I feel great lately. Its summer & I am still in Nelson hiding from COVID. Auckland will get the Omicron strain soon so I am happy to continue my stay here.

Things did get boring over the winter which was cold & wet but I did forest hikes & kept up my gym work. In Auckland the gyms were shut for 4 months.

Isometrics has made me stronger while protecting my joints. I also started regular running again after about 15+ years.

On top of the cardio & isometrics I have been regularly doing Hippensteel stretching.

I have also been taking Deer Antler Velvet & 4000iu of Vitamin D daily on top of regular supps including the fucoidan

Nelson in summer is resplendent. Very nice for hiking, beach & alpine activities.

Now they have a nice little biofeedback & EEG machine for sale. But its not cheap & the real value is that you can login & have all of your data analyzed by the software which also has an excellent inbuilt training program.

There are cheaper options for the EEG however. There is Olimex surface mount version of the openEEG

This device has few channels but there is a new design just released for an even better device with 32 channels. It has a lower amplifier gain however. freeEEG32:

You can get these devices from below:

https://www.olimex.com/Products/EEG/OpenEEG/EEG-SMT/resources/EEG-SMT.pdf

https://www.crowdsupply.com/neuroidss/freeeeg32

Now thats the hardware for cheap but you still need the software for the mindmirror feedback. Thats OK its not such a big deal.

Brainbay is one software that can do it http://www.shifz.org/brainbay/

Other software that can do the job is BioExplorer http://www.cyberevolution.com/

BioERA is yet another sofware option http://www.bioera.net/index.shtml

The awakened mind people have done many years of research with the Monroe institute & others and they can provide you with a great deal of support in this training.

I think Awakened Mind neurofeedback is a great program to do in addition to Autogenic training. You have a very powerful mind enhancement system by combining these two programs.

This time I am in Nelson not Auckland CBD.

That’s good as there are beaches & mountains to hike on and nice fresh air.

The problem is all the gyms are shut & I have no equipment. In Auckland I had heaps of gear to train with. Now its all still there in storage.

I had 2 weak strength bands & a jumprope here. Was doing all my training at the gym. I just snapped one of the bands.

Lucky for me I have my Bergen. My massive SAS commando backpack that can carry 120 liters of gear.

That means I can load it up with rocks & train hard as. Problem solved.

Concentrative Self Relaxation

Autogenic training is my favorite form of meditation. Its like a cross between the relaxation response & deep hypnosis.

The original text books by Shultz are available on Internet Archive.

The training consists of the relaxation exercises and more advanced meditation exercises that open up your minds eye very vividly.

Many people only ever do the basic exercises which is like learning to drive but never actually doing it again.

Others get stuck & cant progress beyond without months & months of practice everyday.

I have had difficulty transitioning to the advanced meditation phase of autogenic training

Something I used to be able to do as a child

It helps to know what’s actually going on & I have figured it out

In autogenic therapy you are intimately tuned into the afferent and efferent nerve interaction

As you progress to the advanced stage exercises there is an actual shift in brain state

The nerve signals reverse direction – there is an electrical polarity shift in the brain

Imagination and Reality Look Different in the Brain

The measurable electrical polarity shift I read about somewhere else possibly in the book body electric – I will hunt for more information

I believe it was referenced in relation to the loss of consciousness – but will have to find the literature

This is an actual physical reflex that the stimuli of the autogenic training coaxes from the body

As I recall when I used to do it as a child there was a sensation of an actual change in state before the spontaneous onset of colour visualization.

So there is a quantifiable scientific basis to it that can be used for feedback. Once you have changed to this state the visualizations become very vivid

Over a month ago now I started doing the Hippensteel range of motion program. Progressing nicely with that & doing my stretches daily.

Now I have made a total switch over to isometric training. Training daily no more normal workouts. I feel dynamite. Add in the hill hikes I have been doing down here in Nelson and the 1 or 2 HIIT workouts per week.

Gunna do TB12 band training also but have not added it in yet & most likely some PHA at the gym.

Plus my change of supplements to focus on microcirculation & glycocalyx function.

Feeling like six months from now I may be dangerous again.

I flew down to Nelson 3 weeks ago. Plan to stay here until September or October. Its a great little town for outdoor activities & fitness training. My gym chain Cityfitness has 2 gyms in town & there are many training options in town. There is even a dedicated EMS clinic in town & an HBOT rehab clinic, also a floatation center.

There are full on alpine mountains with snow & beautiful scenery, also subtropical beaches and bays for boating, fishing, kayaking and diving.

Best of all this is excellent hiking and hunting territory. I have done 2 hill hikes so far & will build up for 2 months before hitting the alpine adventures in spring time.

Harvard, Nebraska resident Steven A. Justa, 63, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 29, 2021, at Mary Lanning Healthcare after a brief battle with cancer.

Graveside services will be 11 a.m. June 19 at the Harvard Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Harvard Community Foundation, PO Box 119, Harvard, NE 68944. Apfel Funeral Home of Hastings is serving the family.

Steve was born March 9, 1958, to Carl and Larena (Rolfsmeier) Justa in Friend, NE. They moved to Harvard a few years later and Steve lived in Harvard ever since.

Steve worked various jobs over the years including farming, foundry work, hay hauling, tree removal, being a bouncer, etc. He enjoyed all aspects of strength training, performing feats of strength and giving training advice to anyone who asked. He authored books on the topic as well. Steve also enjoyed music, often composing his own versions.

He enjoyed the company of family, friends and being with his cats.

He is survived by two brothers, David and Jim (Becky) Justa; two nieces, Brittany (Jon) Hauck and Maddison Justa; one uncle, Vern Justa; and several cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Credit: https://www.hastingstribune.com/obituaries/steven-a-justa/article_41099448-c869-11eb-93cc-0f3fddfbc3d2.html

This is where I often train in Auckland – its huge

2 stories with 4 large weight areas plus HIIT, group gymnasium, yoga room & cycle room