by Coach Mat | 10 Nov, 2018 | Fear, Mental Training, Motivating Swimmers, Muscle Tension, Overcoming Fear, Recommended Reading, Survival Instincts, Training Psychology
The Polyvagal Theory developed by Stephen Porges, describes the way the internal body states influences the brain and perception of the environment, and the environment (especially the social environment) influences internal body states. In my own words, there are...
by Coach Mat | 22 Sep, 2018 | Discomfort, Injury Prevention, Internal Feedback, Pain, Physiology, Recommended Reading, Stress
This discussion is continued from Part 1… The Aging Dilemma For those chasing medals and records and recognition – a reward now – it is acceptable, even required it seems, to take some risks with injury. The risks are much higher when there is a...
by Coach Mat | 15 Sep, 2018 | Discomfort, Injury Prevention, Internal Feedback, Pain, Physiology, Recommended Reading, Stress
What is pain? We all know what it is, but yet it’s a hard word to define both precisely and broadly enough to cover all the ways we experience it. There is good pain and bad pain. There is physical pain and mental pain and emotional pain. There is tiny annoying...
by Coach Mat | 19 Aug, 2018 | About Coach Mat, Nutrition, Nutrition, Poor Nutrition, Recommended Reading, Weight Management
Need a reason to eat more vegetables? How about improving recovery after hard athletic efforts? You may look up these Foods to Improve Athletic Performance & Recovery. on NutritionFacts.org. I’ve been running a lot longer distances this season. With two or...
by Coach Mat | 11 Aug, 2018 | Food & Hydration, Metabolic Training, Nutrition, Nutrition, Recommended Reading, Weight Management
Continued from Part 1. Do You Need To Eat Less Calories? Or maybe you just need to eat better quality calories. Here are some ways you can go about it… Eat mostly plants. Fill up on them first. Leave animal products to the last and in the smallest amounts....
by Coach Mat | 8 Aug, 2018 | Food & Hydration, Metabolic Training, Nutrition, Nutrition, Recommended Reading, Weight Management
I want to make an argument for choosing food for what vital nutrition it supplies more than by how it pleases the taste buds or entertains you. But first, I want to acknowledge that meals are an important part of social bonding and a daily, centering activity in many...
