![]() To slow down and simply focus on what you’re feeling as you move, rather than on how many repetitions you have to do or when you’ll be finished, can be extremely challenging at first. This can be a difficult thing for many people to do when they first start practicing somatic exercises. We should learn from the experts and become as informed as possible that knowledge, combined with a highly attuned sense of what is going on inside our body, allows us to make the best decisions about our health.Īnother aspect of Stu’s training approach that’s completely in line with somatics is focusing on the process rather than the end goal. Stu writes that there is no health professional out there who is better able to make decisions about your health than you. It is through this process of continually paying attention to what your body is telling you that you become the expert in your body and your health. Stu advises that it is more effective to take the path of least resistance instead of ascribing to the rule of “no pain, no gain.” Work with your body instead of against it. You should treat your body as your partner listen to its messages and don’t force it to do things it doesn’t want to do. In the book, Stu emphasizes that in order to get through a marathon-whether it be running or the marathon of life-you must develop a relationship with your body. There is only the present moment, in which they must remain connected to their body, in tune with their every move, in a place that feels comfortable and productive and that they are able to maintain indefinitely.” -Stu Mittleman, Slow Burn Unlike sprinters, who focus on how fast they can get to the finish line no matter the cost, endurance athletes have no finish line. “Life is a marathon, not a sprint, and you must prepare accordingly. Stu’s new priority was how effectively he could manage his state, not how fast he could run. He began to focus not on the pace he was running, but on the experience he was having as he ran. This experience led Stu to develop a new approach to training. And at the end of the six days, he finished the race in second place, setting a new American record. ![]() Stu immediately applied this approach to his own race, creating a repeatable schedule that worked for him. ![]() This allowed them to stay in control and be productive for the entire six-day race. The leading runners never let themselves get depleted they would rest before they felt worn out. They would then repeat that pattern over and over. He pointed out that the leading runners all had a structure to their day, in which they would run for a predetermined period of time and then rest for a predetermined period of time. Luckily, a fellow runner joined Stu as he plodded around the track and gave him some life-changing advice. By the second day, Stu was completely burnt out and ready to quit. He quickly found out that it wasn’t sustainable. After resting as much as he needed, he’d again run until he couldn’t run anymore, then stop and rest. He planned to run for as long as he could, and when he couldn’t run anymore, he’d stop and rest. He had never run for more than 24 hours at a time, and was by no means prepared for this race. In 1983, Stu entered his first six-day race on a whim. If you’re not an athlete, the book will give you the confidence and knowledge you need to begin working out slowly while staying connected to your body, avoiding injuries, losing weight, and improving your strength and endurance. If you’re an athlete, it will make you rethink how you warm up, train, connect with your body, and how you can fuel your body for optimal performance. Slow Burn is an inspiring book that all athletes and non-athletes should read. And while the book is focused on running, you can apply Stu’s approach to any type of exercise that you enjoy. I bought the book thinking that I would learn how to burn more fat during my workouts-I did, and I’ll describe how later in this post-but the bigger takeaway for me was Stu’s highly somatic approach to training, which is very hard to come by in the fitness world. Stu’s unique approach to fitness training has gained him worldwide recognition as a fitness coach. He currently holds the US record for running 578 miles in 6 days-that’s 96 miles (more than three and a half marathons!) per day. In 1986, Stu set a world record by running 1000 miles in 11 days. I just read Slow Burn, an outstanding book by ultra distance running champion Stu Mittleman. ![]() Slow Burn: Burn Fat Faster By Exercising Slower
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