Injuries can be great! Kind of.............

No, I haven't lost my mind.(more than usual).

Recently i was injured while at work. So for a few weeks Im not working or training. And it SUCKS. Going through mat withdrawal is a real thing i swear.

But, rather than sit on the couch and consume vast quantities, Ive really tried to make the best out of the situation.

Because you see, injuries can be great teachers. While you may not be able to do what you do normally, you can do other stuff. You can work other areas. While respecting the need to rest and recover, there is still the ability to make profound leaps forward, usually in ways you don't expect.

For me,  its been in many areas. My core work is improved, and balance now is being addressed every time i get near the crutches.

The big issue of course is eating. (You knew id get there right?). Down time can lead to mindless eating and this gives an opportunity to develop discipline.  Not to live like a monk of course, (unless of course you are) but refining what works for you.

I hope this is somewhat encouraging for anyone else,  I know that you too can come out of an injury with improvements, as long as you develop the mindset of opportunity rather than stagnation.

Best to you all and Happy Halloween!

Brian

Change the wiring

So, I was talking to a good friend this morning and he was lamenting how he had "let himself go" after starting a new job that took a lot of time. He said he couldn't even think about eating healthy much less getting to the gym. The others in the room nodded in agreement, saying that life made it to hard to be healthy. 

Let that sink in. Life made it too hard to be healthy. 

Now it's not to poke fun at them because this isn't the first time and won't be the last I've heard this. It seems as a society, a good portion are wired to revert to less than stellar behavior under stress. 

Where do we learn this? Are we raised this way? Why do some find it easier to grab a Twinkie or a beer than a dumbbell?

I think at least partially is because it's easier. Way easier to order a pizza after a 16 hour day than cooking in the kitchen. Way easier to catch Seinfeld than getting to the gym. We work hard dammit and we need downtime. Well...........

I understand the mindset because I totally embraced it. I got bad with it and it led to a whole lot of issues. Because, and this is a key, it's easy to make an occasional indulgence an everyday habit. 

And it's cumulative. And then after months or years, you end up breathing heavy on the stairs, you can't do the activities you used to, and your quality of life decreases. 

Time to alter the wiring. If you are at that point,  you need to step back and look at your behaviors. It's shouldn't be too hard to see where improvement is needed. 

And you can find time. Yes you can. Stop shaking your head and look at your calendar sport. They won't stop showing Law and Order marathons if you miss one to go for a walk or get an extra hour sleep. 

Get the people around you involved. Invest in yourself as a viable human. 

As much as these behaviors may be ingrained, they can be changed. 

When you wake up next morning, try examining your day ahead as a chance to make some strides to get feeling better as opposed to be resigned to another day of drudgery. 

We can do better. 

Shhhhhhhh. Your wasting time.

I talk. A lot. Most of the people I work with would say too much.  Ill talk to almost anyone at the drop of a hat.

And ive had some amazing conversations with brilliant people on a variety of subjects.  But they only carry me so far.

For example; Jiu-Jitsu.  Its pretty all encompassing in my life. And ive spent a lot of time talking about it, the history, the theory, the athletes. Its a great way to pass the time. But, Im not getting any better. The only way of course is to GET ON THE MAT.

Like whatever you do and whatever drives you, the time you spend on your mat. your road, your gym, your recording studio, your dance floor is the spot.  The hours, months, years are your proving ground.

And its also where you learn about yourself the most.  You cant hide out there. Your effort, or lack of is apparent and you cant BS your way out of it.  In fact, it may be place where the true you shines the most.......

So grind.  Do more,  and please do hush up about it .... until later. :)

Right where you should be. Thanks EJ.

         I listened to the most annoying conversation today. Two people were arguing over which was the best way to exercise.  The two forms they were debating were irrelevant as this same issue has taken place in so many different forms over the years its become beyond tedious.

         I have no argument here. I have some criteria for what make a valid exercise program. It needs to be challenging,  it needs to have safety intrinsically involved in it. Getting injured should not be a regular happenstance. It needs to be fluid, allowing the client to grow in ability, strength, and flexibility. And it would help a lot to be engaging, it s cool when you WANT to go workout.

         Beyond that, the field is wide open. Because not nearly enough people are actually DOING some form of regular training. Hell there are too many people who don't MOVE.  You know what i mean.

          So if you want to drag the tired arguments out go ahead, but do it after the workout, while you are sharing a meal or protein drink. Because that means you've done it.

         The title for this post is something a friend and amazing MMA coach Eric Jackson said.  When you are training, or in fact doing anything you love, you ARE right where you should be. Tonight, going to training was difficult, i wasn't feeling great and there were a thousand reasons to just take it easy and stay home.

          But, getting there and getting the Gi on, I could already feel the change. Being around people as happy to be there for the same person is infectious. And the work seals the deal, moving... yes the joy of movement, of being able to do something with your body that 6 months ago you couldn't think of doing is AWESOME.

          So i invite you to feel that way,  try something or get back to something. And try to look at it as something joyful rather than tedious. If you can't do something else. But just do...........

Health by association. .....

I remember a line from some sit - com that a newly divorced woman, when told how great she looked replied, "Well thanks I just dropped 180 pounds of useless fat. My ex."

Changing lifestyles usually results in casualties.  No more so than when you try to get healthier. If your inner circle meets regularly at a bar with wing and pizza specials chances are a dead lift PRO is not in your near future.

And the support usually isn't there. I still have friends that believe I'll revert to my former habits, almost seems like they are betting on it. Which is fine.

So do you cut line and avoid all contact? No, not yet. Chances are you are making new friends who share your mindset and can be your support.  I share freely that my Jiu-Jitsu brothers and sisters,  after 5 years are some of the strongest bonds I've ever formed.

And if you are lucky, you bring some people along with you. I've had friends surpass me in their efforts to live healthier and maybe I had a small part in that.

That's another thing. There is always someone watching.  You never know who you inspire.

And for those people who never come around? Probably you will see and hear them less and less. But go back to the bar occasionally,  it'll remind you why you started in the first place......

I know its still winter.........

                                 " Don't let the weeds take your garden."- PBG


         So you've embarked on a journey to better health.  Awesome. Probably you've done the hardest part, the just showing up.  And you work... and you grind.... and slowly you start knocking over those goals.....

Here comes a bigger challenge. What happens when you get there? Hopefully not a lot changes.  You readjust your goals, loving how you feel, how you look and keep the process going.  But there can be a downside.....

I equate this to many many patients I meet working on the ambulance.  I ask patient A,  "what medical problems do you have?" Patient A replies, "None. "  My next question is usually, "What medications do you take?". And the list comes out. Sometimes 10 or more.  So I ask, "But these are meds for blood pressure and diabetes! So you have these conditions right?" Answer, "Well no, I take the meds i don't have the problem.".....

Living a healthy life and expressing the best self you have is constant evolving work. Its truly like the garden reference above. Unwatched, unminded, the weeds sneak in until your crops are choked and wither away.  And of course we all don't live like monks. We are humans and we like to have fun and eat stuff that make goats cringe, and there will be a skipped workout now and again.

But really that has to be in the minority. Excelling means work, sweaty, daily, HARD work. Vigilance against those pesky weeds.........

Yep its Magic, and Science, and Art...............

Hey all,

Just got finished reading this great article on cooking and getting your kids involved. The link for it is here:http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/want-your-children-to-grow-up-to-be-healthy-adults-teach-them-to-cook-1.1595345.

Like any quality article, I was able to relate to it on a personal level. I was brought back to my early childhood where I got to learn to cook.  My parents, god love em started me early on learning things that would enable me further in life, cooking being one of the biggest things.

As memory serves, the first thing I made on my own besides the obligatory PB&J, was Meatball vegetable soup. And even then, the creation stuck with me. That and the fact that my family ate it and didn't wind up in the emergency room equaled success. And I got hooked from there.

Its not just plating food. At least for me. To take assorted ingredients  and assemble them to something bigger than its parts speaks of magic to me. Cmon all those witches and their cauldrons?

Sure maybe its garlic instead of eye of newt, and turmeric instead of wing of bat but they had the idea. Stew by any other name........

And you scientists, mad or otherwise? Basic chemistry folks. Altering the molecular structure of something into something else not only works in a lab but in every kitchen every day.

And I didn't leave you artsy types out. Rock star chef types AND home cooks alike can put flair on a plate, In fact how you present your food is as important to how you make it to some. And again, edible art = WIN.

Behind all this was the interaction, the sharing of knowledge in families. some of my most valuable possessions are my grandmothers recipes,  and knowing that i can share the effort and the love she put into those recipies is a wonderful feeling.

I put this, the family unit cooking for itself high among priorities for education and health. Starting your kids learning to shop, cook, heck maybe even grow food gives them the same thing you have.

Power.

I mean it. Really. Tell me what may be more powerful and significant than feeding your family something you have created?

Just some thoughts........