Stories from the Forge Ahead Brigade!

September '23 Newsletter - New to Rucking?

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 21:30:00 GMT

September 2023 Update

If you’re new to rucking, this is a great place to start. The term “rucking” began as a military technique designed to train and prepare troops for carrying weight on their backs while on the move. But don’t let that intimidate you! The act of carrying weight around while on the go dates back as long as we have been walking the Earth! You have probably rucked already many times without even realizing it. Whether you’ve been on a hike with gear, carried a small child on your back, or even been in school wearing a backpack, these are all examples of rucking.

The only difference with the “sport” of rucking is that it is more deliberate with an emphasis on either pace or distance, making a decision about how much weight to carry and doing your best to do it with others! The final point is probably the most interesting to me because, while yes, you can technically ruck on your own, what I believe sets rucking apart from cycling or running, is that it keeps you as a group and at a pace that makes it easier to engage in conversation with friends or family. Even if I go for a ruck alone, I usually try to bring our dog Remmi for the sake of company. Plus, she rarely argues or disagrees with me ��

I prioritize pace over distance when rucking and again, I try to keep the weight manageable. The goal is to be able to get up and ruck any day without needing something crazy like a week off to recover. You don’t want to burn yourself out!

Over the past month, we have had MANY new faces join the Forge Ahead Rucking Club and if you’re not following us on Instagram , you can see many of the great pictures in the Newsletter here too. The social aspect of rucking leads to some incredible conversations and per the Forge Ahead mission, provides a great forum for people to connect, share and learn.

FAQs:

What pace should I keep while rucking?

Technically, any pace is fine; however, for maximum benefit we try and coach people to get into, what’s called, Zone 2 Cardio. Zone 2 is typically defined on paper as ~60-70% of your max heart rate. If you want to burn fat and spare muscle, this is the zone to be. While many people have wearable devices that can help you track this metric, an easier way to figure it out without technology is to engage in a conversation with someone while rucking. If you need a decent size breath at the end of most sentences, you’re there! If you’re walking too comfortably and never need to interrupt your speaking for air, you’re probably just a little below Zone 2 and may need to increase your pace.

Is there a minimum distance I should be thinking about?

Any distance is better than none. I like the idea of getting multiple trips in per week to split up the distance and make it more manageable to get out and ruck more often. When we get together as a group, we usually ruck anywhere from 2-4 or so miles. Most people can achieve approximately 4,000 steps in 2 miles, so if you’re someone trying to hit that 10,000 step marker per day, even just getting the 2 miles in will give you a nice head start in the morning.

Thanks for reading and if you have more questions, please pass them along and I will do my best to answer them!

-Mike

August '23 Newsletter - Get Outside!

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 16:03:20 GMT

August 2023 Update

Since our last newsletter the rucking club has really taken off! It has been a blast connecting with new people, being outside and getting some great exercise. Right now, the cadence for our rucks has been one, large, group ruck per week (usually on the weekend) and a few smaller individual sessions with friends during the week. Some of the most recent group rucks have included an “urban-style” sidewalk ruck in town from our local Dunkin’ Donuts to our Ridgefield Farmer’s Market (roughly a 3 mile total roundtrip). This wound up being a great way to get outside on what became an extremely hot day, beat the heat, and to support some local businesses and farmers in the area. Another very fun event recently was our ‘Ruck with Remmi” outing. Remmi is one of our family dogs who loves the outdoors and is extremely loving and friendly. This became our best attended event yet as Remmi led the team down into the Ridgefield Rail Trail (a little over 4 miles total).

During the last month, I was also able to get away with the family for a nice beach vacation. We tried to get out nearly every day for a “Sand Ruck” and some more exercise. It was incredible getting the kids involved and as you’d imagine, they did great!

As the club continues to expand, we plan to continue to grow items in the store . Most recently, we launched 6 new shirts (3 men’s Ts and 3 women’s crop tanks) which are all available via our online store or in-person next time we meet up. We also created some of our own Forge Ahead Rucking Club Velcro patches for your rucksacks or hats accept patches.

Finally, as the club continues to grow, more and more questions pop up about rucking and while I don’t provide explicit advice, I can tell you what I do and how I think about some of these questions as they come up for me and for my family. Below are a few Frequently Asked Questions and ways I tackle them.

FAQs:

How much weight should I use when rucking?

Any weight is better than none, but in general ~15% of your bodyweight seems to work well for most adults. Don’t forget, the goal is not to go so heavy that you either hurt yourself or can’t ruck again for weeks because you need a significant recovery period. You want to be able to say to yourself, “I feel like I could do that again tomorrow” after you finish.

Can I use a regular backpack?

Theoretically, yes; however, I would strongly encourage you to invest in a true rucksack. Rucksacks typically hold weight high and tight so that you don’t wind up looking like an elementary school kid carrying too many textbooks in a backpack ��

If you invest in a rucksack, you will likely have a much more enjoyable experience rucking which in turn, should make you more willing to get back out there and do it again often.

I, personally, prefer and use a GORUCK Plate Carrier 3.0. I have found this to be an extremely durable and comfortable rucksack/plate carrier. PS – I don’t get paid to say this or to endorse any products; I just really believe this to be a great option.

As more questions come up, I will likely put them into future newsletters, but until then, feel free to reach out anytime and if I can help, I will.

-Mike

July '23 Newsletter - Back and Better Than Ever!

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 22:15:00 GMT

July 2023 Update

Forge Ahead Family! It has been too long.

The mission of Forge Ahead has always been simple…to find strength and confidence in community and those around you to assist in overcoming obstacles and challenging times.

With that mission in mind, in 2021 Forge Ahead busted through the gate and started building community. We met regularly through group events, social gatherings, and community service endeavors. However, once 2022 hit, the initial excitement broke and things felt a little flat to us. 2022 became a year of soul-searching for our organization. We needed to find a way to bring people together in a way that was meaningful but also fun and exciting. During that year, a lot of time was spent brainstorming and engaging with members. For me (Mike), I do some of my best thinking while getting outside and exercising. I found myself out walking …A LOT…sometimes by myself, sometimes with friends, sometimes with my kids and other times with my dog Remmi. I began to realize that the days I was out walking with others (pets included ��) I was not only getting a great workout, but I was having very positive mental health days.

Walking aside, I had been familiar with the concept of rucking in the fitness space for several years now (If you’re not familiar with this term, please see the resources HERE on our website for information, but it is basically walking with a weighted backpack) and started to realize that the notion of getting outside with others, walking (at a good pace) and carrying some weight on your back could be highly accessible for many. Rucking provides a forum for others to connect and share with one another. It is a great physical workout and is tremendously valuable for mental health.

While getting outside one day for one of my regular walks with friends, we decided to shift our walk to a ruck, and that’s when it hit…Forge Ahead has always been about bringing people together to form bonds through challenges. What better way to do this than by helping one another endure the physicality of a ruck. We realized that rucking can be a core activity for Forge Ahead and its members to showcase perseverance and commitment to community building. As a result, the Forge Ahead Rucking Club was born.

Since building the Forge Ahead Rucking Club, our community has been growing quickly. We have been regularly gathering members to get out and ruck. We even recently applied through GORUCK (the preeminent powerhouse rucking company in the industry) to become an Official Ruck Club and our application was ACCEPTED! Check it out: List of GORUCK Official Ruck Clubs

If you’re local, join us for a ruck, if you’re not local, get out and ruck with friends and be sure to share your pictures on social media be sure to tag us - especially in the Forge Ahead Brigade group on Facebook.

We look forward to seeing you thrive.

Rucking does not have to be intimidating. Start small. Get outside and walk with others. If you choose to carry weight in a backpack or some type of weight carrier, remember, that even 1 extra pound is more than you would normally be carrying. The most important part is to embrace community and to keep moving.

Much, much, more coming soon –

As always, thank you all for your continued support.

Mike

A Thirst For Life!

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 01:05:10 GMT

Which Direction Are YOU Headed?

I grew up in a suburb outside Boston and had a fine childhood. I had a decent family and some close friends. I enjoyed sports and did well enough in school. My issue was that I lived with this general discomfort and a sense that I didn’t quite fit in. I thought my peers were well-adjusted and had an understanding of life that I was born without. In high school, my friends and I were introduced to alcohol. Early on and throughout much of my drinking career, alcohol helped me feel a bit more comfortable, more like the way I wanted to feel. It gave me courage at parties. I had more excitement, more fun. I felt like I got more attention from peers and girls when I was drinking. In general, I felt like I almost fit in.

I chased that feeling and found myself drinking while watching football, playing golf, at family gatherings, at weddings, at parties, going out with friends after work, or just watching a movie by myself. Alcohol became a big part of my life and identity. The problem was that I developed depression and anxiety and that good feeling became more and more difficult to find. In 2000, the depression progressed and life became more unmanageable. It became harder to get up for work. I argued with coworkers and fought with friends. Family members increasingly voiced concern. A psychologist even suggested that alcohol might be my problem. I refused to accept that and continued drinking until things deteriorated to a point when despair set in. I felt a sinking sense that something was wrong with me all along and I couldn’t live a normal, happy life.

The downward spiral culminated in late 2003, when circumstances forced me to consider that alcohol just might be a problem. I was introduced to AA and the idea that alcoholism is a disease that leads people to feel the way I felt and drink the way I drank, and more importantly, that there was a solution. I went to my first AA meeting in October 2003 and felt hope that maybe alcoholism was my problem. I learned that it is a disease that affects the body, the mind, and the soul and that the program of Alcoholics Anonymous could relieve the need to drink and lead to a happy life. It has been almost 15 years since the last drink and regular attendance at AA meetings and the 12-step program of recovery have given me a life beyond my wildest imagination. Today, I embrace life. I feel peace and joy. I have a job that gives me satisfaction. I have a beautiful wife and three beautiful daughters who only know a sober father who loves them and is there for them every day.

Once I accepted that drinking was a problem life got better.

-Rob G.

Keep Going!

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 11:30:03 GMT

Ready for any challenge that may lie ahead...

In the dictionary, you'll find two definitions to explain what it means to forge something. "To make or shape a metal object by heating it in a fire or furnace and beating or hammering." Also, "To create a relationship or new conditions. When I think about what it means to "forge ahead," I have been doing it all along without realizing.

During the entirety of my teens and young adult life, I've struggled with my health. I suffered with constant pain, fatigue, menstrual issues, gastrointestinal distress, and more. I visited dozens of doctors and specialists, countless ER trips and endured endless testing that led to no diagnosis. I couldn't work, go to school, or function for that matter. I lived my life in bed while some people questioned the legitimacy of my illness. I was barely hanging on. Finally, March 2021 I finally received my diagnosis. ENDOMETRIOSIS. After more than a decade, the mystery illness had a name, I was not crazy. It was not in my head. Instant vindication! Two major surgeries have helped me immensely but I have a long road ahead still. I struggle knowing I have lost time to make up. What now? Who am I? The self doubt creeps in, the questions become too big. Then I remember there's a plan for me and all I need to do is keep my faith, stay strong and keep forging ahead.

We can all relate to the beating and hammering life doles out when we're in its furnace. However, we do come out stronger, and the way we overcome our hardships can become fuel for others. Whether you're suffering physically, struggling to get a diagnosis, or trying to own the body you've been given, we can all look to each other for help and encouragement. When we forge relationships and new conditions, we are stronger, together!

-Debbie

When Children Inspire...

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:00:02 GMT

True meaning of the words "Forge Ahead"

Two years ago, our son, Charlie, was diagnosed with type one diabetes (T1D). He had just turned 5 years old. Receiving a T1D diagnosis and knowing this was a lifelong disease just felt heavy, SO heavy. We had a lot to learn to say the least. We knew type 1 diabetics were insulin dependent but had no clue how loaded the words ‘managing his blood sugar levels’ would be. It’s truly an around the clock job that not many realize.

We had a lot of questions and ‘what ifs’, and as a parent with anything related to your children, you worry…. we always will. We were overwhelmed to say the least and just trying to navigate and understand what would be our ‘new’ normal. Thankfully we are blessed with great family and friends. Although, some of the BEST support has been from connecting with other families who also have a child with diabetes. I have found an amazing network of moms here in town who JUST GET IT, and I am so thankful for them.

Finding your people, your tribe, your support in ANY situation is vital!

A quote was recently shared with us that resonated with me down to the core. This can apply to any hardship you may be going through, whether it’s a medical diagnosis, a personal situation, or anything else in between, we have a choice in how we move forward.

"You either get bitter or you get better. It’s that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down. The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to YOU."

-Josh Shipp

Although I wish diabetes was not our reality or anyone else’s, IT IS. Yes, some days I am bitter…yes, I am sad…yes, I am tired and overwhelmed with worry. But, in the last two years, I have learned that we have a choice. A choice to accept what was dealt and alter our attitude in how we approach our daily outlook. If we exude negativity…. Charlie will too. If we wallow in pity… Charlie will too. We have a choice. We all do. You either get bitter or you get better. We chose the latter…. What will you choose?

-Vanessa

What Inspires You To Be Great... ?

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 19:17:42 GMT

Giving More of Yourself

I work at the Wilton YMCA as the camp and sports director and been there for about 15 years. I grew up in Ridgefield from when I was 5 until my mid-20s. In high school some of my friends were in the fire department. I always thought it was interesting but never had time to join. It wasn’t until I was a Junior in college at CCSU… when I transferred to Westconn, where I could live with my parents and commute to the school. I figured that since I was back in town, I might as well give back to my community in some way! Within the year of joining, I took my Fire 1 class, enjoyed the hell out of it. Passed, and finally became interior! For those of you that don’t know what that means… until you take Fire 1, you are a “support member” and can only remain outside of a building on calls. I thought this would be a big burden for me since I have exercise induced asthma that I would have a tough time in the burning building or carrying all the heavy equipment. Alas, it wasn’t a problem. I kept responding to the calls… any time of day, or night. Took the top responder spot a few times at the monthly meetings. Eventually took Fire 2 and got certified in Hazmat Awareness and Hazmat Operations. About 5 years in the department I moved to Danbury, where it was extremely tough to respond to calls, because typically by the time that I make it to the station, we get cancelled or all the trucks have left the station. Now that I’m living in Ridgefield again, I am looking forward to making many more calls.

What it was like as a fire fighter during the pandemic:

At our annual Blood borne pathogens training 2020… we were learning about different Blood borne pathogens, the safety that goes into it, etc. when at the end, someone asked about The Corona Virus in China… the instructor said, “oh it’ll never come here!”... “might effect a few thousand”… a month later, the country shut down. This now takes us into the challenges and some observations that I encountered and experienced within the fire department.

Starting on a positive note – With all of us being secluded, that included kids (and adults) not having birthday parties anymore. The department got asked if we can do birthday party ‘drive-bys’ with all of the emergency apparatus and the police, etc. We had a great time doing them and only asked for whatever the family would like to give as payment. I believe we did about 80 drive-bys. We might still do them if anyone is interested! Now on to some of the observations… To be honest, there really weren’t that many VOLUNTEER calls… many medic calls, but the calls that the volunteers respond to, the numbers went down drastically. Not having big events, or parties, or family over, or even businesses being open, it was actually pretty… quiet. As much as I love going on calls, the fact that people didn’t need us, was a plus! With that being said, with the lower number of calls, means that if you typically didn’t respond often (me being in Danbury), then you turned into possibly having no calls at all for months… this turned into a huge challenge because many of the volunteers looked like they were not doing their full part and we actually got threatened that if we were not showing up often that we would have to come in front of the board and reevaluate our role. Please keep in mind that if Covid scared you, you would be able to take a “leave of absence” which I believe only 1 person did. Another challenge was monthly meetings – with not being able to have many people in a closed room like we do at the fire house, we had to have meetings at the Fire barn with the bay door open. That was all well and good until it got to the colder months… Something else that changed was our Truck check/drill schedule. We usually have truck check or drills every Tuesday. With having a limited amount of people allowed in one area, instead of the 25 or so we can have during a drill or truck check, we were limited to only five… so checking our apparatus now took that much longer to check. Also adding wiping down the apparatus and all the tools, was another step that we had to take which took more time to do. A positive of smaller drills was that we got to have a more intimate drill and got more time doing hands on tasks and not having to take turns as much. A big negative though was not getting to see all our brothers and sisters in the department as often as we used to. When we got the opportunity to get the vaccine, we all took it. I believe I got my first one in February of this past year, which felt extremely good and it brought up the spirits for many of us! We were now able to have trucks checks and drills all together again which has been excellent.

When Mike asked me to share an inspirational story with the group, I thought to myself about what story or call I would like to share. There have been many different and interesting calls, but the one the sticks out in my head is the fire that happened in Casagmo (housing development in Ridgefield) about 9 years ago… I was driving to Ridgefield from the YMCA on the way to have dinner with my whole family at my grandmother’s house… in Casagmo. Her address is 6 Cook close. All of a sudden my pager goes off and the call comes in… “Engine 1, Engine 2, Medic 1, Medic 2, Volunteers respond with Engine 3, Rescue 7, Truck 8, Tanker 10 and tanker 12 to a structure fire in Casagmo… 17 Cook Close”…….. NOW my mind is now racing, and so am I…to get to the fire house and to hope that my family is not in danger. I turn my blue emergency lights on in my car, and race to the fire house. Getting to HQ, I was able to hop on the last truck out which was the ladder truck. When we arrive on scene, I saw my whole family outside my grandmothers looking at the burning condo directly across from her condo on the same street. Unfortunately, this was my grandmother’s close friends house. Now, knowing the dangers of what could possibly happen if anyone was inside, I went to my family and told them to get grandma inside…we do not know if anyone was in the house at this time. After assuring they were okay, I raced to go throw the 24 foot ladder on the front of the building with another firefighter so they can vent the roof to hopefully cut off the fire to this one unit and to not have it spread through the walls. Once that was thrown up, I was on manning the entrance of the unit with a hose constantly watering down the threshold so the fire would not crawl to the outside of the unit….. that’s when the moment happened. When I heard them shout for a stretcher. It was the first time that I saw someone carry a burned victim out of a fire. We got her on the stretcher, clothes burned off her body, ash everywhere… and she wasn’t breathing. I immediately grabbed onto the front of the stretcher since we all had to lift and carry it quickly but carefully over the maze of hoses strewn all over the parking lot to get it to the ambulance. I prayed and prayed real hard for that person not to be my grandmother’s friend…. Unfortunately, it was. And unfortunately. She didn’t make it… From then on, I knew that this was a serious job. You never know who will be the victim on these calls…and that is scary as hell. That is where the trust comes in. Trust in my fellow firefighters to do their job, take it seriously and have each-other’s backs.

Many people asked when I moved to Danbury if I was going to join the department up there and I said, no. I enjoy it too much in Ridgefield with the crew we have here. I wouldn’t change it for the world! Thank you all so much for listening to me and I hope I have shown you a little bit about what the fire service is like and what we go though when times are good and when times are bad. Thank you!

-Mike K.

Living with Lyme

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 12:30:03 GMT

A disease faced by far too many...

When I was 9 or 10 years old, my little brother was diagnosed with Lyme disease. At this time, growing up on Long Island, Lyme was just starting to become more common, yet nothing like it is today. I more or less dismissed it and just assumed it was something that he would bounce back from quickly, like with a cold or a simple virus. Never did I think that nearly 30 years later I would be writing this story living with Lyme disease myself.

Fortunately for my brother, doctors were able to catch it early enough and he was able to overcome what could have been a terrible scenario. For me, on the other hand, Lyme found me as an adult. I’ve always enjoyed working outdoors and I love running around in the grass with my kids and dogs. Not once while I was doing any of this would I have thought to watch out for ticks. We were always told that ticks are usually in the “tall grass.” I always took that to mean the absurdly high grass that you’d find near some campground or in a totally desolate area, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Although ticks prefer to hide out in tall grass, they can be nearly anywhere and at any grass height. Unfortunately, living in the northeast, it has become all too common to find a tick on you at the end of a day of work or just simply being near a more wooded area where they likely infest.

We live up in Ridgefield, CT, which for those of you who don’t know, is about an hour and a half from Lyme, CT or where the aforementioned disease was seemingly first discovered. From what I’ve read, it seems like Lyme has really begun to spread throughout our beautiful country, yet some of its densest populations still seem to be in the northeast. I would encourage folks from all over to start to familiarize yourself with Lyme and other tick bites to become better educated on the topic. One thing that I’ve come to learn, as with most diseases, is that for a treatment plan to maximize its effectiveness, catching it early is everything AND if you have the tick, you can learn about what, if any, diseases it might be carrying with a simple lab check. Unfortunately, I do not know when I was bit, nor did I have the tick available for testing. I also don’t recall the infamous bullseye ring anywhere on my body. Sure, I’ve pulled ticks off of my clothing before, but I do not believe they would not have been able to penetrate my jeans or sweatshirts. More recently, I’ve had to pull ticks off of my daughter. Fortunately, in both cases for her, we were able to send them off to the lab for testing immediately and everything came back fine. We were very fortunate.

I had no idea that I somehow contracted Lyme disease. In fact, we backed into it after dealing with some unusual symptoms I was experiencing. If you read my previous story about how I Forge Ahead, you’ll know that during the pandemic I had my fair share of anxiety bouts; however, it would not surprise me if the Lyme exacerbated these symptoms. Aside from the periodic anxiety, there were periods where I would become EXTREMELY tired in the early evening and need to lay down. This was typically accompanied by a building fever, aches, chills, stiff joints and excruciating back pain. Oddly enough, many of these bouts would not last more than a single night or at most 24 hours, at which point I would be fully recovered from all symptoms. During this period, I went in for some routine lab work only to find that I had been tested positive for various tickborne illnesses, including Lyme. My physician was able to get me immediately on a round of antibiotics and it seemed to have worked; however, symptoms came back shortly after the treatment plan. To reiterate, the largest unknowns we were dealing with was how long ago I was bit and what was the tick carrying. We were essentially flying blind and trying to throw any antibiotics we could at it. Eventually, I was able to get into a Lyme specialist where we were able to go for even more advanced testing. This process was eye opening as it helped me to determine what we were up against. The physician’s approach in use of a few different antibiotics was seemingly helpful, but also felt like it was tearing my stomach in two. I can’t stand being on antibiotics as I know what it does to our gut microbiome – something many like to refer to as our “second brain,” so letting these meds do their job and then getting off them is a priority for me. While being on a long and thorough regimen of antibiotics, I have been able to eliminate most symptoms and fortunately seem to be beating several strains of what has been running through my system. At the time of writing this story, there is still some Lyme showing positive on my bloodwork, but not nearly what was showing in the year prior.

Another unfortunate observation about the entire Lyme process has been the cost. Lyme specialists are rarely “in-network” and often charge very high rates. The bills have certainly been piling up during this process and it is very difficult to tell when they will stop as we don’t really know when the Lyme will be eliminated fully.

As I work towards recovery, I’ve continued to try and think of other ways to help keep any symptoms at bay and have recently integrated both heat and cold therapy into my wellness plan. I regularly use infrared saunas (accompanied by some activated charcoal, chlorella and spirulina) to help expel toxins through the sweat and I also use both cold plunge and cryotherapy to aide in any symptom flareups. These treatments seem to be incredibly beneficial, and I only wish I had found them sooner. I also continue to stay fit and active and eat as well as I possibly can (hoping to pen a story about my fitness and nutrition journey at some point down the road to share with you all) to help avoid anything that I think could work against a full recovery.

It is important to stay positive too. Life will throw curve balls at us from time to time, but it is important that we figure out how to hit that curve and not just shy away from it. I don’t fear the outdoors. I still run around in the grass with my kids and dogs, and I love every second of it. I’ve just become more aware of my surroundings and always make sure to perform a “tick check” for myself, my wife and kids, as well as the dogs after we’re done playing. I’ve learned from this experience and suspect I will continue to learn more as we work through this journey. A few thoughts to close: 1) be sure to check for ticks and tick bites whenever coming in from the outdoors, 2) if bit by a tick, get it off immediately and SAVE IT. Best to put it into a small sealable bag with some rubbing alcohol, 3) Notify your primary care physician AND mail the tick out to a location for testing. I used www.tickcheck.com and found it to be effective, fast and accurate, 4) don’t panic and stay positive – stress can be just as bad as some of the worst viruses and diseases, 5) if you find that you do have a tickborne illness, aside from what is prescribed to you from your primary care physician, consider alternative treatments such as the hot and cold therapies mentioned earlier – I have found them very beneficial.

Don’t give up doing what you love doing and don’t be afraid to live your life.

Forge Ahead!

-Mike

PS – fingers crossed that I’ll be able to write a follow up story with a full recovery some time soon. Stay positive.

Perspective

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 12:30:02 GMT

Cherishing what matters most...

As a working mom of three little kids, the pandemic has been a really challenging time for me. I lost my mom to breast cancer just a few months before the pandemic hit, and still felt like I was grieving that huge loss. Then I purchased my childhood home from my dad, who moved from being five minutes down the road to all the way across the state, and we moved within our town on the same day schools shut down.

As a self-employed social media consultant to nonprofits and small businesses, part of my income quickly dried up when the pandemic hit; my husband was furloughed from his job in the restaurant industry. But thankfully lots of new clients gained a new appreciation for the power of social media to connect with their customers so my business quickly bounced back even stronger than before, and my husband ended up switching companies to a job he liked even more.

I've always been pretty good at prioritizing self-care and carving out time in my day for exercise and healthy meal prep. But the pandemic really challenged that, with kids home all the time and needing help with online school.

I made it an even bigger priority to start almost every day with a walk, run or yoga class on YouTube. Having more time to cook gave me the chance to try new healthy recipes. And having some extra time in my workday actually helped me take a mental inventory of the type of work I truly enjoyed, and what just wasn't working for me any longer.

I made sure to tune into online church every Sunday morning from the couch, cuddling under a blanket with my kids and a cup of coffee. And I scheduled regular Facetime chats with friends and family.

I recognize that this has been an incredibly difficult time for so many of us, and I am also truly grateful for the perspective on my life that has come out of the pandemic. Life is way too short not to savor as much of it as we possibly can!

-Kate

A Sense of Familiar

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 13:23:00 GMT

Keeping the routine alive can make a big difference!

I have an odd sense of guilt relating to my pandemic experience. Guilt because so many people experienced incredible hardships: lost jobs, having wages and hours cut, the fear of having to provide daycare for their children who were no longer in a physical school environment.

My wages never stopped, my office never closed (aside from a two week period during the initial lockdown) - my routine stayed largely unchanged. I went to work, came home, went to sleep, woke up and did it all over again. The biggest positive of my experience was that it allowed me to remain involved in my 2 kids' lives and sports - I coached little league and attended every soccer practice.

On the flip side, I have friends whose lives changed considerably during the pandemic. Some moved their families to different locales given their remote work - Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Nashville, South Carolina. Others cut out a 2-4 hour per day commute since they've begun WFH (working-from-home). I can't say I'm not a little bit jealous of those experiences, but compared with the alternative, I'm truly grateful. Grateful especially that the sense of normalcy allowed me to be present in other areas despite all that was occurring around us.

I think that's all we can do in situations like this, focus on what's normal, relatable, consistent, so you can forge ahead.

-Anonymous Forge Ahead Brigade Member

Resilience

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 13:43:58 GMT

Overcoming the climb...

Hey Mike, I wanted to take a minute to thank you for inviting me to the event. I honestly did not know what Forge Ahead was about and just went to the event to support your new venture not even knowing what it was, however…it really got to me, and I really felt as if I was meant to be there.

Let me tell you why...

Late 2018 I was diagnosed with a serious form of cancer, which spread out, and caused me to have a serious operation and multiple treatments. I felt beat up and bad from the medication and all I had been through for basically all of 2019. I was finally gaining strength beginning in 2020 and then COVID hits the world…my company tanked overnight, and we lost 95 percent of our sales immediately. We have worldwide about 300 families depending on us, countless sleepless nights in 2020 were spent trying to save my company and be there for my family as well as the families we support. Long story short, I could not stop, too many people depend on us, but with the cancer, the heavy medication, the corona virus, and trying to save the company…it became a little much…and stress comes out in strange ways.

I developed social anxiety and was not able to have a conversation on zoom, or speak publicly, which I did prior to all of this all the time. It felt like my heart was beating 180 mph and I started to sweat like crazy. I went to a life/speech coach and she worked with me and gave me tools to deal with it, but very strange how anxiety all of a sudden takes control.

Slowly I am learning to speak in groups again, but step by step…who would know right, funny. Anyway, I support your group and will be there for the next event as well.

Staying Positive is Key

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 01:12:12 GMT

Family, Family, Family ...and a little backgammon

I always try to think of myself as a positive person but to be honest during the early months of what seemed to be the height of the pandemic, I found myself to be frightened and stressed with all of the unknown factors of this new virus. Nighttime prayers took longer than usual.

The world as I knew it had shut down.

I found myself struggling to secure a food delivery time with our local grocery food stores and having our typical selections “out of stock” for many usual items. Then when delivery was received at 10 PM in the evening, wiping down all the items from the food deliveries in our garage. My husband and I had a system of who unloads, wipes and puts the items away. All the while thinking this is just awful. Is this the new norm?? But we tried to keep our fears in check, I think for each other.

Family is EVERYTHING TO ME and to not be able to see my children and their families in person for a few months was terribly difficult. FaceTime became so very valuable, as it was the best option available and I truly looked forward to our chats and game nights with family and friends.

Needing to stay positive and in an attempt to keep our mind and body healthy, my husband and I started a routine of a daily 2 mile walk in between working remotely.

To pass the time, we played games, backgammon, etc., and outdoor gardening when weather permitted.

Together we kept one another strong and positive. We needed each other even more.

So looking back as I write this, it seems what pulled me through this pandemic was prayer , a supportive husband , family , love and positive thinking .

Autoimmune Conditions Won't Keep Her Down!

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 23:28:41 GMT

Pushing Through the Pain

Like many of us, I had to learn to adapt to our new life during the pandemic, some of us, I would say, might have handled it better than others. I can personally say that I had a hard time during the pandemic for numerous reasons. One reason was my health, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease which made it very scary for me at the time , especially without the vaccine because I was on medication that suppresses my immune system. This put me at a higher risk than others. I am also married to physician who was testing covid patients and was on the Covid task force at the time .

I worried a lot for his safety but also for myself of him possibly bringing home Covid to me.

Not only did I have to be extra careful due to my health condition but we had recently moved to a new state only five months prior to COVID-19, which meant I had no friends, no family, no support system, and no job.

I felt very lonely and very isolated.

I knew I had to get creative to stay mentally and physically healthy. (And trust me, I’m still working on that)

However, a few things did help me. I have always enjoyed gardening (I like to think I have a green thumb) so I definitely expanded my garden over the pandemic. I planted certain shrubs and flowers that would attract hummingbirds, regular birds, bumblebees and also butterflies. Being outside with nature and getting my hands dirty has always made me feel very relaxed and stress-free. But with that being said, gardens are hard to maintain so it helped me to get out of the house.

Another thing My husband and I would do together was find different places to go hiking. We have so many parks, mountains and greenways here! Each location would be so different than the last, so exploring was so fun AND it helped burn some calories when the gyms were closed!

And lastly, my absolute favorite thing we did during the pandemic was go into the city and buy coffee and donuts for some of the homeless. We also found the places that they call “tent city” which we donated a bunch of blankets, clothing and food to. I had sent out a text message to some of the local neighbors that I had met and asked if anyone would like to donate for the next time we were to go and to my surprise every single house on my street had put out 1 to 3 boxes at the end of their driveway for us to pick up (socially distant of course) to bring to tent city. My trunk was full and so were our hearts!

Life is tough and if I learned anything in the last year or two it is that I am stronger than I think and It’s also okay to ask for help (even if it’s uncomfortable to do so).

-Janine

Support can lead you through

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 00:34:32 GMT

A solid foundation makes ALL the difference...

For those who do not know me, my name is Brenner LeCompte and, while I am listed as a co-founder, Forge Ahead is really the brain child and passion of one of my best friends, Mike McManus.

Mike and I met almost a decade ago when our wives introduced us at a family fitness class. Little did we know that family, fitness and friendship would define our relationship of the future.

Prior to the pandemic, first Mike and then I, began a journey to become better versions of ourselves. Like many guys our age we enjoyed sleeping in, drinking craft beer and binging on carbs...all in the name of keeping our “dad bods” in form! But we slowly came to realize that if we wanted to be here for our families in the future we needed to make some changes to our lifestyles. This wasn't easy because it also meant that we had to change more than our diet, we had to change our hobbies, how we spent our nights and weekends and above all our mindset. But the best part was that we were on this journey together.

Fast forward to March of 2020...gyms were shut down, lockdowns were put in place and the camaraderie we put in place to support each other in our journey was put on pause. I had many support structures in my life starting with my strong belief in God, my wife and family and many friends but I would be lying if I said the disconnection from so much of what we came to take for granted was easy. The pandemic really put into focus the need we all have to be part of a community that helps us be a better version of ourselves...we all have enough groups that try to pull us down.

Forge ahead is all about connecting with people who also are striving everyday to be the best version of themselves. If this is something you feel like you are missing in your life then you are in the right place. Reach out, introduce yourselves and share your story.

We can't wait to hear it!

-Brenner

How I Forge Ahead!

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 14:58:04 GMT

Keep busy!

For those of you who do not know me...yet...., my name is Mike and I am the co-founder of Forge Ahead LLC. I live in Connecticut with a beautiful wife and three amazing daughters.

As you may have read about, this company was born out of the pandemic as a realization that despite all of the downers in our lives, there is truly so much to be thankful for and so much to help us stay positive and Forge Ahead! We plan on sharing many stories via this platform as well as several others that will help people learn from one another and also to embrace the positivity. How do I Forge Ahead? There were some very challenging days for me during the early portion of the pandemic (as there were for many), but it really made me realize how much value I place in celebrating things I like doing and sharing my hobbies with friends and family. Spending time with friends and family is also critically important; however, having personal hobbies is something that I truly believe can help others (I know it helped me) to move beyond many of life's challenges. I play guitar, workout almost daily, love sports, constantly read about nutrition, enjoy woodworking, LOVE reading comic books, shoot archery, spend time drawing, try to get outdoors as much as I can, have pets (3 dogs and 10 chickens), an awesome vegetable garden, coach youth sports for my daughters, volunteer at the local fire department, I manage a podcast and...oh yea...this exciting business! As you can tell, I am a very busy person, but what I have found over the years, is that if life is getting me down, I can focus on any one or two of these hobbies at a time to help get me through. There will absolutely be times where I may put one down for a while, but it's important to know that these hobbies are ALWAYS there for me when I need them most. For example, during the lockdowns of the pandemic, I don't think I've ever played more guitar in my life; however, once things opened up a bit, I did all I could to get outside and do other things like shoot archery, garden, and play with family in the yard.

For me, sitting around and doing nothing was not and is not an option. I'm someone who thrives when being active and who loves sharing those experiences with others. If you haven't tried it yet, find yourself a hobby or two. Start small, it doesn't need to be anything crazy. Try something new, you don't even need to tell anyone else! Also, don't be afraid to put hobbies down, especially if they don't excite you. Everything I've discussed here today brings joy to my life and make me feel like me!

Forge Ahead!

-Mike