Accountability and....what if the joy is not present?

 I wrote about the joy of activity last week. 


Rest assured I'm no Pollyanna and there are moments I just don't feeeeeeeel like working ooooouuuuuttt.

I have a few mental tricks up my sleeve readied for self-deployment when I start down the path of excuses, it's too hot, it's too cold (come January), I'm tired, just because, my hair hurts, my vibe is off.....throw in your own. 

We all have the excuses, but how does one work past these walls? You may think they are 10 feet high and made of concrete, but actually they are constructed of very poor quality paper mache' made with cheap paper. From the dollar store. And they are only 2 feet high.   

My tactics for success include memory and acknowledgement. 

I remember all too well the hell-hole, ugly, non-training days of covid. I remember the day, while in my office, I learned the whole situation was going to continue for, not just two more weeks, but for a few more months, which quickly turned into the foreseeable future, at that time. Those were terrible days. I invested in some homes mats, but it just wasn't the same.

In November 2022 I broke my right 5th metatarsal, in my right foot. Once again, I was plunged into a reduced training mode. It was horrible, though paled in comparison to the long term outrage of 2020-2021.

I've been blessed with a strong and healthy body that can move, whether it's dance, hiking, running, martial arts, or weightlifting, physical movement is my superpower. The days I "don't feel like it," I remind myself that I AM ABLE to get up and do something and people, THAT IS A GIFT I don't want to waste. Especially now, at the age of 54, when the cultural trope is that I "at a certain age..." I am more than happy to turn cultural norms on their side.

Build your tactics for success. On a bad day, you are probably just one workout away from a slightly clearer view.

Here is this week's work:

(Just detailing the main points, so this blog post doesn't go forever and a day).

Wednesday July 17-

Ballet

Deadlift

Cleans

Clubbell "to order" with a deep squat

Thursday July 18-

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, worked on escape from triple mount, escape form standing guillotine, and learned a new choke.

Saturday July 19-

Ballet

Bench press 

Overhead military press

One-arm Clubbell swings

Push-ups and Dips

Sunday July 20-

Arnis, worked on Heaven, Heaven and Earth, Earth, then we worked on transitioning between all three seamlessly. 

Cycle drill-Sinawali, then cycle drill with a wing block, and finally with a low follow-up strike while protecting the head.

Daga sparring. 


Just. Train.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ramblings

Well my left calf is still laid up but definitely on the mend.  No BJJ tonight.  On the upside, I did my push-ups this morning and they are finally getting easier!  I am up to 3 sets of 20 and my final reps no longer feel like utter misery, the way my last few reps felt two weeks ago, when I was only performing 10 and 12 at a time. I can feel the strength building in my arms so when I push the last ones, there is actual, honest-to-goodness, muscle fibers firing off and doing the work.  Does this make any sense?  I am still working hard, but the work is more enjoyable because I have more efficient tools to complete the task.  Adrenalin is lovely tool, but when you are building strength in weak areas, true ability to complete an action is refreshing after two weeks of relying on guts and stubbornness. Bonus, years ago I used to work out to Tamilee Webb's Buns of Steel.  There, I said it, so what.  (what?  stop laughing).  This morning...
Read more

SWAT tryouts

Eloquence escapes me right now. Bluntness plays my gray matter like children's toy. 440m run: 79 seconds...:) Push-ups: 48...:) Sit-ups: 48...:) Pull-ups: 6..:) Obstacle Course: 4:07...:(. Needed to be under 4:00.  Almost got there but I got hung up with the final two obstacles for toooo long. I am disappointed.  and yet my undying optimism steps in like Auntie Mame.  When I started down this path in February I could hardly knock out 15 push-ups, pull-ups were a pipe dream, and my sit-ups were so so.  My 440 time?  Laughable like frozen molasses. Now.  now I have fast twitch muscle.  I can sprint.  I can work to the point of exhaustion, to the point of exhaustion, and then harness the power of adrenalin, and wield it like a sword.  I learned today however, that adrenalin can wield right back at you, and rip it's power away.  I went at this last 6-foot wall today like a blood-thirsty piranha sent from hell and my usually ...
Read more

For Ladies in the Half Century

 Gentlemen- this post will be lady centric, as I'll be discussing menopause. Ladies. Just. Say. No. Say no to feeling tired.  Say no to crappy sleep. Say no to mood swings.  Say no to "unexplained" and/or unwanted weight gain. Or, not. If you are entering your second half century and are experiencing all this, and "have accepted" it as part of the journey, then more power to you. This post may not apply to you.  But if you are like me, and upon turning 51, your body went askew, for about 2 years, consider these things...when you were a teenager, there was most likely an adult in the room to explain the process. Maybe it was your mother, a health class teacher, a school nurse, a trusted adult. Chances are you were given equipment, clothing, and products to navigate the onset of a period and herky-jerky growth spurts.  Adulthood life changes? The medical advice seems to stop at "well that's the way it is..." The changes in hormones are every bit as d...
Read more