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. 

Training and the Use of Scheduled Breaks

 I recently wrote about my experience in training for me next test. It is intensive, and sometimes slow. So slow that it is painful, because I almost feel interrupted by all the things that get in the way of training. However, brief breaks (I am finishing about a five day break from my training efforts), can be helpful. There are few ways to look at breaks in training. There is a physical aspect of it, there is a mental aspect of it, and then there is a philosophical aspect as well. Let's take a look at the use of breaks in training.

Breaks can be scheduled, or unscheduled, but the benefits can be the same, if the context is correct. In my case, I took about five days off of training. Do I prefer that break? No. This was an unplanned break that I was kind of forced into. I work an extremely busy job that I balance with my workouts and training. However, I reached a moment where I saw an opportunity to take a break instead of forcing the training into time slots that were not really there and could have ended up hurting my progress had I persisted with it. I was pulling long hours and my sleep was right on that borderline between being enough and not being enough. Had I forced a bunch of workouts in during this past week, I might have lost some sleep, as well as some productive time that I needed at work. I knew I had a vacation coming up at the end of the week, where I could restart my intensive training sessions. So, I took advantage of the situation and told myself to take five days to rest from training and then start again. If I was a professional athlete and could pick any time to take a break to benefit myself, then I would not have taken this particular break, but that is not real life for many people. They balance work and training all the time. So it is important to think creatively when presented with situations that are challenging.

How did I make the decision to take the break? One, I knew I was at a point where my body could use the break and rest some for more intensive work at the end of the week. The break just made sense. I feel recovered and ready to take on a new cycle of training. Two, mental breaks are important. If I stressed myself out for five days, trying to jam in way more than I could really handle and mentally process my martial arts training as well as my work needs, then I would have just cluttered my thinking by creating stress for myself when it was not necessary. I also would have lost sleep, which is vital for both mental and physical progress in your martial arts journey. Three, the mental fatigue from pressing more than you should would lead to several setbacks. It makes it more difficult to think and process information. That part is often overlooked for athletes. As athletes, we need to process a lot of information, and the use of your mind wears you out, and it requires a lot of sleep. Sleep is key when making decisions like this. Now, maybe sometimes your training calls for a sacrifice where you push through a period of time, like a day or two, with less sleep. But the overall health of the athlete should be taken into consideration when sleep and lack of sleep are factors in the decision-making process. The other part of this is that when the mind falters, and the body falters, the spiritual and philosophical fortitude of the individual can falter too. This is a difficult measurement to make, but you can see it. Let's say you are training for a big fight - if you are a MMA fighter - and you lose some sleep leading up to the fight. To get through a battle like that, requires spiritual fortitude. When you back is against the wall, and you see defeat looming, you draw on spiritual fortitude to carry you through to give you a chance to still win. That is just one example. These factors help me make a decision as to when it is time to take a break, or when to push through. There is no reason to push through in this moment, and the rest was beneficial, so the decision was pretty easy. 

The danger that you do run into, if you are not careful, is that it could become more than just a scheduled break. Five days becomes two weeks, which leads to doubt, which leads to maybe giving up on the goal. That is why a break cannot just be time off with no rules. Impose a timeline and stick to it, then make it happen again. 

Everything is a balance, and as martial artists and athletes, we need to recognize balance. If we fail to balance what we do, things go wrong. Rest is essential and productive, if not overused. Don't be afraid of it, because your body and mind need it. The question comes back to how to use it. That is where you achieve your balance. Right now, I just came off of my break, and I feel rested mentally and physically. I feel productive because I could write in my blogs, which tie into my training. I feel ready to do more work. The rest has been positive because I planned and did not let it push me off my goals. Sometimes a person has to think creatively to make the most of a difficult situation.

Train hard. 

Meal Prep For The Average Person

 

Meal and Food Planning for the Average Person

   So, you finally got a workout program that you like and you are doing it. Great! How can you take it to the next level? The great news, you have a lot of choices when it comes to this. One of the choices, is reorganizing your diet and planning meals so you do not give in to the munchies from the corner market. We all get that feeling, but how do you cut down on the temptation to get something that is less than healthy? I am hoping some of these ideas can be of use. I struggle with this as much as the next person. These are some of the things that work for me, and hopefully this can help you on the right path.

Have a system

     We all look at Instagram, or some other social media, and we see these slick reels with great sounds, colors, and camera angles that make food prep sooooo easy!! It is that way for everyone, right? Wrong! Those reels are designed to bring in viewers and maybe sell some products, or whatever else the goal is. Don't get me wrong, they have great ideas, but how do the great ideas get translated into application into a practical use in your own kitchen? I am hoping that this small article can push you in the right direction towards application.

    Have a system in place. There are tons of systems out there. What you have to do, is find the one that works for you. The one that catches my attention is the person that cooks up a batch of whatever for a week, uses all these nicely color coded pyrex dishware, and infuses all these sounds of opening and closing them, along with the colors of some great dish, or dishes neatly divided into 7 days of the week. It looks absolutely amazing, and I want to do it! There is also another one, these come from celebrities or top athletes who have these giant refrigerators with tons of space, and they buy whatever products it is they buy, and the inside of the ice box looks like a grocery story with bright colors and rows of nicely lined products and containers that just speak of healthiness. Fabulous! Right? Only if that is your system. The reality is, most people are not celebrities or single 20 or 30 somethings that can just organize food for themselves for the week. We have families, kids, schedules, tasks, and demands that make life in a kitchen nearly impossible, and definitely not enjoyable, at least a portion of the time. 

    How do I know this? I know because I was raised in a family that revolves around the kitchen and I enjoy kitchen work a lot of the time, but my work schedule can get to me, and I have a family I cook for and account for. So I know how unrealistic some of these ideas are. They look great on video, but how do you make them work in the real world? I am hoping I can give you, the reader, a few ideas of how to proceed and get healthier choices in your diet.

    First, let's identify the obstacles. Working people work long hours and often come home tired. The first response is to eat something quick and processed. The second thought may be to order out, expensive, but you can probably find something moderately healthy if you are willing to spend enough money, but that is not a long term solution, or even a viable short term solution. 

    When developing a system, first be sure to talk with the family and see what will work for them. Take them into account, and then be in agreement on how the system will help everyone, because everyone needs to eat. I am the one that really does most of the shopping and the cooking in my house, so it all starts with me, but if you are not the primary person who does kitchen work in the house, I suggest you become at least an active partner in it. 

1. Shopping

Figure out how the shopping will be done, and buy things that are healthy and practical. You may want to meal plan a week at a time, but I leave that to each person. I tend to shop for common items we use each week, and make food from the common items. Make a list, it helps keep costs down. Make a budget as well. It will save you money and keep you in line when things start looking very tempting. Also, don't food shop on an empty stomach. Everything looks perfect to buy when you are hungry!

2. When to cook

How often can you cook? In my house, we can cook about 4 days a week. That is an average. That means we need leftovers for the remainder of the week. Sunday is often the biggest and best day for cooking and I tend to make food for 1/2 the week on Sundays. I try to cook balanced and I try to make sure everyone has something they like. If you plan things out, this can be done. But you have to be honest with yourself how often you can cook, and clean the kitchen. I have a couple of quirks that potentially slow down my progress in the kitchen. I can't cook when I am too hungry, and I can't cook if there are too many dishes, I have to wash them, but if I do too many dishes I may lose my motivation to cook. Just understand how often you can cook and stick to it. 

3. Plan your storage solutions

    Storage of left over food is important. Know how you are going to manage it and make it practical. This is key to make the system work. The whole point of a system is to save you some time. For the food to be usable and helpful, know how your storage solutions are best going to work for you. 

Make it realistic

    So, realism is going to be most important, because if you can't pull it off, it does you no good. It will just waste your money if you can commit and follow through. Part of this goes back to the system, that we just talked about. Part of it is your level of commitment, and how well you can account for things to go off plan, and just be willing to fix those problems and make it work. 

Here are some tips for making things work.

1. Know your resources

This means know what you have to work with and what are the options in food that you have to make for yourself and your family. Everyone is different, but know what will work to make it all doable.

2. Know your goals

Have the goals outlined and have some preferred choices of food that can help you meet your fitness goals, whatever those may be.

3. Know your preferences

Be sure to understand what you like and what will help you stay on track with your new way of approaching food.

4. Be ready to be disciplined and make it a habit

Be ready to make this a lifestyle. It is about habit for the long term. Be disciplined. Don't give in to old habits. The motivation is there for you to have made it this far. It is time to make it a habit, and the more people in the family that are on board with this new way of doing things, the easier it will be.

Plan ahead

    Planning is the best way to help you be successful. Create a vision and plan for it. Motivation is great, but a plan helps you with discipline, and that is where the true success lies. If you make it a way of life, then it will be almost impossible to fail. It becomes your new baseline for operating each day. Positive habits help create successful people. Create the vision. Research the path to success. Lay the foundation for the path. Follow it through. Have faith that it will lead you to the goal that you have set before yourself. 

Working with your family

    As I said before, the more your family buys into the new way of doing things, the easier it will be for you. People who work together towards a common goal (in this case, a goal of eating better and healthier) will most likely be more successful. For us, it was me understanding more of what my family liked on the healthy end of the food spectrum, and taking time to make sure I could make what they liked while I created things that were better for myself. A lot of the time, our preferences will intersect. Sometimes, maybe not. However, since I was the one in charge of the cooking, it was easy for me to make the menus.

    If you are not cooking for yourself or your family, I might encourage you to start doing so. This gives you the most control over what you are eating. I believe in having the ability to be self-empowered is always a wise move. You do not want to hand over the reins of your success to someone else, unless it is only absolutely necessary, and even then it should be temporary. Besides, I am sure your family will be most grateful for the effort of trying to make food for them!

My example

    I understand the challenges based on my own experience. What we have done is a version of everything I have recommended. Is it always 100% successful? No, absolutely not. It is a learning curve, and we always have to adjust for life. But what we do have is a pretty solid basis of successful habits that help us stay moderately on track in even the most challenging of times. Keep everything in perspective, and always remember your goals. Maintain your discipline and you will find at least a measure of success. I try to remember it is a journey and a process. Try to develop an appreciation for the healthy side of food and what it is capable of. I will try to go into some of the details of what works for us and what we do to keep our meals interesting, as well as when we do when we just are too tired to cook also. There are always solutions, if you can just try to follow your goals. 

Achieving Balance In Your Workout

 Why is there a need for balance in your workout?

    Everyone has their favorite activities and exercises. We can't get around the fact we have preferences. It is in our nature to move to what we like best. However, in order to do that activities and exercises we like so much, we will need to do some work that may not be our favorite, but it helps us achieve balance. We should all strive to want balance and want to do the work that makes us balanced. 

What does a balanced athlete look like?

    There is no one answer to this, but let's look at a hypothetical profile of an athlete. Let's say we have a football player, like a wide receiver that plays football. Obviously there is a defined skill set within the sport itself that has to be mastered. That is what the player loves the most. However, what allows the player to be able to run fast, lose defensive backs, jump high for passes, and hold contorted positions in an effort to make great plays? It is a complex array of physical abilities that come from training muscles, joints, central nervous system, and so much more. Some of that training and work is enjoyable some of it is not so much. Some is easier, some is more difficult, and some may even be temporarily painful if you are pushing your body to the limits.

    Let's face it, doing exercises in a strength and conditioning room is a lot less interesting than testing your speed and agility against other players on the field. However, what allows a player to excel in that contest are the drills and conditioning exercises that help control the physical abilities of the athlete. This is what they often talk about when it comes to separating the good athletes from the elite athletes. 

    It takes a special level of dedication, concentration, knowledge, and motivation to work hard and find balance to the point where you make yourself not just good, but great. If you look at the great athletes, in any sport, you will find that they achieved that level of balance needed in their sport in order to excel. Greatness requires an athlete to be extraordinary. To be extraordinary means you have to be balanced to excel beyond what your peers are doing.

That is great, but how does this apply to the average person?

    I realize that the average person is not going up against other athletes on a daily basis, so how do we convert this concept into terms that can apply to a person in his or her day-to-day life? Let's just look at people as they approach their 40s and 50s. Things start to change in the human body. Let's say a person likes to go for long walks, but as they age, walking alone is not enough, because joints can stiffen, muscles get tighter, injuries are more likely to occur. What would be an element that can be added to their morning walk that would help them extend it back to the mileage he or she used to do? Well, some basic mobility training to get the joints a more full range of motion. That may not sound as enjoyable as the walk, but it will make the walk much better if you allows a person to go for longer periods of time. It is not always about an opponent. Sometimes it is about meeting the challenges of a changing body or environment. Maybe there was an injury, and there is a need to do rehab. Obviously the rehab may not be the most interesting work or activity, but it will get you back to the point of where you can go for your walks, and maybe other forms of exercise are needed long term to maintain stability. That aging process forces this on us all at one point of another. Also, the process of achieving balance in your physical activities is an evolving process. It will not always be the same, and changing the routine just might make it more interesting as well.

    Talk to your trainer or your doctor about how to balance your exercise and fitness routine. research options, and educate yourself. Martial artists have spoken for years about striving for balance to be a complete martial artist. There is a reason for this. An imbalanced martial artist is one that is not that successful. You have no further than to look than at the symbol for yin and yang. The very symbol speaks of balance.

    Keep training. Do what you like, but branch out and explore your options so you have have a larger set of physical tools to enjoy your daily activities.

Keep training and stay safe!

Why Should You Use Martial Arts As A Cross-Training Option

 

Martial Arts As A Cross-Training Option

Why is martial arts good for cross-training?

    It is really difficult to find a down side to choosing martial arts as a cross training option. There are many, many benefits to it and the athletic results can be noticed immediately. I like to break things down into compartments that are easily processed, especially information. Here is no different. I have over 30 years experience in training and teaching martial arts, so I have a pretty good knowledge base that I am working from, and I hope you find some of the information helpful if you are interested in adding an additional activity to your training and not sure which direction to go. 

    Martial arts has been used for centuries as a base for training exercise, especially in the area of Asia. So there is a long tradition of martial arts as just an effective exercise unto itself. In western civilization, we can look at the ancient Greeks and how they used martial skills to help celebrate their Olympics by having soldiers run races in full armor, face off in wrestling, or compete in boxing. The warriors for every country had to be fit individuals in order to be effective in fighting the wars for their country. So, the tradition is there to use martial arts as an effective tool to train the human body.

    Now, in the 21st century, we have more choices than ever to enhance our training with all kinds of aspects of martial arts training. There are so many choices to look at that the decision could be difficult. For the purposes of this post, I am addressing just the general benefits of martial arts as a whole as a cross-training choice, not as a comparison of one training method or style over another.

Mobility and Flexibility

    The mobility and flexibility benefits are numerous. Martial arts, in general, asks its practitioners to do things that just are not found in other sports. The positions that are needed to execute the variety of moves test the muscles and joints in different ways to allow for more motion than might be used in one of the more popular sports. The best examples being kicks. Front kicks, back kicks, side kicks, spinning kicks, and any number of other kicks all test balance, coordination, and mobility and thereby creating a greater general range of motion for athletes, as well as better coordination and balance because they have to execute said moves on one leg instead of two.

Hand and Eye Coordination

    Arts that focus a great deal on hands and use of heavy bags, as well as hitting pads develop some of the best hand-eye coordination you could ask for in an athlete. We have no further to look than at boxers. Just the drills alone make boxers better with the use of their hands. This can translate into other sports where hand and eye coordination is needed for success, like baseball and tennis.

    The central nervous system can be trained to help an athlete react and use his or her senses in such a way they become more efficient in how they move through space in any situation. A perfect example of this was when I was training intensely for a test, and I had a dog surprise me once (thankfully it was chained up). it was lightning quick, but I was even quicker in dodging out of the reach of the dog to make sure I did not get injured. Reflexes can be trained. Senses can be heightened. This comes from that training, especially if you have the right teacher training you.

Another Form of Cardio Training

    Hitting a heavy bag, sparring with people, grappling with other jiu-jitsu practitioners all make for excellent cardio work that you would not otherwise find on your standard cardio equipment. The cardio work would also be in conjunction with that hand-eye coordination piece mentioned before, because the training with others involves reading and reacting to other people and their moves. Even bag drills or pad drills give you cardio and coordination training that is truly unique. It makes for a more interesting experience and brings me to my next point.

Martial Arts is Interactive

    A unique aspect of martial training is that it is highly interactive. If you are a person that likes people around when you train, then this is really for you, because the possibilities are endless in terms of what you can do with other people. It is a social type of experience that you can add to your training, and often times you can learn from each other directly as you react to each other's movements. Yes, group classes like Zumba and Yoga are interactive also, although in a different way. But what I would point out, especially if you are training application, you interact in martial arts by actually putting your hands on your partner to apply said moves. So it involves a high level of trust at the same time.

Martial Arts as  Philosophy

    If you are with the right teacher, martial arts training becomes a positive and encompassing philosophy, often overlooked by other sports or disciplines. It challenges our mind and encourages us to adjust our perception of the world so that we as people can understand the world better. It is true, you may not find this with every trainer. They may take more of the UFC/sport approach, but if you train with a traditional instructor, the physical and life applications often come together.

Martial arts can be a total and all-encompassing experience that completes many parts of our training and lives. It is a diverse concept that has many options if you are willing to try something new. Give it a try and experience the benefit of training in a martial art!

Keep training hard and stay safe!

The Struggle to Maintain a Diet

 

Why Are Diets Difficult In Our Health and Fitness Journey?

    I think diets are difficult not because there is a lack of good food choices, but because of the discipline it takes to schedule and prepare the said food. With today's modern technology and innovation, there is no shortage of ideas on things you can eat that can benefit your health and aid in your weight loss journey and/or fueling your increased activity levels. The difficulty lies in a multi-layered problem that prevents many people from being disciplined enough to break bad habits for good ones.

Let's look at five reasons related to changing what we eat how they present a challenge. These may seen like simple explanations, and obvious ones. Simple does not equal easy, otherwise there would not be so many millions of dollars spent on this industry, trying to convince people to buy one thing or another.

1. Culture

    The reality is that there is a culture in this country that fights our inclination to eat and live healthy, in spite of the huge prevalence of heathy options everywhere. Do not be fooled. There are cultural trends that promote unhealthy choices and eating. Let's just look at some of them and think about why that is.

    The fast paced nature of society, especially in big cities, pushes us to live and do things on the run, all in favor of that expanding work schedule. I know because I feel the effect daily too, and it is a battle to fight it. There are fast food choices everywhere, on every corner, just calling you. Myself, I have to fight the urge to constantly eat at a cafe or a taqueria. There is nothing wrong with either of these places, but a daily lunch routine at these types of places, or others, does not promote the best dietary options. We seek something quick, especially if we run out of the house without preparation of the healthy meal choice we could have prepared if we gave ourselves ten extra minutes. 

2. Cost

    Costs are another factor. Let's say we need to make that choice to go out, and the only affordable choices for the day are fast food. Unfortunately, all too often, the less healthy choices are more affordable when you are on the run. That is why it is imperative to make your own food if you can. If you do this most of the time, that occasional meal out is less problematic. On the other side of that, I would say cost is not as prohibitive if you take some time at the grocery store. There are lots of good choices. One of my favorite trainers I follow, Clark Bartram, on Instagram, does a great job on some of his reels of showing how easy it is to make affordable, healthy choices with food, as well as cook the said food up quickly while following a reasonable eating habit. However, I know many people cite cost, so I bring it up here, as well as the potential for a solution.

3. Education

    Education is a third factor. We all need some kind of education when it comes to the kitchen. Not everyone has the benefit of having extensive kitchen/food knowledge. This is where dietitians and trainers can be helpful. Our society does little in the school system to educate our kids about food and eating. I am blessed that I was raised in an Italian household with parents as food professionals, so I have a pretty good base where I started from. I did not expand my understanding until after I was in college. Take the time to learn the healthy choices. You don't need a high level of science, just try to understand good from bad choices and you can be successful!

4. Motivation

    Another factor is motivation. Some people are just not motivated. It is important to find the internal motivation to want to eat well. The harder part of that is finding what about food and diet motivates you to make you want to eat better. That can come from a lot of places. Maybe it is cooking new things. Maybe it is the math of counting calories. Other people might just enjoy the challenge and the results. Whatever it may be, find that motivation to organize yourself so you can follow the eating habits that will lead to success. 

5. Eating as a Life Style

    I would add the last thing here as a two part point. It is an understanding that eating right is a process and a lifestyle. temporary diets are not great options, in my opinion. Find a way of living with the way you eat and make that work for you. Find someone to help you understand the process of eating, cooking, and how it relates to you. Dietitians are great at that, and certified nutrition coaches are great as well. This kind of ties back to culture, but it also ties into the fact that the way you eat is an ongoing process that you have to make choices with each day. It is similar to your physical training. Every workout is a process, and you have to make choices that respond to yourself and how you feel, as well as your environment and resources. Don't be hard on yourself, just be patient and keep the end goal in sight as the process unfolds. Above all, find people that understand how we, as people, relate to food and understand how it fuels us. If you find a person who can help navigate these factors, your journey will be much easier, in my opinion.

    I write all this as a person who loves to cook and as a trainer and athlete. It is simply me talking about how I have approached my relationship with food. I struggle with making the family meals, counting calories, and trying to understand how to feed kids differently than myself and my wife. Counting calories for us while trying to satisfy hungry kids at every turn. It is a process that requires thoughtful solutions and creative plans to execute what we want to do. I would say the best thing for me is if I make a mistake or I am not eating right for a few days, I try to get back up and correct it so I can feel I am back to making the progress I needed. As I have gotten older, I also realize how much more important food is as fuel. It is not just something to fill my stomach. That fuel is key in me feeling and training the best I can. 

I hope you enjoyed my insight about my view about food and diet and keep training hard!