“I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.”

Meet The Sapeurs–members of the Congolese society, a group of men united by style but bonded by an underlining moral code of inspiring others by example. I came across an article about them on Co.Create. The Sapeurs are “all about defying your circumstances through inner conviction–something which though small, is totally unique to human beings and extraordinary in its own right.” I like that mentality, not just for style, but for living a healthy life. I like the idea of celebrating people who put more into life to get more out of it. That’s the type of coach I want to embody everyday–a person who inspires their athlete to put their all into their effort, not because they’ll win but because they’ll get more out of life by going outside their boundaries. And as The Sapeurs remind us, it doesn’t have to be a big effort. It can be a small moment, a microsecond during competition where you think, “huh, why not change my frame of mind; do it not to be better personally, but to inspire others around me to be better.”

Here are a few tidbits from their life and how they succeed in living it:

1. you have to mix it up
2. look up to your elders
3. it’s not about money
4. it’s not the cost, but the man inside
5. respect others
6. be polite, not vulgar
7. peace

When there is peace, there’s The Sape. When there is peace, there is life. You can always choose who you are.

This is my rocky moment. You know, where I’m running up the steps through the arctic tundra with my hiking boots and my scarf covering my labored breath. No sea of people cheering me on, but that’s okay because they’re here in my head. My glasses freeze up on the bridge of my nose and my fingers are tingling to the tune of it’s -3 out and I’m training for Everest on Chicago’s lakefront. Worlds apart, but somehow they translate because I’m moving my body like I’m about to fight the best fight of my life. I start counting down from 10 over and over like I’m a rocket blasting off into the final frontier over and over again. Start the engines at 3 and then just burn up. With this mindset, how can you say no. How can you be cold? How can you not reach infinity? #healthyinspiration #corefitchicago

When it comes to preventing injury in your exercise routine are you thinking about joint inflammation? Some of the leading causes of injury during exercise can be attributed to already inflamed joints or a pre-existing injury that hasn’t manifested itself fully. There are couple ways that you can prevent further injury by decreasing systemic inflammation;

1) Maintain a diet in anti-inflammatory antioxidant rich foods such as dark leafy greens, berries and lean omega-3 rich proteins such as fish. Stay away from grains and refined sugars and avoid dairy products. In fact, if you do a detox cleanse and ONLY eat these foods, you’ll see a significant improvement in inflammation.

2) Elevate the injury above your heart. Often times an injury will send an increased amount of inflammatory receptors via the bloodstream to the injured area. The idea is when you’re injured your body will send the receptors and create inflammation causing increased blood flow to repair damaged tissue. But sometimes the toxicity doesn’t get pushed back to the heart and it sits in the injury site, creating swelling and impeding the process. An easy solution is to elevate the injury above your heart, aiding the blood flow back to be cleaned and recirculated. The more you help your blood flow to circulate through the injury site, the faster you’ll recuperate. If you’re exercising while injured, a smart idea would be to exercise first then ice and elevate after.

3) Another way of battling systemic inflammation is to take a supplement that aids and liver support. Your liver is a unique organ in that it allows your blood to flow through it and processes out all the toxins that your body does not need. Think of it as a coffee filter that filters out only the good stuff. Some supplements that Have been shown to decrease inflammation in your liver are milk thistle, dandelion root, beets and Tumeric. My favorite supplement brand, Now Vitamins, carries a liver detoxifier and regenerator support vitamin that actively aids in this process.

1) Start your day with Green Tea and lemon instead of coffee:

Green tea is the best food source of a group called catechins. In test tubes, catechins are more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting oxidative damage to cells and appear to have other disease-fighting properties. Studies have found an association between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers, including, skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder.

2) Hydrate all day long with electrolyte enhanced H20

When you’re feeling low energy from having too much sugar, alcohol or otherwise energy-draining substances, it’s all too easy to reach for coffee to make it through the day. I get it. I love coffee. But caffeine can make you even more dehydrated and tired, so fuel up with Electrolyte H2O. The added electrolytes in water like SmartWater brand, allow the intracellular transmission of water from outside the cell wall to inside, keeping you hydrated, and allowing your muscles to contract. I like to keep a water bottle by my side all day long. You

During your practice, reserve your judgement.

There may be feelings that pop up. Feelings of insecurity, inability, or fear.

Let those feelings float away.

These feelings don’t define you.

Embrace those feelings. Feelings like that are a guide to the unknown.

Before I could find that answer (and I’m sure you all have a few thoughts) I began to recognize that my external divisiveness is what tears down my own personal inner strength. My ability to change and grow is stymied by my outward reflection. This year is the year of looking inward not outward. Everybody’s doing it. Why not you too?