Eliminating Stress and Anxiety Through Mindful Being

The moment you realize you are not present, you are present. Whenever you are able to observe your mind, you are no longer trapped in it.

Ekhart Tolle —-The Power of Now

Hello All,

Great to have you back, here and now. I wanted to share this fun little surf video with you for us all to remember the beauty of the here and now. There’s really no better way to eliminate anxiety and stress than by connecting with our breath in nature. Am I right?

I’d like to start out by sending you all Love and gratitude. Thank You for taking your precious time and energy to read this today.

I’m writing this post today because I’ve recently found myself feeling unfulfilled and anxious quite often.

Why?

Because I believe that I’ve been focusing on how fast I can accomplish tasks throughout my day rather than how present I am during each moment of each task.

For example…

I wake up in the morning with a list of tasks in my head that I would like to accomplish. Instead of taking the time to center myself, I start running. Running to finish these tasks as fast as possible; stretching, hydration, supplementation, laundry, reading, writing, exercise, podcast listening, dishes, etc. I try and get them all done as fast as possible.

But, I’ve found this mentality to be completely unfulfilling and destructive.

Why?

Because at the end of the day, although I may have accomplished a lot and was very productive, I really wasn’t present during any of them. I was thinking about what tasks I could accomplish next when I was still in the middle of another tasks.

The word Multitasking comes to mind. This word, only increases my anxiety.

I think you can feel my stress and anxiousness here. LOL

So, what’s the solution?

I’ve found that the only solution that works for me is…being present during each moment of each experience rather than thinking about what’s to come next.

This is a very standard and well known understanding of life isn’t it? THe popular phrase has been coined of “being in the moment”.

Why is it that I find myself forgetting such a basic and foundational concept?

To be honest, I think it’s because I’ve practiced the opposite for so long that being “mindful” in each moment doesn’t come as first nature to me.

But, I’m committing to changing that…Here and Now.

I’ve noticed that if I begin my day with stretching/yoga for 15-60 minutes, it helps me slow down and helps me better control this “monkey mind”.

I’ve recently come to this understanding.

How we get out of bed in the morning…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we brush our teeth in the morning…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we drink our coffee in the morning…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we drive to work in the morning…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we walk from place to place…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we eat our lunch…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we answer our phones…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we go to the bathroom…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we walk through our door in the evening…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we cook dinner at night…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we eat our dinner… is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we breathe…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we drink water… is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we prepare ourselves for bed…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we get into bed…is a direct reflection of how we do everything.

How we breathe in bed… is a direct reflection of how we do everything?

How we do EVERYTHING…is a direct reflection of WHO WE ARE.

How do you experience your moments? Are you brushing your teeth vigorously and mindlessly while thinking about all the things that we need to get done? How do your carry your amazon package from the front door to the inside? Do you sit down and give thanks to universe for the amazing-ness of technology and convenience before opening it? Or do you just tear into it frantically and mindlessly?

Do we experience these moments fully? Are we mindful of our sensations and emotions in each of these experiences? Or are we already thinking about the next task to be accomplished?

I believe this understanding to be extremely powerful!

Why?

Because we become aware that our days are really just thousands of individual moments strung together.

It helps us take small steps to change.

How we are in the present moment is a tell tale sign of how we will be in the future. If we realize that how we do one thing right now is how we will do the next, we now have a more optimistic outlook upon changing our moments, hours, days, weeks, and years because we realize that all we need to do is focus on how present we are in this very moment because that is what dictates how we will be in the next.

If this knowing is understood in it’s most simple form it would sound something like this; “The only time is Now. And how I act Now is all that matters. Because how I Am Now will surely dictate how I will be in the future. Change starts with one step, here and now.”

If we want to have more calm and peaceful days, we need to find a way to experience the calm and peace in this very moment. A good way to do this is through the breath. We can ground ourselves and find the beauty of each moment by being aware of our breath in each moment.

I know, I know…this may sound a little “woo-woo” or esoteric. But, there’s nothing esoteric about being connected to your breath. Breath is Life.

How aware are you of your breath throughout the day? Do you take moments to simply breathe and enjoy that for the beauty that is?

These are all questions for you to answer yourself.

I’m simply writing this as a reminder to myself to remember the power of now.

It’s a reminder to myself to be aware of my breath, body sensations, and emotions in each moment. Because that is where the true beauty of Life is.

Brush your teeth with intention, drink your coffee with intention, speak to loved ones with intention, drive to work with intention, do everything with intention.

If you’re anything like me and find yourself running through your days feeling unfulfilled at the end of the day, I believe this is the solution. To be present in the here and the now. Aware of our breath. That’s it.

Try implementing more mindful moments throughout the day. Take moments to just breathe and nothing else. This will guide you back to the beauty of Now.

Thank You all for reading and let me know what you think in the comments below.

With All My Love,

Mitchy

Lose Fat, Gain Muscle…The Simple Way

Hi Friends,

 

Many of us today are caught up in the confusion of the crazy jungle of information when it comes to fat loss. Today, I’m here to help out with that.  Losing fat is much easier than most people think as long as we understand just a few simple keys.

 

So, if you’re looking to burn fat and gain/maintain muscle, then this is the article for you.

 

I want to first point out that you will notice me use the words energy and calories interchangeably in this article. If you see the word calorie or energy, remember you can use them interchangeably here.

 

Here we go, the secret, or not so secret to how to lose fat.

1. Caloric Deficit (Calories In vs. Calories Out)

 

The 1^st Law of Thermodynamics sates that “energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transferred.”

 

This means that in order for our bodies to tap into our fat stores, we need to consume less calories than we expend through the day.  Simple as that.

 

How does one calculate their energy in and energy out?

 

1A. Calculating Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

 

There is plenty of awesome online calculators that will help you better understand how much energy you’re expending during the day. It will calculate your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), which is the amount of calories your body will burn at rest. Then you can input the level of activity you perform throughout the day which will give you your total daily energy expenditure. This number will vary widely for each person based on their height, weight, age, sex, and how active they are during the day.

 

Here’s a link to one of my favorite online calculator:

 

https://globalrph.com/medcalcs/resting-metabolic-rate-rmr/

 

1B. Calculate Calorie Intake

 

Now that you know what you know your daily calorie expenditure, it’s time to measure how many calories you’re taking in. Let me say, calorie counting is not what it used to be. There’s so much tech that’s gone into this area of nutrition that there’s so many apps out there now that makes counting calories so easy.

 

My personal favorite: My Fitness Pal by Under Armor. With this app, you can literally take a picture of your food and it tells you how many calories are in it.

 

Okay, so now that you’ve figured out how to calculate your energy in and energy out during the day you’re probably wondering, how much of a calorie deficit should I aim towards per day?

 

The science shows that 3,500 calories= 1 pound of fat.

 

I would recommend anyone looking to lose fat to aim at 1-2 lbs. per week. Anything more can lead to hormonal imbalances and possible muscle loss. Maintaining muscle is key during weight loss because muscle is our fat burning machinery. The more muscle we have, the more calories we burn throughout the day.

 

So, if 3,500 calories = 1 pound of fat

 

And our goal is to lose 1 pound of fat a week

 

Take 3,500 / 7 (days of the week) = 500 calories/day

 

And now you have your daily caloric deficit goal.

 

If you’re looking to lost 2 pounds of fat per week then the goal would be –1000 calories per day.

 

–1000 x 7 (days of the week) = 7,000 calories = 2 pounds of fat.

 

It is as simple as that.

 

If someone is looking to lose 10 pounds of fat.

 

10lbs of fat = 35,00 calories

35,000calories/ 3,500 (weekly calorie deficit) = 10 weeks or roughly 2.5 months to lose 10lbs of fat. That’s pretty impressive.

 

 

2. Protein Intake

 

I want to point out again how important it is to maintain sufficient protein intake. 70% of weight loss through traditional calorie restriction comes from muscle. We don’t want that. So, to safeguard our muscle, we need to focus on sufficient protein intake.

 

I recommend for the average person just looking to maintain muscle to aim at 1.0 – 1.5 gram per kg of body weight per day.

 

Meaning, if you weigh 150lbs (68kg)

 

Take 68kg x 1.5 g = 102g/day of Protein

 

Again, My Fitness Pal counts all of this for you and makes it super easy to track and hit your goals.

 

Also, research has shown no adverse affects of too much protein intake so don’t be afraid to go heavier on the protein. Not to mention, protein is a fantastic macronutrient to cure hunger and  balance your hormones.

 

If you don’t know the foods that provide for great sources of protein then feel free to google it.

 

 

Well, there we have it folks..

The simplest way to lose fat and gain/maintain muscle.

1. Caloric Deficit

2. Protein Intake

 

It’s as easy as that.

 

I hope that this helped clarify and confusion you had  when it comes to weight loss and especially fat loss.

 

Feel free to reach out in my contact page for any further coaching advice or at mitchellsnidercoaching@gmail.com

 

Until next time.

 

One Love,

 

Mitchy

Play More…Serious Less

We don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing.

George Bernard Shaw

Hi Friends,

I hope you’re all enjoying life through a playful lens. If you find yourself getting caught up in the seriousness of life, here’s an article to remind us all to PLAY MORE.

Bruce Lee said, “Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.”

 

Children are a beautiful example of unstructured play and makes them like the supple bamboo or willow that Bruce was talking about. Most of us adults, on the other hand, started becoming brittle like the stiff tree the moment we stopped playing and “got serious”.

 

The human’s most valuable quality is adaptability. It’s necessary for the evolution of the species, and group play is the highest expression of instantaneous physical, cognitive, and emotional adaptability. Interactive play literally tones our autonomic nervous system, enhancing the capacity of our social engagement system to regulate reactions of future stressors.

 

Think about the level of physical and cognitive engagement involved in a child running, jumping, twisting, turning, climbing, hinging, falling, rising, rolling, and bounding, all while deep into his or her imagination.

 

What muscles is the child using to Joyfully accomplish all of these movements? Answer: All of them!

 

If this experience were a “movement supplement,” it would be the king/queen of all full-spectrum, organic, whole superfoods money could buy, and it would include all of the macros in one hot shot.

 

It’s clear that children don’t move well merely because they’re kids, but because they’ve yet to be corrupted by the long days of chair sitting coupled with isolating their muscles with misaligning workouts.

 

I’m here today to make a proclamation for us as adults to play more again. I believe it’s necessary for us as adults to come back toward a state of balance and relearn how to play again in the form of sport, dance, martial arts, yoga, hiking, walking, and general movement exploration.

 

At least that’s how it’s been for me in my past. I grew up playing hockey and by the age of 16, I could barely get out of bed in the morning due to debilitating back issues stemming from the lack of mindful body awareness during my movements. And most of all, because I got serious, and forgot how to play. Since then, it’s been a long but fulfilling process of learning how to play and move like a child again, free and flowing. There’s still lots of room for growth, but I’m loving the journey.

 

A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that unstructured play, such as role playing and roughhousing, free of rules and guidelines improves executive functions like focus, organization, task initiation, and keeping track of what you’re doing.

 

Play is literally a super drug.

 

“Play also promotes the creation of new connections in the brain and body that didn’t exist before between neurons and between disparate brain centers.” Said Stuart Brown in his book Play.

 

It’s clear that play actually sparks a mysterious realm of the mind only available to those willing to drop their guard enough to experience the occasional bout of unadulterated wonderment.

 

Play isn’t just a super-shot of superfood for your entire mind, body, and spirit, it’s an invaluable asset in maintaining a healthy mind throughout your entire life.

 

Albert Einstein said, “Do not grow old. No matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.”

 

Not to beat the horse here but Dr. Stephen Porges, professor at the University of North Carolina says, “Play functions as a neural exercise that improves the efficiency of the neural circuit that can instantaneously down regulate fight/flight behaviors.”

 

What are we saying here? We’re saying that social engagement encourages our bodies to get back into a rest-digest parasympathetic state while also improving brain health and elevating emotional and physical well being. And with the vast majority of us walking around in a sympathetic state of fight/flight all day, play may be the biggest tool to save us from our chronic stressors.

 

So, the big story here is, I think we should all take a lesson from children and begin observing the world through the lens of play again. When you have a couple minutes, do some jumping jacks, roll around on the ground, do some bear crawls on the floor, wrestle with a loved one, hang from a tree branch, or kick a can or crumpled up piece of paper on the floor like it’s a soccer ball (hopefully recycling it after).

 

Movement isn’t something that should be confined to an hour a day on a machine or a few hours a week in a studio—it’s the foundation of how we experience our lives.

 

There are more opportunities in our day to be playful than we think and by taking advantage of them will be restorative for our mind, body, and spirit.

 

I’m writing this blog in large part as a friendly reminder to myself, who often gets caught up in the seriousness of life, to play more. And I also hope that it served as friendly reminder to you as well.

 

Play should be at the very top of our priority list everyday. Our lives depend on it.

 

So, enjoy your childhood state of playfulness. It’s within us all.

 

One Love,

Mitchy

 

 

Our Emotions Are Our Guidance System

Some of the things that we hold onto most could be the very reasons for our suffering

—-Anonymous

Hi Friends,

Our emotions are our guidance system.

Simple as that.

Each emotion that we experience is a beautiful reminder to us of how in or out of alignment our belief system is.

Belief <———> Emotion

If we are feeling frustration then we have a belief that is out of alignment with who we truly are.

If we are feeling joy then we have a belief that is directly aligned with who we truly are.

This understanding can be extremely empowering.

I will give a quick example.

—-I recently was feeling loneliness and depression. Not just for a day, or a week, but for a couple months. It was chronic. I was suffering. Why? I had a belief that was out of alignment with who I truly Am.

One day, I decided to sit with the loneliness rather than “be busy” and run from what I was feeling. I asked myself, “what belief is causing me to feel lonely?” I realized that it was because I believed that my previous partner was “The One”. I was depressed and feeling lonely because I truly thought that we were soul mates, that we were meant to be together forever. The loneliness was the universe showing me that I needed to change this belief.

So, I did. I simply changed my belief to, “she’s not the one”. It was scary and uncomfortable to say it at first. But, I immediately felt freed. Freed from the shackles of a belief that was not true to me.

And I no longer feel the loneliness that I once did.

I’m not saying that I don’t feel “negative” emotions anymore. I do. Everyday.

But, I try not to let it become chronic.——-

This understanding is so powerful because we realize that emotions are neither “positive” nor “negative”, rather just a sign of how in or out of alignment we are with our true selves.

We must try our best to recognize what emotion we are feeling and if it causing us to suffer. If it is, then we must root that belief and change it. Meaning, dig deep to find out what it is that we believe to be true about ourselves that clearly is not.

Change a belief, change an emotion.

This can be applied to ANY emotion.

If we are feeling joy, find out what belief that it is that is causing us to feel joy. When we find the belief/or set of beliefs that is causing us to feel joy then we know that that belief is in alignment with our truest selves.

Changing a belief can be very scary. Very scary. We then step into the unknown. We shed a piece of us that we believed to be our true selves for so long even though it was only causing us to suffer.

Change requires us to do the things that feel hard and scary. Change requires courage and confidence. When it comes to goals, dreams, and changing our lives, our emotions are our guidance system.

The 4 Step Process

1. What’s the emotion?———>

2.Find the belief causing the emotion——>

3.Change the belief (if the emotion is “negative”) ———->

4. Experience the new emotion

I hope this helps.

I’m going to surf now.

I Love You All.

——Mitchy

I Suffer

Once we have seen that our afflictions are no other than enlightenment, we too can ride joyfully on the waves of birth and death.

Thich Nhat Hahn

I suffer from mindless consumption.

I suffer from binge eating disorder.

I suffer from sugar addiction.

I suffer from bulimia nervosa disorder (bulimic).

I suffer from body dysmorphia disorder.

I suffer from drug addiction.

I suffer from alcoholism.

I suffer from over-exercising.

I suffer with not being good enough.

I suffer with self judgement and criticism.

I suffer with judgment and criticism of others.

I suffer from past regrets and memories.

I suffer from NEEDING to be right and proving someone else wrong.

I suffer from the need to be better than others.

I suffer with not knowing who I Am.

I suffer with not knowing why I’m here.

I suffer with worrying.

I suffer from being ignorant.

I suffer from being arrogant.

I suffer from being impatient.

I suffer with explaining myself clearly.

I suffer with not loving myself unconditionally.

I suffer with not loving others unconditionally.

I suffer with not understanding myself.

I suffer with not understanding others.

I suffer from lack of confidence.

I suffer with over-compensation. My “fake confidence” and pretending that I know everything because I lack the knowledge of whatever topic I’m discussing with someone about.

I suffer with trusting and believing in myself.

I suffer from not being able to be empathetic.

I suffer with not knowing how to be vulnerable.

I suffer with not knowing how to communicate how I feel, to myself and others.

I suffer with not wanting to cry.

I suffer with not being able to admit when I’m weak.

I suffer with not being able to be sensitive with myself.

I suffer from not being sensitive to others feelings.

I suffer with keeping all my emotions/feelings bottled up inside.

I suffer from being passive aggressive to others and not knowing how to communicate in a respectful manner.

I suffer with admitting that I suffer.

I suffer from having a huge ego and not being able to understand/control it.

I suffer with the regret of treating loved ones horribly in the past.

I suffer with not being able to wake up early in the morning.

I suffer from not doing the right thing.

I suffer with not knowing what the right thing is.

I suffer with needing validation from others.

I suffer from caring too much what others think about me.

I suffer from not being patient.

I suffer with not being present.

I suffer from over-planning.

I suffer from over-thinking.

I suffer from not trusting myself.

I suffer from not trusting others.

I suffer with not knowing how to be the authentic me.

I suffer from loneliness.

I suffer everyday and with so much more.

I’ve thought for so long that I’ve been doing something wrong. I didn’t tell anyone. Nor did I know how to. I went about my daily life and suffered in silence. Thinking I may be judged and looked at as a nuisance for admitting my suffering.

TODAY, I AM HERE TO SAY, I SUFFER ALL THE TIME.

I recognize now that suffering is a part of life, and it will never go away. I choose to be honest by embracing the fact that I suffer.

I think and hope that when I embrace and notice this suffering, is when I will be able to release and grow from it. Although it may seem like quite the paradox, admitting suffering in order to release it, I’m giving it a shot.

My whole life, I’ve taken suffering and subconsciously ignored it, buried it, secretly fought with it and let it eat me alive, or blamed it on someone else’s wrongdoings. No longer do I choose to do that.

I choose to embrace suffering.

How about you?

Do you suffer?

Take a moment to think about what you suffer from/with?

I’d love to hear.

Maybe I’m not the only one. Who knows.

Reach out to me in the comments or at mitchywilder@gmail.com

From my heart to yours,

I Love You all and I wish you beautiful moments.

—-Mitchy

What Are You Grateful For?

• 

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”

—Thich Nhat Hanh

Happy Sunday beautiful people.

Each morning, I journal. What do I journal about? My journaling consists of usually two sections, 1. Gratitude and 2. “Ta-Da” List (tasks for the day). Gratitude is Power. It centers me and brings me back to AWE-ppreciate all of the beauty that is in my life, Here and Now.

Tony Robbins says, “Increase Appreciation, Decrease Expectation.”

Today, seems like the perfect day to share with you beautiful people 3 things that I’m grateful for on this magical Sunday morning.

I hope you enjoy.

What I’m Grateful For…

1. My Lungs

Without my lungs, mouth, throat, and all the other respiratory body parts that go into allowing me to breathe, how would I be able to stay connected to the present moment? When I focus on my “in” breath and “out” breath, I can appreciate the moment of Now. I can’t think about anything else, I can’t plan or overthink, and I can’t worry about things that will probably never happen if I’m focused on my breath. It’s simple and powerful. And I’m thankful for that.

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.“

—Eckhart Tolle

2. Fear

As a surfer, you’d think that I think of The Ocean as one big beautiful playground. Which I do. But, sometimes when I’m surfing, I get scared. The Ocean is a powerful force of Mother Nature that must be given the full respect that it deserves. And I admit, I get super scared sometimes when I drop in on a big wave, fall, and get held underwater in the infamous “washing machine” for some time. Maybe it’s Mother Nature exposing my deep, dark fears? Maybe it’s Mother Nature challenging me to see how I will respond? Maybe it’s Mother Nature making sure I give her the respect she deserves? I haven’t quite figured that one out, but do I need to?

If you can imagine how scary it is to be held under water getting tossed around in the washing machine for several moments, not knowing when you’ll come back up (or what way is up for that matter), then you can certainly imagine the absolute beauty of getting up on the wave and gliding across the top of it magically. It’s like The Universe is congratulating you on making a full connection with It. Quite an amazing feeling when you align with the elements and respect life’s challenges. Even better, when you Embrace Fear.

Oh and you’d think I grew up around the ocean right? To have this deep respect for it? Quite the opposite, I grew up in the Midwest of the U.S. where all we got is fresh water lakes and no waves. Until a few years ago, I hated salt water and thought the ocean was for pretentious southern Californians. Boy, did I need to get out from under my rock.

3. Stretching/ Yoga

For me, stretching/Yoga enhances my peace of mind. It also exposes my weaknesses immediately. It also shows how I respond to such weakness’s. If I find myself in a position where I’m super tight and can’t even get into the pose, what do I do? How will I respond? The easy thing to do is just to get up, walk away, pretend it never happened, and I’m back to going along my comfortable easy day. Is that what I really want though? If life exposes my weakness’s to just turn my back, walk away, and take the easy way out? The “cop-out”?

For me, I choose not. Running and giving up on things when they prove challenging is not what I want my life to be structured around. It used to be. It was very comfortable and very unfulfilling. Not anymore.

(Although, I am aware that there is a very good chance that there are millions of things throughout my day that I’m steering away from subconsciously and taking the easy way out because I’m scared to get uncomfortable. I think though, as long as I’m aware of that fact and that I embrace the idea of seeking discomfort, one challenge at a time, I will uncover each subconscious fear, one by one. Woah, that got wild.)

Anyways, I am so grateful for stretching/Yoga for allowing me to embrace discomfort, talk myself gently through a position when it’s challenging, and make subtle progress each day. Each day, getting 1% better. After 100 days, I’m 100% better. The average American lives 29,200 days. In the grand scheme of things, that’s a lot of time to become an amazing human if you just focus on becoming 1% better each day.

All and all, today happens to be a magical day. I ask of myself to remain in the present, connected with my breath, because I know that’s the only place where I can experience the magic.

Thank You for reading and I wish you Peace, Harmony, Discomfort, and Love.

Also, I would love to hear what you guys are grateful for today so feel free to leave a comment or contact me on the contact page. Gratitude is what makes the world go ’round.

One Love,

Mitchy

Confront Pain Head-On

Hi friends,

Recently, I’ve been challenged. I’ve been challenged in the way of facing pain.

I’ve recently had to let a very special person in my life go. In order for me to fully let go and move on, I needed to sit down in silence and face discomfort. Face the discomfort of the emotions that arose. Good memories, bad memories, anger, frustration, laughter, confusion, warmth…everything. Everything I was feeling I needed to sit with, put down on paper, and let go.

Let me tell you, it was not comfortable and not easy. Stuff came up that I had no idea was “down there”…inside of me. I realized that I had been suffering simply because I was suppressing these memories and emotions that needed to be faced. But, when I put it all down to paper, the brutally honest truth of what I was feeling, I was able to forgive and let go. It feels as though 15 pounds was lifted from me.

I don’t need to get into much detail out of respect but I do want to say this.

Sometimes in life, we just gotta face the fucking monster head-on. We know the monster is huge and we know that the monster’s punch is going to hurt. But, we must stand in front of the monster and say, “Let’s do this my friend.” We will get hit, without a doubt, and may even get knocked to our knees. But, as long as we don’t stay down then we have succeeded. We stand back up and smile and say, “That’s all you got?”

We know the monster can’t punch forever, he’s too big and will run out of energy after the first punch or two. So, it is up to us to simply stand up and face him until he tires. We will have won the battle just by standing in the ring. And we will have plenty of time to recover and come back even stronger and wiser than before.

Face pain, my friends, head-on, because pain ignored is called suffering and suffering is a slow, poisonous death.

If I could recommend to anyone, sit with yourself and your uncomfortable feelings in a room, write down everything that comes up, no matter how ugly and honest it may be. Then, burn that paper once you’re done. Yes, it’s that simple. This is a powerful practice that will help you release the poison of suffering that we all experience frequently, including myself.

I hope this helps and I Love You All.

Face pain head-on.

With Love and Gratitude,

Mitchy

Mitchy Wilder Update

Friends. I’m in Hawaii! How did I end up here? Well, this post explains it all.

First off, Hello, hello. Wow, it feels so good to be back. As many of you may have noticed, it’s been a little bit since I’ve posted anything.

This, is for good reason. Over the past 6 months, I’ve taken the time to reflect deeply, pivot, and transform.

Recently, I’ve been receiving emails and messages about my whereabouts SO I figured I’d make a quick post for you guys to keep you updated.

I’ve done so much over the past 6 months. This post, will be a short, sweet version of all that I’ve been so blessed to experience and accomplish.

As always, I hope that You All are managing to stay safe and live lives filled with Love and Gratitude. I can say first hand that it’s been tough at times to do this over these months.

Here’s My Life in a snapshot over the past 6 months!

1. SEPTEMBER 2020- Traveled Back From Australia To USA (Michigan)

I made the tough decision to leave Australia to come back to Michigan. I’m so glad I did though. I was able to reconnect with family and friends, enjoy the beautiful nature that Michigan’s fall/winter provides, and really re-ground myself. I was able to enjoy hiking, camping, snowshoeing, swimming, snowmobiling, fresh water, snow, and that pure atmosphere that you can only find in Up North, Michigan. And of course, I got to spend lots of time with my BEAUTIFUL Mom.

Bye- Bye Sydney!

2. SEPTEMBER 2020- Cross Country Roadtrip To Colorado

One of my best friends invited me on a cross country road trip to Colorado. It was my first week back in the U.S. How could I say no to that? I didn’t. And it was a great time. Colorado in the Fall is absolutely stunning and the energy is powerful. We met up with some old friends that live out there and they gave us the “locals” tour. Man it was nuts! They took us on some wild and crazy Rocky Mountain back country mountain biking adventures. Thanks again, guys. I also got to do some epic trail running at altitude as well.

Vail, CO

3. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020- Certified Personal Trainer

My heart spoke and I made the decision to invest my Time/Money/Energy fully in education. I studied for 6-8 hours per day and ended up finishing a Personal Training Course which usually takes about a year to finish with The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), in just a couple months. I’m super blessed with knowledge I was able to be provided.

4. DECEMBER/JANUARY 2020/2021- Certified Nutrition Coach

I was so impressed with NASM’s Personal Training Certification Course that I invested again my full Time/Energy/Money in their Certified Nutrition Course Program. And I was not disappointed. I really have found a passion in Nutrition and transforming my eating habits and helping others with the same. Again, the course takes about a year, but since I buckled down and put in the hours everyday, I was able to complete it in a couple months.

5. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021- Certified Meditation Teacher

Yes, You guessed it. More education! I’ve found meditation to be a huge benefit and contributor in my everyday well being so I figured I might as well learn how to teach it. So, a month or so later, I did.

6. NOVEMBER-FEBRUARY- Grew A Mustache

I’ve always wanted an excuse to have a mustache. And COVID/ the cold weather in Northern Michigan gave me to perfect reason to look like a hooligan (not that I don’t already 😉 )

7. FEBRUARY 2021- Move To Hawaii 🏄‍♂️ 🏝

Once I had finished the months of resting, re-charging, re-centering, re-grounding, I reached out to an old friend/boss to see if he had any work down on the Islands in the real estate business. He said yes, so within a couple hours I decided to move back to Hawaii and eventually try and get my Personal Health and Wellness career going down there. But, to get my feet on the ground was the first step. It was about 2 weeks from the time I made the decision to move back to Hawaii to the time that I’m writing to you guys right now from my apartment one block from the beautiful Hawaiian beach and ocean. AND that’s where I reside NOW.

Well, there we have it.

Friends, I want to take a moment to express my full Love, appreciation, and gratitude to ALL of those beautiful Beings that have made this amazing journey of mine possible. The list is so long that it would take me weeks to name every person here. So, for the sake of time, I just want to say Thank You so much to everyone who has made this magical journey possible.

Don’t get me wrong, the past half-year has been absolutely nuts and it hasn’t all been as pretty as I make it seem. Over the past months, I’ve experienced depression, anxiety, loneliness, sadness, confusion, anger, and frustration. I’ve also experienced happiness, joy, Love, and peace. What gets me though the hard times? Embracing Them. Feeling every negative emotion just as I do the positive and sitting with it and finding out why I feel the way I do. Not running away. Not numbing. Not throwing myself in front of the T.V. Not turning to alcohol. Not stuffing myself with food. etc. I’ve done that for a large portion of my life and it doesn’t work. I can truthfully say that I will always have emotions for the rest of my life, positive and negative ones. It’s what makes us human. But, running from the one’s that make us feel uncomfortable is denying ourselves of what makes us human. Sit with all emotions because each one is our heart trying to tell us something. And Be Open To Change.

I Love You all and look forward to sharing more with You soon.

Keep Being Beautiful.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER TO…

B R E A T H E.

One Love,

Mitchy

Takeaways From My 100k Run

Hello Friends! It’s so great to be exchanging energy with you, as always! I hope that You ALL are Thriving and Enjoying Life.

Let’s get right into it, shall we!?

A week ago, I ran 100k in 1 Day (10.5 Hours to be exact).

It was wild! It was tough! And it was a HUGE learning experience.

Here’s a quick backstory…I was initially supposed to compete in a race called The Scenic Rim 105k Ultra Marathon. After years of training and months of preparation, I found out a week before the race, that I would be unable to compete, due to the COVID state border closings in Australia. I then, created my own event, where my beautiful lady, Misha, and I were going to rent a car and camp out in the cool back trails of Australia while I completed the 100k on my own with Misha as my crew. I showed up at the rental car company to pick up the car, and I was unable to rent the car, due technical error. I then, found a car and organized to rent it from one of my coworkers at the Thai Restaurant I’m working at. The morning I was supposed to rent it, his dog passed away and he would need his car. AND THEN GUESS WHAT…My beautiful lady Misha had to make the tough decision to go back home to Czech Republic! YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT! MY LOVER WAS LEAVING! ALL OF THIS HAPPENED IN JUST TWO DAYS. What a wild series of events, am I right!?

So, what did I do? I said fuck it to the run and decided it wasn’t meant to be.

HA! Just kidding. I organized it, well kind of, so that I was going to do the run around the area where I live. It wasn’t optimal conditions; no aid stations, no crew, no pacer, no set course, no rental car, no competitors, no fans, no Misha, nothing. Just me, myself, and the support from all you beautiful Beings!

But guess what!? I did it! And only two days after the date of the 105k Scenic Rim Ultra. I told myself that I was going to do it, no matter what! I couldn’t let a couple obstacles get in the way! Am I right!? Anyways guys, I ended up waking up, the morning after my sweet Misha left, at 3:30 last Tuesday and started running. I finished the 101k in just over 10.5 hours. I watched sunrise and sunset, running. It was an amazing day to celebrate having two legs. Life’s pretty AWEmazing, that’s for sure.

Many asked me “Why” I wanted to do something like this. And here’s my short answer…a couple months ago, I wrote down on a piece of paper that I wanted to run 100k/ 63miles in one day. So, that’s Why.

My deeper response is, Because I’m obsessed with “The Unknown”. “The Unknown” is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the questions that can not be answered when trying to plan an experience out. Questions like, What am I going to learn from running 100k? How will I feel at Kilometer 75? How will I feel if and when I finish? Will I be tired? Will I be happy? What kind of people will I interact with during this event? Will I make friends? The list can go as long as you wish. However, ALL of these questions are indeed unanswerable…for a good reason though.

I’ve come to fall in Love with “The Unknown” because Life plays out way better than YOU COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED. Not even your wildest imagination can predict the beauty of what “The Unknown” holds. By forcing yourself out of your “comfort zone” and trying something brand new, and most often times, super scary, Life rewards You. Life rewards you by blessing you with amazing Learning Lessons and Awesomely Epic Experiences. Many live their lives in fear of “The Unknown”. I’ve learned that the best stories and learning lessons come from times that couldn’t be scripted. It’s Magic. “The Unknown” is a special place for me and a massive reason why I take these challenges on.

Okay Y’all. I was blessed to learn and takeaway many new insights from the 100k. Obviously, I learned a lot about nutrition and hydration and what I need to consume during an event of this magnitude. However, I’ll save that stuff for another day. I wanna share with you guys the fun stuff. The stuff that can be related back into my daily life. And I’d Love to share them with you. So, without further ado… here’s 4 beautiful learning lessons that I was blessed enough to recognize, while out there running 2.5 marathons last Tuesday. Enjoy!

1. Celebrate The Little Wins

I learned that in order to achieve the large goal, I needed to set smaller goals. Running ain’t that fun if all you’re focused on is the finish line, especially 100k (said in a hillbilly United States accent). So, I made little goals along my run. 50k/31miles is pretty easy for me these days. So, after I accomplished that, I broke the last half of the run into 10k loops. I would celebrate the finish of every 10k as if that were the goal. It helped massively. Sometimes, you can’t necessarily think about the end goal, but more the little goals that will lead you there. So, if I could offer any advice here, make small goals en route to the large one. They’re just as important.

2. Keep Moving Forward

Sometimes it doesn’t matter the speed that you’re going as much as the direction.

Times got tough around 80k/Mile 50. For some reason, I was unable to run at that moment. I didn’t know what to do. So, I walked. At first, My Ego and Mind tried to call me a wimp for walking. They tried to tell me that everyone would laugh at how slow my time was. And then I realized, I didn’t care. I was out there to finish 100k in one day, and if I did it walking that was fine with me. I walked for nearly two hours. I stopped in a tiny, little, corner grocery store and bought a brownie. I ate it as I was walking home. I was about to quit at 85k/Mile53. And then, all of the sudden, I began running again! I ran the final 16k/10Miles so strong! All because I waited out the tough times by moving forward, even if it was slowly.

3. “The Why” Sometimes Isn’t Enough

For me, there came a point when “The Why” was no longer enough. Around 80k, I could no longer rely on the power of remembering “Why” I was doing this. Although it helped previously in the run, I had to go deeper. Instead of asking myself to remember “Why” I was doing it. I told myself, “I’m Doing It”. No matter what. There came a point where I realized that the weak part of My Mind was trying to trick me. The Mind kept asking me “Why are you doing this?” and “It’s okay to quit, you’ve done a good job.” I then realized that I had to turn that off and tell myself, “I Am Doing This”, no matter what. It was like I turned everything completely off up top and just did. It’s weird to explain for me. Anyways, I did it. What I’m trying to say here is it came to a point where aweak area of my Mind tried to trick me using “My Why” against me because it knew it was no longer strong enough. After I finished, I felt Bliss. I felt as though I ripped an old weed straight out of the ground in my beautiful flower-filled-field that is My Mind. I realize now, that I had a tiny habit of quitting things just before the finish. Not everything but some things. And I would let My Mind tell me that it was okay to stop just before the finish because I had done well. Well, I can tell you it felt exhilarating to finish after realizing what The Mind had been doing to me for so long without even realizing it.

4. When You Think Your Done, You Have So Much More

Ultra Endurance Athlete, David Goggins is famous for staying that whenever any human thinks that they’ve reached their maximum capacity, when they think they can’t go another step more, or another inch further, they’re only at about 40%. So, that feeling we get when we are absolutely drained and feel like we can no longer give any more; we’re actually at about 40%. I found this to be true for me in this race. Pretty damn amazing what we can do if we challenge what we perceive as our “limits”.

There were so many moments over the past couple weeks when I thought that I was going to accomplish my goal of running 100k, only to find out that a logistical error was going to keep me from doing it. I guess that’s what life’s all about though, eh? Not to ask what you did wrong when an obstacle is thrown in front of you, rather, what can I do to get through this?

I want to thank everyone so much for the amazing support I received throughout the whole process of this race. I’m deeply humbled and it’s quite a spectacular feeling knowing that so many of you were willing to join me in this awesome experience together. We did this together. And I promise there’s so many more to come. Please let me know what you guys think of these 4 Learning Lessons.

And next time you catch yourself not doing something out of fear, go ahead, jump head first into “The Unknown”. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE VIDEO FROM THE RUN: CLICK HERE

KEEP MOVING FORWARD,

Mitchy Wilder, Ultra Endurance Athlete

VIDEO LINK FOR THE 100k RUN!

Hey guys! If you want to see the quick video edit I did of the run! Click here.

I’ll be sure to post on here in the next couple days. I’m excited to share with you guys in writing everything that I was able to take away from this beautiful experience of running 100k. Until then, feel free to enjoy the video I made! And please feel free to comment on what you guys think!

Thanks so much for everything!

KEEP MOVING FORWARD

One Love,

Mitchy

Link Again : https://youtu.be/AYP1YKIGF1A