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A quick rest in between runs yesterday at La Molina. Crazy warm day but a good day spent shredding the back country and try to annoy the skiers 🙂
Shot some snap videos for www.skicorestrength.com, how to prepare for boarding. Beautiful scenery up the mountains.
My Snap Video of a simply but effective stretch for you to try.
www.chrishuntwellness.com
www.facebook.com/chrishuntofficial
http://www.facebook/chrishuntofficial
I am a reasonable man. I am Buddhist and I meditate twice a day, so it takes a lot to get me annoyed. I am always tolerant and accepting of pretty much everything life has to throw at me. I do not go looking for trouble or problems, quite the opposite in fact as I have a positive attitude and this usually leads to a positive outcome.
But (you so knew that there was a “but” coming….) sometimes in life we have to make a stand when confronted with abysmal service, because if we do not, then nothing will ever change.
Seldom in the world of appalling customer service and terrible reputations is there one company that stands head and shoulder above the rest, whose very name is becoming synonymous with bad service. That company is (of course) Ryanair. They have taken terrible customer service to a whole new level. I used to think that BT were hopeless, but Ryanair trump anything BT can do for one reason. I think BT are hopeless because they are clueless, one hand does not know what the other hand is doing, whereas I suspect that Ryanair know exactly what they are doing when they treat customers like low-life.
We now use “I’m confused.com” in our everyday language to simply mean that we are confused about something. How long before we start to say “that’s a bit Ryanair” meaning that’s a bit crap?
So to my story which I will keep brief. It is by no means as bad as other stories, but it all began one cold November morning. Â I had booked myself onto the Ryanair flight FR9811 on 29.11.13 due to leave Barcelona at 6.40 am. This meant I got up at 3 am and as the taxi company insisted on leaving a ridiculously large amount of time to get to the airport (they were expecting traffic at 4.00 am?) so I arrived at the airport about 2 hours before my flight was due to leave. When I arrived the boards were already saying the flight would be delayed until 12.15. At first I thought it was a mistake, but no, the new departure time was indeed 12.15. This raises the first interesting point, that Ryanair knew before 4.00 am that the flight would be late and that it would take them over 8 hours to get another aircraft to Barcelona…
I asked at the check-in what was the reason for the delay. They knew nothing and said go ask at the Ryanair ticket office. Surprise surprise, they knew nothing either so they said ask at the gate. You do not win a prize for guessing that the staff at the gate knew nothing either.
Anyhow, I will skip over the next 8 hours spent at the airport except to say that airport seats are very hard and the 5€ that Ryanair provided to the passengers bought me a coffee and half a banana. The flight actually left Barcelona at 12.30 pm, nearly 6 hours late. When I asked the cabin crew what was the cause of the delay, they did not know.  The absolute cherry on the proverbial cake was when we landed six hours late, one of the cabin crew played the annoying Ryanair trumpet to announce “another on-time Ryanair flight”. Incredible incompetence.
This all begs the question, does anyone at Ryanair know what is going on? The answer to this question is clearly yes. There has to be people at the top who know exactly why they disregard their passengers, do the minimum they have to do to barely comply with regulations. This is why they have fallen so far behind EasyJet in recent years.
Anyway, back to my story, and this is the crux of my issue. When I finally got back to London, an email was waiting for me from Ryanair (so they can act quickly when it’s give people bad news) telling me I was not due any compensation because the delay was caused by “extraordinary circumstances”. I sent a letter to Ryanair to ask what exactly was the cause of the delay. They told me that there was a technical fault with the aircraft. I politely wrote back telling them that it was not enough to say “technical fault” as they well knew. See, for them to claim Extraordinary Circumstances the fault must be something that could not be picked up by routine maintenance. They of course know this but chose not to explain this to me, presumably because they have something to hide. So again I wrote to them asking them to tell me the exact reason for the delay. They replied by saying that they could not tell the exact cause of the fault because it was technical information and was therefore confidential.
To summarise, they were relying not paying compensation by saying that the fault on the aircraft was something outside of usual service, but they refuse to tell me what the fault was so I have no way of proving either way if what they are saying is true. Very clever.
This would be funny if they had not cost my several hours of my life which meant I that I missed important meetings and appointments that cost me a lot of inconvenience and money.
So the reason of this post is not just to vent my spleen. What I want to do is to ask everyone to share this blog because I want to find other passengers who were on the same flight so we can make a joint action against Ryanair. I also want all your horror stories about Ryanair. They think that can dump all over their customers and be free from punishment. The only way we can do something about their despicable attitude is to stand together. The power of the people can topple governments and dictatorships, so we can topple Ryanair as well. Do not be fooled by the recent announcements about improving the service. This is solely driven by the fact that their share prices are falling. It is another cynical commercial decision purely to con passengers to try to halt their slid into oblivion. What surprises me is that the same people who have overseen their fall from grace are still in their jobs. Many other companies would have sacked them months ago.
This is not a crusade. It is a genuine attempt by one voice to find other voices so that our joint voices are so loud that Ryanair have to do something. If they still choose not to, then there are media outlets who are willing to listen even if Ryanair are not.
Let’s stand together and show them just who they are dealing with.
www.chrishuntwellness.com
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Click here to see the first in my series of 15 second videos, the Pilates Tricep Push-up.
This is Level One, starting in all-fours neutral. It’s really important that the nose starts in line with finger-tips. On the in-breath we lower the nose towards the floor so there is a slight movements forward with the body. We return on the out-breath to the starting position. Muscle recruitment is as always vital, so elbows must stay tucked to ensure we are engaging the tricep muscles. The movement is carried out as slowly as possible.
To make the exercise more difficult, we simply move the hands further away from the knees but still maintain the above rules; nose in line in finger tips to start and moving slightly forwards as we lower, elbows tucked into the sides of the body.
It may look and sound easy, but most people really struggle with this if it’s done correctly. It’s easy to cheat (elbows coming wide and body moving backwards during the move) but of course that just reduces the effectiveness of the exercise.
To my friends in Ukraine. I accept that my knowledge of what is happening in your country is not helped by my lack of understanding of all the political, social and economic factors involved, and by the propaganda that is feed to us all through the media. But one thing is clear to me, you are ready and willing to fight for your beliefs and your rights, and make the ultimate sacrifice of dying for your country. When people in many Western countries are too lazy to even vote, we should all be inspired by your fight for freedom and democracy.
Sunrise at the beginning of another beautiful winter’s day to do some Pilates in Barcelona.
www.chrishuntwellness.com
Did you ever wonder why you can in theory blame our Neanderthal ancestors for the reason why you find exercising a chore? No? Read on then for a great excuse to justify your lethargy when faced with the prospect of a run.
Run piggy, run
We are the best long distance runners on the planet, and there is an evolutionary theory as to why. This all starts with our ability to hold our heads still when we run. All animals, including humans, who are good at running are also very good at holding their heads still. For an example of an animal that is not good at running just watch a pig run with its head bobbing all over the place (it was not long ago that you would have had to trek out to the countryside to watch a pig run, but now thanks to the Internet it’s a simple task. You can probably find a dancing pig as well. Thank God for YouTube…)
The ponytail principle
Being able to run with the head still is important for gaze stabilisation. If you watch someone with a ponytail running, the ponytail bobs up and down because of the pitching forces acting on the head, but the head stays very stable. There are special mechanisms that help us do this. The semi-circular canals in human heads are greatly enlarged relative to apes, which gives us greater ability to perceive and react to rapid accelerations of the head. As our ancestors had no other reason to control head movements, running could be the explanation as to why.
From being able to run to marathons
We evolved from very non-active creatures (your average chimp walks 2 to 3 kilometres a day, runs about 100 metres and climbs a few trees) so where did our endurance come from? It is estimated that our hunter-gatherer ancestors walked or ran 9 to 15 kilometres every day, and it is argued that for that reason from our heads to our toes, we have all the features necessary for endurance running; short toes that require less energy to stabilise and generate less shock; Achilles tendons that stores and releases energy appropriately as we run; large gluteus Maximus muscles that steady the trunk; and the stabilisation of the head.
Endurance was the key
It is hypothesised that the advantage for our ancestors was persistence hunting. We can run long distances at speeds that require other animals to gallop. That’s not an endurance gait for quadrupeds, because they cool by panting with short shallow breaths, but they cannot gallop and pant at the same time. So if we chase an animal making it gallop in the heat for as little as 15 minutes, on a hot day it will die of heat stroke.
From endurance athletes to couch-potatoes
It was only very recently in our history that a large proportion of humans have been freed from having to do physical activity. If you consider our evolution, not exercising every day is abnormal. So why do most people hate exercise so much? One answer might be that our ancestors didn’t run for fun. They didn’t pull on their Nikes and pound the forests for the buzz of exercise or to beat their personal best time. They had to run long distances everyday to survive. They had no option but to exercise and they probably avoided unnecessary exercise whenever they could. For sure they didn’t jog for the fun of it.
The Evolution problem
Evolution has given us traits that are not always helpful. Surgery, fatty foods would have been advantageous for early humans but not so today. And we still are prone to avoid exercise whenever we can, using escalators instead of stairs. So we may have deep rooted evolutionary instincts that do not help a healthy lifestyle.
The consequences of a sedentary lifestyle Nearly all diseases are affected by physical activity. I have written before about this (I lost my father to dementia and Let’s talk about depression Part 1). Take the two major killers: heart disease and cancer. The heart requires exercise to grow properly. Exercise increases the peripheral arteries and decreases cholesterol levels, and by doing so it decreases the risk of heart disease by up to 50%.
Breast cancer and many other. Reproductive tissue cancers also respond strongly to exercise. Other factors being constant, women who have regularly engaged in regular vigorous physical exercise have significantly lower cancer rates than women who have not. There are also benefit for mental health including depression and anxiety.
So how can we fight against our evolution?
How do we make ourselves eat food we would rather not and exercise when we do not want to? The most obvious way if through socially acceptable coercion. There is a reason why we should be very concerned about the lack of exercise and poor foods being served up in our schools. Jamie Oliver has it right when he campaigns for a better diet for our children. At some point we must act in our own self-interest.
Did evolution help at all?
Yes it did. It’s important to recognise that the body isn’t adapted only in one way or another. There are multiple competing adaptations. Whilst many of our instincts do not like exercise, we have other adaptions that make us enjoy exercise.
The most obvious is the runner’s high. When we were running after animals for our lunch, we were also tracking, observing our surroundings, the environment. A runner’s high intensifies everything, stimulating our perception and our sensory awareness. I remember when I was getting close to the end of the Sydney Marathon, getting a euphoric rush when everything seemed brighter and larger than life. Then I remembered that my legs really hurt.
Knowledge is power
Being aware of our evolutionary progress may seem somewhat irrelevant to the fact that you do not want to go running this morning in the rain, but knowledge is power. You now have more knowledge having read this article, so you have more power to do the things you want to do, achieve the goals you want to achieve. Just try to find a woolly mammoth to chase.
On January 1st, millions of people began the annual ritual of New Year’s Resolutions. Memberships at health clubs and diet programs soar, whilst sales of chocolate and alcohol decline. People take a long, hard look at their spending habits as they sort through the January bills.
Now we a few weeks into the New Year and despite all this good intention, most people will fail at their resolutions. Come February, most New Year’s resolutions will be a dim memory. How can such apparently strong determination fizzle out so quickly? What can we do to increase the likelihood that our desire for change will translate into permanent positive change?
Let’s first examine the psychology of the New Year’s Resolution. During the month of December people tend to overindulge in eating, drinking, spending money and neglecting exercise. Rather than moderate these behaviours, we promise ourselves that after the holiday season is over, we will definitely take control. In the meantime, we give ourselves permission to overindulge without guilt. Our resolve is at its peak when we feel full, drunk, or broke. It’s easy to think about going on a diet as we groan from a bloating holiday meal. It’s no problem to plan to quit smoking when we’ve just had a cigarette and replenished our nicotine level. At this point we feel confident about our New Year’s resolutions because we have not yet confronted any prolonged physical deprivation or discomfort.
In early January, we are often so sick of rich food and drinks, and feeling so sluggish from lack of vigorous physical activity that it’s not difficult to abstain from overindulgence. In fact, some people look forward to more structure and discipline in their lives. However, a few weeks into the new discipline, our appetites have returned, and we start to feel deprived. It is at this point that we are most at risk for reverting back to old behaviours.
Soon we start rationalizing that this is not a good time of year, what with cold weather and our numerous obligations. When spring comes, we’ll really get into shape. Thus, we make another promise to ourselves, and, now free of guilt, put off habit change for another few months. Chances are that when spring arrives, we will have another temporary surge of motivation, only to abandon it within a few weeks.
So why do people abandon their resolutions? One reason is that we become discouraged when results don’t come quickly enough, or when we find that we are not necessarily happier because of them. Behavioural change requires sustained effort and commitment. It is also typically accompanied by physical discomfort. For example, reducing food, alcohol or nicotine intake from a level to which you have become accustomed, results in cravings. Forcing yourself to get off your cosy chair to exercise is often difficult when you’re tired. And of course, it’s easy to procrastinate until tomorrow, so that you can rationalise not disciplining yourself today.
Therefore, if you are going to try to keep your New Year’s resolutions this year, be sure you are ready for the challenge. Here are some tips to maximize your success:
1. Examine your motivation for change
Are you just feeling full and bloated at this moment? Do you have a hangover from last night? Did your last cigarette give you have a hacking cough? Or is there a more enduring reason for your desire to change? If you can’t think of a better reason than the fact that you’re uncomfortable at this moment, then you’re better off not making promises to yourself that you probably won’t keep. However, if you are realistic and accept the responsibility of discipline required for change, your motivation will be sustained long after the discomfort from over-indulgence has passed.
2. Set realistic goals
Habits and behaviours that are changed gradually have a greater chance of success.
3. Focus on the behavioural change more than on the goal
For example, if you decide to control your eating, your goal for the day is not to lose a specific number of pounds, but to stick to your program. Such focus on your behaviour will help you feel in control of your life. You will gain satisfaction from making sensible choices several times throughout the day.
4. Learn to redefine physical sensations of discomfort
Whenever we restrict ourselves, we have both physical and mental reactions. For example, a smoker feels bodily sensations when his nicotine level drops. However, he has a choice as to how he interprets these symptoms. He can define them as extremely unpleasant, or alternatively he can interpret them as his body cleansing itself of the drug.
5. Make tasks non-negotiable
People who are most successful at implementing such changes are those who make their tasks non-negotiable. For example, if you debate with yourself at 5:30 a.m. whether you feel like getting up to exercise, you will probably opt for staying in bed for another half hour. But if getting up for exercise is no more negotiable than getting up for work, then you’ll do it regardless of how you feel about it. The same goes for organising your closet or taking charge of your finances. One can almost always find an excuse not to do these things. However, if you make a non-negotiable decision that’s based on a sound logical reason rather than on how you feel at the moment, you will be successful.
6. Allow for imperfection.
No one is exactly on target all the time. In fact you should expect to falter every now and then. If you give in to temptation, do not use this as an excuse to abandon the whole program. Learn from your mistake and move on.
7. Do it now.
If you’re waiting for a more convenient time to begin behavioural change, it won’t happen. It’s almost never convenient to change ingrained habits. Now is just as convenient as any time.
So I could say good luck, but we all know that it has very little to do with luck. It has everything to do with commitment and planning.
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