Relearning To Write Cursive

 

From what I talked about having Meningitis as a baby, you know that the way I learn things isn't always the traditional way or what is the normal curriculum taught in schools. Some things I had to learn the hard way and what comes natural to most people, can be very difficult for me to comprehend. It becomes an issue constantly to think in specifics and understanding certain concepts one at a time and not from a generalized point of view. It's not an excuse and it's not because I can't but it is how my brain operates and I can only do what works with that chemistry of brain to body function.

When I was little and learning how to write, I never really had great hand writing, it wasn't and still isn't all that pleasing to naked eyes but I never gave up trying. When I was about 9 or 10, I was taught how to write in cursive and although it was readable (not steady but you can understand a little) that was the only period of my life where I consistently wrote in cursive. As a boy at that age, it was tough for me to understand simple concepts and being socially awkward didn't help. I did have friends but wasn't truly part of a brotherhood so I always just went along with people. 

I stopped writing cursive on a consistent basis for more than a quarter of a century and although I'd write my name in what looked like cursive was more than just a scribble of lines, I just signed my name in print. Up until about a year or so ago and as recently as Saturday night, I had learned how cursive could be a major brain building exercise and generate natural hormones. Now that does sound ridiculous as far as the hormones part but the way you strengthen the brain through various notions of exercise methods can jumpstart powerful nerve points in your body's system. I started writing in cursive again, it's not very good and as you'll see, the writing in pencil was from a year ago and the blue ink is from Saturday night. I just started practicing writing my name, my wife's maiden name, superheroes, Matt Furey's and just about those for now. 

Hardly anyone under the age of 30 writes in cursive anymore and it has become somewhat of a lost art because due to the technology we have today, we can just write or type up notes and names and such in printed formats and fonts that are extremely easy to read. Sure some type words in cursive on their laptops or design websites but how many actually write on paper in cursive?

It is hard to do and we need to utilize our brains that is rarely seen these days. Back in the day going back centuries, cursive was the norm for mainly those that were highly educated. Hell the declaration of independence is written in inked cursive for crying out loud. The fundamental aspects of writing this way, helps strengthen neurons in the brain and can raise intelligence by a good margin. Some studies even say it can raise testosterone but who knows if that's true or not , the fact is it's one of those things we should be learning again.

It takes patience and practice but as they say, practice makes perfect but I'd say, consistent practice creates better results. Like I said before, right now my cursive is not very good and probably no better than a 4th grader from the 80's or 90's but little by little it can get better and I believe it's worth perusing. 

Workouts That Can Be A Great Add On To Hill Sprint Training

 If there was one method that is the Holy Grail of burning calories, fat and building muscle at the same time, it's Hill Sprints. Just finished my 3rd full week of Hill Sprints doing bursts from 10-20 seconds starting with only 4 sprints at a time and little by little, increase one rep every 4 weeks. I'm already seeing some changes in my body, lost a few pounds in the process and put on a little muscle while reducing fat. 

I love the way sprints make me feel afterwards and when I walk back home when I'm done, I feel like I'm on cloud 9; must be the endorphins kicking in and getting that Runner's High. Because of the crazy calorie burn, I have been eating a bit more than usual but yet continue to drop weight, not a lot but as I progress, it gets more and more obvious that fat loss and weight loss are showing. 

Now, as a person who likes to go nuts when it comes to training, it is important to be smart about what you do in addition to training this particular method. Having said that, what workouts could you do that keeps things flowing but not burn you out? Since I've started back up on Hill Sprints, I've done other workouts on other days that aren't as intense but still feel like I'm getting something done.

1. Isometrics have been a great addition because you can just do certain holds for an extended period of time or you can do the intense 6-12 second contractions and get that strength training going along with burning even more calories. Along with Hill Sprints, Isometrics can put on definition and keep the fat burning going without impacting the joints.

2. Animal Movements are awesome for day after Sprints but it is important to not go full boar on them because you still have to recover as much as possible. They're great conditioners but they're also amazing for keeping up your mobility and they're fun as a treat to do so you can feel like a young kid.

3. Step Ups can do amazing things to keep your stamina going and in addition, because they're not as intense as Sprinting, they're really good for keeping your breath under control. One day after doing Sprints, I dis a superset for 30 minutes carrying my 50 lb Sandbell and doing 20 Step ups. Felt incredible afterwards and didn't feel exhausted. It was a chance to learn to breathe while focusing on building stamina and no so much on strength.

4. Club Swinging & Mace Swinging have exceptional benefits of training for mobility, coordination and conditioning. I'm going to try this out myself and see what it does because the exercises that these implements display also have growth hormone effects that keeps you healthy and strong. In addition to building flexibility in the shoulders, wrists and elbows there are strength components for the entire upper body and building muscle in the upper back, core and arms. They also strengthen the hands which also leads to brain strengthening. Just a few minutes is really all that's needed.

5. Loosening Up The Joints to me is the ultimate form of recovery exercise because we don't want to stiffen up and feel like we're walking like C-3PO. We want to relax and not have so much tension built up in our bodies otherwise we won't be able to perform the amount of training we need to do in order to be successful in our goal setting. When you loosen up the joints, you're also creating better blood flow to the body while developing suppleness, flexibility, mobility and chi energy. When we are stiff, things don't flow as well and when our mobility and energy is limited, it won't have the full effects of being able to perform the simplest tasks. 

There you have it and hope these can give you ideas of what you can do if you pursue Hill Sprinting. Don't push hard, just keep it simple and keep things flowing. If Hill Sprints are more than enough for you especially in the beginning and additional training isn't in the cards for you yet, than that's great. The idea is to recover as much as you can on your off days from Sprints but if you want to play around with the idea of other workouts because they're beneficial to you, keep the intensity levels low and rest as much as you need between sets. When you train Sprinting Hills, you're going to need that explosive power and strength to do those hard climbs.   

Do Workouts Cause You Anxiety?

 Living in an age where information is just a tap or click away, it can be stressful finding a workout that gives you meaning and suited to your goals. A major anxiety problem in fitness is that you have to count your macros, do this many reps, that many sets, do this amount of exercise per week and if that isn't stressful enough, you need to be in the right position to hit the right set of muscles otherwise results don't ever come. Now with all that, when you actually get to the workout, does it become stressful to even try to keep up with the "curriculum" of what you're supposed to do? 

Personally, there have been times with my own workouts where I felt I had to follow every step someone else said to do and it just made me feel like crap. The truth is, I really don't like it when a book or a person orders me to do this or that and if I did it wrong I'm a horrible person; fuck that LOL. My philosophy has always been to study the principles, experiment and see what works and what doesn't that pertains to me, nobody else. A workout should never have to cause an anxiety attack, it's supposed to help push it aside and give you an endorphin high and feel good about what you're doing.

There are times where your mind isn't even there and if you're trying to do a workout, it'll feel like at times you're resisting yourself and at the same time it just doesn't feel right, that can cause some anxiety and you feel forced. Not all workouts are going to cause you anxiety but it could lead to a way of doing things where if you do have anxiety, you do things to calm you down. Being hyperactive can also be a factor in certain things and that's where you need to train yourself to understand what's causing the anxiety and what is possible for me to do to pull the plug on it?

In case you haven't figured it out, I do suffer some form of anxiety and it's been that way with me for as long as I can remember and that's where my workouts are a blessing to me. When I do Hill Sprints now, they tone down the anxiety and release that high where it just feels great afterwards and I'm better focused and I handle tasks better. When I do my animal workouts, I keep going until I feel I've had enough and my mind is calmer, my body feels more relaxed and it keeps me from being all over the place. 

If you read my previous article on workouts being a form of therapy or meditation, than you understand that for some people who suffer depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD, being Bipolar and other sources of mental/physical issues can't always practice standard programs like seated meditation and mainstream forms of therapy. Exercise should be a blessing and not a chore or something to feel forced on. Working out should be about taking your aggression or raising your endorphin levels or you being hyperactive and making something great out of it so you can feel like a functioning human being.

I do understand that there are medications for those ailments and for some people, medication is needed in certain cases but not everyone needs to be popping pills and looking like a damn zombie. I know what it's like to be on medication, I was on Ritalin for years when I was younger because of the meningitis and I needed to stay focused. I hated it so much that by the time I was about 8-10, I completely went off of them and it took adjusting especially for the people in my life but I managed to live my life for nearly 30 years without it. I'm not saying you should do the same, just telling you what I did.

Anxiety can be harmful, at times dangerous but it's also a teacher and we need to be aware of it and what it is causing beyond what's going on in our heads or in our bodies. Sometimes it can be harmless and you're just over anxious and nervous, it's a very human thing. If someone is suffering from Anxiety or Depression or other mental ailments, don't poke fun at them, it's not cool and it can drive a person to a place they never wanted to go but do because they just want the ridicule and mocking to stop. Do what you possibly can to not let ailments like these ruin your life and do something productive that keeps them from popping up frequently. If at all possible if you manage to rid yourself of these things, I'm very proud of you and you are amazingly awesome for overcoming them. 

Do what is right for you and if you do use exercise to get yourself off of medications, that's great. 

Why My Training Is My Therapy Or Meditation

 For the life of me, I can't do standard meditative practices very well like sitting or standing. I get overzealous easy and become hyper or feel the need to move. Some people have mastered it, others not so much and it has been that way for me since I was a kid. Throughout my life since I was 21 years old, exercise has been my go to session for meditation/solace/therapy whatever you wish to call it. From relationships to the stresses of moving to another home and even with the loss of friends and family, it has always been there for me.

When you find something that gives you a reason to rethink things and emerging yourself into an element that becomes something beyond yourself, it turns into something you'd never expect. You put yourself into a world where it is your own and only you can allow someone in or not. You've seen the videos, the pics, the articles and some will tell you what they see when I train but there's more to it than meets the eye. When I zone out, nothing around me matters and I get to be in full control of what happens, what I use and how it's going to go.

Working out for the majority of people is more about impressing others and doing what is "possible" to look good when in fact, looking good should be secondary or third or whatever is on a list except for first. Most of the time these days, people have no clue what real training is and they follow trends and do this or that because they don't have a mind of their own. It's one thing to experiment and learn new things or make a habit to train but it's a totally different world where you're zoned out and a workout becomes something beyond moving a weight or doing a hold or doing some variation of a callisthenic exercise. 

The world can be a scary place and we all have dealt with some traumatic things within that scary world but if you can find something that is therapeutic and it gives you hope, smiles and a reason to reach for something, the world for a few moments isn't scary anymore and you get to do something that makes it brighter, more fun and full of possibilities. It does feel like therapy and it becomes meditative when you have full control of your mind and your body together, not just one or the other. It's like a car being able to move with gas in the tank or a carriage being pulled by horses, it's about connection.

Create your own world, throw yourself into your imagination and build that connection to what gives you purpose and how you develop a skill to meditate in your own way. Meditation is not about Yoga Poses or humming in a seated position, it's about finding what connects you and holding onto it. 

These are things that make me feel I'm in a meditative state and get to do something fun and full of wonders. The tools and exercises aren't perfect and some may look horrible to some people but in the end, this is me and this is what makes me happy along with creating my own sessions of Therapy or Meditation.

   

The Mental Aspects Of Hill Sprinting

 When we do physical things, we don't always realize how much of the mental side comes into play. We may have muscle memory or we learn certain things many times and they become a reflex but that's mainly because we have conditioned our impulses and our nerves to move at various points and understand concepts faster. When it comes to Running Hills, there isn't much to be seen yet we are in awe of them.

The mental aspects of Sprinting up a Hill is not just in how we program our minds to literally run as if our lives depended on it but also to push our capacity and find out what we are capable of doing. A 10 second burst isn't long but there is so much going on that it would take an encyclopedia to completely explain it. We can however use certain examples on what is going on; in order to even explode into a sprint, we need to use our brain to send messages to the wiring in our body to activate muscle fibers and become in sync with our structure and keep up with sending those signals in order to stay in stride. 

Other than what we signal our body from the brain, it's also a matter of what makes you want to go a little further, run a little faster or toughening up to beat the Hill. There are certain goals we want to achieve and what we are willing to do to achieve those goals. Walter Payton was the man when it came to Hill Sprints, he pushed himself so hard that it made him a machine. He saw beyond what the physical was to take on that Hill and pushed his mental capacity to a level that some of the best athletes in the world couldn't understand. 

The real mental aspects is how you use your imagination and taking goals by putting them together to create the ultimate achievement. Some people visualize, some just run up and don't think about anything else and there are others that do something different and unique. What would it feel like or sound like when you picture yourself as the fastest human alive? What would it feel like if you thought of yourself as a superhero like the Flash or the GOAT of Anime Characters; Goku from Dragon Ball Z? How would you characterize that kind of Speed, the ability to run so hard that it melts fat like butter in a hot pan or that having that power to accelerate your hormones and burn calories as if it was a furnace? Imagination creates a different result when you add in the physicality.

Don't just go to a Hill and run it, make a game of it, a test of your mental game and creating something in your mind that is greater than your human form. In Dragon Ball Z, there was the villain Frieza who is just your typical aspiring dominator with ambitions to be ruler of something but has a unique way of fighting, he can do great things but he doesn't have just one aspect of his body that's at it's peak, he has layers of weird transformations that make him a little stronger than the other and each time he changes his form, he becomes more and more powerful until he reaches the ultimate transformation. When you have that kind of mentality where your body right now isn't even in it's final form, there's a layer of strength and power just waiting to be revealed until it hits a peak.

The most powerful version of yourself isn't even remotely at it's peak and if you picture yourself at your strongest and see "as if" you can harness that power, it could turn into such a reality that it feels unreal to have done it. The net time you do Hill Sprints, picture being in your most powerful form and when it's unleashed, that Hill has no choice but to give in and let you reach the top. Conquer your own Hills and become even more powerful than you can possibly imagine.