Category: Exercise and Fitness

BURN OUT

I am burned out. I am burned out from work, from training, from working out, from life’s ever continuous stresses. Combined I am beyond burned out. 

I do not have a vacation scheduled till summer. I do not have enough PTO to “take a day”, because of needing to use my free PTO to attend to my sick child when he was admitted to the hospital.
I do not get enough sleep a lot of nights, because I am attending to work emails or trying, TRYING, to find spiritual answers and Martial Arts instruction or learn from my teachers on my own. I spend hours doing stressful things for my job, growing ever more taxing and demanding.

I try to work out daily, either cardio from walking or kettlebells to help balance and PT injuries from years of lifting heavy weights.
Thanks to inadequate sleep, elevated stress, and recovering injuries, I am not losing weight like I want, leading to more estrogen and cortisol in my system.

This is a negative feedback loop, keeping me tired and fatter then I like and should be. I try to dedicate time to being a good and attentive father and husband, yet work and house needs keep me from being as present as I want to be.

I AM BURNED OUT.

SO – how do we fix this?

I am going about it this way:

Taikokyu – Mind Body Breath – Daily. I am stretching and meditating and breathing. Working my body’s musculoskeletal systems and organs. Focusing and clearing the mind of RELAXING .

Kettlebell workout 3 days a week – Complexes of sets and reps for time. Hitting all the major muscle groups, increasing strength, endurance and hyper trophy 25-30 minutes a day.

Ninpo/Aikido – I will train aikido 1.5 hours once a week, and I learn and read and practice basics of ninpo 10-30 minutes daily. Even if it is just kata for ichimonji no kata. I will also mentally drill Gyokko Ryu and Wing Chun/ JKD. I may consider even returning to Krav Maga once a week to keep my skills sharp against real opponents.

Be Present – I try to spend as much time as I can daily with my son while he is awake. Not always not stressful, but being there and experiencing him makes me happier and my heart fuller then I would have thought. I then spend evenings with my wife, even if its just spending time in the same room together, not doing the same activities, we get to unwind and talk.

Daily I try to be a “good” – fill in the blank for you, whatever that means. I think being rounded and trying to enjoy the here and now and continually try to better oneself is the core essence of growth.


This is how I intend to fix burnout. A few beers with friends and a trip to the shore doesn’t hurt either, but those are not as frequent as I need. I need to refocus on my Budo, my why, and also grow, be confident, and stop this constant struggle. Embrace the stresses, alleviate what you can, and proactively work on you. A stronger you is an anti-fragile you.

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Getting leaner and lighter without giving up pizza ( or other food you love)

Do you want to eat foods you love but also lose weight at the same time?

It is easier then you think. Now, you can’t eat all the stuff you love at every meal in any quantity you want, but you can strategically do it without counting calories.

Make 2 out of your 3 ( if you choose to eat 3) meals a day healthier and lower calorie meals. How do you do that? Follow steps below:

Breakfast –
NO CEREAL ( looking at you fruity pebbles). These cereals are high in sugar and though they are fortied with vitamins and minerals, they over all don’t fill you up. Eat a protein like eggs, egg whites, sausage, ham, Scrapple. Eggs are a solid choice and you can add light cheese if you like. Avoid bacon and other higher fat meats – fat has more calories then protein or carbs. Try to have a good grain if you like having toast, whole grain or ancient grain breads with a jam or jelly. If going that route, use one with no added sugar.

Lunch –
Same theory as breakfast: Have a protein source, a good carb ( veggies – raw or cooked (steamed/baked), potato, sweet potato. Avoid adding tons of butter to everything, instead use and cook in olive oil. Add in some other heathy fats like avocado. Protein sources should be lean cuts of beef, pork, turkey, chicken, tofu, fish. Avoid sauces that are fat heavy. This doesn’t mean no fat, but pick better fats.

Dinner –
Eat what you like. Just keep the same ideas above. Do this most of the week. We are going for 60-70% adherence here.

Alcohol –
This is NOT a carb. Drinks can have carbs in them as drinks come from the fermentation of fruits and grains (wine and beer). The drier a beer or wine the less sugar (Carbs), but the alcohol is itself its own macronutrient.
What you need to remember here is that Liquor (vodka etc) is a grain alcohol that has been distilled and has no sugar left in it. Due to this fact, its got less calories than all other types of drinks.
So with that information, when drinking remember to drink lighter calories drinks like vodka soda, light beers, dry wines and avoid anything with added mixers ( soda, sugary mixes, etc.).

If you are going to drink, restrict it to 2 drinks daily, as alcohol slows or stops your body from burning other foods for energy and prioritizes the alcohol, because your body sees it as a poison and wants to get it out. Drink in the evening so your body has burned food and body fat all day for energy, then when you drink, it won’t affect your diet. Remember also – heavy alcohol consumption is bad for your liver and sleep and recovery and, well you fucking get it lol.


You don’t need a cheat day on this diet because as long as you follow the above most of the time, you can have a burger here, pizza there.

If you follow this way of eating you will lose weight.

Now – you won’t be skinny as a reed on this diet, but it will allow you to keep your weight down and if you are overweight it will help the pounds initially fall off. You will at some point get to a plateau where you will not lose any more weight. That’s because the amount of food you are eating possess enough calories that you no longer are eating in a deficit. To help you could: workout, eat less “bad” foods ( looking at you deep fried anything in sauces), or simply eat smaller food portions.

Here is the real secret: Workout by lifting weights 3 days a week, walk instead of driving (if you can), go for a walk 2-3 days a week, and use the stairs (not elevator). You do this AND eat mostly like above – You will see dramatic changes in your body and how you feel.

Thanks everyone – more posts like this and around weight lifting and engaging your kids to come.

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AFD

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Meditation/Calming Waves

Hey folks, here is an 80 minutes track of a recording of waves isolated to help you focus and relax after a stressful day, or when you are trying to meditate, or just clear your head.

Add in the box breathing from the other post we have and/or any other type of breathing protocol and enjoy!

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How to have a happy(er) life.

With that lofty title I present to you 4 things to make you happier
1. Workout
2. Eat good food (not crap from a box or pre-made)
3. Try to meditate/clear your mind/ brain dump
4. Get some intimacy from your partner.

There you go. Simple right?

Now of course that isn’t as simple as it sounds – but why? I am going to suggest a rather Spartan approach you can take and try for a week to see how it makes you feel.

1. Start a workout program – anything is better then nothing, do it 3 times a week. A kettlebell will give you more then enough exercises for you to get the blood going and the muscles pumping.

2. Try to eat better food – meats, eggs fruits veggies. Avoid dairy if you can and “white” carbs – any carb that is or could be made white.

3. Meditate – use box breathing from a previous post or the calm app with its *free* meditations or google Mokuso Meditation and perform any for at least 5 minutes daily. You will think of other things, that’s ok, just acknowledge that and move on.

4. Talk to your partner, start “dating” them again. Make the effort and increase your intimacy.

Now that’s 4 easy things that take just a little effort that will reap rewards.
Physically performing and feeling better – adding muscle and losing weight will increase your testosterone.
Meditation reduces cortisol which increases/preserves testosterone.
Eating good food will cure most hormonal issues and – you guessed it- helps with testosterone levels.
Sex is Sex and will help you keep your hormone levels in check.

Testosterone is the foundation of men being healthy, looking younger, staying fitter and living longer.
Also – reduce how much you are drinking. It will help as booze converts testosterone into estrogen and you don’t wanna lose your gains, bro.

Keep frosty, structure this stuff in for a few weeks and you will see you feel better, sleep better, and are thinking more clearly with less stress and ALL of this will help you feel better and happier.

-AFD 1*

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Jeet Kune Do – Just WHAT is it?!

Bruce Lee (Photograph courtesy of the Bruce Lee Foundation archive)

If you were to ask 10 martial artists what Jeet Kune Do is, you’d probably get 10 different answers.

It’s a style developed by Bruce Lee.

It’s not a style! It’s having no style!

It’s a way of thinking!

Doesn’t matter it’s not BJJ and all fights end on the ground and I’d shoot in and…

If you can’t tell, this subject and these replies come up often on a few Facebook groups I’m in, so I thought I’d give my two cents.

Bruce Lee came to the US midway through 1959, an 18 year old kid with a background in Wing Chun and a passion for martial arts. I highly recommend the book Bruce Lee: A Life by Matthew Polly for more a detailed look at his life. Through refinement, teaching, studying and fighting, Bruce coined the term “Jeet Kune Do” while driving with Dan Inosanto in 1967. The Way of the Intercepting Fist.

Martial arts in the US at this point was not as it is today. Today we have MMA, popularized by the UFC, and an unlimited source of information provided by the internet. In the 50s and 60s however, Judo was brought back by US servicemen, as were forms of Japanese Karate and Korean Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo Do. Styles defined everything. The answers were hidden in secret forms and sparring often resembled a game of tag.

Bruce Lee dunked on all of this.

So, just what IS Jeet Kune Do, JKD, anyway?

A style? A concept? A way of thinking?

In my opinion, the answer to all of that is yes.

As Bruce Lee’s personal way of fighting, Jeet Kune Do is heavily influenced by Wing Chun, Western Boxing, and Fencing. It’s predicated on the concept of intercepting your opponents attack and at the highest form of the art, intercepting his intention to attack.

Here’s where things start to get thrown in a blender.

Original JKD vs. JKD Concepts

Unfortunately the world of JKD has turned into something Bruce Lee warned against many years ago. Infighting over linages and who is teaching ‘real’ JKD. There are people out there who will train in Karate and throw in 4 kicks from Thai Boxing and then say it’s “Their own JKD”.

There are instructors out there who can trace their training back to those first generation Bruce Lee students. Taky Kimura, Ted Wong, Jessie Glover, Dan Inosanto, Jerry Poteet, Daniel Lee, among others.

The Original JKD Camp teach the methods as Bruce Lee taught them, with recognition that Bruce Lee taught everyone a bit different based on their skill and body type or athleticism. They often say they are ‘preserving Bruce Lee’s art’, and they are.

The Concepts method of JKD can generally trace it’s linage back to Dan Inosanto. Guro Dan is an amazing man and martial artist. Encyclopedic in his knowledge, humble and kind.

Unfortunately for the world, Bruce Lee passed away in 1973 at a young age of 32 years old. While his personal method of fighting may have consisted of the arts of Wing Chun, Western Boxing and Fencing concepts, he never stopped learning and researching martial arts, the human body and the way that relates to combat.

Guro Dan, similarly, encourages his students to do the same. Built on a foundation of Jun Fan Gung Fu (JKD), Filipino Kali, Silat, Wing Chun, Muy Thai, and other arts, the Concepts method of JKD is more philosophical in nature, encouraging the student to find what works for them.

Again, this doesn’t mean take Capoeira and mix it with BJJ and call it JKD. To be ‘your own JKD’, you still need to adhere to the founding concepts of the art.

Simplicity. Centerline. Interception. Controlling distance, timing and rhythm via the 5 ways of attack.

If you’re not doing that, you’re not doing JKD. Original, Concepts or whatever ‘your JKD’ is

–Brandon

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Martial Arts during lock down. Comparing the different options I have found. Ninja, Aikido, or JKD/ Krav Maga -Oh My!

By AFD

So for anyone who has read this blog for a while, you know that both authors are Dads who care about our families, like to train and workout, but also that we are both seasoned martial artists.

Both of us have trained together for 7 years. We training in Tiger Kenpo Aiki Jujutsu. I made it 2nd Kyu, B made 2ns degree black belt – Nidon. We are both also instructors in Contemporary Jeet Kune Do, under the curriculum by Paul Vunak, and his Progressive Fighting System. I have trained for a few years in Krav Maga, and recently have begun training in Aikido. Way different then my previous arts and training styles. Very traditional Japanese.

Why do I tell you all this? Simply to give me and B credit when we critique or are critical of different arts/styles and quality of instruction. Our instructors are some of the very best. From our local Sensei who was a state champ and led many winners in fighting and style competitions. To Vunak and his crew who have trained military units and special forces around the world.

So thanks to the current world situation and lock downs/ pandemic procedures most gyms/dojo’s/training centers are closed or limited in their reopening. I am also one to be cautious as my son still has a heart condition and I am not wanting to bring anything home (esp. COVID19) to get him sick. He has already been sick once since we brought him home and I felt terrible about that.

Where does that leave training? Well my dojo for Aikido is doing some classes online, but in an art based on energy and feel, that is a bit tough to train. I could go in person but until everyone besides me gets vaccinated, I don’t want to put my kid at risk. I also train Krav Maga there and that is even more hands on as we are heavy into grappling and BJJ.

That leaves online tutelage – either an online school with live classes in arts you can learn solo with striking, kicks, kata etc. or pre recorded lessons with drills and muscle memory exercises ( like much of our JKD training to supplement or remind of more complex movements taught at seminars etc.)

I have found 4 different opportunities that have worked out in some situations, and not as much as others.

4 Options:
1. Ninjutsu (Ninpo) martial Arts training online via a private web portal and training videos with interaction with other members during live web training and facebook groups.

2. Live stream of Ninjutsu and Japanese Jujutsu dojo classes that are live monitored and put up in a private facebook group to rewatch. Supplementary live class training outside once lockdown ends and weather gets warmed.

3. Live online video stream from a live Aikido class I could go attend in person. OR just attending said class in person – mentioned above.

4. Live Stream/Recorded live stream of JKD Concepts in an instructors group to train with B in person for the length of training )2 day seminar in this case). The was live with Q&A, weapons etc. B and I went to his house and spent houses watching the feed and training as if we were there in the seminar.

So – What did I Figure Out?
1 and 4 are good if you are a dedicated person and can create class like training sessions for yourself and/or can practice long without someone watching you… I had trouble with this – I need more structure and to have interaction.

2 and 4 were my best options.
The JKD with B and having a live training as well as being able to watch (and rewatch later) the live training and seeing others training helped keep us engaged and got in a good lesson and workout.
The Ninjutsu and Jujutsu online with the interactive Zoom class and the online private group with postings of the videos and other training materials to supplement was my favorite “pandemic”/Solo training option. Where I would have needed a partner imagination and or my freestanding weight bag helped add in the resistance and striking targets I needed.
The forms can be done like Kata and in most cases are preformed slowly at first and then accelerated later.
The break falls and kicking/striking from the break fall (Ukemi) are different then in Aikido and over all the class very much feels like a Shotokan Style Karate class.
I enjoy it and the welcoming and friendliness of the other group members is refreshing. With the option to train in person when things get nice and back to normal as well as having online training when not/ unable to it helps progress more quickly.
The ability to then go back and watch classes where you were involved lets you see your training issues and how to correct all under the eye of a dutiful Sensei.

I highly suggest making yourself harder to kill. I also suggest it as a means of defense for yourself but also you family. It’s a critical skill most people think they have but never test in a safe way.
Martial Arts especially is helpful when teaching your kids confidence and self control. Respect for an authority figure but also helping keep themselves safe, when you aren’t there.

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AFD

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The ageless athlete and mobility – What All Dad’s should know.

Simple Exercise, executed consistently will maximize longevity.

We all know that the healthy habits we can stick with are ones we will do and will benefit us most. Crash diets, workout programs and supplements may work in the short term, but if they are not sustainable they are not functional.

Strength, as we have previously discussed, is crucial in being able to move and live longer. But what we haven’t really discussed it mobility. Building muscle, staying strong helps increase testosterone and reduce fat as well as allow us to maintain more muscle mass as we age allowing us to keep moving and doing activities we love. However, if you do not train mobility – the ability to manipulate your muscles and joints in multiple planes of movement – is similar to being a robot. You may be big and strong but you won’t be able to wipe your ass or tie your shoes, and that will only get worse as you get older. That is not something you want.

This also impacts activities like playing with your kids/grandkids/etc. They have amazing range of movement, whereas I am betting you do not. I am guilty of letting myself get muscle bound by not stretching enough or just going into my lifts and only training those movements. Martial Arts will let you know quickly where you are not flexible enough and can help get you more bendy quickly, but can also get you hurt if you aren’t careful.

Yoga is a good option if you like that kind of stuff but I don’t. It’s too woowoo for me and not my style. Dynamic stretching would benefit many of us, but still can limit your range of motion. My suggestions then are – Taikokyu ( think stretching using a staff to assist you into really nice stretches and even self PT). Secondly I would say Mace exercise movements. Yes it looks funny but that with a good dynamic stretching program and foam rolling will unlock your tense shoulders, back and neck. The Taikokyu or Dynamic Stretching will open up hips, low back and legs.

I encourage you all to start doing something for just 15 minutes every day or two to help start loosing yourself up.

Lastly – meditation for 5 minutes a day, or even just quiet deep breathing where you clear your mind, will make your day of stress and tension drop away. It will help you dream better at night and will help you think more clearly during your awake hours.

Add these practices in to your programming, if you haven’t already, to see your performance everywhere else get better.

Stay Strong!

AFD 1*

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Full Body fitness to support you while you carry your kids..or their stuff for them. Dad Life!

Hey All

It has been a hot second since we have had a chance to talk about the necessity for over all strength when dealing with your kids.

I know myself, I have let an injury and being a new Dad be an excuse to let my diet and exercise go out the window. Especially with a pandemic and no need to see other people.

That is not an excuse for the Dad Bod I was letting myself get. Too much beer/mead and sitting on my ass all day working or taking care of GAD (my son). I found that even with a herniated disk in my neck I could walk, I just chose not to. I had an excuse every time – Oh I am tired, my arm hurts, I didn’t sleep well, I’m so busy – What that was is me not owning the day, owning self, or my mental and physical well being.

I started getting weaker and not being able to hold my son as long before needing to transition him or sit him down on my lap. He was only 13 lbs and I couldn’t carry him more than 5 minutes. My back would hurt or my neck. It was because I was letting muscle atrophy by not using them. The same goes when I would carry him in his car carrier, or transport any of the crap you need when you go somewhere with a baby. I was getting weak and fat.

What did I do you ask to motivate myself and get back into shape? I had my wife tell me and be honest about how I looked. I wanted to be attractive to her and I wasn’t. I wanted to feel strong and confident, but I didn’t. I owned that I was being a lazy bitch and decided I needed to start working out again, and also get medical help with my neck injury.

8 weeks of not working out due to a herniated C5-6 in my neck led to nerve damage down my right arm. Physical Therapy twice weekly as well as Gabapentin helped me get back into the gym (my basement). I went back to 3 days a week, 3-5×5 reps of compound lifts, 3 times a week. I also did at home PT exercises. I limited myself to only 2-3 glasses of mead or wine a day and reduced all carbohydrate and sugar consumption to a minimum.

In 3 weeks I dropped 7 pounds. In the mirror you could see my gut getting smaller and my love handles going away. I was starting to feel stronger again even though all my weights had gone down.

Slowly but surely, I am almost back to my original weights. I do no cardio but I do stretch and meditate more. The big lifts – Squat, Bench, Deadlift, OHP and Weighted Pull Ups – have helped me rebuild functional strength carrying my son or his shit. It has helped and is continuing to help me bulletproof my body from the ravages that other poor lift choices and injuries try to impose upon you.

That all said here are the resources I used to change myself in a brief 2 month period that you too can implement and begin to see change.

Diet:
The Slow Carb Diet & The Drink Your Carbs Diet – Both the 4 hour body book and The Drink your Carbs Book are worth the read and will give you more insight into simple dieting that works.

Training:
Tactical Barbell & The Ageless Athlete. Simple & Sinister.
These 3 books will help you develop a daily routine (M-F) that will give you functional strength ( and size if you want it) while also giving you a condition program to keep your cardiovascular system operating well.

You can get Slow Carb Diet info here – 1 page cheat sheet
Everything else you can get on Amazon or somewhere else online.

Invest in yourself for you, and a longer healthier life with your family. Be the role model you want to be for your kids. Everyone knows Daddy is the strongest- now do what it takes to back that up.

AFD 1*

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Naps are key

I have a 7 week old son.

He sleeps at max 3-4 hours at night. 60-90 minutes every 3 hours and then eats and plays. I am also working full time again, trying to help my wife feed/burp/change/play with my boy.

I am trying to limit my working hours to 10 a day. I am trying to not drink all my homebrew and trying to work out.

All with only 4-6 total hours of sleep a night.

I did not know the value of naps until I fell asleep on the floor playing with my son. His mother took a funny picture of it after she had picked him up.

I was less then amused.

Due to lack of sleep and recovery I have pinched a nerve in my neck and have been going to the Chiropractor every other day for some kind of relief to the shooting pain down my arm. Typing and using a mouse and gripping my coffee cup are painful activities. Feeding my son is brutal.

Take care of yourselves and grab recovery naps whenever you can. Learn from my mistakes.

I also tried brewing Sake ( Japanese alcohol). I will write a post about that soon.

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AFD

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Training for busy guys, physically and mentally

Training is critical to keep skills up, strength and conditioning going, and to be honest a boost of endorphins to reduce stress and help you feel good. You could be training in strength, skill, martial arts, doesn’t matter; what does is finding time to get the most out of whatever it is you are doing. I personally train in the martial arts and strength/conditioning as a prior and current first responder. For me then with a full-time job, preparing for a new baby, helping my wife, and regular house hold chores, finding time for self care is something I have the schedule. Here are the tips and tricks I use.

Make training a Meeting with yourself you can not cancel. If you have it on your calendar, and you have it reserved, you will be more apt to show up. I schedule a 45-1 hr block daily immediately after work. This keeps me on a schedule and it also helps it become a habit, a decision you don’t have to think about.

Be efficient and effective so you aren’t wasting your time. Use the 80/20 principal here. 80 of your benefit will come from 20 of your actions. You can also think of this as the Minimum Effective Dose or MED. This is again, what is the minimalist amount of work/activity I need to do, to get the most out of the time I am putting in? This applies to Strength and conditioning, but also works for combatives/Martial Arts/ other skills training.

KISS – Keep it simple, stupid. Don’t make things more complicated then they need to be, because once you do that, you may make excuses to not do it because of the complexity you have injected into the skills training. This rule can apply to all areas of your life, reducing stress and limiting mental drain.

Pick a training type that fits into the above in any skill, and you will succeed. It will be small victories each day that will compound into big wins. Just like compounding interest on a loan, use these smaller sessions to achieve that victory everyday – so even if the rest of the day goes to hell, you accomplished this.

For Physical Training – get kettlebells and dumbbells. Barbells are even better and train full body 2-3 days a week. The bigger the movement like compound lifts ( Bench Press, Deadlift, Back Squat) the more bang for your buck. Use any of the 5×5/5×3, 531 programs out there, or my own choice of Tactical Barbell. I am in and out of the gym weight training in 35-45 minutes. I always have something in the tank when I need it. I am as strong as ever and its simple so I am not mentally drained about my lifts.

For Conditioning – using kettlebells and HIIT will get you smoked, breathing hard and soaked with sweat in as little as 15-20 minutes, 2-3 days a week. That’s all it takes to get into good shape or maintain your current build while handling the rest of your day and keeping you strong for a lifetime.

For Martial Arts/ Flexibility/Combatives/Skills Training – 15-20 minutes of mental focus and minimal space is needed. I run through imaginary attacks based on scenarios I have done in training or on the street. I do Aikido and Krav Maga so you have drills or Kata you can do to keep your mind sharp and ready. If you have a training partner, that’s even better. 10-15 of stretching, dynamic stretching or light yoga will keep you from being locked up and weak in your older years, extending your quality of life. Think of it as a long term investment in being able to do what you want for longer. Be that golfing, fishing, hiking to just being able to get out of your chair without help.

For mental training – 5 minutes, do box breathing from my previous posts, do a simple body scan, or install and use a free app like Calm. Everyone from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Rogan, Tim Ferriss, to multi-millionaires do some type of mental training to keep them focused, calm and happier. 5 minutes can be used when you wake up to prepare for your day, while out for a walk, or as you are laying in bed at night before sleep. This is a large ROI right here.

So taking all of the above into totals:
Physical training + flexibility + mental training = 45-60 minutes a day.
Flexibility + Mental = 15 minutes a day
Skills work = 15- 20 minutes to any of the above.

That’s it. You don’t have to do it all every day. Just try to do something little everyday for those small victories to help supplement your life as a husband and father. Stay frosty.

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The Struggle is Real

So, I’m making it officially official. I’m doing whatever it takes to improve my health. Notice I didn’t say “lose weight” although that is a big part of it. I’ve grappled with weight my entire life. For a short period around my Senior year I was down around 168 lbs. I remember working out some, but not a huge amount. I did Martial Arts classes 2 or 3 times a week and cut out fast food. I also remember eating a ton of grilled chicken. It don’t remember it being difficult then and I lost around 30 lbs.

So Now What?

Well, life happened. I stopped giving a shit and at my heaviest was in the 280 rage. Then, single life happened, involuntary. I started going to the gym, looking at the many diet options out there and trying to find what worked for me. Low Carb of some sort seems to be what I respond to. I was able to get down around 240 and have floated in that rage over the years. My target goal is 199 and I’ve started that journey twice over the last 2 years. Last year I was going strong and my mom passed away unexpectedly at the end of March. Grief, stress and a lack of eating had me for a blink at 228, but I started the year at 245.

New Year New Me!

Yeah, we all say it. I decided to get back on the horse and …..pandemic. But it’s ok. I also said this wasn’t just about weight loss and it’s not. It’s about flexibility, developing and training other skills in martial arts and just being more athletic. Trying to be the best version of myself, as that is really the only thing I care about. It sets the example for my children. I never met my grandfather as he passed away in his 50s from a heart attack. My mother, his daughter, tragically suffered the same fate at 67, a widow maker.

What I’m Doing About It

Well, exercise-wise I’ve been following a new BeachBody On-Demand program called 10 rounds. 5 days a week. 3 boxing, 2 lifting. I don’t buy into the coaching, the Shakeology or the MLM of BeachBody, but their On-Demand is cheap and has a bunch of great programs. I also try and stretch once a day before bed. General stretching and those more geared to martial arts. I have time periods carved out for doing Kali or fine tuning forms or just free flow martial arts training with my kids. We also go for a walk every day, about a mile round trip.

My diet, I’m working on it. I’ve not become obsessed to where I’m measuring things out juuussst yet. I’m keeping carbs pretty low, watching portions and I don’t drink sugary things. We’ll see how this goes, the end of the week will conclude week 3 of 6 of 10 rounds and I’ll weigh in from there. I keep an eye on weight, but I don’t obsess about it. It’s only one metric and that’s important to remember.

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Training Martial Arts during a Pandemic

One of the biggest parts of my life since I saw Karate Kid in 1986 and discovering Bruce Lee shortly after has been Martial Arts.

I started my formal training in the mid 90s doing a mix of Shito Ryu and Goju Ryu karate. After a short layoff after graduation I began training in a style based in American Kenpo with a bit of street mixed in. I’ve had the opportunity to train with some amazing people and was looking to spread my wings into BJJ and then, the world stopped.

So what do you do when you suddenly have to stay six feet away from everyone not in your immediate household? Here’s some things I’ve been doing.

Physical Development

This is a perfect time to develop your physical attributes. Find an area or two that you want to improve on and focus on those things. It can be general things like strength, weight loss, and flexibility or specific techniques (kicks, punches or movements) that you want to improve on. Take your overall goal, divide it into smaller, less daunting chunks and attack that goal every day. If you have a weight loss goal like I do (another blog series upcoming…), don’t look at the final number. Take it in 5 or 10 lbs increments and focus on that. Same with flexibility, don’t go all out Van Damme on your first day. Focus on small, gradual improvements to avoid injury and discouragement.

Forms and Techniques

A lot of styles have forms. This is the time to learn the next one or perfect the ones you do know. Wing Chun has the Wooden Dummy Sets along with three empty hand forms, Kali has a number of patterns and flows, Karate has Kata, Tae Kwon Do has Poomsae. You get the idea. Once you’ve got the patterns down, break them down. Look at what the movements are trying to teach you.

Expand Your Knowledge

Many martial arts schools are holding classes online now using video conferencing platforms like Zoom. There is also tons of content online for learning new ideas and techniques. YouTube has great videos if you know what you’re looking for, but also some downright awful ones. I’ll post some of my favorite channels in another update this week.

Budo Brothers has some online seminars that are relatively inexpensive in areas like JKD, Kali and BJJ.

Ron Balicki’s MARS curriculum is available online with a free month trial. Ron is a world renowned martial artist and the son in law of Dan Inosanto. Seemingly a walking encyclopedia of the arts, I can’t recommend he and his wife Diana’s courses enough.

This is a perfect time to leave your comfort zone and explore new ideas and styles.

Bruce Lee injured his back doing a weightlifting exercise called ‘good mornings’ and was immobilized for more than 6 months. Out of that time he developed his art of JKD by researching and exercising his mind, jotting down notes that would later be compiled into the Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Turn this into your own oppertunity to grow.

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