Learning from injury

For the last week or so I have been dealing first with just discomfort and then “I can hardly walk”, injury in the hip / groin area.  In dealing with this I have to remember the reminder we have received from Tom Callos so many times that if you have an injury or you cannot do something – improvise -  find something else you can do and keep moving forward.

Physical report @ 5 months

At 5 months here is a report on my injuries, what is hurting and what is doing really better than expected.  Also two things I need to focus on this next few months.

Who is on your team?

Today was a good of training starting with the adult morning class followed by some training with the team with me in the UBBT training. To see the results go to My Results for May. I have asked each person in the class to think about the team they have around them to help them achieve their goals, dreams or whatever they would like to do.

While our family is our most important team, as adults

Daily post

Today is Memorial Day.  I am trying to get more regular with posting here what is happening on a day to day basis.  It is a way of keeping me on track and being held accountable for the work I am doing.

This morning I worked

What am I eating?

I have had a number of comments asking me about what I am eating.  In the last few months I have changed my way of eating and the results have been very good for me.  There is the loss of weight (all fat), more energy (for those longer days), and just getting stronger.  So here is the basis of what I am doing and I will comment more on this, as I experience it more.

New phase of training

This week I started weight training.  This is the first time in 5 years or so that I have done this.  The reason I stopped then was I irritated my elbow to the point that tendinitis set in and it got so bad that I could not hold a piece of paper.  Now I am tying to be smarter and more careful.

My first step was doing push ups in a controlled manner and increasing the size of the sets over the last 8 months.  I am now at 5 sets of 50 with a 10 minute break between each set.  I do these virtually everyday.  My goal is by the end of the year to be at 5 sets of 100 in that same time frame.  So far no problems with the elbows.

As you may know when you start a program you are measured in all kinds of ways.  measurements are no big deal to me.  But I am happy to report that my resting heart rate is 44 and body fat percentage is 11.9.  I may have a little way to go on that but I am pleased with the results of eating great and working out hard on a regular basis.  I will be talking more about each soon.

I am: Rational

When we make choices based on a belief that if I do A, B & C then the result will be D, we must first recognize that the conclusion we have come to may be rational or it may not be. What if I was not in possession of all the facts and did not have a complete knowledge of the subject that I was trying to make a decision on?

I use rational decision making, to the extent that I am able to think through the issue. However the problem I can run into is that despite the rationale, my emotions may get in the way as a stumbling block, so that I do not look at the issue with clarity.

I am rational in that I look at the facts as I know them, investigate more to see what it is I have missed and keep looking for new information as I prepare to make a decision. Must I say it or does everyone not already know – I am not rational all of the time.

Emotions, desires, being attached

My personal eating habits

I have changed some of my eating habits over the last 2.5 months that before I told everyone about I thought that I should be sure that they are working for me. I have always thought that I ate fairly healthy, but after attending a seminar I was forced to re-evaluate.

Here is part of the basis of the thinking. The earth is made up of 70% water, our bodies are made up of 70% water, our lungs even more and even our bones are 20% water. Yet the average persons diet is made up of 15% water. What that basically means is that the majority of us are dehydrated most of the time.

My way of eating has changed so that now quite the majority of the food I eat now is water based. Vegetables, fruits, salads. There are still solids of course. Fish, and other proteins as well as carbohydrates. There are nuts and other sources of oils and fats that are good for you too.

The results have been awesome. More strength, endurance, energy and I believe I am even thinking clearer. I have learned about how to pair foods so that the digestion of the foods is done in harmony with the body. Simpler eating – no caffeine – virtually no alcohol. Finally after all the years of thinking I am doing it right it now is starting to feel right.

I am: Explorer

When I think of an explorer I think of men and women going to places no one has ever traveled to before or delving into areas that no one dare go.  It is very funny that when I started teaching the martial arts I thought the way I saw teaching was going places no one had ever been.

I soon found out that in fact there is very little unexplored territory on the outside of ourselves, but there is a lot more that can be explored in the details and our deepest explorations are on our insides. When you get into the details of a physical area or of a subject you will find that there are many ways to look at any subject. I have learned

New phase of training

For the last couple of weeks there have been all sorts of highs and lows. There has been the highs of being awarded Business Partner of the Year with the Board of Education and our county Chamber of Commerce. We have been recognized for the contributions to many schools with our programs designed to enhance education and to communicate to our teachers how much we appreciate them.

I have learned the value of partnerships with other community organizations. When we partner with others it demonstrates our desire to be a community builder and to use the skills and influence we have with our martial arts training and schools to do good in our home towns.

On the other side as many people in the spring I deal with all the allergies and it has brought my energy level down at times. But this have given me the opportunity to practice discipline and be sure that my eating habits and exercise routine is solid. So I have worked on this and just this week have started working with a personal trainer in strength training. I have not done this for a number of years. But this time I believe I have found a trainer that has an approach that really fits my needs. More on this to come.