Tough mental week

 There were so many things to blog about this week.  We had the Tiger Challenge, it was a great day that left me in such a great mood.  We had some really great classes and discussions that were so enlightening.  This week was so positive but it did not start that way.  I really dropped the ball.

First was the outcome of my full intensity workout (see last blog).  I did it but couldn't move for 3 days afterwards.  It made me doubt if I should have done such a full intensity workout, if I should have held back a bit so I didn't hurt so much.  Maybe I shouldn't have done it so close to the tiger challenge.  Lots of self doubt thoughts.  After we did our kicks on Sunday with the other candidates, I realized that those were poor excuses and actually I need to do these intense workouts more often so as a group we are going to add them now into our weekly get togethers.  Nothing better than dragging someone along with you LOL.

Second was the receiving of my spear tip.  I was so excited, it was so shiny and dangerous looking.  It would definitely make my form look so much cooler, how could it not.  So it went onto my spear and surprise, it was NOTHING as I expected.  I was expecting that shift in centering of my spear to change but not that much.  Add the extra 4 inches and I was hitting the ground on every spin.  Then there was the extra weight at the end.  I remember Sifu Brinker asking how my shoulder would do with the spear form and I could not understand what he meant.  My tipless rattan spear was light and easy to move.  Who would think 242 gm (yes I weighed it) would make a difference!  That is similar to a  1/2 pound of butter, not that heavy at all but put it at the end of a long stick and it feels MUCH heaver than that.  Good ole physics, this time they were not in my favour.  On a positive note, I was no longer spearing the hats off opponents but now they needed to guard their knees.  My wrist and shoulder felt every movement.  So the morning of the tiger challenge, I removed the tip.  I knew I shouldn't have made changes before a competition but worse was making them the day of as well.  The tip is going back on this week so I have so much more to work on then previously but that is okay.

I also did not consistently do my shoulder stretches, exercises, sit-ups or push ups. I did SOME but not consistently.  So today was a great restart and my goal this week is to work on that consistency.  Last week took a hit on me mentally but I was able to regroup and start again and it started all with the Tiger Challenge.  Thank you to all the Sifu's and everyone else who put in their time to make it so enjoyable!  Can't wait to get back on the mats and do it in person!

Finding your balance!

There is a fine line to keep the balance between work and home.  Sometimes I feel like I'm walking a tightrope over the Niagara Falls, two steps forward and things change so drastically that you are swaying and trying desperately to catch your balance.  But you catch your breath, recover and move one more step forward.  Slowly moving forward.  

You might wonder why I did not add Kung Fu to this balance.  I am trying to use my Kung Fu as the balancing pole to help me recover.  Sometimes I need it more on one side and sometimes more on the other but it is there both in work and home to help me.  For example, today was not a very productive day outside.  The weather was raining and cool so I tried to get things done inside that have been on my list.  I got a few things completed and it still did not feel like I accomplished enough so I did a hard workout.  This was WAY overdue.  Throughout my workout I kept saying "give only full intensity" which made that workout harder but boy did it feel good when it was done.  It rejuvenated me to get more things in the house completed which then felt like I had accomplished something.  

I will be taking the "give only full intensity" into my work day tomorrow.  My goal is to give more during the time that I am at work so I can finish work earlier and be more present for my home time.  My kids stated that I am always working, it wasn't a complaint it was a statement and because of that it was way more powerful than complaining.  So I will hold onto my Kung Fu balancing pole and take another step forward on my work/home tightrope.  (A balance pole also lowers your centre so if that doesn't represent Kung Fu, what does?). I am interested to see how others are incorporating Kung Fu into their daily lives, so please share if you have more suggestions.  

See you on the virtual mats!

Hearing verses Listening

 I still remember years ago when I was caught not listening.  I was doing my EMT rotation and doing a patient transfer.  The nurse was giving a report and I was nodding and hearing what was being said. After we moved the patient and ready to start the transfer, my preceptor asked "Please repeat what the nurse said"  and I could not, I was mortified.  He knew that I was hearing but not listening.  I was distracted as I was looking after my patient.

I was reminded of this story because this happened again to me this week.  I was asked how my team meeting went yesterday and I remember it being a productive meeting but couldn't even remember one why.  I thought I was listening.  Although I wasn't distracted it showed that I was not retaining the information.

This is not a one time occurrence.  I have been struggling with this lack of focus which has become more frequent.  So I started a Headversity app supplied by my work to help increase resilience skills.  My Mindfulness, Mental Fitness, and Energy Management needed some attention but Mental Health and Mindfulness was in pretty good shape.  My first Mindfulness training activity was spot on on to why there are issues.  These include how we are consistently:

Pressured
Always On
Information Overload
Distracted

Every one of these items I could relate with.  So the concept of "where are you, what are you doing" becomes more relevant through these busy times.  To not only hear the things around you but to really listen and absorb it.   The other realization is resiliency constantly takes work.  This was not one of my goals for this year but I am not sure why.  Mastery of resiliency will be a life long pursuit.

See you on the mats!

Road trip!

This weekend I went on a road trip.  It started by dropping off things to my mom in Barrhead and then my brother in Drayton Valley.  Then ended up in Nordegg (found a great hike I want to do this year), the Colombian Icefields, Jasper and back home 12 hours later.  It was YEARS since we did that.  Just driving, stopping when something caught your eye and then moving on.

So how is this related to Kung Fu?   It’s about starting and then about continuing.  My road trip started in one direction and along the way it took a turn or two or ten.  I slowed down to focus on a specific item and then continued forward.  Made a few decisions that altered my path but kept moving on.  Found some neat new things, felt peace, had some laughs, enjoyed nature, and was content.  Had to make adjustments for things out of my control but still ended up up where I needed to be.  It was all about the journey and not the destination.  (And even did my SU/PUs along the way).  Don’t get me wrong, it was exhausting but worth every minute.

Sometimes the best journey is the one you started and then just went with, always moving forward and adapting along the way.  This trip was a perfect analogy of my Kung Fu journey and I can’t wait to do it again!

See you on the mats!

Mindful Eating Part 2

 Another part of my goal to mindful eating is to weigh and record the food waste that was deposited into our garbage.  Why would waste be a part of mindful eating?  Well.....let me tell you the ways....

1) Being mindful of how we are disposing of items.  It is easier to throw items in the garbage than to compost or take them to the chickens, etc.  Easier is not better for our environment.  By having the entire family be involved it starts everyone thinking "can this be composted, does this need to be weighed before it is thrown out" and this thought alone stopped waste going from the garbage and went into the ice cream pail for composting.  We also had a big discussion on the bones from the steak we had for supper.  I was asked by one of my children "How do you prevent that waste?  You can't compost them and they would always be there anyways."  My response was "Vegetarians would not have that waste so it needs to be weighed." We talked about our meat which was from a local farmer, grass fed and hormone free.  Just having these conversations with your family starts people thinking about what they are putting into their bodies.

2) Being mindful of what we are buying and using it before it goes to waste.  Its okay to compost but if you are wasting, it's not only your money that is being wasted.  All the energy that went into growing it, harvesting it, delivering it and storing it was wasted as well.  I was going to clean everything out of my fridge and then start this challenge but being a procrastinator actually helped show the real side because there were 2 rotten peppers and cilantro that were added to the compost bin and that made me feel bad.  I was able to salvage a few overripe tomatoes and freeze them for the next spaghetti sauce. There were a number of other items that I needed to add to my menu plan for early this week and the zucchini went into a chocolate cake for supper and everyone enjoyed that.  

Day 1 had our family discarding 700 gm that consisted mainly of meat.  Outdated lunch meat, a moldy hotdog and the bones and gristle from the steaks.  Hmmm....wonder if this will be a trend.

I challenge you to join me in logging your waste and see if it changes how you are looking at your food consumption.  As this challenge comes right after earth day,  it's a great way to continue to support our environment in a number of ways.  

See you on the mats!