The ability to recover is essential in any form of training. Letting the body repair itself when it needs to is a means to build and rise within your being. Push too hard all the time without truly resting can kill you more than you'll believe. The body does grow stronger but in order for that to happen you need to give yourself a break.
I don't believe in "rest" days in the sense where you don't do anything on a non training day but use those those for reflection and what I call Recovery Workouts; training sessions that aren't vigorous and builds your energy from within. You can do Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Bua Gua or whatever internal arts you wish to practice, as long as you're keeping the blood flowing in a relaxed state you can possibly recover faster.
I believe in the power of healing whether it's from physical injuries or brain trauma or emotional imbalances. It takes practice but there ways to heal yourself. Exercise is great but also learning how to rest and program yourself into a meditative state that eases your well being and other things. I like resting my body for a day after a hard workout or if I get so worked up I just train until my body is ready to shut down and my body can rest. Be productive and not violent about finding ways to rest and let your body take care of itself both internally and externally.
The real strength is not in your muscles but in your mind. When you combine the mind/muscle connection as if they were one and the same, you are capable of doing many things. If your mind is full of stress and negativity your body will follow and it's not pretty; however the same can be said about the body, if it becomes too jittery and you're all over the place and your focus isn't in the right state of mind, your brain can turn on you and bring those neurons into that level of stress that can lead to inflammation, heart problems, physical injuries, low self-esteem and could bring harm onto yourself or others if you're not careful. Give yourself the opportunity to rest and recuperate so you can function at your very best. Training is not always trying to be the strongest or who can outlast who in the gym and it's definitely not about pushing your body to the limit every single day. When you have the amount of recovery you need, your focus shifts and your strength can reach new levels. Rest doesn't always mean sleeping 10 hours a day but being able to take the time and let yourself breathe and get into that relaxed state. Cool things happen when you are rested.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Be Playful
Like the Joker says in The Dark Knight "Why so serious?" Not trying to be dark or anything but seriously though when did we stop being a playful human being and become so cautious of every little thing. In fitness some people take their workouts way too literal and try this ride or die mentality and just feel like it's Hardcore, Hardcore and more Hardcore. I'm all for pushing yourself and doing things to amplify your potential (minus the roids) but come on people, lighten up a little. There are too many things in this world that have a negative entity so how about we be a little more playful shall we.
I love the ability to move and play with different things like Animal Flow, MovNat, Hand Balancing and a few swings with the Mace & Sledgehammer. Although it's been seen a lot more lately yet not enough people realize the beauty in Movement. Using your body like the men and women of ancient times that crawled, jumped, climbed, swam and had to balance themselves in order to survive; we don't have to go into survival mode but developing these skills and making an adventure out of it brings more of your potential to a level you didn't think was possible. Yeah yeah we have these "gyms" that help you move but in reality, these are more isolated and could actually kill you more than help you live longer and healthier. When you're so limited in movement it takes away the love and nature of your body's abilities to do what it was born to do. You didn't come out of a womb to do ab crunches on a machine or use a stepper to work your legs; you had to learn to crawl first, roll over, rock yourself to get up, squat, stand up and walk, you even had to teach yourself to climb up on the couch. That's where the true learning and beauty comes from, a young toddler who doesn't over think things and thinks to him/herself "gee is my back straight to squat like this or are my legs up too high to lift" they do what they do and if they fail, they get up and keep trying.
It's important to understand technique and how to work your body according to the way your built but that's beside the point; overthinking leads to less involvement in your quest to move and do so with an open mind and doing something unique and beautiful as opposed to locking yourself up mentally and act like a stiff plus asking this and that in a very annoying way. Be instinctive, value what you can learn to create whether it's a series of exercises in a circuit, a combination of different moves, a routine that perks you up and makes you feel alive inside. It's not always what you do on the outside, its about opening yourself up from within.
A kid that plays has a wild imagination, he sees things no one else sees and moves that body to his creativity. They see scenarios in their heads we can't even fathom or remotely begin to understand (and how can we, we grew up so imagination doesn't exist with us like that anymore). You don't have act childish when you train but do your best to be more child-like; create your own world and live it as if you really could, soar through the air like a jet making sounds, crawl like your favorite animal, swim as if you were Tarzan saving Jane from a croc, duck and roll like Indiana Jones whatever your mind can come up with. Master your own way to move, be inspired by those who dare to think outside the box, have dreams that you want to see come true. Release your inner child. Magical things can happen.
I love the ability to move and play with different things like Animal Flow, MovNat, Hand Balancing and a few swings with the Mace & Sledgehammer. Although it's been seen a lot more lately yet not enough people realize the beauty in Movement. Using your body like the men and women of ancient times that crawled, jumped, climbed, swam and had to balance themselves in order to survive; we don't have to go into survival mode but developing these skills and making an adventure out of it brings more of your potential to a level you didn't think was possible. Yeah yeah we have these "gyms" that help you move but in reality, these are more isolated and could actually kill you more than help you live longer and healthier. When you're so limited in movement it takes away the love and nature of your body's abilities to do what it was born to do. You didn't come out of a womb to do ab crunches on a machine or use a stepper to work your legs; you had to learn to crawl first, roll over, rock yourself to get up, squat, stand up and walk, you even had to teach yourself to climb up on the couch. That's where the true learning and beauty comes from, a young toddler who doesn't over think things and thinks to him/herself "gee is my back straight to squat like this or are my legs up too high to lift" they do what they do and if they fail, they get up and keep trying.
It's important to understand technique and how to work your body according to the way your built but that's beside the point; overthinking leads to less involvement in your quest to move and do so with an open mind and doing something unique and beautiful as opposed to locking yourself up mentally and act like a stiff plus asking this and that in a very annoying way. Be instinctive, value what you can learn to create whether it's a series of exercises in a circuit, a combination of different moves, a routine that perks you up and makes you feel alive inside. It's not always what you do on the outside, its about opening yourself up from within.
A kid that plays has a wild imagination, he sees things no one else sees and moves that body to his creativity. They see scenarios in their heads we can't even fathom or remotely begin to understand (and how can we, we grew up so imagination doesn't exist with us like that anymore). You don't have act childish when you train but do your best to be more child-like; create your own world and live it as if you really could, soar through the air like a jet making sounds, crawl like your favorite animal, swim as if you were Tarzan saving Jane from a croc, duck and roll like Indiana Jones whatever your mind can come up with. Master your own way to move, be inspired by those who dare to think outside the box, have dreams that you want to see come true. Release your inner child. Magical things can happen.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Fitness On A Budget
Not everyone can afford gym memberships and even if you did pay $10 a month at Planet Fitness; it won't have the type of things that can truly make you crazy strong and feel good about yourself both in and out. Besides you can build your own gym in your home or garage on an inexpensive budget if you play it right. Trust me though, buying machines and a bunch of useless infomercial fitness will kill your wallet, like the knight in Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade he says "You must choose, but choose wisely." Spend your money on things that matter and when it comes to fitness, do your research and put what you spend on for real strength and health.
When you really look at it, some of the best workouts are free of charge; things like body weight exercises, lifting heavy rocks, climbing a tree, playing on the Ape Bars and running sprints at a big track or field. When in doubt and want to still get strong, you can always have those when you look in the right places. You have options most don't ever realize and you can be one of those unique people who can expand their minds and look to fitness in a whole new light, plus it doesn't hurt having a great system of exercises you can tackle for free at Darebee, those guys show you that some of the best training is right there and don't need to pay one red cent.
If you happen to want to get some equipment, get things that are the real deal, none of those thousand dollar machines or a dumbbell rack that can turn to rust (however having a few dumbbells and a barbell with plates wouldn't be a bad stretch). Save your money for what you'd like to get. I once saved up to get an epic sledgehammer because I loved the type of training it brings. Took me a while but I made it happen, get some cool cables from Lifeline USA or the Power Wheel to really hammer out those abs you seem to want. Get DVDs that aren't in the mainstream that are unique and training that is not always heard of in the main fitness world. I'm not saying go spend thousands of dollars on a bunch of stuff, build up to it and save when you need to for your house, family, food and supplement activities. Money isn't the root to happiness.
Use your budget wisely and treat yourself to a cool "toy" to use for your next training session or get courses that spice up your learning and research what they're about. Youtube can be a great asset for research but it's nothing compared to learning from a real master of his trade and shows you what you can do for yourself and not bust your balls just so they can make a buck. Save up for a seminar you wish to go to, make it happen for you and do something worthwhile to you. Even if it takes you a couple years to save up and you only went for 1-4 days, if you're determined, it will come to you. Invest in your health, not useless knockoffs.
When you really look at it, some of the best workouts are free of charge; things like body weight exercises, lifting heavy rocks, climbing a tree, playing on the Ape Bars and running sprints at a big track or field. When in doubt and want to still get strong, you can always have those when you look in the right places. You have options most don't ever realize and you can be one of those unique people who can expand their minds and look to fitness in a whole new light, plus it doesn't hurt having a great system of exercises you can tackle for free at Darebee, those guys show you that some of the best training is right there and don't need to pay one red cent.
If you happen to want to get some equipment, get things that are the real deal, none of those thousand dollar machines or a dumbbell rack that can turn to rust (however having a few dumbbells and a barbell with plates wouldn't be a bad stretch). Save your money for what you'd like to get. I once saved up to get an epic sledgehammer because I loved the type of training it brings. Took me a while but I made it happen, get some cool cables from Lifeline USA or the Power Wheel to really hammer out those abs you seem to want. Get DVDs that aren't in the mainstream that are unique and training that is not always heard of in the main fitness world. I'm not saying go spend thousands of dollars on a bunch of stuff, build up to it and save when you need to for your house, family, food and supplement activities. Money isn't the root to happiness.
Use your budget wisely and treat yourself to a cool "toy" to use for your next training session or get courses that spice up your learning and research what they're about. Youtube can be a great asset for research but it's nothing compared to learning from a real master of his trade and shows you what you can do for yourself and not bust your balls just so they can make a buck. Save up for a seminar you wish to go to, make it happen for you and do something worthwhile to you. Even if it takes you a couple years to save up and you only went for 1-4 days, if you're determined, it will come to you. Invest in your health, not useless knockoffs.
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