Manda and Brandon: on Fitness for a Beautiful Life

We just successfully completed TAR 2026 yesterday! This is a recap of what the experience was like and some things I learned along the way. This is the first time ever doing a multi day event like this... and it was wonderful  

Training load has increased significantly, and on the journey there have been a couple injuries that came up as we increased the demand on the body.   Working through these things we added some specific training elements, adjusted the running stride, and stepped into new shoes (literally).    It's been 3 months since the last episode, so its time for an update!

Discover why Oxygen isn't the only vital ingredient to your breathing success. Lots of fascinating nuance about how you can change the way your nervous system and muscles experience a your day to day - whether in an activity or at rest.   Enjoy!

As we update on training and progress with Zone 2 - we also describe how we are training through a tendinopathy that occurred when I did an interval workout. 

We can't tell you what you should do... but we can tell you what we think we should do... if we could do it over again.  This is about as candid as it gets.

GLP1's are on trend and deserve some space in the dialogue.  Manda surprised me with her openness and considerate approach to how they can be used with real benefits. 

Our Ego can propell us to do extraordinary things - but it can also cause significant issues if left unattended.  In this episode Brandon offers a different approach to some things that athletes take for granted. 

This is the follow up dialogue to our conversation the past couple weeks about woman specific health and training.  A bit more detials on some key items and a brief discussion about hormone replacement therapy. 

Today we discuss how woman can use strength training to navigate Peri and Post Menopause from a place of wellbeing. 

We discuss the training considerations around the different phases of the menstrual cycle and ways to allow a woman to continue her training program any time of the month. 

In this episode Brandon describes how he hurt himself on a training hike and Manda talks about the accomodations we are going to make to the training plan so we can keep builidng towards the larger goal.

Zone 2 has a lot of benefits for athletes looking to expand their capacity.   We discuss how you can move in that direction and in practical terms get more comfortable with Zone 2 in your training. 

What is a VO2 Max test and why are so many people getting them?   We tell you why we did one and how it will inform Brandon's training plan. 

Endurance sports opened up later in life for Brandon than one might expect. The pathway is relatable and encouraging. - you too have potential beyond what you imagined possible. Sometimes just saying "yes" to the yet-to-be-discovered is the open doorway.

We clarify and important topic. Protein and Creatine are important elements to training, but there can be confusion and hype around these elements that make it hard to understand what really matters - and in what quantities so that you can get the vitality you are looking for. 

There was more to say about Pain. It's an important topic so we continued the dialogue to unearth more valuable insights for you. 

Pain is a signal your body wants change.  We explore what to do about it while you are training so you can expand your capacity without hurting yourself. 

Welcome to the start of our journey. You will find a unique and helpful approach to fitness in a holistic sense as we share our experiences with you.