OPERATION SIERRA OSCAR II

Okay, last time I talked about OPERATION SIERRA OSCAR (Shirt Off) it was still raining out and even, in some places like the high Sierra, snowing! However, now there’s no excuse – the sun is out and it’s burning bright – time to man-up and pull off that shirt, if for no other reason than to get your 15 minutes a day of recommended Vitamin D (from sunshine – yes, even doctors recommend you get some sun).

The question you need to ask yourself is are you ready to bare your upper torso (men and women) to the world…or at least to your closest friends or maybe just to yourself…whatever the reason – succeeding at OPERATION SIERRA OSCAR is NOT hard – it just requires 10 minutes of work a day – seriously – 10 minutes – can you do it? Man-up and try!

Here’s the drill – pushups and pull-ups for ten minutes – that’s it. You don’t need the Perfect branded products to accomplish this mission – it’ll just take longer to get the results! The workout is simple:

1. Start timer as you conduct a set of pushups to failure
2. Immediately after you finish your pushups do one set of pull-ups to failure
3. Repeat without stop until your timer clicks to 10 minutes.

That’s it – so let me know it goes. Oh yeah, you should take a picture of yourself because after ten workouts you’re gonna be surprised at how much your body has changed and how much more often you’ll be taking your shirt off!

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN

S-T-R-A-C

To all you Dads out there – Happy Father’s Day! More than any other leadership role I’ve had – being a Dad is by far the best leadership opportunity I’ve ever had - and for that matter, the most important one. Yes, even more important than leading SEALs safely and successfully into harm’s way. SEAL missions are finite – every mission has a start and stop to it – but the mission of raising children is a lifelong mission and by far the most important tasker any of us could undertake, for these little minds get their bearings, their values and their moral compass directly from us. And if we Dads lead our mission correctly, our children will keep coming back to us over the rest of our lives as a resource for inspiration and encouragement, for guidance and advice, and everything in between…and if the mission goes really well, they’ll never stop giving us that wonderful hug and saying the words that make every Dad’s heart skip a beat: “I love you Dad.”

Now, I don’t know everything about being a Dad, in fact everyday I learn more about what I don’t know, because every day is different with these monkeys – which reminds me a whole helluva lot of SEAL Team. In SEAL Team, we train for 167 different types of missions – at least that was the count when I was in – I’m sure it’s even higher today. Much like waking up every morning or several times during the night – you don’t know what’s in store for you as a Dad or a SEAL Team platoon commander, and because in SEAL Team you don’t know what’s going to happen next, you and your teammates create a mindset that keeps you flexible and ready for anything – we call it: STRAC = Skilled Tough Ready Around the Clock. This mindset keeps you focused on continual improvement – just like the Japanese with their Kaizen philosophy – STRAC is all about improving your skills and never quenching that thirst to better yourself a little everyday.

One of the key elements of STRAC is keeping your body fit – after all what good is the best weapon system if you’re not strong enough to carry it to the objective?! Same goes for all us Dads – the health and functionality of our bodies is a critical component to the success of our mission as a Dad. Seriously – think about it – our kids will look to us as their first reference point on everything from how we talk to what we eat to our mannerisms, even how we stand or sit in a chair – their little minds are 24/7 computers with a video interface – they are constantly recording and computing what they’ve recorded on their little hard drive minds. These little monkeys are learning their first Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) from us (and of course Mom). A very important SOP to establish with them is exercising their body – from camping to swimming to biking to climbing on jungle gyms – our troops will be looking to us for SOPs on how to care for our bodies – DON’T DISAPPOINT THEM – set this SOP early in their lives and I promise you they (and you!) will get more out of life – trust me when I tell you it’s a whole bunch more memorable for them and you if you make up your own Discovery Channel adventure versus watching the Discovery Channel!

The other important element about the STRAC mindset for Dads: “Life as a Dad is already challenging enough, but it’s a whole lot tougher if you’re weak!”

To all you Mission Commanders out there – enjoy your mission – it’s the best mission you’ll ever lead - Happy Father’s Day!

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN

Age is a State of Mind

This is NOT a cliché to those of you who know what I
mean - two of whom contacted the CHARLIE MIKE blog
recently. One of the first concepts you learn in SEAL
training is that body obeys the brain - sounds simple
doesn't it? I'm here to tell you it isn't - like most
things in life worth learning or having - it takes
practice, persistence and above all else, a positive
attitude. Ever wonder why folks who go swimming in
frigid waters without a wetsuit don't get hypothermia
when all the medical pundits say it should happen
within minutes? That's because these cold water
swimmers conditioned their mind to tell their body:
"swim through it - don't worry about the cold, I'm
going to send more blood to your vital organs to you
can continue to perform"....of course the first time
you enter frigid waters, your brain doesn't quite say
it like that or so politely - it's more like: "Holy
Sh&t - can't breathe - what the hell am I doing -
doctor say I'm going get hypothermia in minutes - I
think it's already happening - Ohhh my God I'm going
to die..." and so the logic goes - and where the mind
goes the body will follow.

So what's that got to do with Ted (62) and David (66)
who both recently posted discussing their
success with the Perfect Pushup?? Everything. Here are
two men that don't allow their birth age to affect
their biological age - they are effectively turning
back their age by taking charge of their minds and
their minds are telling their bodies what to do.

Yes, I know, we're all going to grow old and die.
Fine. But whoever said that at some age you should
just "take it easy" on yourself because you're "older"
now should be shot. That's the wrong attitude - that's
the attitude of someone who has given up on living.
Here's the cool part - there have been several studies
done over that last 2 decades of folks in their 80's
and 90's - doctors put them through 3 month body
weight training fitness programs...and guess what
happened? Every single one of them GREW muscle - their
muscles got stronger and larger! So, Ted, yes, we've
had many folks like yourself experience muscle
strength and size increases and significant weight
loss - some folks in their 80s...and you know what,
every single one of them has the same attitude - AGE
IS A STATE OF MIND!

BRAVO ZULU to Ted (62) and David (66)!

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN

P.S. Quick shout-out to Jacob, the 16 year-old wrestler
who recently posted to Charlie Mike: please shoot me an email at info@perfectpushup.com and put your name and sport in the
Subject line. I want to follow up with you offline. Ted, if
you're reading this postscript, could you also drop me a
line? Same format: name & age in the subject line. Thanks!