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!

The Causes and Consequences of Overtraining

    Overtraining is extremely common. As a coach for cross country and track and field, I see a lot of instances where my athletes are constantly fighting the effects of overtraining. I do my best to control the workouts so they do not over-train, but they often put themselves in situations where they do over-train because they do way more than what I assign them because they are kids with lives outside of practice. However, even collegiate or professional athletes over-train because there is this need to overachieve.

    In a recent article on another blog, I wrote about how I am pushing my limits for my own training because I have a martial arts test and I can't afford to take things slow, if I can manage to speed up my training. We are often pushed by our own goals because we have visions of our own success, so we train harder. However, can we train smarter? We have to if we want to minimize the consequences of training at intense levels.

    Younger athletes can over-train more and recover in time to train. Older athletes, like myself, need time to recover if we over-train. It is an age-old dilemma that needs to be handled. The key is recovery, but how and why do we do it to ourselves? Over-training is obvious, right? In the quest to push our limits for limitless reasons, over-training is unavoidable. We have to use our minds to tell our bodies to take time off, so the recovery can happen, but even that does not always prevent the injuries that come with this problem.

How do we prevent overtraining?

    There are many things that you can do to prevent overtraining. I like to prioritize ideas and create routines, so my information and habits are organized. I will give you my top five things I do to prevent overtraining. Hopefully some of these things will be useful to you. 

1. Be in tune with your body. When I say that, I mean listen to what it is telling you. Understand what is normal, use experience to understand what different feelings and conditions are that come up, and recognize when old injuries start to resurface. Experience is the best guide. as a coach, I have learned that I try to teach my athletes what I have learned from experience, so they do not have to suffer as much from over-training as I did when I was younger. I used to over-train a lot. I did not recover as well as I would have liked and just pushed through when I should have been resting. 

2. Know when to rest. rest is key to recovery. More athletes need to recognize this. It helps to have a good coach and medical team that can advise on proper rest and recovery. I say medical team because sometimes small and nagging injuries become big ones because we ignore the need to see a doctor. If you seek the right advice, they will give you the information you need. Resting is part of physical training. However, your mind can still be active. You can study parts of what you train so you can improve. In the case of martial arts, you can analyze strategy, techniques, movements, etc. so you can improve your mental acuity within what you are doing, so when your body is ready you can be even better. The same is true for any sport. 

3. Proper nutrition is key. Eat right. It is that simple. Bad food equals bad recovery. Good food equals good recovery. I could go into a lot of science about it, but that is a topic for another article. Just do your research and learn how to cook decently so you can eat good food. Chips, twinkies, and cookies, will not aid in you becoming a better athlete. I am not saying you cannot indulge yourself once in awhile. That is not my point at all. Just don't make all your meals a fast food special, if you know what I mean. 

4. Sleep. Sleep is different from rest. Sleep is what you do at night, and you should get 7 or more hours at least as an adult. Sleep for kids is even more. Do not fudge on this. This is key to recovery. I know if you are a working adult that tries to balance life, work, etc. then it is tough. Do your best and seek advice if you are not getting the sleep you need, or make an effort to change your schedule so you can get sleep. When you are lacking sleep it is a prime condition for a potential injury or just skipping training. 

5. Recognize you do not need to move mountains or break records every time you train. Your routine of training is one step at a time, and so is progress. You don't break records every time you step out onto the field or the floor. It is an accumulation of experience and knowledge over time. This will go a long way to preventing you from overtraining so you do not miss the next training session because of pointless injuries. 

There is no magic equation that makes training better or more effective. Steady and even progress over time is the most effective way to do it. When that is done, you minimize possibilities of over-training. Remember, when you are hurt, you are forced to take more time off than you would otherwise, so have a plan and be methodical. It is the best way to to train in the long run. 

Joints and the Need for Mobility

 Joint Issues and Fitness

    As both an athlete in multiple sports, and a martial artist, I understand the value of healthy joints and the need for mobility. We often underwork and undervalue our joints in our workouts. Our joints are the points of articulation for our bodies, so it is imperative that we attend to them with care. As every person develops their routine, for sports, fitness, martial arts, or just a physical life, plan to have a way to deal with developing mobility. 

    It is both a blessing and a challenge to be an older athlete. I tell my young athletes, protect yourselves so you can move and be pain free when you are older. I also try to teach that fitness, martials, health and well-being are life long processes that we have to practice weekly and daily, if needed. One of the great things about today's world is the large volumes of information out there that we can use to educate ourselves about how to stay fit and healthy. One of the keys to staying active is having good joints, and exercising those joints appropriately. 

    The photo above is actually the image of one of my knees. You can see the lovely battle scar I have on my knee, from back in the day when surgery was not quite as advanced in correcting injuries. I might have had less scarring if the injury was corrected by today's techniques. Be that as it may, it has provided me some life lessons in how to deal with and appreciate joints and mobility. For the record, so you know, I completely recovered and went on to compete in college track and field, and has a career in martial arts that still is going today. So, that is the good news. Even better news, I have used the lessons in this injury to try to help others with what I have learned with joint care.

    Every joint is different, obviously. Each one has variations in structure, different requirements for movement, different feelings, and the list can go on. However, there are some things in common that every person should be aware of:

            1. Take the time to properly warm up joints and muscles before strenuous exercise.

            2. If you have joint pain and don't know what it is, or don't understand it, take the time to figure                     it out so it can be addressed appropriately.

            3. Be aware of the stresses, and potential stresses on joints when you do an activity, so you can                     protect them appropriately. It will save a lot of pain and down time away from your favorite                     activities.

            4. If you are rehabbing an injury, be sure to work with your doctor or therapist to achieve full                      recovery. 

            5. Be patient when recovering from a joint injury. The injury will recover, just take time to do the                  work and it should respond. If you have questions, always ask your doctor or therapist what is                   happening. That is why they are there. 

    Obviously, I could go on for pages and pages about joint health and its usefulness and importance. I will leave it at that for now. These are just some of my insights as a martial artist, athlete, trainer, and coach. Keep training and find your path. You are doing great!

Nutrition and Maintaining Health

The Importance of Nutrition

    Well, this is certainly a very wide open subject, and a diverse subject. Food and culture go hand-in-hand. Everyone's diet is as diverse and interesting as there are people in the world. Everyone has different likes, preferences, wants, needs, and so much more. So, first of all, there is no one right or wrong way to approach nutrition and diet. Whatever I write here is strictly from my perspective as an athlete and fan of food and how the two have worked together for me. You can take it or leave it. That being said, there are some things a person might want to be aware of as they approach their fitness journey.

    Exercise is great, but it can be enhanced a whole lot more if you are mindful of your food and what you put into yourself. Monitoring a diet takes an additional effort that many people have problems with, and that can be for all kinds of reasons. So any approach a person takes in trying to revamp or monitor their diet, it should be done with a high degree of patience. Food is a bit part of my family's culture and traditions, and eating healthy is important as well. (However there are moments we go for comfort food, don't get me wrong here!) We have a heavy dose of Mediterranean food that we cook in our family, especially from Italy. My great grandmother and grandfather came from Calabria, so there is no escaping pasta, but I am also of the philosophy that balanced diets work really well for most people and that people should not have to starve themselves to achieve fitness goals.

    All that being said, approach food with flexibility and patience. There is no one way to eat to find success. Also, always consult a doctor or nutritionist for your specific needs. I will share what has worked for me and what my insights are with respect to athletics and food, and I hope you find what I have to say of interest. If you have questions, please feel free to email or chat me and I will reply with my best answers. 

    As an older athlete, I find that I personally struggle with keeping calories down at times and portion control. I have also found out, for me, that if I am consistently physically active, and just sensible with my diet and portions, I can feel pretty good about what I eat and cook for myself and my family. Remember, food is fuel for everyone. Food gives us calories to burn, nutrients to function, and plays a vital role in keeping ourselves healthy. A general rule I try to remember, the more processed something is when I buy it, the less nutritional value it has for me. I try to buy whole food the majority of the time. That is not to say you can't buy anything that is processed, but the more processed, the less nutritional value, typically speaking. 

    On top of that, I am a huge fan of food and cooking. I will, from time-to-time, try to share things I cook that I think taste good and might be of help in fueling your fitness journey. Head over to my Instagram channel listed at the bottom to find what I am posting there, in fitness, health, and food. 

    Keep training and you are doing great! If you have a question, send me a chat or a message! Keep training hard!

 

Fitness and Martial Arts

Martial Arts and Fitness

    For years I have been working on these dual paths between fitness and martial arts, trying to understand where they intersect. I have multiple experiences in the world of sports, fitness, and martial arts. I have been doing one or  more of these disciplines for more than 40 years. I have a plethora of experience to draw from and help others in many ways. 

    My first sports were track and basketball in elementary school. I went on to compete in track and field in college, and took up martial arts my first year studying at the university. Since then, I have coached, competed, trained, and developed my skills and understanding of all the different facets of multiple sports and the training requirements needed to maintain and excel on multiple levels. Every person, athlete, and martial artist comes to the table with a different set of skills, needs, and expectations. One of the great benefits of martial arts is the philosophy of life and training. Training is a process and a way of life, something that we grow with and evolves over time. It is this unique philosophy that I bring to my creation of Alameda Kenpo Karate and Fitness. We address the needs of every person and athlete as an individual.

    Every person has a need to for self expression of their skill and craft, be it jumping, running, kicking, martial arts, track and field, soccer, or just general fitness. Movement is an expression of the human experience. It is my goal to help develop the ability of every person to move better, live better, be more healthy, and understand the capabilities of the human body regardless of the context or condition which a person is in or is coming from. 

    Every person has a warrior inside of them. Training brings out that confidence and ability to tackle challenges and become more fit in this world that forces us to adapt and evolve at every turn. Training in sports, fitness, or martial arts is a pathway to becoming more adaptable to the world around you, whatever the case may be. I encourage you to follow this blog, or ever join me, in our training as we develop our potential to take on the world each day, whatever life we are choosing to live. That is what training is about, giving us the stamina, skills, ability, and adaptability to do the best we can at every turn. 

    I am truly happy and excited to be able to help people with their fitness, athletic, or martial arts journey. It is what has helped make me who I am today, and I have met some great people on this path who have enriched my experience in life. Join our family and see what it is like here.