Arian van Helden Tall Tales

I kid you not!

Today I finally tried to do some breathing and wanted to use my phone to time how long I could hold my breathe.

The stopwatch was running and has been for over 85 days….😂😂

No excuses!

Just do the work.

I will never forget how you make me feel. ❤️

Zeer benieuwd maatjes .carter en 🪂⚔️🤜🤛

∞∞∞ Self-reflection ∞∞∞

Right out of the comfort zone now, because this just sucks to share.

I am regularly confronted with a situation, let me call it a negative acting ego, in which I do not wish the success of others or I’m opinionated on how they live their lives. For example, today a (much)
younger guy parked his Audi R8 in front of the cafe where I was sitting. And the first thing that came to my mind was, "How can such a young c**k drive a 150k car?" “F**king drug dealer.”

I am very much aware of those thought patterns these days. And the reason I'm so aware of it is because it's becoming more common with people I know, who are much closer to me. Internally that’s an
interesting battle, because in essence I'm not a person whole begrudges other people's success or happiness.

This can result in my day looking quite differently.

Not long ago I realised that the reason for this pattern is not the idea that others seem to be doing so well, but the feeling that I am standing still, I’m not important enough and feel dissatisfied with what I am doing at this point in life. When I think about that on really good days, I know that's not true at all. At most, at this stage of my life, things aren't going as fast as I think they ‘should’. I’m not standing still and I do matter, because every day I learn from my family and the community I have built over the past two years and they clearly benefit from my input in their lives.

On reflection, this feeling started when I left the military in 2012. Life in the unit was fast-paced, intense and I obviously didn’t think I was inadequate or like I was standing still. We relied on each other in loads of different circumstances. In the teams you’re a cog in a well-oiled machine and on top of the world. Life after the military feels a lot less exhilarating, but probably I need to change my outlook on.

The bottom line and the lesson learned is that you often see the reflection of your own state in other people or situations.
However, this is only a moment, a temporary state and you can change that through self-reflection, concentration and verbal expression.

Expressing feelings often takes away much of the power of the negativity and when you verbalise it, you can let it go more and
more. If you do that, and you stop concentrating on it, it doesn't 'grow' anymore. What you focus on grows!

Here you go…worked on myself

Every week I look forward to the sequel of 'Kamp Van Koningsbrugge', because in every episode, there are one or two fantastic moments that teach you something and encourage you to reflect.
 
The Elementary and Advanced Commando Course and the Commando Corps (‘Korps Commandotroepen') in general provide regular feedback and opportunities for self-correction. This ultimately ensures that (future) operators set the bar very high. In the SOF world this is also essential; after all, individuals are sent away on significant tasks that are often politically sensitive and that must be successful at all costs.
 
The MoD teaches you a lot in all kinds of areas, but in my time a number of important aspects were missing. For instance, it would be beneficial to guide soldiers (and other services) within a psychological framework, in which the bar has flexibility, so that you can, so that you can lower it slightly during barracks weeks or in private situations, in order to recover from the intensity of top performances.
 
I have personally noticed that setting the bar extremely high, in combination with personal characteristics, upbringing, etc. no longer serves me at all in Civvy Street. With everything I do I want to set the bar at that level and that is unsustainable, because A it is 'elite sport' and no professional athlete peaks 365 days a year and B the people around you in 'normal life' are not the same, so you can't rely on that. That urge to perform and that perfectionism ensure that I (unnecessarily) beat myself up, which brought me to my knees a few years ago. It causes, among other things, chronic stress.

"What do you say?"

My son teaches me every day.

I've learned that raising children is ALL about 'show, don't tell'. And that is actually a blessing in disguise. It impels you to be very mindful and take better decisions in many situations.

Maximilian says more and more 'dankjewel', which is 'thank you' in Dutch. We never enforced him to say thank you (“what do you say?”) when he received something. The only thing we've done is say thank you on his behalf and we've recently started adding the explanation that if you are grateful for receiving something or have appreciation of what is happening, than you could express this by saying 'thank you'. This way it's coming from himself and from an actual feeling of gratitude and not from an empty habitual word.

Building this brought me right in the moment. Loved every minute of it.

Got myself a new hobby. 😊

It’s about grabbing opportunities when they’re there.

Silence that inner chimp that always finds all the reasons why NOT to do it.

3, 2, 1…GO!

🗡 🗡

Being in the moment slows down time.

I love spending time with Maximilian Zale, but those moments are many times amplified when I aim all my attention to him.

For me it’s often hard to be fully present and have that attention. My mind is always racing.

My best moments of self-reflection and getting my mind to slow down happen in moments of great physical discomfort.

In the from I finished both days second place which gave me the fastest time of the event. 🥇🏃

The UTA is 1 of 2 ratraces I do before the

After 7,5 miles it stopped raining. Thank god I found a solution for the second half. 😆

Can’t wait to beast myself...☝🏻and others in these Big Jims!

Thank you for the quick delivery and costumer service.

What do you do when is done for the day and your family goes to bed?

Right! Run and look ugly! 😄.

✅12.4 miles, RPE 3/4/5, road.

Can’t help it when the from the .company keeps me going. 🤷‍♂️

Bit of from and a nice shower and I can look forward to a great Wednesday with and .

Training is a habit for the family Van Helden!

It’s not a matter of ‘punishing’ ourselves for poor nutritional decisions, but ‘celebrating’ the fact that we can move.

This doesn’t mean that we never ever struggle to get started (talking for myself) on a workout, but we know that when the workout is finished we feel better for it.

Every small step keeps you more ready for life.

Max will grow up not knowing differently.

Let’s fuel!

🙏🙏 .company

Congratulations !

A world of difference between the morning and afternoon run.

Nevertheless another 25 miles in the pocket in preparation for my 24-hour trot on April 10th👊

✅ 11.87 miles, RPE 3/4, road.
✅ 13.11 miles, RPE5/6, road.

Since the 4x4x48 challenge I didn’t get back to my weekly mileage yet.

As I am growing older, momentum becomes a more important factor. If the momentum is lost it requires much more mental energy to get after it again.

Guess it makes sense. If your car breaks down and your 25, it requires less effort the get it rolling and push it to the side of the road than when you’re 43. Once it rolls it is pretty much the same effort.

Looking forward to fuel my next event with properly. If only customs would release my coffee...😋

Very pleased with the great recovery after David Goggins' 4x4x48.

Looking forward to this weekend's mileage.

✔️ 3 miles, RPE 2/3, road
✔️ 5 miles, RPE 3, track

I love early morning PT!

Win the morning, win the day!

Imagine you have a job that requires you to put yourself aside for over a year. That job was an NHS job for the past year! They have been taking care of others in extreme situations, working long days and running a much higher risk of getting Covid-19. They've been putting aside their own time and often the time for their families.

It can be said without a doubt that we at Be Military Fit and the community in general, are very grateful for that sacrifice. Know it's not taken for granted! The effort, time, patience, struggles and everything that was required will be remembered!

When the dust is settled and the time is appropriate BMF members working for the NHS should go and enjoy a nice dinner together and feel appreciated. The funds acquired will go towards financing this dinner.

To further support this and raise the required funds I am going to put myself through my paces in a 24-hour run in St Nicholas Park, Warwick on 10th of April. The objective is to do as many rounds as possible on the 1-mile loop of the park in the given time.

Any donations great or small are very appreciated!

Help raise £1250 to say thank you and offer a dinner to all Warwick & Leamington and South Birmingham BMF members working for the NHS. Weʼre raising money to say thank you and offer a dinner to all Warwick & Leamington and South Birmingham BMF members working for the NHS.. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

Mission completed!

+

Sub-30 sets and 1000 push-ups.

Warmed up for the next event in April 👊🏻

'It's not the load that weighs you down, it's the way you carry it'

🏃🏼‍♂️ no. 11✔️ +80

That sucked somewhat. Legs start to feel heavy and had to dig much more than before.

Thankfully another Thompson was there for support😊❤️

Just enjoyed a chia gel pre porridge. That is by far the best gel I've ever tasted. Great structure and doesn't make your teeth fall out. 🤣 Happy to know them as peak performance nutrition!

🏃🏼‍♂️ no. 9 ✔️ +80

#

Bam!🔥

Great support for the midnight shuffle.

Thanks . 🙏🏻🤙🏻

It's getting harder to maintain my goal pace of sub-7 miles. I want to finish all my 'rounds' sub-30 including 20 press-ups each mile.

🏃🏼‍♂️ no. 7 ✔️ +80

Refuel, rest, repeat.

'Everything is impossible, till it's done'

🏃🏼‍♂️ no. 5✔️ +80

Lunchtime! 😋😁

'The morning after the night before'

🏃🏼‍♂️ no. 4✔️ +80

Getting ready for the noon run🤙🏻Need to get some .company coffee over soon, to support fuel the endeavours. Looking forward to tasting that power drink! 👊🏻

'The morning after the night before'

🏃🏼‍♂️ no. 4✔️ +80

Getting ready for the noon run🤙🏻