Focus

I had a busy productive day, I did my weekly shopping and errands, had coffee with someone that I would like to call a friend and had a fantastic guitar lesson. When I got up today, I began my day with reminding myself that all that I am doing each day is so that I can be a better me.

• I focus on my acts of kindness each day so that I can learn to pay more  attention to the world around me, 

• I do sit ups and kicks each day so that I can learn the benefits of working towards something daily ( I am noticing stronger muscles !!!!), 

• I write about my day so that I can learn and grow from my mistakes, 

• I hang out with my team mates so that I can learn from them (success and struggles), 

• I track my progress so that I can be encouraged by how far I have come and note the down times so that I can learn from them,

• I look after my family the best way that I can when I am at home so when I am working, I don't  feel guilty( not pretty but true),

•  I practice my forms because I like how it feels when I do them with familiarity (rusty is not a good feeling),

• I practice my guitar every chance I get because it stretches my brain in ways that it has never been stretched before (and it is sooooo cool!),

• I practice Tai Chi everyday because it is my reason for being ( and I believe that encouraging my chi to move is helping my shoulders),

I was thinking (and talking) about what works for me today, what works is reminding myself that this is for me, no one else. If I focus on me then the world around me will benefit from the results 'cause I will definitely be a better person/wife/mother/teammate.

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Growth?

I'm not really sure what to write about today, I have some things on my mind that would not be healthy to put out there today, they are mostly dark and disagreeable. I wouldn't want to be a friend listening to some of this garbage so it will remain where it is until I can sort it out.
I had to have some hard conversations today, hard because I had to be quiet and let the other person say their piece first, hard because I had to be brutally honest about what I wanted and what are expectations are, and hard because I had to swallow my disappointment and move forward as usual. This growth thing is not as easy as it looks, but I'm not giving up on myself!

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Amazing Weekend

I had an opportunity to attend the Alberta Library Conference in Jasper last weekend. It was such an amazing treat and experience!!!! 

Seriously life changing. 

Who could imagine such inspiration from a library conference??? But seriously, great people, great speakers, great food, great Mountain views, great hiking on time off, great runs around the lake every morning, great, great, great.

And on top of it all, I came home to a clean house, and loving family. I have so much for which to be grateful!

I learned so much and was inspired to do more. And feel really re-focused on my I-Ho-Chuan goals.

Life is so good!

http://sharidactyl.wordpress.com/

How do you make an omelet?

How do you make an omelet? There is that old saying you cant make an omelet without breaking an egg. This is where we are at in the program. many of us are faltering and in a state of distress however we have to keep pushing through and honoring our commitments. Our commitments are there to keep us on track and to keep us pushing forward in the future. They are there to help us on the difficult path to mastery. We have a need to be held accountable to them no matter what that means. When it comes to the decisions that need to be made and the consequences for the team that follow we are the ones that make our own omelet and we are the ones that are truly in control of when we break that egg. The path is hard, the investments are steep but the pay out is unimaginable. As a team it is time to put word into action, action is the only thing that truly has the power to change us and empower us. Words do nothing it is the action behind those words that matter. "Do or do not there is no try" Trying is a word that gives us the opportunity to back away from the plate. We say to ourselves " well its OK I was only trying to achieve that goal and the world will not end if  I do not" however doing and not doing are the true actions behind our words. As a team we either do or do not. both hold consequences and both lead us down a different path. Their is no place in the realm of mastery for try. So if you are standing there with a hand full of yoke because your egg is broken then the choice is your. Make an omelet or do not make an omelet but if you try to make an omelet then the floor will eventually get the yoke and the opportunity will be lost forever.

How do you make an omelet?

As Promised

I said a few posts back that I would post my numbers in order to be totally transparent to the team and fully meet the requirement of tracking your progress publically. These aren't impressive at all considering how much time has gone by. Although the total on a lot of this could be much higher, it's not for two simple reasons: 1) I didn't write down every single rep I did. 2) I didn't do enough reps daily. I still haven't learned Loa Gar completely and this is the form I chose for the year of the horse. I could have estimated sure, but what good is that. I'm lying to me and all of you. Besides our Black Belts are too keen to try to pull this stunt. Because they have all been there and can recognize B.S. This is also a result of "I'm Gonna, I'm trying, tomorrow I'll.....," You get the picture I'm sure. So just because I am publically admitting that I am failing at the moment, this doesn't give me a pass and make it all okay. I need this to be clear to everyone on the team. I am old school and thick skinned so if you have anything to say to me that can help or give me the wake up call I need, please come forward. I welcome it.

 So instead of trying or I'm going to, I AM DOING!! and you are all going to see me catch up and progress because I am not hiding nothing from anyone anymore. You will SEE my completed requirements and numbers every week. You will see my steady progression when I am at the kwoon. I am not wasting another year screwing the pooch, or blaming work or what ever else I can divert my own lack of discipline towards. It sounds like we are finally going to start working on the phase of the project that I was hired to help with. Once this is done, I'm out of there. This schedule is too much to get in descent training, so it must change. I'll pull another dispatch slip where I am working Monday to Friday and that's it.

Just pondering a little on the things that I am at a higher level of mastery with in my life and something occurred to me. I seemed to have found the time and made the effort to practice mastery in other things. Lots of time and effort. Just like many of you have in order to better your careers or education or both, or whatever it is your into. So what's the difference between that and achieving Black Belt. Nothing. It may not seem like it or sound like it, but out of it all, I am remaining very positive and very grateful through all of this. The excitement of this years journey is still alive and well. See you at the kwoon.

• Push ups: 5725/ 50,000
• Ab work: 5650/ 50,000
• Distance: 60 miles
• Weapon form: 32
• Hand form: 0  I don't count nothing until I can do the whole form.
• School forms: 250/ 8000  (1000 of each form) I will break this down next post
• Kicks: 2700/ 50,000
• Random Acts of kindness: 38/ 1000

Great day

I had a great day! It was great to start my day using my muscles and I loved it. I probably worked out a little longer than usual because I was having such a great time but that's ok 'cause I made it to work on time :). Life is grand!

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Week 11

I've been getting lot more kung fu in the last few days with the better weather, getting lots of kms too. I am finding that doing double articulation is super hard on the shoulders. I am also finding it hard because I have always had my hand position wrong for double articulation and it wasn't until I was a black belt that I found out. Old habits are hard to break, as you all know, and I find myself easily slipping into bad habits.

I have started a kind of physio routine for my shoulders, they are pretty sore right now but I feel that there are some good changes happening. I am doing an exercise to push my shoulder joint into the back of the capsule using weight, it feels awesome. Anyone who slouches their shoulders forward should try it. See you all this week!

Sifu Prince

Not dead just need some help

Well team its been a while since I blogged and a while since I have been around consistently.  I could take the easy way out and say its all work related but that would be a lie.

What is true is I have lost my mojo for kung Fu.  I never ever thought I would have said that but it's true.  I can't get motivated to come to class, do my requirements or any thing else kung Fu related.  I'm sorry for letting the team down as I have been a poor teamate this year.  I'm really struggling and have been since I left to the US last year.  I just have not been able to get back on track for any meaningfil amount of time.  I know what to do its just that I can't mentally get there.

I am really asking for help here.  Please come and talk to me and lend me me your ear for a bit.

Ian Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu.

Week In Review

I’ve been trying to build some momentum and resume training on a regular basis. Numbers for last week:

Pushups (Modified)

Last week – 410

Overall – 3160

Situps

Last Week – 230

Overall – 1350

Kicks

Last Week – 330

Overall – 2500

Acts of Kindness

Last Week – 8

Overall – 23

I’m getting tired of writing about negative things, even though I’m just trying to be honest. Going forward, I’m going to try to focus more on what I DID do, instead of what I didn’t do. I feel like constantly dwelling on missed training or classes only feeds the negativity and I don’t like that.

One other thing - I'd just like to say that I really enjoy reading everyone's journal entries and I really appreciate everyone that leaves comments for me. As a beginner it very helpful to me to see that everyone struggles from time to time, regardless of your experience and skill level. It also reinforces that it doesn't neccesarily get any easier as you advance.

 

Cory Smid

http://kungfucory.blogspot.ca/

Weekend Fitness Class

This past weekend in fitness class we focused on forms.  We did 5 minutes of any form we wanted then 1 minute of cardio and 1 minute rest then back to forms.

We did this for 6 reps.  Now thinking of this I didn't think much of it at the time.  Ok, no problem I can do this.

I chose Long as it is the form I am working on for I Ho Chuan.  After class I worked on my weapon form for about 1/2 and hour before having to leave to take care of some family things.  Again, I did not think much of how much work it was in class.  Just after supper I took my dog's for a walk and then it dawned on me.  My thighs were tightening up and it was a little difficult to walk.   I am beginning to realize how much energy and work goes into doing a form correctly with intensity.  Don't get me wrong I have a lot of work to do to get the form more presentable, but I now know what intensity is needed to get there.


This class was an eye opener, the further into the class (and the more fatigued I got)  the more I was loosing mental focus.  I didn't fully realize it at the time but later on during my walk it began to come together for me.  As I became more fatigued mentally I began making the smallest mistakes in the form and then bigger mistakes.  I now know that the mental aspect is where I need to focus more time if I am to get as much as I can out of the I Ho Chuan experience.





http://jimsand11.blog.com/2014/04/28/weekend-fitness-class/




Mr Sand
Green Belt

Appreciation

This week I had 2 topics I wanted to blog about. I didn’t want to leave one of them to next week and I was going to blog twice. Then I figured both are different but the same.

I was a single parent this weekend. Starting Thursday I was on my own. Taking the kids to their classes and teaching in the kids classes, sending them to school, meals, birthday party, more Kung Fu classes, working in the garden, bike rides, building forts, more meals, more classes, even managed to complete a project I had on my list for few months (when the kids were at school).

When I had some time to think about all I was doing I had appreciation to single parents, managing to juggle life by themselves. I also appreciate my wife who is doing the lion share of this work on a regular basis.

Today is also the Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel. I remember stories my dad used to tell me about days without food. The fear of being taken to the death camps. All these memories came back today and I am so thankful to be living were I am. Having a house, food, security.

We really need to appreciate all that is around us. The people that surround us and the environment we live in.

http://csillag-stars.blogspot.ca/2014/04/appreciation.html

All in!

I was pretty excited to be at the kwoon on Saturday morning, I really missed being there! The kids were fun and Tai Chi was amazing as always ( I learn something every time I go there, it is just amazing to me! ). I didn't stay for fitness or open training because I had to work until 11pm and again this morning so I didn't want to be to worn out on my first day back in the world. I totally felt like I was gone a month not just a week! Work went okay, I was able to catch up on some paper work and kind of take it easy a bit, today was more of the same. I really feel like my regular self today, I felt like napping for a short time, but I shook it off and it passed. Tomorrow, I will resume my morning workout and see how I do. If I continue to get better, I will be back to running by the end of the week :). I am pleased that my fitbit is telling me that I walk 10,000 steps a day on a regular day ( less than 1000 when sick ), so running will increase my miles quite a bit. I am excited to feel 100 % and test out my new toy for realsy.
The best way to stay in touch when not able to do physical things is reading everyone's blogs and making comments and blogging myself. I have been sick during other years and have felt isolated and alone, this time, I really felt like I was still a part of the team.

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

House Hunting

Things sure have been hectic lately. Work continues to be nuts, I've been working longer hours than usual. I've been working so franticly to get some projects out that by the end of work day I feel thoroughly drained. Its not helping me stay motivated, I'm not getting enough practice time in. I ran through some forms in the living room today, felt good, wish I had a bigger living room...

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but I have a goal of buying a house this summer. I'm looking for a place in Edmonton right now, I've been spending a lot of time searching listings. This will be my first time buying a place so I'm a bit nervous. I'm even more excited! The idea of actually having a place to call my own, a place I can do anything I want with, is pretty neat.

I am definitely looking for a Kung Fu friendly home. I get excited every time I see a picture of a big back yard or a large stone terrace. I think its funny that I'm looking at pictures scoping for good meteor hammer swinging areas. Really I just want a bi-level with an open basement that has 10'-12' ceilings, that exists right? I might be dreaming. I have also contemplated getting a big lot and then building a free standing structure such as the one below... some of you might recognize it.

Sifu Jesse Wetter

http://liveforeverordieintheattempt.blogspot.ca/

How?

I'm not quite sure what to do to change things. Last year I did I Ho Chaun and changed alot about myself, but it felt really lonely. My friends stopped calling because "all you ever do is kung fu" and really I'm pretty sure I bored them to death because it's all I had to talk about. Josh and I barely saw each other too. This year I'm trying to balance things better, but now I just feel like a terrible team mate. I'm not sure where to find that balance and what to do about it.

I'm definitely one that has good intentions but doesn't follow through in alot of ways. I keep trying to log, but I don't. I don't do all the reps I'm supposed too. I don't do things publicly. I am trying to be better disciplined but I'm not sure how to do it while keeping everything important to me in balance. Public demos are something that's going to take me a long time to be able to do, even the thought of it makes me want to hurl. I know that it's something that's going to be alot of work.

I get up between 5am and 6am during the week, depending on what I have to do at work that day. I started trying to get up everyday at 5 and the days I don't have to be at work so early, my intention was to go to the gym. That happened once, I have an issue with my snooze button. The one day I did go, I felt really good about myself. I walked a mile, did modified ab and shoulder exercises, all before 6am and I felt that wonderful soreness throughout my body when you know you've had a good workout. But...IT's 5AM!

One thing I have to say I'm happy I'm doing is continuing San Shao. I don't like sparring because I feel really uncoordinated and awkward and I don't know what to do, I wanted to quit that class within the first 20 minutes, but I'm still there and calming down more as I'm learning things. When I am not frustrated with myself and learning, I enjoy it alot more. I was also super nervous to be in the back of the advanced class because I know I don't belong there, but I did, and the time works so much better with my schedule.

So, I guess my to do list is;

Go to the gym on the days I am not at work for 6:30am.
Continue going to San Shao.
Find a way to remember to log and do it!!!
Attend all my classes.

Public demos are going to still have to be a work in progress. I'm still not ready for that yet...I know the point of doing I Ho Chaun is to do things publicly, but I'm just not there yet, unless you want a demo consisting of a girl fainting in front of a whole bunch of people. In that case, I'm your girl! You could copy and paste Sifu Rybak's blog and insert it as mine, because I can relate completely.

Keep on Doing

April was  a lazy month. I'm not at all happy with myself. Procrastination does not make muscles. I can list a whole ton of excuses that don't mean much. So I start again.
Step one back to blogging. That really helped.
Step 2 Do the push ups and sit ups.
Step 3 Practice forms. Gain confidence with fan
Step 5 Blog about progress of start again.
I like this new logo of doing not trying. It's harder to put off when I say I will instead of I might.Knowing that everyone has been struggling with these same issues helps a little But it's time to unify our resolve. We will Do our requirements without fail. We will continue to move forward with our head held high because we are now Doing the work no longer trying.
Had meat loaf for supper then rice and pork tenderloin with rice for lunch brought bag of veggies had an orange and a banana for snack.
Did  the floors and cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed the living room. took out garbage.
Sifu Jeannette Langner

My butt has been kicked!

I think that I am getting better....I am still pretty tired, I had multiple naps today after trying to do a few things. But I am ready to re-join the land of the living. I am going to the kid's class in the morning and Tai Chi and I am going to work tomorrow. Hopefully, it is not too soon and I end up back on the couch. This was some butt kicking "common cold"

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Consistency is Key- Wait, I Think I've Heard That Before...

In the last couple of weeks I've had quite a few "aw geez, he's talking about me" moments in my classes. Fixes in Lao Guar, fixes with kicks, mastery is on or off, there is no try.

I want the team to know that I am practicing and I do take this seriously. I'm one of those people he was talking about practicing at home, privately, and then sucking in class. I've always hated doing anything publicly, expecially practicing, doing push-ups or fixing forms. If I'm in the middle of a set of sit-ups and my husband walks in I stop, like he's caught me doing something illegal, and I feel guilty. Makes no sense, right?

I'm guilty of finding excuses, always with the best of intentions. I am doing my reps, but not enough every day and whats worse, I suck at documenting the ones I do. The documentation is part of mastery, and therefore I've realized that I'm off, not on. And that sucks. And I'm sorry I'm not holding up my end of the bargain.

We need to find more active ways to hold eachother accountable other than just post work harder! every once in a while. Like Sifu Brinker said, some of us are expecting others to cover for us, to ride the shirttails of the guy next to us. It doesn't work that way- everyones progress is hampered then.

Its taken me years to get to this point where I'm able to be honest and tell everyone I'm sucking instead of highlighing the highs and hiding the lows. What I've learned is that I was never fooling anyone but myself in the process. So heads up guys, you're not fooling anyone. Those of you who are on mastery, its obvious. Your progress and constant doing of stuff can't be hidden. Those of you who are off, its obvious. Your lack of progress and lack of doing stuff can't be hidden. Sadly, I think I'm in the latter group. But I'm working on changing that!

Fyi- tonight I didn't take the easy route and say everything is fine. I didn't eat what my husband made just because it was easy, I made myself something healthier. I didn't stay home from classes just because my back is sore, I went and learned a lot. Its those stupid little decisions we make everyday that determine what path we're on. I need to find consistency in the things I do, thats all.

http://dogsthinking.blogspot.ca

Discipline

With all disciplines you must be dedicated to putting in practice time if you want wish to maintain a level of proficiency or progress. This goes for anything that a person wishes to pursue in life, the only way to get better is to continue to put in time and effort towards that goal in simple terms you just have to practice practice practice. So I have been enjoying this week off from work and took some time out of my day dealing with home projects and everything that goes into maintaining a persons property (there is so much more I have to get done this year it is not even funny). So back to my topic “Discipline”, I took some time out from my day and head out to the local gun range (something that I haven’t done since the weather turn bad last fall). To my disappointment, but not to my surprised that my draw times and mag changes were slower, and my accuracy was not quite what it had been last year. Now you must be asking what this has to do with my journey towards mastery in the martial arts? To me it is a reminder that to remain proficient in something you must continue to practice in that discipline. I have put in a lot of time and effort into my Kung Fu and have never really thought of what would happen if I stopped practicing, yesI knew what would happen but how fast it happens was not something I ever thought about. Warning the rust starts to build very quickly if you stop practicing.

Where am I? What am I doing?

The Severance of Useless Energy

Take a moment to assess all the things around you that promote your being "average." These are the things that prevent you from going beyond the limits that you've arbitrarily set for yourself.
I have been trying to memorize Mastery the last little while. I should know it in my sleep by now for the amount of times I have read it and use it for guidance. I seem to relentlessly procrastinate when it comes to my Sihing and I Ho Chuan requirements. Not because I don't care. Not because there hasn't been ample warnings from Sifu Brinker on the damaging effect of leaving them to the last minute and treating gifts as hoops and instead of tools. Is it because I have no work ethic? No. It's simply because my priorities and discipline are off balance at the moment in my training and this is the mindset I've arbitrarily set for my journey to mastery. Hence, accountability and discipline.  Am I going to sit here and complain and moan about how hard it is and how I am just so busy? Am I going to put negative energy out there and blame every possible thing I can think of as to why I am choosing to stay stagnant or mediocre. No. To me this is not only disrespectful to my teachers, the school, and other students. But to myself. What kind of example or message am I sending through this practice? I am basically telling the world through my blogs that it is okay to not try harder and constantly make excuses even though I am signed up to a hard core challenge. I am behind in many aspects of my journey so far. So should I quit? Should I just sit down and cry about it until I wet myself ? Should I quit my job? Tell my family to beat it. Tell my friends to beat it. Pump up a big ball of negativity and walk around in it like a hamster. Not likely. I keep moving along and doing my best to adapt and follow through on my journey. So what do I do to keep moving ahead?

The first step to mastery is the removal of everything in your environment that represents mediocrity, and one way to attain that objective is to surround yourself with people who ask more of you than you would ordinarily give of yourself. 

 At the moment it is difficult to be at the kwoon as much as I would like to be in order to do this. So a great substitute is all of my teammates blogs. This is a very important tool to benefit those that can't attend regular classes. So when you don't blog you are of no help to people that need it and of no help to yourself. Although sometimes late and being a private person, I am blogging more than I ever have because I need help and I want to help others. Even though I don't like it or it makes me feel uncomfortable, I don't think I am special or I need to be allowed to not do something just because I don't want to, or it's hard. If that did happen, I am thankful that I have others on the team that will tell me to get over myself and do the damn requirement. I also read mastery and assess everything around me that is negative or damaging to my training and remove it. I have severed people from my life and have made many sacrifices to keep things in check.  I consult people I hold as my mentors. I ask for help when I need it. I don't hide from everyone or just pretend that I am moving along and everything is just sunshine and roses. I am constantly making adjustments along the way and trying to do my best. I have moments of failure and moments of progress. Some things work and some things don't. When I am at the kwoon I try even harder because I am surrounded by likeminded people and teachers that expect more from me than I would of myself and distance myself from the politics. Each time I go to the kwoon I want to show some progression. The bottom line is commitment, accountability, adjustment, and following through. See you at the kwoon.

Correction is essential to power and mastery. - Stewart Emery

The Right Frame of Mind

The last two months have been a learning experience for me. I have struggled to attend classes and my training has suffered. My motivation has been low for a great deal of the time. I have been out of town more than I have been in town, and as many other team members know, it is difficult to live a normal life from a hotel or camp room.

This past week I’ve made an effort to stay engaged by doing more little things for myself. I’ve made a concerted effort to eat as healthy as I can. I’ve made an appointment to go to physiotherapy for my shoulder. When I started being unable to perform regular pushups I know that this sapped my motivation quite a bit because pushups were the one area that I knew I could do well in. I have tried modified pushups but they don’t make me feel like I’m accomplishing anything. I know that’s the wrong attitude but it’s the truth.

I’ve also made a list of things from around the house that I want to get done so I can start working on them. I like lists and I especially like checking things off after I accomplish them. I’ve been finding that doing these little things helps me by keeping my mindset in “doing things” mode.

Cory Smid

http://kungfucory.blogspot.ca/

4 long days!

Long days.....resting and healing sucks! I know that I am supposed to be positive but all that I am positive about right now is that I don't like this.
I got up Sunday morning....did my sit ups, kicks, tai chi, weights and started my day. I was pretty tired but I figured I would just shake it off as the day got going. It didn't happen! I made it through my work day, skipped my run due to exhaustion that never went away and came home and crashed on my couch. I have been here ever since...Argghh! Today I was trying to figure out how many reps I have to do each day to get back on track without killing myself. What if I increase my workouts by half? For example, 150 kicks become 200. or 3 reps become 4. I realize that it may take a little longer to get caught up but if I do too much right away, I'll just get sick again ( and I don't want to repeat this anytime soon!).
Tomorrow I plan to push myself a little more than today and hope that I won't end up back on the couch. :)

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

In the grind

Well I missed blogging by a day again. Trying to get back on top of it. It is interesting to note that the push ups were an issue before the blogging became an issue. The whole week has been ruff, Ive been hitting road block after road block in my personal life. Car issues, health issues, family issues, family health issues. Talk about life getting in the way. I knock off one problem and two seem to manifest in its wake. Well this is what we call the valley that we all seem to be destined to be in once in a while. Just have to keep pushing and I will break through to the other side soon enough. All it takes is dedication, perseverance and hard work. I'm starting to get a hold of the push ups again lucky for me I had a lot built up so I am still on track with that goal. Now I just have to get more involved in the blogging again. Once a week just will not cut the mustard.

http://michaelplayter.blogspot.ca/

Week 10- whoops

Totally forgot to blog. Totally. Not that I had much to say anyway. I am pretty much just plugging along over here. Had a good Easter weekend with family, ate a lot of food! I am actually enjoying the rain since it's not snow.
At lunch today I was reading a veterinary magazine and there was an article about a vet who had her nose broken by a dog who lunged at her in the exam room. The point of the story was about how not to get hurt by an agressive patient, anyway, one of the points was to learn how to dodge a punch. Really. This vet recommends having some kickboxing or martial arts training to develop your reflexes. In the weird way the world works, after reading this article, a pitbull went after me today in a closed space, I avoided getting hurt and although I can't say what combination of circumstances was responsible for keeping me safe, I will take the odds that knowing how to dodge a punch helped me out.
See you all on the mats.
Sifu Prince

Uughh!

Yeh, still sick! I feel different than yesterday but horrible just the same. Tomorrow, I insist on feeling better :)

Sifu Robyn Kichko
 http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

The Wonderful World of Plastic

I am a fella that tends to try to suck every ounce of life out the items I have.  I have a lawn mower that is hanging on by a thread with a nasty speed wobble from hitting the city water outlet on more than one occasion.  I have a car with a front bumper held together with scotch tape and zip ties, and a T-shirt worn to rags that I won’t retire because I screen printed it myself in 1994.

Therefore, it isn’t a stretch to assume that I appreciate good quality. I must say, the quality of products these days are an exact reflection of a disposable world drenched in massive consumerism, mediocre to downright poor workmanship, and so on and so on.

After breaking about the 9,000^th plastic widget for my lifetime trying to fix the car the other day, I can honestly say I am completely fed up with the state of society’s attitude.

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

 

I Didn't Even Know...

It wasn't until a couple days ago that I realized how much had changed. 2 years ago, I'd look in my cupboards and see Mr. Noodle, Mac and Cheese, cookies, chips and pretty much anything microwavable. Today I look in my cupboard and I see grains, spinach pasta, canned fruits and veggies and low sodium soups. 2 years ago, I'd look in my freezer and see microwavable dinners and ice cream. Today it's stocked with frozen fruit for morning smoothies. 2 years ago I'd look in my fridge and see sugary iced tea, and not much else but condiments. Today it's full of different leafy vegetables, mushrooms, cucumber, tomatoes, natural fruit juice and homemade granola bars. 2 years ago I walked with my feet splayed outward, head down and arms crossed. Today I walk with my feet straight, head up and arms at my side. 2 years ago I would never in a million years get out of bed earlier than I had to for anything unless my bed was on fire. Today I got up at 5am to go to the gym.

If I Ho Chaun changed me, it can change you...but you have to not give up. I failed and started over many times but I never stopped completely. If you feel resentful, angry or negative in any way, find someone to talk to. If you're missing classes to avoid something or because you're afraid of something, talk about it. You'll change in ways you won't even realize until you're looking back at yourself 2 years ago.

Outrunning Apathy

Recently my condition has gotten worse, I have been finding myself not able to leave bed until the afternoon and it feels like all of my tendons and fibers of my being have been shrinking. It has been hard to even walk most days but today I decided I had to make changes.

My alarm went off at 8 A.M., but from a lack of sleep I decided to just roll over and fall into the rhythm that had started. I fell into a dream where I was running up a seemingly endless building, it appeared to be an old apartment complex. At each level I would have to open a door to continue up, and I would shut the door behind me because I knew I was being chased by something. There were times where this being almost caught me, but I found myself become invisible, allowing me to gain some distance from this mystery monster. I found myself in agony, but I kept up my pace and eventually reached the door that led to the roof. Standing in front of me was a 4-foot warrior, with green hair, patched armour and blade. I returned to consciousness and listened to the radio from upstairs for a while before getting out of bed at 10 A.M.

After my breakfast and watching my stream of YouTube videos I decided I had to do something with my day. For too long I had been stagnant, only walking my dog, doing little work on my forge and sitting at my computer. I decided to go for a run.

I took a route that I used to run when I was training for Bloomsday back in 2005, 2 kilometers one way and then back. The first kilometer made me feel terribly out of shape, I found myself tripping over my feet and out of breath fast. I had to take two breaks on that first part, something I didn't think I would ever need. The next kilometer I found my step, I felt like a load had been taken off of me and I was finally on the proper road to recovery. I didn't stop on the 2 kilometers back, and when I saw the end I ran with all I had left. I ended with a short walk back to my house, some stretching and finished with Awakening the Dragon.

Tomorrow I'm going to go for a run again, before I go wait for an MRI that I hope will shed some light on what is wrong with me.

http://lairdchris.blogspot.ca/
http://lairdchris.flavors.me/

Leader?

    What makes you a leader?  Is it your actions alone or is there something else? To lead you need at least one to follow. Is one follower enough to be considered a leader? Is someone a leader because they have a follower? Is someone with a lot of followers a better leader? So many questions I have about leading , and I have read a few books on the subject.

     I ask because I want to be one , not just any leader , but an exceptional leader and Mastery seems like a good place to start.

Scott Fuhr

http://ihochuan.blogspot.ca
http://scottfuhr.blogspot.ca
http://flavors.me/scottfuhr
http://www.silentriverkungfu.com

I'm sick!

Since I got home from work yesterday, I have been sleeping most of the time. I have a fever, a running nose and there may also be some whining involved! Back to bed!

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Easter

I had a pleasant Easter. Spent time with friends and family, ate too much. Got some chores done, put my summer tires on and cleaned the inside of my car.  All in all pretty good. I signed up with some friends for beach volleyball with the Edmonton sport and social club. So for most of the summer I will now be playing volleyball on Monday nights. It should be fun. I haven't played volleyball since high school, going to be interesting to see how many skills I've retained. Its going to be pretty casual, I expect the will be more laughs than spikes.

Sifu Wetter

http://liveforeverordieintheattempt.blogspot.ca/

outside training

I have been down most of the week with a cold.  Started feeling better on Sunday.  I am still coughing but I think the worst is behind me.  I wasn't able to get any reps done this past week.


I am hopeful that this upcoming week that things will start to click and now that most of the snow is gone from my yard,  I can take my heavy bag out on the lawn and start working out in the yard.


The end of the month will be the end of the first three months of I Ho Chuan Year of the Horse.  I know for myself that this experience to this point has been very positive for me both physically and mentally.


I am very glad to be part of this group  and am enjoying how much I am learning.



http://jimsand11.blog.com/2014/04/21/outside-training/


Mr Sand
Green Belt

My Week In Review

Last week was very eventful. Monday I went to class for the first time in a while and it was great. I started to get sick on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon I called an ambulance to take me to the hospital because of some horrible chest pain I was having. I felt a little silly calling 911 but the pain was getting worse and worse and I was having a hard time breathing and couldn’t drive. I tried calling someone to take me to the hospital but nobody was around. I got out of the hospital Wednesday night after doing a bunch of tests, but mostly just waiting. Nobody knows what happened but it doesn’t look like it was anything serious, although it sure seemed serious at the time. And apparently I have really good blood pressure. I was told that three times by three separate people.

I spent some time with friends and family over the weekend and I also logged some numbers for the first time in a while. I expect this week to be a good one as I try to build on some good things that I did last week.

Numbers:

Pushups

Last week –150

Overall –2750

Situps

Last week –90

Overall –1120

Kicks

Last week –190

Overall –2170

Acts of Kindness

Last week –2

Overall – 17

My numbers are pretty low but that’s my own fault. My natural inclination is to quit when I start having a hard time so I’m trying to work on that.

 

Cory Smid

http://kungfucory.blogspot.ca/

168 hours

Most of us complain about the lack of time. We have 168 hours a week to do everything we want. It all depends on our priorities. What is most important for us? If it is important we will find the time for it. Of course we have to sleep, eat, work…

Considering 7 hours of sleep (every night), 46 hours at work (including commuting), about 5 hours for eating – that leaves 68 hours. Now it doesn’t look so good but this is almost full 3 days!!!

Trying to avoid the down time when I’m staring at the computer not understanding what I’m doing and why I’m not doing what is important to me. Well, step one is to determine what is important. Step two is to plan what you do and step three is to act on it.

Can I plan my week to the minute? Is it overkill? Probably it is but if I keep reminding myself what is important to me, I’m sure I will find the time to do it.

http://csillag-stars.blogspot.ca/2014/04/168-hours.html

Day Saved!

I was leaving the grocery store today and I spilled my bag, dumping oranges and a loaf a bread on the ground. So I am wondering, what else can test me today? And then this adorable little boy (about 3 years old), picks up my bread and hands it up to me with an adorable smile. Day saved!

Sifu Robyn Kichko
 http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Holidays always Mess me Up

Yup. I forgot to blog yesterday.

One day off and everything goes out the window. Arrrgh. And with now I-ho-chuan class... I ended up not doing any Kung Fu and I felt miserable about it. But no worries, I am back on track today.

Today I managed to get in a bit of everything - pushups and situps back on track, taichi, and I even managed to blast out a few form reps before taichi and in open training before hustling back to prepare for our Passover celebration.

Passover is a time to think about oppression - to think about what we can do to help remove oppression from others in our world and to think about what internal oppression we my be facing and try to break out of those bonds; and to do it all while eating unleavened bread - matzah.

Now I am stuffed, tired and ready for another day tomorrow.

http://sharidactyl.wordpress.com/

Gotta Keep Going

Still haven't been back to class. The plan is to start again on Wednesday. I had my first personal training session yesterday. I wasn't that impressed, so Josh is coming to the gym with me on Monday and help me come up with a routine. The plan is to go to the gym 4 days a week. 2 days for strength, 2 days for cardio and stretching. I just don't know where to start and I'm kind of uncomfortable being there so far because I don't know how to use the machines. Hopefully after Monday I'll get it sorted out.

I'm still looking into better food. Cruelty free meat is more expensive and harder to find, but I think if we all start being more responsible in our food choices the demand will create more options. Being responsible is the least I can do. So far Planet Organic seems alright, but I still have to research it further since the term "organic" and "cruelty free" are so loosely utilized. At least I'm heading in a better direction.

I still struggle with logging. I should probably start blogging my numbers again. It seems like a day turns to a week and a week into a month rather quickly if you're not accountable to anyone but yourself.

Happy Easter everyone!

Almost Missed

Ok I have been crazy busy at work and at home and almost missed writing this weeks blog.

Thank heavens that I enter my requirements daily in my tracking log and noticed that I still have not posted a weekly blog. I don’t have a topic this week to write about, but maintaining a daily tracking sheet sure has help me not to miss a requirement so that is sure a learning. 

To The Tracking Sheet.

Where am I? What am I doing?

Nerd in training

So I am in Calgary doing a third test run on blogging when away from work or home. Tried doing this on my cell phone with no success.  However the iPad works great,  this was easy to do however the copy & paste to the other site might be challenging.  Really the technology is nice but the learning curve can be brutal.  Got the tracking sheet from Sifu Weibe and got it working, its pretty slick!

It worked!!!

Good Run

The odds were against me...a bad sleep (restless and awake many times - have you ever had one of those nights where you dream that your alarm went off, struggle to wake up only to discover that you were dreaming? I had three dreams like that last night!), long day, a nap was calling and so on. I made it to the track, changed, climbed the stairs and started my warm up and discovered that I forgot to stretch this morning, my legs were tightening up. No problem, get warm and then stretch, it worked! I started my run and my legs felt like they weighed 300 lbs each! I kept going and reminding myself that this was the road to mastery; not pretty, a bit uncomfortable, not exactly what I wanted to be doing and not coming that easy - definitely on the right road! When I was done, I felt great although each step was a struggle.

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Change of Plans

When deciding to be silent with some of the groups that I support ( Because I'm a Girl, We Day, The Plan, Free the Children), I did not consider that I had to teach today and I had not pre-planned the day with my team. So I spent most of the day silent and I found it most humbling, each time I considered talking or using my computer, I thought of the children that didn't have a voice and it totally put everything into perspective. I was choosing to do this, they have not chosen their lot in life. I hope that by being silent we have helped spread awareness for them and with awareness comes change!
I spoke to the students in the Beginner Black Dragon class today and they want to be silent next Tuesday. We are not going to use our computers or phones (no texting) and we are not going to speak, even during class. They are going to follow everything that I do, the other instructors may speak but I won't and neither will they. I am excited that they want to do this with me, I hope to help create another generation of caring individuals :)

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

We Are Silent

Tomorrow I will be silent for the entire day. I will not speak and I will not use any of my electronic devices ( I will blog only if I can stay up past midnight). I will be silent for all of the children in the world that do not have a voice; the ones that live in poverty, in an environment that is not loving, in an environment that does not encourage them to grow and learn. Children can do amazing things when they are nurtured and loved, I believe that it is our responsibility to ensure that each and every child experiences an environment that fosters growth. So for every child who isn't heard, I will be silent for you and hope that my silent speaks volumes.

Sifu Robyn Kichko
 http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Working out the Kinks

Moving along steady in a scattered but productive process. Shaken documentation and working lot's of hours but it is what it is. Getting in some reps in the morning really helps with the balance of it all. Knowing at the beginning of the day I have something done has really helped a lot in my attempt to balance it all with out tipping way to the spaztic side, whether it be laziness or productivity. I have this large roll of paper that I have written down all of the I Ho Chuan requirements and put it on the wall. I use this for motivation and to help me with my journaling issues. I am going to total up everything that I have done in the last 9 weeks and post my personal goals and numbers. I will include all of my numbers and progress in my weekly blogs to show the team a view of my absence. This way anyone of the team can see where I am and what I'm doing. I want to be as transparent as I can in order to welcome critique and advice as I prepare for grading. As of course I am more than willing to help anyone on the team at anytime, all you need to do is ask.

Since last I Ho Chuan class my weapon form has progressed a little further and I am now able to start counting form reps. There is still a few transitions and techniques that aren't really running smooth, in fact they suck. You all seen the pause and I should mention there was a whole sequence missed. So I have needed to change a few stances and strikes/blocks but it is coming along well. I started to use my stick in place of the axe to help with the space issues. This also allows me to work on my form with a little less weight and less items to smash to pieces when doing the flying spinning back kick.  This one is really hard to practice anywhere but outside with the long axe. This part of the form is the most complex for me. Height, timing, stability, form and flow are all required here and they all need work. So I am working on height and doing elevators to keep the muscles around my knees strong. When doing these I have used a balancing aid until I can maintain a form of my knees staying over my feet and solid balance. I have also been using the heavy bag so I can actually feel how I am kicking and a target for accuracy. As everything improves I will raise the target.

I serviced my mountain bike so it's ready for some miles. I am hoping to get a chance to grab a chin up bar fairly soon here. As far as everything else goes it's pretty scattered right now. I am attempting to go over everything and break down my strong and weak points. I am hoping from there I can achieve a training balance that will adapt to my life style. I will admit I am a workaholic, but I am also a martial artist with a goal. That goal is to continue the linage of our great school and bring out the best I have in me. See you at the kwoon.

Taking a Break (Physically)

Last week I didn't write a blog and I have beating myself up about it. My only reason for it is that my condition has been getting worse and apathy has started to engulf me. Each morning I find myself weaker than the day before, my hands and feet pale and cold and I have only a small and finite amount of energy to put into my day. I have an MRI booked for the 25th and a doctors appointment on the 28th, and I just hope that what ever is wrong with me is found. Because of this lack of energy and strength I find myself in a rut again, just after I found my balance. But because I am unable to continue in one respect, I have been pushing forward in other ways.

I have started to contact Scott Rodell about having a swordsmanship seminar taught and will be giving updates on that as I find out more. I also have been working on another of my personal requirements, building a forge and workshop to express myself in a way I have always wanted to. Ever since I was a child I loved working with metal and have always sought jobs that involved the ductile and somewhat forgiving medium. I already have plans on how I am going to meet this requirement but  at the moment lack the tools and funds to fulfill it to my own specifications.

Even though I am taking a break from the physical aspects of my training I will still be coming to class, I will be planning on how to play catch up once I am better, and I will still blog and keep everyone up to date on what is wrong or right with me. I don't want to let the team down.

http://lairdchris.blogspot.ca/
http://lairdchris.flavors.me/

Persistance

Been slowly reincorporating my kicking into my training, Only the right leg and with the assistance of a balance aid.Only small amounts of kicks so i don't mess anything up. Hurt my knee again in open training. Its still recovering but I have not done any hand form reps as a result. Only stick form reps because there are no real low stances in that form except the one open x stance. Frustration is setting in with my injury and its starting to effect motivation. The push ups are harder and harder to do and when that starts it means that the blogging is not far behind. I have to keep focused on the goal. Keep doing those push ups and sit ups because it is the first line of defense against apathy setting and all the wheels falling of. Easier said then done but nothing worth doing ever seems to be easy.

http://michaelplayter.blogspot.ca/

Mayday

I'm hitting a major rut, a wall, whatever you want to call it. And this is a call for help. I've been having problems with my back mostly, but I think it's causing problems with my hips, shoulders, knees. I'm finding that I'm scared to do a lot of things because it causes pain in my back, and now I'm losing skill and flexibility because of lack of activity. My push ups are taking a hit because my back hurts so much when I do them.

So, can I get some help? Sifu Wiebe, can I get the contact info for your chiropractor? Yes, I know it's about time but I'm stubborn and don't like going to those types of places.

Sifu Playter, can I get some help with my kicks? I'm losing strength and mobility and my hips crack and scream if I throw one even with minimal force. You were helping a student the other day with his kicks, have any more advice for me?

Does anyone have any advice for a bad runner? I figured I could at least go for some light jogging, but two days later I have huge pain in my shins. Shin splints have always been a problem for me and after talking to Ms. Csillag I'm sure it's my form.

I've made appointments to get my knee sorted out, so that's a step. I think my bed is a huge factor, so I'll be swapping it out in the next day or so for a firmer one we have upstairs. And I plan on getting a new pillow (again).

I'm going to start cooking more. My husband has the metabolism of a hummingbird and therefore cooks what he loves, namely gravy and meat. Not good for me, but if I cook he will eat. As long as I have a side of cheese so he can smother anything green.

Any other tidbits from you guys would help. I'm just so frustrated lately. Advil is what gets me through the day, and I hate being dependent like that.

http://dogsthinking.blogspot.ca

Fitbit

As the months roll along, I become more and more technologically connected. I have an iPad (thank you generous gift giver), I have traded in my flip phone for an iPhone (thank you my friend and husband) and now I have a Fitbit flex ( thank you surprise early anniversary present). They all communicate with each other, sync their data and completely amaze me with all their capabilities. I still don't understand all that they can do but I hope to learn a little everyday until I do. I am hoping to more accurately keep track of my activities and my calories and be more aware of them. I can't wait to see what a whole day of tracking looks like:)

Sifu  Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

progress

Had a good night. I was able to get some cleaning done. This was a good thing because it was all things that needed to be done. With Easter coming it's easy to forget our routine with all this extra time off. However I am proud to say I made all my reps last night of both forms.I even got more push ups and sit ups done. My studies are even doing good. So I feel good that I am moving forward again.
Had spaghetti for supper and hot dogs for lunch then a granola bar for snack.
Washed all floors then did dishes then did 2 loads of laundry and put it all away, then vacuumed living room. took out all garbage.
Sifu Jeannette Langner

Tuesday Morning Thoughts

We had a good class last night. I’m pretty sure Sifu Freitag was mad at us for something because it was a pretty intense workout (at least for someone at my level). I hadn’t been to class in a while and so, even though I felt slow, weak, and out of shape (not that I was ever really fast, strong, or in shape), it was a great class to return to. There were also quite a few new faces and a couple of people were promoted since I was last in class.

What really hit home was that there were new people in class that have already achieved more stripes in a month than I did in six. I know we’re not supposed to compare ourselves to others but how can you not? I guess the important thing is that I recognized the wasted opportunities that all the missed classes represent. I also had a good talk with Mr. Repay about the ebb and flow of motivation. Perspective is always a good thing.

Cory Smid

http://kungfucory.blogspot.ca/

 

 

 

First Timer

I spent a lot of time with Katie today, helping her with stuff that she had not done before. I didn't really understand until I watched her experience it and then I remembered! When I was 16 yrs old, there were a lot of grown up things that I needed to learn to do that I was a little nervous about before I did them. Sometimes I forget what it was like to be a young person doing things for the first time and on days like today, I am grateful that I can be reminded.
I helped with the advanced Black Dragons tonight which was a lot of fun. I got to see some students that I haven't seen in a while, push them a little harder than I used to be able to and watched them respond by stepping up to the plate. It was a great class.
I also went to see some high school drama with Katie and her friends, it is so cool to see young people who are willing to put themselves out there and not worry about what everyone thinks and so on. I always enjoy hanging out with Katie and her friends and today was no acception :)

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Bow Stance/Stick

I have been working on my stance with stick one and I think I am leaning forward when I strike.  I don't feel off balance, but I don't feel that the power is being generated from the ground.

I am mindful of this when I am doing my reps but can't seem to get it at the right.  I am working to get my stance and strike to hit at the same time to drive the power.

I am hoping that the adjustments I make will click at some point and I will then feel the power that should be there.   I just cant find it yet.


http://jimsand11.blog.com/2014/04/14/bow-stance-stick/


Mr. Sand

Sunday

I wasn't really sure what I was going to do today, I wanted to just listen to my body and see what I needed to do. I had a good sleep last night, the puppy let me sleep until 8 am! I enjoyed a relaxing, healthy breakfast and a cup of tea and some much needed snuggling with my dogs and cat. After that, I just started doing stuff and I got a lot of stuff accomplished. I think the key to my success today was that I had no expectations. I usually plan my whole day with things I should get done, need to do or else, but today I just decided to go with the flow. It worked! My back yard is half thawed and half clean (read: raked and disposed of), I really happy that I got so much of it done. I made carrot soup for the week (my favorite) and chicken stew for supper, cleaned the kitchen and did the laundry and went grocery shopping. I didn't hurry or get stressed out about getting 'everything' done, I just did it. One thing that was different about how this week ended was my first day off was Saturday. This is usually my rest day, instead, I spent the day sweating, working on my forms and hanging out with my peeps. Today, I didn't feel like I had to rest or that I had to play catch up for all the things that got left behind during the week. I just got to go with the flow. Next week, I remember to have a great work out on my first day off :)

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Purple

It's been awhile since I journalled. I am pretty disappointed in myself for doing this yet again. Shortly after my last post I was sick for about a week, then the following week I was out of town for work. Unfortunately I didn't get much done during that time, the numbers definitely took a hit. Since then I've been trying to catch up. I've been trying to watch what I eat more, keeping track and weighing my self every day. I've been weighing myself in the morning right after I wake up, which I hear is the most accurate way to do it. Over the past two weeks I've lost about six pounds, I think anyway. My weight seems to fluctuate up to 7lbs during the day so I am hoping a consistent morning measure is accurate.

I've really been having a hard time getting practice time in with the meteor hammer. The only times I've been practising are on Fridays and Saturdays at the kwoon. Sometimes Fridays don't give me much practice time either. I'm not getting the hang of the weapon as fast I was hoping. I was expecting it to be a challenge since I've never learned a weapon like it before, and hinged weapons aren't my strong point, but its been harder than I expected. I knew I was going to have a slow start but I'm further behind the eight ball than I would like. The weather is finally good enough that I can start going outside. I'm going to start hunting for areas that are dry enough. Somewhere where I'm not going to get arrested. I hit myself in the side of the leg twice yesterday at practice which left a large, sore bruise. So far its the worst I've hurt myself with the hammer so I suppose I can't complain.

Sifu Jesse Wetter

http://liveforeverordieintheattempt.blogspot.ca/

Busy Week

     The last week has been very busy. 3 nights were doing baseball evaluating , Saturday and Sunday I was in coaching courses. The whole time evaluating and learning I was comparing the mechanics of Kung Fu and baseball. It really is too much for me to do but the pre season rush is almost over so I can resume my semblance of structure.

     I also seen a Dr. for the pain in my shoulders he said that it appears to be tendinitis in both and a pinched nerve on my right side. So I've changed the amount of push-ups I do at a time ,no more than 30 , and it seems to have made a difference. Less pain and discomfort throughout the day.

     One of my goals was to get Shelly and James to start a blog. I see value in it , even though I seem to miss on occasion. James was really interested and has now started one so here it is.
http://jamesfuhr.blogspot.ca   I wish I could write as good as he does at 10.

Scott Fuhr

http://ihochuan.blogspot.ca
http://scottfuhr.blogspot.ca
http://flavors.me/scottfuhr
http://www.silentriverkungfu.com

Back pain - again?

Today I bought my personal massage therapist. The one the is always there for you. Although limited to the back, I think it will be a great companion to my chiro visits.

This weekend was lots of fun - on Friday we had Dragon practice, Lion dance practice, presentation of our demo forms. Then for my anniverssary date we went on for a nice vietnamese restaurant. Saturday we spent some more time at the kwoon and in afternoon we went swimming. Today we went bike riding and later in the evening we went for an early Easter meal.

Now time to go, relax and get my back massage....

http://csillag-stars.blogspot.ca/2014/04/back-pain-again.html

Goals

     This week I am really starting to accomplish some of my personal goals. Some of them I am really close to completing are writing a song, and doing a backflip. I am really exited that I am close to completing them but I always chicken out when trying to do a backflip, I kinda twist over my shoulder than fall onto my stomach. I also made the Jr. A Badminton team at school.

Kathryn Fuhr

http://kathrynfuhr.blogspot.ca
http://flavors.me/kathrynfuhr
http://www.silentriverkungfu.com
http://ihochuan.blogspot.ca

What am I Going to do About it?

I've decided to force myself to feel better, it's going to be hard but the alternative is to keep getting weaker like I have been. I've missed alot of kung fu, alot from not feeling well and being so tired, and alot from being embarrassed about how out of shape I am now. I talked to Sifu Brinker and I'm going to attend the advanced class for a little while because it's earlier. At least this way I'm still learning kung fu and will follow along the best I can or practice at the back of the class. I will just have to go at my own pace until I'm ready to go back into my later class. I also got a personal trainer to help me gain some strength back. I told them I want to work on my core and shoulders so I can do more situps and pushups and I want to work on my endurance. They are going to start me off slowly. My intention is to go to the gym 3 times a week and start going to kung fu classes again as much as possible.

Josh and I also bought a whole bunch of frozen fruit and fresh veggies. My diet was slowly falling off the wagon but I'm back to fruit smoothies for breakfast and salads for lunch. I didn't even buy any Jalapeno Cheetos...even though I'm pretty sure they are the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. I even got a homemade tea made for me by Josh's friend who's studied herbology.

I hope I can keep up with my gameplan. I deleted Facebook off my phone, so I could dedicate the time I'd be wasting on Facebook, logging my numbers. I have the hardest time with that.

Wish me luck!

Week 9

Today is one of those days that I am staring at the screen not sure what to write about. It is my only day off this week, it's been so busy at work, and while overtime is nice I am really looking forward to the long weekend next week. This is the most I've ever been away from the kwoon and it is hard. I am trying to go to the kwoon on Sundays to practice, although there is a growing patch of grass in the backyard that I will be able to practice on soon, hurray spring!

I have been trouble with my shoulders again. I am so used to dealing with it I hardly think of it anymore, but the most frustrating thing for me is not being able to stay in bed. Like I said earlier, it's my day off and my big plan was to sleep in until at least 9. I was up at 7 because I just can't stay lying down and be comfortable. I can't sleep on my sides or my stomach so I lay in bed like I'm in a coffin. The swelling from not moving gets so uncomfortable I have to get up. It has made me think about how I tend to put up with things that I shouldn't, like constant pain. Adrien got me a really good book called "Becoming a Supple Leopard", different title but its an amazing book. There is a ton of info about your muscles and your body in general as well as how to fix problems- like your pesky shoulders. I'm going to try to be diligent with it this week and I can post more about it next week. 

One a totally different note I just want to put it out there how grateful I am for the life I have and all the good things in it. There are people connected to me that are having tough times and it just reminds me of how many things there are to be thankful for, kung fu definitely being one of them. See you all next week.

Sifu Prince

Good Day!

The best thing about Saturday is the opportunity to spend the day at the kwoon. Today was a great opportunity and I took full advantage of it. There were many great moments in my day; an unexpected gift, hanging out with great-minded people, a little dragon dancing, trying out my one and only lion dance move, practicing some cool stuff that I learned last night about my chi and finishing the day with a great family dinner. I also practiced my guitar this evening and recorded it, I think that I have some new ideas on what to practice. All in all, a good day :)

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Who Me? A lion dancer?

I am very excited to be learning how to lion dance. I have always wanted to but have created a road block or two because I was afraid to try something new. Tonight when we started learning the moves, I wanted to just keep on practicing, it felt awesome. What if I like it as much or more than the dragon? Yikes! that could be quite exciting. I am looking forward to practicing and to learning more in the future. :)

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Today was my Day

A day just for me. And it felt so good. So what was different? Not much. I still had to make lunches and fight with my kids to get them out the door to school. I still had tonnes of errands, responsibilities and chores. I did throw in a great run, a relaxing sauna and a nice massage. But the big difference was all in my inner thoughts and perceptions of what I was doing. Everything I did today I did because I WANTED to. Not because I had to.

Best thing. No resentment or anger.

I really feel like I am making progress on the inner me.

I completed my anger bootcamp and learned lots. But it is all just the tip of the iceberg for inner change. Now is the test. Can I apply it and maintain it.

http://sharidactyl.wordpress.com/

Learning Learning Learning

One thing that I love about Kung Fu is that everyday I am learning something new.

It does not matter whether you are a student or an instructor, everyday presents something new. I will admit that when I was a Que. belt I had experienced times of boredom, asking my self “when are we going to learn something new”. I was just looking for that new technique, new Form or application to be shown me. At that time my eyes were not open to see all of the opportunities that were presented in front of me, all I had to do is be open to them. 

As I progress as a martial artist I have become aware of all of these learning opportunities, I am discovering them everywhere and have been open to except them for what they are and not from where they are coming from.

Where am I? What I am doing?

Did you ever?

Did you ever wake up cranky for no reason? Well, I did today! I still had a good day but I really had to be aware of my reactions to folks all day long. It was very tiring....

Sifu Kichko
 http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/