, I’d like to continue the practice of lowering our footprint, whether that be through driving fewer miles, or lowering our use of utilities. One move we made in the past was to switch to Arcadia Power and our electric bill is now based on 100% wind energy certificates. I’d also like to maintain a practice of meditation, silence, and prayer in my mornings.

Improve my fitness/health. I’m planning to run my seventh Marine Corps Marathon this year, and for me that is a bit hard to fathom. Back in 2013, I don’t think I had ever run more than eight or nine miles at once in my entire life, but I’m living proof that a person can go from zero to marathon in about six months. In addition to running and walking, I want to take additional steps to improve my diet. I have made adjustments each year to decrease junk food intake, but Jamie and I had the privilege of taking a six week plant-based nutrition course online last year through eCornell. I learned a ton through it that has made me more thoughtful about the foods I eat, but I’d like to continue to cultivate eating more greens and getting more fiber in my diet at the very least. Being on the road, and eating many meals with groups tends to limit one’s options, but rather than giving up entirely, I’m tending to look for healthier options more often. This is still a work in progress for me though. I’m also working to incorporate more calesthenics and bodyweight training into my fitness routines. Lastly, last year Jamie and I bought “cruiser” style bicycles after having a fun time riding with Sylvia in the Netherlands. I think we’d like to get out on those bikes a couple times each week in 2019 if we can.

So, that’s a few broad buckets of goals for me for 2019. These are not necessarily starting “new” things as much as they are maintaining and improving upon cultivated habits from the past few years. Maybe as the year progresses, I’ll identify a few more specific goals and milestones to be shooting for in 2019. Honestly, I prefer specific, measurable, attainable, results oriented and timely (SMART) goals, but for now, my bigger goal is to maintain and grow in these arenas. Perhaps in a future post I’ll be sharing a few of those SMART goals in relation to what I’ve laid out above.

Do you have some goals you are working toward in 2019? May they become reality as the year progresses, and may each of us be bringing our best selves forward into each new day!