The Breckenridge Fitness Letters

Four strange fitness lessons that came about while in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Last month, my girlfriend (now fiancée) flew over to Europe to visit some friends and explore the Playground of Europe:

Switzerland

The trip was unbelievable and better than I could imagine. Whether it was taking cable cars to the top of a snow-covered mountain… riding a ferry in Lake Lugano, Italy… or swigging beers with strangers at Oktoberfest – it was an unforgettable experience.

Since I’ve been gone there will not be a new Mind-Body Breakthroughs newsletter.

However, I have a special treat for you…

I have a blast-from-the-past issue from May 2022 (when this newsletter was much smaller) that I’m re-releasing instead.

This special issue was written off-the-cuff on my 5-day trip to Breckenridge, Colorado. My best friend was having a bachelor party so he arranged a ski trip for a group of 10 of us.

I had no plan to capture what I did.

But I’m sure as a shiitake mushrooms glad I did.

Because it’s one of the most raw and real newsletters I’ve ever written - especially if you’ve struggled with low back pain… knee pain… or other injuries.

Enjoy,

Kelan Ern

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Issue No. 30 May 2022

My Non-Fitness Challenge to You This Month

With Kelan Ern

I’ve never done anything like this before.  

What you are about to read is a raw, real, labor of love. This issue of Mind-Body Breakthroughs was written off-the-cuff on my 5-day trip to Breckenridge, Colorado. My best friend was having a bachelor party so he arranged a ski and snowboarding trip for a group of 10 of us.

I had no plan to capture what I did.

That’s the funny thing about ideas, they can hit you hard when you least expect it. And I am glad I was open and willing to capture them. In the past, I would have probably taken them for granted and procrastinated (but I’ve learned that’s how you miss out on great insights).

My challenge for you this month is a unique one. Of course, apply the ideas and strategies I’m about to share but more than that…

Capture the lightning when it strikes!

When a great idea strikes - don’t let it go. Don’t put it off. Write it down. Make a note on your phone. Record a voice message.

Whatever it takes.

My guess is you have dozens of brilliant ideas over the course of a week that you let slip away… not all of them great. But I guarantee you a few of them are needle-moving and worth implementing. They may help you eat healthier foods easier… put on more muscle… squeeze in a little more cardio… build your business… find more happiness… or boost your productivity so you have more time for what you enjoy. So use this month as an excuse to take the ideas that hit you out of nowhere seriously because they could literally be exactly what you need.

One more thing:

Sometimes these elusive ideas are waiting for us to remove ALL the distractions and find the solitude before they show up. In fact, interestingly enough this was a ritual that academy award winning actor, Mathew McConaughey was religious about.

Every year or so he would travel to an exotic location by himself and wouldn’t know anyone. The first few days he didn’t like the company (which was himself). But after a few days of solitude… exploring the area… and immersing in nature he worked through whatever challenges he was facing and then by the end of the trip he was not only re-energized but he gathered wisdom to help him go the next level personally and professionally. While we can’t always get away to an exotic location (we may have to settle for a stay-cation) there’s something to be said about the idea of:

“Turn down the noise to boost the signal”- Matthew McConaughey

My 3 Postural Mistakes for Neck Pain

Today I’m writing you from the Denver airport. I’m sitting in a waiting area for a shuttle to take me up to Breckenridge. I missed the first shuttle (at 1pm) by a few minutes so now I will be doing some people watching… reading… and writing for the next few hours.

I don’t mind though.

How often do you get several uninterrupted hours to just sit and be?

For most people it’s rarer than a Hawaiian vacation. Anyway, I’m not quite sure what I want to share with you (a middle-aged couple just sat nearby so we may get interrupted). Actually, I know. The other night I was tossing and turning and had a terrible night’s sleep. The next day I woke up with terrible neck pain. I couldn’t get comfortable and had a dull aching in my right shoulder. The only relief I found was laying on my back on the floor (which Yuki – our cat – wondered what the heck I was doing).

Later in the day a few other things helped. First, Amanda gave me a myofascial massage on my scalp. Not my neck.

Why?

Look at a picture of the myofascial meridians in the body and you will see a major junction on the head. Loosening up this area in a very specific and gentle way (oh, looks like another person sat down next to me). Not digging a bow or vigorous pressure. This relieved quite a bit of pressure.

Okay we’ll come back to this in just a minute…

My Muscle-Building Advice to a Former Boxer

You’re not going to believe this. Funny enough, this 20-something-year-old guy who sat next to me asked:

“Are you a poet?” (he saw I was writing on a notepad)

I laughed, “No.”

“Are you writing love letters?”

“I’m writing a fitness newsletter.”

“What’s your number one tip for greater fitness?”

Knowing I could go in many directions I threw it back to him:

“What’s your definition of greater fitness?”

“Eating well, getting lots of nutrients.”

(still too vague) “Are you wanting to put on muscle or lean out?”

“Bulk up. I used to box and now I’m trying to put on muscle - but I have a fast metabolism.”

Now I was ready to strike with some precision:

“So you are a hard-gainer (some who struggles to gain muscle) just like me. Protein is the name of the game. You want lean protein at every meal: chicken, turkey, fish, protein shakes and protein bars are easy ways too. When I was a freshman in high school I weighed 165 lbs. When I was a freshman in college, I was 215 lbs. I put on 50 lbs and one thing I did was eat until I was full… and then eat more. I had to work hard at eating constantly.”

He appreciated the tip and we ended up chatting a little longer (he was headed to Greeley, north of Denver, to train in the higher altitude since he was from Detroit). Then he was on his way. Couldn’t have been more than a 10 minute conversation. Never know who you will cross paths with.

Anyway… where were we?

My 3 Postural Mistakes for Neck Pain Part II

Ah yes, the neck pain episode.

So this myofascial massage (which I’ll go in-depth on in a future newsletter) probably gave me 70% relief and I will say Tylenol® took care of the rest that night. Now I thought a little on what may have spelled trouble for me because usually injuries are the final-straw-that-broke-the-camel’s back situations. Not luck-of-the-draw situations. I came up with a few possible causes:

#1: Rotating my head to the right frequently.

With Zoom coaching I use an iPad and a laptop which has me constantly rotating my head to the right (but this also causes spinal rotation to the right and other compensations. When I get back I need to switch sides or put my coaching screen front and center (need to check if my shuttle arrived). I also need to elevate my iPad so I’m not looking down so much. It’s these repetitive motions that add up. Remember, facing forward but having your torso turned to the left is the same as rotating your head to the left.

#2: Sleeping on two pillows

This may be putting me into forward head posture at night – adding to the problem.

#3: Leaning in the chair is another (typically to the right)

When you lean to one side your head doesn’t want to be at an angle so it rights itself which actually tilts it in the opposite direction. It acts like a counterbalance. Plus, you tend to shrug your shoulder on the side that you are leaning towards.

Things to consider…

Transformation From Meat Lover to Vegan

Alright, so this is Day 3 in ‘Breck’ (Breckenridge) and it’s been an interesting trip (which is an understatement) maybe I’ll tell you more about it at a later time. I am sitting in the bottom bunk of our Airbnb while most everyone is out on the slopes. I’ll give skiing a try tomorrow for the first time.

Anyway, today I had a great chat with a high school friend who is a software engineer at Groupon. He’s one of the most curious people I’ve ever met and our conversations can go deep fast. I strongly believe his deep curiosity and fearlessness in asking questions is what allows him to be one of the best programmers out there.

A few days prior, I saw him arrive at the Airbnb with a box of Vegan donuts. So today I asked him how he got started as a vegan (which he started 3 years ago). He said one day he was moving out of his apartment in Wrigleyville and stopped by one of his favorite gyro places. For whatever reason on this particular day he decided to just order a gyro and not fries or a soft drink. He usually always did. But he decided not to. And after his meal, he felt healthier by not indulging in those. Then he started asking himself:

So over the next few weeks he started removing all dairy.

Then eggs.

Then meat.

Removing meat was a tough one, and he wondered if he would survive without it. He usually always had a serving at every meal. For example, he would typically have 4-5 eggs with 4 strips of bacon for breakfast. But once again he showed himself he could survive without it. And from there he continued to eat cleaner… and cleaner…

Now I’m not going to say Vegan is the answer. Or Keto. Or Paleo (Each one possesses answers to mastering nutrition). But I will say consistently asking yourself, How far can I take this? may surprise you. You may find a new level of resourcefulness and creativity emerge.

Years ago, I remember one day going to the movie theater and asking myself ‘Do I really need popcorn with my movie?’ And since that day I’ve never had it (or any other concessions) at the movie theater again. What can you take out of a meal to make it even a little bit healthier? Or what can you do to take what you are doing a little further?

How to Push Your Physical Limits

Going into this Colorado trip my buddy Aaron wanted me to go skiing. I had my reservations because I have been recovering from a knee injury that restricts my ability to do certain movements.

He insisted and said,

“My parents are 70-years-old and out of shape and they go skiing. You’ll do just fine.”

Not entirely agreeing with that logic, I decided I’d try it at least once during the trip.

So near the end of the trip I woke up early, suited up with several layers and grabbed enough protein bars to last several days in the wilderness (instead of dropping $18 for a single burger at the ski resort). Then me and a group of guys walked down to the resort, stood in line for rental equipment, got fitted for boots and ski’s and then got serious (which for me entailed advanced maneuvers such as how to get onto a chair lift… how to “pizza” and “French fry” and how to sidestep up a hill.)

Aaron and another friend pulled me aside and started showing me the ropes on a dinky incline, maybe a few grades steeper than a wheelchair ramp and a step below the “bunny hill”.

They rapid fired everything they knew about skiing:

Here’s how you pizza… here’s how you turn left… here’s how you fall and get up… here’s another way to get up… here’s how you walk up a hill… okay now you try.

It was a bit of overload with all the instruction, and seeing certain skills performed was very different than having the physical skill to do them. So I picked one movement and decided to do it over… and over… again until I mastered that single skill - and then I’d move onto the next.

So I picked the side-step and worked my way up. I somewhat got the hang of this awkward walking on the edge of your feet movement. Then I did some pizza-french fry and got the hang of pizza (for any non-skiers, the way you stop on ski’s is by sliding your legs outward almost like you’re doing the splits and making a pizza shape with your skis).

Then as I sidestepped my way back up my knee started hurting. The lateral side-step movement was getting to it. I stopped and tried again.

But still it didn’t feel right.

Driving the knees in different directions was tweaking it. I knew if it was giving me trouble on this slight incline, it wasn’t going to get better on steeper slopes. And pushing it under tougher, steeper conditions could make it even worse (because pain causes further instability).

I contemplated what to do, and decided to stop.

Honestly, I was a bit bummed and a bit embarrassed for throwing in the towel. But I went into the trip knowing this was a possibility. So an hour after renting my equipment, I returned it to the shop (which they were very understanding and issued a full refund). Everyone else was on the slopes so I walked back to our lodge, took off my gear and soaked in the outdoor hot tub for a few hours.

I reflected on my decision to throw in the towel and then realized at least I tried. I would have been pissed at myself for not trying. And suddenly as I sat in the hot tub, an insight bubbled up:

Discover your limits, don’t assume them.

I could have assumed my knee wouldn’t handle skiing and not even tried. But instead I discovered my limits.

Correction: my current limits.

And you better believe now that I know them I’m more than fired up to expand them. I’m ready to strengthen and train myself through - and well past them. When I returned to the lodge and Aaron returned - he put a hand on my shoulder and said:

“You tried and that’s the win.” 

Later that night, I was talking with another friend in the group (who’s a physical therapist in the Chicagoland area) about my knee situation. He apparently had a similar injury and mentioned how that part of the knee doesn’t receive much blood flow so it takes time to heal. He also shared how some athletes are able to compete despite torn ACLs.

Now listen closely: it’s not where they tear it and push through the rest of the event. It’s where their hamstrings and other leg muscles are so strong they literally compete without it. I thought to myself:

 If that’s possible I have full faith I can recover fully from this knee injury and look forward to the day I hit the slopes again.

I hope you get back on the mountain one day as well, whatever that is for you.

Onward,

Kelan Ern

[04/27/22 UPDATE] The week I returned from my trip, I was introduced to a highly-targeted knee training program and have been implementing many of the exercises into my workouts. Since doing these exercises my knees have never felt stronger and I rarely feel pain at all.

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