Are Hundreds Or Even Thousands Of Repetitions Necessary?

 Herschel Walker, Bruce Lee, Gama, Dan Gable and Karl Gotch; what do they all have in common besides being some of the very best in their field of Sports or Art? They have literally done thousands upon thousands of repetitions of exercise over their lifetimes. They were also some of the fittest if not the fittest athletes in their time. The amount of push-ups, squats, sit-ups, sprinting, going over moves more times in a day than the average person would in a year. Were they necessary for their chosen endeavor?

These guys were at the top of the food chain in what they did. From Walker making records as a running back, Lee with his expertise in Martial Arts, Gama with his Undefeated Streak in Wrestling, Gable's unlimited endurance and Gotch's unbelievable Condition and Wrestling Knowledge. For them, being in top condition required countless reps to stay ahead in the game and outlast opponents with ease. Does the rep count in Calisthenics and Moving Weight really matter to become the very best? The truth is, in order to become the best in your chosen sport, you have to consistently do that sport to get better ad better. Very few ever reach the pinnacle of success. 

Although you can do 100's of reps per day with any given exercise, it's not going to make you a better athlete. It can have a heavy aid as a supplementation and laying down a foundation for what your goals are. Rickey Henderson was the greatest speedster and lead-off man in Major League history but after all that training and 25 years in Baseball, he was still 3 ticks shy of 300 career home runs. Karl Gotch has said Conditioning is your best hold yet some of the most conditioned fighters still lost or made mistakes. I do believe in being in great shape, but doing hundreds or even thousands of reps isn't always the key.

Nobody can outlast father time and eventually, we have to change how our bodies react and recover from certain aspects of training. If someone who's 20 years and in awesome shape can do 500 Push-ups a day, by the time he's 70, that number won't be that much of a priority. If you set goals and want to go after certain numbers either as a challenge or on a consistent basis, that's one thing but our bodies aren't always exceptional like world-class athletes, we can't train like them and anybody who says you can is a liar. Injuries can occur, reaching a level where boredom becomes frequent and recovery is as much a priority as the training itself. 

I have literally done thousands of push-ups, squats, step-ups, club swinging, hammer striking, nail bends and animal moves in over 15 years of everyday training in total, there comes a point in time where you need to reassess what you want to accomplish. Where does it end and what have you really done? People forget or haven't completely learned how to use their intuition or learned how to be aware of what their body can do and what it can't. A football player can't hold a candle to a Navy Seal and a Catch Wrestler won't always win a street fight, it's a different process of what the body can handle. Yes, it's incredible we can find ways to tap into our minds and get that second or third wind but you always seem to see that either in competition, survival modes and through a challenge, rarely ever on a whim. 

We don't need to do thousands of a ton of things to accomplish something, sometimes we only those few that will get the job done and get results that was meant for you to have. 1000 crunches won't get you six pack abs, 500 Push-ups a day isn't always going to help you in a fight and 2000 Squats a day won't always help you in an hour long wrestling match. Conditioning is a key but there's more than one way to skin a cat to get in incredible shape. High reps do crossover into other endeavors and have a helping hand but it isn't going to make you the healthiest person. 

Train with intention of what you need to accomplish and do it not for the sake of doing countless reps but to develop the quality of those reps and the quality of your body's level to be in energizer mode consistently regardless of age. The quality of life is more important than a number of reps in an exercise.

My Morning WOD

 It's one of those days where the energy levels are just right, the sun is shining beautifully and you're feeling pretty damn good. You may not get those days all the time but when the opportunity arises, take advantage of it and do what makes you happy. I got up and did a routine that I combined a few things together that opened up the body and stretched the living hell out of it without really straining and relaxed as much as possible. It was GLORIOUS!!!!

Started off with Matt Furey's 5x5 System using a few exercises from Combat Conditioning.

The Neck Chi Kung Routine were next and felt everything in my neck open up.

Joint Loosening Exercises were next and worked everything from head to toe, opening up the meridians and getting rid of unwanted tension.

Did 5 Minutes of the Farmer Burns Stomach Flattener which built up a pretty good sweat and strengthening the internal organs and deep breathing.

Finished off with 1 Minute of Shaking everything out and relaxing the entire body, opening up the lymphatic system and just feeling the great energy.

I have no idea how long this took but I'm guessing around 30 minutes or so but everything we by so quickly and with such flow and intuitive awareness. It's better to wake the body up with internal intention than just muscles, muscles, muscles. The practice of releasing energy that radiates and gives off powerful sensations of endorphins and relaxation. Power comes from within, not always how fast you move or how much you can lift, that's secondary. 

The Neck Chi Kung exercises alone can wake you up and help prevent headaches, migraines and groggyness, the rest is just icing on the cake. These are not your typical run of the mill type of routine, it is a great way to strengthen the neck without needing to bridge. It works all the muscles that keep your head in tack. 

The 5x5 System, stretches and strengthens the muscles, the tendons and ligaments that help build flexibility in the shoulders, spine, legs and hips. It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

The Farmer Burns Stomach Flattener is a no brainer but should be done on an empty stomach and start off with only a few reps until you can continue repeating the exercise for 5 minutes. It develops incredible breathing power, strengthen the internal organs and can burn belly fat within 5 sec per repetition. It can be done anywhere and anytime. 

Shaking the body out releases unwanted tension or any more tension that is left in the body. Breathe deeply and relax. It also releases toxins in the body at least that's what I've noticed and releases a great deal of endorphins and gets rid of that emotion of anger, anxiety and excess energy. 

This routine can supercharge the body within minutes and make you feel you can tackle your day with ease. If you also practice protecting yourself from Energy Vampires, having a bad day would be as rare as Al Pacino and Robert De Niro being in the same movie together. Get those juices flowing and feel amazingly awesome to get the day started.

It Is Fun To Do Something For Your Birthday

Turned 36 yesterday and quite frankly, I don't feel all that different. Still feel I'm in the best shape of my life, still look like i'm in my early-mid 20's and can still do awesome stuff. Sometimes when I reflect on some of the birthdays I've had, I do feel thankful I'm still here and get to share my experiences and my ups and downs either with my friends and family or with you guys. I've had some kick ass birthdays and some very really bad ones (including being laid up in a hospital bed or when I was 15 and face planted into a lake after jumping off a 10-15 ft railing and literally smeared my towel in blood). 

A few years ago when I turning 33, I was in this phase of doing up to 500 Hindu Squats a day for weeks seeing how fast I can do them and on my birthday, tried to see how many I can do in 33 minutes, ended up being 1000 doing 80 Squats and 20 Jumpers repeated 10 times. Being in my mid (almost late) 30's now, I do see things a little differently, my training is always changing and learning what I can do and what I haven't done before. On Sunday, I wanted to try something I never did before and that's how fast I can do 1000 Step Ups or get through a full deck of cards just doing step ups. I did 1000 in just around 52 minutes at a BW of 261.8. Figured a good feat before my birthday.

Birthday feats are fun to do, Jack Lalanne was famous for his feats of endurance pulling the boats or doing something crazy after he reached a certain age. Don't think I'm on that level yet but again, the man wasn't even human in his time. For turning 36, thought I would go for a hike with my wife out at a place a mile and a half down by our house. A good trail that was 3 1/4 miles long. The humidity wasn't fun but overall a beautiful hike, awesome scenery of the lake, didn't feel winded whatsoever and felt peaceful next to the most important person in my life. Got in another little workout later on in the day after getting lunch and making our way to an entertainment shop full of comics, funkos, movies, classic gaming consoles. Bought a couple books and given a unintentional birthday sale. Played around with a new Indian Club for my birthday (15 lber) and do 100+ Reps doing swings. 

Some people treat their birthday as if it was any other day, that's awesome and you get to choose what you want to do for it. For me, I choose to celebrate it the best way I can in my own way because I wouldn't have this many birthdays by now if I wasn't saved from the great people who treated my meningitis when I wasn't even 2 yet. I celebrate because life is too damn short and I don't want anyone to go through what I went through. On my 21st Birthday, I wasn't even really allowed a fucking beer because I was having surgery on my legs the following day. 15 years ago today was my 3rd and final surgery to be able to walk again after breaking both of them in a stupid jumping accident. I'am so thankful that my legs have kept me strong and continue to raise the bar on physical fitness.

No matter what your age, celebrate life and making it worth while for you. Share with the people you love and have fun, even if it's just another day, do something different and even find a challenge to do and see what you can accomplish. Set a new goal, do something spontaneous and set the bar for your continuation of life. Have a blast and have an amazingly awesome day.

Isometric Posture For Realignment And Recovery

Often times we push ourselves to the max and see how far our bodies can go. We take on different challenges, man up one another or proving to yourself what you're capable of. Training hard can be a good thing every now and then and some of us train as if our lives depended on it such as: Being ready to fight, have the stamina and strength to move somebody, have energy to play with the kids and saving a life.

Training smart is a whole other ball game. You're learning what works, what doesn't and how your body adapts to certain regimens and protocols. Training hard and smart is extremely rare as most do one or the other yet both can co-exist if you are wise enough to understand how both work. At the same time, it is important to train from an internal stand point, conditioning the mind and body in a different format by the use of recovery.

Recovering from hard workouts is crucial to how you will become stronger and healthier in the long run. When in your teens or 20's, recovery isn't as optimal because for the most part, you can bounce back quickly and move on. By the time you're 35 and beyond, recovery becomes a godsend  and you'll need it in order to move and be more efficient in your endeavors. I highly believe in recovery workouts, exercises you can do that don't require a ton of effort but aren't strenuous. You can a low level yoga workout, you can do deep breathing exercises, various postures or you can just literally stand.

Standing postures such as Wu Ji Posture, help realign the body and let's the nervous system repair itself. It's an incredible recovery tool and those who have practiced Tai Chi, Chi Kung or other internal arts have phenomenal abilities at a much older age. A standing posture can be assumed as an Isometric exercise or more accurately, an Aerobic Isometric because you're not exerting as much force and the idea is to relax more, not be loose but relaxed.

It's called a Wu Ji Posture in Chi Kung, the Sponge in Animal Kingdom Conditioning, Standing Meditation and other names of the same thing. Your feet are shoulder width apart, hands at your side, knees slightly bent pelvis slightly tucked and there you go. Relax as much as possible and breathe deeply and naturally. It sounds so easy to do yet most don't understand its true power to literally give your body a reboot or recharge. I would hold this posture for about 5-10 min at a time, every once in a blue moon I'll go for 20 minutes but 10 minutes is more than enough for me to feel recharged. I do it sometimes before a workout, after a workout, as a stand-alone (pun intended) or in-between exercises.

Just the idea of standing there, many will scoff at because it looks like you're not doing a damn thing and it makes you look lazy and resting or something. The truth is, our bodies may not recover as fast as others. Often times, recovery can take longer than you want it to and we push ourselves so hard, it overwhelms the Central Nervous System and our muscles will tear up, if you push too hard the tendons can break and you'll be in a cast for weeks or months. The standing posture strengthens the body on the inside and rebuilds flow to the muscles and the tendons/ligaments. It gives our brains a boost too because with practice, you can learn to quiet the mind and focus on your breathing or do visualization that innates powerful energy.

Start your power from within. Like Yoda says "Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter." Strength is more internal than what we ever do on the outside. Stand and rebuild, stand and harness your power, stand and use it to become superhuman. Socrates from the Peaceful Warrior says "There's never nothing going on", the Standing Posture is a testament to that statement, it seems nothing is happening but inside, everything is going on.

Become Tough As Nails Through Isometric Training

Isometrics can be tough as hell but that's what it was designed for. To toughen up the mind and body through sheer strength from the inside out. Most people don't think twice about isometric training and don't quite understand it's effectiveness to not only strengthen the body but to benefit from it's healing aspects as well.

I believe in the old school style of strength training because quite frankly with all the overwhelming info out there today, you don't know what to trust and understand the true nature of what works. Strongmen of the past and some today use Isometrics as part of their daily training so they can reach levels of strength and conditioning from just about any angle and become almost near Injury-proof.

I can't help but love isometrics and the countless exercises that can be done for just about any type of endeavor. At times I'll use the Isometric Power Belt or do them free handed, use a wall, a tree or using weights, there are so many variations you can do. Can it get boring at times, sure it can and that's why many trainers today think it's inferior when in reality, it can be a life saver.

It is well known that Isometrics are a forgotten style of strength training and although some things of it are still out there today, compared to yesteryear, we don't know the major impact it has.

The amount of time you spend on isometrics depends really on your goals and how much you want to put in for particular exercises. My approach is more on the 7-12 second contractions but from time to time like in these videos above, I'll go more than a minute to really target my body while focusing on certain groups of muscles. When I do Bridges, I'll do 3 min in the front and back each to strengthen my neck and my spine. It's not easy but it's a hell of a workout as it hits the whole body and the sensations of euphoria when you come out of them are incredible.

Although size isn't always the goal, being able to stay strong and conditioned in the long run is. Developing real strength is what will help you be useful for other endeavors. I love to chop wood when I have the chance or when we go camping like this past weekend, I love to help carry things when its needed and move things others can't or they're hurt. It puts a smile on my face that my strength and stamina can do things for others and not feel obligated. That's what really gives off when you put the effort into strength for others and yourself. 

Train with Isometrics and understand the value of its beneficial properties not just in health and physical fitness, but overall to have the strength to work, to help others and do things the average person wishes they can do. 

Morning Cardio

There's nothing wrong with getting the blood pumping or getting a little sweat going in the morning. Many people dread just getting up, showering, eat a little and run out the door to get to work. They may have an ok day and come home just ready to drop dead on the couch and watch a little something, eat with the kids/spouse/yourself and head off to bed to repeat it all over again.

Getting some exercise in before heading to work can change your mood drastically and give you a little endorphin high to feel awesome and ready to jumpstart the day. For me, it depends on the mood i'm in but if I get an urge, I might do some skipping, circuit training, step ups, hindu squats, animal movements or swinging the Indian Clubs. Often I'll do Isometrics but changing it up isn't a bad thing either.

Motivation can be a real bitch to get a hold of and the will to actually do something can be difficult for most people. You don't need to do an hour straight of exercise to make it count for something, just a few minutes can do the trick. Do some movements before getting out of bed, put on your favorite music to set the tone and do exercises that are on your level. You don't have to do a crazy crossfit workout or some infomercial program. Do a few push-ups, a stretching routine or some crawls for a minute to wake the body up. Just Bear Crawling for one minute in the morning will not only help you get fit but it'll jumpstart the brain and kick in your metabolism. 

This morning, I felt like doing Step Ups with a deck of cards and ended with 500 Reps. It felt amazing and the level of de-stressing was incredible. Great sweat running down, breathing and going at a solid clip and moving with very little to no rest. It felt therapeutic, it had been a while and didn't want to overdue it but hey it still woke my ass up. 

A deck of cards workout is a great way to wake the body up, develop some crazy cardiovascular conditioning and you don't have to do the whole deck if you haven't hit that level yet. Start out with a few cards and work up to a full deck. You can do Push-ups & Squats, one exercise, 3-4 exercises, work with kettlebells or whatever works for you. It doesn't take a ton of time and is a hell of a calorie burner and you may even keep burning calories some time after the workout. Be sure to drink water and get a little food in your system. A workout like that can build up a crazy appetite. 

One of my favorite Deck Workouts was what I call the Backlund Deck Of Madness in honor of the legendary pro wrestler Bob Backlund. It's two exercises of Step Ups & the Ab Wheel; you flip a card (red for the wheel, black for step ups) and you do the reps for that particular card. I would suggest you spend some time strengthening yourself on the wheel before doing this workout, it's intense, hard and brutal. This will test anyone in the realm of world class conditioning and physical fitness. I talked to Bob one time and told him about this workout, he thought it sounded pretty good. The fastest time I finished this workout was just under 45 minutes, if anyone can do it faster (with safe technique and pace), you've got some insane cardio bro. 

If you're not into doing intense exercise in the morning, do some qi gong or joint loosening exercises, this also wakes up the body and supercharges your organs. If you're someone who's had previous injuries or is unable to do much, do what you can. Life doesn't have to be so dreary and full of the same negative patterns, learn to change your mindset and use some positive energy. Do what is possible and do it on your level and progress. If you create a routine and stay consistent both mentally and physically, your life with have better quality. If you have kids, have them join you and train together as a family. Build bonds and push each other with great energy. 

Video Game Workouts

Being stuck in the house because of Quarantine can be a real pain in the ass for most people. For gamers, it doesn't matter if you're big on the PS4, XBOX, Wii or (if you're a classic gamer) a Sega/Nintendo, it can get boring after a while. I've always enjoyed video games ever since as a kid in the 90's playing Mario, Sonic, Streets Of Rage, Ninja Turtles, NBA Games, Star Wars you name it.

For you young kids out there, before there was VR, Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Fit and all that, the only way you even felt remotely getting a workout playing video games was the running pad you had to hook up if you had a game that was based on Track And Field. For some, when you had this, in order to move the players or in-game athletes, you had to run in place as if you were sprinting, even the most serious gamers today wouldn't last 5 minutes with this thing.

Along with today's technology, if you're into fitness, you can get hooked up to various games on certain platforms that have you doing exercises aerobically or just swinging your arms to get some blood pumping. Even though it's much easier today to get some form of exercise while playing video games, many people still aren't motivated or have any clue as to what you can do without realizing you don't need to hook up a damn thing.

One of the things that kept me in shape while I played video games, was to come up with a little game myself to do exercises based on the game's plot or in the case of a Sport's game, the wins/losses or getting scored on and having to do an exercise when you are getting beat a little. One of my favorite games growing up in my teen years was the MLB The Show series and always enjoyed playing the legends they had. Still going strong with that series at a point in my late 20's every once in a while I would play a game and if I got struck out, I'd had to do 10 push-ups, if I was pitching and the batter got a base hit I'd have to do 10 Hindu Squats. If a batter got an extra base hit such Double, Triple or a Homerun, I would do 20-30-40 Hindu Squats. Now picture having to do that for a full game. That be a hell of a workout.

You can do this with just about any game, all you need is a little imagination and create exercises for certain scenarios or scenes in games. If you're into War Games like Halo or Call Of Duty, you can do exercises for every time a member of your unit is killed or every time you lose a life. If you lose a life, you have to do 5-10 Push-ups, a member of your squad is killed, you do 10-20 Squats. You can make it even harder by doing Burpees or a harder variation of a basic exercise. If you're doing a two player game or 3-4 player game, you can do some trash talking and taking things to another level.

You don't have to do Push-ups and Squats, you can do Sit-ups, Burpees, Punches and Kicks (keep the distance to a safe area of the room where you won't hit anything), Leg Raises, Jumping Jacks or Lunges, whatever suits you. There's no reason you can't be fit while having fun playing video games. Video Games make us use our brains to figure out things to get certain points, to use hand/eye coordination to fight, dodge and block opponents and have quick reflexes because the higher a level you go up, the harder it is.

Make the use of your Gaming a way to help you stay fit at home. Hell it doesn't even have to be a video game, it can be a board game or a game you play on your phone, don't just sit around twiddling your thumbs, get in shape and never look at gaming the same way again.

If you're looking for Classic Video Games or updating your collection with Next Gen Games, check out my friend Cory Arrison's Retro Attack Ebay Store. If you're in the Santa Cruz area, come check out Retro Attack Official Store in the Capitola Mall along with my other friend George Tegenkamp's Hadbro Toys. Buy, Sell, Trade and Find vintage and classic toys and games that will have you getting that nostalgia feeling and collect some of the most rare items around. They're awesome guys and will hook you up.

What Isometric Routine Works Best For You?

For people who do practice Isometrics, at times it's not easy picking a routine or finding an interest in one particular area of Isometrics. Some use straps, others used the bullworker, some do Free-Handed, using the environment such as within the house or do full on Muscle Control. Courses such as 7 Seconds To A Perfect Body and Isometric Power Revolution (practically the same course just different authors) use the Free-Hand approach while one writes about fat loss and developing better musculature, another takes it on geared to purely physique type training or better to look at it from a old school Bodybuilding approach. Both do wonders.

There are people who practice a particular method of Isometrics and than after years of doing it, changes it up and acts like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. How would you know what truly works? In my opinion; do different methods, practice styles of it in a combination. Although I prefer the straps using the Isometric Power Belt, I also practice Free-Handed, using things around the house, holding weight, posture type exercises and even animal based movements in an Isometric fashion. 

There are so many uses for Isometrics it's not even funny. You can do them for bodybuilding, rehab, increasing strength for weightlifting/olympic lifting, sports like MMA, Arm Wrestling, Baseball (segments of pitching and batting), Boxing for punching power and so much more. It is often overlooked because for one, they can be boring and two, it's harder work than many movement based methods. You can even use it to increase strength in your calisthenics for example; if you can do 100 straight push-ups do you think you can hold that same push-up for 2 minutes in the mid position? Many people can't. Doing a hold like that takes on a whole other sport of tackling not just the muscles but the tendons, ligaments and fascia. Try doing one push-up where you hold the top for one minute, mid for one minute and the lowest position for one minute and push back up. 

The best people that I have researched and known in this day and age that make Isometrics a cornerstone for incredible conditioning, physique building and superhuman like strength are guys like Bud Jeffries, Steve Justa, Steve Maxwell, Jarell Lindsey, Batman O'Brien, Matt Furey and a couple others. What they taught me about Isometrics through their writings, videos and even seeing one of them personally up close, it makes training all that much sweeter and much more leveled around doing things that help overcome plateaus and utilize cardio without moving. 

Don't always look to making a specific routine routine of Isometrics unless you have specific goals in mind, I encourage to use it as an add on to your regular training say either at the beginning, as a finisher or strengthen the weak points of your training. My use of Isometrics recently was to heal a minor injury to my left shoulder which was my fault since I used a method that had overusing the shoulder muscles for too many days in a row. Within a couple days, my shoulder was feeling great and no longer discomforting or even slightly painful, that was all thanks to Isometrics. 

Now if you want a specific routine that is exclusively Isometrics, here's an idea of what I do....

For most days if I focus on Isometrics, using the strap (or Power Belt), I would hit the biceps, shoulders, back and traps for those particular muscle groups (different exercises for different days). For the Chest, Abs and Legs, I stick to Freehand exercises such as a series of Chest Presses for the Chest, Side Bends plus Hollow & Arch Body Holds for the Core Muscles and Wall Sits mainly for the legs. My personal favorite Isometric is used in two different ways; Fist Over Fist (Which I learned from Furey) or Wrist Over Wrist (Which John Peterson calls the Milo, I call it the X-Factor cause it sounds cooler) and do this Free-Handed Exercise almost every time I do my Isometric Workout. It hits just about every muscle in the upper body and can be done anywhere at anytime. It's more of a Finisher Isometric than anything else but it's a favorite to get a pump going. 

God Dammit, silly me LOL, I forgot about the Freakin Neck (doing my best Kurt Angle impression). Neck Isometrics really are one of the most crucial aspects for any form of training especially those in combat sports. For me, It's Bridges and Self Resistance Isometrics that really work best. The only neck issues I've ever had was when I wasn't training my neck which isn't very often, I train my neck almost more than any other muscle group not only because I find it more important but it's a hell of a lot more fun. 

Add in some Isometrics into your training and see the skyrocket of strength you'll achieve from all sorts of angles. The late great Karl Gotch once said "Always work your muscles from every possible angle." 

The Ups And Downs Of Being An Empath

Definition Of An Empath: a person with the paranormal ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of another individual.

It is rare to find someone who has incredibly strong empathy which also means absorbing others emotions/feelings like a sponge. I have developed a very strong level of intuition and memory ever since I got the meningitis as a baby. Because of those things, I naturally developed empathy cause for as long as I can remember, I have always sensed things about people or I can read certain emotions or how others felt without saying or showing anything. 

Although it is rare, it's not something all that special and I know I'm not the only empath in the world. It can be both a blessing and a curse because with other people, they don't absorb very much and what goes in one ear, goes out the other and nothing comes of it. I however, absorb it like a Duck to Water and it is difficult to explain or make others understand. Many people believe Empathy is just made up and we're just emotional people and seen like it is mental weakness because we don't have our shit together, trust me I've heard it and been told to my face. 

Here's one way to explain someone who's an empath.....If someone can walk into a room and there's something off or something just feels incredibly good, an empath can sense it, he/she doesn't know who it is or where exactly it's coming from but there's something there and the emotions and feelings can at times be overwhelming. Sounds like something out of science fiction huh? Now it doesn't just end with Empaths, if you have ever sensed a certain energy that just didn't feel right or you felt off, that does happen. 

Here's another way that might seem relatable.....In Star Wars, there are those who are Force-Sensitive beings, those who are strong in the Force and can channel abilities which can include, the sensing of people's energy from a telepathic point of view. Of course in the real world, that's exaggerated but there's a small hint of truth there that we as human beings aren't just made up of bones, blood, skin and a brain. We have emotions that has both good and bad, at times we carry a heavy heart on our sleeve and have a form of sympathy for another person. Others were taught or learned on their own to cut their emotions off, block themselves from feeling a certain way because it is considered weakness to show emotions and form an identity as an emotional robot. 

Empaths are very sensitive to certain things and if someone nears them or feels someone else's emotions, the empath involuntarily collects it and can either feel sick, mentally drained, at times if someone has strong positive emotions or feelings an empath will feel happy or elated for no apparent reason. Empaths feel more compelled to feel compassion and hyper involved with those who have suffered or have felt incredible sense of joy and happiness. If an empath is around a crowd, that can be one of the most mentally exhausting things they'll put themselves through and it's not entirely their fault. When you absorb so much, sleeping can be one's best friend and needs a full on recharge. Throughout most of my life, I have felt this way. 

Isolation can be your best friend, or your worst enemy and in cases like mine, it's a bit of both or a catch 22 meaning as much as I may need isolation, it still sucks because I do love being around people. People do need to be aware and understand the way empaths are and do some research into the subject. We can be hypersensitive and we do what we can to protect ourselves from certain energy sucking vampires but it's not always that simple or easy and in reality, we don't wish that on anybody. It can be very powerful and many who are empaths tend to be more alone than the average person. 

When I absorb people, at times my emotions aren't mine anymore and will feel anger, joy, hatred or suffer emotional trauma without knowing really why. Sometimes I feel things right away, other times, I can't sense anything at all but when it hits me, it's not a tap on the shoulder, it's a shot to the gut with a sledgehammer. I'm talking about this because I want others to know that they're not alone and I sympathize what you are going through and there are empaths out there that have suffered far more than I can imagine and want them to know that I may not understand the full extent of your pain but I do understand what it's like to be overly emotional and not always realizing why. 

Some people don't realize they're empathic and maybe were told to hold their emotions in, not to feel and that emotional strength comes from being told what to do instead of thinking for yourself. When someone's empathic, emotions become erratic and we can't help but feel things others don't understand. No matter how hard we try, being mentally exhausted from others' energy is a sign that we do need a little TLC at times or that when someone cries next to you, you can't help but cry with them, that means you're suffering with them and you sense how much they are suffering. 

If you are someone who carries empathy; learn to protect yourself, set boundaries, take time to recharge and be open to the idea of learning the value of understanding. 

Sometimes A Walk Is More Than Just A Walk

It's always nice to take a stroll on a beautiful summer day, either with someone, a group or by yourself. Taking in the fresh air and listening to the sounds around you. Now if you live in a city like New York, probably got to be more careful but if you live in an area where there's trees, a waterfall (artificial or natural), kids playing, a park or wherever brings you joy, it's to get a good walk in. It's one of the best exercises you can do for your health and wellbeing.

Some people power walk or use very light dumbbells as they walk or in some cases, walk with a weight vest on to add onto your cardio. Recently on my walks, I take out and put on a cable apparatus to really get things going. It's a handle, a foot strap and a cable you attach it to and you're off to the races. This takes Power Walking to a whole other level.

With this device, you can do all sorts of exercises like curls, raises (front and lateral), punching, overhead presses, circles and flys to name a few. The main exercise is a similar motion to a ski walk. This helps burn more calories than regular walking and really tests your cardio, muscular endurance, coordination and long term strength. How long can you go? For most people, a couple miles would be more than enough, for me I try to go for about 20-30 minutes non stop.

Lifeline Fitness use to carry this product but doesn't sell it anymore but it's still around if you do some research. It's a personal favorite of mine and is awesome for a lot of folks who don't like running or can't run but love to walk. The resistance isn't much but the longer you go, you will feel it and you'll be breathing pretty heavy too. The one website I did find it is on Amazon.

Burn more calories, work the tendons and the muscles at the same time, enhance your cardio, endurance, strengthen the organs and the Central Nervous System. It's low impact and gets you in shape fast. Start out with about 10 minutes and get a feel for it. You don't even have to go for a walk, you can use it in your own doing exercises that tone and enhance your metabolic system. Sometimes, a walk is more than a just a walk.