This is NOT the review of the Wilder Seminar. If you are looking for the review of the Wilder seminar, it can be found here.
**As a forewarning, this blog might upset some people, probably black belts. I honestly sincerely don't mean any disrespect by it, but I want to preface the blog with this disclaimer: I'm sorry if this upsets you and I do not hold this opinion to be universally true about all black belts.**
I recently attending a seminar. It was awesome. It was the third seminar I have been to, and the second martial arts focused seminar. (First was a Mr. Rory Miller seminar on violence, second was an Iain Abernethy seminar on Bunkai and Kata, and the most recent was a Kris Wilder seminar on power generation and application of this principle with some of the kata movements)
I did not get this vibe from the Miller seminar, probably because some of the first words out of Miller's mouth were "This is not about Martial Arts, this is about violence." and no one showed up in uniform.
However, I have to say something I experienced at both the Abernethy and the Wilder seminar has left me feeling rather perplexed. I felt it quite a bit more at the Abernethy seminar then the Wilder seminar, but it was still there.
Generally speaking I am usually one of the youngest and lowest ranking people there, but not usually via the same person. There are younger attendees who hold black belts, and older attendees who hold green and brown belts. There have been one or two other people younger then myself and maybe 3 to 5 people who are not black belts at these seminars. Overall, there are not a lot of us 'newbies' at these seminars. It's probably 90% Black Belts. I am not sure if the other lower ranking students feel the same way I do, but I usually feel a distinct 'mood' emanating from some of the black belts who attended the last two seminars I went to. Both seminars, walking into the room first thing on the first day, I feel a general air of... I want to be politically correct, because I do not want to hurt feelings or step on toes, that's honestly not the purpose of this post, but to be blunt I feel like a lot of people are looking down their nose at each other.
I have never felt this feeling or attitude from any of the hosts or presenters of the seminars that I have attended, and I certainly don't get this vibe from all the participants either. This is not a blanket statement. However, this feeling does come and go throughout the seminar, and I feel like most everyone is on guard and is always slightly on the defensive. I see a lot of dour expressions.
(There was a brief discussion following the seminar about this, and the comment was made "I don't think those kind of people come to these seminars, I think everyone here wants to learn." I'm not sure I entirely agree with that. Perhaps I am just imagining it though? I agree that close minded ignorant martial artists will more then likely not sign up for these types of seminars, and I do think that everyone there wants to learn, but I just don't get the feeling like the attitude is all bubbles and roses and sunshine. And yes, I am aware that Martial Arts is a serious subject, but like Miller has stated, you learn things better if you have fun with it.)
I'm not sure where this sense of standoffish-ness comes from, but I don't like it. I think it would be cool if all the attendees left their belt at the door and put on a white belt for the duration of the seminar. I think it would be neat if everyone would let go of their pretenses and insecurities and just have a good time and enjoy themselves. Introduce yourself to people, make a point to go talk to someone you don't know, ask them about their style, work with different partners and be excited about it for godssake! We get this chance to work some of the heavy hitters in the industry and I think we should make the most of it, not spend time sizing each other up and worrying about if the person next to you knows more then you.
Are you worried that your partner is going to hurt you? Are you worried about looking weak? Do you feel like you have to uphold your black belt macho attitude? I don't get it! Please help me understand why I saw almost no laughing or excitement. If you do feel this way, maybe other people feel this way too. (I did see SOME, especially when people are doing the drills, but I also saw a lot of eyeing up and turned backs during breaks or before or after the seminars.)
Whatever you're holding on to, let it go!
This little orange belt would be pretty darn excited if everyone came with an empty cup, an open mind, and a willingness to work with others, to listen, and to drop the pretenses, to go as slow or as fast as your partner is comfortable, to hit as hard or as soft as your partner is comfortable with, to be willing to scale back, to not be embarrassed to ask your partner to scale back if that's what you want.
We are all there to learn and to have fun. We all come from different backgrounds but we are united by our passion for the martial arts. No one is out to get you, no one is out to make you look stupid or feel like a fool in front of everyone, no one cares if you don't know something specific that the person next to you might know; you may know something they don't! No one cares what color your belt is, or how many stripes are on your belt or how long you have been training. We are all equals there to learn, share, practice, and enjoy.
I know I just said that no one cares what color your belt is, but perhaps because of this general vibe it can be very intimidating for a low ranking student to walk into a room full of black belts. (For those of us who don't have a black belt, it can best be described as the black belt complex. You know it shouldn't matter, but you can't help but fixate on it to some degree till you have it) I just didn't feel overly welcome till the host and presenter showed up, I didn't see enthusiasm or excitement, I saw sideways glances and people sticking to clicks/schools.
I will be the first to admit, I am just as guilty of this myself. I tend to mainly work with Sensei Nick during these seminars. Partly because I am shy, partly because I have a very strong sense of trust with Sensei Nick and it can be unnerving for anyone to work with a stranger, and partly because I didn't feel like most (not all, but some) of the other attendees wanted to work with an orange belt. It's very difficult sometimes for us newbies to come out of our shell and approach you 'towering black belts' who have been doing this for 10, 20, 30 years or more. Does anyone else feel this way?
Last night in class, we talked about how cool the seminar was and are encouraging out students to attend the Brent Yamamoto seminar. We had a student, a white belt, say he didn't want to go because he was afraid he would be in the way, or he wouldn't be able to keep up with the material. Sensei Nick and I tried to encourage him, but I got the feeling that that is why a lot of lower ranking students don't attend these things. If he were to attend, I couldn't honestly guarantee that he wouldn't pick up on some of the attendees not wanting to work with him because they, too, felt he would be in their way, etc.
It can be really scary attending a seminar for the first or second time, especially as a lower ranking student. We feel like mice among giants! You're the role models, you're the ones we all look up to for guidance and acceptance. We need your welcoming attitude and encouragement, not your aloof detachment. In our minds you embody the black belts we want to become. Think about that for a minute... We're watching your every move to see how a real black belt behaves. If you snub other schools, your students will do the same. If you go out of your way to talk to other people, to share information, to be pleasant etc, your students will follow your lead, especially when you encourage that type of behavior. Do you want your students to be like those of Cobra Kai or those of Mr. Miyagi?
Sensei Nick and I discussed this on the way home, and he said that honestly the two seminars that we have attended together were pretty good. He's been to seminars that were almost downright hostile. Has anyone else had any type of experience like this? What have you done to get past it?
There were some suggestions like forcing people to work with different partners on the first day, but then letting people work with people from their own school on the second day so they can collaborate and be able to take the material back to their own schools better. Miller did this at his seminar and it seemed to work pretty well. It was only a one day seminar that I attended but by the end of the day it wasn't a big deal/awkward to go introduce yourself to someone and change partners every time.
I've decided that the next seminar I go to I am going to make a point to try to get there early and talk to as many people as I can before the seminar starts and during the breaks. To introduce myself and find out who they are and where they come from and what they study. This is going to be a huge challenge as I am actually pretty shy when I have to face people in person. In fact, I've gotten so nervous I've thrown up before! However, this is really important to me, so I want to push myself outside my comfort zone. We grow through challenge and adversity, not by staying in our safety zone.
So if I see you at the next seminar, you can bet I'm going to try to come over and talk to you. And if I suddenly dash off while we are talking, please don't be offended, I might be throwing up in the bathroom because I am so nervous, but by golly I'm gonna make the effort!
Friday, May 4, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Wilder Seminar Review
This last weekend Sensei Nick and I had the chance to attend a Kris Wilder seminar in Columbia, MO.
If there is one thing Mr. Wilder knows, its how to hit with power! This seminar was AWESOME! I would venture to say that most Martial Artists/Martial Arts schools in America work based on rotational power. Round house kicks, rotating at the hip, etc. Wilder hits with structure aka vertical power. I swear, watching this guy hit people is like magic. Martial Arts Guru Magic. Thankfully I did not receive any of Mr. Wilder's punches, but I got to watch several of the larger participants get punched only to stumble several feet back. It doesn't look like much, but these people really got moved. I got a light kick on the thigh, and WOW.
The first day was all the learning and the second day was all the application. The first day was broken down like this
- The Fighter vs. the Warrior
- Summoning power lower body
- Summoning power upper body
- Deception of movement principles
- Deception of movement principles and practice
- Killing the Center
All in all this set up really flowed well. The logical progression through the material allowed Wilder to give us the basics and continually build on those basics.
Honestly, I think one of my favorite parts of the seminar was the introduction, The Fighter Vs. The Warrior. Wilder talked about how fighters play the game and warriors end it. I know that this is counter to what I am supposed to be thinking and that Miller would probably be ashamed of me, but I tend to romanticize the idea of being a warrior. I like the idea of living every day as if it were your last, of following the bushido code, and being capable of having to act as a warrior should.
I want to be clear, I am not advocating or trying to glorify violence in any way. I have read Miller's Meditations on Violence and I had to put it down for a few days about three quarters of the way through the book because it was so dark. Real violence is nothing like movie violence. Truth be told, I don't have any experience with real violence. I honestly hope to God I never do. But I have talked to people who do and tried to understand their position, or put myself in their shoes. Trying to visualize and empathize and understand what they went through. It's no substitute by any means, but I feel like it gives me just enough of an understanding to let me know that I don't want to know. I know just enough to know that I don't know know shit about real violence, I know just enough to know that I should be scared.
With that being said, I feel like that's what really separates the fighter from the warrior. To me, in my mind, A fighter wants to keep the fight going, wants to play the game, wants to monkey dance, wants to win for face and status and ego. A warrior seeks peace, they do not want to fight unless there is absolutely no other given choice, and if they are forced to fight, they want to end the conflict as quickly as possible. Based on those terms, I want to be a warrior.
Moving on, Wilder talked about how to build your structure from the ground up, how to use "Mud Foot" or "Gundam Foot", moving on to the "Chinese Doughnut" around the knee, and then aligning the hips/back/spine, and eventually the shoulders and arm movements necessary to really stand and strike with force. I don't want to actually go into detail in case anyone else has the opportunity to work with Wilder. I'd rather let the man himself explain it to you, but it all really makes sense and it WORKS.
Wilder also knows some really nifty ninja cheats to help you out. He went over some of these like twitching and using your peripheral vision in order to cheat your brain into being faster and to psych out your opponents brain. I was never really able to catch a telegraph or understand how to look for them before this weekend. I don't know why, but for some reason, something clicked and I now feel like I have a much better grasp on what to look for and how to telegraph, or false telegraph, or what to do to not telegraph at all.
Wilder makes some interesting points on human behavior, especially how we tend to pick up on and use each other's behavior. In his words, "Human beings are designed to infect one another." Once you understand this principle, you can really use it to manipulate people in a fight to your advantage.
The second day we looked at some kata applications. I don't know any of the Goju Ryu kata, but some of the movements are very similar to our shotokan kata. The same basic movements, just in a different order. I really like some of Wilder's applications/Bunkai over some of Abernethy's explanations. Not that I dislike Abernethy's Bunkai, just that I feel like Wilder's may be more effective for my body type. In addition, many of the Bunkai that Wilder suggest from the kata movements are identical to many of the techniques I learned in Aikijutsu. So for me, these felt much more natural then some of the ones learned from the Abernethy seminar. I am now very excited go through some of Nick's DVDs from Wilder. (Although I still need to read Teaching the Martial Arts.)
I am really looking forward to Brent Yamamoto Seminar in July because from what I understand he works to blend Karate and Aikido. Watching Wilder's bunkai and practicing both Karate and Aikijutsu really emphasizes the fact that all martial arts are intertwined and compliment each other very nicely. Sensei Nick and I are very eager to begin work on his book about that very subject, although I have a lot more research to do to catch up to where Nick is as far as knowledge and understanding.
Overall, it was a great weekend, and I am really looking forward to using what I learned in class and excited to practice 'standing' on my own while Nick is out of the country in May. There was some discussion afterwards about what could be improved upon in future seminars. A few people mentioned that perhaps a take-away might be good, but I am still on the fence on this matter. I think if people are interested they can take their own notes, and that a take-away may be a bit superfluous, but I can understand why some people would suggest it. I think everything went well and personally wouldn't have changed a thing.
I take that back, I have one minor concern, but it wasn't with the seminar itself as much as the attendees, but I will post that later this week.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 6.
If there is one thing Mr. Wilder knows, its how to hit with power! This seminar was AWESOME! I would venture to say that most Martial Artists/Martial Arts schools in America work based on rotational power. Round house kicks, rotating at the hip, etc. Wilder hits with structure aka vertical power. I swear, watching this guy hit people is like magic. Martial Arts Guru Magic. Thankfully I did not receive any of Mr. Wilder's punches, but I got to watch several of the larger participants get punched only to stumble several feet back. It doesn't look like much, but these people really got moved. I got a light kick on the thigh, and WOW.
The first day was all the learning and the second day was all the application. The first day was broken down like this
- The Fighter vs. the Warrior
- Summoning power lower body
- Summoning power upper body
- Deception of movement principles
- Deception of movement principles and practice
- Killing the Center
All in all this set up really flowed well. The logical progression through the material allowed Wilder to give us the basics and continually build on those basics.
Honestly, I think one of my favorite parts of the seminar was the introduction, The Fighter Vs. The Warrior. Wilder talked about how fighters play the game and warriors end it. I know that this is counter to what I am supposed to be thinking and that Miller would probably be ashamed of me, but I tend to romanticize the idea of being a warrior. I like the idea of living every day as if it were your last, of following the bushido code, and being capable of having to act as a warrior should.
I want to be clear, I am not advocating or trying to glorify violence in any way. I have read Miller's Meditations on Violence and I had to put it down for a few days about three quarters of the way through the book because it was so dark. Real violence is nothing like movie violence. Truth be told, I don't have any experience with real violence. I honestly hope to God I never do. But I have talked to people who do and tried to understand their position, or put myself in their shoes. Trying to visualize and empathize and understand what they went through. It's no substitute by any means, but I feel like it gives me just enough of an understanding to let me know that I don't want to know. I know just enough to know that I don't know know shit about real violence, I know just enough to know that I should be scared.
With that being said, I feel like that's what really separates the fighter from the warrior. To me, in my mind, A fighter wants to keep the fight going, wants to play the game, wants to monkey dance, wants to win for face and status and ego. A warrior seeks peace, they do not want to fight unless there is absolutely no other given choice, and if they are forced to fight, they want to end the conflict as quickly as possible. Based on those terms, I want to be a warrior.
Moving on, Wilder talked about how to build your structure from the ground up, how to use "Mud Foot" or "Gundam Foot", moving on to the "Chinese Doughnut" around the knee, and then aligning the hips/back/spine, and eventually the shoulders and arm movements necessary to really stand and strike with force. I don't want to actually go into detail in case anyone else has the opportunity to work with Wilder. I'd rather let the man himself explain it to you, but it all really makes sense and it WORKS.
Wilder also knows some really nifty ninja cheats to help you out. He went over some of these like twitching and using your peripheral vision in order to cheat your brain into being faster and to psych out your opponents brain. I was never really able to catch a telegraph or understand how to look for them before this weekend. I don't know why, but for some reason, something clicked and I now feel like I have a much better grasp on what to look for and how to telegraph, or false telegraph, or what to do to not telegraph at all.
Wilder makes some interesting points on human behavior, especially how we tend to pick up on and use each other's behavior. In his words, "Human beings are designed to infect one another." Once you understand this principle, you can really use it to manipulate people in a fight to your advantage.
The second day we looked at some kata applications. I don't know any of the Goju Ryu kata, but some of the movements are very similar to our shotokan kata. The same basic movements, just in a different order. I really like some of Wilder's applications/Bunkai over some of Abernethy's explanations. Not that I dislike Abernethy's Bunkai, just that I feel like Wilder's may be more effective for my body type. In addition, many of the Bunkai that Wilder suggest from the kata movements are identical to many of the techniques I learned in Aikijutsu. So for me, these felt much more natural then some of the ones learned from the Abernethy seminar. I am now very excited go through some of Nick's DVDs from Wilder. (Although I still need to read Teaching the Martial Arts.)
I am really looking forward to Brent Yamamoto Seminar in July because from what I understand he works to blend Karate and Aikido. Watching Wilder's bunkai and practicing both Karate and Aikijutsu really emphasizes the fact that all martial arts are intertwined and compliment each other very nicely. Sensei Nick and I are very eager to begin work on his book about that very subject, although I have a lot more research to do to catch up to where Nick is as far as knowledge and understanding.
Overall, it was a great weekend, and I am really looking forward to using what I learned in class and excited to practice 'standing' on my own while Nick is out of the country in May. There was some discussion afterwards about what could be improved upon in future seminars. A few people mentioned that perhaps a take-away might be good, but I am still on the fence on this matter. I think if people are interested they can take their own notes, and that a take-away may be a bit superfluous, but I can understand why some people would suggest it. I think everything went well and personally wouldn't have changed a thing.
I take that back, I have one minor concern, but it wasn't with the seminar itself as much as the attendees, but I will post that later this week.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 6.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Nutrition Challenge - Day SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN
I had a little bit of trouble with this weekend as I ended up traveling to visit my brother for the Easter weekend. I did not eat super great, but I did my best in spite of the situation. I tried to keep track of everything, but I'm not sure I can remember ever meal exactly. I have taken all my supplements as directed, and you guys get the jist of everything now. Also, no gluten and no dairy is KILLING ME. I have having to ween myself off of them, having a tiny bit on occasion. I know it isn't strictly Paleo, but it's about all I can manage without going crazy and swinging way to the other side and pigging out on all the bad stuff.
April 7th - Day Seven
Breakfast - Eggs, Bacon, Avocado, Salsa, Turkey
Lunch - Eskimo Joes. I had grilled chicken with satuted mushrooms and green beans on the side. That was about as good as I could get. I even stayed away from the bacon cheese fries.
Dinner - I had pizza. One piece. Cheese. I know. I told you it was bad. It was a frozen pizza. Well, it wasn't frozen when I ate it, but at least it wasn't delivery. I also had quite a bit of beef jerky and fresh fruit for dinner though, so it wasn't all bad.
April 8th - Day Eight! Happy Easter!
Breakfast - Eggs with salsa and avocado and fruit on the side. I may or may not have gotten a cream cheese chocolate muffin from the hotel breakfast bar, on account of it being a holiday and all.
Lunch - Red Lobster, I had grilled chicken and shrimp and a bit of rice. A garden salad on the side. No croutons or cheddar biscuits.
Dinner - Steak on the grill! With Teriyaki sauce. The rest of the fruit from the container I got and I'm pretty sure I had a veggie on the side...
April 9th - Day Nine
Breakfast - Chick Fil A. I got a chicken, egg and cheese bagel. Got it home, ditched the bagel, and smothered it with avocado and salsa. <3 Fruit on the side. Yeah, I'm really not inventive. I ate cereal every day for like, 21 years or so.... yeah... But I like it! So it works. As long as I'm not bored. Although I am kind of sick of Pace Salsa. I need to get the stuff to make my own delicious salsa.
Lunch - Eggs with Salsa, Avocado and Turkey and with spinach. I'm just on an egg kick right now and that's about all I feel like eating.
Dinner - ground turkey seasoned with marinara, lemon pepper, garlic, and a few other seasonings. Gluten free pasta and Sugar Snap Peas on the side.
April 10th - Day Ten
Breakfast - ...
Lunch - ...
Dinner - Panda Express... String Bean Chicken and Mushroom Chicken. Cream Cheese Wantons...
Ok, don't look at me like that. I explained that I have difficulty with sleep in my comments on the last post. I think I have got a dose of extreme fatigue going on. I went to bed about midnight yesterday, got up today and felt terrible, so after I took care of my morning stuff (taking a friend's kiddo to school) I promptly went home and went back to bed. I slept from about 9 until 2. I really did not feel great. I don't feel... sick per sey, just really REALLY exhausted and fatigued.
I'm pretty sure its from stress and not enough sleep, which, I know that stress will kill you faster then anything. I know that not sleeping and being stressed out will counter-act every good thing I do for my body, good eating, working out, etc. I KNOW. The sleep thing I can't help. I'm just not tired. Even if I stay up and don't nap, even if I exercise a ton, even if I take an all natural sleep aid, even if I meditate, even if I take a hot bath. I'm not tired. I had trouble sleeping from the time I was little. I have tried pretty much everything. Doing a Sudoku before bed, drink warm milk, drinking chamomile tea, etc. Tonight I was going to have a glass of wine before bed, but I didn't have any. ,~.~ Sad Tiffani is sad.
The stress I can work on better. I can meditate, talk a walk, step away, etc. I know there are techniques to control/help with that and I just need to be better about doing them. Walking my giant Musashi doggie does help, and I love to walk him, I just need to work more on meditation and such. ANYWAY. THAT is why I only ate one meal today. And it wasn't a great one. I had some of it at dinner and some of it as a late snack.
At this point I am done with the cleanse phase. I move on to the burn phase! MEGA NUTRITION AND AWESOMENESS!!!
Closing thoughts from the cleanse phase:
April 7th - Day Seven
Breakfast - Eggs, Bacon, Avocado, Salsa, Turkey
Lunch - Eskimo Joes. I had grilled chicken with satuted mushrooms and green beans on the side. That was about as good as I could get. I even stayed away from the bacon cheese fries.
Dinner - I had pizza. One piece. Cheese. I know. I told you it was bad. It was a frozen pizza. Well, it wasn't frozen when I ate it, but at least it wasn't delivery. I also had quite a bit of beef jerky and fresh fruit for dinner though, so it wasn't all bad.
April 8th - Day Eight! Happy Easter!
Breakfast - Eggs with salsa and avocado and fruit on the side. I may or may not have gotten a cream cheese chocolate muffin from the hotel breakfast bar, on account of it being a holiday and all.
Lunch - Red Lobster, I had grilled chicken and shrimp and a bit of rice. A garden salad on the side. No croutons or cheddar biscuits.
Dinner - Steak on the grill! With Teriyaki sauce. The rest of the fruit from the container I got and I'm pretty sure I had a veggie on the side...
April 9th - Day Nine
Breakfast - Chick Fil A. I got a chicken, egg and cheese bagel. Got it home, ditched the bagel, and smothered it with avocado and salsa. <3 Fruit on the side. Yeah, I'm really not inventive. I ate cereal every day for like, 21 years or so.... yeah... But I like it! So it works. As long as I'm not bored. Although I am kind of sick of Pace Salsa. I need to get the stuff to make my own delicious salsa.
Lunch - Eggs with Salsa, Avocado and Turkey and with spinach. I'm just on an egg kick right now and that's about all I feel like eating.
Dinner - ground turkey seasoned with marinara, lemon pepper, garlic, and a few other seasonings. Gluten free pasta and Sugar Snap Peas on the side.
April 10th - Day Ten
Breakfast - ...
Lunch - ...
Dinner - Panda Express... String Bean Chicken and Mushroom Chicken. Cream Cheese Wantons...
Ok, don't look at me like that. I explained that I have difficulty with sleep in my comments on the last post. I think I have got a dose of extreme fatigue going on. I went to bed about midnight yesterday, got up today and felt terrible, so after I took care of my morning stuff (taking a friend's kiddo to school) I promptly went home and went back to bed. I slept from about 9 until 2. I really did not feel great. I don't feel... sick per sey, just really REALLY exhausted and fatigued.
I'm pretty sure its from stress and not enough sleep, which, I know that stress will kill you faster then anything. I know that not sleeping and being stressed out will counter-act every good thing I do for my body, good eating, working out, etc. I KNOW. The sleep thing I can't help. I'm just not tired. Even if I stay up and don't nap, even if I exercise a ton, even if I take an all natural sleep aid, even if I meditate, even if I take a hot bath. I'm not tired. I had trouble sleeping from the time I was little. I have tried pretty much everything. Doing a Sudoku before bed, drink warm milk, drinking chamomile tea, etc. Tonight I was going to have a glass of wine before bed, but I didn't have any. ,~.~ Sad Tiffani is sad.
The stress I can work on better. I can meditate, talk a walk, step away, etc. I know there are techniques to control/help with that and I just need to be better about doing them. Walking my giant Musashi doggie does help, and I love to walk him, I just need to work more on meditation and such. ANYWAY. THAT is why I only ate one meal today. And it wasn't a great one. I had some of it at dinner and some of it as a late snack.
At this point I am done with the cleanse phase. I move on to the burn phase! MEGA NUTRITION AND AWESOMENESS!!!
Closing thoughts from the cleanse phase:
- DO NOT EAT OUT! YOU WILL BE SORRY! The only time I had any trouble with my gut was when I ate out. And even though I ate as Paleo as I could, it generally still did not agree with me. If I ate good home cooked food, then I had nothing to worry about. So if you, like me, are considering this and are worried that an herbal cleanse will give you raging diarrhea, do this one and avoid eating out, greasy or deep fried food, junk food. If you do, I'm pretty sure you will have nothing to worry about.
- DRINK WAY MORE WATER THEN YOU NORMALLY DO. I'm pretty sure I didn't drink anywhere near as much as I was supposed to. A recommended amount is to take your body weight, divide it by 2. Drink that many ounces of water a day.
- STICK TO IT AND EAT ALL YOUR MEALS AND HAVE SNACKS. Yeah, obviously, I did not set a great example. BUT, I really think that if you make sure you stick to having your supplements on time, eating three meals a day, and having healthy snacks between meals, you will see even better results then I did. In my opinion, to be brutally honest, I didn't do a very good job of it, and I still lost some weight. DON'T SKIP MEALS. If you do, it actually causes you to gain weight. Have good snacks.
I think that about covers it. More to come as I start in on the burn phase.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Nutrition Challenge - Day FOUR, FIVE, SIX
April 4th - Day Four
Pre Breakfast - probiotic restore
Omegaplex - same as day one
Breakfast - Same, eggs and bacon. Without bread, I'm not very inventive for Breakfast. : / I miss toast with peanut butter on it. ,~.~ So I have for sure going to try some of these Paleo Recipes. I'm a pretty good cook, but I'm used to having access to a full scope of foods, mainly dairy and wheat used to be a big part of my daily intake. We we'll see how it turns out.
Lunch - left over turkey burger from last night. Yep, like I said, I'm gonna need some help with creativity in the kitchen. I need to make a trip to whole foods. I found online you can get seaweed noodles! I am so looking for those when I go.
Dinner - My brother came up for a visit. We went to Chilis. I got chicken crispers. Not strictly Paleo... but better than other things I could have eaten. I had a salad instead of fries and corn on the cob. I had a FEW corn tortilla chips. I ate all my salad, a few chips, and not even one piece of chicken. I came home and felt TERRIBLE. I was in the bathroom for a while. Once you start eating well, you can't go back. I mean, you can, but... ick. My body was like, "NO! BAD TIFFANI! NO CRAP FOOD!!!" So that settles that.
Omegaplex - same as before
Herbal Cleanse - same as before
April 5th - Day Five
Pre-Breakfast - probiotic restore
Omegaplex - same
Breakfast - I'm bad at this whole diet thing. I didn't eat.
Lunch - also didn't eat. Which I know is 110% counter productive, but... I was sleeping all day.
Dinner - LETTUCE WRAPS! OM NOM NOM NOM! Lean chicken with carrots, green onions and almonds in a sauce that I found at the store for lettuce wraps with ice berg lettuce. I had some rice on the side. I had to. I am weak.
Omegaplex - same
Herbal Cleanse - same
*On a positive note, though I do not really feel/notice a difference, I had a friend ask me this evening if I was losing weight. I gave them one of these sort of "o.O how did you know?" type looks. They said my jeans looked much looser than normal, so this is fuel to make sure I am eating properly and regularly and stay on track! I did take before pictures on Sat. March 31st which I will post at the end with my after pictures.
April 6th - Day Six
Ok, time to buckle down and do this!
Pre-Breakfast - Probiotic restore
Breakfast - I am addicted to eating eggs with turkey and salsa and avocado.
Lunch - Erm. Not sure what I had..
Dinner - Baked Salmon with lemon and dill with a side of steamed broccoli. I had decided buying broccoli from the store and steaming is now the only way to go. It's so much better than buying to frozen. I will never go back.
Pre Breakfast - probiotic restore
Omegaplex - same as day one
Breakfast - Same, eggs and bacon. Without bread, I'm not very inventive for Breakfast. : / I miss toast with peanut butter on it. ,~.~ So I have for sure going to try some of these Paleo Recipes. I'm a pretty good cook, but I'm used to having access to a full scope of foods, mainly dairy and wheat used to be a big part of my daily intake. We we'll see how it turns out.
Lunch - left over turkey burger from last night. Yep, like I said, I'm gonna need some help with creativity in the kitchen. I need to make a trip to whole foods. I found online you can get seaweed noodles! I am so looking for those when I go.
Dinner - My brother came up for a visit. We went to Chilis. I got chicken crispers. Not strictly Paleo... but better than other things I could have eaten. I had a salad instead of fries and corn on the cob. I had a FEW corn tortilla chips. I ate all my salad, a few chips, and not even one piece of chicken. I came home and felt TERRIBLE. I was in the bathroom for a while. Once you start eating well, you can't go back. I mean, you can, but... ick. My body was like, "NO! BAD TIFFANI! NO CRAP FOOD!!!" So that settles that.
Omegaplex - same as before
Herbal Cleanse - same as before
April 5th - Day Five
Pre-Breakfast - probiotic restore
Omegaplex - same
Breakfast - I'm bad at this whole diet thing. I didn't eat.
Lunch - also didn't eat. Which I know is 110% counter productive, but... I was sleeping all day.
Dinner - LETTUCE WRAPS! OM NOM NOM NOM! Lean chicken with carrots, green onions and almonds in a sauce that I found at the store for lettuce wraps with ice berg lettuce. I had some rice on the side. I had to. I am weak.
Omegaplex - same
Herbal Cleanse - same
*On a positive note, though I do not really feel/notice a difference, I had a friend ask me this evening if I was losing weight. I gave them one of these sort of "o.O how did you know?" type looks. They said my jeans looked much looser than normal, so this is fuel to make sure I am eating properly and regularly and stay on track! I did take before pictures on Sat. March 31st which I will post at the end with my after pictures.
April 6th - Day Six
Ok, time to buckle down and do this!
Pre-Breakfast - Probiotic restore
Breakfast - I am addicted to eating eggs with turkey and salsa and avocado.
Lunch - Erm. Not sure what I had..
Dinner - Baked Salmon with lemon and dill with a side of steamed broccoli. I had decided buying broccoli from the store and steaming is now the only way to go. It's so much better than buying to frozen. I will never go back.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Nutrition Challenege - Day ONE, TWO, THREE
April 1st - Day One
Day one of Paleo and the AdvoCare nutrition challenge...
I had my weigh in on Saturday. My stats were as follows:
Hight: not quite 5'1"
Weight: 126.5 lbs
Body Fat: 23.7%
So today, Sunday, is the first day of the challenge. Here was my routine:
Fiber drink - Not so good. I am very much a texture eater. It's pretty think. I had to thin it out quite a bit to get through it. The taste isn't bad, its just the texture.
Omegaplex - went down easy, no fishy after taste or burbs at all.
Breakfast - Eggs with Turkey mixed in and raspberries on the side. Pretty good.
Lunch - Grilled lean round steak with wasabi teriyaki and grilled zucchini and mushrooms with seasame dressing and spicy mustard mixed together for a sauce to season the veggies with. AMAZING. Eating Paleo is going to be a cinch if I get to eat like this all the time.
Afternoon snack - V16 energy drink. I substituted this instead of the Spark because sometimes I have trouble with caffeine. I would say it doesn't get you QUITE as pumped as the Spark does, but it does help you feel alert and focused.
Dinner - chicken with potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus and onions steamed in a tinfoil packet, 'hobo stew' fashion. Om Nom Nom.
Omegaplex - Same results
Herbal Cleanse before bed.
So far so good. I feel pretty good, haven't felt tired or gross. No tummy trouble from the fiber... everything is a go for tomorrow.
April 2nd - Day Two
Fiber drink - fiber powder + 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. I MUCH prefer the consistency of moist citrus flavor saw dust to that of citrus flavored slime. I just ate it with a spoon and then drank the recommended 16 oz. of water. (8 for with the drink and 8 after). I'm PROBABLY not supposed to take it like that, but oh well.
Breakfast - eggs with turkey, tomatoes, mushrooms, and chives mixed in, I had some turkey bacon on the side and avocado on top.
Omegaplex - same as above
Lunch - left overs from breakfast
Dinner - skillet cooked chicken with zucchini, mushrooms and chives in an light orange sauce. Sadly... no rice. :( I forgot to cook it.
Omegaplex - same as above
Still doing well. I only had part of my energy drink today. Feeling pretty good all around. I do notice that I do not quite have the munchies as much as I normally do. I am kind of craving sweet things, I think due to the lack of cabs, which makes your body have an insulin spike. But aside from really wanting some chocolate, I feel good and not as hungry.
Otherwise, everything else feels good and normal.
April 3rd - Day Three
Fiber drink - downed.
Breakfast - Eggs and veggies with bacon on the side and pineapple.
Omegaplex - same as above
Lunch - Turkey, bacon, avocado with apples on the side
Dinner - Turkey burger patties grilled with a salad and sweet potato fries.
Omegaplex - same as above.
Feels... normal. I am definitely less hungry, and I can't say on the energy for certain, I got 3 hours of sleep last night... heh... but overall, feeling pretty good.
Day one of Paleo and the AdvoCare nutrition challenge...
I had my weigh in on Saturday. My stats were as follows:
Hight: not quite 5'1"
Weight: 126.5 lbs
Body Fat: 23.7%
So today, Sunday, is the first day of the challenge. Here was my routine:
Fiber drink - Not so good. I am very much a texture eater. It's pretty think. I had to thin it out quite a bit to get through it. The taste isn't bad, its just the texture.
Omegaplex - went down easy, no fishy after taste or burbs at all.
Breakfast - Eggs with Turkey mixed in and raspberries on the side. Pretty good.
Lunch - Grilled lean round steak with wasabi teriyaki and grilled zucchini and mushrooms with seasame dressing and spicy mustard mixed together for a sauce to season the veggies with. AMAZING. Eating Paleo is going to be a cinch if I get to eat like this all the time.
Afternoon snack - V16 energy drink. I substituted this instead of the Spark because sometimes I have trouble with caffeine. I would say it doesn't get you QUITE as pumped as the Spark does, but it does help you feel alert and focused.
Dinner - chicken with potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus and onions steamed in a tinfoil packet, 'hobo stew' fashion. Om Nom Nom.
Omegaplex - Same results
Herbal Cleanse before bed.
So far so good. I feel pretty good, haven't felt tired or gross. No tummy trouble from the fiber... everything is a go for tomorrow.
April 2nd - Day Two
Fiber drink - fiber powder + 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. I MUCH prefer the consistency of moist citrus flavor saw dust to that of citrus flavored slime. I just ate it with a spoon and then drank the recommended 16 oz. of water. (8 for with the drink and 8 after). I'm PROBABLY not supposed to take it like that, but oh well.
Breakfast - eggs with turkey, tomatoes, mushrooms, and chives mixed in, I had some turkey bacon on the side and avocado on top.
Omegaplex - same as above
Lunch - left overs from breakfast
Dinner - skillet cooked chicken with zucchini, mushrooms and chives in an light orange sauce. Sadly... no rice. :( I forgot to cook it.
Omegaplex - same as above
Still doing well. I only had part of my energy drink today. Feeling pretty good all around. I do notice that I do not quite have the munchies as much as I normally do. I am kind of craving sweet things, I think due to the lack of cabs, which makes your body have an insulin spike. But aside from really wanting some chocolate, I feel good and not as hungry.
Otherwise, everything else feels good and normal.
April 3rd - Day Three
Fiber drink - downed.
Breakfast - Eggs and veggies with bacon on the side and pineapple.
Omegaplex - same as above
Lunch - Turkey, bacon, avocado with apples on the side
Dinner - Turkey burger patties grilled with a salad and sweet potato fries.
Omegaplex - same as above.
Feels... normal. I am definitely less hungry, and I can't say on the energy for certain, I got 3 hours of sleep last night... heh... but overall, feeling pretty good.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Nutrition Challenge
To give a bit of background, Sensei Nick and I have recently been working on several changes, including reworking the rank sheets for the Aikijutsu classes at his school. We are really happy with the results, but I will post about that later. We have also joined a CrossFit gym and we are loving it. I have to say that I really enjoy the CrossFit philosophy and work outs a great deal more then a typical gym workout. I have started referring to my crossfit work outs as "Ninja Training". It's good stuff.
You can find information about CrossFit on the CrossFit Home Page or check out the CrossFit Games, which is a competition whose aim is to find the most fit person on earth.
Starting in April I will be doing a nutrition challenge with my gym. I will be documenting everything and posting my experience along the way. I'm going to be trying out the Paleo Diet, which essentially encourages us to eat like Cave Men. Essentially, if you can hunt it or pick it you can eat it. I highly encourage you to look at the website and look at the research that has been done on this subject. It's pretty interesting compared to a lot of other diet and life style type eating habits I have looked into. Secondly, sometimes you need a nutritional supplement. I have always been on the hunt for good supplements, post work out sources, and such. I like to know what I am putting into my body is good. I recently learned about AdvoCare and I'll be test driving their products during my nutrition challenge. So I can let people know if they work as well as they claim. They do have a pretty good rep as they have an entire scientific and medical board behind them. I'm looking forward to seeing how the nutrition challenge turns out.
I am so ready to continue on my path to 'ninjaness' as it were. I want to be in great shape, I want to eat well, and I want to be healthy.
I have my 'weigh in' on Saturday where I will have my body fat % calculated. The goal is not to lose weight, it is to lose fat and build muscle, so I feel pretty good taking part in the challenge. I get sickened by the dual nature of our culture. The obesity rate is sky rocketing, but at the same time the desire to be skinny and look good drives millions of young people, boys and girls, toward unhealthy dieting and eating disorders. Fit is healthy and sexy, skinny is not. Meat is for the man, Bones are for the dogs. It's a difficult paradigm to overcome and a hard thing to find a balance.
My mother struggled with an eating disorder almost her whole life. I have seen how devastating it can be and how incredibly difficult it can be to overcome. (But, I have to say, my mom has been E.D. free for a few years now and she is looking much better. I'm so proud of her, I know how hard it's been and how much of a struggle it was, but if anyone out there is reading this and struggles with an eating disorder, you are not alone and there is help. You are stronger then you believe you are and you can overcome anything!)
I think that is what drives me so strongly towards becoming a personal trainer and martial arts instructor. I want to help people in the way my trainer and my instructors have helped me. I want to give people the gift of health, confidence and happiness. To help them feel good about themselves, to be genuinely happy with what they see in the mirror every day, to be confident in what they can do, and to achieve a healthy lifestyle. That is my hope and wish. I am working towards making all this happen, getting in super great shape, working hard on obtaining my black belts in Aikijutsu and Karate, and learning what I can about nutrition and supplements. I will make it happen!
More to come. Thank you sincerely for reading. :)
You can find information about CrossFit on the CrossFit Home Page or check out the CrossFit Games, which is a competition whose aim is to find the most fit person on earth.
Starting in April I will be doing a nutrition challenge with my gym. I will be documenting everything and posting my experience along the way. I'm going to be trying out the Paleo Diet, which essentially encourages us to eat like Cave Men. Essentially, if you can hunt it or pick it you can eat it. I highly encourage you to look at the website and look at the research that has been done on this subject. It's pretty interesting compared to a lot of other diet and life style type eating habits I have looked into. Secondly, sometimes you need a nutritional supplement. I have always been on the hunt for good supplements, post work out sources, and such. I like to know what I am putting into my body is good. I recently learned about AdvoCare and I'll be test driving their products during my nutrition challenge. So I can let people know if they work as well as they claim. They do have a pretty good rep as they have an entire scientific and medical board behind them. I'm looking forward to seeing how the nutrition challenge turns out.
I am so ready to continue on my path to 'ninjaness' as it were. I want to be in great shape, I want to eat well, and I want to be healthy.
I have my 'weigh in' on Saturday where I will have my body fat % calculated. The goal is not to lose weight, it is to lose fat and build muscle, so I feel pretty good taking part in the challenge. I get sickened by the dual nature of our culture. The obesity rate is sky rocketing, but at the same time the desire to be skinny and look good drives millions of young people, boys and girls, toward unhealthy dieting and eating disorders. Fit is healthy and sexy, skinny is not. Meat is for the man, Bones are for the dogs. It's a difficult paradigm to overcome and a hard thing to find a balance.
My mother struggled with an eating disorder almost her whole life. I have seen how devastating it can be and how incredibly difficult it can be to overcome. (But, I have to say, my mom has been E.D. free for a few years now and she is looking much better. I'm so proud of her, I know how hard it's been and how much of a struggle it was, but if anyone out there is reading this and struggles with an eating disorder, you are not alone and there is help. You are stronger then you believe you are and you can overcome anything!)
I think that is what drives me so strongly towards becoming a personal trainer and martial arts instructor. I want to help people in the way my trainer and my instructors have helped me. I want to give people the gift of health, confidence and happiness. To help them feel good about themselves, to be genuinely happy with what they see in the mirror every day, to be confident in what they can do, and to achieve a healthy lifestyle. That is my hope and wish. I am working towards making all this happen, getting in super great shape, working hard on obtaining my black belts in Aikijutsu and Karate, and learning what I can about nutrition and supplements. I will make it happen!
More to come. Thank you sincerely for reading. :)
Breath of Fresh Air - Update
Long time no post.
I needed to take some time off. I have not felt very motivated to post or to read blogs for a few reasons. There has been a bit of a down period at the school and in my training, due to some health issues. I get tired of tedious arguments. Everything just felt like it was stagnating a bit and the same old things kept recurring. I haven't felt as though I have had anything pertinent to post about, and mainly I don't want to force it.
I think writing is best when you are writing about something you care about and have a vested interest in. To me, this blog should be something enjoyable, something I like doing and I look forward to and get excited about, and I wasn't feeling it. After my break, a breath of fresh air I am feeling good and ready to post and take up reading the blogs I follow regularly again.
I have been seeing a Chiropractor who specializes in Chiropractic and Acupuncture, eating better, going to a gym, and overall getting things back in order. I have to say, if your spine is messed up, your whole body is messed up. No joke. Things are back on track and moving in the right direction again. Good stuff. More to come.
I needed to take some time off. I have not felt very motivated to post or to read blogs for a few reasons. There has been a bit of a down period at the school and in my training, due to some health issues. I get tired of tedious arguments. Everything just felt like it was stagnating a bit and the same old things kept recurring. I haven't felt as though I have had anything pertinent to post about, and mainly I don't want to force it.
I think writing is best when you are writing about something you care about and have a vested interest in. To me, this blog should be something enjoyable, something I like doing and I look forward to and get excited about, and I wasn't feeling it. After my break, a breath of fresh air I am feeling good and ready to post and take up reading the blogs I follow regularly again.
I have been seeing a Chiropractor who specializes in Chiropractic and Acupuncture, eating better, going to a gym, and overall getting things back in order. I have to say, if your spine is messed up, your whole body is messed up. No joke. Things are back on track and moving in the right direction again. Good stuff. More to come.
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