NAVY SEAL

SELF-
DISCIPLINE:

HOW TO
BECOME THE
TOUGHEST
WARRIOR
SELF-
CONFIDENCE,
SELF
 AWARENESS,
SELF-CONTROL
AND MENTAL
TOUGHNESS

Fourth Edition
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION:
CHAPTER 1: WHO ARE THE
NAVY SEALS?
CHAPTER 2: NAVY SEALS
TRAINING
CHAPTER 3: WHY SHOULD YOU
TRAIN LIKE A NAVY SEAL?
CHAPTER 4: FITNESS
CHAPTER 5: COURAGE
CHAPTER 6: RESILIENCE
CHAPTER 7: MENTAL FITNESS
CHAPTER 8: CROSS FIT
TRAINING
CHAPTER 9: SWIMMING
TRAINING
CHAPTER 10: RUNNING
TRAINING
CHAPTER 11: YOGA TRAINING
CHAPTER 12: MEDITATION
BASICS
CHAPTER 13: MEDITATION
ATMOSPHERE
CHAPTER 14: MINDFULNESS
TECHNIQUES
CHAPTER 15: GENERAL TIPS
CHAPTER 16: SEAL TRAINING
FAQs
CHAPTER 17: SITUATIONAL
AWARENESS
CHAPTER 18: NUTRITION
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
CONCLUSION:
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INTRODUCTION:
Navy SEALs are some of the most elite
fighters in the world. Just how good?
Consider the people who were able to
finally neutralize Osama bin Laden.
Who were those people? Navy SEALs!
But of course, Navy SEALs are known
for much more than that. There are
many different stories that portray the
excellence, abilities, and power of
these Special Forces men. And while
they live and operate in a world that’s
much, much different than ours, we can
learn a lot from them in terms of
success and making the most out of
life. And this is what it is about:
training like a Navy Seal for optimal
personal success. In this book, you'll
read about how to mentally, physically,
emotionally and nutritionally train like
Navy SEALs.
Given that the nature of their work
often entails the most difficult
circumstances an individual can face in
life, it is only logical that those who
excel in the SEALs can get most other
things down to an art. As you will
learn in this book, the skills and
wisdom obtained through their
excruciating training can be more than
applied in many different walks of life.
In fact, by propelling yourself towards
the SEALs level of training and
exercise, you will be able to harness
that which is most beneficial, yet not
be burdened by some of the inherent
difficulties that come with the actual
job and duty.
Furthermore, gaining some insight and
understanding of the hardships these
men must surmount will also put things
in perspective for you. Starting with
their training, over the high-risk
missions they are tasked with, all the
way to the strain that this calling may
put on their personal and family life,
you will begin to see just how many
hurdles life throws their way. It will
become increasingly apparent that it
takes a special caliber of man, and an
even more unique form of training, to
be able to overcome the trials and
tribulations that come with a Navy
SEAL’s chosen way of life.
As we progress through this book, we
will touch upon some real life stories
and missions on the side as we go,
while we try to paint the picture of just
what it means to train on this level. It
isn’t for the faint at heart and the road
to get there isn’t an easy one.
While chances are you won't be
nowhere near at par with the kinds of
trainings that Navy SEALs do as well
as their physical, emotional, and
mental abilities, you can use many of
the principles they use to attain a
similar status – and stay there – in
order to achieve peak performance. So
if you're ready to become finely honed
like Navy SEALs, turn the page and
let's go.
Please feel free to share this book with
your friends and family. Please also
take the time to write a short review on
Amazon to share your thoughts.
CHAPTER 1: WHO
ARE THE NAVY
SEALS?
Navy SEALs are a group of men who
belong to the United States Navy’s sea,
air and land team, which was
established under the orders of
President John F. Kennedy back in
1962. They’re an elite, small group of
maritime military force specialists that
engage in what is known as
unconventional warfare. The types of
missions that they carry out are high
impact, small in unit size and
clandestine, which aren’t possible with
higher profile and larger-sized forces
like submarines, jets, tanks and ships.
They also execute ground-based
special reconnaissance missions on
important military targets for eventual
attack by bigger and more conventional
forces. They’re the Navy, Air Force,
and Army Special Forces’ units of
choice for such operations –
particularly those that start with and
end in bodies of water like coastlines,
deltas, swamps, oceans and rivers -
because Navy SEALs can expertly
navigate relatively shallow bodies of
water like the Persian Gulf coast line,
where submarines and large ships can't
enter due to limited depth.
In other words, the SEALs are often
the very tip of the spear in military
operations throughout the globe.
Whether it is sabotage, reconnaissance
or apprehension/neutralization of high-
value targets, SEALs will generally
find themselves going in first to lay the
groundwork for subsequent large-scale
operations, which means the
probability of them running into
overwhelming odds is quite real. This
is the reason why the tactical prowess
and readiness of the men in the Navy
SEALs must be above and beyond that
of any potential foe.
While the Navy SEALs belong to the
United States’ naval unit, they’re
expertly trained to execute missions in
all types of terrains, be it in water, air,
or land. It’s because of such
specialized training and skills that they
are named as such – SEALs. More than
just operating in practically any
terrain, they’re also trained to execute
critical missions even under the most
extreme climates such as humid
jungles, freezing winters, and
scorching deserts.
The Navy SEALs have demonstrated
this flexibility many times since their
formation. With engagements in
Vietnam, South America, Middle East,
Europe and on the home front, just to
name a few, they have successfully
carried out their missions no matter the
environment or the objective, thus fully
living up to their assigned purpose.
In addition to their deeds and proven
record, the Navy SEAL creed, or
ethos, also gives us a clear idea of
how dedicated these men are as well
as just how high the standards they
uphold really are. We often may not get
a glimpse of their achievements due to
the shroud of secrecy that surrounds
them and their missions. However,
those stories which we do get wind of,
coupled with their official codex they
swear to adhere to, are more than
enough to recognize and stand in awe
of their valor and professionalism.

THE NAVY SEALS ETHOS[1]

If you want to get a clearer picture of

what these men are about more than
just conducting highly covert missions
that no one in their right frame of mind
will volunteer to do, read the
following, which is the official Navy
SEALs ethos:
“In times of war or uncertainty
there is a special breed of warrior
ready to answer our Nation’s call.
A common man with uncommon
desire to succeed. Forged by
adversity, he stands alongside
America’s finest special operations
forces to serve his country, the
American people, and protect their
way of life. I am that man.
My Trident is a symbol of honor
and heritage. Bestowed upon me
by the heroes that have gone
before, it embodies the trust of
those I have sworn to protect. By
wearing the Trident, I accept the
responsibility of my chosen
profession and way of life. It is a
privilege that I must earn every
day. My loyalty to Country and
Team is beyond reproach. I humbly
serve as a guardian to my fellow
Americans always ready to defend
those who are unable to defend
themselves. I do not advertise the
nature of my work, nor seek
recognition for my actions. I
voluntarily accept the inherent
hazards of my profession, placing
the welfare and security of others
before my own. I serve with honor
on and off the battlefield. The
ability to control my emotions and
my actions, regardless of
circumstance, sets me apart from
other men. Uncompromising
integrity is my standard. My
character and honor are steadfast.
My word is my bond.
We expect to lead and be led. In
the absence of orders, I will take
charge, lead my teammates and
accomplish the mission. I lead by
example in all situations. I will
never quit. I persevere and thrive
on adversity. My Nation expects
me to be physically harder and
mentally stronger than my
enemies. If knocked down, I will
get back up, every time. I will
draw on every remaining ounce of
strength to protect my teammates
and to accomplish our mission. I
am never out of the fight.
We demand discipline. We expect
innovation. The lives of my
teammates and the success of our
mission depend on me – my
technical skill, tactical
proficiency, and attention to
detail. My training is never
complete. We train for war and
fight to win. I stand ready to bring
the full spectrum of combat power
to bear in order to achieve my
 mission and the goals established
by my country. The execution of my
duties will be swift and violent
when required yet guided by the
very principles that I serve to
defend. Brave men have fought and
died building the proud tradition
and feared reputation that I am
bound to uphold. In the worst of
conditions, the legacy of my
teammates steadies my resolve and
silently guides my every deed. I
will not fail.”

ULTIMATE WARRIORS

Just by reading the Navy SEALs’

official ethos statement, you can
already see just how specialized these
men are. In order for someone to live
up to such a creed, he needs to be
highly intelligent, very fit physically,
and must have very good control over
himself, particularly his emotions.
They are the ultimate of all modern day
warriors and as such, only the cream of
the crop and the best of the best are
able to become official members of
this very elite team.
Many people think that there are many,
many Navy SEALs in active duty,
probably due to the many action
movies that portray them as men of
steel that are able to overcome almost
anything. But the truth is, there are only
around 2,000 plus Navy SEALs in
active duty. They are that elite.
Such a small number isn't due to lack
of men wanting to join the unit. In fact,
there are a lot of men who would be
willing to do anything if only to
become a Navy SEAL. The reason for
such a small number is the very
stringent qualifications and standards
required all who want to become a
Navy Seal.
If you think becoming an active
member of any United States Special
Forces team is hard enough, becoming
a Navy SEAL is even harder. This is
because Navy SEALs are trained in
practically all fields in which all US
Special Forces are trained but to an
even higher level of competency. To
get an idea of just how hard their
trainings can be, think about these.
The average training period for
successful Navy SEALs applicants
lasts for over a year. But in order to
be formally accepted into training,
you’ll need to have vision that's
20/200 at worse that’s correctible to
20/20 and pass the unit’s very
demanding physical screening test.
Just to qualify for formal Navy SEALs
training, you’ll need to swim at least
500 yards in less than 12:30 and in
less than 10:30 if you want to have
higher chances of besting out other
candidates. You’ll need to do at least
42 pushups in 2 minutes and if you
want to compete well against the other
candidates, you’ll need to do at least
79 of them. You’ll also have to do at
least 50 sit-ups within 2 minutes and if
you want to increase your chances of
getting in, you need to do at least 79 of
them within the same time frame. From
a dead hang, you’ll have to complete 6
pull-ups with no time limit and
complete at least 11 if you want to be
competitive with other applicants.
That’s not all though. You’ll also need
to run in just your boots and uniform
pants for at least 1.5 miles in less than
11:30 and if you want higher chances
of getting in, you’ll need to do that in
less than 10:20. Only if you’re able to
pass these physical tests and place
higher than most other applicants can
you formally begin training as a Navy
Seal, which involves land warfare,
diving and physical conditioning for 24
weeks and further qualification
trainings for 26 weeks more. After
more than 50 weeks of training, you’ll
also have to undergo further
specialization trainings such as
dynamic entry, surreptitious entry,
jumpmaster, diving, rope climbing,
fluency in other languages and sniping.
Considering the very few of the
multitudes who pass the qualification
tests for formal training, you’d
understand why there are only quite a
handful of Navy SEALs on active
duty.
The training itself is so difficult that
many who enter do not complete it.
It’s estimated that only up to 35% of
those who qualified for formal training
ever finish the whole training program,
also known as the Basic Underwater
Demolition training or BUD training,
and become full-fledged members of
the United States Navy SEALs. The
Trident pin is given to successful
recruits upon successful completion of
the training program, which symbolizes
their official status as a Navy SEAL.
The very purpose of such an agonizing
training program is not only to create
SEALs, but to ensure that each new
SEAL is the best they can be. There is
but one standard all members adhere
to: unparalleled expertise in the art of
war. Each and every one of them must
be the very top of the line. The only
thing that may set individual SEALs
apart is rank and combat experience.
When it comes to mastering the training
and the doctrine, nothing short of
perfection is tolerated.
With over 200 claimed, and around
160 confirmed combat kills over four
tours in Iraq, Chief Chris Kyle is the
epitome of what a trained Navy SEAL
and his weapon can accomplish. As
I’m sure we all know by now, this
particular SEAL has earned himself a
place among legends as the most
prolific military sniper in American
history.
What’s also fascinating is that judging
by his subsequent book and other
accounts of his story, he wasn’t even
aware of just how effective he was at
his duty. Others later informed him that
the military has credited him as being
the most lethal marksman in the history
of US armed forces. This just goes to
show that it’s not a reach for glory or
recognition; it is just how effective and
well trained these men are, the results
come naturally. Chris Kyle, in his own
words, was merely doing his job,
preventing the enemy from harming his
fellow US troops. His training and
specialization ran their course, and it
turns out the results were
groundbreaking.
Regardless of how you may feel about
this feat, it is undeniable that such a
result lies far beyond the capabilities
of ordinary men, and no matter how
predisposed one may be, it is only
through very special training that
accomplishments like this are made
possible.
One can be a talented shooter, what we
call a natural, born leader, or he can
have the genetic predisposition
towards physical strength. He can have
some innate tools within him, yes, but
these must be sharpened and honed
perfectly if their full potential is to be
achieved. As the process of building a
Navy SEAL begins through training,
those who have what it takes are
gradually filtered through the
selections and only then do they begin
to assume the final form carved out by
the rigorous program. This isn’t to say
that only those with a “gift” can make it
as SEALs, more often than not,
determination and perseverance can
more than compensate for any initial
shortcomings.

NOT JUST PHYSICAL, IT’S ALSO

MENTAL

The Navy SEALs training program

isn't just a very physically demanding
one. It’s also very challenging
mentally. The mental aspect of such
training is what breaks most candidates
into quitting.
For example, if you're already in a
relatively hypothermic state, think
violent chills; will you quickly follow
your trainer if he tells you to go back
into the water? However insane or
inhuman such trainings can be, they are
needed in order to produce men who
are capable of pulling off very critical
and high risk missions such as that of
raiding Osama Bin Laden's compound,
where during that mission, one of the
two helicopters that carried the Navy
SEALs operatives crashed inside the
compound. When that happened, the
operatives of that mission needed to
keep their wits in order to finish the
mission, or at the very least stay alive.
Considering that it happened in one of
the deadliest places on earth, panicking
is tantamount to death – and a
potentially very painful one at that.
There are many other examples of the
SEALS’ valor and perseverance
throughout their operational history.
When the going gets tough, or even
completely out of hand, these guys are
still able to adapt and surmount any
complications. Preparation is half the
battle; the other half is presuming the
unexpected. The nature of war is such
that anything can go wrong at any
moment, despite all the planning and
intelligence.
One such instance occurred during the
US invasion of Grenada in 1983. A
detachment of the Navy SEAL Team
Six was tasked with dropping in just
off the coast and proceeding ashore via
boats air-dropped along with them.
Spread out between two cargo planes,
the eight SEALs soon found themselves
in a string of unfortunate events.
Namely, one of the two planes
deviating off-course, coupled with
adverse weather conditions, ultimately
led to four SEALs being lost to the sea.
Nonetheless, the remainder of the
operatives carried on with their
objectives despite the calamity that
hindered their insertion.
Evidently, even when disaster strikes,
a special breed of men that are the
Navy SEALS will overcome the odds
stacked against them and see their
mission through. The primary factor in
making the SEALs what they are is,
indeed, the training.

HELL WEEK

A crucial part, the make or break one,

of candidates’ training is the Hell Week
named appropriately because it is a
figurative hell on earth for most
mortals. Hell week is conducted
around the 3rd week of candidates’
First Phase training and just before the
United States Navy decides to invest
heavily and expensively in the
candidates in terms of SEAL
operations trainings.
This week requires candidates to
spend under 6 days in intensely
difficult, wet and cold training
conditions and run 200 miles on less
than four hours of sleep. It’s
specifically designed that way in order
to assess the candidates’ ability to
perform under extremely high mental
and physical stress and sleep-deprived
states as well as their attitudes, ability
to work with a team, tolerance for cold
and pain, mental toughness, and
physical endurance. Most of all, Hell
Week tests the candidates’ most
defining characteristics: desire and
determination.
It is standard practice to have the
candidates sitting or lying down in the
very cold Pacific waters while tied
together, arm in arm. Conducting
physical exercises while exposed to
oncoming waves as well as being
covered in mud are also part of the
torture. All of these excruciating
ordeals are inflicted upon all of the
candidates at the same time; they have
to take it as a team. From the very first
phase of training, the prospective
SEALs are barraged by torment after
torment, giving them a taste of things to
come and strengthening or breaking
their resolve. More so than just
weeding out undetermined and unfit
candidates, this process starts
developing a sense of camaraderie and
team effort from the very beginning.
This is how unbreakable bonds are
formed between teammates. After they
have graduated, the SEALs will walk,
eat, breathe and live as one and for
each other. In fact, this kind of bond
formation is rooted in our very nature.
Humans have evolved to develop these
connections in times of crisis and
anguish, increasing the chances of
survival for the whole collective, and
thus, each individual member as well.
It’s a simple mechanism and no
phenomenon really; the odds of coming
through victorious greatly increase
when people come together and focus
on a collective goal.
To get an idea how “hellish” Hell
Week can be, consider its attrition rate.
Only about one-quarter of the few
candidates who qualified for BUD
successfully finish it. Those who do,
consider being an official Navy SEAL
to be the single biggest achievement of
their lives and come to discover that
they can do exceedingly more than
what they ever thought was humanly
possible. Under the most severe and
dangerous mission conditions, they
look back to the moment that they
successfully finished Hell Week and
know that failure isn’t an option. It
empowers them to never let a
teammate down or quit the fight.
Indeed, Hell Week is the ultimate test
of a man’s character, resiliency, and
ability to get things done.
Just to give you an idea of the kinds of
exercises trainees do during hell week,
consider the sugar cookie. The recruits
perform the sugar cookie by getting
into the very cold waters of the Pacific
Ocean after which they roll over and
over again in the sand. And just when
they start to feel warm enough, they are
told to go back into the very cold water
and do it again. If you think that is
already hard considered the fact that
they do it while tired and hungry.
It’s interesting to note that men who
have experiences in boxing, wrestling,
swimming, rugby, lacrosse, triathlons
and water polo tend to successfully
complete the SEALs training program,
according to published article in a San
Diego newspaper called the North
County Times. If there’s any sound
basis for the report, it’s probably the
demanding nature of those disciplines
that helped prepare them well for
BUD.
CHAPTER 2: NAVY
SEALS TRAINING
I’m sure that at this point, you’re very
intrigued with the particulars of the
trainings Navy SEALs recruits go
through. After making the cut by
finishing the basic boot camp,
candidates undergo a seven to nine
week pre-BUD apprenticeship-training
program. The purpose of the pre-BUD
training is to make sure that candidates
are adequately prepared for the very
physical nature of BUDS training.
The Navy SEAL’s candidates training
program is one that can stress any man
beyond their limits and because of this,
candidates are prepared to ensure they
successfully complete it and
effectively augment the relatively few
number of what’s probably the world’s
most elite fighting unit. Candidates
need to focus, prepare, and understand
what they’re getting into.
The Navy SEALs training program
helps prepare candidates for the actual
and very extreme mental and physical
challenges of the typical Navy SEALs
missions. If the candidates are up for
the challenge, they inevitably get into
phenomenal physical shape and
conditioning as well as acquire great
determination, skills, and confidence
that are needed in order to succeed in
modern combat or fighting
environments.
In the following section, we will look
at the training phases that a candidate
must undergo if he is to officially
become a Navy SEAL. As is obvious,
all SEALs must undergo the BUD/S
training – but their work starts even
before they join the Basic Underwater
Demolition/SEAL. Training at BUD/S
goes for almost 24 weeks, following
which they will be asked to learn
further skills like basic parachuting. At
the end of this time period, they must
take the 26 week SEAL Qualification
Training Program.
All those soldiers who join the SEAL
training who also have medical
training or knowledge have attended
another 6 month Advanced Medical
Training Course so that they can
become part of the Medic Units. And
even after completion of BUD/S
training and certification as a SEAL,
even after they have been given a spot
on a SEAL team, they are not done –
they can expect up to 18 months of
training on the job, though they will
have leave in between to rest and
recuperate.
Before we even look at what the
training entails, let us check out some
quick statistical data. This should tell
you just how hard it is to complete a
SEAL Training program and why these
men are so strong, both physically and
mentally.
Of all the numbers who signed up to
join the SEALs, around 85 - 90% of
them complete the pre-BUDS
indoctrination tests. These are
relatively easier to complete, as we
will see soon. BUD/S is the proverbial
nightmare for you and I – it is the most
difficult part of the SEAL training and
very few people who sign up manage
to complete the whole course and get
themselves certified as SEALs.
Research shows that only around 33%
of the total recruits finish Phase 1 of
the training program and even fewer
manage to make it to second and third
phases and then graduate.
The prerequisites to join the SEALs
are very simple. A person must be at
least 18 years of age, usually between
the age gap of 18 to 29 years old, who
are citizens of the United States of
America and are part of the U.S. Navy.
Of course, there have been a number of
instances when military personnel from
armed forces belonging to other
countries that are allies of the United
States also take part in BUDS training.
If the parents are willing to permit it,
waivers are available for the 17 year
olds who are interested – they are also
given to 30 year olds, depending on
their individual circumstance and
situation.
When it comes to academics, it is
expected that all prospective
applicants must be at least as qualified
as a high school student with a diploma
or a GED. They must also have a
composite score a minimum of 220 on
the ASVAB test. If you don’t know
what that is – ASVAB is the Armed
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
Test, a multiple options paper that the
United States Military Entrance
Processing Command administers in
grades 10, 11 and 12 of high school to
identify those interested and qualified
to enlist as part of the military.
Students who want to enlist for the
SEALs must be proficient in every
aspect of the English language.
When it comes to physical fitness,
things get even trickier. All the
prospective SEAL students must have a
vision that at least 20/75, which can be
corrected to a 20/20 vision once they
begin training. They must not have a
recent history of drug abuse and every
prospective applicant is required the
take a SEAL Physical Screening Test to
make sure that they will be able to
keep up with the harsh requirements of
the physical training regimen that the
BUDS offer. Finally, the applicant must
be a person with a good and moralistic
character, as evidenced by his history
of criminal records and even his civil
citations.
As of August in the year 2015, there
has been talk of women finally joining
the Navy SEALs! It is the last and only
regiment of the entire United States
military that has not been opened to the
female sex. The bill has been passed;
however, actually getting things into
motion is going to be far more difficult.
The military stands firm on the idea
that the standards should not be
lowered for women – they must be
able to meet the same physical
requirements as their male
counterparts. While this may sound
unfair to you, it is for good reason.
Given the handful of soldiers who pass
the BUDS Program as it is, if standards
were lowered, the resultant soldiers
would not be as tough or powerful as
they end up being currently. It is not an
easy task, but it can be done – we may
soon see a female SEAL!

NAVY SEAL PHYSICAL

SCREENING TEST (PST)
So how does the BUD/S Training
Program work? If you want to sign up
to be a Navy SEAL, you must train for
your training! You have to be
physically fit enough to qualify and
make sure your academic score is at
least good, if not exceptional. As we
saw earlier, to join the BUD/S
Training Program, a person must pass
the SEAL Physical Screening Test, or
the PST. Now, the minimum
requirements for this test are easy
enough for those who are relatively
physically fit. They are –
A five hundred yard (460 m) swim,
wherein you make use of the
breaststroke or the combat stroke.
Your competitive time must be at 9
 minutes, preferably lesser than that.
A minimum of 50 pushups in under
2 minutes, though the competitive
count set is epxe4cted to be at least
90 or more than that.
A minimum of 50 sit ups in under 2
minutes, though the competitive
count set is once again expected to
be at least 90 or more than that.
A minimum of at least 10 pull ups
from a dead hang weight, and
though there is no time limit on this,
the competitive count is expected to
be at least 18 or more than that.
Run for 1.5 miles (2.4 km),
wearing running shorts and boots,
in less than 10.30 minutes, though,
again, your competitive time is
expected to be 9.30 minutes or less.
As you can see for yourself,
prospective SEAL candidates cannot
just meet minimum requirements – they
have to be much, much better than the
minimum requirements to be even
considered to be part of the SEALs.
This means that anyone who is
considering joining the SEALs must do
enough preparatory work and get
themselves into a physically fit status
quo that will allow them to clear the
PST.
The minimum is there only to formally
set the bar somewhere, but it goes
without saying that a candidate must
strive to far surpass it, if he is hoping
to compete for his place in this select
group of warriors. Keep in mind that
there will be some very tough guys
applying at the same time so all
candidates must give it their absolutely
best shot. This means that it’s not about
fulfilling a minimum requirement, or
“passing the test,” it is about truly
distinguishing yourself and shining
compared to your peers. As you can
see, even the selection process in the
Navy SEALs already begins separating
the very best from the rest.

NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE

PREPARATORY SCHOOL
When you pass the first physical screen
test, you are put into preparatory
school for the BUDS Training
Program. That’s right – you prepare
before your PST to go to preparatory
school. That is how difficult getting
into the SEALs is.
The Naval Special Warfare
Preparatory School is currently located
in Great Lakes, Illinois. This is where
your training for the Basic Underwater
Demolition/SEAL begins; the
prospective candidates are given a
crash course in BUDS to show them
what they are in for if they do move
into the program. To get into the
program itself, they must go through a
second Physical Screening Test at the
end of this preparatory school.
Here, the candidates undergo this
physically challenging training for a
period of 8 weeks. At the end this time
period, the second Physical Screening
Test that I mentioned is administered to
them – a timed 4 mile run, along with a
1000 meter swim is included in this
test. As with the previous screening,
just meeting minimum requirements
does not guarantee entry into the
SEALs – you must go above and
beyond and do exceptionally well to
be inducted into the BUDS Training
School.
While this may seem extensive to you –
training to get into training to get into
more training – it is absolutely
essential to prepare the candidates. As
we will further see, the BUD/S
Training is the most difficult and
physically challenging regimen that any
military team has to offer. It requires
grit, determination and physical fitness
levels that very few people possess,
which means that it is obviously not
easy to complete. Those who do not
pass their second physical screening
are not kicked out of the Navy – they
are simply not given admission into the
SEAL training pipeline. Instead, they
are reclassified and sent to other jobs
and posts within the Navy itself.
With all its horrors, the entirety of the
Navy SEAL training pays for itself and
shows the best result in the end. After
all, the SEALs have a reputation to
keep, and that reputation is of a unit
that is few in numbers but is so elite
that their name rings out loudly and
proudly throughout the US armed
forces as well as the rest of the world.
As a matter of fact, Navy SEALs are a
source of inspiration for many similar
forces in the modern world. They are a
unit that sets new standards and
maintains the old ones. The SEALs
have also trained with many forces,
which aspire towards their level of
professionalism.
So you can see what is at stake, and
you now know why there is so much
training before the actual training even
begins. When the candidates have
made all the cuts, they are ready to
embark upon the ultimate feat and get
on their way to attaining the revered
Trident insignia.

And then begins BUD/S.

BUD/S (BASIC UNDERWATER

DEMOLITION/SEALS) TRAINING
PROGRAM
The Basic Underwater
Demolition/SEAL Training program is
geared towards developing both the
physical as well as the mental fitness
of all the candidates who sign up to be
Navy SEALs. It focuses on their
leadership skills, their physical fitness,
their emotional fitness and their mental
toughness by putting them through
different phases of training. This is a
seven-month long training program
that's designed to develop the recruits
or candidates’ physical and mental
stamina as well as their leadership
skills. Every phase of the BUDS
training program includes physical
conditioning tests with increasingly
demanding time requirements every
week. And as mentioned earlier,
candidates need to pass the following
physical screening test requirements in
order to get into the program:
-Swim at least 500 yards within
12:30 at most;
-Perform at least 42 pushups in 2
minutes;
 -Do at least 50 sit-ups within 2
minutes;
-Perform at least 6 pull-ups from a
dead hanging position (no time
limit); and
-Run 1.5 miles wearing only their
boots and uniform pants within
11:30.
The first step in a SEALs training is
the Indoctrination into the BUDS
program – this step lasts for a total of
three weeks. Following this, there are
three major phases of training for the
SEALs to complete. The first phase,
which lasts for seven weeks, is
focused on getting the candidates
physically fit by putting them through
the most difficult and challenging
physical situations possible.
The second phase, once again lasting
for a period of seven weeks, is geared
towards underwater combat,
particularly combat diving and it is
followed by the final seven week
period of the third phase, which is
directed towards teaching the men how
to perform land warfare. Whether one
is an enlisted soldier or an officer,
there is no difference in treatment – all
personnel go through the same training
program and are expected to give it
their best shot, regardless of
experience or standing in the military.
The point of the program, after all, is
to test mental strength, and build a
sense of teamwork and camaraderie,
so everyone is put through the same
mental and physical training. Let us
take a look at each phase of BUD/S
training one by one.

STAGE 1 – INDOCTRINATION
(INDOC) – 3 WEEKS
The Indoctrination Phase provides the
candidates with an introduction to the
BUDS training program’s technique
and performance requirements. This is
the first stage in the BUD/S Training
Program for the Navy SEALs. It is the
initiation phase, so to speak, that is
conducted over the course of three
weeks, once the candidates complete
their 8-week training regimen at the
Naval Special Warfare Preparatory
School in Illinois.
The idea of this stage in BUD/S is to
introduce the prospective SEALs to the
kind of life they can expect during their
training. The Navy SEAL instructors
will introduce the men to the BUD/S
physical training, particularly the
obstacle course, and also give them a
crash course on all the other training
practices that are unique to the Navy
SEAL lifestyle. Candidates are
prepared to start their first phase of
BUD/S training, which follows
immediately after this one.
As you can probably guess, this phase,
even though it’s light, is the true
beginning of BUD/S training and is
quite challenging. The prospective
SEALs meet their instructors, get to
know exactly what it is they will be
doing over the course of the next few
months and then learn to adapt
themselves to it. This is also the time
when they begin to meet their fellow
SEALs trainees and make friends – a
sense of camaraderie begins right from
this initiation point that will continue
all the way on to the battlefield after
they graduate. The bond formed
between men who have been through
the hell of Navy SEAL training
together is a truly unbreakable and
everlasting force. This relationship
carries them a long-way through
combat missions and is one of the most
important factors in building an elite
and effective military unit. The
friendship and loyalty are only
strengthened through potential combat
and usually stay for life. An individual
SEAL is a formidable force on his
own, but it’s only when he is part of
the collective entity of his unit that all
the training begins to truly kick in and
make SEALs stand out among the rest.

STAGE 2 – THREE PHASES OF

BUD/S TRAINING
Phase 1 – Physical Conditioning – 7
weeks
The First Phase, also known as the
basic conditioning phase, is the hardest
of all three phases in the BUDS
training program. It lasts for seven
weeks and peaks at the halfway point
with Hell Week. It’s at that point
where the candidates’ physical and
mental limits will be most tested. For
those who persist until the end, even
while their bodies scream and beg for
them to just drop the whole thing, the
sweetest words they’ll ever hear are
the instructor’s “Hell Week is
secured!”
This first phase covers a variety of
things that are essential for a SEAL’s
lifestyle on the field – they are taught
to keep their bodies fit, how to turn
themselves into a weapon, how to
work under the water, how to work and
be part of a team, how to challenge
themselves and their own limits
constantly to build mental toughness
and strength. Physically conditioning is
the hardest in this phase – it is used as
a method to build mental toughness and
tenacity. Running for miles together
without rest or resources, swimming in
all kinds of untoward conditions,
heavy duty calisthenics, harsh obstacle
courses and the like are administered
one by one, with the difficulty level
increasing each week.
As we said earlier on, the most
important and difficult part of the
program is the Hell Week. This is the
third week during the seven-week
rotation and the first two weeks of the
first phase in BUD/S are geared
towards preparing the candidates for
this strenuous time. During Hell Week,
the prospective SEALs are put through
grueling physical exercises.
For five and a half continuous days,
they are expected to train with little to
no rest. Data suggests that each
candidate gets maybe four hours of
sleep over the course of the entire
week – they are expected to run for
long distances, easily about two
hundred miles or so, and their physical
training lasts close to 20 hours or so in
a single day. You can see why it is
called the Hell Week – one literally
goes through a grueling physical hell.
Just try to envision going through such
physical strain with next to no sleep
and limited food intake. Even the very
lines of reality can become blurred in
this state, which is why this process
isolates only the primal, most brute
force and dedication in a human being.
A candidate’s basic, even animalistic,
instincts and energy will be harnessed
to their full potential during this trial of
wits and strength, ultimately molding
them into the finest, most perfected
fighting machine humanity has to offer.
These facts don’t serve merely to
illustrate how horrendous the BUD/S
training is, but they are also
foreshadowing of the kinds of
circumstances these soldiers may find
themselves in over the course of their
careers.
And this is where the concept of
mental toughness comes in. If one is
not determined to complete the
training, if one is mentally not strong
enough to push oneself into finishing it,
one will have no choice but to drop
out. The SEALs use this type of
extensive physical workouts and
grueling physical sessions to teach
their men how to be strong – they are,
literally, taught to use their bodies to
tame their minds. Pain is a tool for
them, and as romantic as it sounds, it is
not – it’s probably both the best and the
worst experience of their lives. As
Kevin Lacz, a former Navy SEAL and
comrade of late Chris Kyle, has been
recorded saying for the Fox News:
“It’s the most fun you never wanna
have again.”
Once Hell Week ends, the strain of the
physical conditioning peters off the
slightest bit – they have been put
through the worst kind of challenge,
and so, they are granted the smallest
reprieve. That doesn’t mean that they
are off the hook though! The rest of the
first phase training period is usually
spent on teaching the candidates how
to conduct hydrographic surveys. Since
SEALs are closely involved in the
Naval Operations, they need to be
familiar with maritime warfare and
navigation, which is what they are
taught. They are taught to use aircrafts,
electronic sensor systems and the like
to learn how to navigate the ocean and
become better warriors of both stealth
and power.
As should be obvious by now, given
the challenge that is the first phase, a
large number of candidates question
their ability to complete the BUD/S
training program itself. A significant
drop in numbers usually happens at this
stage – it is to be expected, given how
difficult it is and just how much is
expected out of them. The military
does not penalize them for it; there is
the Drop on Request (DOR) option
offered to them that they could avail of
if they find it too much. The tradition of
the DOR is that the candidate drops his
helmet liner next to the pole, which has
a ship’s bell, attached to it. After
dropping his helmet, the candidate
rings the bell three times, indicating
that he is done and he cannot take much
more.
This ensures that only the toughest and
strongest men get through the SEAL
training – they are the ones entrusted
with the most challenging of missions,
ones whose outcomes could mean
millions of lives. There is no judgment
on those who cannot complete the first
phase or Hell Week; the military
accepts them as part of other branches
to which their talents are well suited.
But the SEALs must be the toughest
and most powerful of the lot, given that
they are to be the elite team of fighters,
first in line to defend their country.
So, to sum up, the First Phase includes
the following activities during its 7-
week duration the following activities
that become harder and harder as the
weeks progress:
-Sand running;
-Ocean swims for 2 miles with fins;
-Calisthenics;
-Timed obstacle courses;
-Timed runs in boots for 4 miles;
-Basic seamanship with small boats;
-Creating charts and hydrographic
surveys;
-Hell Week at week 3, which is 5 ½
days of non-stop training (including
the “sugar cookie”, swimming,
running and enduring exhaustion, wet
and cold conditions with only a total
of 4 hours of sleep);
-Rock Portage in Rubber Raiding
 Craft;
I don’t need to tell you that by the end
of Hell Week, most of them are heavily
exhausted and/or injured. All
candidates, therefore, are put through
two medical examinations to ensure
their safety within twenty-four hours
after they complete Hell Week. This is
to keep them physically fit, as well as
to encourage them by showing them
that what they are doing is not in vain –
fight for the country and the country
will fight back for you.

Phase 2 – Combat Diving – 7 weeks

The second phase of BUD/S begins
soon after the first ends and lasts for a
period of seven weeks once again. So
far, in the first phase, candidates were
set towards building up their physical
fitness and condition themselves to
adapt to the toughest and most
challenging situations. Now, a
transition is made from land to water –
the second phase focuses on getting the
candidates to be competent combat
swimmers.
As you can guess, the physical training
that they are continued to be put
through becomes even more rigorous,
with added element of water fitness
being thrown in. candidates who are
not comfortable in water or have a fear
of water will definitely fail this phase;
from diving to swimming, every
candidate is expected to undergo
combat instruction without complaint.
The focus in on training them to be
better swimmers as well as combat
scuba divers. There are two types of
SCUBA diving that the candidates are
put through – open circuit scuba diving
with compressed air and then closed
circuit scuba diving. For those who do
not know the difference, the open
circuit diving involves using a breather
that has only compressed air, whereas
the closed circuit diving breather
continues 100% pure oxygen instead of
just plain compressed air. Both are not
exactly easy to master and the
candidates have to extremely fit to
master these techniques.
Apart from combat diving, the
prospective SEALs are also taught
how to take care of themselves under
the water – basic dive medicine
courses are administered, as are
detailed medical skills that they will
find useful in the field.
What separates the SEALs from other
United States Special Forces is their
ability to make use of swimming and
diving techniques as a means of
transport. This means that there is
special focus given to underwater
dives on a longer distance – not only
do they have to be good combat divers,
they must be able to withstand the
pressures of the ocean for as long a
distance as is possible for them. This
way, their diving techniques become
extremely valuable, especially when
they can transport them from the launch
point to their objective, which few of
the other military forces are capable of
doing.
It goes without saying that only the
candidates who are good with water
complete this phase successfully. As
difficult as the first phase of training
was, with Hell Week and grueling
physical training, the second is even
more challenging. The environment
becomes even more hostile than
previously – they must navigate
treacherous waters, often times at
extreme temperatures and execute
complex maneuvers in stressful
situations.
Once again, the SEALs try to further
build mental toughness by allowing
their students to experience extreme
physical challenges. Only the toughest
men can get through to the third phase,
which begins soon after this one ends.
So to sum it up, only the select few
who survived the attrition that’s the
first phase proceed to Phase 2, also
known as the diving phase, which lasts
for yet another seven weeks and
includes:
-Higher intensity physical training;
-Combat diving skills;
-Scuba diving with compressed air,
a.k.a., open circuit scuba diving;
-Scuba diving with 100% oxygen,
a.k.a., closed-circuit scuba diving;
-Extended-distance underwater
diving; and
-Mission-specific combat diving and
swimming techniques.
This type of training lets them become
comfortable with all kinds of physical
environments and they learn to adapt
themselves to their situation.

Phase 3 – Land Warfare – 7 weeks

The third and final phase of the BUD/S
Training Program also goes for a
period of seven weeks, during which
the recruits learn to actually fight and
how to act in a war. From the under the
water combat diving tactics, the focus
shifts back on to land, this time
focusing on training with actual
weapons.
The prospective SEAL candidates are
taught how to handle basic, classic
weapons, how to use and make
demolitions out of the limited
resources they have around them
within the immediate vicinity, how to
navigate the terrain despite not being
familiar with it, how to patrol and
rappel down rocks and walls, how to
shoot long distances and overall, how
to turn themselves and their own
bodies into dangerous weapons. There
is emphasis placed on how to use
strategy for small units; given that most
SEAL missions take place in secret,
with each unit being tightly knit and
sent into the field together, you can
understand how this might be an
important lesson to learn.
Unlike the first and the second phases
of training, the third is more classroom
oriented than physical. The idea is to
teach the students how to gather
information and data that is required to
complete the mission, process this data
and then react, as the situation demands
it. Skills such as how to read and make
basic maps, how to use the stars and
the compass to navigate unknown
territory, using innocuous objects as
survival tools, etc., are given a lot of
importance and the recruits are
prepared for actual missions out in the
field.
You could say that the first and the
second phases of training were
conditioning of the body and the mind
while the third is the actual prep work
required to be out in the field on
actual, real life missions. They
candidates go from being mere novices
to full functioning SEALs and soldiers
who can survive under any and all
conditions.
To further drive this point home, the
candidates are taken on an actual
onsite simulation. The last three and a
half weeks of the third phase, the team
is transported to San Clemente Island,
which is located around 60 miles from
Coronado, where they are required to
put into practice all the skills that they
have learnt so far. The days are long
and they are expected to survive out in
the harsh conditions, each day
mirroring and simulating the
circumstances of an actual mission and
being in the field.
Once again, this becomes a repetition
of Hell Week in a manner of speaking –
there is very little sleep that they can
afford and training happens dawn to
dusk, seven days in a week. To make
matters worse, they also are expected
to work with live explosives,
demolitions and ammunition. Every
aspect of it is similar to actually being
out in the field – this is to prepare them
for the reality they will face when they
are on missions. A lot of candidates
fail in this round because the
instructors – who are in charge of
making sure they have the skills they
need to survive warfront – are
extremely strict and dole out the
harshest punishments yet.
So, finally – the Third and final phase
– Land Warfare – is where the
candidates undergo training for
handling weapons and military land
and underwater explosives, rappelling,
tactical small units operations and
navigating different land terrains,
among others for seven weeks. It
includes:
-More strenuous physical
conditioning;
-Weapons handling;
-Use of explosives;
-Small unit combat tactics and
strategies;
-Patrolling;
-Rappelling and other rope
operations; and
-Sniping or marksmanship.

With this, the final phase of BUD/S

training comes to an end. Remember
the importance of the mental aspect of
SEALs training? Most candidates who
failed the BUDS program did so not
because of the physical issues but
because of either academics or safety
and competency issues, both of which
require optimal mental performance.
After BUDS, the focus of the
candidates’ trainings shifts from testing
for their high-stress environment
behaviors, reactions and instincts to
building their core competencies.

POST BUDS TRAINING

Right after successfully completing
BUDS, the candidates immediately
proceed to a three-week training on the
basics of parachuting. After which, the
candidates go through a final
qualification training program for eight
weeks, which focuses on procedures,
techniques, tactics, operations and
missions planning.
Being well versed in different aspects
of modern warfare, even if they don’t
necessarily relate to naval operations,
is crucial in making the SEALs a
versatile unit. Thanks to their all-
encompassing specialization, they are
able to answer the call and excel in all
manner of operations, be it on
American soil or abroad.

Parachute Jump School – 3 Weeks

Once the three challenging phases of
their BUD/S Training Program is over,
the prospective SEAL candidates are
given basic knowledge on how to
parachute. This training is geared
towards making them able parachuters,
both in static and free falling parachute
types.
The candidates ate taken to Tactical
Air Operations in San Diego, where
the program is administered. The
program lasts over a period of three
weeks and it has been designed such
that the participants learn how to
become competent free fall jumpers
within the shortest time possible. It is a
highly accelerated program, which has
some of the best instructors in the
world – they are focused on making
sure that the SEALs turn out to be the
best jumpers they can be in the little
time given to them.
In order to finish the course, the
SEALs candidates must go through a
series of jump progressions. These
range from basic static line falls to
accelerated free falls and includes
even making use of combat equipment.
The ultimate goal is finish a night
descent while carrying combat
equipment, from a height of at least
9500 feet. As you can guess, this is no
easy task – men with a fear of heights
will find it extremely difficult. But, as
SEALs do, they will overcome this
fear and master the jump. After
surviving Hell Week, the men will
already be operating on a whole new
level of dedication as the final goal
comes increasingly close to their
grasp. As a matter of fact, according to
a Navy Times report published a few
years back, the graduation rate in
SEAL airborne school is 100%. This
rate is undoubtedly due to the fact that
their parachute course comes after the
BUD/S training, which means that
those who weren’t cut out for it have
already dropped the ball. After
BUD/S, making a few parachute jumps
is far from enough to make those who
have come so close give up. By this
time, the candidates will have learned
to master any irrational and baseless
fears they may have, and parachuting is
definitely one of those since it is
completely safe, technically.
GRADUATION
The Navy SEALs candidates’ training
concludes with the BUDS class
graduation, where the very few and
proud dress in their Navy uniforms.
Then they get the highly coveted
symbol of being official Navy SEALs,
the Trident insignia or pin that they
wear on their uniforms.
Their achievements are recognized in
the presence of senior SEAL leaders,
senior enlisted advisors of Naval
Special Warfare groups, naval
commanding officers, other SEALs
teams, and family members. During the
graduation, and successful candidates
are reminded of just how special the
group that they’re formally joining is
and for them to be worthy of the
sacrificial acts of those who
courageously went before them.
SEAL TRAINING AFTER
GRADUATION
Like I mentioned earlier on, training
for the Navy SEALs does not end with
just qualification into the SEAL
program or becoming part of the
SEALs. Even after they graduate, they
are put through extensive training
before they are sent out on missions. If
you think about it, the BUD/S, though
the most difficult program on earth to
pass, is really only a blip on the radar
when it comes to actual experience or
skills required to face down terrorists
and insurgents and all other dangers.
No wonder, then, that the military puts
them through even more rigorous
training regimens after they become
SEALs officially.

Seal Troop Training

Once they have been assigned to a
SEAL Team/Troop and placed with a
subordinate platoon, they are given
more training to get them battle ready.
This pre-deployment workup can last
anywhere between 12 t 18 months and
is once again divided into three phases
– individuality specialty training, unit
level training and task group level
training.
Individuality Specialty Training
As the name suggests, the training is to
develop specialized skills among the
platoon members to designate them to a
particular position within the team.
The individuality specialty training
usually last for a period of about 6
months and the individual candidates
attend a number of courses. These
courses are designed to teach them
necessary skills that will make the
whole platoon an operational combat
team, depending on where they are
needed and what they are required to
do. Here are a few of the skills that are
focused on extensively –
Sniping
Scouting
Close Quarter Combat
Barrier Penetration and Methods of Entry,
including Surreptitious Entry
Technical Surveillance Operations
Driving Skills, including defensive driving, rally
driving and protective security
Climbing
Parachute Rigging and Jumping
Diving
Advanced Demolition
High Threat Protective Security
Language School
There are many, many more skills,
each of which are taught to specific
team members depending on which
platoon they are serving in and what is
required of them.
Unit Level Training
As the name suggests, this is the
second phase of SEAL training where
the focus is on the unit as a whole.
Again lasting usually for a period of
about six months, Unit Level Training
is geared towards improving their core
mission skills such as –
Land warfare
Urban warfare
Close quarter combat
Combat swimming
Long range target interdiction
Rotary as well as fixed wing air operations
Reconnaissance
The focus is on developing the unit as
a whole – teamwork is given utmost
importance as is using individual skills
to make the entire platoon a success.
Task Group Level Training
Once again lasting for a period of
about 6 months or so, the final phase in
SEAL training is the Task Group Level
Training. The group undergoes
advanced training with supporting
attachments of a SEAL Squadron such
as the Special Boat Teams, the
Intelligence Teams, the Cryptological
Support Teams, the Medical Teams, the
Communication Teams, and the like.
This is to familiarize them with all the
resources the military has to offer them
and teach them to learn to work in
symbiosis with the whole military,
beyond just their platoon alone.
As you can see, the training is geared
to developing both individual skills as
well making them a part of a whole –
first of the SEAL platoon, and then of
the entire Navy and the military itself.
SEALs have a drawn out sense of team
spirit and brotherhood for a reason; out
there, in the field, if you can’t depend
on your comrade, you may as well
throw in the towel.
With this, the final phase of SEAL
training is completed. They are
officially considered to be part of the
Navy SEALs and deemed ready to go
on missions for their country.
Without my pointing it out, it should be
obvious by now that the amount of
challenges the SEALs face is
enormous. They are the toughest,
strongest and most capable men on
earth – for good reason! They are put
through the most grueling of physical
training, which amounts to emotional
and mental torture for civilians. It
teaches them to toughen up and learn to
adapt to situations so that they are able
to not only survive, but also carry out
their mission successfully. You and I
cannot possibly undergo such painful
training so easily, but we can emulate
some of their practices in our own
lives to make us stronger people, able
to face down any difficult situation
without much difficulty.
CHAPTER 3: WHY
SHOULD YOU TRAIN
LIKE A NAVY SEAL?
The reason is simple: because training
like a Navy SEAL will give you the
self-confidence you need to succeed in
life. When you’re as physically and
mentally fit and strong as they are,
there’s no reason for you to feel
inferior and incapable of achieving
great things. You don’t need to be a
Navy SEAL to win in life but using the
same principles and techniques they do
can certainly help you prepare to enjoy
great successes in life.
Once you really get to the grass roots
of our problems and failures in life,
you’ll find that most of them are
resulting from a simple lack of
confidence. Getting that job you want,
going for a promotion, taking a step
forward in virtually any direction in all
walks of life, all of these undertakings
require confidence to get things rolling
on the right track. Often we may find
ourselves not living up to our potential
and accomplishing our goals even if
we are capable and skilled enough,
only because we may be afraid to take
action.
Of course, vanity and misguided
complacency won’t get you anywhere
either. What confidence is about is
knowing and understanding one’s self
fully, being aware of our flaws, but
working with what we are to the best
of our ability and achieving the
maximum result. Confidence is not
letting your few shortcomings get in the
way of your success as you harness
your virtues and advantages to their
full potential.

PHYSICAL FITNESS
Let’s face it, being fit and in shape
goes a long way to boost any person’s
confidence. It may sound rather vain
or superficial but that’s the truth.
Training the way Navy SEALs do can
definitely help you get in great physical
shape and achieve excellent physical
fitness and conditioning.
Being in the best shape of your life is
not only about looking good or being
attractive. Exercise is primarily about
health and wellbeing. When your body
is healthy, your mind will be as well;
this is just the natural order of things
with all living creatures. As you
improve your physical shape, you will
be tremendously rewarded when you
achieve the perfect balance between
your mental and physical states. This
will in turn significantly boost your
overall mindset, mood and, ultimately,
confidence. As a matter of fact, feeling
healthy and being disciplined will
make you more confident than your
reflection in the mirror ever could.

EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL

TOUGHNESS
Most of our battles in life are mental or
emotional. The same holds true for
Navy SEALs. While it’s true that
they’re some of the world’s most
physically superior human specimens,
their physical conditioning merely gets
them in the front porch of this elite
club. Most of the time, what gets them
in or kicks them out is mental and
emotional toughness or the lack of it.
Because of this, only the strongest
emotionally and mentally actually
make it in and stay there. Confidence
is a mental and emotional issue.
Training for mental and emotional
toughness will definitely make you a
confident person.
Once the bullets start whizzing around
the soldiers, their physical strength is
what fuels their fighting and survival.
But, it is their perseverance that pushes
them to overcome the odds and prevail
in battle, coming out on top each time.
Even for us mere mortals, a simple fact
of life is that no matter how much of a
beating your physical body can
withstand, it’s only your mental
resilience that will keep you from
keeling over and calling it quits. It
matters not what kind of tools you have
at your disposal, without the strength of
character and rock-solid power of
will, you chances of success will
plummet drastically.

NUTRITION
Lastly, all the physical, emotional and
mental training in the world may not
give you the optimum results you want
if you don’t have enough energy and
nutrients to power you through them.
That’s why proper nutrition is essential
to Navy SEALs training and
performance. And to the extent you
can master your nutrition is the extent
you can successfully train your body,
mind and emotions, all of which will
lead to higher self-esteem.
People will often neglect, or
completely overlook, the importance of
strategically planning out your diet.
More than just the amount you eat, the
kind of food you have and the times of
day you eat it are paramount. Make no
mistake, successful exercise and daily
functioning begin and end with a
perfectly balanced, well-structured
diet. All military forces in the world
since ancient times, especially the
likes of Navy SEALs, have known full
well that a well-fed soldier is an
efficient, strong and motivated one.
CHAPTER 4: FITNESS
Because of the very demanding nature
of their missions, Navy SEALs need to
be in optimal physical shape to be able
to successfully carry them out. With
all that moving, running and weapons
they need to carry as well as the need
to effectively defend themselves, Navy
SEALs need to be in great
cardiovascular shape on top of being
nimble, quick and strong. As such, the
cornerstones of the Navy SEALs’
fitness programs are cardio workout
and calisthenics.
Besides the fact that the nature of their
missions often requires traversing
incredible distances in adverse
conditions, individual SEALs must be
in tip-top shape in case disaster strikes
as well. Despite all the planning and
intelligence, unforeseen circumstances
will still occur in war. Sometimes, an
individual SEAL might get separated
from his unit due to casualties or
unfavorable weather conditions.
During a 2005 Afghanistan mission,
codenamed Operation Red Wings, a
reconnaissance team comprised of four
SEALs came under an effective and
brutal ambush in Kunar Province,
which left three of them killed in
action. Marcus Luttrell, although
wounded, managed to survive and be
rescued, while successfully avoiding
capture and contact with the enemy
with the help of the locals. Despite the
disastrous operation, this man kept his
head and saw home again, living to tell
his tale. It takes a strong and well-
forged frame of mind and body to
overcome these situations, and
exercise surely plays a big part here.

CARDIO
It’s not uncommon to hear about how
far from shores Navy SEALs often
disembark from to stealthily approach
enemy territory and successfully
conduct their high-stakes, high-profile
missions. They swim from such a far
distance with weapons and gear on. I
don’t know about you but I would
consider myself to be in relatively
great cardiovascular condition given I
can finish 10-kilometer runs but for the
life of me, I can’t even swim 50 meters
straight in the pool with nothing but my
Speedos on. And when you consider
that they swim with gear for relatively
far distances in open water, with
currents, and then you begin to see just
how much cardiovascular conditioning
these guys need.
Then you think about how candidates
need to run 1.5 miles in under 11:30 in
nothing but their uniform pants and in
army boots. Yes, not in high tech
modern running shoes but in army
training boots. And that’s just to
qualify for training!
Of course, you don’t need to be able to
swim in open water, 1 kilometer away
from shore with weapons. Nor do you
need to be able to run 1.5 miles in
under 11:30 in nothing but army boots
and pants. But if you want to be in
great physical shape and conditioning,
you’ll need to do regular cardio
workouts.
Cardio workouts are exercises that
increase your heart rate, improve
oxygen delivery to the muscles and
burn body fat. Typically, cardio
workouts employ large muscle groups
for a specified period of time. Using
large muscle groups, such as the legs,
burn more calories and fat.
Naturally, with each new ground you
break in your exercises and with each
new record you set for yourself, you
gradually become sturdier and tougher.
The trick is to keep pushing yourself
and keep increasing those distances
and timing. Considering that you’re not
going to be humping claymores, guns
and rocket launchers, you can still
focus on the numbers we mentioned
before, and strive to get on the SEAL
level. It can certainly be done.
The most practical way to get regular
cardio workouts in is by running. All
you need is a good pair of running
shoes, running shorts, and a good
fitting shirt and you’re good to go. You
can run in the streets, on trails, on a
treadmill in the gym or on an oval
track. The only limitation really is
your mind and occasionally, the
weather. Other excellent forms of
cardio workouts include biking and
swimming, both of which are better
than running in the sense that running
and biking don’t subject your joints to
impact forces but are more expensive
and less practical as both need special
equipment to perform. Even Navy
SEALs run for regular cardio and
stamina workouts.
Remember that the core values here
are discipline and dedication. If you
want to reach a high level of physical
ability, it will require certain
sacrifices and possibly saying goodbye
to some of your favorite viands and
snacks. More importantly, there can be
no skipping out on training sessions.
Imagine if a drill instructor ordered a
SEAL to get ready for a running
course, and the subordinate “doesn’t
feel like it”, or he prefers to stay in and
watch a movie with some snacks – just
for today. That won’t work.

CALISTHENICS
Bodyweight exercises have been a
staple in most civilizations’ physical
fitness regimens for centuries dating
back as far as the Greek and Roman
empires. Their armies performed
calisthenics to get in great fighting
shape, just like the Navy SEALs.
Further, they didn’t have the benefit of
modern exercise equipment like
barbells, dumbbells and machines for
resistance training. All they really had
were trees, rocks, and their bodies.
Calisthenics are still more than a
relevant form of exercise, especially in
the military, mostly due to their simple
practicality. Using just your God-given
body and its mass, you can achieve
much better results than you may
initially expect.
The beautiful thing about calisthenics
is that it doesn’t just help build
muscles but that it builds just the right
amount of it, as well as functional
strength. When it comes to fighting,
functional strength is what it’s all
about. The best way for me to
differentiate functional from lifting
strength is scaling a wall.
In order to scale a tall wall, you’ll
need to be able to jump high enough to
reach the top with both hands and pull
yourself up. In terms of jumping, leg
strength is obviously important. So
based on leg strength alone, who do
you think can jump high enough to
reach the top of the wall to hang – a
150 pound gymnast who can only squat
100 pounds or a 300 pound
bodybuilder with legs the size of tree
trunks and can squat 600 pounds?
That’s right – it’s the gymnast. That’s
the difference between functional and
lifting strength.
Now let’s look at pulling themselves
up on the wall. Who do you think will
be able to scale up that wall by pulling
himself up: the gymnast who can only
pull down 100 pounds on the lat pull
down machine or the bodybuilder who
can pull down 300 or even 400
pounds? That’s right, the gymnast.
Since Navy SEALs train for strength in
order to be quick, nimble and powerful
in combat and be strong enough to
carry weapons and gear, it goes
without saying that they need functional
strength more than lifting strength.
That’s why they hardly use resistance
training equipment but instead train
with different exercises using just their
bodyweight.
As you can see, agility, muscle
coordination, and grace of movement
are the name of the game. Functional
strength has a far wider range of
application, which is what makes it the
shape of choice for these versatile
warriors. On the other hand, lifting
strength is good for, well, lifting.
Here are some of the best calisthenics
exercises for developing functional
strength ala-Navy SEALs:
-Chest/Triceps: Regular grip push-
ups and diamond grip push-ups.
-Back/Biceps: Wide-grip pull-ups,
reverse-grip pull-ups, bodyweight
back extensions and deadlifts with a
boulder or heavy objects.
-Legs: Bodyweight squats;
bodyweight lunges, jumping squats,
single leg bodyweight squats,
bodyweight calf-raises, box-jumps,
bounds and long jumps from a
standing position.
-Core Muscles: Sit-ups, crunches,
planks, side-planks, leg raises,
hanging leg raises, and trunk twists.
-Overall Strength: Burpees.
As a beginner, start by doing this twice
to three times a week and gradually
increase frequency to four times a
week for each muscle group. Make
sure there’s at least 48 hours of rest for
each muscle group prior to working
them out again.
If you work out all the muscle groups
in one session, you can only workout
four times a week in order to give your
muscles at least 48 hours of recovery
in between sessions. If you do a split
body workout, one body part per
session, you can work out every day.
For example, you could do legs on
Monday, chest on Tuesday, back on
Wednesday, core muscles on Thursday
and total body on Saturday.
Start with 2 sets of 10 repetitions for
each exercise and if it’s too easy for
you, add repetitions or sets
accordingly.
Getting to the Navy SEALs’ level of
training is a gradual process. It could
not and should not be achieved over a
short period of time. This holds
especially true for us average Joes;
going at it too intensely and too fast
will not produce the desired results
and may even leave you injured or
otherwise hinder your health. This is
why the SEALs make sure that their
candidates are regularly checked for
any problems as they develop and
advance through their training step by
step. Be fast to begin training, but take
your time as you build up your strength
and stamina, this is the best way to get
the most out of your exercise.
CHAPTER 5:
COURAGE
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery
of fear, not the absence of fear.” - Mark
Twain
The ability to master one’s emotions is
crucial for any form of personal
success, be it in terms of relationships,
career, finances, or just about any
endeavor that is worth pursuing. If you
want to at least be a good leader,
you’ll need to inspire your followers
or subordinates not with mere words
but with courage. Nothing else erodes
credibility with and trust of followers
and subordinates than showing fear in
the midst of challenging situations. At
the same time, no factor is as crucial in
leadership as the personal example.
Not just in military and combat, but in
ordinary walks of life, setting an
example can motivate subordinates to
no limits, and not just subordinates, but
peers and even complete strangers.
Entire revolutions have been sparked
on this principle.
The history of warfare, in particular, is
full of such instances. If I may be
allowed a slight divergence from our
main topic for a minute, I’m going to
make mention of a very interesting
video I’ve seen on the internet, to
compliment further the phenomenon of
leadership by example. In the video, a
soldier, fighting in the recent conflict in
Eastern Ukraine, is being interviewed
by a reporter. While he’s describing
the current situation on the front lines,
a terrifying sound of incoming rocket
artillery interrupts the conversation. As
most of the soldiers can be seen in the
background, scurrying and rushing
towards the nearby building for cover,
this guy just stands there, puffing away
on his cigarette, paying basically no
mind to the impending rain of death.
And then the most interesting thing
happens; the last soldier to head
towards cover can be seen turning
around, and upon seeing the
fearlessness of his comrade, he comes
around and changes his mind – staying
outside. For me, this was a shining
example of how courage, much like
fear, spreads from one person to the
next like wildfire.
Given that these soldiers were most
likely regulars or volunteers, and by no
means spec-ops, imagine the courage
instilled into the likes of Navy SEALs,
who dedicate their lives to perfecting
the arts of courage and battle.
Evidence of this is the many
commendations won by this relatively
young unit. As a matter of fact, quite a
few SEALs have been awarded the
Medal of Honor in the past few
decades, the highest existing
decoration in the US military. Keep in
mind that this is despite the generally
covert and secretive nature of their
operations. We will touch upon some
of these stories of heroism as we go
along.
If most people have a very hard time
managing their emotions, consider just
how tough Navy SEALs are in this
regard considering the challenging
conditions under which they need to
master and control their emotions.
Navy SEALs are some of the world’s
bravest men. And you know what their
secret is? Habituation. If you can
learn how to use the principle of
habituation, you can master your fears
and live life to the fullest!

HABITUATION
One of the reasons why successful
SEALs candidates are relatively
fearless compared to the rest of the
human race is due to their training,
which employs a psychological
technique called habituation. This
refers to the practice of exposing a
person to things that he’s normally
scared of. As that person is repeatedly
exposed to such fear, he starts to get
used to it and the fear starts to lose
power over him. Eventually, he
becomes immune to the things he fears
and overcomes them. This is
essentially mind over matter.
It’s like being down 2 points with a
second to go and making a 3-point shot
with a defender’s arms and hands in
front of your face. It's approaching that
woman you've been admiring for so
long from a distance to introduce
yourself and ask her out.
Because the primary weapons systems
for any modern army are its people’s
minds, successfully becoming a Navy
Seal is not all about how physically fit
you are. Yes, it’s crucial that you are
extremely physically fit but being so is
just a prerequisite for becoming a
Navy Seal. As mentioned earlier, many
candidates either quit or fall out of the
program due to mental weaknesses,
which includes controlling or
managing one’s fears.
It is widely believed that human
adaptability knows no bounds. This
virtue of our species has roots within
our evolutionary path, but it is best
exemplified by our dissemination
throughout the world, in all climates
and conditions where we thrive. But
more importantly for our context here,
this applies on the individual level as
well. Namely, our ability to train our
minds to function under virtually any
degree of strain and hardship has
gotten us to where we are. We are no
longer guided by mere instinct but have
the cognitive ability to analyze
situations and pinpoint those that make
us fearful and reluctant. We have the
mental tools to surmount practically
any hurdle we may encounter.

FEAR AND THE BRAIN

Whenever we encounter threats and

danger, our brain has an automated
system that’s activated before we’re
able to consciously act on such threats
and danger, which serves as our
powerful self-defense mechanism. And
this system is nestled in our amygdala.

The amygdala is that part of our brain

that was developed just before the
thinking or conscious part called
neocortex. The amygdala is part of our
brain’s limbic system, the purpose of
which is to manage our emotional
responses or reactions like aggression
and fear. Just like with social
hierarchies, seniority is also a factor in
terms of who gets first dibs at stuff
when it comes to our responses to
dangerous and threatening situations.
The amygdala, together with the limbic
system, is older than the neocortex
(evolutionary speaking, that is) and as
such; the limbic system and the
amygdala often have first dibs in terms
of determining our emotional
responses to threats and danger. In
other words, our subconscious
reactions often precede conscious
ones.
Consider when you first approached
the girl you’ve had a crush on for the
longest time. Wasn’t it that despite
your best efforts to control your
nervousness (breathing slowly and
deeply and relaxing your muscles),
your heart was still throbbing like
powered sub-woofers in a club and
your throat started to dry up? That’s
what the limbic and amygdala’s
seniority looks like.
A more practical example is this.
Have you ever watched one of those
shows that feature people pranking
others with firecrackers or by
surprising them when they least
expected it? How did the “victims”
react? They either shrieked or
screamed for a second or two before
being able to control their actions.
That’s the amygdala at work. No
matter how hard they tried to control
their reactions, being surprised
showed just how much faster the
amygdala is in terms of controlling a
person’s reactions.
At this point, can you see that when it
comes to situations where you feel
threatened or are in danger, the two
parts of your brain that struggle for
control are the neocortex, a.k.a., the
frontal lobes, which is the area
responsible for your rational and
conscious decisions and actions and
the amygdala, which is an area that’s
deep inside the brain and is at least
twice as fast in terms of reacting to
protect yourself?
This is the age-old battle that keeps
raging within us. It is the conflict
between the evolved and the primal,
between the rational and irrational,
animalistic and human. As we grow to
understand the concept and the inner
workings of fear better and better, it
will become simpler to learn how to
defeat it more easily. Besides, great
headway has already been made
towards mastering our impulsive
reactions. This is evident by the
success of military forces such as the
Navy SEALs, yes, but science is also
hard at work to develop this area even
further.
Studies conducted by the University of
California and Harvard have made
headway in terms of unmasking the
mysterious creatures called
remembered and primal fears. Experts
have long thought that learned or
acquired “fears” are to the amygdala, a
crucial part of the brain in terms of
memories, like bubble gum is to hair –
stuck! Two experts from the University
of Puerto Rico’s medical school,
Kevin Corcoran and Gregory Quirk,
discovered that forming new memories
in the pre-frontal cortex, another
crucial area of the brain for memories,
could overlay or supersede bad
memories stored in the amygdala, such
as fear. The Navy SEALs use this to
impart the ability to master fear to their
candidates by having them repeat
actions that involve things most people
fear over and over and over, believing
that this enables candidates to
“unlearn” bad memories and fears. As
is, all things are experientially neutral.
It is how they’re interpreted by the
person experiencing it that makes it
good or bad.
Neuroscientists and expert
psychologists currently agree that
consistently confronting one’s fears,
triggers, memories or stimuli, is the
key to successfully controlling or
managing fears. Exposure therapy can
cure up to 90% of people who suffer
from specific phobias or extreme fears,
according to Boston University’s
Center for Anxiety and Related
Disorders director David Barlow.
With this in mind, the key to courage, at
least as far as the Navy SEALs are
concerned, is to simply face fears and
challenging situations head on day in
and day out, week in and week out
until the fears lose their power.
Essentially, what they attempt to do is
to bend the body’s software in such a
manner that they manage to control its
hardware. As it should be obvious by
now, the physical tests that SEALs go
through is nowhere near as painful as
the mental torture they dish out; one
must toughen up or one will fail to pass
their BUDs. The SEALs firmly believe
that man’s strongest weapon is not the
armor or the gun he has, but the mind
that he has trained to react in split
seconds. If you are mentally tough, then
anything within your vicinity can be
turned into a weapon or a tool to
protect you; being smart, being present
and being powerful in spite of any pain
you are in – this is the kind of mental
toughness the SEALs aim to train their
men into.
To expand further on the previous
ideas of the brain and ‘unlearning’ your
memories – it is basically adaptation
and evolution at work. Earlier on, the
general belief among psychologists
was that once an animal – or person, in
this case – learned that it should be
afraid of something that memory,
stored in the amygdala will never
vanish. This belief was proved to be
wrong, as we saw – Quirk and
Corcoran figured out that we could
supersede our bad memories with
better and good ones. You just need to
replace the memories in your
amygdala.
So how do you do this? By exposing
yourself again and again to the thing
that scares you constantly. You must
repeat the action over and over,
understanding firmly that you are
conquering your fears, that you are
‘unlearning’ a learned behavior. And
you need to dig deeper into yourself to
fight your fear – try to understand why
you are afraid of this particular
situation. After all, most fears stem
from a lack of understanding; that
comprehension is the first step to
facing it.
The truth, as I mentioned, is that no
experience is actually good or bad – it
just is. It is your perception of the
experience that makes it a good or a
bad memory. This is why different
people have different reactions to the
same things; a person is fond of the
outdoors and exercise may enjoy
falling down a few times when he’s
learning how to ski for the first time,
but someone who hates that kind of
experience will probably file the
memory away under ‘bad times’ in his
brain. This means that your fear is
exclusive only to you and you are the
only person who can conquer it.
The kind of exposure therapy the
SEALs offer helps them overcome
them fears to an enormous extent.
When you are placed constantly in
something that terrifies you, you slowly
begin to overcome it, either because
you understand it or you adapt to it.
You may not like it and it may even
still scare to an extent, but it will not
paralyze you with fear as it has for so
long.
Human beings have an enormous
ability to adapt to a situation – we
have a resilience inherent within us as
mammals that has allowed us to evolve
into a powerful, sentient race over the
eons we have been alive on earth. The
problem is that this inherent trait is
buried somewhere deep inside and has
become lost in the cluttered chaos of
everyday life. In the SEALs, being kept
away from that pitter-patter of
civilization, you learn to rediscover
that inherent strength within you, being
forced to face your fears as you are.
So when you put yourself into the
situation that scares you again and
again, day in and day out, you will
slowly adapt to the circumstances. You
will begin to emotionally detach
yourself from that which scares you –
you understand it and then your
response to it becomes more positive
than negative. The more you expose
yourself to it, the easier it becomes,
until you become a part of the
environment itself. And when you are
part of the very situation that scares
you, you become immune to your fear.
This is one of the things that separates
us from animals and testifies to the fact
that we have far surpassed any known
species in the course of our evolution.
As you have just learned, the
unconscious brain is the perpetrator in
that it learns to get triggered by a given
situation, object, environment, etc.
When an animal attains this trigger, it
will remain forever ingrained in its
brain. It is obvious why we, as
humans, are no longer enslaved by
these mechanisms. In spite of our
primal instincts still persisting, our
cognitive functions have evolved
through all bounds and have gifted us
with the ability to analyze and
understand natural processes, and most
importantly, solve problems.
That is exactly what our fear reaction
mechanisms are – a problem. Luckily it
is a problem that we keep getting better
at solving, in turn making us an even
sturdier and more adaptable species
than we already are. Our ability to get
tougher mentally, instead of just
physically, is the ultimate weapon at
our disposal.
The difference between a man who
completes the BUD training and the
man who doesn’t is this mental
toughness. Given that they have
overcome their fears, these men learn
how to bend their situation to their
will; you take your fear and turn it into
a weapon that you can make use of to
protect yourself. The fear becomes a
tool to solve problems, instead of
crippling and paralyzing you. They are
ready to do whatever they have to
survive and protect, and they learn to
use their fear to make those split
second decisions that could mean a
person’s life.

OVERCOMING FEAR, THE NAVY

SEALS WAY

Because life-threatening situations are

part of Navy SEALs regular diets,
they’re the very first people who need
to keep their emotions, particularly
fears, under control. As such, who
else to best learn fear control from than
the Navy SEALs? When it comes to
doing so, they utilize a technique
known as The Big Four, which as the
name suggests has four parts: goals,
visualization, positive self-talk, and
arousal control.
One of the many outstanding examples
of incredible valor displayed by a
Navy SEAL surely is the story of
Michael A. Monsoor. Namely, this
courageous individual has exemplified
the ability to conquer the ultimate of
fears – the fear of death. And not only
did he sacrifice his life for his country,
but for his comrades. In September of
2006, Monsoor and his teammates,
along with their Iraqi allies, found
themselves engaged in a firefight
against Ramadi insurgents from their
rooftop sniper position. In the course
of the ensuing battle, an enemy frag
grenade found its way onto the roof,
ending up right in front of him. Without
any hesitation, Monsoor threw himself
on top of the grenade, fully absorbing
the impact of the explosion, saving his
comrades from certain death. This
gallant act earned him a posthumous
Medal of Honor and an eternal place
among legends. Needless to say, this
kind of split-second action, and
complete disregard for one’s own
safety goes to show that this is not
about glory or recognition, as nobody
thinks about these things in such a dire
situation. It is almost a reflex action
towards sacrifice and selflessness.
Whether this virtue is learned or
innate, it lies beyond my
comprehension and limited wisdom.
Imagine the frame of mind and the sort
of character of a man who makes this
decision in a split second, selflessly
sacrificing his own life without any
second thoughts, only to protect his
teammates. This degree of valor
surpasses any notions of patriotism,
and instead represents the purity of
courageous spirit, and is the very
epitome of sacrifice and dedication to
the man next to you in combat.
In the interest of our Earthly subject of
conquering fear in everyday life, which
pales in comparison to the
aforementioned heroism, we’ll take a
more detailed look into each of the
four components within the SEAL
technique called The Big Four.
Although you probably won’t be
smothering grenades and earning
medals any time soon, this is no reason
not to learn from the best and get an
edge on life.

Goals

Goal setting is as common to

successful people as breathing is to
living. But the difference between
ordinary successful people and Navy
SEALs is that the SEALs’ goals aren’t
general or opaque, they’re very
detailed and specific. Just how
specific? Consider that their goals are
broken down into micro, short-term,
mid-term and long-terms goals.
An example of just how specific Navy
SEALs can be in terms of setting goals,
consider the way they treat their BUDS
training program. Instead of looking at
it as one, 6-month long program,
successful candidates broke it down
into weekly, daily, hourly and even
per-minute goals! An example of this
is their 90-minute grinder sessions,
which are performed at 6 in the
morning prior to having breakfast.
They focus on successfully finishing
that 90-minute session before they even
think of anything else. They even
break it down further into sets, which
they completely focus on. The process
of breaking down their goals to as
small as extremely possible units that
are very specific and simple, allows
their mind focus undistracted on one
goal at a time. It’s this practice of
setting short-term and micro-level
goals and combining these with longer-
term, more general goals that sets Navy
SEALs apart from the rest of the human
race in terms of controlling and
managing fears for personal success.
So how can you apply it to your
personal life? Consider making a list
of things you need to do on a daily
basis. Instead of looking at your
schedule on a daily basis, look at it
from a more micro level or per task.
Like the successful Navy SEALs
candidates, focus your energy and
attention on just one task at a time
before moving on to the next. Refuse
to move on to your next item unless
you’re done with the current one as
much as possible. Doing so trains your
mind to be relentless in pursuing a
goal, just like how Navy SEALs are
when on missions.
Many of us will focus too hard on our
long-term goal and end up stumbling
over smaller and more imminent tasks
along the way. Think of it as walking
towards a certain goal a few miles
away. On what do you focus as you
walk? Of course, you will always look
at what’s right in front of you;
otherwise, you’d trip on something in
your path. Absolutely, this simple
philosophy can be successfully applied
in life to great effect. By taking things
one small task or goal at a time, you
may not even notice how far you went
along your way, and just how much
you’ve accomplished in a small period
of time.
Visualization

World-class performers and athletes

have long used visualization, also
known as mental practice, to get better
and better at their crafts by augmenting
actual physical rehearsals. In fact,
many performance psychologists
believe that visualization is as
important as physical practice in terms
of achieving peak performance.
During the BUDS training program,
candidates who excel tend to practice
visualization.
Case in point: the Second Phase of
BUDS training. One of the training
exercises that candidates are required
to do is performing various corrective
actions and emergency procedures for
handling problematic underwater
situations with scuba equipment while
underwater. Further, their instructors
disconnect their equipment while doing
so in order to simulate the worst-case
scenario of being left deep beneath the
water without equipment. If the
candidate seems to be too tense or
anxious during the exercise, the
instructor fails that candidate. This is
one of the most challenging graded
exercises in BUDS training.
The candidates who excelled and
passed the exercise on the first go
prepared for it by watching mental
movies of themselves performing the
necessary corrective actions while
being attacked underwater. And
because they already “saw” the
performance and the attacks in their
minds beforehand, their minds were
ready by the time the actual scenarios
unfolded, which gave them full control
over their mental and physical faculties
on their way to excellently passing the
exercise on the first try.
You can do the same with just about
any challenging task or situation that
gives you the heebie-jeebies or makes
you afraid or anxious. Is it conducting
a sales pitch to your first big-ticket
prospect? Imagine yourself
confidently, persuasively and
eloquently pitching your product or
service to your prospective big-ticket
clients and anticipate every possible,
and even scary, questions that they may
throw at you. By doing so, you
significantly reduce the possibility of
being blind-sided by difficult questions
or challenging remarks and increases
your chances of successfully pitching
to your potentially first big-ticket
account.
As a matter of fact, it may be most
important to visualize all the ways in
which the situation can go wrong and
get out of hand. You should even get
creative when imagining all of the
possible glitches and disasters, which
may strike. With each calamity you
dream up, work hard on developing a
corresponding solution and course of
action through which you will get past
the problem. This would work a lot
like getting ready for a test with a list
of possible questions, making sure you
know the answer to each and every
one!

Positive Self-Talk

Believe it or not, you actually talk to

yourself several times daily. It’s just
that you’re unaware when you do it.
But that shouldn’t actually worry you.
What should is the fact that not all of
the things you tell yourself are positive
or build you up. Some of them are
negative or tear you down such as:
“You’re not good enough to win that
account!”
“You’re not man enough for that chick
you’re in love with!”
“You’re not smart enough to get into
that university!”
Interestingly, successful Navy SEALs
candidates that passed BUDS training
learned to block out all forms of
negative self-talk and only spoke
positive affirmations to themselves for
motivation and empowerment. One of
the ways they talk positively to
themselves is by reminding themselves
that of countless others who have gone
before them were able to complete the
training program, so can they. They
remind themselves that given their
superior physical conditioning, there
should be no reason why they can’t
pass the BUDS physical screening
tests. Lastly, they’re their own drill
sergeants when they yell to themselves
never to quit no matter what.
So how does this translate to your
personal life? You may not go through
the same hellish situations that Navy
SEALs go through but keep in mind
that the word “hellish” is relative.
Your situations may not be, as life
threatening as those of the Navy
SEALs but it doesn’t mean you don’t
need positive self-talk. You do.
It’s as simple as refraining from telling
yourself or others things that put you
down or downplays your skills and
abilities. There’s a huge difference
between positive self-talk and
arrogance. You can be both humble
and talk positively to yourself.
Arrogance is telling yourself “No one
can beat me in this game because the
competition sucks.” while positive
self-talk says to yourself that “I can
win over any opponent because I
worked hard at mastering the game and
I take my opponents’ skill levels
seriously.”
Positive self-talk isn’t just about when
you’re facing or about to face
challenging situations. You perform it
on yourself as often as possible. The
more frequently you talk positively to
yourself, the faster you can be more
confident and control your fears and
anxieties.
A lot of people actually do this without
even thinking about it. The
unconscious, positive self-talk is
usually very basic, brief and doesn’t
do much in the way of confidence. The
trick is to make a conscious effort to
analyze your qualities, virtues, and
advantages, to be able to find an
objective basis for your conviction that
you can succeed – and, believe me,
you can find this basis. If you are trying
to reach a particular goal, that means
you already possess the essential
qualities to achieve it. It’s all about
pinpointing those qualities and
reminding yourself that you do, in fact,
have what it takes, until your resolve
hardens further.

Arousal Control

Part of mental resiliency is the ability

to control arousal or responses to
outside stimuli (arousal) such as
danger and excitement. This is
because in order to power through
pain, suffering and fear, one must be
able to keep himself from being
controlled by his body and must be
able to control his response to such
stimuli. Part of this response is the
emotion of fear. Navy SEALs learn to
control their psychological as well as
their physiological responses to
external stimuli during their trainings.
Here’s how it works. Our bodies
release certain chemicals like
endorphins and cortisol whenever it
senses dangers and threats or if
overwhelmed. The release of such
chemicals is what causes our bodily
functions to malfunction, our hearts to
pound like subwoofers in a club, our
minds to race as if they’re Formula
One cars and our palms to sweat as if
they were in a sauna. While they’re
natural stress and danger responses,
the ability to control these stimuli
arousals for Navy SEALs to maintain
poise even in the most stressful,
dangerous and even exciting mission
situations and environments.
Remember, it’s not about the absence
of fear, fear is okay, and it is
completely natural. There is no man
alive who simply isn’t afraid of
anything in life, but this becomes
irrelevant once you learn to conduct
yourself despite this fear and function
as if you are in any other, normal
situation. That’s what courage is,
keeping your fears at bay or even
working for you, operating no matter
how intense they become.
One technique that Navy SEALs use to
control their arousals, which you can
use as well to control your fears, is the
4X4. It’s a breathing technique where
you deeply inhale for 4 seconds and
exhale steadily over the next 4
seconds, repeating for at least 1 minute
for maximum calming effect.
Breathing has long been established as
an effective means of suppressing
bouts of anxiety or fighting milder
panic attacks in psychiatric practice.
Hiking up your oxygen intake and
getting a strong grip on your lungs is
crucial in these situations due to the
simple fact that a deliberate surge of
oxygen to your brain will help maintain
cognitive function as much as possible.
At moments when we feel anxious or
afraid we may not even notice that we
have actually stopped breathing, this
can not only impede on your brain’s
activity but can manifest some physical
problems as well, such as trembling or
even fainting. Employing the 4x4
breathing effort can help in those dire
situations, let alone in simpler ones
where there isn’t that much of a threat
to begin with.
So the next time you feel anxiety
kicking in as you approach that
beautiful woman you’ve always been
meaning to ask out or as you step up
onstage to give your first public
speech, take a minute or two to do the
4X4 so you can control your fear and
succeed in your endeavor.
CHAPTER 6:
RESILIENCE

If you carefully observe the Navy

SEALs, you’ll notice that one of their
best tactics for achieving the seemingly
impossible things is sheer
determination or resilience to keep on
going on with their missions despite
being saddled with just about any
conceivable snag, accident or
unforeseen situational changes.
They’ve learned that failure to quickly
get back on their feet after
experiencing massive and crippling
failures has very dire consequences.
Training through failures with the
expectations of winning develops
resiliency.
Before we delve into the ways of
applying this virtue to our daily lives
and pursuit of success, let us reflect on
another true story of bravery and
resilience, yet again shown by a Medal
of Honor recipient from the ranks of
Navy SEALs.
Remember the 2005 “Operation Red
Wings,” which we mentioned in
chapter 4? Well, the man of the hour –
or rather, this chapter – is Lt. Michael
P. Murphy, who died along with two
other teammates from his squad where
Marcus Luttrell was the sole survivor.
As his four-man team came under a
deadly ambush in the Kunar Province
of Afghanistan, orchestrated by a much
larger militia force, Murphy and his
men became engaged in a deadly clash
through the harsh, mountainous terrain.
While making their way down the
slopes of the mountain and toward a
local village, the team stopped in
cover to attempt to call in
reinforcements.
After taking a suitable defense position
and cover, casualties began to mount
on both sides and as it was quickly
discovered, the adverse terrain made
communication next to impossible. As
the team’s communications officer fell,
and others became wounded, Murphy
kept trying to reach out to their HQ, but
to no avail. Stricken by the peril of his
men, and acutely aware of the danger,
Lt. Murphy stormed into open terrain
and directly into the incoming enemy
fire in order to establish contact with
command. While bullets were cracking
all around him, he used his sat-phone
and successfully reached the HQ,
relaying the call for help. Upon getting
shot through the chest area, the device
fell out of his hands, but he picked it
back up and confirmed the
transmission, and only after the
exchange did he make his way back to
his team in cover! Unfortunately, the
next time he was hit he fell dead.
Michael P. Murphy was 29 years old at
the time of his heroic death, and the
first Navy serviceman since the
Vietnam War to receive the highest
decoration in the military.
The devotion to duty and camaraderie
which has been shown here serves to
demonstrate further what the Navy
SEAL ethos is all about. Furthermore,
this particular act and others like it
exemplify that which a resilient and
highly motivated individual can do.
Again, comparing any hardships of
daily life to the horrors of war is out of
the question, but such extreme cases
show you just how far the resilience of
character can take a man. This is why
this virtue is held in high regard among
the SEALs.
Simply put, resiliency is crucial for
personal success, especially if you’re
chasing lofty goals. The following
steps can help you develop Navy
SEALs-like resiliency for powering
through very difficult and challenging
situations and coming out successfully
on top.

IDENTIFICATION

You can’t control or manage your

emotional reactions and develop
resiliency if you’re not aware of them
in the first place. Therefore,
identifying and witnessing your
negative reactions as they arise is the
crucial first step. Whenever you feel
afraid, anxious or distressed, notice
how you emotionally react. Does your
heart palpitate? Does your breathing
become shallow? Do you snap out
easily towards others? It is important
to be self-critical and objective during
this process. You may find quite a few
weaknesses in your character. This is
something that can and should be fixed,
but you must acknowledge these
shortcomings in order to address them
adequately. A little self-honesty goes a
long way towards improving your
performance in life.

GET TO THE ROOT

After you’ve identified or witnessed

your particular emotional reactions to
challenging situations, get to the bottom
of it. In other words, find out why
you’re feeling and responding that way,
the roots. Often times, identifying the
emotional root is enough to help a
person overcome their emotional
reactions and become resilient in the
face of overwhelming challenges and
odds. This is where the art of
introspection comes in. Some people’s
entire lives are spent in introspection,
which can sometimes be tormenting for
an individual, but it is important to be
able to do this nonetheless. Looking
deep inside yourself without any lens
will show you many aspects of your
personality upon which you can
improve.
The art of introspection, as I just
referred to it, works only if you are
honest with yourself, though. Just as is
the case with anything else in life, it is
important to remain objective and
realistic, never sugar coating things for
personal comfort. If you feel that you
have a certain problem with yourself,
you most likely do have it. But, if you
approach it with honesty and
constructive criticism towards
yourself, you will certainly be able to
fix it. One thing you can be completely
sure of when it comes to your inner
self is that you are in complete control,
but it may sometimes be hard to get in
touch with this truth and make it begin
working to your advantage.
The goal of identifying the root is to
examine it and experience it fully and
not to deny or avoid it. Running away
from root emotions or situations that
challenge you won’t develop
resiliency in you but will make you
even less resilient. If resiliency is
about strength to persist in the midst of
challenges, then it follows that you’ll
need to practice the principle of
habituation to get develop resilient
strength and weaken the power of
challenging situations over you. This
means wrestling your problems head-
on instead of sweeping them under the
rug. Any successful person in history
will vouch for this course, especially
men capable of graduating Navy SEAL
training.

COUNTERSTRIKE
Only by experiencing such emotions
fully can you be in the position to
attack the crippling emotion or
situation and develop greater
resiliency. So what does it mean to
counterstrike?
If you feel scared about a situation, say
attending social functions where you
don’t know anybody, you can
counterstrike by attending such
functions more frequently in order to
get used to such situations through the
habituation technique previously
discussed. If you often times feel
angry and stressed when buying from a
particular grocery store and a
particular cashier, buy from that store
and cashier as often as possible in
order for you to get used to it and
handle your emotional responses well.
It’s about pushing yourself beyond your
initial limits. This is where mental and
physical exercises overlap. Think of it
like running; the harder you try and the
more you run, the greater the distances
you can overcome as time goes by. In
turn, your shape keeps improving and
you become stronger each time.

POSITIVE SELF-TALK

Lastly, do as the Navy SEALs do and

engage yourself often with positive
self-talk. Remember how we talked
about it in Chapter 5 on courage? You
can do the same to be encouraged
during very discouraging times.
Sometimes, your inner attitude toward
yourself can be more deciding than
what others might say about you,
whether their comments are
encouraging or the opposite. Many
prosperous people throughout history
really owe their success to themselves
and themselves only. These individuals
have often had to face harsh criticism
and discouragement from others, but
their inner voice was stronger and
louder than anything others could spout
– and thus they prevailed.
CHAPTER 7: MENTAL
FITNESS

The brain, despite its lack of

physiological firmness compared to
other physical muscles, is probably the
strongest one there is. Why? Think of
it this way, you can’t move your
physical muscles if this muscle is not
working. Further, consider the stories
of many people who were able to do
the seemingly impossible acts of
heroism they performed if they weren’t
mentally tough. Some Navy SEALs
were seriously wounded but were still
able save themselves and their buddies
too! Despite the pain, their brains
were able to override the sensations
and allowed them to function at an
even higher physical level and perform
what seemed to be downright
impossible. Mental preparation is key
for such feats and allows you to
significantly exceed your own personal
“limits”. At least your perceived ones.
Many of the limits we impose on
ourselves are artificial. They are either
falsely brought on by our insecurities
and irrational fears or by the remarks
of others, sometimes those closest and
most influential to us. Through
sufficient mental exercise and specific
processes of thought, we can surmount
these illusive limits as well as those
that may actually be there.
The world is full of shining examples
where highly disadvantaged and
horribly afflicted people have
overcome their very real limitations
through sheer mental strength and
determination. Sports, for instance, are
an area where many strong-willed
people have found their fortune.
Since the brain is a muscle, it can also
be trained to become stronger with
brain-specific exercises that, unlike
physical muscles, don’t need barbells,
dumbbells or resistance bands. You
can do mental exercises anytime and
anywhere. Here are ways how you can
exercise your mind for optimal
performance and toughness ala-Navy
SEALs.
Essentially, to exercise your brain, all
you need is a brain. I’m going to go out
on a limb here and assume that you
have this covered. All kidding aside,
these techniques will show you just
how easy and exactly how beneficial
these exercises are.

BATTLE-PROOFING
This refers to the military practice of
conditioning the mind in advance for
encountering possible emergencies or
hostile situations, which helps produce
the necessary mental strength for crises
management. This is also called
emergency conditioning.
Navy SEALs in training practice this
by, among other ways, lying on their
cots and imagining that an intense
firefight is currently ongoing. Part of
this imagining process includes the
sounds, scents, the sense of physical
exhaustion and heavy breathing.
Why is this helpful? It’s because when
our brains vividly and deeply imagine
things in detail, they eventually form
part of our experiences, regardless if
they actually happened or just in our
minds. The brain can’t tell the
difference and battle proofing your
brain can program your brain into
believing that you really experienced
that which you’ve imagined! Over
time, you can develop the ability to tap
into those stored experiences, which
you can play like mini movies of what
you’d like to experience. So when
similar situations arise, you feel
familiar with it already.
The visualization techniques we
mentioned in chapter 5 are the civilian
version, if you will, of this military
practice. If you focus hard enough to
envision these experiences before they
happen, whatever they may be, it will
be the next best thing to a simulation.
Our brains are that powerful, and
visualizing upcoming events perceived
as stressful is a great way of mental
preparation to maximize readiness and
help you pull through.
What happens is very simple – your
brain comes up with the images in
great detail. The more detailed it is,
the better entrenched in your mind it
becomes, so much so that it becomes
part of your ‘experience files’ and not
just an imaginary situation. This kind
of visualization will actually fool your
brain into thinking that you have
actually undergone this event in life. It
is sort of like a computer; you just need
to access this file and then click on
‘start’ – the memory is something you
can relive enough times to get yourself
familiar with the fear and overcome it.
This way, when something similar
happens in real life, you are battle-
proofed enough that you don’t freeze
up when required. You take quick and
prompt action that could potentially
save other people’s lives.

TRIGGERS
Part of the necessary things for
preparing yourself mentally for
challenges is creating your “trigger”,
which can help you ignite into flame
those qualities necessary not just for
“survival” but for personal success.
You’ll need to dig down deep into your
soul, determine that one most important
thing in your life and create a mental
portrait of it. This mental portrait will
act as your trigger for fanning the flame
of resiliency during moments when
you’d rather just roll over and die or
give up. It can also trigger in you the
creativity and patience needed for
overcoming certain situations.
For a father who works abroad and
away from his wife and kids, his
trigger maybe a picture of the family
he’s left behind. Whenever extreme
loneliness sets in, he simply looks at
his family picture to remind him why
he must persist there, to provide well
for their needs back home.
For Navy SEALs, these triggers can
also be their families. It can also be
the United States flag, knowing that if
they fail, terrorists may win and
destroy the American way of life for
everyone, including their families.
Moreover, the responsibility towards
their comrades and brothers in arms,
the fact that the actions of each team
member directly affect not only the
outcome of the mission but the
wellbeing and safety of their
teammates.
So how can you apply it to your own
personal life? Think about that which
is most important to you? Is it God,
your spouse, kids, parents, friends or
some noble cause? Create a mental
image of that one most important thing
for you that you can visualize
whenever you feel the need for a
resiliency shot in the arm, among other
things, in situations that make you want
to throw in the towel.
These so-called triggers are an
incredibly useful crutch, which you can
fall back on in times of crisis and
overwhelming tribulation. That which
matters most to you is a lasting source
of motivation and strength, and
knowing when to use this can push you
to achieve great things.
As you can guess, each person will
have a different trigger – it has to be
something that will motivate you as a
person. Given your circumstances,
your personality and all the things that
matter to you as an individual, you
need to pick a trigger that will
motivate you. Spend some time alone
in the wilderness to try and figure out
what is most important to you. Soul
searching is essential if you want to
become physically and mentally
tougher.
The general stereotype is that soldiers
are strong, macho men who tend to
brood and fight and not emote openly –
this could not be more wrong. The
emotional ramifications of war and
fighting are enormous; soldiers, in act,
tend to be more in touch with their
feelings and in tune with their emotions
than a normal person. The difference,
though, is that they use their heightened
energies to serve their country; their
triggers are directed towards battle
and protection. An individual can
achieve full control over their
emotions and conduct only through
deep understanding and self-
awareness, and subsequently training.
Suppressing those feelings won’t lead
to stability and toughness, but only to
an illusion of strength. And such
illusions will fall apart as soon as the
going gets tough, leading to panic,
retreat and ultimate failure. Remember,
lies are never a solid foundation to
build anything on, especially when it
comes to building and strengthening
your character.
Some SEALs confess to their triggers
being their families; a lot of men
summon up images of their children or
significant others to keep them on their
feet and trying to get back to them.
During their BUDS training, they
probably imagine walking across the
stage and receiving their graduation.
But more often than not, SEALs tend to
have their triggers be of their fellow
comrades; many admit to fighting
harder just to make sure that their men
would come back home safe and
sound. After all, if there is one thing
war and military teach you, it’s how to
be part of a team!
So to summarize, your trigger is your
own – there is no right or wrong
trigger, there is no set guideline to
come up with one. Dig deep into your
soul; you may think the idea of having a
trigger like receiving a certificate is
petty, but for someone else, it could
mean the whole world! Anything goes
– it must just be your own and it must
mean enough to you that it gets you
back on your feet when you are about
to drop from exhaustion.
Just keep in mind to make your
visualizations extremely vivid – burn it
into your mind and keep reminding
yourself that you are willing to go
through any kind of difficulty for this. It
is your ultimate motivation. Also keep
in mind that if you want it to be
effective, you should save this trigger
for the worst situations – for simple,
everyday activities where you need to
push yourself, find simpler
motivations. The trigger is meant to be
used only for those circumstances that
you find extremely difficult to handle.

TAKING YOUR MIND OUT

Consider some of the most stressful or
challenging situations that you face in
ordinary everyday life. Things like
missing the green light because of a
very slow elderly driver in the car
that's in front of you, falling in line
behind a person with three carts’ worth
of grocery items at the checkout
counter, or a very grouchy server in
your favorite restaurant. These are
situations where you can practice
taking your mind off stressful,
challenging, and time wasting
situations.
This is especially important when
dealing with unnecessary anger.
Vexation and repressed anger build up
inside every day, but only if you let
them in. Sure, in some critical
situations anger will be helpful; after
all, it is a natural response and part of
our defense mechanisms. But, our lives
in today’s world are such that there is
rarely any real, physical danger to us,
so this anger becomes completely
redundant, which is no good because
anger and rage are some of the heaviest
baggage in life.
Being angry, irritable, and easily set-
off is no way to go through life. These
feelings will become very detrimental
as time goes by and will make it
increasingly difficult for you to get a
grip on your emotions and stabilize
your character. Not only is such a state
of mind pointless, but the feelings
associated with it are some of the most
consuming and demanding we can
experience. It just doesn’t pay off to be
angry all the time. So, starting with
brief, regular encounters and situations
which cause you stress or annoy you,
you must begin to build your resistance
and control amid the basic things, and
move up from there.
Why do you need to do this? It’s
because some situations are
unnecessary mind-fillers, i.e., they
occupy space and utilize resources that
can otherwise be used for more
productive and important purposes.
For example, have you ever
experienced being cut off and
screamed at by another driver while
driving to work in the morning and
being all worked up to the point that
you couldn’t concentrate well at
work? The more you practice taking
your mind out of situations that
unnecessarily stress you out, the more
you’ll be able to control your personal
circumstances well and become more
successful at what it is you do.

WAIT
As the saying goes, good things come
to those who wait. Have you ever
considered the underlying meaning of
this proverb? No, it doesn’t mean you
should procrastinate. In the narrower
sense, it simply means that haste often
does make waste and that you should
keep a cool head and consider your
options carefully, analytically. Being
well informed and having a solid
understanding of the circumstances and
prospects you are faced with is a
crucial component of successful
decision-making. It’s important to
understand that your first idea is rarely
the best your mind can come up with.
How many times have you experienced
situations where you ended up
responding exactly according to the
first impulse or thought that popped in
your head? While it's true that most
people operate in this manner and that
it's not necessarily a wrong way of
responding, it's not the best way. Being
decisive is one of the basic qualities
that lead to success in life.
Decisiveness doesn’t mean you are
merely quick to make decisions. More
than that, it is the ability to make good
judgments and always choose the right
path in life.
There will be times that you’ll need to
wait for other good ideas to pop in
your head before responding to certain
situations. When you let this process
run its course, some very good and
wonderful things may result from it.
The reason for this is by waiting as
long as reasonably possible before
responding to situations, you increase
the potential options available to you
by allowing more time for more ideas
to develop. If you always act on the
thoughts or impulses that pop in your
head, there's a very good chance that
those ideas or thoughts may not be the
best ones. In many cases, acting on
impulse often results in costly
mistakes.
That's why Navy SEALs don't usually
act on the first thought or impulse that
pops in their minds, especially in very
critical situations. They have the
option of pursuing subsequent ideas or
simply going back to the original one.
The only thing that matters is to act on
the best possible course of action for a
particular situation. This only happens
when you have the ability to reign in
your mind and keep it from running
wild.
These are the most important ways in
which you can build your mental
toughness, but you cannot stop there!
There are a few things you need to
concentrate on – these are those
qualities that are important before,
during and after you have completed
this type of vigorous training. Military
man Mark Divine, who has served
over two decades as a SEAL
recommends that you keep the
following in mind as you begin to train
your brain as well as your body –

UNDERSTAND YOURSELF
Self-awareness is the key to building a
strong mind; when you know yourself,
you can make better decisions. When
you understand your deepest
motivations, comprehend your toughest
insecurities; you can avoid making the
same mistakes over and over again.
Instead, you can try to move forward.
As you can probably guess, building
self-awareness for yourself does not
come easy. It takes quite a bit of soul
searching and you will need to spend a
lot of time in self-reflection to make
sure that you are at peace with
yourself. The calmer you are at the
battlefront, the better for you and your
comrades.
Truly understanding yourself and,
better yet, accepting what you learn
and coming to terms with yourself, is
truly a difficult task and quite an
accomplishment. Many people struggle
through the entirety of their lives just to
find this peace, and many of them
never succeed. For the Navy SEALs,
this state of mind is not only a goal but
a prerequisite for success in the line of
duty. Their training programs ensure
that each passing candidate has
achieved this, and then some. So, once
again, you can learn from the best as
you strive to master yourself.
Start by recording a simple journal. Jot
down random thoughts, ideas and even
stray things that roll into your mind at
the oddest of instances. You don’t need
to show it to anyone, or even reread it
yourself – when you write down what
you are thinking, you tend to
instinctively become aware of what is
happening in your mind. If you are so
inclined, track the patterns of your
thoughts over a period of time; you
will find how predictable your
reactions are and how you, as a
person, perceive the world.
Set aside 10 minutes in a day for
yourself – sit in a corner and try to
breathe deeply. Focus inwards and try
to answer existential questions like
who you are and why you are where
you are in life. It sounds cliché, it
sounds like a trope, but believe me,
and it works! Reflection is the best
way to build personality – build it into
your routine and then see how it helps
you become more self-aware!

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR

PURPOSE IS
As Divine states in his writing, the
way your mind works has an impact on
your performance in anything. Your
worldview and how you take in your
surroundings make an impact on your
reaction to it; so you need to ask
yourself – why do you do what you do?
Navy SEAL or otherwise, if you don’t
understand the purpose behind your
job, you are never going to truly enjoy
or even accept it! For instance, if a
man did not want to be a SEAL and
ended up going through the motions
because his father was also a SEAL
and is pushing him to do it, do you
think he would make a true asset to the
team? His halfhearted notions on the
battlefield will probably get either him
or his comrades killed.
Ask yourself the following questions –
What is it that you were conditioned to think
you are supposed to do in life?
What do you want to do with your life?
What do you think you are supposed to do with
your life? (This question looks similar to the
previous one, but there is a very fine line
between the two; think deeply about it and you
will be able to understand.)
Do you feel like your life makes no difference
at all?
Do you feel like you should be doing something
else, anything other than what you are doing
 right now?
In a perfect world where everything was
possible and you could do whatever you
wanted, what is the one thing you would do
without hesitation?
And cliché – what would you do if you knew
you had only one year to live?
When you ask yourself tough questions
such as these, you will be able to
understand if and why you are so
unhappy in your current situation.
Remember, you cannot go through life
half-heartedly – you can’t keep going
through the motions. SEALs and other
military men, perhaps, live more than
any of the others – as those constantly
in danger of losing their lives, they
know how precious life is and they
generally tend to refuse to waste it by
doing things they do not like. As
civilians, this is one of the biggest
lessons we can learn from them; be
self-aware, learn to make yourself as
happy as you try to make your friends
and family.

CHOOSE YOUR PATH

Divine advises that each of us choose
what we want to do on our own; it is
definitely good advice, something that
makes sense! Once you have answered
all the aforementioned questions, you
will have a clearer picture of who you
are and where you want to be in life.
Then, you can decide on a path that you
can follow.
Going through life is much easier and
more worthwhile if you have a clear
goal and an idea of what you want to
make of your life. SEALs don’t have
this problem, their purpose and goals
are as clear as can be at all times.
Discipline, courage, determination and
a capacity to keep at it – developing
all these things is what SEAL life
teaches us, but to for that, you first
need to identify where you are headed.
Learn yourself onside out and then see
where life takes you.

BECOME PART OF A WHOLE

As I’ve said before, one of the most
important lessons we learn from the
Navy SEALs is the spirit of teamwork
and brotherhood that exists between
them. When some one is willing to die
for you on a battlefield, you obviously
learn to trust them with everything you
have. Obviously, such bonds are
harder to forge in civilian life, but they
can be done, providing you take the
time to try it out.
Once you have figured out your path in
life, you must stay on it. This is easier
said than done; anything that is worth
doing never comes easy. A lot of
people give up halfway through the
process because they are too tired or
don’t have the strength to keep going.
Augment your own efforts by
supporting and getting support from a
team – search for people who are
going through struggles similar to yours
and encourage one another to complete
your goals. Staying on the path you
have chosen for yourself is much
easier when you have some one
cheering you on from the back!
Here are a few more tips to keep in
mind as you are trying to build up your
mental and emotional strength –
Have faith in yourself; clichéd as it sounds, this
belief in your own mind is what the basis of
mental conditioning actually is. If you don’t
have confidence in yourself and your own
abilities, you will never be able to achieve all
you want in life. It is easier said than done, but
it is not impossible! Navy SEALs often use
bodybuilding as a technique to boost confidence
among their men; they set themselves simple,
easy to achieve goals in the physical training
field. You too can try it out – don’t expect too
much from yourself at one go and take it day-
by-day and step-by-step. For instance, if you’re
just beginning physical conditioning, make your
goal something as simple as working out for 30
minutes for two weeks. Cross each day out on
your calendar and then when you’re done with
the two week period, notice how much more
confident you feel in yourself! Now up your
routine to a 45 minute set or do two 30 minute
sets a day – keep it small, keep it simple and
work daily towards it and your confidence
levels will go up.
Focus on the present. We generally tend to live
either in the past or in the future, missing out on
what today has to offer us completely. In the
battlefield, thinking about what a SEAL could
have done differently to save someone’s life –
which kind of regret and inaction could get
another person killed or hurt. There is no room
for distraction, from the past or the future; the
soldiers have to focus on getting to safety in this
exact instant or they run the risk of being hurt.
Transpose this lesson into your life; focus only
on what you need to do today and try to enjoy
that to the maximum. The past is over and you
cannot retrieve or fix it – the future is not here
yet, so why waste precious time worrying about
it? Easy it sounds, easy it is not to do – just
keep your attention on the solid things you’re
doing right now. Go to the gym, work out and
feel your body and your muscles – the pain will
centre you and keep you fresh and feeling alive
in the moment.
Keep positive company around you. As we
mentioned, SEALs are a team – they push each
other and support one another to get things
done. If one cannot trust his team, one goes into
the battle blind and ends up, at the very least,
hurt or critically injured. The same applies to
civilian life; the people in your life can make or
break you. Surround yourself with positive
energy and people who are like-minded and
push you to do better, to become a better
person. Don’t get stuck in a rut with someone
 negative; you will find that your goals seem
unattainable, too far and too painful to fight for.
Learn to control your breathing. SEALs are
taught this as an essential measure of battling
panic and chaos on the field; the mind is like a
little puppy that needs constant reassurance.
When take in shallow breaths and rapidly
increase your breathing, your brain
automatically ends up in chaos, leaving your gut
churning with anxiety and worry. Biologically
speaking, the reason for this is simple – shallow
breathing equals lesser oxygen intake, which
means your brain, is literally starving for air.
Learn to breathe in deeply – have your lungs
and diaphragm expand laterally so that you take
in as much oxygen as possible. This will help
you calm down and think better so that you can
make those tough, split second decisions that
could mean the difference between life and
death.
Navy SEALs are the toughest men out
there – for good reason. They are
strong, but their strength comes as
much from their mind as it does their
body. In fact, they use their body to
build their mind further; learn to do the
same so that you can also face the
tough situations in your life!
CHAPTER 8: CROSS
FIT TRAINING
We looked at some cardio and
calisthenics that you can take up; now,
we shall focus on cross fit training,
which is a form of high intensity
interval training. Cross fit training is a
type of high intensity interval training
where you subject your body to intense
exercises for a period of time and then
take a break, train again, break again
and so on.

Cross fit is strength conditioning set of

exercises that is generally prescribed
to police academies, military units and
Special Forces. This makes it a must to
take up activity for a navy seal.

Cross fit training works on the

principle of indulging in surge fitness.
This means that you push your body
first before taking a break and then
push it again and break again. This
causes the body to develop resistance
and can endure a tough situation.

Each training episode will bring your

body further towards a fit and sturdy
state. Given that cross fit is one of the
most zealous forms of training,
sustained and dedicated exercise will
take you far and take you there fast.
Within a relatively short period of
working out, you will begin to see just
how adaptable human beings are.

As your resistance increases, you will

ramp up the strain you put on your
body every time, gradually raising the
intensity of each session. The biggest
advantage of this training program,
besides its versatility, is the fact that it
can be taken up regardless of your
physical state and level of fitness.
What this means is that irrespective of
the individual, the aim is to push your
body to its limits before taking a break.
It matters not how low your limits may
be at the time, a prolonged and
disciplined approach to this exercise
will improve anybody’s durability and
shape.

Here are the areas that will be targeted

during a cross fit regime.

Cardiovascular strength

Cross fit training starts by checking

your cardio vascular health. As you
know, it is important for you to
maintain a healthy heart in order to
develop endurance. Cross fit will help
you with the same.
Think of your heart as the main
generator of your body. The lengths to
which you can push yourself depend on
how efficient your heart is at its crucial
job. A well-functioning cardiovascular
system is the absolute cornerstone of a
healthy body. The better the blood
supply to your muscles, the more
power you are able to harness from
them to get you as far as you can
possibly go.

The difference between an actual

generator and this central human
muscle, of course, is that your heart
can be exercised, constantly improving
its performance.

Stamina

Your stamina deals with your lasting

energy. When it comes to cross fit
training, you need a good dose of
stamina to last the entire workout. As
you go about, your stamina will
continually increase. BUD/S will
require you to possess great stamina!

Stamina primarily represents the

ceiling to which your performance can
peak. With SEALs, stamina can mean
the difference between life and death,
not only of one’s self, but of comrades
just as well. Granted, it most likely
won’t come to that in the course of
your own life, but if it saves lives, then
it’s a road to success. Not to mention,
it is an unavoidable prerequisite for
further exercise and physical
development.

Strength

You will require immense upper and

lower body strength to take up the
different cross fit exercises. Working
on these two areas will allow you to
quickly assume demanding positions
without putting in too much effort
towards it.

While it isn’t the only factor in

becoming nimble and well
coordinated, physical strength is
definitely part of the equation as it
translates to power. The sheer force of
power does come into speed and quick
reaction. More importantly, though, the
stronger you are the further you can
take your exercise sessions.

Flexibility

You have to be flexible in order to

swiftly move from position to the
other. As is the case with most high
intensity training workouts, here too,
you will have to quickly move from
one position to the other. It will help
you do the same while serving your
duty.

You are highly unlikely to find yourself

dodging bullets and rocket-propelled
grenades in your ordinary, civilian life.
Here, flexibility plays a different role
than that in combat. Being flexible will
aid your exercise sessions in that it
reduces the risk of injury or
embarrassment. Feeling nimble also
does your confidence a service and
will make any sports you take up much
more fun and worthwhile.

Power

There is a difference between strength

and power. Strength refers to your
body’s capacity to perform the basic
exercises whereas power refers to
understanding how well and efficiently
you can perform them. Power basically
refers to the next step.

Speed

As mentioned earlier, cross fit will

make you change your positions within
short bursts. Therefore, you have to be
ready to move from one position to the
other within a short period of time and
for that, speed will play a key role.
You have to have the agility to move
from one position to the other within
express time.

The faster you become, the more

assured you will be of your ability to
act quickly and precisely, and when
you couple that with coordination and
accuracy, you will become better
aware of your own body, so to speak.
What that means is control, composure,
and confidence. It’s about being 100%
sure that you can make that jump or
beat that clock.

Balance

Balance is of utmost importance for

most exercise regimes. You have to
balance your body at all times and also
maintain your steady form. Cross fit
training can help you have this and
more. It will leave you feeling
extremely stable and capable of
remaining physically steady during any
mission.

More precisely, exercise balance is

important in that it ensures you don’t
go too far on one aspect of your fitness
while neglecting another. It means
balancing between agility, raw
strength, speed, stamina and all other
components of a healthy body. Navy
SEALs understand this, having too
much muscle mass while neglecting to
improve your stamina, for example,
will leave you slow and easily
exhausted.

Coordination

It requires a certain level of co-

ordination when it comes to taking up
cross fit training. This can be both
body co-ordination and hand-eye co-
ordination. You will get good with it as
and when you take up the practice.
Another crucial component of
becoming a fit and overall nimble
individual, coordination is something
that, for the most part, comes naturally
through physical exercise. You can take
up specific activities to dedicate more
effort towards improving your
coordination, though. This can be done
efficiently through many forms of sport,
which require accuracy and
developing a keener sense of your own
arms and legs. Basketball and soccer,
to name a couple, can improve your
coordination to great lengths, and not
only that but they will help you
develop a firmer control over the
amount of force you exert during
exercise.

Accuracy

You have to be as accurate as possible

in order to successfully adopt the
different cross fit positions.

Cross fit training has its own set of

words that you have to acquaint
yourself with when you wish to take up
the practice. Here is looking at some of
them.
WOD- WOD stands for work out of the
day. Cross-fit makes you pick a routine
and perform it for the day.
AMRAP- AMRAP stands for as many
repetitions as possible.

Chipper- Chipper stands for a workout

that involves many repetitions and
movements.

PB - personal best.

There are many other such terms that

you have to acquaint yourself with in
order to use the cross fit lingo.

Here are some of the most widely used

workouts in cross fit.

Barbara

5 rounds of

20 pull up
30 push up
 40 sit up
50 air squat
Run 1 mile
You have to do all of this within a set
period of time and then break for a
minute or so and then start again. You
have to keep this loop going for 5
rounds. If you do get tired then maybe
you can take a longer 4th break but not
extend the previous ones.

Annie
50 Double-unders
50 Sit-ups
40 Double-unders
40 Sit-ups
30 Double-unders
30 Sit-ups
20 Double-unders
20 Sit-ups
10 Double-unders
10 Sit-ups

This is a bit tougher than the previous

type of workout. You have to look at
the time that it takes for you to finish
this. The earlier you finish it the better.
Try to beat your time in order to
improve your routine.

Grace

30 Clean and Jerks

Mary
5 Handstand push-ups
10 One-legged squats, alternating
15 Pull-ups

Angie
100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats
These form the different cross fit
training routines that you can consider
making part of your work out routines.
As you know, training to work with the
seals can be extremely demanding and
you have to put in efforts to be as
physically fit as possible. You must
work on your body’s basics and build
yourself an efficient one that is capable
of taking on any challenge that is put its
way.

Remember, the going may be tougher

for you at the start than it would be for
some other people, but everybody has
to start somewhere. With dedication,
discipline and routine, there is no
place you can go but up. The very
nature of proper exercise and work out
is that it means constant improvement
and strengthening of your body. You’ll
get there soon enough.
CHAPTER 9:
SWIMMING TRAINING
As we already know, swimming is a
big part of training to be a navy seal.
These men spend a majority of their
time at sea and it becomes all the more
important to be a very strong swimmer.
Their unparalleled swimming prowess
is crucial in that it is what makes them
as adequate as they are for the unique
and demanding nature of their
missions. Although being able to swim
long distances allows SEALs an
advantage of being able to deploy
offshore without being spotted, this
ability also may prove to be a crucial
component of survival in dire
situations. And not just survival of an
individual SEAL’s own self, but that of
their comrades as well. Unforeseen
circumstances may require one to
actually carry their teammate along
with all their gear and equipment! This
clearly illustrates the importance of
being a flawless swimmer in the Navy
SEALs.

The seals go through rigorous

swimming training and it starts at the
PST level. The first routine is known
as the combat sidestroke. This is an
important part of the routine and you
must pay special attention to the style
that you pick to swim.

The main style to use is the sidestroke

without the use of fins. This is a great
position to take up as it provides you
with maximum agility. However, you
can switch it up with free style from
time to time.

The combat variation of the sidestroke

is overall the most adopted style of
swimming in the military. What makes
it so desirable is the fact that it allows
a steady and prolonged swim while
draining less energy from the swimmer.
Of course, this is ideal for combat
conditions where a soldier or a SEAL
is under plenty of gear and must also
wield his primary weapon. Besides
allowing for better performance, the
combat sidestroke also provides the
swimmer with a lower profile,
reducing the possibility of detection,
which is, of course, crucial for special
operations.

With the addition of fins, the efficiency

of the combat sidestroke is increased
even further. Right next to airdrops and
boat operations, swimming and diving
are the main means of infiltration for
the Navy SEALs. Naturally, fins will
greatly facilitate these operations in
that they allow the swimmer to harness
even more power from this already
effective swimming style. The fins will
take some practice and training to
master, but they are a must.

If you are not accustomed to swimming

with fins then you should slowly start
with it. It is mandatory for you to make
use of fins while swimming during seal
training. Many find it uncomfortable to
use it, as they will not be accustomed
to its form and fitting. If you are finding
it tough to swim with fins then you
must slowly introduce it in. Trying to
do too much at once might leave you
confused.

Start with the ankles. That is where

you will require most of the
conditioning. You will have to first
train your legs and then move upwards.
If you go about it too fast then you run
the risk of injuring your ankles. In case
you aren’t a very strong swimmer or
haven’t done much swimming in
general, it may be a good idea to first
commit to working out your legs,
including your feet. You will have to
bring your A-game to the table because
becoming a very strong and reliable
swimmer is paramount to making it as
a Navy SEAL and living up to the title.

If you are absolutely unsure of how

fins need to be used then it is best that
you avoid getting into it at all. Leave it
till the screening phase where they will
train you. It is better than inviting an
unnecessary injury and hurting yourself
before the big test.

Much like running, swimming training

comes in all shapes and sizes, varying
in intensity, distance and timing. And
also just like with running, different
kinds of sessions and exercises work
better with different stages of your
training. All of their common ground
aside, some may argue that swimming
is overall a more effective means of
getting into shape than running is. This
is likely due to the fact that swimming
usually incorporates more muscles and
provides a more wholesome exercise.
Furthermore, swimming can be done in
a very wide range of different forms,
which can be combined accordingly to
give you a full body work out actually.
What suits you better is up for you to
decide, but becoming proficient in both
is unavoidable as far as Navy SEALs
are concerned.

There are three swimming styles that

you can adopt in order to improve your
speed and distance. They are as
follows.
Long slow distance
The long slow distance technique is
meant to help you build stamina. They
will train you to go long distances
without getting too tired. This type is
mostly undertaken as the first form of
training as it provides you with the
right form of agility and stamina
training. You have to use this technique
to swim 1 to 1.25 miles per day. Don’t
allow it to exceed that limit as you
might end up tiring yourself out on a
day when you can conserve energy to
take up the other styles as well. One
good test to check whether you are
doing it right is to speak while taking
up the practice. If you are able to hold
a continuous conversation then it
means you are not doing it correctly
and need to put in a little more effort.
But if you are able to speak only during
breaks then you are getting it right.
Your focus should be on trying to catch
your breath in between the breaks in
order to last the course of the practice.

After you have taken the time to build

up your swimming endurance, your
confidence in water will have risen as
well. It is important to be able to swim
outside and swim reliably, as opposed
to just making your rounds in a pool.
After your swimming skill has been
hardened and your stamina greatly
improved, it is time to work on your
raw strength and become able to swim
certain distances in a record timing as
well as achieving higher speed and
mastering a few of the more physically
demanding styles.

High intensity

High intensity swimming training is

one where you swim continuously for
around 20 minutes without breaking.
This can sound a bit too tedious but is
the basic requirement of high intensity
training. However, remember that this
form of workout is meant to be
demanding and your body should feel
the burn consistently. You should avoid
tiring yourself out by over doing it. As
is with most forms of exercises, your
body will feel conditioned and you
won’t have to put in as much effort
towards achieving this feat after a
point in time. You can start out with
just the 1 set but increase it to 2 or 3
after a while. The main point here is to
remain as efficient as possible to finish
the entire 20-minute trip.

As you begin to put in more of the 20-

minute swimming sets and increase
your resilience, it is a good idea also
to strive to achieve a greater distance
in this time window each time. A
human being can only swim so fast,
granted, but you may be able to do
better than you think initially.

Intervals

The intervals training are pretty unique

and meant to help you condition your
body for bursts of energy. The intervals
training require you to indulge in some
high intensity swimming sessions
followed by a break. The break should
not be too long and just enough to help
you catch your breath back. You have
to try and maintain a consistent pace
and avoid alternating the speeds. That
can throw you off a little. You must
also get your breathing right in order to
last the course. Once you get
accustomed to it, you will know to
swim in intervals quite successfully.
Remember that there is a certain pace
that you have to stick with when it
comes to interval swimming. You have
to clock your timing and try to beat it
with every successive session.

The basic rule to follow here is to

have 100-yard intervals, with a
recovery period of 2-2 1/2 times the
total time that it takes to perform the
work interval.

Although it might seem like it is easy

for you to take these three styles up, it
is important for you to maintain
consistency. Try not to tire yourself out
too much by adopting just one style.
You should look to strike a balance
between all three styles.

You can also alternate between strokes

as a means of catching a minor break
while still swimming. While your body
is burning, even the three seconds it
takes to change up the strokes can be a
valuable resting point.

There are many things that you can do

prevent tiring yourself out. One such
way is to swim easy strokes in order to
compose your body. Once you regain
your composure, you can look to
improve your form.
CHAPTER 10:
RUNNING TRAINING
Running, like swimming, is a big part
of navy seal training. You have to focus
on both form and effort in order to
make the most of your running
potential.

Just as in the case of swimming, you

have to start practicing running for the
PST stage. You will be judged based
on many different criteria including the
style adopted to run and how agile you
can be. As you know, timing is
everything and you have to finish on
top in order to get noticed. For that,
you have to begin training well in
advance and avoid skipping any
training sessions as each one counts in
the long run.
Each style of running has its own
benefits and different impact on your
health and stamina development. You
may be going for greater distances,
best timing or running for the sake of
intensity, in any case, each of these
approaches will train a specific aspect
of your overall fitness. Nonetheless,
it’s important to balance your training
between all of them in order to make
the most of your running sessions. Here
are the different styles of running that
you can take up in order to train like a
navy seal.

Long slow distance

Long slow distance is probably the

best style to adopt if you are interested
in building the required stamina to
finish a chosen course. As you know,
seal take on special missions which
require them to run around quite a bit
and so, it is vital that you remain as
agile as possible and be prepared to
run a long distance. Add to it the need
to carry heavy ammunition, which will
require you to put in a lot more effort
towards training your body.

The long slow distance requires you to

put in a consistent effort and pick a
low to moderate speed. You have to
put in efforts to keep your energy
levels up so as to last the distance.
Often times, people assume that it will
be a walk in the park to indulge in long
and slow runs. However, this is not
true at all and it will require a lot of
effort for you to build the right amount
of stamina to last such a course. You
have to prepare your body in as
advance as possible for it by
consistently taking up the practice.

The best way to check if you are

getting it right is by talking while
running. If you are able to hold a
conversation well enough then you are
probably going too slow. But if you are
managing to have the conversations
during phrases then you are doing well.
Remember to get your breathing right
as that can be a crucial part of your
training routine. You can easily tire
yourself out if you do not focus on your
breath intervals. You have to
continuously run at a slow and
consistent pace for around 40 to 90
minutes in order to effectively train
your body for BUD/S running tests.

Breathing is quite possibly the very

key to efficient running. In addition to
muscle effort, breathing is another
thing, which would preclude you from
maintaining a conversation during
running. This is because you have to
focus on and practice it until you get it
right, after which it should gradually
become a thing of habit. Just as
important as food and water, oxygen
must be taken in periodically and in the
right amounts to supply enough of it to
your muscles and keep your body
running smoothly and on your feet. A
lack of oxygen during any exercise
cannot only hinder your efforts towards
getting in shape but could easily lead
you to faint as well. Your muscles need
to be fueled properly if they are to
operate at maximum capacity and get
stronger as you intensify your
exercises.

Continuous high intensity

Continuous high intensity sessions are

where you run for around 20 minutes
without stopping. This can be
extremely demanding and you must try
to conserve as much energy as possible
in order to finish such a training
session. The training should be
demanding but must not exhaust you
completely. Although this will happen
during the first few days of training,
your body will gradually get used to it.
Continuous high intensity training is
possibly the toughest running routine
during PST as also BUD/S. So, it is
best for you to start with it well in
advance and avoid going into it
without any prior preparation. There is
hardly any time to recover during your
continuous high intensity training
session and you have to catch a few
breaths within a couple of seconds.
While doing so, you have to try and jog
or walk fast instead of stopping your
movement completely. You have to
learn how to put your body in “neutral”
while still moving, because if you stop
completely, it may throw your whole
exercise off. Picking up and
maintaining a particular tempo is very
important in running. This is because
your heart and your breathing would
have to be brought back up to speed
again if you interrupted them suddenly,
which puts unnecessary strain on your
body.

Intervals

This is a lot like cross fit training.

Here, you expose your body to short
bursts of high intensity exercises
followed by short intervals of breaks.
You are supposed to push your body to
the brink and then take a break to help
it recover. Push again and help recover
again. Keep these loops going until you
feel like you have pushed your body
enough. It isn’t necessary to push
yourself too far as soon as you begin,
especially if you aren’t in the greatest
of shapes. Wherever you start is okay
because this form of training builds up
your stamina relatively quick and
you’ll adapt in no time. Basically,
listen to what your body is telling you
and pay attention to its reaction, adjust
your intervals as well as your breaks
accordingly.

Here, the length of the intervals as also

the duration of the run will depend
entirely on your level of fitness. You
have to pick whatever helps you avail
the best level of exercise. If you do not
possess a high level of fitness then it is
best for you to take several small
intervals in between your training
sessions. You have to gradually work
towards improving your time and level
of performance. Work hard, but, like I
said, pay attention to the way your
body behaves under strain. Relative to
your previous physical shape, it may
require quite some work to achieve the
SEAL level of endurance and stamina.
Indulge in consistent and regular
sessions and give it some time and you
will surely get there soon enough.

It is advisable for you to make use of

proper running shoes as opposed to
boots. Making use of boots can cause
you to develop unnecessary injury. You
might not be able to adopt the right
style and end up injuring your feet. The
best thing to do is to consult an expert
who will be able to help you find the
right running shoes. Although running
bare foot is not advisable, you can
consider it if you happen to have a
condition that worsens owing to
wearing shoes. You can also indulge in
trial and error to find shoes that work
well for you. Once you find them, you
can stick with them until such time as
you are trained to work with boots.
Sometimes it takes a while for not only
your body to get used to the intense
training but also your feet. In addition
to more serious injury, going straight
for boots or other uncomfortable and
robust footwear can lead to what is
likely the worst affliction in existence
– blisters. These horrible lumps of
pain are known far and wide in all
branches of the military and are quite
common. During long marches or
running sessions, inadequate shoes
coupled with skin not hardened enough
will almost always lead to blisters,
and starting with the best running shoes
which fit you perfectly is your best bet
if you are to avoid this problem.
CHAPTER 11: YOGA
TRAINING
Yoga is great for developing both
mental and physical strength. Yoga has
been in existence for a long time and
continues to be accepted as one of the
most preferred alternate work out
techniques. Yoga combines the power
of both mental alertness and physical
capacity to leave you feeling great
about your mind and body.

While it has a long history through

many civilizations, it appears as though
yoga has been making something of a
comeback in the past couple of
decades. Given its popularity, there are
many instructors and fitness centers
around that offer group or individual
sessions in this form of training. While
those programs can prove useful for a
more committed approach to yoga
exercise, you can learn a thing or two
on your own and see what the fuss is
about without straining your wallet.
Who knows, you may find that this is
exactly the type of thing you need.
Many people, from all walks of life,
report that yoga has had a tremendous
positive impact on their lives.

There are many yoga poses to choose

from and each one will have a
significant impact on a particular part
of your body. Depending on where you
think most work is required, you can
pick from the routines. Here is looking
at poses that are meant to train both
your mind and body.

Breathing exercises

Though it is seldom given much

thought, breathing holds the key to
much more than just keeping you alive.
It may seem redundant to point it out,
but breathing, or more precisely
oxygen, plays a vital role in our daily
functioning. This isn’t only because it
is necessary for survival, but because
practicing your breathing and getting it
right will have other crucial benefits
towards your general well-being and
spiritual state.

Breathing exercises are typically meant

to help you relax your mind and reel in
a sense of calm. There are many
breathing exercises to pick from and
they are as follows.

Anulom Vilom

Anulom Vilom is a form of breathing

exercise where you calm your mind
down. Start by picking a relaxing
position. Now close your eyes and
delve deep into your mind. Place your
right thumb over your right nostril and
draw in a deep breath through your
left. Hold on to the breath and quickly
close your left nostril with your index
finger while releasing your right.
Exhale through your right nostril. Now
inhale through your right and close it
while releasing the left to exhale
through it. Keep this going until you
feel light. You can do this for 5 to 10
minutes.

Kapalbhati

Kapalbhati is easy to perform and

quite helpful. Start by sitting on the
ground and fold in your legs. Maintain
a straight back and close your eyes.
Now exhale loudly in short bursts. You
must swiftly inhale within the gap
provided by the exhales. Kapalbhati
also has the capacity of helping you
trim down your stomach. The physical
movement caused by the breath helps
in flattening out the muscles.

Bhrastrika pranayama

Bhrastrika pranayama is an advanced

breathing technique. It will leave you
feeling light and energetic. Start by
drawing in deep breaths and relaxing
your mind and body. Now close your
eyes and swoon down a little to inhale
and then raise your head up to exhale.
Swoon again; rise again. Keep this
going until you feel fully relaxed. You
should do this for no more than 2
minutes as it can leave you feeling
dizzy.

These form the different breathing

exercises that you can take up to relax
your mind. Conduct these exercises
during your leisure time or in between
work out sessions. They will further
your ability to relax and maintain a
calm composure in daily life while
also having an effect on your physical
shape. Yoga is a great way to
compliment your exercises and
training, a sort of a cherry on top.

Tree pose

The tree pose is meant to help you

increase your body’s balance. As you
know, it is important to remain steady
in any given position, especially on
one foot. Many people fail to do so,
which can end up looking quite
embarrassing. So, the best thing to do
is to practice the tree pose in order to
maintain a steady balance. Start by
standing straight with your arms by
your side. Now look straight ahead and
lift your right foot with both your
hands. Place it on your left inner thigh.
Remain as steady and balanced as
possible. Slowly lift your hands above
your head and join them on top. This
pose is quite tough to maintain, as you
will feel like tumbling over. But you
have to stay as stable as possible.
Remain that way for a couple of
minutes before switching foot. The tree
pose is great for your back as well.

Remember, it’s not only about not

embarrassing yourself, having a well-
developed balance will help you
achieve a firmer grip on your own
body. As we have learned already,
being nimble and dexterous is an
important goal in the course of your
training. Being strong and fit is
important, yes, but yoga is where you
learn the art of calm. It is the way
towards assuming control of that
strength and of yourself, making your
physical power fully work for you.

Cobra pose

The cobra pose is simple yet quite

effective in helping you strengthen and
tone your abs. Start by lying face down
on the floor. Now stare at the distance.
Slowly place your hands next to you
and lift your upper torso upwards. You
shouldn’t strain your neck too much
though and don’t push it too far back.
Remain in the pose for a couple of
minutes and then lower your upper
body down. Lift again and try to curve
your body a little. Hold again and
release again. Keep this up for a few
minutes.

This exercise does wonders for your

back as well. Something similar is
prescribed by physicians or more
precisely physiotherapists, to those
suffering from back problems. The
cobra pose may be a good way to
compensate if your day job is such that
it entails a lot of sitting, which a lot of
jobs nowadays do.

Triangle pose

To perform the triangle pose start by

standing straight with your hands by
your side. Draw in deep breaths and
look ahead. Now bend to the right to
place your left palm next to your right
foot. Your body must resemble a
triangle when you do so. You must
remain in the pose for some time
before lifting yourself up. Now bend to
the left and place your right palm next
to your left foot. Keep doing this until
you feel relaxed and fresh.
The triangle pose provides a rather
holistic exercise for your body. It
activates almost all parts of it and is
particularly beneficial towards your
arms, legs, hips and shoulders.
Consider whether you have recently
had any injuries in the aforementioned
areas and limbs as the pose also puts
quite a pressure on them.

Shoulder stand pose

The shoulder stand pose is a very

relaxing pose. Start by lying flat on the
ground face up. Now slowly lift your
legs in the air. Support your lower
back with your palms in order to raise
your legs higher. Your upper body
should entirely be supported by your
shoulders alone. This basically means
that your body below your shoulders
will now be raised into the air, upside
down, with your legs reaching far up
and as straight as you can get them to
be.

You will find this pose very relaxing

as it has been found to alleviate a lot of
stress. It also offers some physical
benefits to your body, such as helping
your digestive system and
strengthening those parts of the body,
which are raised up, and especially the
shoulders. What’s more, it is a very
basic and simple pose, which anybody
can easily achieve.

Plough pose

Plough pose is a little tough to perform

but overall a great choice. Start by
lying on the floor face up. Draw in a
few deep breaths and relax your body.
Now lift your legs in the air and point
your toes to the sky. Support your
lower back with your hands and push
your feet backwards. Keep pushing
them back until your toes touch the
floor behind you. Keep your feet there
for a couple of minutes and then bring
them back up in the air. Remain as
steady as possible. Now slowly lift
your feet back in the air and lower it to
the floor touching your heels to the
ground. Relax your body completely.
You can repeat if you like.

Most of the yoga exercises can be

repeated as many times as you feel
like. Their purpose is to relax you by
releasing stress as well as to
consolidate your fitness. The important
thing is to keep breathing and take it
slow, take heed not to hurt yourself by
falling or keeling over during some of
them, especially amid the exercises
which require balance.
Bow pose

Bow pose can be a little tough to

perform but one that provides your
body with great benefits. Start by
sleeping face down on the floor. Now
lift your upper torso by pushing it
upwards using your hands and lean
your legs in towards your butt. Hold
your ankles using your palms and pull
it further in. simultaneously push your
head backwards and try to place the
bottom of your feet on top of your
head. Maintain this pose for a couple
of seconds before releasing. Assume
the pose once again and keep going
until you feel a proper stretch in your
back.

Fish pose

Sit on the floor with your legs

stretched out in front of you. Now lie
on your back and support your upper
body by tilting your head backwards
and placing the top on the ground. This
might feel a little difficult at first but
will get better with time. Bend your
legs a little to place your feet flat on
the ground and place your palms on
your stomach. Remain in the pose for
some time before going back to neutral.

Forward bend

The forward bend is an easy one to

take up and will help you stretch your
spine completely. Start by sitting on the
floor and spread your legs out in front
of you. Now bend down and try to
touch your toes. This might feel a little
tight in your hamstrings but will get
easier as you go. Doing this often will
help you loosen your leg muscles
thereby helping you run faster!
Downward dog pose

The downward dog pose is also great

for you. Start by standing straight and
looking straight ahead. Now bend
forward and place your palms on the
floor in front of you. Create an arch
shape with your body. Push your head
down and lift your right leg up in the
air. Remain in the pose for a few
seconds. Now lift your left leg in the
air and remain in the pose for a few
seconds. Keep alternating this way
until you feel a through stretch in your
back muscles.

Child pose

The child pose is also known as

Balasan. This is meant to help you
relax your body and absorb the effects
of the different poses. Start by sitting
on the floor with your legs folded
under your body. Seeing as your knees
will represent the foundation of this
pose, it should be avoided if yours are
injured. Other than that, this is a fairly
basic pose which serves are a filler of
sorts. It is aimed at maintaining your
composure while at the same time
taking a break between the more
demanding exercises.

These form the different yoga poses

that you can take up and exploit. It is,
however, not limited to just these and
there are many more that you can look
into. It is a well-established and
developed practice that has been
constructed upon the exercises found in
many different parts of the world. To
broaden your horizons and gain a
deeper insight into what yoga can offer
you, commit some time to doing quality
research or seek the help of
professional instructors.
CHAPTER 12:
MEDITATION BASICS
About as long as the notion of
spirituality itself, meditation has been
around as a central practice within
human spiritual and even physical
development in many cultures
throughout history. In its most
elemental and narrow meaning,
meditation is really the practice of
exercising one’s mind. While
meditation has almost exclusively been
closely tied to religious life and
practice, its application stretched far
beyond that over the centuries, and
especially so in the modern world.

The earliest records of people,

primarily monks and other spiritually
committed individuals from the
religious ranks, predate Christianity by
at least a couple of centuries and
originate from the Hindu religion. As
time went by, various forms of
meditations have also weaved their
way into the warrior communities in
many cultures. Training the mind to
have inexorable focus, defeat fear and
achieve absolute calm before battle are
some of the ends to which meditation
has been used. In our daily lives, the
battles have changed dramatically, but
the state of mind that prevails and
successfully navigates the hardships of
life has not. As we have already
learned, physical prowess is only half
the formula; it is your mind that must
be sharpened and disciplined to drive
your physical efforts.

Chanting meditation

This is the easiest form of meditation

that you can take up and yet the most
effective. You can start by sitting in a
comfortable position and close your
eyes. Now draw in deep breaths and
relax your body. Pick a comfortable
word that you would like to chat like
“om”. Start by chanting the word in
your mind. Then slowly bring it to your
lips. You should feel the vibrations all
over your body. It should ripple
through your body and help you relax.
You can do this for 15 to 20 minutes or
more if you like. The key is to remain
as absorbed in the activity as possible
in order to enhance your positive
uptake.

Chanting a particular mantra to aid

your meditation is an age-old practice
originating mostly from religious
rituals in Eastern cultures. However, in
some form or another, various kinds of
chanting have found their way into
most of the world’s religions down
through the centuries. The key here is
to harness the power of the human
voice and direct it towards inducing a
strong sense of serenity. Church
liturgies, or even Muslim prayers,
make use of chanting in their own way
as well.

This, or any other techniques for that

matter, will hardly work if you don’t
bring in the necessary concentration
and ensure a peaceful environment.
Interruptions and distractions will
make it impossible for you to get the
most out of your meditation sessions.
Meditation needs to be your secure
refuge from the daily onslaught of
stress. As a matter of fact, having your
sessions interrupted may lead to even
more frustration and detriment to your
overall composure.
Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation is the next

activity that you can take up. It
involves remaining seated in a steady
position and remaining completely
aware of your surroundings.
Mindfulness helps in eliminating
unnecessary stress and anxiety. Pick a
nice spot for yourself like a balcony or
your garden. Have an object placed in
front of you like a pot or a statue. Stare
at it until such time as your mind
eliminates all other thoughts and
remains fixated on the object alone.
Stare at it for 15 to 20 minutes and then
draw in deep breaths.

As you might have guessed, the nature

of the object itself is irrelevant for the
most part. This technique serves to
train your level of focus and
concentration, your ability to trim
away random and interfering thoughts
from your mind. Focusing hard on an
object and on that object only, no
matter how random it may be, may
prove to be more complicated than you
thought it would be, and if that’s the
case, then you know why you need to
conduct this practice. Exercising your
concentration and mindfulness can also
help you not think about stressful
issues and take your mind off of your
problems for at least a while, which
has a great therapeutic effect.

Cleansing meditation

Cleansing meditation helps you cleanse

your imaginary wheels. These wheels
are placed in the center of your body
and each one corresponds to a set of
organs that they lie next to. By
channeling your feminine power you
can eliminate unnecessary stress and
tensions that have built up in your
mind. There are 7 wheels in all and
each one lies at a particular distance
from each other. The first one lies at
the very bottom behind your pubic
bone and deals with you being
grounded. The second lies below your
stomach, the third under your sternum,
the fourth next to your heart, the fifth
inside your throat, the sixth between
your eyebrows and the last one inside
your mind. You can stimulate all of
these together. Start by imagining a
small ball of white light originating
from your first wheel and then moving
up to the second, then the third, then the
fourth, the fifth, sixth and finally the
seventh before leaving your body
through your head. This will help you
cleanse your systems.

Otherwise referred to as chakras, these

points in the human body have been
believed to hold the key to inner
strength and general wellbeing of
human beings in many Eastern cultures.
They are viewed as sort of map that
charts the way to the very spirit within
us. These theories persist to this day in
that part of the world despite science’s
numerous gains through the centuries.
Meditation’s positive impact on our
minds and feelings has been directly
observed many times. Whether the
benefits of these exercises end there or
hold much more meaning than we know
is something you would best find out
for yourself.

Qi gong

Qi gong is a variation of the previous

form of meditation. It is suitable for all
those that don’t have the patience to
take up kundalini meditation. Qi gong
starts out the same way, by you
imagining a small ball of light
originating in your first chakra then
moving to your fourth and then to your
seventh and then again to your fourth
then your first and then your fourth
again and so on. The light keeps
moving in this type of a loop and
cleanses your body and mind. You can
do this for 15 to 20 minutes.

Guided visualization

Guided visualization refers to making

use of your imagination to attract a
desired output. This technique is a
proven method to get over an
undesirable situation as well. To
perform this meditation, start by
finding a quiet place and lying down.
Now visualize yourself in the future
and how everything is working great
for you. You are sitting in a forest or
floating on a river or walking up a
golden staircase etc. All your stress
and tension has left you and you are
feeling extremely calm and relaxed.
Your life is back on track and you are
feeling extremely delighted. You are
sure that everything will now fix itself
and your life will improve through
several folds. Think of this situation
for 15 to 20 minutes or more if you
have the time for it. If you have an
illness, then imagine yourself in the
future where the illness has left you.

Granted, your sheer power of will,

may not directly affect the physical
nature of your life and the world, but it
will affect you. The importance of this
kind of thinking is undeniable when
you consider that it is you, and you
only, who has an actual effect on your
life and the courses you take. If your
mind is in an inexorable drive to
succeed and come out on top, then you
most likely will. Many advocates of
this practice often stress the power of
auto-suggestion, and it’s true, auto-
suggestion will help you achieve your
goals in that it will consolidate the
main factor of success – you.

Heart rhythm meditation

Heart rhythm meditation refers to

making use of your heart’s rhythm to
reel in a sense of calm and instill
peace in your mind. To perform this
meditation, start by sitting in a
comfortable position. Now draw in
deep breaths and close your eyes.
Place your right hand over your heart
and feel the heartbeat moving through
your hand to the rest of your body. The
heartbeat helps in carrying fresh blood
to the various parts of your body and
enriches your organs. You feel deeply
connected with your body and your
mind relates to your body’s impulses.
Do this for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remember to maintain firm control

over your breathing. Well-distributed
and consistent breathing directly calms
down your heart and brings its beats in
order. This is why breathing is always
advised in stressful situations where
panic is a likely threat.

Hypnosis meditation

Hypnosis meditation is a type of

meditation that helps you tap into your
inner mind to see what lies within it.
Most of our dominant thoughts lie in
our subconscious mind, which we need
to understand in order to exploit our
potential to the fullest. You can either
self-induce a trance or get someone to
do it. If you are doing it by yourself
then find a comfortable place to lie
down. Next, close your eyes and allow
your mind to travel to the back of your
head. You will find something there
that is not part of your conscious mind.
Try bringing it to the front of your mind
and ponder over it. Once done, you can
slowly come out of the trance.

Frequently done in psychiatry,

hypnosis is utilized in order to access
repressed memories. This can be done
either to uncover mysteries of the past
and deal with emotional problems
head-on or it can be used to access
pleasant memories we may have
forgotten. Memories and other aspects
of your personality are all registered
and stored deep inside your brain.
None of it quite disappears from a
healthy and functioning brain. It is
merely a matter of unlocking these
areas and bringing their contents to the
forefront of your conscious mind
where they can be experienced and
contemplated again. In addition to
potentially teaching you interesting
things about yourself, hypnosis also
serves just to strengthen your control
over your own mind even further.

Walking meditation

Meditation need not always pertain to

an activity that takes place in a seated
position alone. There are many types
of activity based meditational
practices as well such as walking and
Zazen meditation. Walking meditation
is easy to perform and will help you
relax your mind and provide your body
with some exercise. To perform this
meditation start by finding a walkway
that is long enough for you to walk for
5 minutes. Now start by standing
straight and your hands by your side.
Place your left leg forward whole
inhaling and your right leg forward
while exhaling. Keep this going for 15
to 20 minutes.

It may come as some surprise that the

mere act of walking can have a very
positive impact on your emotional
state, especially given the philosophy
of our lifestyles in the modern world.
But, when you think about it some more
you begin to see the logic in this
exercise. Synchronizing each breath
with a step along the way is an
efficient way to bring your physical
movements in touch with your most
cardinal life processes, exemplified in
this case by breathing. This will help
you feel more wholesome and
composed.

Zazen meditation
Zazen is also a movement-based
meditation. Sit with your legs folded
under your body. Now stare at
something in the distance and start a
rocking moment. Rock your body
forward and backward in consistent
motion. Zazen helps you improve your
focus and concentrating abilities. Rock
yourself for 10 to 15 minutes before
coming to a steady standstill.

These form the different meditational

practices that you can take up to
enhance your mental make-up.
Remember to supplement each of your
practices with the right type of ending.
You have to allow your mind to relax
and your body reel in calm composure.
Don’t be in a hurry to move to the next
activity and try to spend a little time
absorbing the positive effects of the
activity. Hasting through the process
and jumping from one practice to the
next would defeat the very purpose of
meditation. It’s all about taking it slow
and contemplating each moment and
occurrence in your mind as you engage
in your sessions.
CHAPTER 13:
MEDITATION
ATMOSPHERE
The ambience is something that
significantly affects our state of mind
whatever we may do or wherever we
may be. Some of us have more of a
nose for these things, but everybody is
influenced by the mood around them to
some extent. Of course, unpleasant or
otherwise disconcerting surroundings
severely affect our ability to focus and
attain a calm composure.

When it comes to taking up

meditational practices, it is best for
you to get into the right mood and
frame of mind. Meditation is meant to
help you reel in a sense of calm and
allow you to focus your mind on the
various activities. For that, it is best
for you to first set the right mood
before taking up the practice. Here are
some things that you can do towards
setting the correct mood.

Atmosphere

You should focus on the atmosphere of

the room. The atmosphere should be
conducive in order to help you
concentrate on your practice. There
should be enough cross ventilation in
your room in order to help you avail
fresh air. Open up the windows and
doors. You can turn on the fan as well.
If it is too hot then consider switching
on the air conditioner. If it is too cold
then wrap yourself up to prevent the
cold from affecting your practice.

The goal is to ensure that the physical

world has as little noticeable effect on
you as possible. What you want here is
to eliminate outside influence and
achieve a full focus on the inner
workings of your body and mind.
Always take the time to establish the
perfect conditions for your meditation
sessions. The whole point of
meditating is to take your time and get
it right; there is no need to rush
anything, as this will render your
efforts pointless.

Lighting

Focus on the lighting next. The room

needs to be ideally lit so that you don’t
get bored or fall asleep. Don’t make it
too bright or too dingy. Choose
something that lies in between. Picking
red or yellow light is great to help you
set the right mood. Try using some red,
pink or green as well as they too can
help you set the right mood for
meditation. Lights that are in the form
of lamps will work better as compared
to overhead lights.

Being that it is one of the main makers

of indoors ambience anywhere, from
homes to public establishments,
lighting should not be overlooked amid
meditation. After all, we give it much
thought when conducting other leisure
activities we care about, think about it.
Many of us pay attention to lighting
when creating a romantic atmosphere
or enjoying a special meal. We also
can be drawn to or deterred from a
restaurant or pub depending on the
lighting there. It’s only natural that it
plays an important role in a mood-
altering practice that is meditation.

Aromatherapy

Making use of aromatherapy can also

greatly help you set the right mood for
yourself. Aromatherapy has the
capacity to help you relax your mind
and body. Choose something on the
lines of rose or vanilla as both these
can help you relax your mind and
senses. Aromatherapy aids in
improving your overall mood and
makes your mind alert. You can
consider burning incense sticks or
aromatherapy candles. You can also
use pot Pourri or cotton balls dipped in
aromatherapy oils to place all around
your meditation room.

Our olfactory perception of our

surroundings has enormous potential to
ruin as well as improve our state of
mind and even emotions. The scent is
something that not only has an effect on
us at a given moment but also has the
capacity to ingrain itself deeply into
our memory. Certain scents we
remember will usually tie themselves
to particular events or even states of
mind we experienced while the scent
in question was present. Smelling
something we recall from before can
trigger very pleasant feelings and
memories from happier or simpler
times; if you know a few of these
examples within yourself it may be
possible to use this to the advantage of
your meditation as well.

Sound

Sound too can help you relax. Playing

a melodious tune can help you generate
the right mood. Pick something that has
the capacity to relax your mind
instantly. If you are used to listening to
something calming then use the same.
Making use of instrumental music can
help you relax better. You can either
play a cd or play it through YouTube.
As long as it helps you in remaining
put with the practice, you can play
whatever pleases you.

Many people find classical pieces of

music to be the most relaxing and
inspiring, but this is not a rule, of
course. Different people will find
different music soothing and helpful for
their concentration. Some may like
jazz, others would prefer something
more flat, and some of them may even
find heavy metal to be calming, but I
doubt that one. Either way, this can be
a good excuse to discover some new
music. While you’re committing to
your meditation, it could follow suit
well to research some eastern
melodies of which plenty are very
traditional and pristine.

Singing bowls

You can consider making use of singing

bowls. Singing bowls refer to metallic
deep-mouthed bowls that produce an
interesting tune when stimulated. This
tune, or tone, helps you relax your
mind and body. Singing bowls have
existed since time immemorial and
continue to be used in many parts of the
world. These mystic instruments are
widely believed to have originated in
Tibet. Although they have found their
way to many places around the world,
very little is known about their
beginnings, or rather about the details
concerning their original purpose. This
is mostly due to the communist
occupation and oppression, which
began during the ‘50s and destroyed
much of the deeply religious and
spiritual heritage of Tibet.

These singing bowls aid in creating

vibrations that is capable of moving
through your mind and body while
instilling peace and tranquility. You
will be supplied with a mallet that you
can use to hit on the mouth of the
singing bowl to generate the sound.
Singing bowls are available in several
materials including steel, brass, gold
etc. and you can pick the one that you
think works best for you.

Idols

You can also consider using idols. You

can place these idols in your room and
meditate in front of it. You can choose
any idol that you think works well for
you. Some prefer to have Buddha
while others like lord Ganesha. That
choice is entirely yours and if you
don’t want to have idols then you can
consider using posters.

It doesn’t have to be a religious thing

at all. Using idols may simply add to
the atmosphere and consolidate the
element you are in. After all, aesthetics
are one of the main ingredients of any
ambience. Furthermore, if you are
exercising your mindfulness, focus, and
concentration, idols may prove to be
an agreeable object on which to center
your thoughts. Granted that these
objects can mostly be random and of
no direct relevance to the practice like
I said. However, using one that
pertains to the spiritual exercise you
are trying to master definitely has its
benefits. Contemplating an idol of a
particular culture or religion may
provide a lot of food for thought and
further immerse you into the ritual.

Quotes

Making use of quotes can also help you

remain inspired. Choose a nice quote
that will help you remain focused.
Print it out on paper and make a poster
out of it. Place the poster on a wall in
your meditation room. Look at it before
starting or ending a practice. The quote
should keep you inspired and put in
your best efforts. Try to accompany
with your own inspirational quote
instead of simply borrowing it from the
Internet.

Again, quotes are another thing to feed

your thoughts and contemplation. When
we analyze bits of old wisdom and try
to interpret their meaning, our minds
will work towards these answers,
taking all kinds of paths along the way.
This may not be the best course to take
when you are exercising your ability to
concentrate and empty your mind, but
drifting away to faraway places in your
mind will often prove to be very
relaxing.
Distractions

It is important to not have too many

distractions when you wish to indulge
in meditation. Try to cut it down to a
bare minimum. It is best to have a
separate room dedicated to meditation,
which nobody but you can access. Tell
everybody that the room is specifically
meant to help you meditate and is off
limits for any other activity. You can
also close the door before meditating
or make use of a do not disturb sign to
cordon off the room.

Although we live in an age of

distractions, this doesn’t have to be a
problem if you are dedicated to your
exercise. Make your special meditation
chamber off-limits to most electronic
devices as well, especially phones.
Meditation is all about unplugging
yourself from the day-to-day stresses,
routines, obligations and
responsibilities. To truly make the most
of your sessions, you must cast all
these things aside during this time. As
a matter of fact, you actually want to
cast them aside, because you will soon
enough begin to see just how beneficial
this short period of isolation will be to
your overall wellbeing.

Partner

You can consider finding yourself an

ideal partner to take up the practice
with. The partner can be anyone that
you think will help you remain
interested in the practice and keep you
motivated. Take heed not to partner up
with somebody who may interfere with
your efforts, though. As I’m sure we all
know some people are just detrimental
to our peace, calm and quiet. We all
know a few such examples, no doubt.
It is understood that SEAL training is
meant to be a tough routine where you
have to put your body through rigorous
practices. However, you also need to
focus on calming activities that can
help you relax and recoil and
meditation is one such great activity to
take up.

Periods of meditation and recuperating

through mental exercises will actually
compliment intense physical training
very well. This is understood in many
cultures as necessary to maintain a
kind of warrior spirit and discipline.
Various forms of meditation are
commonplace in martial arts like Jiu-
jitsu, for example, where short
sessions of meditating are conducted
prior to and after each stretch of
training.
CHAPTER 14:
MINDFULNESS
TECHNIQUES
In the previous chapter, we looked at
the meaning and effects of meditation
on a person. We know that it is an
activity that you can take up to reel in
mental peace. However, meditation is
not the only practice that you can take
up and can also consider mindfulness.
Mindfulness refers to being present in
the moment. It is a set of activities that
helps you remain present in the current
moment and take in as much
information from your surroundings as
possible.

As you are about to see, this discipline

is best practiced through very basic,
daily activities to which we don’t give
much meaning in general. The thing
about these activities is that they are
more calming than we think. Actions
such as doing household or other
chores, even brushing your teeth, don’t
require much focus, but if you pay
attention, you’ll notice that your focus
while conducting them is indeed very
high. By training your mind to
concentrate on these little things, you
will teach your thoughts not to stray,
and you will keep them at bay.

This approach to daily life will make

sure that you never do things
mechanically. Your thoughts will be
brought under control, and you will
maintain a consistent grip on your
brain’s processes. This way you will
make sure that your mind is not racing
in a hundred different directions, but is
instead always fully present in all
daily situations.
Doing so helps you eliminate
unnecessary stress and reel in a sense
of calm composure. Mindfulness also
assists in improving your tactfulness.

There are many mindfulness activities

that you can take up and some are as
follows.

Mindful brushing

Start every morning by stretching your

body out completely. Next, indulge in
mindful brushing. Mindful brushing
refers to paying keen attention to your
brushing activity in the mornings. This
might sound strange but is one of the
most therapeutic activities that you can
take up. Start your day by spending
sometime brushing your teeth. Observe
the trail that the toothpaste leaves
behind on the toothbrush. As you brush,
visualize each and every single tooth
getting cleaned and eliminating plaque
and germs. Once done, rinse your
mouth and visualize that as well.

You know, when it comes to being

mindful, we can actually learn a lot
from children. Sure, kids are usually
running around doing a million
different things per minute; jumping,
playing, fighting, falling. And yet,
despite all their hyperactivity, children
can get interested in virtually anything,
even become fascinated by it. This is
gradually changing, but only a decade
ago it was all but common to see a
child sitting in the dirt and playing with
a couple of rocks and sticks, having the
time of his life while at it! And much
like playing, kids often seem to enjoy
short tasks, or at least appear very
focused while doing them.

What these exercises are really about

is trying to get back in touch with that
child within who could stop and stare
at anything, no matter how normal or
commonplace it is, and contemplate it
from all sides, ask questions and
wonder about it. Apparently this is
something most of us lose as the years
go by, but then again, many have
managed to achieve it again.

Mindful bathing

Mindful bathing is almost the same as

mindful brushing. Here, you focus on
the activity of bathing as opposed to
brushing. In mindful bathing, you
immerse yourself in the activity and
shut everything else out. Doing so will
help you relax as also heighten your
senses. Start by picking a convenient
time slot to carry out the activity. Now
get into the shower and stand under it
visualizing a waterfall. Pick an
interesting smelling soap to set the
right mood. Start by taking a long deep
whiff of the soap and then rub it over
your body. Stare at the bar as it leaves
behind a trail on your hand. Do the
same with the rest of the body. Try
spending at least 20 to 30 minutes in
the shower instead of rushing out
within a few minutes. You have to
relax your mind and body. Mindfulness
bathing aids in igniting your senses as
well and can effectively relax your
mind.

Another thing that this frame of mind

will help you achieve is an
appreciation for the little, pleasant
things in life. By taking the time to
contemplate and actually enjoy the
basic luxuries such as bathing, you will
surely begin to see that you have it
better than you may have thought. It is
very beneficial to remind yourself of
just how good these little things are.
By doing so, one begins to enjoy life
more, while paying less heed to the
daily onslaught of stress and nuisance.

Mindful cooking

We already looked at the strict diet that

a SEAL has to follow and the foods
that are generally prescribed. Using the
same, you have to indulge in some
mindful cooking. Mindful cooking
refers to spending sometime in the
kitchen and cooking a hearty meal.
There is no point in rushing the process
in a bid to get done at the earliest. You
have to put your heart into everything
that you do in order to avail its true
and full benefits. You can get your
partner to help out in the kitchen if you
wish to save on time. You can also
pack yourself a hearty and healthy meal
to carry to office.
Don’t forget how crucial of a role
nutrition plays in training and healthy
living. Keep in mind how we said that
your eating habits and schedules are
the cornerstone of success. Being as
important as food is, it is never a
waste of time to put in the extra effort
when making yourself a meal. What’s
more, approach it as a hobby or even
get creative when you are cooking.
Who knows, you may find that you
really enjoy making food, as a lot of
people do.

Mindful eating

Once the meal is ready, you have to

indulge in mindful eating. Take your
time while having a meal and don’t
rush anything. Sit at the table and don’t
be on the move. Get rid of all the
distractions around you and have just
the meal in front of you. Take small
bites and don’t end up filling your
mouth with a lot of food. Remain
mindful when you pick up the morsel
of food and direct it into your mouth.
Chew your food down and enjoy every
minute of it. Try understanding all the
flavors that exist in it and enjoy a
thoroughly hearty meal.

You may never stop and think about it,

but eating is one of the most important
things in life. It’s strange how rarely
we consider this, given that it is so
obvious from a biological point of
view. Either way, it is one important
thing that can also be a source of
utmost enjoyment. After you establish a
healthy habit and schedule for your
food intake and begin putting in the
time to prepare quality meals, it is a
good idea to form a sort of ritual
around each daily meal. Some people
don’t like rituals and routine, but taking
the time and thought to focus on that
which you eat, appreciating its flavor
is certainly something we can all do.
You will soon learn that respected
food tastes the best.

Mindful chores

You can remain mindful while

fulfilling your daily chores. These can
refer to everyday routine activities that
you take up such as cleaning, ironing,
de-cluttering etc. Put a check on all the
distractions around you and indulge in
some cleaning activities where you
remain thoroughly mindful of the
situations around you. Indulging in
Mindful chores aids in eliminating
unnecessary delaying and helps you
remain calm and composed. Pick an
activity and pursue it wholeheartedly
until you feel fully satisfied.
And if it’s a chore you hate doing,
paying some mind to it and analyzing it
will not only practice your
concentration and composition but may
reveal some fun aspects of it. The right
frame of mind can make almost
anything interesting. A tad of creativity
goes a long way in this regard, as does
imagination.

Mindful exercise
The next activity to take up is mindful
exercising. This refers to paying key
attention to your exercise routine as
you perform it. We already looked at
the different routines that SEALs take
up and when you perform these, you
have to remain as mindful as possible.
But remaining mindful does not mean
you cheat on the routine. You have to
put in just as much effort while
remaining as mindful of the situation as
possible. Even if you are tired, don’t
focus on that aspect and focus your
concentration on the routine.

This kind of thinking will also bring

you closer to being able to ignore
exhaustion as much as possible, which
can be pivotal in certain situations.
Nature’s way of pushing you above and
beyond in times of dire need is
adrenaline, but you would do well to
train your mind to be capable of
achieving that extra push on its own.
Focusing on the task at hand instead of
its consequence on your body will
teach you to take the strain and even
endure more pain. After all, pain is
recognized in your brain in the first
place, and it’s all about fighting it
where it lives.
Mindful listening
The next activity refers to mindful
listening. Mindful listening has several
benefits. You can use it to relax your
mind, increase your concentrations,
prepare yourself for something big like
a meeting or presentation etc. Before
partaking in any of these, start by
picking a calming song and give it a
good listen. Try to identify all the
different aspects of it and the various
notes. Divert all your attention to the
music and stay focused on it. You will
feel relaxed and ready to on the next
challenge.

Giving the music a harder listen will

be easier and even more beneficial if
you are already a music person. Some
people enjoy and crave music more
than others, but that’s okay since
virtually anybody has at least a
modicum of positive reaction to
specific notes, it is rooted deep in our
DNA. Find the sounds that relax and
otherwise positively impact your mind,
and pay attention when you listen. Take
the music apart, analyze or interpret it
if possible, it can unveil a whole new
world you never noticed before.
Listening to music can be much more
than just mere relaxation it can go as
far as being a learning experience.

Mindful counting
Mindful counting refers to indulging in
some Mindful counting exercises. You
can either count down or count up
depending on whatever helps you best.
Mindful counting has proven benefits
on your mind. You can stave of
negative thoughts and promote positive
ones. Start by finding yourself a quiet
corner and start counting backwards or
forwards. Once you reach the limit,
start over again.
These are some of the different
mindfulness exercises that you can take
up within a day. The beautiful thing
about this practice is that it will not
require its own place in your daily
schedule. It is essentially a way of
augmenting that which you were doing
during your day already. What this is
about is simply making the most out of
everything, drawing benefit wherever
possible, at all times. And, as you can
see, virtually any segment of your life
can be utilized towards self-
improvement and exercise of body and
soul. “Live and learn” applies to every
single minute of your time on Earth.
CHAPTER 15:
GENERAL TIPS
First and foremost, prepare well in
advance before the training sessions.
As you know, it can be both physically
demanding and mentally taxing to take
up these routines and it is important
that you prepare in both these fields.
Don’t go into any of the training
sessions without knowing what really
to expect. You might not be able to put
in your best. You have to work out for
at least a year before going to the level
that these seals go to. If you are
someone who averagely exercises and
does little to nothing towards
maintaining a fit and healthy body then
you will find it extremely tough to take
up the seal training. Therefore, it is
best for you to start training as early as
possible.
You will have to work out intensely
over that year, mind you. Rising to this
level will require both dedication and
patience. A strict workout schedule
must be established and adhered to
without exception. There can be no
procrastination, shortcuts or skipping
of sessions, as this is unacceptable
when exercising on the SEAL level.
This kind of routine is a thing of habit
and self-discipline because it will
require an absolutely consistent
approach over a prolonged period of
time.

This kind of strict adherence and

commitment is problematic for a lot of
people, which is why all Special
Forces are so few in numbers.
Remember well what you learned here
so far, the techniques we discussed
will help you focus and persevere
through any hardship or doubt if you
are committed enough. Although it is
crucial that you fulfill your end of the
deal, there are other factors to
consider, factors very relevant to the
success of your training.

It is important for you to train with all

the right equipment in order to fare
well with the training. This includes
making use of proper boots or shoes
and running consistently. You can also
make use of the appropriate swimming
wear in order to swim better. Although
it can seem a bit tough at the very
beginning, it will get progressively
simpler and better.

Speed is of utmost importance for a

navy seal. Be it running or swimming,
you should be able to do both as fast as
possible. You can clock your timing
when you take up each of these
activities and try to outdo yourself
each time. Your speed is what will win
you all the brownie points and help
you do much better than the rest of
them. For this, your practice should
begin well in advance and you must
concentrate on building a tough body
that is capable of taking on any kind of
physically straining exercises during
BUD/S.
Mental toughness is of utmost
importance when it comes to training
successfully for the BUD/s program.
You have to indulge in activities that
will allow you to remain mentally
prepared for any task that comes your
way. Mental toughness does not always
have to deal with possessing the
strength to last the course of the
training. It also has to do with being
the leader and leading from the front.
You have to prepare yourself to gel in
with everybody that you come in
contact with. This will give you the
chance to lead the way for the others to
follow suit.

You also must develop a team spirit, as

that will go a long way in helping you
improve your performance. You will
always fare well in a team as opposed
to going about it solo. The key is to try
and remain as motivated to succeed
while being in constant touch with
everybody that you rub shoulders with.
The test will be just so grueling that
there should be no time for any
bickering. Try your best to remain as
prepared as possible to train with
people who come from all walks of
life. You have to prepare mentally for
it in order to prepare yourself in
advance.

It isn’t always easy to get along with

people, but the Navy SEALs teach
their recruits the true value of
teamwork and the lengths to which it
can take you. As we have seen time
and time again, there is virtually no
limit to what a well-coordinated,
highly functional team of people can
accomplish. Learning to work with
others and cooperate closely gives you
an incredible advantage in life.
Everything in life comes easier when
you are working with a group and
learning this skill is surely a big step
towards becoming a more complete
and accomplished person, ultimately
leading to success.

Remember to keep the time frame in

mind when you wish to take up the
BUD/s training program. The program
can last half a year and you are
required to put in tremendous effort
towards preparing for it as also
partaking in it. It can leave you both
physically and mentally tired and you
must be prepared for all that comes
your way. Depending on your
perspective, you may feel that this is a
long or short time, but ultimately this
doesn’t matter. The hell of BUD/S is
not a result of the length of the training,
but the intensity thereof. Some things in
life are hard regardless of the time it
takes to accomplish them.

It is important that you undergo regular

physical tests to ensure that you have
good health. Even if you feel extremely
fit, it is important that you have a
qualified doctor run the basic tests on
you. This will ensure that you avoid
unnecessary injuries and can perform
quite well during the training sessions.

As long as you are pushing your body

to its furthermost limits, you also have
to take care of it and keep its health in
check. With all its incredible long-term
benefits, intense physical exercise can
be quite dangerous in some instances
as well. This can be due to injury as
we have mentioned, but also due to
particular health issues depending on
the individual. This is why the Navy
SEALs always conduct a detailed
screening test before beginning the
training, and before the following
stages of the program. Your body will
usually tell you when something is
wrong, but this isn’t always the case,
you may not even realize that the strain
you have put on your body has caused
a significant problem. Think of it as
regular service and diagnostics.

Besides keeping an eye on your health,

don’t forget what we said about
nutrition. The food is the alpha and
omega of all fruitful exercise.
Focusing on your diet is extremely
important when it comes to excelling in
military training. You have to focus on
adding to your body food that will
allow you to go on auto pilot mode
after a while. When that happens, you
will have the chance to make Hell
Week a little more bearable. The key is
to try and develop a food habit that
will allow you to increase your body’s
capacity to take in and burn away the
energy within a proper structured time
frame. This has to happen over a fixed
period of time.

It is always easy to give up but it is

important for you to not do so at any
cost. You should stop yourself from
indulging in negative thoughts that can
very well cause you to move away
from your motive. As was mentioned
earlier, you should remain as mentally
tough as possible in order to sail
through the seal training. If at any time
it gets a little overwhelming, it is best
to indulge in an activity that will help
you snap back to your normal self.

The temptation to give up will at times

be as strong as your determination to
make it to the end. This is an
autonomous voice that absolutely
everyone has in the back of their head,
constantly whispering in our ear to
yield and call it quits. The trick of all
the successful people before us,
especially Navy SEALs, is never to let
this temptation overcome our desire to
succeed. Although the battle of these
two forces inside you may at times
come to a stalemate, you have to keep
pushing and never listen to the
insidious voice calling upon you to just
throw in the towel. Always back the
right horse, which in this case is your
dedication and desire to win at all
costs. After all, the one you back
consistently will come out on top in the
end without any doubt.
CHAPTER 16: SEAL
TRAINING FAQs
Here are some basic FAQs that need to
be addressed in order to successfully
train as a navy SEAL.

Is there any typical routine to look

forward to as a seal?

No. There is not routine or fixed

schedule for a navy seal and they have
to prepare to take the day as it comes.
The workout that you will be subjected
to will vary from day to day. The main
activities that the seals need to take on
will pertain to physical activities that
can be extremely taxing. It is all in a
day’s work for a seal to run swim and
indulge in various other such
physically straining activities. A seal
is expected to also work in a team and
the exercises planned out for each
distinct unit will vary.

It’s all about being ready to take on the

unexpected and about presuming the
unpredictable. An established routine
allows one to adapt their level of
exercise and commitment, often
lowering it simply because they know
what to expect. This is unacceptable as
far as Navy SEALs are concerned. The
nature of their missions, as well as
combat in general, is such that you
must always train hard to be able to
surmount any hurdle you may
encounter. This is one sure way to be
prepared for anything.

How long before I become a SEAL?

It takes around 6 months for a seal to

finish all the basic tests and around a
year before that to train for the 6
months of training. So effectively, you
will have to dedicate around a year
and 6 months of your time to become a
proper trained seal. This, however, can
vary according to the experience and
age. If you are looking for proper
training to be a real seal then this is the
standard time to look at but if you are
doing it just to garner confidence in
your regular life then the time can be
much lesser.

Think of it as a college, which it

essentially is in the first place. The
world of Navy SEALs is an entirely
different one and it is a job that
requires a skill set all of its own. The
SEALs will make sure you are well
versed in these skills and that you
possess all the necessary qualities to
survive and overcome. Given the
intensity and the amount of learning
and agonizing training which occur
over this period, don’t be fooled into
thinking that this year and a half will
be over quickly. In fact, this will be the
longest year and a half of your life if
you embark on this journey.

When did seals come about and why?

Seal teams came about in 1962, when

J.F. Kennedy called for special teams
to be recruited that would indulge in
unconventional warfare. The US navy
decided to form navy seal teams 1 and
2. Today, there are around 2,500 seals
that undertake extremely specialized
jobs like the one that was assigned the
Bin laden case.

Although it has been said by Roy

Boehm, one of the very founders of the
group, that the operational history of
the SEALs began in Cuba, the Vietnam
War was when this elite unit really
came into its own. Fulfilling their
purpose of clandestine and anti-
guerrilla warfare with great effect, the
Navy SEALs earned their stripes in
this war and set the mark for decades
to come. Michael E. Thornton, Thomas
R. Norris, and Joseph R. Kerrey are
some of the most distinguished names,
all three the recipients of the Medal of
Honor!

What is the turnover rate in the seal

camp?

Each year, around 1000 navy men take

part in the seal-training program to
become a bona fide seal. Of these,
around 200 make it as seals. This
means that around 80% don’t make it
and only 20% successfully become
navy seals. These numbers indicate
how grueling it really is to become a
seal and how mentally and physically
tough one is required to be.

The numbers are there to tell their tale

and ensure that nobody underestimates
the feat of going for the SEAL trident.
They are not to discourage you if you
do, in fact, believe that you have what
it takes. Remember, the limits of what
you can accomplish begin and end with
you and you above all.

Can I join the navy to be a seal?

For that you have to consult with your

recruiter. If you are above the age of
18 and are interested in joining the seal
team then it is best for you to talk with
your recruiter about it, as they will be
able to better guide you. You might
first have to serve in the navy for a
while before being inducted into the
seal school. But if you are already in
the navy then you can consider talking
to your command career counsellor
who will be able to help you with that
decision. You can also call and enquire
at the naval special welfare-recruiting
directorate to find out.

Will my citizenship matter?

Yes it will. You have to be a proper

citizen of the US in order to serve in
the navy and become a seal. If your
citizenship is pending then you will not
have the chance. Similarly, if you hold
dual citizenship then you cannot serve
with the seals.

Can an army man join the navy

seals?

Whether you are in the army or the air

force, you should first serve out the
remainder of your duty with your
specific armed forces before pursuing
a career in the navy. After that
happens, you can enlist for the navy
seal-training program. There are no
exceptions here and you should
complete the course accordingly.

In other words, yes, any serviceman

from any branch of the US military can
apply for the Navy SEALs. Depending
on your exact position and nature of
service, the path towards your
application and potential recruitment
may differ, but this is something that
you can learn easily by consulting
those in charge as we already
mentioned.

Are there waivers for the ASVAB?

Yes but it is subjective. The waiver

will be granted only to those that the
authority will deem deserving of one.
These waivers are not easily handed
out and must be approved by the
authorities based on the individual
candidate’s application.

Is there any set workout regimen for

BUD/S?
Yes there is. There is a fixed regimen
that you can follow if you wish to take
up the BUD/S program. You can
download the naval special warfare
physical training guide and go through
it to understand what you have to do
towards training for the BUD/S
program. As was mentioned earlier, it
is important for you to prepare yourself
mentally and physically, as it can be
extremely grueling.

If you decide to try for this elite unit,

there is pretty much no limit to the
amount of training you can do on your
own in order to prepare for the hell
that is the BUD/S course. The more
you exercise and train, the higher your
chances of success, and the fact that the
Navy provides these regimens to the
public is a great help to those
interested. Make full use of the
available information for the most
adequate preparation. Like I said
before, you can think of it as applying
to college really, a college from hell
that is.

What will I need before joining

BUD/S?

Nothing. Whatever is required to train

at BUD/S will be supplied by the team.
You don’t really have to buy anything
including clothing, equipment etc. If
you aren’t already used to using fins
while swimming then that is something
you have to practice before joining
BUD/S as you will be required to use
it while swimming.

Is scuba diving a compulsory aspect

of BUD/S?

Yes, but don’t worry, you will be

trained in the practice and don’t have
to already know how to scuba dive.
However, if you already happen to
know how to scuba dive then well and
good and don’t have to take up the
training during BUD/S. You should
expect your skills to be tested, though,
as diving is one of the elementary
aspects of what the Navy SEALs are
all about.

What happens if I don’t pass

BUD/S?
If you fail to pass BUD/S then you will
be reassigned another duty that you
will have to take up as a Special
Forces candidate. The duty will
depend on your caliber entirely. If you
wish to reapply then you will have to
wait for 2 years before doing so.
CHAPTER 17:
SITUATIONAL
AWARENESS

In military circles, situational

awareness refers to a person's ability
to identify, evaluate and understand
crucial elements or information
concerning the situations-at-hand that
are specific to their missions. Simply
put, it’s being mindful of what exactly
is going on around you.
Navy SEALs, by virtue of their
dangerous occupation, value the
importance of situational awareness.
Without it, there's a pretty good chance
that they’ll fail in their missions or
worse, get killed. While your personal
situations may not be as dangerous as
those of Navy SEALs, you can still
benefit greatly from acquiring the same
mindset that they have.
Being mindful and aware of what's
going on around you can help you take
advantage of many opportunities for
promotion, favor, and breakthroughs
compared to if you simply coasted
through life every day without paying
attention. In some situations, a keen
sense of situational awareness can
actually save your life. For example,
many bicycle riders get into accidents
simply because they don’t pay attention
to the road and other motorists on the
road as they ride their bikes. Some are
even ride bikes while texting on their
smart phones with headphones on.
When it comes to winning in the
business environment, only those with
the keenest sense of awareness about
business situations are able to get
ahead. It’s because successful
businessmen have work on being
aware of what’s going on in their
respective markets, industries and
businesses. Such awareness allows
them to be steps ahead of potentially
dangerous developments and hence,
continue becoming increasingly
profitable. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg,
Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Sergey Brin
and Larry Page, all of whom were
keenly aware of their respective
markets and economies to become
billionaires.
While it's true that having a keen sense
of situational awareness can be very
beneficial, different situations or
environments need different levels of
such. For example, when you're at
home or vacationing at the beach, you
should be able to enjoy fully the
relative security and peace that such
places give you. After all, the reason
why you're there is to be able to rest
and relax.
On the other hand, there are places like
streets, crowded auditoriums, subways
or protest rallies wherein you'll need
to raise your level of situational
awareness to higher levels because
these places are riskier then beaches or
your home. In places like these, you
owe it to yourself and your loved ones
to be mentally alert.
Just like Navy SEALs, you can
develop your sense of situational
awareness by exercising it regularly.
How? Regularly, and have fun doing
it, assess the places you go to,
especially those that you hardly
frequent or those that you go to for the
first time using the following checklist:
-Try to figure out what the people
around you are doing or thinking;
-Try to observe and look for out-of-
place things or people who seem to
be acting oddly;
-Figure out the best place to seek
 cover if any unfortunate incidents
happen such as gunshots or
explosions;
-Figure out the exits nearest you in
case you’ll need to get out of the
venue immediately; and
-Observe if anyone is unusually
interested in you (staring, among
other things) or is following you
around.
As you do this, you will eventually
develop the same keen awareness for
social, relational, and business
situations, which can help you handle
them very well like a badass. This is
one reason why many ex-Navy SEALs
tend to be very good leaders even in
the business world. Their keen sense
of situational awareness serves them
good in practically every area of their
lives. You can also benefit from
developing a great sense of situational
awareness even if you’re not a Navy
SEAL.
Most SEALs will tell you – a majority
of people go through life with little to
no awareness of what is actually
happening around them. One must be
able to identify what is happening
around them, then process and
comprehend it so that they can react to
it accordingly. Of course, you and I do,
do this on a regular basis; what makes
us different from a Navy SEAL who’s
received training in this area is the
time taken to see, process, understand
and then react. Civilians like us will
end up taking a long time, but in the
military, you need split second timing,
especially when lives – yours or your
teammates’ – are depending on your
decision-making skills.
So far, we have seen the basic rules of
how to become more situationally
aware. I must warn you – it won’t be
easy to get into it! You will need to
constantly be on alert; initially, it’s
very possible that you will end up with
horrid headaches and exhaust yourself,
given how you are constantly on the
lookout for something to happen.
However, like with any other skill, the
more you practice, the better you get,
and the sooner it becomes instinct
rather than a conscious thought. And
it’s that instinct that you want to
develop, so that you can react to
anything and make a quick decision
that could very well mean the
difference between life and death.
Remember that you need to react to
different environments in different
manners. Both your mind and your
body require rest, so you need to make
sure that you have a couple of places
where you can unwind and relax.
Home, obviously, is at the top most on
this list – it is your best safe house,
where you can let your guard down a
bit and just let yourself be. However,
outside, in crowded places or malls or
airports, you must practice your
observation skills. We already saw a
checklist of things you need to begin
following to be able to improve your
overall situational awareness.
The simple explanation behind it is that
you need to figure out what is beyond
the baseline. Let me first define for you
what a baseline is.
While the Navy SEALs – and all
military units, in fact – have made
situation awareness training
mandatory, there is a true science
behind it, like any other activity, and
extensive research has been conducted
to try and improve it. When it comes to
an extensive training situation like the
SEALs, sometimes it’s easier to
identify what could potentially go
wrong in a dangerous situation – in
enemy territory, for instance, the
SEALs are vigilant for signs of enemy
activity, for anything that is out of the
ordinary that may cause them harm.
When you transpose that definition into
civilian life, things get a lot trickier.
What is out of the ordinary? What
could cause you harm? What must you
be on the lookout for? Obviously, we
cannot go around with eyes open for 24
hours in a day; even SEALs need their
rest and they take their turns keeping
watch. So how do you follow the
earlier checklist when you don’t even
know what you are looking for?
To make things easier to understand,
take a look at something called the
OODA Loop. This was invented by an
Air Force fighter pilot by the name of
John Boyd, who also served as a
military strategist. He defined OODA
as Observe, Orient, Decide and then
Act. In any situation, the person who
can cycle through this loop fast is the
person who has situational awareness.
It goes without saying that most people
tend to situation awareness with the
first step in the Loop – Observation.
This isn’t wrong per se, it’s just a very
limited perception of what the term
actually means. The second step –
Orient – is where true awareness
begins; that is what teaches you how to
develop it. Orientation tells you what
you should be on the lookout for and
then helps you put those things into
context so that you can react in the
appropriate manner.
This why the SEALs are so strong in
their awareness of an environment –
they know what to look for. They know
where things could go wrong and they
are constantly assessing for threats.
This is what you need to incorporate
into your life.
So if you take it step by step, the first
thing you will need to do is to observe
your surroundings, which is what I’ve
been describing so far. But here are a
few more things to keep in mind when
you trying keeping your eyes peeled for
threats. Your body language and your
stance make a difference; just as you
can identify someone shifty from the
way they’re reacting, you can also give
off ‘creep’ vibes if you don’t keep
yourself looking calm and relaxed.
When you have a calm demeanor, you
do not attract any unwanted attention to
yourself. It lets you remain unnoticed,
which – in the military, especially – is
essential, if one is to escape with one’s
life. The less threatening you appear,
the better. Another reason to stay calm
is this – research shows that the more
agitated you get, the more our attention
span becomes narrow, which means
that instead of taking in your entire
surrounding, you end up focusing on
only a few things at one time. This
obviously defeats the purpose of being
situationally aware. To keep your
attention and focus open to all details,
make sure you’re calm, relaxed and
composed.
One mistake most people make in the
observation step is limiting themselves
to a visual stimulus only.
Observational skills must go beyond
just what you can see; make full use of
your all your five senses to be aware
of your surroundings. For instance, if a
chemical gas was to be released
through the ventilation system that is
colorless, it’s the smell that will tell
you that something is wrong. Anything
can be an indicator; sometimes the lack
of sound will be a dead giveaway that
there is danger around the corner!
Keep all your senses fully functioning
and use them to identify threats in your
vicinity.
To be able to obtain that level of
situational awareness, the first thing
you need to do is to place yourself in a
position of optimal observation. You
don’t want to be too obvious to other
people, but at the same time you want
the best position in the vicinity that
offers you the best view of everything
and everyone. As we saw earlier, you
want to first take a note of all the
possible exits within the area and make
sure you find yourself a spot that offers
both optimum visibility as well as easy
access to those exit points. The best
idea is to put your back to a wall – that
way, the fact that you cannot see from
the back of your head doesn’t make for
a nasty surprise and gives you the
possibility of making a quick getaway.
As is obvious, this kind of choice is
not easily available in most situations.
For instance, if you’re at a restaurant,
you can’t always choose your table –
you’ll have to go with what the table
you are given. But you can still be
situationally aware; pick the seat that
offers you the best view of the room
and offers you easier access to the exit.
Now, improving your observational
skills is not something that comes easy.
Civilian or not, it takes a long time for
a person to not only learn this skill but
turn it into a definite instinct and a
natural way of life. At the SEALs, it
becomes a necessity, given that lack of
focus or awareness could get them
killed. However, in civilian life, it
becomes more challenging to learn that
skill, which is why you can begin by
playing small games that will help you
develop better situational awareness.
In fact, if you’re thinking about joining
the military, this is a brilliant place to
start!
Play the A-Game – the Awareness
Game. In fact, it’s an excellent idea to
start this out with your kids; it helps
them become situationally aware from
a very young age, which means that
they are instinctually well prepared for
threats! It’s very easy to play and it
will keep them occupied on long
journeys or boring situations. Here is
how it goes.
Whenever you are outside, make a
mental note of whatever you see – the
number of people working behind a
counter, the hair color of the person in
the seat next to you, the clothes the
person in front of you is wearing, how
many exits there are and where are
they located in relation to your
position, etc. Obviously, it’s difficult
to note everything at one go, so start
small – give yourself a list and then
cross it out one by one. When you
leave the place, turn to your kids and
make a game out of it. The person to
remember the most number of details
wins!
While you, as an adult, will find it
more tiring and difficult to get the hang
of, kids will definitely enjoy it! And
you end up giving them a good life
skill that may just end up saving their
lives in the future, so go ahead and try
it! It’s the most basic step is learning
how to observe better and become
more situationally aware.
The next step is to orient. This is
where the concept of the baseline
comes in. as I’ve been repeating; it
isn’t enough to simply observe
something. You need to know what to
look for, how to recognize threats and
then put that data into context so that
you can react to it. This is where the
Orient step comes into play. There are
three things in this phase that will help
us become more situationally aware.
The first is the baseline and the
pertaining anomalies for the
environment, the second is the mental
models of human beings’ behavior that
we need to keep an eye out for and the
final is our actual action in response to
these observations.
So again, what is the baseline? In the
simplest of terms, it is the most
‘normal’ situation to exist; it is the
status quo. It is the normal reaction or
action or situation that people go
through every day. For example, if you
are sitting in a coffee shop, your
baseline will be people ordering
coffees, sitting at their tables and
reading books or working on their
computers, chatting casually with
others, etc. If you are at a library, then
the baseline of the environment is
people sitting quietly at their tables,
reading a book or scratching away at
their notebooks or even standing at the
copy machines to take photocopies of
the texts they’d like to read.
A baseline is absolutely essential for
you to establish; it is what allows you
to spot anomalies. To define what an
anomaly is – it is something that either
should not happen and does, or
something that should happen and does
not. To put it simply, it is the thing that
does not belong to the situation; in the
coffee shop, if a customer were to
march up to the owner and start yelling
at him, that is an anomaly. Of course,
rarely are they so obvious or open –
you have to be vigilant enough to
recognize even the smallest sign of an
anomaly that could indicate threat.
This, obviously, comes only with
practice.
It goes without saying that the first step
in learning to orient yourself is to
establish the baseline. However, what
is normal behavior for one person may
not be normal for another, so how do
you go about doing this? Human psyche
and psychology are the most
unpredictable things in the world, after
all. So there are the main questions you
must ask yourself to establish the
baseline –
When you step into a new
environment, what is the situation
that is existent at the time?
What is the general mood among
your vicinity?
Statistically speaking, what
activity would be considered
‘normal’ in this scenario?
What is the behavior, people
typically exhibit in this situation?
Once you have answered that question,
you will have established a baseline.
Obviously, it is not a perfect science,
but most of the time, you will get it
right. With the baseline in place, you
can easily identify the anomaly. Just
ask yourself this –
What stands out of the baseline?
What could cause someone or something to
 stand out in such a manner?
As you can see, in order to be able to
react to an anomaly, you need to do
more than just identify its existence.
You need to figure out why the anomaly
exists in the first place – why is that
person acting the way they are or why
has the situation become so untenable?
If you don’t know this case, your
reaction will not be something that
could potentially fix the situation.
When it comes to identifying potential
anomalies in people’s behavior, things
can get a little bit tricky. You want to
be able to identify a potential threat,
not get arrested for randomly accusing
someone of something they never did.
Another thing to keep in mind is that no
matter how hard you practice, your
brain’s attention span is going to be
narrow as it is; research proves that
there is only so much we can take in at
one time. Processing information
requires time – Navy SEALs and other
officers have undergone such vigorous
training that that time is reduced to a
fraction of a normal civilian’s, but they
struggle too.
So to make things easier – there are
three particular types of behavior you
need to be on the lookout for. These
are the general trends of anomalies, but
do keep in mind that psychology and
human nature are extremely
unpredictable – if you want to learn
anything at all from the SEALs, let it
be that you should be prepared for any
situation. Things may not always fall
into these categories, but they do
largely follow these patterns, so use
them as a guideline to help you become
more situationally aware.

LOOK FOR DOMINANT BEHAVIOR

As a person living in society, we
usually want to get along with our
peers and neighbors and the like. This
means that we would prefer to act
accommodating and give in to our
friends because we want to be liked,
we want to be accepted. This type of
behavior is generally considered to be
submissive behavior and you can
expect this to be your established
baseline for most situations. People
are easy going, people want to
accommodate one another and people
don’t really come off as overly hostile
or dominant.
Dominant behavior, on the other hand,
is something that strikes you as hostile;
it is defined as an expression that is
taken to be your body’s fight response.
Someone displaying this type of
behavior usually makes gestures that
will make them look bigger and appear
more threatening. For instance, the
person will try to loom over you or
intimidate you by drawing to their full
height or thrusting their torso out. As
you can see, the dominance is more to
do with positioning and power than it
does with actual physical stature.
Because most people are willing to
submit and get along, dominant
behavior can be a major anomaly. If
someone is pushy or overbearing or is
trying to exert power over another
person, you will want to take a step
back and carefully consider the
situation.
This is where the idea of context
comes into play – as we saw in the
OODA Loop, it’s Observe, Orient,
Decide and then Act. You need to
decide if the anomaly is an actual
threat or not. A person displaying
dominant behavior definitely deserves
more attention than someone else, but
you must take the context into account –
what is causing that person to behave
in such a manner?
Nine times out of ten, you will find that
the behavior is justified; a quick
talking down will probably fix the
situation and bring the person back to
their emotional status quo. It is the
tenth situation that is dangerous; it is to
prevent that situation of danger and
violence that you need to be
situationally aware in the first place.
Being aware of these human behaviors
and their underlying meaning can also
be used to your advantage. Of course, I
don’t mean that you should have an
overbearing and aggressive attitude in
life, but to carefully consider the fact
that most people are willing to yield
when pushed. This can come in handy
especially in business.
Namely, exerting just the right amount
of dominance on a susceptible
individual can turn the table around in
many situations, especially when
unexpected. Dominance can be
presented so subtly, in fact, that most
will interpret it as basic confidence.
And seeing as confidence is, of course,
a prerequisite for dominant
disposition, you will have mastered
this over the course of your training.
Remember to keep your dominant side
at hand to use it when appropriate, but
also, keep it in check and on a tight
leash.

LOOK OUT FOR

UNCOMFORTABLE BEHAVIOR
Imagine that you are taking the train to
work today – look around you to
observe how the rest of the passengers
are. Nine out of ten passengers will
either looked bored or comfortable
(provided there are no crowds and the
train is traveling smoothly) in their
seats, probably looking out of the
window or reading a book or listening
to music. This is comfortable behavior;
it means that they’re well situated and
their emotional states are nothing to
worry about.
However, if a person looks
uncomfortable or is unnecessarily
distressed – that’s the anomaly you
need to keep an eye on.
Remember, once again, just because a
person is exhibiting anomalous
behavior, it doesn’t make them a threat.
SEALs have it tough; they need to not
only identify a potential threat, but also
decide if they must move on it. If
they’re right, they’re saving someone’s
life – if not, they’re potentially causing
a major accident. Fortunately, we don’t
have to do that as civilians. Unlike
SEALs who must take out even
potential threats, we can afford to wait
until the anomaly becomes an actual
threat – you never know, maybe that
person was so uncomfortable because
he was simply late to work!
This is where a clear line is
established between situational
awareness and plain old paranoia.
Becoming paranoid leads not only to
dangerous behavior and accidents but
also, to deterioration of the mind’s
state and wellbeing. Prolonged periods
of paranoia inflict tremendous stress
and damage on the victim, ultimately
rendering any joy of life impossible.
This exercise is not about presuming
danger at all times; it’s about
practicing and improving your
presence in the situation at any given
time. Beware not to go too far and
become obsessive, approach it as a
hobby or a pastime where you
primarily look for interesting details
while being observant. Remember that
it’s about mental exercise, not about
looking for trouble. If you look for
trouble, you will almost certainly find
it, and that way lays unnecessary
danger.
Research indicates that uncomfortable
behavior that a dangerous person
would exhibit is quite specific; they
will probably keep looking over their
shoulder to see what or who is behind
them. They will scan their
surroundings constantly, particularly
because they are expecting a threat.
Of course, such a person could also
just be someone like you, trying to be
more situationally aware. If you are
getting right, you won’t be noticeable
to him at all – this kind of instinctive
awareness takes time and practice,
however. You don’t see a SEAL openly
scouting out a situation – over the
course of their training and in the time
they spend in the field, it becomes
instinct to them. For you, however, it’s
going to take time, which is why you
should be careful and not act rashly.
Keep an eye out on the person
displaying such behavior and then take
it into context before you act.
Also keep in mind that the opposite
behavior can also be suspect; in a
situation where every person is
uncomfortable, if someone is unduly
calm and collected, chances are that
they are up to no good. Keep an eye on
them while you try to fix the chaos.

LOOK OUT FOR INTERESTING

BEHAVIOR
Taking off from the previous idea, most
people tend to display bored or
uninterested behavior in public. They
don’t really care about what is going
on around them and almost never take
note of specific interests or people. If
someone is paying something special
attention in such a situation, you need
to keep an eye on them, since they
could pose a potential threat.

These three are the most basic common

body language clusters that
psychologists define as human
behavior with reference to situational
awareness. Navy SEALs are trained
extensively in identifying these
behaviors and anything anomalous to
them; they know when someone is not
following the status quo and move in to
take them out before they can become a
threat. Marine Combat Profilers offer
us a few other behaviors to look out
for in civilian situations that could lead
to potential danger. These are –
Shifty Hands – Navy SEALs (and
all military personnel, essentially)
look for shifty hands on a person as
the first obvious sign of
discomfort. The first reason
ascribed to this practice is that it
makes it easier to ensure that the
person is not holding a weapon and
is not getting ready to attack them.
Reason number two is that hands
are the most basic indicators of
dangerous behavior; a person is up
to no good will wring his hands or
twiddle his thumbs or do
something with them that indicate
at danger. For instance, if a person
has something on their body they
don’t want others finding, their
instinct will be to touch or pat that
part of their body constantly. This
is because they want to ensure that
the item is still there – it’s a rookie
move and it’s what will get them
discovered. This is exactly the type
of behavior SEALs and other
military men are trained to spot
and take out. You can apply it to
your normal life; if someone’s
hands appear shifty, keep an eye on
them to make sure they are not up
 to anything dangerous.
Acting Natural – Human tendency
is to do the opposite of what we
are told to do. So if it’s acting
natural that is required of
someone, chances are, they will
stand out because they’re trying to
act natural. People who ‘act
natural’ will usually end up over
exaggerating or under exaggerating
their movements. SEALs in
Afghanistan, for instance, are
trained to look out for ‘farmers’
trying too hard to be farmers –
insurgents generally act as farmers
to collect information on the
military men. So if someone is
trying too hard to fit in, then
chances are they’re dangerous –
keep an eye on them.
The final phases of the OODA Loop
are to decide and act. Obviously, this
is easier said than done, given that
most of us lack military or even martial
arts training. In a tricky situation, you
tend to freeze up or not know what to
do; chances are, you have very little
time to react to what you see, if it
really is a dangerous person in front of
you. A Navy SEAL may be able to take
out this danger with a well-timed and
well-placed strike, but you as a
civilian will not have the split second
decision-making skills! Add to that the
fact that the stress of the situation will
muddle you up more – what do you do
then?!
My answer is going to be a sorry and
rather vague one – come up with a plan
of action. It sounds very out there, I
know, but there is absolutely no way to
predict every possible situation and
outcome and then come up with a
reaction for it. What SEALs do is
generally be extremely aware of the
things around them; when you walk
into a room, scan for potential exits
and entrances and also check to see
what you can use as a weapon in case
of danger. In the hands of a smart
person, even something as innocuous
as a pen can be a weapon – in
emergency, it’s not just your physical
or martial arts training that matters.
Your body is your strength, but so is
your mind! Situational awareness will
help you keep your wits about you; that
way, you can use what you have at your
disposal to make a difference to the
situation. This is what SEALs are
trained to do, on a larger and much
more difficult basis.
Here are a few other things that can
help you become more situationally
aware –
Learn how to predict events.
Obviously, you cannot possibly
imagine the outcome of every
situation, but statistically speaking,
most circumstances will follow a
predictable pattern. For instance,
if people get on to a train, they’re
going to sit down and wait for their
stop. If someone is acting
strangely, that’s when you need to
get suspicious.
Don’t be complacent; even if there
seems to be no opposing threat or
no reason to worry, you should be
on your guard. If a Navy SEAL
were to fall asleep while on watch
duty, simply because nothing was
happening, it might cost him his
life or the life of his comrades.
Complacency usually sets in when
things are slow or predictable –
don’t give in to it. Remain
constantly vigilant.
Be very aware of the passage of
time. The pace at which your
environment changes is influenced
by the actions of each person as
well as the movement of time
itself; be conscious of the fact that
time is moving. For instance, if the
bus journey is taking longer than
usual, you should go on alert – it
could mean that there’s an accident
somewhere because of which
there’s a traffic jam. You could get
down and help in first aid if that
was the case! Keep an eye on your
watch and be, once again, vigilant.
Actively prevent exhaustion and
fatigue. If you ask a SEAL why he
was ever defeated in combat, he
will probably tell you that it was
due to a combination of factors, not
the least of which were the element
of surprise and physical fatigue.
Your brain requires rest to process
any kind of information; if you are
overly tired and exhausted, that’s
when you tend to miss details in
your vicinity. A minimum of 5
 hours of sleep a day is required to
function; the advised number is 8,
obviously, but a Navy SEAL
cannot afford to always get that
much. As a civilian, you have that
luxury, so make full use of it – if
you want to be constantly vigilant
outside and situationally aware,
and sleep through the night!
Ultimately situational awareness is
about knowing what the status quo is
and then identifying something that
does not fit into that mold. Despite
how much we all want to stand out and
be our person, human tendency is to
follow the social norm – moralistic
implications aside, this sociological
aspect is what you need to focus on to
become more responsive to potential
threats in your environment. Navy
SEALs may or may not get the crash
course in psychology I just gave you,
but these are the concepts they use,
nonetheless – they are thrust into
situations such as these, where they
have no choice but to use their
observational and decision making
skills. The split second could make the
difference between life and death –
you, as a civilian can also make that
difference by constantly practicing
being more aware of your
surroundings!
CHAPTER 18:
NUTRITION
It’s been said that when it comes to
physical health and fitness, it’s more
nutritional than physical. What this
means is that what we eat has more
impact than how much and hard we
exercise.
That’s so true. If physical conditioning
is the primary way to health and
fitness, why is it that many triathletes
who don’t watch what they eat end up
with health issues? I even know of one
triathlete friend who suffered a mild
stroke while in peak competitive
condition, i.e., lean and ripped. It was
because despite his lack of body fat
and excellent physical shape, his diet
was terrible and his cholesterol levels
were off the charts.
Consider too that many people who
work out at the gym, run every day for
miles, and perform thousands of sit-ups
and crunches continue to look more
like the Michelin Man and the
Pillsbury Boy than fit and lean
athletes. Why? Chances are, their
nutrition is poor, i.e., low in protein
and high in sugary and fatty foods.
Given the very demanding nature of
their jobs, Navy SEALs need to be in
excellent physical and mental shape
and health. As such, nutrition is very
important to them. And even if you’re
not a Navy SEAL, nutrition should start
becoming very important to you too.
If there is one thing in life to which you
can never dedicate too much effort and
discipline, it is, indeed, your nutrition.
Food is the source of all life, and the
quality of your eating will directly
dictate the quality of your life as our
unfortunate world keeps demonstrating
to us throughout the globe. Much like
exercise itself, a healthy and well-
balanced diet is a thing of habit and
schedule for the most part.
While putting in the muscle in the
course of your work out is only half the
battle, food is the other half. The best
way to achieve the perfect eating habit
is through basic organization and
discipline. Follow the specific
guidelines and concoct a daily timeline
for all your meals, as well as a
variable array of different foods to
consume. Adhere strictly to your plan
and you will begin to see results within
weeks.

NAVY SEAL DIETARY GUIDELINES

Since they operate in many different

situations, Navy SEALs use several
dietary guidelines. In general, they
follow the Navy Operational Fitness
and Fueling Series or NOFFS for
optimal nutrition and performance.
The NOFFS is a nutritional program
that limits the consumption of
processed foods and instead promotes
the consumption of natural, whole
foods such as whole grains, veggies
and fruits. Further, Navy SEALs are
advised to get up to 65 percent of their
calories from carbohydrates, up to 30
percent from protein and the rest from
fat. This high-carbohydrate, high-
protein ratio is designed for fuelling
their physically demanding activities
as well as muscle maintenance or
building.

Diving Dietary Guidelines

Diving and spending extended periods

of time underwater can raise some
nutritional concerns for Navy SEALs,
particularly energy expenditure and
dehydration, both of which are
heightened underwater. The Navy
SEALs’ fitness guide suggests the
consumption of foods that are high in
carbohydrates or carbs like fruits, rice
and pasta in between missions and to
load up on carbs before a scheduled
mission dive. Loading carbs means
bumping up carbohydrate consumption
by as much as 1,500 extra carb
calories while reducing protein and fat
consumption three days before a
prolonged, scheduled dive.
For hydration, Navy SEALs regularly
consume liquids with up to 8% carbs
throughout their training sessions or
missions to maintain healthy sugar and
hydration levels. Another purpose for
this hydration technique is to replenish
zinc, chromium, magnesium and
calcium that are excreted through
urination, which is more frequent
while in cold water.

Extreme Temperature Dietary

Guidelines

Because Navy SEALs also operate in

extreme temperatures, their nutritional
needs also adapt to such conditions.
When operating under extremely hot
weather, they ditch excessive protein
and fatty foods, both of which tend to
make it harder to tolerate heat. They
also consume more drinks that are
fortified with potassium and sodium,
which are rapidly depleted as they
sweat excessively in hot conditions
and deficiencies of which can increase
the risks for muscle cramps.
Under cold conditions, Navy SEALs
also limit their consumption of protein
and fat because excessive amounts of
such can cause dehydration and
stomach problems. They also increase
consumption of thiamine and other
vitamins and minerals essential for
energy metabolism. Nuts and whole
grains can help augment these nutrients.

High Altitude Dietary Guidelines

Navy SEALs bump up their total

calorie consumption when operating on
high altitudes because such an
environment tends to increase
metabolism. It’s not unusual to find
that on average, SEALs consume up to
6,000 calories daily while operating
way up there. Typically, they consume
high carb meals for maintaining body
weight and energy. They reduce
protein intake to 10% at most because
more than that, the risk for dehydration
is significantly increased.
EATING FREQUENCY AND
PORTIONS

For optimal metabolism, they eat

smaller but frequent meals. This
means they eat 4 to 6 meals a day,
every three hours. Doing so helps
prevent binge eating and optimal
calorie burning. Bodybuilders and
fitness experts use the same technique
to get lean and ripped – and you can
too! Every seen an obese or out of
shape active Navy SEAL? Now you
know why!
How much should calories of food
should each meal contain? According
to www.navyfitness.org, the following
meal serving portion sizes are highly
recommended:
-Carbohydrates – size of the fist;
-Proteins – size of the palm; and
-Dietary Fats – the size of the tip of
 the thumb.
So how do you employ this kind of a
dietary regimen into your daily
routine? As is obvious, you will
probably not use the dietary guidelines
they follow at high altitudes or while
diving. You can, of course, try out
these activities and follow the set
guidelines, but for a day-to-day basis,
what you want is the simple, easy to
follow diet that you can make part of
your daily food and exercise regimen.
Former Navy SEAL, Stew Smith, who
now works as a Strength and
Conditioning Specialist (CSCS),
certified by the National Strength and
Conditioning Association, recommends
the following the simple diet in his
fitness books. The diet has been
designed to help you trim the extra fat
and get into shape. Do keep in mind –
you have to work out and do regular
cardio and abdominal exercises if you
want it to work! Like I said before,
your diet and the actual physical
exercise each account for about 50%
of the whole process. The more you
focus on setting up an efficient eating
program, the firmer the base of your
work out will become. If your efforts
are supported by a strong and healthy
diet, there is virtually no limit to how
far you can develop your body. Here is
how it works –

FIRST MEAL – 6.00 AM – PRE-

WORKOUT MEAL
Yes, you start your day off with a meal.
The general belief amongst people is
that you need to work out on an empty
stomach; however, it’s better to make
sure you have the energy to do your
heavy-duty exercise. Plus, this meal is
going to give you the fat content you
need to function – you will have the
whole day to burn that fat off!
What you can take in this meal are
these items –
Try egg white omelets. As I said,
you can afford to eat a little bit of
fat with this meal, so you can
afford to try out a little bit of
cheese and pepper to season with.
Add some vegetables as well and a
little bit of turkey breast if you are
craving some meat. Smith
recommends that you keep your
Omelet count to not more than 5
eggs for this meal.
Eat 2 slices of wheat toast. If
wheat bread is not available, try
out multi grain bagel. Smith claims
that he likes to add low fat peanut
butter or sugar free jelly – season
it with something that is not too
fatty and you’ll be fine!
Even though you can try to add a little
bit of fat for your meals, try to eat as
many grains as possible – avoid white
breads, pasta and the like. What you
need is protein content, with just the
right amount of carbs to give you the
energy you need, while still fulfilling
both your stomach and your taste buds!
Most importantly – work out in the
morning! Early morning workouts are
absolutely essential; you burn the fat
content and you keep yourself extra
healthy by taking in the fresh, crisp air
of the mornings! You may not be able
to gain access to those high altitudes
and crisp air that Navy SEALs acquire,
but you can definitely set your alarm to
a 5.00 o’clock awakening!
Taking on the day after a successful
early work out will give you a new
perspective; you will find that this
activity unlocks a whole new state of
mind through which to traverse your
day. Instantly, you will begin to feel
more confident and fresh as you tackle
your daily challenges. Even the basic
military branches adopt this technique,
let alone Special Forces such as the
Navy SEALs. It’s all about getting that
worm before the other birds.

SECOND MEAL – 9.00 AM – POST-

WORKOUT
It is now that you are allowed to eat a
bit of carbs – they will help your body
in the transport of insulin in your body
as well as help you recover from the
intensity of your workout. Here is what
Smith recommends as food choices for
this post workout meal –
2 bananas with a glass of milk –
choose only skim milk to reduce
further fat content.
Oatmeal with raisins is also a food
option – add skim milk to this as
well.
If you do not feel like limiting yourself
to a single option, mix up smaller
portions of both. And if you are still
hungry, then add a fruit to your diet –
which way your stomach is filled but
you keep your body healthy and fit!
Fruits are always welcome so add
more of them to your diet whenever
you feel that you are craving more
food. In almost all cases, you just can’t
go wrong with fruits; they are a truly
benevolent food source.

THIRD MEAL – 12.00 NOON –

LUNCH
The third and the fourth meals are
probably the trickiest ones for most
people; you are at work and you barely
have enough time to sit down and eat
properly, much less take note of what
you can and cannot eat. But do keep in
mind that you cannot ignore your
nutritional needs – the SEALs have to
survive in the wilderness and horrific
conditions, despite which they manage
to watch what they eat and keep
themselves super fit. Make use of the
extra time you get when you wake up
so early in the morning – pack your
own lunch, so that you are not left
dependant on the vending machine, that
– more often than not – has only
unhealthy, greasy options for food.
Here is what Smith identifies as good
food options for your third meal –
Ground Turkey Breast – you can
add a little bit of cheese, but stay
away from the mayo! If you want a
little bit of taste, add some mustard
or low fat salad dressing and then
package the whole item into a
wrap made out of whole-wheat
grain. You eat as many as 2-3 of
these, depending on how hungry
you are. A good idea is to throw in
some vegetables like bell pepper
or tomatoes, since they’re quite
 filling and do not add to the fat
content!
Baked potato chips are something
you can use to augment your lunch
– keep the quantities small and
make sure that they are not fried,
only baked.
Broccoli – don’t make that face,
broccoli is an excellent and healthy
food option for anyone trying to
stay fit! Spray a little butter to it if
you like; don’t use too much
though, or you’ll add more fat
content than you can afford to your
diet!
Fruit – You cannot avoid fruit if
you want a healthier diet!

FOURTH MEAL – 3.00 PM – POST-

LUNCH MEAL
Again, you want to keep this meal
simple and easy, low on fat and carb
intake. Here are your food options –
 Try out a can of tuna fish – a single
can should go a long way to filling
you up!
Egg whites are also a good idea;
augment it with a multi grain or a
whole-wheat bagel or bread.
To make it easier to pack your meal in
the morning, you could just add another
wrap to your noon lunch and eat that at
this time. If you do go in for that
option, throw in some fat free yogurt as
well as a few vegetables – raw ones –
like cold carrots to keep your taste
buds happy.
Before your next meal, complete go
and work out! If you’re trying to get fit
and into shape, you will need to be
determined about your exercise
regimen; you have to work out twice a
day at least, to be able to condition
your body and whip it into shape.
While your early morning workout
must be intense and powerful, you can
try a simpler routine for the evenings,
like lifting lightweights or simple
calisthenics. Make sure you work out
though, no matter how tired or
exhausted you are. In fact, the more
exhausted you are, the more you need
to work out – that is the best way to
emulate the SEAL training and learn
their grit! Giving up “for the time
being” or “just this once” is giving up
nonetheless. You cannot afford to skip
a single session, not only because it is
a slippery slope, but it also detrimental
to your routine as a whole. Missing out
a work out session or slipping up in the
course of your diet, even for one time,
can throw your whole effort off and
require even harder work to make up
for it.

FIFTH MEAL – 5.00 PM – POST-

WORKOUT MEAL
You want to keep this meal extremely
light, since dinner is just around the
corner and you don’t want to overstuff
yourself. In fact, this meal is more of a
quick snack than anything else – it’s
just to give you that extra energy until
dinnertime comes and you can have an
actual meal. Here’s what you can eat –
Have a can of tuna once again and
make sure you keep your mayo
intake as little as possible.
A small and quick salad, with
maybe a single piece of chicken.
Some wheat crackers to nibble on.
Smith also recommends that you take a
protein shake or two after your second
workout; however, you should make
sure that it is low in fat content. You
don’t want to regain all those calories
that you just lost! Working out so hard,
and then just reloading on your fats and
calories right after the round is self-
sabotage and will surely make you
stagnate.

SIXTH MEAL – 6.30 PM – DINNER

This is another meal that you can add
carbs to, given that you’ve completed a
workout and require the extra energy.
Be very, very careful though – don’t
confuse carbs with fat! The last thing
you need before you head to bed is fat;
unlike in the mornings, it doesn’t get
burnt away. Instead, your body stores it
up over the night, adding to those extra
pounds! So good carbs are the way to
go here! Here is what you can eat now
–
Multigrain pasta is the best option for you at
this time! It offers your protein and carbs, with
little fat and gives you an enormous amount of
energy! You can season the pasta with a good,
tasty sauce, but make sure they’re not fatty or
greasy sauces.
Augment the pasta with a bit of garlic bread –
 make sure you use wheat bread for it when
you prepare it!
Turkey or chicken breast, fish or lean steak are
also good options, though Smith advises you to
add smaller portions of these into the pasta
itself, instead of making them whole meals.
That way, you get a wonderful array of foods
to give you the protein and carbs you need, but
it doesn’t affect your health adversely!
Head to bed by 10 pm. Give yourself
at least 2.5-3 hours for the food to
settle in your stomach and start
digestion.
As you can very well see, the diet
follows the Navy SEAL pattern of
eating small but regular and healthy
portions! The goal is to eat around 5 to
6 times in one day – all your meals are
spaced out at time intervals of three
hours. This is because three hours is
generally how long it takes for your
stomach to digest and empty itself of
food. Whether you follow the SEAL
pattern or not, every dietician will
offer you this piece of advice – never
fill your stomach. I don’t mean starve
yourself; I mean that you should eat just
enough to feel full, not stuffed. This is
why the portions are small; it helps
boost your metabolism, provided
you’re exercising regularly and
keeping yourself active.
Do not skip meals at any cost; this is
when your metabolism slows down
and you don’t burn as many calories as
you would like. Keep your diet rich
with protein and a few complex carbs
– fat content must be low and
preferably negligible! Don’t confuse
carbs with fat; that’s something most
people do in their attempt to get fitter.
Carbs are something you need,
especially after workouts; fats, on the
other hand, are better kept at a low
minimum – you need them, but at low
quantities, so stick to that!
Remember work out – do not skip your
exercise regimen, especially since this
is what whips your body into shape
and conditions you to strong and
adverse situations! As you saw, the
Navy SEALs undergo the most
rigorous, painful physical training you
can possibly imagine; obviously, you
cannot jump into that kind of physical
workout as a civilian and a beginner at
that. But you can make sure you
complete your exercises; depending on
your fitness goals, this can be any type
of activity, from fast walking for 30
minutes to a proper sprint for half an
hour!
And most importantly, do not forego
drinking water during your workouts
and the rest of the day! The reason
most fad diets and quick weight loss
solutions don’t really work is because
they reduce your muscle mass and
water content; it’s not fat you’re
burning, it’s simply the water in your
body that you sweat out. Rehydrate
after your sauna session and you’ll see
that you regain your weight instantly.
This is why moderate diet and good
exercise are the best ways to lose
weight and keep fit – no such thing as
easy route to health, I’m afraid!
Drink water before you begin your
meals; it fills you up so that you
automatically reduce your food content
and eat less. Keep in mind that it takes
your body about 20 minutes to
understand that it is full; so don’t keep
stuffing yourself even after your
designed intake is over. Give yourself
those few minutes so that your body
knows you’re done – you may still
have that phantom hunger once you’re
done eating, but don’t give in to it! A
good idea is to time your meals – don’t
listen to your stomach or tongue to eat,
listen to your clock so that you’re
taking timely, small and regular meals
that keep your body fit, even if it takes
a while for it to feel that way!
Stew Smith’s diet plan is an excellent
idea for anybody trying to get into
shape; you can check out his books for
further instructions on how to work
out, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle
through good food and good exercise.
Within the diet itself, he does offer
other options too. Here are a few of
them –
A chicken salad that has no fat dressing
Multi grain pasta, containing turkey, sausage
and peppers (preferably the red and yellow
ones), dressed with fat free sauces
A turkey breast burger that is made out of
wheat bread
Roasted chicken breast, with little to no mayo,
augmented with honey mustard instead
For a quick snack, any fruit or vegetable and a
pinch of no fat yogurt.
As you can see, options are limited,
but you can definitely get creative with
your cooking! Just keep your fat
content to less than 50 grams or so, and
avoid as much processed food as
possible to keep yourself healthy and
fit!
Apart from your diet and your work out
itself, there are some things you need
to keep in mind when it comes to
getting yourself fit and keeping
yourself healthy. Here’s what you must
do.

CHEW YOUR FOOD WELL

When you put calorie dige4stion with
extreme physical activity, your stomach
will definitely take a hit. That’s
probably the reason why you feel so
hungry all the time with your extensive
workouts and exercises regimens. This
is why you need to chew your food –
even if you are late and you need to
rush off to work, make sure you chew
each bite at least 20-25 times.
Chewing initiates the digestive process
and helps with nutrient absorption; as
you studied in 10th grade biology,
digestion begins in the mouth, when
you start chewing. So don’t just bite or
nibble your meals, make sure you chew
them properly!

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

As I already mentioned, water is
absolutely essential pre, during and
post workouts. You want to make sure
that the loss of electrolytes from your
body through your sweating doesn’t
make you faint; water also helps burn
excess fat and keeps you hydrated and
healthy.

DON’T WAIT TO EAT OR DRINK

A big mistake most people make when
trying to get into shape is ignoring food
and water until they’re starving. When
you do this, you end up binge eating or
taking in extra greasy and fatty foods!
The whole point of the aforementioned
diet is to eat small, regular meals and
stay ahead of your hunger and thirst.
You want to make sure that you don’t
feel hungry or you don’t feel extremely
full – the status quo is that your
stomach is satisfied and isn’t growling
at you to eat right now. It’s about
evening out your food intake throughout
the day for optimal satiety. If you shove
too much food into a single meal and
cut down on the number of meals you
take per day, you will get hungry even
though you have already taken in a
sufficient amount of calories to get you
through the day. Obviously, this leads
to overeating and building up
unnecessary fat.
DON’T DO HEAVY WORKOUTS ON
AN EMPTY STOMACH
As you saw within the diet itself, a
pre-workout meal to give you the
energy to perform intense exercises is
a good idea. Fat loss is something that
happens over the day and in regular
intervals; count your calories and focus
on improving your energy levels
through the day by eating healthy. If you
work out intensely with little to no
food in your stomach, chances are your
energy levels will dip and you will
feel faint and too tired to tackle the
day. Instead, eat a healthy, pre-workout
meal that will keep you energetic
enough to get you through your exercise
regimen! Of course, you don’t want to
just get buffed and fit without feeling
healthy at the same time. Balance is
key, as it will help you enjoy the fruits
of your efforts while, at the same time,
feeling as good as ever.

Ultimately, having a good diet and

regular work out sessions is absolutely
essential to leading a healthy lifestyle.
If you want to be more like the SEALs
and practice the more intense stuff, try
to intensify your workouts to include
challenging exercises like diving or
mountain climbing or even hiking;
these will help you incorporate actual
dietary guidelines that the SEALs make
use of. But do keep in mind that as a
beginner, you may not be ready for
these. Start small, work steadily and
don’t give up – eventually, you will get
there!
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
SEALs are some of the toughest people
on earth and take up the most arduous
tasks on the planet. Right from the navy
to army to the air force, these SEALs
can be dealt with numerous tasks that
require them to be both mentally and
physically strong.

Since these SEALs carry out

unconventional missions, it is
important for them to take up
unconventional forms of training as
well. The training that these SEALs are
exposed to is much more demanding
than what regular men in the armed
forces have to go through.

Of these SEALs, the ones in the navy

possibly have the toughest job owing
to the kind of demanding atmosphere
that they need to train within. The
water bodies that they train in live in
can be quite unforgiving and it is
important for a SEAL to be available
100% in order to train efficiently.

The training that these SEALs receive

can be both mentally and physically
demanding. The sessions can be quite
rigorous and push the candidate to the
very brink.

Why exactly is the Navy SEAL training

program so agonizing? What is it that
makes their missions so unique,
dangerous and important? Well, the key
to answering these questions lies
within the meaning of unconventional
warfare. What makes them stand out
from the usual military doctrines is the
covert nature of their operations as
well as their small numbers, special
tactics, and surgical approach to each
task.
It’s about building tight-knit teams of
small size, able to operate deep behind
enemy lines before any large-scale
operations conducted by conventional
and larger military forces. Navy
SEALs act as an arrowhead in that they
go in first and often cause the most
damage! This damage doesn’t
necessarily have to be manifested by a
large body count, massive destruction
of enemy forces, etc. No, it’s about
hitting where it really matters with
maximum impact. As a matter of fact,
Navy SEALs, and other units with a
similar purpose will often turn the very
course of the battle in a different
direction without the conventional
armies on both sides even knowing.

The role that the SEALs played at the

beginning of the First Gulf War of 1991
is an excellent example of what these
small and elite units can do and how
their actions influence the course of
battle. Infiltrating themselves into
Kuwait City, which was under full
Iraqi control at the time, they were the
first Coalition boots on the ground.
Later on, Navy SEALs carried out a
ruse mission to divert the Iraqi military
from the main invasion location by
detonating explosives and placing
markers just off the coast of Kuwait.
Ultimately leading the Iraqis to believe
that an amphibious attack was
underway, this diversion worked and
significantly reduced the coordination
of Iraqi defenses against the real
offensive.

This is how a well-planned and highly

strategic move, employing
unconventional means and forces, tips
the balance of war and potentially
saves many lives among the regular
military troops. In addition, these men
will collect and provide invaluable
data on enemy activity as well as
rescue hostages and secure American
citizens in crisis-stricken areas, all
without kicking up any dust.

These are the reasons why Navy

SEALs are such a renowned and
valued fighting force. This is why so
few candidates make the cut and
conquer the training course
successfully. There is little to no room
for error in this line of work, and only
the very best will be admitted,
regardless of the number of candidates.

There really isn’t too much of a

restriction on who can and cannot take
part in the SEAL training. As long as
the candidate is 18 years old and a
member of the US navy, he or she
(there are talks of women being
allowed to join in) can participate in
the SEALs training program.

These candidates generally come in

big numbers but only a few get the
official title of being a SEAL. It can
get a bit tough and so, around 70%
don’t make the cut.

There are basically two training

sessions when it comes to being a
SEAL. The first involves going through
a physical screening test to see if you
will be a fit candidate and then training
for the next and most important
activity, BUD/S.

As many as 90% pass the screening

test and are sent to an academy that
prepares them for BUD/s. BUD/s is
extremely tough and in order to take it
up, the candidate has to prepare both
mentally and physically for it. The
academy is known as special warfare
preparatory school and involves going
through rigorous tasks to ensure that the
candidate is fully prepared to take up
BUD/s training.

Take a second and contemplate that yet

again. After passing the basic physical
screening test, the candidate is sent off
to train rigorously and profusely in
order to get into the main training
course. Consistently growing in
difficulty, these segments of training
serve as separation layers. Each layer
will strike off and weed out a certain
number of unfit candidates. This goes
on until the very finest men are all that
remains, and then it keeps getting
worse.

BUD training takes place in three

phases with each one being more
demanding than the other. The first
phase lasts 7 weeks and involves the
candidate going through the toughest
mental and physical challenges. It
involves running constantly for several
miles, swimming in extreme
conditions, passing through obstacle
courses etc. All of this can be
extremely demanding and cause the
person to tire out easily. However, that
is never an option and the SEAL must
be prepared to pass through these tests
with flying color in order to move to
the next phase that is Hell Week.

All the while, the candidates are

welcome to quit and put an end to the
pain, even during Hell Week. The act
of quitting even has a name in the ranks
of the Navy SEALs. Commonly
referred to as DOR, which stands for
“Drop on Request”, all a candidate has
to do is say the words and then conduct
a little piece of tradition. This ritual
consists of a surrendering candidate
placing his personal headwear next to
a specially designated pole that has a
bell on it. Finally, ringing the bell three
times announces, for all others to hear,
that the candidate refuses to go on and
is ready to pack up and throw in the
towel.

Those who quit and pack up are no

Navy SEALs and never could be, at
least in their current frame of mind, so
the system works like a charm. When
you really get down to how it works,
you’ll see that a SEAL is already there
as soon as he steps foot into the
training course, while the program
serves only to point him out and
separate him from the rest.

This testifies further to the fact that it’s

your mental strength that counts the
most. If you are in the training
program, that means your physical
fitness is already satisfactory at the
least, and will naturally come into its
own during the course. However, if
your will is not hardened, and your
determination isn’t a thing of steel, you
will fail.

Swimming, as you know, is the most

important aspect that will be
considered at BUD/S. you have to be a
strong and prolific swimmer in order
to fare well at the BUD/S training. For
that, you might have to prepare well in
advance and equip yourself with the
swimming techniques that are needed
to do well. You have to prepare your
body to move in harsh conditions and
be able to perform well.

Hell Week is the most dreaded time in

the SEALs training routine. It pushes
the candidate to the absolute extremes
and causes almost 50% of them to give
up. Hell Week routinely lasts for
around 5 days and the candidates are
put through extreme physical and
mental conditions. They are made to
run, swim and take up other grueling
physically demanding activities
without getting more than 1 hour’s rest
per day. So in all, they end up getting
less than 5 hours sleep and end up
feeling absolutely exhausted.

And most of these hellish activities are

not meant to make them physically
tough but instead mentally. They are
meant to help the SEALs develop
mental fortitude.

The seals have to follow a particular

diet that helps them maintain a strong
and lean body. The diet should
incorporate foods that are all healthy
and nutritious. We looked at the main
diet that the seals can follow and you
can go through it again if you wish to
understand it better.
This book is meant to be an educative
platform to help you understand how
tough it really is to become a bona fide
SEAL. It is also meant to serve as a
handy guide to all those that are
interested in training and becoming as
tough as a seal. It doesn’t really matter
from which area of life you come from
as long as you wish to become just as
tough as these seals. You can consider
taking up these exercises in order to
get over your inhibitions and improve
upon your overall confidence levels.

There are many areas of your life that

you can successfully improve upon by
choosing to be a seal. These include
your level of fitness, your mental
structure and also your nutrition. Seal
training can make you a whole new
person capable of doing a lot of things
with much ease.

Apart from this kind of rigorous

training, the SEALs can also indulge in
meditational practices. As you know, it
is extremely important for a navy seal
to develop immense courage and
confidence in order to finish practice
and also serve as a seal. Such mental
toughness is not easy to develop and
the seal is supposed to possess a lot of
mental stamina to be able to complete
the tasks and become a seal.
The seal is supposed to literally forget
about the concept of “fear” and try to
develop a strong resistance against it.
Fear generally causes people to not put
in a 100%, which can work counter
productively to the training. The most
basic approach that seals take to
overcome such fear is put themselves
in situations that really do really scare
them. Doing so can successfully help in
getting used to the fear and chasing it
away. Of course this is easier said than
done and yet, seals have to mandatorily
partake in it to develop mental
toughness. A great way to pursue it is
by setting reasonable goals and then
going about the “facing fear” activities.
These practices are meant to help reel
in mental peace and tranquility. We
looked at the different meditational
practices that you can take up in order
to prepare yourself mentally. If you are
determined to take up the proper SEAL
level practice then it is best that you
take up meditation for at least 3 or 4
months leading up to the practice. This
will help you mentally prepare for it.

Apart from meditation, you can also

consider taking up mindfulness.
Mindfulness helps you remain
thoroughly aware of your surroundings
and put an end to distractions. It makes
you mentally and physically strong. Of
course you might not be able to
compete with the level that these navy
men possess but can try and come
close to it. Don’t think just by
meditating and remaining mindful you
can successfully finish Hell Week with
ease. You will still have to go through
the immensely insane physical
activities in order to sustain a real
SEAL like training.

It is essential for you to undergo

regular health check-ups. Many people
forgo it thinking they will be fine, but it
is best to not take a risk with your
health. There will be mandatory health
checks that will be issued during
BUD/S and you have to strive to
maintain clean health. Do not skip
meals and continue to push your body
until you develop proper immunity.
You will have to train in special
equipment such as fins and boots, both
of which will take time for you to get
adjusted to. Starting early is vital and
it is best if you consult an expert first
to help you with both aspects.

Remember that SEAL training is not

going to be a walk in the park. You
have to put in a lot of effort to secure
yourself the position. Patience and
hard work are the only two virtues that
will help you sail past these sessions.
CONCLUSION:
Congratulations! You now know what
makes Navy SEALs the best and can
start training like one physically,
mentally, emotionally, and nutritionally
and be a more confident man. Yes, you
may not become as tough as actual
Navy SEALs but you can become
confident enough to succeed in life
using the same principles they use to
win in just about any situation.
If there is one thing which can be
underlined as the ultimate truth in this
book, it is that the Navy SEALs are
walking proof that the limits of what is
humanly possible can be pushed much
further than any one man can even
begin to imagine. We have discussed
their agonizing training in great detail,
showing not only how far one can go,
but also how far he can be willing to
go for a worthy goal. The gist of the
matter is, indeed, that will and what it
can accomplish in the most hellish of
conditions, let alone in daily life.
Further exemplifying the virtues of
dedication and sacrifice are the real
life stories we have touched upon
through our chapters. None of us are
likely to experience the horror and
misery of war over the course of our
lives, but we have a lot to learn from
those who willingly step into the fray
not only for their comrades and the
objective but so that others don’t have
to do it. Try to imagine the kind of
character that adorns a man who gives
up everything, ultimately his life, for
another.
While opportunities for such deeds
may be plentiful in war, they are not
common in regular, civilian life. All
that is expected of us is to give such
dedication and determination to
ourselves and to our loved ones. But,
don’t forget that it always starts with
you. It is only after you have mastered
and began truly caring for yourself that
you can be of service to those around
you. Hopefully, this book has taught
you just that and will help you take the
first step on your way towards thriving
and seeing great success in life.
Just remember that knowing is just half
the battle and the other half is
application. As such, I encourage you
to start applying what you learned as
soon as possible because when it
comes to changing your life for the
better, haste doesn’t make waste. It
helps.
After all, you’re the only one who can
take that first step. Nobody can ever
take it for you. Nothing in life will
come on its own, out of the clear blue
skies, you have to seize the
opportunities or make your own if life
isn’t throwing any your way. The same
way that Navy SEALs become masters
of combat and circumstance, trained to
tip the balance in their favor and come
out as winners, you must also do so in
life. Attitude is where it all begins;
your outlook is the canvas on which
you paint your future, and the better the
canvas the smoother and clearer the
painting will be. As another prominent
special operations unit, the British
Special Air Service, has put so well in
their motto: “Who dares, wins.”
Here’s to your becoming an ultimate
warrior in life!

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give a short, honest, and unbiased
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[1] From the Navy Seals Website

http://www.sealswcc.com/navy-
seals-ethos.html#.VpM_7sB94y4