cane

Classes were great tonight. Got to go over cane stuff which was incredibly helpful. Cane is something that I need to work on so it was nice to get the extra feedback. I've never really been drawn to the cane. It's always felt clumsy in my hands and I've never really had an affinity for it. Practice will change that though. It will get better with practice and eventually I'll feel confident with it. Just got to work on it is all.

Basic numbers: 101 crunches, 153 pushups, 156 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 3 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: visited someone, drove someone around, complimented someone, made Mike lunch

Today I consumed: a bowl of cheerios, a breakfast sandwich from tims with a hash brown, some chicken fingers with perigees and beans, 2 coffees, 6 glasses of water and 2 beer.

procrastination

My numbers have been low this week. I find myself making excuses all of the time not to do stuff. I put it off until evening and then I try to cram in an hour or two of training. Laziness and procrastination...2 of my biggest enemies. I enjoy training at night the best. Years of night classes has instilled that in me. But between work, meetings, teaching and Julia, my evenings often aren't my own.
I feel like I've blogged about this before....probably many times. The age old problem I guess.

Basic numbers: 3 reps tai chi, 3 reps broadsword, 102 pushups, 101 crunches, 102 kicks, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: smiled at someone, made Mike lunch and breakfast, brought Mike a coffee

Today I consumed: a bowl of cheerios, some macaroni with tomatoes, a piece of bread, 2 oranges, some chicken strips with perigees and green beans. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

Aaaahhh! The big mac is coming!

Had a bad dream last night.
I dreamt that I had a big mac meal from MacDonalds and I ate the whole thing before I realized what I was doing. After, I felt so disappointed and let down. I was also surprised. I woke up and was so thankful that it was only a dream. I didn't actually do it.
The funny thing is that I don't even crave it anymore. I haven't for a long time. I haven't even thought about it in a while. I wonder where the dream came from.
It's funny too that dreaming about eating MacDonalds would stress me out as if I was being chased by some monster or something. A black belt scared of a big mac...too funny.

Basic numbers: 152 crunches, 156 kicks, 153 pushups, 3 reps tai chi, 3 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: let a car ahead of me in traffic, thanked someone, made Mike lunch and breakfast

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, half a bowl of cheerios, 2 oranges, 2 cupcakes, 3 pieces of pizza and a cheese and tomato sandwich. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

Long day

Long day at work. Thankfully next week is the last week of working late.
So tired.
It was hard to do any practicing after I finally got home. But at least I got some in. It can be so hard to motivate yourself after a long day of work. I wonder how other people do it. I know lots of other people have way crazier schedules. I wonder what they do to push themselves.


Basic numbers: 3 reps tai chi, 3 reps broadsword, 51 pushups, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: let a car ahead of me in traffic, helped people in lab, let someone ahead of me in line

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, an apple, an orange, a turkey and cheese sandwich, a brownie, a chicken wrap, some poutine, 2 coffees, 7 glasses of water and half a glass of wine

Conquering fear

Had a good day training wise today. Tonight I was able to demonstrate shoulder rolls to my class which was cool. I've struggled with shoulder rolls in recent years do to injuries and then fear of injuries. But tonight, I didn't think I just did. It was awesome! I did them properly...although I do have a headache now, but whatever! One step closer to conquering a fear...a fear of injury.

Now to start doing the standing up ones again and the backwards ones. Tonight gave me some confidence to move forward. Take that shoulder rolls!

Basic numbers: 204 crunches/situps, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: made Mike lunch and breakfast, let a car ahead of me x2, gave the cat and dog extra loving, congratulated someone

Today I consumed: an apple, a bagel with cream cheese, a doughnut, half a turkey and cheese sandwich, an orange, 2 bananas, a few nachos with cheese and 3 chicken wings. I drank 3 cups of coffee and 7 glasses of water.

Sore

Rested today. My body was pretty sore from Friday and Saturday.
It is very satisfying to be sore and stiff from training hard. Although it makes you want to take a couple of days off to rest. That's the down side.

Basic numbers: 2 miles

Acts of kindness: gave Julia a treat, gave the cat lovin', waved at someone in thanks while driving

Today I consumed: 4 pieces of toast with nuttella, some mini pizzas and some icecream. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

2 dragons

Dragon dance was really fun today. I think our dance this year is going to be great! The 2 dragons look so cool. We'll be able to do so many neat tricks. The chinese new year dance is always so much fun. Even though it is a lot of work. I have such great memories of lion dance practices. So many good times.

Basic numbers: 51 pushups, 3.5 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the cat a treat, played ball with Julia, gave the dog a belly rub

Today I consumed: a bowl of cheerios, some mini pizzas, some chicken sticks with perogies and some apple slices. I drank 2 cups of coffee, 8 glasses of water and a beer.

Sparring!

Had a great black belt class tonight. We sparred which was awesome. It's so cool to go against so many different black belts. Everyone has their own specialty and it's a great opportunity to learn. Got some awesome bruises and cut my face too which was great. So cool.

Basic numbers: 200 kicks, 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 5 reps broadsword, 5 reps tai chi, 30 minutes sparring and 3 miles

Acts of kindness: made Mike lunch and breakfast, made tea for us, wished someone a happy birthday, gave the cat and dog treats

Today I consumed: a bowl of cheerios, a yogurt cup, half a chocolate, some popcorn, some noodles with sausage and broccoli, some baked sausage with perogies and broccoli. I drank 2 cups of coffee, a cup of herbal tea and 9 glasses of water.

Giddy up

Things are getting geared up for the Horse Team now. I'm excited for them. I think they'll learn a lot and get a lot done. Part of me is sad that my year is almost done, but part of me is happy that the end is near. I think I've built some good habits though, so the end of this year isn't really the end of my I Ho Chuan as far as I see it. I'm going to keep on trying and working hard. The trick will be to keep motivated without the group atmosphere and accountability that goes along with that. But I have a few ideas.

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog treats, made Mike lunch and breakfast, did a favour for a friend

Today I consumed: a yogurt, a bagel with cream cheese, a bowl of cheerios, some macaroni with peas and some instant noodles with toast and 2 pieces of nuttella toast. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

Sparring funness

Got a chance to spar tonight in the advanced class which was great. Those guys are developing great skills. I learned a lot. Got some wicked shin bruises too. Thanks guys!

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps, 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 30 minutes sparring, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, invited lab mates for coffee, helped someone organize and event.

Today I consumed: a bowl of cheerios, a turkey and cheese sandwich, some carrots, a brownie and some chinese food. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

Making some progress....but not enough

Long day....didn't get much practicing in.
At it again tomorrow. Gotta get it together. I still have so far to go.
On the up side, made some progress on a personal goal of mine today. One of my goals is to get a paper published and this last week I've started seriously working on it again which is good. Editing is just so tedious....

Basic numbers: 1 rep tai chi, 51 pushups, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: let a truck pull out ahead of me, held the door for someone, helped people in lab

Today I consumed: half a blueberry muffin, a turkey and cheese sandwich, a pastry, and apple, some pot roast with mashed potatoes and veggies. I drank 2 coffees and 7 glasses of water and a cup of tea.

I do miss san sou:(

I miss San Sou now that I can't go. I work Tues nights now (only for a couple more weeks though!) so I haven't been able to attend. I will be able to come again in December.
On the upside, my morning schedule has become more consistent again so I should be able to do some morning training once more.
Scheduling is such a constant struggle. It seems that I get a rhythm going and then something changes and I have to get things back on track. Just the way life is I guess. God's trying to keep me on my toes:)

Basic numbers: 153 pushups, 202 crunches, 3 reps tai chi, 4 miles

Acts of kindness: let someone ahead of me in traffic, helped people in the lab, encouraged someone

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, a big blueberry muffin, a turkey and cheese sandwich, a bowl of stew with bread, a cup of coffee, 8 glasses of water and some chocolate milk.

And the week begins!

Had a rest day today. Tomorrow I go hard again. Gotta get those numbers up.
Hard work.....and discipline. Just got to get it done.

Basic numbers: 1.5 miles

Acts of kindness: drove my nieces home, made them breakfast and lunch, let Mike sleep in.

Today I consumed:  a pastry, some strawberries, half a bagel with cream cheese, some macaroni with veggies, a grilled cheese sandwich with mushroom soup and some bread with hummas. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 7 glasses of water.

Grading day!

Today was the black belt grading. I remember my grading. It was one of the longest, hardest days of my life. The only day that was more difficult was the day Julia was born.
But that day was also one of the best. That was the day I proved to myself that no matter what, I'm a tryer. Even if I failed my test, even if I tried my hardest and didn't make it, at least I had tried.
The moment I found out that I had passed....it was like a wave of relief washing over me. All the stress of the past 6 months had melted away and I just was.
Granted, after the grading is when the real work started. Getting ready for the Chinese new year banquet is no small feat. It's over that time that you transform from a Sihing to a black belt. But that was such an exciting time. That was one of the only time in my training that I received so much focused, personal feedback from the high-ups. It was hard, but great.

Anyway, I hope today proves to be as memorable for this years participants as it was for me.
Sleep well guys! This will be one of the soundest sleeps of your lives I'll bet:)

Basic numbers: 102 pushups, 51 situps, 2.5 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone x4, shovelled the walk for someone, complimented someone's super awesome socks.

Today I consumed: half a breakfast sandwich, half a cheeseburger with fries and gravy, 2 pieces of pizza and a muffin. I drank 2 cups of coffee, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water.

Things looking up

Good news!
The store called me today and someone had found my wallet! I'm so grateful! It was nice of them to phone. Thank you so much whoever you are!

We had really great black belt class tonight too. We did a bunch of shield work and it was a lot of fun. And I didn't feel sick at all after.....yahoo!

Also did some practicing....on my way back up.

Thanks for the comments everyone:)

Basic numbers: 5 reps broadsword, 2 reps tai chi, 204 pushups, 214 sit-ups/crunches, 258 kicks

Acts of kindness: made Mike lunch, danced with Julia, let someone ahead of me in traffic

Today I consumed: a large muffin, a bowl of cheerios, half an apple, some veggies, a tomato and cheese sandwich, half a sausage with perigees and veggies. I drank a cup of coffee, 8 glasses of water and a glass of wine.

Ugh

No luck finding my wallet so far:(

Spent the day going around getting new documentation.
Need to get back on the horse in regards to practicing. Since I got sick, my numbers have been crappy and my routine got all messed up. Tomorrow I got to get things sorted out.
Stupid illnesses!

At least I'm starting to feel better. I was a little nervous, I have to admit. I had to go get a physical the beginning of this week for my job and I told them about being sick the last week....dizzy, nauseous, etc. The doctor looked at me and said that if it doesn't clear up in a few weeks to go get checked for a brain tumour. The doc sees you for all of five minutes (without even examining you) and thinks she has a clue what's going on. Nice.
You get cancer and forever after everyone is always telling you whenever you are sick or have some sort of anything that it could be cancer. Hard on the nerves.
It's not like I don't worry about it enough already.

But, I'm not feeling dizzy anymore so I guess I must be in the clear.
Thanks doc.

Basic numbers: 3 miles

Acts of kindness: took Julia to the library, gave the dog a treat, made Mike lunch

Today I consumed: a piece of carrot cake, a Lara bar, some macaroni with veggies, a piece of chicken pot pie, a brownie and some french bread. I drank half a glass of wine, a cup of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

Crumby day

Frustrating day today.

Lost my wallet at a store and I spent tonight looking for it. No luck. Pretty sure it's gone. I wish that someone had done me an act of kindness and returned it. If I ever find someone else's wallet, I'm going to make the effort now for sure. 

Didn't practice either. 

Crumby.

Basic numbers: 3 miles

Acts of kindness: let a car ahead of me in traffic x2, gave the dog some pets, pointed out to someone that their backpack was open.

Today I consumed: a Lara bar (no I haven't tried Luna bars yet Sihing Donahue....I'll have to do that!), a piece of carrot cake, a turkey and cheese sandwich, some veggies, 2 pieces of chicken pot pie. I drank 2 coffees and 9 glasses of water. 

Inspiring a black belt

How do you motivate people? I find this question especially hard and I've been thinking about it lately. It's easier to motivate colour belts I think if you can give them a good ideal to strive for, if you can impress them and inspire them with what it is to be a black belt. But for that to work, us black belts have to work harder than them. We can't just coast on our past successes. We need to constantly be working harder than the cue belts.
We can only inspire them if we can do things they can't do.

This is where I've been struggling. One of my goals this year has been to become a better kicker. I know what it takes to be good at kicking....I can describe the steps, talk someone through it and point out areas for improvement in others. But something I haven't been good at is demonstrating and that's the most important part. How are white belts going to believe that they have to achieve a certain position or kick height if I can't do it. That's what I want to fix.
That's what we all have to fix.
As black belts it's easy to ride the rank. Part of this stems from the fact that when you get your black belt, you are somewhat on your own when it comes to training. You get one class a week and, if your like me, most of your time at the kwoon is spent teaching, not training.
In order to maintain and exceed our currant level, we need to train outside of the kwoon on our own time. Just coming to class isn't enough.

It is easy to just sit back though and say, "I've achieved my black belt.....the student's should respect my rank." But they won't anymore if we all suck.

We need to take pride in what it is we do. We need to hold ourselves to a higher standard and realize that what we do define's what a black belt is to the new generation of students. I know no one sits there and says, "I want to make the rank look like it's nothing special." But the truth is that we've been saying that anyway through our lack of action.
Student's can tell who trains hard and who doesn't, it doesn't take a genius to tell.

I guess what I'm trying to say is each of us needs to be someone who is physically inspiring. Being a great human being isn't enough if you want to inspire the students. The question we should be asking ourselves when we tell a student to do something is...can I do that?
If not....why not?.....and then fix it.


Basic numbers: 102 pushups, 101 crunches, 102 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: complimented someone, brought someone a drink, gave the dog some pets

Today I consumed: a bowl of cheerios, some vegetables, half a turkey and cheese sandwich, an orange, a Lara bar, a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of soup, a beer, a cup of coffee, 2 cookies and 9 glasses of water.

Black belt grading coming

I'm feeling better. I took it easy tonight though to ease myself back into the swing of things. I don't want to push it hard right off the bat and get sick again.

I wonder how the candidates are doing. The black belt grading is less than a week away. So much stress, so much pressure. But that day was one of the best of my life. I hope it is for them as well.

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 51 pushups, 51 situps, 52 kicks, 3 miles.

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog a treat, made small talk with a stranger, picked up a gift for someone

Today I consumed: 2 pieces of toast with jam, half a yogurt cup, a chicken wrap from tims, 2 pieces of pizza, a piece of candy, and some leftover pasta with toast. I drank a cup of coffee, a beer and a half and 9 glasses of water and a cup of neocitron.

Dabbling

I have been training in Kung-Fu for most of my life....almost 20 years now. When I was a child, I remember going to classes and being in awe of the blackbelts. Over the years my life has changed, I've faced challenges, I've moved away, gone to university, got married, got my degrees, got cancer, had a baby, but through it all I've always trained. Even when I was gone.

I hear people say that the biggest thing that comes out of their Kung-Fu experience is the friendships made and the social aspect of the kwoon, but the hard-core training part isn't for them. When I hear this, when I hear people talk about not being into the whole training thing, I don't know what to say. To me that's the same as saying you enjoy the taste of apples, but don't want to chew.
Ok, maybe a bad analogy, but my point is that Kung-Fu for me isn't something you can dabble in....how do you dabble in becoming a better person...a better wife, better mother, better employee, better everything? Kung-Fu isn't just the the kicking and punching, it's more than that, but at the same time, it is kicking and punching. The philosophies behind Kung-Fu, the real life lesson stuff is learned through doing, not through hanging out with people.

 I hear, "Kung-Fu does nothing for me, just makes more work", and I say, "you haven't done the work to know what Kung-Fu can do for you".

So many people are missing out on something wonderful. And yes, that wonderful comes through hard work. But everything worth doing is hard work. If you want to sit around like a vegetable and not do anything, go ahead. But I'm hear to tell you that you are missing out.

Double dragon dance!

Bah....this sickness is killing me!
Wasn't able to spar or really practice at all, but I did get to help with tiling which was fun.
Dragon practice was fun today. We were able to put together 2 dragons and try some tricks we've been considering for the dance. Sifu Lindstrum, Sifu Rybak and I have been coming up with a story line for the dance and we should have that worked out by next practice. The story is the most important part of the dance....it's what makes it relevant. We have some pretty cool ideas so far. Stay tuned!

Basic numbers: 3 miles

Acts of kindness: helped tile, made a timies run, got supplies

Today I consumed: 2 pieces of toast with jam, a bagel with cream cheese, some doritos (so bad, I know!), 3 pieces of pizza, a pop (again, not supposed to!), a coffee and 6 glasses of water.

Congrats Miss Gibbons and Mrs Csillag!

Feeling better....not dizzy and nautious anymore...just feel weak and slightly light-headed. I think it's a blood-pressure thing. Sifu Rybak brought up a good point about anemia too...my docter had given me some pills for that but I haven't taken them in a long time. I'll try some tonight and see if that helps.

Didn't feel very on the ball for demo practice tonight. It was cool to see Miss Gibbons practicing and it was nice that Mrs Csillag joined us as well. It shows that she has been working hard. And I'm glad she's having success in her training. I know that Miss Gibbons made a huge step tonight too and it was difficult for her. I'm super proud of her!
Well done both of you!

Oh and thanks Sifu Kitchko for reading my blogs:) Good luck if you decide to join the horse team!

Basic numbers: 5 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: let a car ahead of me in traffic, cleaned up a gross mess so others didn't have to, complimented someone

Today I consumed: half a breakfast sandwich with half a hash brown from tims, a bite of doughnut, a greek wrap, some pasta with pasta sauce and 2 pieces of toast. I also had 3 pieces of halloween candy. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

still bleh

Feeling a bit better....tried to do some tai chi but started feeling sick again.
At least I think I'm on the mend.
I hope the candidates will be in good health for their grading. I wish them good health in the coming week!

Basic numbers: 1 rep tai chi, 1.5 miles

Acts of kindness: made Mike a sandwich, took Julia to the library, gave the dog a special treat

Today I consumed: a piece of toast with butter, some pasta, some broccoli and a little bit ogham. i drank 2 cups of coffee, a cup of tea and 8 glasses of water

Still sick

Feel awful.
I hope I'll be better for class on Friday and everything on Saturday.
Ugh.

Basic number: 2 miles

Acts of kindness: let a car in front of me x3

Today I consumed: an apple, some chicken noodle soup with bread, some leftover supper (lamb, potatoes and mushrooms) and 2 puddings. I drank half a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and 8 glasses of water.

Bleh

Still under the weather. Didn't work out tonight. I thought it might be better to rest and hopefully tomorrow I will feel better.
Health is one of the most important things, maybe the most important thing. If you are sick or badly injured, it affects your whole life. Health is one of those things though that we all seem to take for granted until we get sick. Then you miss it so much.
I hope I'll feel better tomorrow.

Basic numbers: 1.5 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog treats, made Mike's lunch, let someone ahead of me in traffic

Today I consumed: 2 chicken wraps, an apple, a few corn chips, some mashed potatoes with pepper salad and lamb. I drank a glass of wine, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water.

Sick

Really not feeling well. Just as I was finishing my crunches, got really dizzy and nauseous. I hope I don't have the 24hr flu...trying not to think about puking.
Although I didn't eat much tonight...hopefully it's just a bloodsugar thing. Trying to force down an apple.

Moan:(

Basic numbers: 208 kicks, 194 crunches, 204 pushups, 5 reps tai chi, 5reps broadsword, 4 miles

Acts of kindess: gave the dog extra pets, made Mike's lunch, let a car ahead of me in traffic

Today I consumed: a peice of peanut butter and jam toast, 2 apples, some peas and carrots, a danish, a cheese sandwich. I drank 3 cups of coffee and 7 glasses of water.

What I've learned...thanks Sifu Bryant!

I think one of the things I've learned this year is the value of honest comment. The biggest motivator to fulfil your commitments in the I Ho Chuan is being held publicly accountable. This can only happen if we give honest comment to each other. For example, the other day I was doing pushups during practice when Sifu Bryant approached me. He dropped down and asked me why I was doing such shallow pushups. Now in my mind I have a thousand reasons why...the biggest being my injured shoulder, but at the end of the day, the truth is that my pushups suck. Sifu Bryant asking me about it tells me that my student's probably think the same thing...everyone in the school who sees me do pushups has the same perception. When you walk around the school with an injury that isn't blatant (like a limp or whatever), people don't know your injured and all they see is your poor pushups. That is the perception.
So what Sifu Bryant's honesty left me with was a choice. I can choose to keep doing poor pushups because of my injury (and sometimes to heal you have to choose this option) or I can work on changing my pushups and thus changing the perception of the people around me. If I choose option 1 (whether I have a choice or not), I do it knowing that it affects my reputation.

That's another thing I've learned. Reputation in the martial arts is largely based on physical skill. That is what you are largely judged by by students and others. If you have an injury and can't perform physically, you will lose some credibility. I think that's something that people don't realize. I see some people get injured and they breath a sigh of relief because now they don't have to do some things they don't like doing anymore (like pushups). But you should view an injury as a potential detriment to your reputation. I say potential because coming back from a huge injury can earn you a lot of respect, but you have to come back from it. You can't ride on the tails of your horrific injury 5 years ago and have any credibility. Part of being a martial artist is managing your injuries. Part of that is learning to shift your training focus to compensate. For me, for example, with my shoulder injury I'm having difficulty with upper body stuff, however I can work on kicks no problem. All people need to see is that you are trying to progress on a physical level. You can't only focus on your mental growth or spiritual growth and expect students or peers to see you as a great martial artist. Yes, your mental and spiritual growth are just as important, but without the physical skill, no one will take you seriously.
That's been one of my struggles this year....getting back to a good place physically. It's hard. And I'm not there yet. But pushing each other and holding each other accountable (like Sifu Bryant did for me) can help get us where we need to be.

But we need to recognize that honest comment does not equal negativity. One of the other things I've learned this year is that when people feel guilty about their lack of progress and that lack of progress is pointed out, they get defensive. One of the biggest ways this is expressed is by calling the feedback negative or saying that the atmosphere is negative. That is only a half truth. The whole truth is that yes, the atmosphere is negative, but not because of any comments made, but because of lack of action, because of mediocrity. When Sifu Bryant commented on my pushups, initially I was a little hurt. I felt like I was trying my hardest and couldn't he see that? But at the end of the day he was telling me the truth and I have to give him credit because it can be hard to tell people their shortcomings. How can I get better if I don't see my weaknesses? That was what he was saying. He wasn't trying to be a jerk. He was trying to help me by  saying, "You know what, I see your pushups, they suck, but I know you can do better".
That's the key point. When someone gives you honest comment and it isn't what you want to hear, realize that by saying it they are telling you that they know you can do better. They believe in you.
If they thought there was no hope for you they wouldn't say anything at all and let you continue to be mediocre.

The point I want to leave off with is this. Don't accept mediocrity in yourself and don't accept it in your teammates. The I Ho Chuan isn't meant to be a sit-around, talk about your feelings and make some friends group; it's a work, sweat, cry and yell group. The true friendships come by sweating together and encouraging each other through honesty. Don't hold each others hands. Be strong and don't give up. At the end of the day, if we expect more from each other, we can do great things.

Basic numbers; 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword

Acts of kindness: chatted with a sales clerk, let Mike sleep in, gave the dog extra pets

Today I consumed: 2 breakfast sandwiches, 2 hash browns, some veggies, some instant noodles with toast, 4 pieces of candy, a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, 7 glasses of water

need to think about it

Had a good meeting today.
Sifu Brinker suggested we write about what we've learned this year...what worked and what didn't. I think I'm going to have to think about it. This year has been amazing even though I haven't fulfilled all of my goals. But I don't know if I have any real advice for the next team because I feel like I haven't figured it out yet. I feel like I'm just starting to get a handle on things, but there's always the worry that a week from now I'll be in a slump and things will get hard. I have a routine but truth be told everyday I have to make myself do stuff. It doesn't get easy. I see the benefits everyday from my training...my health, my strength, my flow,etc...but when it comes to doing my form reps, my pushups, etc., it can be so easy to put it off and hard to do. Sometimes doing my forms is really fun and I feel like I've come so far....but then the next day my forms seem to take forever and I feel like a scarecrow trying to do Kung-Fu.
The one thing I've been able to do consistently every day is blog. They aren't always the best blogs...I don't always put in a good effort or have something meaningful to say....but it is something easy to do so at least every day I'm doing something. Blogging is the thread that's kept me going.

I don't know.....everyone's journey is different.
I'll have to think about it more.

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog treats, made a nice dinner, helped someone

Today I consumed: a danish, half a banana, some fries, some tortilla chips, fish with potatoes and beats and a peice of chocolate cake. I drank a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and 8 glasses of water.

dragon dance practice tomorrow!

It was inspiring to see Sihing Dunning working out at practice today. He's still hurting, you can tell, but he's trying and that takes will.
I wonder how many people we'll have for dragon practice tomorrow....

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3.5 miles

Acts of kindness: made Mike lunch, played with Julia, had lunch with a relative

Today I consumed: some toast with jam, a burger with cheese and fries, a tomato and cucumber sandwich with cheese, a danish and some apple, 2 cups of coffee and a cup of tea. I drank 7 glasses of water.