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The Sonya Looney Show


Hey everybody! My name is Sonya Looney and welcome to my podcast. For those of you who don’t have any context on me, I’m a plant-based World Champion ultra endurance mountain biker. I travel the world and have met some incredible people with world class attitudes and ways of living that motivate me daily, and I want to share their paths of mastery with you. This is a podcast interviewing inspiring leaders across the categories of wellness, endurance fitness, plant-based nutrition, mindset, and entrepreneurship to help you unlock the best and healthiest version of yourself.

Apr 12, 2018

I'm obsessed with the idea that our mind is as powerful or even more powerful than our body.  With all my experiences in ultra-endurance mountain biking, I've seen over and over that mental toughness really plays a roll in how hard you can push yourself and what you believe you are capable of. I was thrilled to find the book: Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson.  It was jam packed with really interesting research on whether limits live in our mind or our body. I also looked up Alex and learned that he is a National Magazine Award-winning journalist whose work appears in Outside, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and more.  Another fun thing I learned was that he is a very accomplished runner, running on the Canadian National Team and even more interesting, he is actually Dr. Alex Hutchinson - he has his PhD in Physics.  Getting a PhD in Physics would be the true test for pain tolerance!  I did my Master's in Electrical Engineering which is basically all Applied Physics and it is really something else. I can't imagine doing the full monty and getting a PhD in Physics! 

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Topics Discussed in the Podcast 

  • pacing and our perception of speed (the example in the book is why you can speed up at the end of a marathon when you see the finish line)
  • the myth of VO2 Max being the indicator of performance
  • physiology testing: in a race vs in the lab
  • evidence and empirical data about positive self talk
  • how self-talk can change perception of things like heat or altitude
  • can you train your brain
  • mental fatigue's effects on physical fatigue
  • brain's perception of hydration
  • practical tips on how to use these topics for your own performance

Links

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If you would like to support the growth my show, I’d love your contribution on.  Patreon.  The current production of this free show is primarily supported out of my own pocket and a small portion is covered through the donations on Patreon. With my Patreon page, you can donate directly to the show which will help me cover the costs and help it grow! Even 4 bucks a month- the cost of one coffee per month helps a LOT! Thanks, I really appreciate your support!

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