FUEL: May 31, 2013

93 Days and Acclimating

luck  

/lək/

Noun Success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions.

__________________

Think of a person that you consider successful.....have they been lucky?  Has life stacked the cards in their favor?  How about those that are unsuccessful.....are the cards stacked against them?  No doubt, unexpected (good and bad) events happen all the time and most of us can think of people who had the course of their life drastically altered by apparently random circumstance (luck), but, if the research done by the gurus in a range of fields: from social sciences to neurophysiology to business management is right, luck seems to be A factor in many situations, but not THE (defining) factor in long term success.   So if it's not luck, what is the major difference between those that are successful and those that are not achieving?  Achievement on the long-term is the outcome of something specific.....something deliberate.......and ultimately influenced by a person's chosen action; something envisioned, planned for and created willfully.....the results of the course we choose.  We either analyze, invest and recoup dividends on the long-term or we don't...sometimes conscious, sometimes not, but always a choice each and every day - and at this time of year, we're in the midst of choosing how we're going to tackle one of the more difficult 

challenges we face....

As I traveled from point A to point B today, I realized that the "100 days of summer" are in full swing.  Beyond the obvious (temperature jump from the mid-60's to the mid-90's in just over 24 hours), all the signs were there: multiple cases of emergency vehicles flying down the road with lights flashing, the not-quite-blue color of the sky reminding me of the summer haze to come, the horns blaring as people became increasingly agitated as they waited in traffic and the conversations of the people who crammed into any air-conditioned space they could find......

Depending on how you count, there are 93 days until Labor day.......and if the last couple of days are any indication, the gauntlet has been laid down and the game is "on" and those who intend to win the summer 2013 sweepstakes (by getting across the finish line healthy) are going to have to play the game wisely.  Truly, it's not easy to balance the push required to achieve and the pull required to recover when the heat is on.  Even though for some of our clients (school children and those lucky enough to have a vacation) the summer can be a time to get some relaxation and recharge, for many (athletes) it's time to build new reserves/skills in the off-season.  For those in outdoor working environments, this is the "on-season" when things blow-up, melt-down and otherwise test our resolve.  When we consider that this year alone nearly 1,000 people will die because their health is not stable enough to withstand the heat-related stress that comes during these 100 days, we can't afford to leave it up to luck.  Knowing the right hydration strategy matters.  Knowing how best to cool during the most intense periods of heat matters.  Knowing the early warning signs of overtraining matters.  Knowing when pushing harder is NOT better matters.

These are only some of the reasons that we have spent the last few years learning everything we can about how to safely and efficiently MOVE during the summer months, how to FUEL appropriately and to adequately RECOVER, so that we can best support you when you must ENDURE the heat.  

These are only some of the reasons why we have begun supporting the Korey Stringer Institute, whose mission is: to provide first-rate information, resources, assistance and advocacy for the promotion and prevention of sudden death in sport via health and safety initiatives and why we have begun to record and analyze “exertional” health data in some of the working populations we serve; because despite hotter and more volatile weather, despite the collection of busier and more frazzled people that seem to be everywhere in the summer, and despite the challenges around every corner, there is no pause-button on the road to achievement......each pursuit continues.

We are thankful that the great majority of people will get safely across the finish line this summer.....some even stronger than they were at the start, but no one can afford to make it a game of chance.  We hope you'll reach out and CONNECT with us if you have questions.

Now go do something extraordinary,

Mike Eisenhart, PT

Managing Partner