Breaking Ordinary with Andy Petranek

This week in our podcast, we thought it would be fun to hang out with someone that has been a regular player now for 5 Challenges in a row, who we've never actually met in person. Her name is Athena Slavin... and she became known to me when in her very first Challenge, she became a regular contributor to our forums - not as an expert, rather as a participant. Since then she's become pretty a pretty well-know name in the forums and in our official Facebook group.

In the podcast Athena shares with us many of the strategies she uses to  get the most she can out of the Whole Life Challenge. How her closet has changed, her weekend activities, the people she hangs out with, how she feels about herself, her self-confidence, etc. She has personally seen some amazing, literally whole-life-changing results from her participation over the years.

You've survived on the energy and momentum of week one. You've shaken off the pre-race and first lap jitters... and now it's time to settle in. This week is about finding your stride. Too fast and you'll burn out before the finish line; but too slow and it's not a Challenge at all. Here's the great thing about the WLC - you get to find it for yourself. No one decides for you. Use the energy of the community and the leaderboard to help move you out of your comfort zone, but be careful of trying to be perfect.

Michael and  I talk more about it here in our Week 2 "What to Expect" Podcast (10 minutes).

This week we talked with Heather McKearnan and Nate Harris of Undisputed Fitness in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They have been powerhouse Affiliate Partners, participating in every single worldwide Challenge (7) since the first one  in September of 2012. In every case, they have had one of the largest Official Teams (by number of players) and have seen incredible, life-altering changes in the people in their community who participate.

In the following link, you’ll find a ten-minute podcast where Michael and I talk about what to expect during the first work-week of the Challenge and strategies we use for success. We discuss using the positive energy and momentum you’re feeling in Week One to set yourself up for success in the seven daily habits for the remainder of the eight weeks. We also talk about the importance of being engaged with your teammates in the communication feed. And then we discuss the WLC app, and why it’s NOT supported this go-round.

Gary Reinl is known around the world as the Anti-Ice Guy. He's shouting it from the rooftops and has published a book ("Iced") about it. His message?  Stop Icing Injuries.

It sounds crazy... considering you've probably been brought up thinking that any time you bump, bang, twist or break something, the first thing you should do is throw ice on it. But in terms of your body's natural healing process, in actuality, nothing could be worse.

In this interview, you'll find out the real story... why did we start using ice, and how did it come to be something culturally that we all simply accept as normal?  You'll also find out what you should be doing instead of icing (hint - simply doing nothing is usually better than applying ice).

Mark Divine is a former Wall Street CPA-turned-Navy Seal. He's the founder of NavySEALs.com, US Tactical, and SEAL-Fit, and has worked with thousands of people with his unique approach he developed and wrote about in his book, Unbeatable Mind.

During the conversation we talk about the art of "not-doing" (among other things) - both it's elusivity and it's importance for our growth and development as humans.

I interviewed Mark as part of the Whole Life Challenge interview series. This series represents our continued commitment to addressing health and fitness in the context of a person’s Whole Life.We’ve specifically chosen subject-matter experts who have mastered areas of their lives that are related to the health and wellness habits we introduce in the Whole Life Challenge.

Bill Yoshin Jordan is a Zen priest who has been practicing zazen (the Zen term for meditation) for over 40 years. He is a teacher and holds the title of "Roshi".

I interviewed Bill as part of the Whole Life Challenge interview series. This series represents our continued commitment to addressing health and fitness in the context of a person’s Whole Life.We’ve specifically chosen subject-matter experts who have mastered areas of their lives that are related to the health and wellness habits we introduce in the Whole Life Challenge.

Mark Sisson is a former elite runner, triathlete, the founder of Mark's Daily Apple, a well known health & fitness blog, and the author of the Primal Blueprint (among other things).

During our conversation we covered a lot - from pre-event nutrition and how it's changed over the past 30 years, to sleep, not overeating, carbs vs. fats, cholesterol, barefoot running and a host of other topics.

I interviewed Mark as part of the Whole Life Challenge interview series. This series represents our continued commitment to addressing health and fitness in the context of a person’s Whole Life. We’ve specifically chosen subject-matter experts who have mastered areas of their lives that are related to the health and wellness habits we introduce in the Whole Life Challenge.

Kelly Starrett is a coach, physical therapist, author and founder of San Francisco CrossFit who has changed the way people think about human movement and athletic performance. He wrote Becoming a Supple Leopard which quickly became a bestseller, and can be found regularly contributing to his own blog, MobilityWOD.com. 

During our conversation, we covered a lot of ground, talking about exercise, sleep, recovery, mobility, stretching, and looking at your body as one big system where all components have to work together, all the time.

I interviewed Kelly as part of the Whole Life Challenge interview series. This series represents our continued commitment to addressing health and fitness in the context of a person’s Whole Life.We’ve specifically chosen subject-matter experts who have mastered areas of their lives that are related to the health and wellness habits we introduce in the Whole Life Challenge.

Robb is the author of the bestseller The Paleo Solution is a former research biochemist, and one of the world’s leading experts in Paleolithic nutrition. He has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world via his top ranked iTunes podcast and wildly popular seminar series.

During our conversation (Robb and I are old friends) we talk about sugar, dairy, seasonings, and how the odds are stacked against all of us when we try to shut down our own "vacuum cleaners" (stop eating foods that we were biologically created to be addicted to).

I interviewed Robb as part of the Whole Life Challenge interview series. This series represents our continued commitment to addressing health and fitness in the context of a person’s Whole Life. We’ve specifically chosen subject-matter experts who have mastered areas of their lives that are related to the health and wellness habits we introduce in the Whole Life Challenge.