Cardio vs. Weight Training When You are Low on Time

    

 This is one of those age old arguments that fitness people have. Which is better? Is it cardio? Is it weight training? I don't know if "better" is really the right word. These are two different disciplines that train two different systems in your body. One trains more the muscles and creates greater muscle density while the other trains your cardio-vascular system. However. given that your body has multiple systems that work in concert together to make you an amazing and functioning person, I do not think it is fair to isolate these disciplines. Many times, when we choose our training methods, it comes down to personal preference. What do I want to do and what do I like to do?

    That is a fair question also. If you do not like what you are doing you most likely will not do it. However, like most things in life, I would say you would benefit from a balanced approach. Balance is a key in making you more effective and efficient. You can do both, and still get the benefits of both, without sacrificing your goals or your enjoyment. How is this possible? It is because there are endless choices for activities that can lead to both.

    You would be amazed at how many activities can lead to cardio-vascular fitness and increased strength (and size and tone, if those are also your goals).It just comes back to making choices and knowing what your choices are. I am a big believer in fitness and I believe we can fit some kind of fitness routine into anything that we do without much trouble if we are simply willing to adjust. 

    For example, I love the gym and how it gives me an intense workout. There are lots of machines and gadgets and it is endless fun for me there. However, I cannot always get there and do a 2 hour workout. Does that mean my workout for the day is ruined? No. Not at all. There are options I can do for many situations in between doing nothing and doing 2 hours at the gym. Many people make the excuse "I have no time". There is usually always at least 10 minutes somewhere where you can do even push-ups, sit-ups, and air squats. Let's just be honest about things here. However, those may be boring for some people. I totally get it.

        There are both cardio and weight training options that exist outside of the gym. Let's just look at some of the basic ones first. 

    If you are a person that is not active at all, it will not take much to create a cardio or weight training plan. Any type of extended movement and any type of resistance can function as cardio or weight training just about. We can explore some options for people in various scenarios and see how these might apply.

Let's say you have new parents, and the new baby, job, and life in general are just intense. There seems to be no time anywhere. Whether you want resistance training or cardio training, there are options. Let's go to the extreme where there is not gym equipment and maybe just 10-30 minutes in any given day for activities. The baby goes down for a nap and you have 15-30 minutes to do a workout before the little one is awake again. Here is a chance to have a preselected play list of zumba videos on youtube where there are probably many options for routines between 10-20 minutes long. Put it on and dance away! That is, if zumba is your thing, dance away! Maybe you prefer strength training versus cardio. No problem. There are quick 4 exercises, like a 4 set circuit of calisthenics can take you 20 minutes and leave you pretty exhausted as well, and you have also trained strength! There again are many options on YouTube if you are at a loss for what to do exactly. If you have some money, you can hire trainer to help you design a plan to fit into your time constraints also, but that requires money, as opposed to YouTube which is free if you just have a cell phone. 

    If you are saying, "Well, 10 or 20 minutes just is not enough time to do anything," my response would be a saying I have. "Something is better than nothing." Also, there is plenty of research out there that has shown even 10 minutes of exercise has many benefits. The benefits only increase as you can add minutes to it as well.

Let's take another example. You are a busy executive and you are on the run all day long. The only thing you have is 10 or 20 minutes at the beginning or end of the day to fit something in, and you want to increase strength and muscle without sacrificing your schedule. I say you can do this, with the caveat of do not expect to look like a body builder if you only have 10 minutes a day. However, if your goal is strength and toning, then, definitely, we can make it happen if you are willing to do the work. Once again there are lot of choices that can happen within a 10-20 minute time span that increase strength and muscle fitness. There are people out there that specialize in this type of training, and muscle shredding routines are crammed into a 10 minute span. One of my favorite guys, Frank Medrano, has many routines that require no weights. What's more, if you are the executive or worker type that has some money to spend on fitness, you can get some help designing the workout with a trainer that specializes in this type of situation. There are options. 

    Let's look at a third, more extreme, scenario. Let's say you only have 15 minutes three days per week. That is pretty extreme, but event then, you can get something done. Do not underestimate the power of exercise. Exercise on any level can be very beneficial. Even at 15 minutes and only three days per week, you can get a lot done. It all depends on how you set it up. If you are a complete beginner, you build slowly. For example, 15 minute walks with push ups and sit ups every 5 minutes. That is a great way to start until you can build to a jog. Maybe you are experienced in the area of fitness and want a routine. There are so many routines that can be fit into 15 minutes and yield great results, particularly if it is a circuit type of routine. You don't even need weights. Often times all you need is a chair and some floor space. The possibilities really are nearly endless.

    Let's explore some scenarios where a long gym session, or a long run, or a long bike ride, are just not options. What are some alternatives and why those alternatives are beneficial. I will use myself as an example. I am a consistent gym-goer. I love to use the gym, usually 1-3 days per week. I get 1 or 2 hour workouts in, and I get so much done, and they have lots of equipment and options for doing so many things. Obviously if everyone had the money and time for fitness sessions like that, we all would be Olympic level athletes! However, the reality is, I have a job, family, chores, and more to handle every day, and every week. I juggle my gym goals with what I have available. Some people may need to write down some, or all of it, to keep track. For me, I have a goal in my mind, and I try to assess each day what I am able to do, and then what I have already done for the week. It's pretty casual in that sense. 

    Let's say I have a good week, and I get to the gym both on Saturday and Sunday (my days off). I have a goal of working out at home at least 1 or 2 days more during the week, depending on my schedule. I want to either maintain or increase my fitness level. Home workouts are usually only 30-60 minutes. I know with that rotating schedule I will get in a lot of workouts week to week. I have my gym routines and I have my home routines. I go into the week and the workouts with the idea that something is better than nothing. I rarely get to do everything I want in any given workout, but I do get a lot done.

    Substitutions sometimes are necessary. My wife and I recently traveled to the mountains and were on a get-away. We went hiking through the snow, down into a ravine, to experience a waterfall in winter. Now, the workout itself was not the most challenging. We were in jackets and boots. it was maybe an hour or so of light, slow, walking up and down a fairly steep hill. Was it the ideal workout? No. However, it is part of the reason I do workout, so I can be able to climb hills and ravines and see things like this in nature. It was a workout of a sort, and I was not just sitting all day without exercise. I did not get to a workout that day. I had the intention, but at the same time I still had the chance to exercise and I was ok with that substitution that day. Once in awhile you have to substitute one activity for another.

    As far as cardio vs. weights goes, I offer this insight. Do the balanced approach. If you are an athlete, then adjust it for your goals. They are both good and both helpful, but for the average person, I think we need both. I am a martial artist and I coach track and field. I still go with the balanced approach. If you are a body builder, for example, you may want to go more with weights than cardio. If you are a marathoner, you may do more cardio than weights. But, for us average people, do both. Balance it. You find it greatly beneficial. 

    I don't mean to be cliche, but Nike kind of has it right when they say in their slogan "Just do it." Just get out and do it. Something. Put together the will and the drive and just go do the activity.

    Enjoy your activity or workout and keep training!

How to Make Martial Arts a Way of Life

   

    After training in martial arts for 30+ years, you would think that I could have boiled down some answers to standard questions to a simple sentence or two, but I just find that the answers to almost every question just become more detailed and spread out. I mean, I could try to answer this particular question with a simple one sentence answer, but I feel that would be doing the rich and fulfilling life of a martial artist a disservice. Let me say that it does not look like any one type of life style or fit any preconceived idea of what a martial artist might do. We are in all walks of life and we do it for years and years because it is part of who we are, and perhaps in the simple statement you can find the most truth. It is just part of who we are, but does not answer how we make it a way of life, otherwise I suspect that more people might choose to walk that path.

    I can only tell you about how I live it and make it a way of life for me. My way looks very different from many other people's way of living a martial arts life style. I don't think it is right, or wrong, it is just is who I am and how I walk the path of martial arts. We all have a different path, and that is the only path that we can walk, because it is part of who we are. If I had made martial arts a higher priority, I guess, I would have moved up faster in rank over the years since I have stayed with it for this long. However, I had to do other things while I pursued the martial arts path, so it has been a slower walk. Is it any less valid? I don't think so, because it is my path and it is valid for me. I have done what I needed to do as I have trained, and my training reflects who I am. I have been blessed with one instructor for 30+ years, which is extremely fortunate. He has taught me a great deal, not the least of which is consistency in maintaining a focus in this art of Kenpo Karate so I could eventually arrive at a black belt. (see my other blog entries on that progress).

    The way of the warrior, the martial journey, is a reflection of each person and how he or she lives. What does that encompass? It is infinite, in my opinion. It depends on each person's perspective. Every martial artist, every school, and every style has a legacy. How that looks, depends on so many factors. I think that is what makes it great and interesting. It is part of what makes us who we are. It all also factors into how we make it a way of life. 

    As with many of my articles, I like to boil things down to digestable steps that make sense. I don't know if this works for everyone, but I think it simplifies concepts and makes them easy to follow. So here are my steps to making martial arts a way of life, if that is something that you want to do.

1. Be Ready to Study, Be Ready to Train

    Martial arts, among so many other things, is about studying and training. It never stops. Even if you are a 10th degree black belt, studying never stops and training never stops. It is how you stay sharp and stay focused. It is also part of a daily practice that most people do who make this a way of life. How that daily practice looks in your training and studying can vary. Everyone's path is different. Don't assume everyone trains the same way. I actually think this gives great variety to the martial arts world when multiple martial artists gather together, we have so many different ways to train and we can learn and use ideas from each other because we are so different.

2. Find Joy in Your Training

    You absolutely have to like what you do. It is essential. If you do not like it, then why do it? It is really an essential requirement that you can cannot get around. If you like what you do, then you want to do it. If you want to do it, then you want to do it more. If you want to do it more, then you get better. The logic is pretty straightforward. There are ocassions where people do stuff they do not like. One example comes to mind is that people want to make themselves suffer in order to get better. Whatever that may look like, I am not sure. I am not one for that. Training in martial arts may be challenging, but even in the most challenging moments, it should never make you suffer. At worst, it is an adventure with unknown outcomes, but you should never suffer.

    The joy should come from the activity, the people, the place, and the process you experience in your martial arts journey. When you find joy in what you do, it becomes part of your life. You feel compelled to make it part of your life.

3. Accept the Challenge and Humble Yourself

    Martial arts is a journey of challenges. You must be willing to humble yourself as you encounter new knowledge and realize that you are not good at something. It is part of the process of learning. Some people have a very hard time with this. You cannot be a person that thrives on ego if you want to truly discover martial arts as a way of life. You should be willing to put ego aside as you always learn something new. We learn something new every day. Whether it is big or small, it is this essence of always being a student that is part of the way of the warrior. You learn so you can expand yourself and become better. Martial arts is truly a unique discipline in this way. It is a path of self-discovery, and you must be willing to do this and challenge yourself.

4. Seek Out Others Who Train

    This sounds like an odd one to make it a way of life, but hear me out. If you have others who share the experience with you, then you are more likely to make the training a way of life for yourself, because you have shared experiences with others to motivate you. Whether you are a teacher looking for a students, or a practitioner looking for a training partner, having another person who shares the experience with you is a motivating factor that keeps you going on some level. It makes you want to do more. It makes you want to share the knowledge and expand the knowledge. Most people do not want to do things alone, so if you can share it with someone, the journey is more enjoyable.

5. Don't Give Up on the Training

    This seems obvious, but it requires reminding. You can't make anything a way of life if you just give up on it. Many people give up on martial arts and never look back. That could be for many reasons. You have to have patience and persistence, along with all of the other things mentioned so you do not give up on it. You may change schools. You may change styles. You may change your training methods. However, if you do not give up, then it is still a way of life for you. For me, personally, I had to break for a short time from training at my school because I was busy with my career, but I kept training and I returned. If you train, if you make it part of who you are, then it is part of a way of life. If you have all of the other things mentioned above, then you will be unable to stop training. You will always train. You will live the life of a martial artist, both inside and outside of training. It has become part of you, and you cannot separate yourself from it.

Conclusion

    If you have read this far, you must be wondering at least if you can make martial arts a way of life. You might ask, why even write an article on how to make it a way of life? Believe it or not, from the very beginning, I wondered if I could do this or not. I did not think of it in these exact terms, but I felt the connection. One of the reasons I wrote all this is I wanted to share the things that have helped me make it part of my life, and give someone a possible path if they wanted it, but were unsure of how to get there.

    One of the things that you realize the more years you spend in the martial arts, the ranks and awards don't mean much. It is more about knowledge and relationships. If you focus on the latter two things, the other things follow in time. As so many people joke about McDojos and how people can buy ranks if they subscribe to one plan or another, you should really begin to realize, if you have the right teacher, there is nothing that can replace the hard work that goes into training. Martial arts is about training and knowledge. If you look for those things, then most likely it will become a way of life.

    You can't "buy" a way of life. You have to "live" a way of life. Transcend the material temptations that disguise themselves as part of martial arts and seek the knowledge, discipline, and relationships that build a lasting experience. It will make you better. Continue to train and good luck in your journey!

 

Every Solution Starts with You

    For better or for worse, every solution starts with you. You alone have the power to make the choices for change. There is no trainer, sensei, sifu, teammate, spouse, parent, or anyone else that can make the change or decision to drive you forward. When we seek to create a fitness program or get fit, or embark on a martial arts journey because we were inspired by a movie, the big question becomes, how do we keep the motivation that got us excited? For some people, it  immediately clicks and they just keep running with it. Others, they may get excited for a minute and then never even set foot in the gym or a dojo to follow through.

    There is a comforting fact about all of this. Everything is in your hands. You make the decisions to do or not to do the journey. The martial arts or fitness journey is up to you. You control it. Your steps take you to the path that lead you on your way to achieving the goal that you want to achieve. 

    You can find inspiration with others. You can find motivation in all kinds of places. You can find a lot of things to help you, but the decision comes back to you. For me, that is a huge positive. It means you control what is going on and what you have to do. 

    I wrote in my last article not to be intimidated by the impossible standards that have been set by society. This is the other side of that coin, where I am telling everyone that all of you, all of us, control what we can do to help better ourselves and become the best version of ourselves. I am big on boiling things down to digestible steps. That makes things accessible. Remembering how to keep control for yourself is not so difficult. It comes back to five simple things.

Step 1 - Focus on Yourself

    Remember you have the control. You are taking the journey. You can make the change, just choose to do it. It can look any way you want it to. It can be every day, or it can be twice per week. We all have to decide on our fitness journey and shape it to what will work best for our lives. That being said, remember you are in control of what you want to do.

    Sometimes having control is not enough. Some people want more than just control to be able to make their journey happen. One thing that helps is that it is a way of life, and you can make it a way of life, because you are in control. Once you make the decision to do it regularly, it becomes part of your life and it becomes easier. Don't be intimidated. 

Step 2 - Find Support

    You may be in control, but it does not hurt to have support in making the journey. As people we all look for support in living our lives. Whether that is a family unit, a group of friends, or a group of strangers. When people share a goal, or an interest in a goal, there is a bond that takes place that creates support and motivation. It is undeniable. We all need it, unless you are one of those types of people that just needs to train alone, then that is different. But most people at least need one or two people who take an interest and can share the experience.

    A perfect example here is that I created a fitness program for two people. I know them both personally. In order to help them, I created a chat group where we can post small notes, photos, updates, etc. After having created it, what do you think happened? Everyone started feeling like they belonged and took pride in each other's successes. We supported each other on our workout journeys, no matter how different or similar they are. We just made each other feel like we belonged and gave positive feedback about whatever we were doing. Don't under estimate the power of shared experiences in a journey. Find that support for what you are doing, even just one person.

Step 3 - Get Some Basic Knowledge

    This is really not that complicated. In today's age, the internet is a great source for helping people get started, and for almost no money most of the time, if you know where to look. If you are willing to spend some money, it is even better. It does not take much knowledge to start something new either. Once you find your knowledge of how to start your plan, or update your existing plan, organize it and get it going.

    The key here is to not get discouraged when you start something new. When you start something new, you won't be as good as when you are doing something familiar. Think of it as an adventure that you are embarking on and the new knowledge is your map to that adventure. It may be new, and unfamiliar, but it should be fun for what you are about to do. 

    Organize it so it makes sense. If you have the money to help you organize your plan, spend a little to make your life easier, if you fitness or martial arts journey is important and you have a little to invest, do it. It is an investment that will definitely pay itself off many times over if you treat it right. Maybe you need a teacher or a trainer. Maybe you need some equipment, or maybe it is something else. Whatever it is, spend the money to make it better for yourself.

Step 4 - Make it a Routine and a Way of Life

    This is the quickest way to make it successful. Make it a habit, or a routine. Once it has become a routine, it becomes a way of life. Whether it is martial arts training, fitness training, or both. When something is a way of life it just kind of becomes part of who you are, and that is the best thing that you can do for yourself.

    It fits into how you act. It becomes part of a way you see the world. You become efficient and fluent in what you practice. There is no substitute for this step. It is a conscious decision to do it for yourself and share it with those people around you.

    I think people sometimes believe it has to dominate your day, every day, for hours and hours. That is definitely an option people choose, but it could 30-60 minutes per day just 3 days per week. Just choose how it looks for you, and that will be your expression of the discipline of martial arts and/or fitness. I say expression because the way we live our lives is ultimately and expression of who we are in some way, shape, and form.

    Whatever you choose, however you choose to do it, don't let it intimidate you or scare you, or even discourage you. Just choose to take the path and follow those above steps and you will find a measure of success that is worthwhile for you, your mental outlook, and your physical health. It is an enjoyable path that can truly make a difference in the quality of your life and bring a great deal of fulfillment to your life. 

A Way of Life is not About Numbers, It's About Knowing How to Make the Ordinary Extraordinary

Some Statistics

    Here are some statistics to consider based on my friendly neighborhood AI and I having a conversations about fitness, athletics, sports, and martial arts. Why do I begin with a conversation about statistics when it comes to martial arts and fitness? Because it might help break down some of the myths that pervade both. Martial arts and fitness are two disciplines that are readily available to most of the US population either online or in person, or both. As of today, (I say this because I posed the questions to the AI today) between 3-4 million people each year in the US try to join a martial arts school. Around 55 million try to join a gym or begin an exercise program. When you consider the number of people in the US, which is upwards of 300 million, these are not large numbers. I feel we, as a society, have created a mystique around martial arts and fitness. We look at these guys on UFC or in other professional sports and they are put on these towering pedestals with such star power, and maybe deservedly so. My point here is this; do not put other people in such a category that it diminishes your own drive to do something. Let's just look at some statistics and some mindsets to help put everything into perspective.

    For a person who starts college, the average person who earns a master's degree is around 8% of that population. College is a pretty common standard for us in education. But that next level really becomes a smaller percentage. When you consider all the people who play high school sports, the average athlete to go on to play college sports is about 7%. When you consider all the people who start a martial art, about 1%-5% go on to get a black belt. When you take the college athletes who play sports and try to figure out how many of those will go on to make an Olympic team, the number is around .5%. Now, you are looking at these numbers and saying, "Hey! These numbers are super low, I thought you had something encouraging for me!" I do. I have one more number. The average number of people who can sustain a given workout program for 4 weeks or more is 50% of those who start. I also have this to say about those other number. Of all those statistics, there is only one that I have not been able to achieve (well 2, but I am presuming in 2024 I will have earned a black belt finally if I can maintain course), and that was I did not make an Olympic team. So, how did I do all those things? I can tell you for certain I am not that special. What I do have, though, is a very determined mindset when I set a goal for myself.

    There a few keys to making martial arts and/or fitness successful in your life, and that is making it part of your life. It also helps to have a good mentor or teacher. Also, it helps to keep it in perspective and be persistent. Those are the things that have helped me to overcome those statistics above and do what I did. I am just a normal school teacher that had dreams. I am very normal, I am not extraordinary. I might have a rather extraordinary mindset, but my skill set is not that different from anyone else. That is why I started with those statistics. Statistics are just numbers. And, really, the last one I gave, about a person sustaining a workout program (or martial art also) is as simple as taking it one day, one month at at a time. It is very doable. Half the people that try to workout can maintain for more than a month. If you can do that, then you can do another month. It is all about perspective.

A Way of Life

    If you are going to be successful at anything, it will start with making it part of your life. When people choose to live a way of life, it increases their ability to execute that particular discipline. It could be writing, fitness, martial arts, building things, or anything else. part of making something part of your life requires a person to understand who he or she is. That involves learning about what you like and dislike, how to balance yourself, prioritize goals, and then understand what tools you need to achieve the goals you have for yourself. If some of those goals involve martials arts or fitness, then this article will prove very useful and demystify each of these disciplines. Patience is involved with achieving these goals, and if you can focus on one day at a time and one class at a time, and not get ahead of yourself, it will be much easier to achieve high level goals. Patience and consistency in your life style is a great ally.

        For me, sports and martial arts just became part of a daily routine that I enjoyed. I had friends, I had dreams, I had goals, and just generally enjoyed both activities for all those reasons. If you have those elements, it is easy to make it a way of life. 

    I had a lot of friends within the world of sports and martial arts, so it made it easy to form bonds with others. If you can create bonds with people who are doing the same things, then it is easier to continue the activity. 

    I had dreams of what I wanted my activities to lead to. Any dream or goal related to your activities will keep you going. In fact, I would call it necessary to have goals for whatever you are doing to keep you interested or motivated.

    Overall enjoyment was always there for me. I wanted to always have those experiences present at one level or another. Whether or not we enjoy something it up to us. The key is to find our motivation. Motivation can be way more than what I have listed, but some of these experiences I have shared may help you find your motivation as you begin, or continue, your journey. Only you can find that motivation. A teacher or friend or trainer can help inspire, but it ultimately comes back to each person to make the decision of whether or not they can find room in their life for these activities.

Choosing the Right Teacher/Trainer

    This is pretty important. It will help with longevity in fitness or martial arts or sports. I had many good coaches and martial arts teachers. They can help you find your identity in the endeavors you are doing. They help shape your experience and help you understand what it is you want to do, as well as what you are capable of doing. For me, if I had not had a good teacher in martial arts, I would not have sustained my longevity in the activity. It is not hard to find good teachers, if you know what to look for It is the same with coaching. You can find good people, and they can help you sustain your effort and teach you a great deal along the way. They help with your progress and enjoyment of the activities that you are doing.

    With coaches and teachers, you want someone with good morals, ethics, outlook, and knowledge, among other things. If you have someone that is questionable, it taints the whole experience. If you go to a gym, find a trainer you can connect with. Or, if you are able, search online and work with someone online. I had coaches for about 15 years or so in track and field. Then I had a training partner, who was also my friend. I looked for trainers since then, and I just did not find one who was satisfactory for me and could enhance my experience. I finally found one online, but I am referring my wife to her instead. In fitness, I do not require a coach or trainer at this point in my career since I have a lot of knowledge in that area already. In martial arts, I have always had a very high level teacher who always teaches and motivates me, so I have been fortunate there. Early on you have more choices, just know what you are looking for to make your experience the best it can be. 

Perspective

    This is super important because it gives you flexibility to adapt to unforeseen circumstances that arise. Your training will always have unexpected events, and you need to keep your perspective in order to be successful. You have to keep the bigger picture in mind and not get frustrated by setbacks. Everyone's perspective is shaped by their context. If you are unsure of how to keep perspective, this is where that teacher/coach really help. The coach and teacher can guide you in keeping your perspective, which takes experience to do so. 

    When you have perspective it leads to persistence. You can overcome the obstacles that come up in your journey. Perspective is about understanding the experience. Understanding leads to longevity in the activity. 

Persistence and Consistency

    I also talked about persistence, and I would add consistency also. The ability to persist in spite of obstacles is necessary. There are always going to be obstacles. It is ok. You will overcome obstacles. I just keep pushing forward. People are incredibly resilient. You set your mind to it, you will find a way to keep going forward. It is remarkable how innovative people can be in the face of obstacles.

    A good teacher can help shape your perspective, which will help you stay with your given task. This is another reason I have emphasized the importance of finding a good teacher, because they guide you in how to get it done. My teachers and coaches have all taught me about perspective and being persistent. Sometimes all you need is a reminder to get up and know it will be ok. If you had a goal of losing 10 pounds and you only lost 5. It is ok. If you wanted to run a 9 minute mile and you only ran 11. It is ok. If you wanted to make yellow belt in 3 months and you are still learning the material, you still know more than when you walked in. It will be ok. The teacher reminds you of keeping it all in perspective so you don't give up.

    I added consistency here, even though it is separate issue. The link is if you are consistent in the process of training, it makes being persistent so much easier. Consistency builds persistence. It is vital. If your routine is to train three days per week, then keep that. After awhile, if becomes a habit where it feels weird if you don't do it. If you go three days a week for six months, then you run into an obstacle, it becomes a lot easier to tell yourself it will be ok because it has been ok for 6 months, and you can keep on going forward and overcome whatever gets in the way.

    Routines create paths to consistency. It is key to find a routine that will help you and fit you. Routines are the foundations of success. I will write it again, routines are the foundations of success. If you can make a routine that leads to your fitness or martial arts goal, then you are half way to your goal already. 

Making the Extraordinary Ordinary

    Now that we have some building blocks in place in how to make things successful for you, let's break down some of these perceptions and myths that go with martial arts and fitness. I know I quoted a lot of statistics that seem daunting to the average person. However, numbers just tell a story, just like Instagram reels and photos. We mythologize so much in our society that we create our own barriers. Just like the numbers above, Instagram and social media create an unfair standard for people to follow. We see all these incredible and beautiful people online and want to be like them. Very often they rarely show a realistic path to achieving what they have achieved. However, you can achieve your own success if you have a plan, a method, a routine, and a good teacher. 

    Every extraordinary achievement has humble beginnings. We are all capable of greatness. Greatness should be measured by our own standards, not anyone else's standards. Greatness could be running 10 miles, throwing a certain kick, or losing some weight. We all need to create our own standards of greatness and measure ourselves by those standards, not other people's standards. You can make the extraordinary ordinary by just creating a plan, a routine, and following some steps. The rest falls into place on its own. Don't be overcome by other people's ideals. Make your own ideal and follow that. You will find your path, your goal, and your dream.

    Simplification is needed to help make things less intimidating. If we can take away the intimidation factor of some of these concepts, then more people can find success on their terms. Believe in yourself and believe in the process.