I am ALIVE!

This is a blog about belief, passion and desire. Have you ever experienced the feeling of knowing that you left it all out there, that you pushed your body as far as it could be pushed, that you gave all you had to give … and then some? Have you ever pushed yourself to the edge and then jumped off only to find that you could fly? Have you ever hit the wall only to realize that you had a metaphysical hammer with which to smash your way through to the other side?

Now I’m not referring to that radiant glow you have after the group hug at your Zumba class. I am not waxing poetic about the high five your buddy gave you at the end of the softball game before you inhaled a six pack. What I am talking about is the, "I just kicked my own a** and pushed past what I used to believe was my max effort only to find the STRENGTH of will to set a new benchmark and redefine my self imposed limitations." I am referencing the moment you’re gasping for air, ready to collapse when you realize, holy s**t, I just did that?! Don’t grab your knees, don’t fall over in a pile of sweat, instead STAND UP, raise those arms up into the air and celebrate! Congratulations and welcome to the other side of the human condition, you are ALIVE!

I read a post today by one of my mentors, Martin Rooney, on the topic of sprinting. Fast forward two hours, an endorphin rush, an adrenaline dump and nine rounds of Hurricane Sprints and I know what it means to be alive and I am FIRED UP! Have you pushed yourself to this level lately? Now I don’t care if you’re 25, 75 or anywhere in between, I’m not referring to my level, I’m referring to your level. My question is when was the last time you pushed yourself to and beyond what you believed your limit to be? When was the last time you felt honestly, truly, totally, passionately ALIVE? If you can’t answer this question or it was so long ago that the feeling has become no more then a distant, vague, meaningless memory then I’m challenging you to get off you’re a** and start living again.

When it comes to health and pushing our physical limits I believe in a few things. First and foremost I believe that we were designed to move, FAST. To that end, I believe that we were designed to sprint. I believe that we were meant to spend as much time in nature as possible, running, jumping, climbing and swimming. I believe that we were meant to perform challenging physical labor such as picking up heavy objects and moving them around. I believe that the true measure of physical strength and vitality is relative strength or how strong you are for your bodyweight.

Please do not challenge me on any of these points because you will be wasting your time. Quite frankly I don’t care what you believe. This is not about you; this is about MY beliefs, MY passion and MY desire. If you’re not on board with the above beliefs you are welcome to your opinions, just know that if it ever comes down to it, I will run faster, move quicker and hit harder then you. I will win, not because of what I believe, but because I’ve already pushed myself to a place of being comfortable with being uncomfortable. I know my limits because I have pushed them and I am constantly striving to set new ones. I am ALIVE.