Before we get off of the topic of setting our actionable goals off in the strongest possible direction, I wanted to bring a guest into the Hive that will fire you up to achieve your 2022 wellness and fitness goals.  Dr. Matt Chalmers regularly works with people in all walks of life ranging from CEOs and pro athletes, to local-level competitive runners, weekend warriors, and housewives.  He is the author of the bestselling book “Pillars of Wellness,” which helps readers cut through the crap about wellness, exercise, and diet to figure out the actions they can take that will have the greatest impact.  His book details how to fuel the body physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Dr. Matt is passionate about leaving his legacy of getting his solidly-reasoned message out, so the book is available on Kindle for only 99 cents, and he loves to appear on podcasts like this one for the same reason.  In our fun chat, Dr. Matt gives well-researched knowledge and a lot of excellent practical pointers to improve our body’s functioning: cut down on sugar, drink more water, get better rest, what supplements are necessary and that the RDAs set for most of them are meaningless for most bodies in motion, how to decide whether it makes sense to eat plant-based, keto, or something else, and more.  I’m confident you’ll enjoy and undoubtedly gain some great insights from this lively interview.

Please consider donating to help Boulder County fire victims relief:
https://www.commfound.org/grants/get-grant/Boulder-County-Wildfire-Fund

Dr. Matt Chalmers
(214)-446-5300
[email protected]
www.chalmerswellness.com
https://linktr.ee/DrChalmers1
Facebook and Twitter @DrChalmers1 
Instagram @drchalmers1 and @chalmerswellness
YouTube - DrChalmers1
"Pillars of Wellness" is available on Amazon

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor

I hope your 2022 is off to a good start.  To continue on the theme of adding ancillary exercises into your training program that I started with the year’s inaugural Power Play, I’m welcoming Coach Dan Herman into the Hive.  Dan followed a similar path to David, maxing out at 375 pounds and having an unhealthy relationship with food as well as with his self-body image.  He also had an inoperable degenerative spinal tumor that rendered him practically immobile.  Illogically, Dan bought a pair of running shoes and started discovering a different way to live his life.  Like David, Dan’s first runs lasted for what seemed like an eternity, even though they were less than a minute long.  But he persisted until he reduced to (and has stayed at) 200 pounds and has completed marathons.  Dan has brought his philosophy of transformational change to his personal training business, Phoenix Training and Performance, in which he challenges his clients toward self-discovery and achieving their own epic training goals.  Dan is also a motivational speaker to empower audiences to find the most authentic versions of themselves.  I think you will be very entertained by our chat, as well as find some valuable nuggets to help you start the year on an uplifted note and with some more tools to help keep you moving in a healthy fashion.

Please consider donating to help Boulder County fire victims relief:
https://www.commfound.org/grants/get-grant/Boulder-County-Wildfire-Fund

Coach Dan Herman and Phoenix Coaching and Performance:
www.phoenixcoachingperformance.com
[email protected]
Facebook @phoenixcoachingperformance
Instagram @coachdanhermancpt
#TogetherWeRise

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor

Happy New Year!  May 2022 be the year you crush some epic goals!

First off, I do want to offer my sympathies to all of those affected by the wildfires in Boulder County.  So many people lost everything - almost 1000 homes were destroyed - and rebuilding lives will take a very long time.  If you are able to, please donate to help those in dire need to the Boulder Community Wildfire Fund at:
www.commfound.org or
https://www.commfound.org/grants/get-grant/Boulder-County-Wildfire-Fund

One key to crushing big goals this year is by staying healthy.  As sort of a resolution, I encourage you to add ancillary exercises to your training regimen, including core, hip/glute exercises, and weight training/bodyweight exercises.  I have seen directly how these will keep you on your feet and moving faster.   Hip and glute exercises are probably the most overlooked, so I describe a selection here  that you should add to your program, as well as discuss what I feel are the most important muscle groups runners should focus on in weight training, namely the triceps and lats.  Please contact me if you would like my workout sheets and/or videos to help you get rolling on these important exercises in the new year.

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor

Happy New Year!  As we navigate through the holidays, and head into a new year, all under the spectre of another wave of Covid, I thought it would be worthwhile to bring into the Hive one of the foremost experts in dealing with substance dependence, mental health, and compulsive behaviors.  You may already know Coach Blu Robinson, the founder of Addict 2 Athlete, whose stated “mission is to establish and maintain recovery by promoting lifestyle changes through erasing negative behaviors and replacing them with positive ones.”  Addict 2 Athlete team members routinely engage in running and other exercise as a positive replacement, as well as doing terrific service projects in their communities.  It is an incredibly energetic program that helps people to set new goals.  It can provide personal and group coaching, along with inspiration through its web site resources, blogs, and terrific Addict 2 Athlete podcast.  These lessons of recovery I think are relatable to all of us, whether we are in recovery or not.  Coach Blu grew up in a dysfunctional home and struggled with his own substance abuse.  He became sober in 1996 and has been a force in the recovery community since 2001, including partnering with David Clark.  Coach Blu has so much deeply helpful advice to dispense in this discussion.  Note his wisdom about stopping thinking like a victim, but instead thinking about being an agent for positive change.  And his five Champions Challenge principles to win in 2022, which are based on the concept of doing things outside of yourself which will lead to creating the biggest results.  One I like a lot is treating people with respect who you don’t think you need.  I’ve put that into play at every school I’ve worked at spending the time to know the athletic secretaries and janitors.  One athletic secretary was a competitive bodybuilder and I learned from her about how that sport works.  Another was a fan of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, so I learned about that league, and I always had something to talk with her about.  I’d also bring all of them an occasional simple gift like a grapefruit.  They are truly the people who get things done at schools, not the ivory tower administrators.  Anytime I’ve needed something done, I probably got better response because I treat them like people.  Coach Blu has a lot more of this kind of solid wisdom, so please take a close listen to this episode, I think almost everyone will get a lot out of it.

Coach Blu Robinson and Addict to Athlete:
addicttoathlete.org
[email protected]
Facebook & Instagram @addicttoathlete and @agentsofrecovery
Podcasts: Addict to Athlete, Agents of Recovery
Twitter @AgentsRecovery

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor

Season's Greetings!  Gary Stotler and host Bill Stahl again reprise the Sober F*cking Christmas episodes from 2019 (with David) and 2020 where we talked about dealing with the holidays.  Of course, a lot in the world went haywire in 2020 and 2021, but many of the root causes of holiday depression haven't changed, and maybe got even worse during the pandemic.   Gary once weighed 400 pounds and had serious issues with alcohol and depression, but transformed himself into an elite ultra endurance athlete, as well as a motivational coach, speaker, and author.   If you need a great catalyst to achieving your next goals, pickup his latest book, "Success is Spelled Action" on amazon.  Hopefully our discussion lifts your spirits during this holiday season!

Gary Stotler
garystotler.com
Facebook Gary Stotler
Instagram @coachgarystotler
Find his latest book, "Success is Spelled Action" on Amazon

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor

Season's Greetings, everyone!  To be honest, the holidays have always frustrated my Type A personality  in that it's hard to get much accomplished.  But you can use this "slow" period to set yourself to be more productive in 2022.  In this short Power Play, I discuss a few thoughts about what you can do now to put yourself in great position to shine in the coming year.

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook @coachstahl
Instagram @stahlor

There are so many excellent reasons to run, both physical and mental.  Longtime WASP friend Gary Stotler and I talk about many of these reasons and perhaps you'll find some that resonate with you.

Gary Stotler
garystotler.com
Facebook Gary Stotler
Instagram @coachgarystotler
Find his latest book, "Success is Spelled Action" on Amazon

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook @coachstahl
Instagram @stahlor

As you’ve already heard from me, I was in Ecuador in early- to mid-November on a trip lead by Tyler Andrews, whose many impressive FKTs landed him here on the WASP earlier this year.  There were six of us on this expedition, including my travel sidekick, Jack.  Our other leader was 22-year old Ecuadorian native Beto Dávalos.  I ran with Beto on an early day of the trip while we were getting acclimated to Quito’s 9300-foot elevation, on a beautiful 20 km-long trail that stretches from a place called Cumbaya, yes, that’s its actual name, to another part of the city.  Along the way, we passed farms, modest neighborhoods, mansions, and ran up and down a canyon that included a spectacular waterfall and through three tunnels that were as dark as caves.  Beto also told me about his battle with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, or GBS, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the peripheral nervous system.  You might recall a WASP episode earlier this year with Brad Kelley, who fell victim to the same disease, but who has had a remarkable recovery to complete the Kona Ironman, and recently attempted a quintuple-Ironman, yes, five Ironmans in a row.  As you’ll hear now, Beto has had a strong recovery and has a big challenge planned ahead on Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America.  He also has now gained the perspective of a much older person for someone so young, and hopes to pass that along to others.  We did have one glitch in recording this episode from his home in Ecuador.  My cat Babe, who always sleeps on top of my office TV’s satellite box to take advantage of the warmth coming off of it, decided to slumber on top of my soundboard late in this chat and pushed to button to stop recording.  So I’ve had to fill in a bit of this conversation with Beto where we talked about a short film being made by a Mexican filmmaker about Beto’s inspirational story.  You can view an excellent teaser for it on YouTube under the title Tigrana by Pablo Norza Garay.  I hope you enjoy this uplifting episode.

Beto Dávalos
Facebook beto.davalos.1
Instagram @betodavalos9
YouTube film "Tigrana" by Pablo Norza Garay

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor

A lot of scientific research, that I fully support, backs the concept of periodization, which means alternating your training between hard and easy - whether it's day-to-day, season-to-season, or even year-to-year.  I've also anecdotally seen the value of taking advantage of your personal situation to up your training or tackle a race.  When is it worthwhile to do this?

It has been a year since I resurrected David's We Are Superman Podcast.  Over the past 70 episodes, I have enjoyed bringing you David's brand of stories of transformation and overcoming adversities to achieve epic goals.  In addition, I hope you have been entertained and motivated by hearing from elite athletes, runners fighting for a cause, athletes tackling unique challenges, and learned from expert guests.  Thank you very much for listening and your incredible support!  I look forward to continuing to bring you these types of motivational stories and more.  Always Be Positive!

As we get into this season of hope, here is a story that should give you plenty of it.  I met Gary Cahill while he was running the American Heroes Run 100-miler in September.  He lives not far away in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado, the gateway town to Rocky Mountain National Park.  While chatting and running with Gary, a very warm, affable, and cheerful man, I learned that Gary is a stage four survivor of cancer in three organs.  For those who are not familiar with the terminology, stage four cancer in just one organ is practically a death sentence.  He was diagnosed 14 years ago, and as you’ll hear, he took a unique and very proactive approach to his treatment.  He even requested, and received, his oncologist’s personal cellphone number.  Along the way, you will hear someone who has rebounded to enjoy his life to the fullest, is eternally optimistic, and even though he didn’t finish all 100 miles, which the 99 degrees temperatures the day of the AHR didn’t help, he’s determined to earn his belt buckle next year.  We like to feature great comeback stories on the WASP, and I hope you’ll enjoy this one of the greatest kind.

Gary Cahill
Facebook @gary.s.cahill

Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor