Keep Learning

Posted on October 24, 2013 by David Aston

As of late, I’ve learned a lot. About myself. About other people. About things I’m interested. About my job. Some of it, I learned the easy way. Some things were taught to me in a harsh way. Either way, learning has been a constant in my life more so recently than other times.

I would argue that the day I don’t learn something new, no matter how minor or insignificant it may seem, is the day I’ve given up on life. I’ve vowed to make the effort to find everyone I can who is knowledgeable in an area I want to be better in and pick their brains. I want to be a good NCO (Non-commissioned officer) in the military and have been blessed to have incredible leadership that encourages learning and development to be a better leader to soldiers. I’ve learned more than anyone can ask for in the past five months.

The point today is short and simple– learn every day. Read books. Talk to someone you look up to. If you’re looking to make your dream career a reality– talk to someone who has done it. Read more books on it. Increase your mental capacity to strengthen your whole kit. Most importantly, never stop adding to that kit.

Final thoughts on learning:

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing you can do is keep your mind young.

-Mark Twain

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.

-Theodore Roosevelt

“Humans are more valuable than equipment.”

-U.S. Special Forces on the human mind and mental capacity

Good F*cking Advice

Posted on October 11, 2013 by David Aston

*Disclaimer- Profanity Ahead, sorry if I offend you.

**Disclaimer- Just kidding about the offending you part.

First off, if this doesn’t motivate you– shame on you. If I haven’t posted this yet– shame on me. This is the Ethos of Good Fucking Design Advice, a website whose business is motivating and inspiring you to be a damn hero.

After my second actual good night’s sleep here in (OPSEC) I woke up at 0230 in the morning to workout. Fueled by pre-workout, a bad ass gym playlist and cold Afghan weather, I dominated my morning. I then clicked on my iPod and read the aforementioned good advice and decided over the next few weeks, I’m going to be writing pieces over the mos pertinent ones on there. Ones that inspire me to get the hell out of bed, stop feeling sorry for myself and taking on the day with a violence of action. I already covered believing in yourself on a completely separate occasion.

Work outside of your habits-

I would argue that being uncomfortable is necessary for your success. Those who stay in the comfort zones, whether that’s on their couch, never upping their workout intensities or never doing anything that scares them don’t improve. Being uncomfortable is a cruel mistress. She can present you with the satisfaction of facing your fears and moving up to new heights you never thought were possible. She breaks bad habits and builds healthy ones, but she can turn on a dime and send you back to square one. Always look for new, dynamic ways to reach your goals. Nothing is impossible. Those who decide enough is enough– that suddenly being comfortable all the time is no longer an option will succeed in today’s world.

So do it. Today. Get up earlier. Take a cold shower. Go without a shitty donut for breakfast. Talk to a stranger. Take responsibility. Start living like a warrior. I want to hear your stories! What have you done today to work outside of your habits?

Believe in Yourself

Posted on October 9, 2013 by David Aston

This is the very basic element for success. Just believe in yourself. Whether you are trying to break a habit, get out of a depressing point in your life, or work up the courage to run your first 5k. Believe. In. Yourself. When you decide to improve yourself and become an active force in your life you may have outside support or you might not– but that’s not the biggest enemy you will have. Your most tedious battle will be the symphony of voices in your head letting you know that you’re weak, that you don’t need to get out of bed, that you’ve been like this for so long already that nothing is gonna change. Bullshit. You’ are your own worst enemy and you have to do whatever you can to drown out those voices, buckle down and make things happen. Because once you believe in yourself, once you know you can work your way out of any situation with what you’ve got, you’re unstoppable. You’ve always been unstoppable. And don’t you forget that.

Athletics or Aesthetics?

Posted on October 6, 2013 by David Aston

I’ve been thinking about my long term goal as of late. It seems like a lot of guy I’m deployed with are looking to sculpt a beach body while here, others are training just to pass their PT test. Which got me thinking if I’d prefer a decently good looking body with extreme athletic capability or a just a strong beach body. I realized that I’d rather be the guy who can ruck for miles, then run and finish it off with an intense bodyweight workout session. I personally strive for athletic capability of aesthetics. What are your thoughts on the subject? I want to hear from you.

Workout of the day-

Three mile run with 25 burpees after every mile.

Warmup and Cool down on your own. Make sure to stretch.

Deployment Continues

Posted on September 25, 2013 by David Aston

Things have been busy here. It’s mentally exhausting for no other reason besides wicked long days, you know? However, that being said I’ve had time to rethink fitness and overall mental attitude.

I find I often set goals too high and then get too down when I fail to meet them, so I’ve resolved to set more short-term and attainable goals to meet and instead of focusing on the final outcome of the mission I will focus on building sustainable habits to get there.

Fitness wise, a lot of people see deployment as a chance to just “get big” or “ripped.” Most forget that as soldiers we have an obligation to remain fit as tactical athletes and be functional in our ability to move under combat kit. I’ve had several gut checks thus far when I ran the Army ten miler and my first half-marathon and now know that I can move reasonably quickly at a consistent pace without stopping over a long distance but I lack the explosiveness to sprint, lift and pull under kit which is more essential to this line of work.

So tomorrow I begin Military Athlete For Crossfitters three days a week. For anyone looking to boost their strength and increase your fitness knowledge base I would recommend checking out military athlete and seeing what they have to offer.

I’ll share my reflections and habits concerning my journey to become a better man and tactical athlete in the coming weeks. Hope it will help someone out there.

Ack! So much new stuff!

Posted on September 9, 2013 by David Aston

So hey, sup? Took a bit of a writing Break, but I haven’t stopped training. I haven’t gotten much stronger in the past month, but I’ve been going at consistently. Honestly just been battling a lot of motivation issues and getting trapped in my own thoughts over here. More on that to follow, however if you’re in need of a workout idea– today was squat day.

I did my squat workout followed by a little METCON which is posted here:

4 rounds of-

200m row
10 back squats at %30 1RM
10 box jumps
10 split jerks at same weight as the squat

Overall result: painful, but good. Five
Mile run time.