The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

Zach Even-Esh, Joe DeSena and Brian Chontosh talk about building teams. The best teams, companies & work environments come from a place where the leaders invest in their team. Taking great care of your team inspires them to want to be a bigger & better part of the team!   LESSONS: Don’t hold others back on your team. Help them win. When your team wins, you win, even if they leave for another team! Ethics & caring for others is “winning”. In the long run, you will always feel better when you build others up! LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=the-spartan-way-book SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay   FOLLOW SPARTAN UP & Zach: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod Follow Zach on Instagram https://instagram.com/zevenesh Follow Zach on Twitter https://twitter.com/zevenesh Zach’s STRONG Life Podcast https://apple.co/2vFaCv1   CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host & Show Notes: Zach Even - Esh © 2019 Spartan

Sometimes when we encounter struggle or a challenge we transform what might be best identified as a small problem into a catastrophe. You know the phrase, “turning a molehill into a mountain.” So that’s an actual psychological phenomenon called, Catastrophizing. This way of thinking can get you into trouble, however, because not all problems are catastrophes. In order to remain balanced and grounded human beings it’s important that are responses to problems are congruent with the degree of challenge in front of us. LESSONS: Catastrophizing: When you transform a small problem into a catastrophe and act accordingly. Take each problem as it comes and use a grading system to help you if you need. Ask yourself, Is this an emergency, a large problem, medium problem, small problem, or insignificant. Remember, the more sound your responses are to certain problems, the more capable you will feel in your ability to handle them. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP AND DR. L: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod Dr. L on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drlarapence/ CREDITS: Production Team: Heather Knox, Knox Creative; Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Dr. Lara Pence Synopsis: Dr. Lara Pence © 2019 Spartan

Rebekah and her son were spectating at the finish line of the Boston in Marathon in 2013 when those two fateful bombs exploded. She may have lost part of her leg- but 68 operations later, she has gained a whole new insight on “counting her blessings, not her problems.” Instead of being defined by this one event she has used it as a catalyst to make PTSD training available for children all over the country through her foundation Rebekah’s Angels. She says very few have to deal with a bomb exploding near them, but many people deal with things in their life blowing up everyday- her resilience is marked by her joyful determination to inspire others and help them get the treatments they need. LESSONS Count your blessings not your problems Be thankful for the life you have and have goals for the life you want Don’t let your life be defined by one event Your circumstances don’t define you Make everyday a great day- don’t let anything steal your joy LINKS www.rebekahsangels.org www.rebekahmgregory.com https://inspiredperformanceinstitute.com/ This episode of Spartan Up! Is brought to you by Powerful Foods. Fuel your active lifestyle with high-protein, no sugar added products, made with natural ingredients. Visit Shop.Spartan.com/Powerful for a 10% OFF any Powerful product, with code SPARTANPOWER. TIME STAMPS 0:00 Joe, Johnny, Col. Nye & Dr.L introduce Rebekah’s interview 1:30 Powerful Foods 2:00 Interview begins 3:00 being 3 ft from a bomb 4:30 the mental side of healing 5:30 dealing with PTSD: Rebekah’s Angels Foundation 7:00 Robbed at gunpoint 8:00 changing your relationship to past experiences 8:50 SHOP.SPARTAN.COM/POWERFUL break 11:00 31 Habits: #10 Resisting the Norms of Everyday Sedentary Life 12:45 Interview Continues 14:15 Children dealing with PTSD 16:00 A life full of possibilities: a new chapter of life 20:35 Joe, Johnny, Col. Nye & Dr. L discuss this inspiring interview 26:20 Powerful Foods Close SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena, Johnny Waite,Colonel Nye & guest host Dr. L (Sefra Alexandra was on expedition in the South Pacific) Synopsis – Sefra Alexandra Production Assistant - Andrea Hagarty © 2019 Spartan

This week we welcome Brian "Tosh" Chontosh to the Spartan Up family! He'll be here every Monday with Spartan Stand. What are you capable of right here, right now; not a question, a statement. What you could have done if, what you might be able to do if, if you had time to prepare, or under whatever cute circumstance you require to succeed is of zero interest.   A readiness mindset consists of two parts. 1) anticipating reasonable and likely events or circumstance in order to prepare. This is the ground floor of professionalism. It is a branch conversation of Ownership. 2) building up capacity to simply respond given a task, event, or emergency. It is letting performance have the ultimate voice for competence.   Would you face a known enemy or threat with a “wait a minute, let me heal my mojo for a few weeks and then we can fight?” or would you want to advertise to your opponent all the many ways you are strategizing to challenge him as you attempt to win?   Common sense would suggest then that we develop a mindset to not habituate these patterns in our lives.   LESSONS: Tests confirm or deny capability given the moment of now. Excuses hold you back. Balance anticipation & preparation with acquiring competence for the unknown. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay   FOLLOW SPARTAN UP AND Tosh: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod Tosh on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tosh.crookedbutterfly/   CREDITS:   Producer: Marion Abrams, Madmotion,llc. Host: Brian “tosh” Chontosh Show notes: Brian “tosh” Chontosh   © 2018 Spartan  

We all know that it’s important to pay attention to our daily food intake. But many people don’t know this important fact: the number of calories your body retains is not only affected by how much you eat but also by when you eat. What we Talk About: In this podcast, we’re going to look at the impact of the body’s daily cycles – it’s circadian rhythms (or “CR”) – on supporting the maintenance of healthier food intake and more efficient weight control. The process by which the body breaks down food and turns it into energy is known as our metabolism. The metabolism isn’t just what happens in your stomach; it refers also to a wide range of biochemical processes within an organism. So, something that impacts your metabolism has a huge influence on your overall health and well-being. And an important driver of metabolism is the hormone cortisol. CR’s connection to metabolism is that it helps trigger a cortisol rise in the morning. Cortisol is your “get up and go” hormone; it drives your metabolism, supports thyroid function, and contributes to the energy you can access to complete your daily activities. Because your metabolic processes are receiving a bit of a jump start from cortisol, the food you consume when cortisol is released has a greater likelihood to be burned and turned into fuel rather than stored as fat. Your CR supports a diurnal (or daily) release of cortisol. This means that two times per day your cortisol level peaks: once in the early morning and another time in the late morning. If you guessed that the opposite is true for the evening hours, you would be right. As the sun goes down and night approaches, your body is winding down all its processes for a good night’s sleep. Part of that winding down is lower cortisol levels. If you consume food during late hours, that food has a greater likelihood that it will not be turned to energy to accomplish a goal or task; instead, it’s likely to be stored as fat. Using your body’s own natural cycle to shape your eating habits can enhance weight loss efforts. Consuming food between approximately 7a.m. and 7 p.m. is the optimal time for your body’s needs. Knowing this, you should leave your midnight snacks behind and ride the CR wave and cortisol peaks to maintain good eating habits that align with your body’s natural inner clock. KEY TERMS & IDEAS Circadian rhythm’s connection to the release of the hormone cortisol in the human body effects how the metabolism processes food intake. Eating according to those rhythms can maintain a healthy and efficient intake of food; this also helps with maintaining weight. Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle. Cortisol is a hormone that drives your metabolism, supports thyroid function and contributes to the energy you can access to complete your daily activities. Metabolism refers also to a wide range of biochemical processes within an organism (in addition to digestion).   LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow Dr. Nada on: Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/nada-milo... Sage Tonic www.sagetonic.com Sage Tonic on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sagetonic/ National Institute of General Medical Sciences, “Circadian Rhythms,” https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/Pages/Factsheet_CircadianRhythms.aspx, accessed January 2019. Society for Endocrinology, “Cortisol,” January 2017, http://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/cortisol/, accessed January 2019. The Mayo Clinic Diet, “What exactly is metabolism,” January 2019, http://diet.mayoclinic.org/diet/move/what-is-metabolism?xid=nl_MayoClinicDiet_20150910, accessed January 2019. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppo... Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Writer and Host: Nada Milosavljevic MD, JD © 2019 Spartan  

This week I talk with the tiny, but fiercely mighty, Faye Stenning about staying fit & race prepping in a dense city habitat like the overwhelming & chaotic life of a NYC city dweller. TAKE AWAY POINTS: Be creative in your training options and use the environment you have Commuting to trails, finding groups, pick your times, just do what you have to do Surround yourself with like minded people It CAN be done SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP AND KEVIN G Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod Kevin Gillotti on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kevingillotti/ Kevin Gillotti on The Web www.kevingillotti.com CREDITS: Host: Kevin Gillotti Show Notes & Artwork: Kevin Gillotti Producer: Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Videography: Madison McGahan, Mike Isabell, Alberto Campos Editing: Heather Knox   © 2019 Spartan

Zach brings on special guest & fellow Spartan Podcaster, Tosh, to discuss why you should NOT feel bad while standing up for Excellence! Sometimes we start to feel bad when our friends and family tell us, Hey, you’ve changed! That’s right, you are changing for the better and there is Nothing wrong with that!   LESSONS: • Do not conform to the norms of “good enough”, even when people close to you try to tell you that you’re trying too hard.
 • Do not ease up on your mission. If you’ve done the work, you deserve to EARN more success. 
 • You should celebrate the fact that you want to win. When you win, you help other people win. 
 LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=the-spartan-way-book SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay   FOLLOW SPARTAN UP & Zach: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod Follow Zach on Instagram https://instagram.com/zevenesh Follow Zach on Twitter https://twitter.com/zevenesh Zach’s STRONG Life Podcast https://apple.co/2vFaCv1   CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host & Show Notes:  Zach Even - Esh © 2019 Spartan

Emotional reasoning is a negative thinking pattern that can best be described as the process of turning feeling into fact. We cannot control how we feel but we can control what we do with these feelings and when we turn our feelings into fact we can find ourselves in a made up reality. Being aware of when you engage in emotional reasoning can help you shift out of this way of thinking and bring you back into a position of knowing that a feeling is sometimes just a feeling. LESSONS: Emotional Reasoning: When we turn our feelings into fact. Try to catch yourself when “I feel XXX”, becomes “I am XXX” : such as, “I feel incompetent” becomes “I am incompetent.” Remember to tell yourself that a feeling is just a feeling, or use the phrase, “I’m having the feeling that I am incompetent” so that you get separation from the emotion.   SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay   FOLLOW SPARTAN UP AND DR. L: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppo... Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod Dr. L on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drlarapence/ CREDITS: Production Team: Heather Knox, Knox Creative; Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Dr. Lara Pence Synopsis: Dr. Lara Pence © 2019 Spartan

In that moment when you think your life will end, will you have regrets? During his second Afghanistan deployment Green beret Kevin Flike was shot in the abdomen, what did he think in those touch and go moments? Kevin says “an experience is worth nothing unless you share it,” now he shares the story of his own recovery and his experiences going from highly competent soldier to a man who needed help putting on his socks. He talks about fear, courage (which he defines as “going forward when the outcome is uncertain,”) and the power of setting exceptional goals. With his wife’s encouragement, he got off pain medication, got himself into both MIT and Harvard, and started the Green Beret Foundation. He’s created a documentary to raise awareness and funds for the Green Beret Foundation called “Wounded by War.” LESSONS Have long term goals Setup small milestones along the way Find something that motivates you to not quit Understand the sacrifice it takes to get where you want Failure is the best teacher: fail early, fail often Don’t be afraid- just get out there Try new things and be open to the experience LINKS Kevin’s Documentary Film http://www.woundedbywar.com/ More about Kevin https://www.greenberetfoundation.org/people/kevin-flike/ Wounded by War on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/woundedbywar/ Green Beret Foundation https://www.instagram.com/greenberetfoundation/ This episode of Spartan Up! Is brought to you by Powerful Foods. Fuel your active lifestyle with high-protein, no sugar added products, made with natural ingredients. Visit Shop.Spartan.com/Powerful for a 10% OFF any Powerful product, with code SPARTANPOWER. TIME STAMPS 0:00 Joe De Sena, Dr. L , Johnny Waite & Col. Nye introduce Kevin’s episode 1:47 Powerful Foods shop.spartan.com/powerful code SpartanPower 2:13 Interview begins with guest host Dr. L 3:00 Getting shot in the stomach 5:00 Dealing with wounds 7:00 Support staff and path to recovery 10:45 Powerful Foods Break 12:50 Habit number 9 of the 31 Habits of the Healthiest Spartans 14:45 Interview continues: degrees from Harvard & MIT 18:00 Lessons learned 20:45 Joe, Dr. L, Johnny & Col. Nye discuss the interview and how you can apply lessons learned from Kevin’s experience to your life 25:43 Powerful Foods 26:00 Show close SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena, Johnny Waite,Colonel Nye & guest host Dr. L (Sefra Alexandra was on expedition in the South Pacific) Synopsis – Sefra Alexandra Production Assistant - Andrea Hagarty © 2019 Spartan

There are a million ways you can be tempted to squeeze a few more minutes or hours out of your day, but if you want to stay healthy, you should remember one thing: you can’t cheat sleep. If you do, you may throw off what’s called - your circadian rhythm. Circadian Rhythm is also called your sleep/wake cycle and it’s the physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24- hour or daily cycle in your body. One of the chemical or hormone mechanisms that is central to your circadian rhythm (aka, sleep-wake cycle) is melatonin, which is a hormone that induces sleep. When the optic nerves (in the eye) receive less light, that triggers a signal to the brain to make more melatonin. That happens, for example, when the lights go out and you go to bed. That natural hormone release can be affected which, in turn, can negatively affect your circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms or sleep-wake cycles influence hormone release, eating habits and even body temperature to name a few. Having an irregular rhythm has been linked to some chronic health conditions like sleep disorders, obesity, diabetes, depression, and something called seasonal affective disorder. Those irregular rhythms will also affect your physical performance, endurance, and cognitive health. How much sleep do we need? We talked about this in another episode, and if you remember, it can vary a bit by age, according to the National Sleep Foundation you need an average of 7-9 hours of sleep each night. To maintain healthy sleep patterns, one thing you should do is keep consistent bedtime habits as much as possible. Try to go to sleep at roughly the same time each night. Another way, putting away your phone at night, and not looking at computer screens in the hours before you sleep because it can disrupt that sleep/wake cycle. Since this question has come up with some of our listeners I want to go back to something we talked about a moment ago. Some people call it the “winter blues” or feeling a bit therapy used for “seasonal affective disorder” (or “SAD”), a condition that makes some people feel down or depressed with reduced exposure to sunlight during the winter. One effective natural treatment is using “light therapy,” in which you use a bright lamp with a strength of 10,000 lux (strength of light emitted) for about 20-30 minutes every morning during the fall and winter. This can decrease the amount of melatonin that is secreted in the brain during the daytime and can help reset your circadian rhythm. Our busy schedules can often distract us from good daily routines and habits and disrupt our circadian rhythm. Being conscious about keeping a regular bedtime and some easy steps and natural treatments can help you maintain healthy sleep/wake cycle throughout the year. Maintaining and supporting your CR means you’ll be much more alert, better prepared for your next race, and more effective at whatever challenge comes next. KEY TERMS AND IDEAS: Circadian rhythms (aka, Sleep/Wake Cycles) have a major impact on health because they help to regulate multiple systems within the body. Maintaining regular sleep patterns is the key to maintaining natural circadian rhythms. For some people who have problems with their circadian rhythms, there are gentle means to compensate and get back on track. 1. Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle. 2. Melatonin is a hormone that induce sleep and plays a role in maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm. 3. Seasonal affective disorder (or “SAD”) is a condition that makes some people feel down or depressed with reduced exposure to sunlight during the winter. A natural way to help improve this is light therapy (10,000 lux strength) for 20-30 minutes each morning. LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow Dr. Nada on: Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/nada-milo... Sage Tonic www.sagetonic.com Sage Tonic on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sagetonic/ National Institute of General Medical Sciences, “Circadian Rhythms,” https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/Pages/Factsheet_CircadianRhythms.aspx, accessed January 2019. National Sleep Foundation, “Excessive Sleepiness,” https://www.sleepfoundation.org/excessivesleepiness/content/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need-0, accessed January 2019. Alfred J. Lewy, et al. "Winter depression: integrating mood, circadian rhythms, and the sleep/wake and light/dark cycles into a bio-psycho-social-environmental model." Sleep medicine clinics 4.2 (2009): 285-299. https://www.sleep.theclinics.com/article/S1556-407X(09)00017-4/abstract SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppo... Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Writer and Host: Nada Milosavljevic MD, JD © 2019 Spartan