Natural Ecstasy

Did you really think I'm going to talk about drugs? Shame on you; what I will be talking about is how to get high in a natural way using a method that has been used for centuries. It is not a pill or a plant. It isn't pot or aspirin yet it is one of the greatest ways to help you relax and mellow out without any negative side effects. It's Cold Water Therapy.

Whether its a bath, shower or if you're really ambitious jump into a cold lake. Cold Water when properly applied is a very potent stress reliever that releases toxins out of the body as your cells need heat to keep you warm. The excess burning of calories to stay warm helps increase metabolism, muscle recovery, virility and fat burning properties that generate greater growth hormone. I take cold showers mostly or I jump into a lake but the shower tends to be more doable for me because I can adjust the temperature even though I turn it to as cold as it can get. It sends a signal to my brain which digs deep into whatever part of the brain makes you feel negative thoughts and when I get out, i'm laughing, full of bliss and i'm way happier. It also feels so damn good it looks like I just smoked at least a couple joints and feeling higher than a kite.

When you practice taking Cold Showers you'll notice how your nerves make a dramatic change and when you go to bed at night, for some reason you feel so comfortable and the bed feels like you're on a fluffy cloud. Like someone being on Ecstasy, there are sensations that hit you with an enhanced sense of touch and you just feel softer and calmer everywhere. I do not ever want you taking drugs, it's not a way to live and there are other remedies. Using Cold Showers, you build nerves of steel, it enhances your focus, your awareness and the tension is melted away.

Ever wanted to feel like you can burn off fat, increase muscle and generate growth hormones that have you recovering faster, open your body's senses and rest with ease; Cold Showers will do it. This method is best used after a workout and an hour before you go to bed. Do your training in the morning so you won't have to worry about it later and jump into the shower right after and make it as cold as you can take than overtime keep adjusting until you can stay in the coldest water temperature for no more than 5-6 minutes. For men this is a hell of a method for our little swimmers and gives us energy for closed door activities, for women it balances out the hormones in your body which leads to greater fat loss and putting on lean muscle mass (not bulk). Power up on your hormones by doing Cold Showers.

My Emphasis On Kettlebell Juggling

There are literally hundreds of thousands of different exercise systems but i'm going to tell you something you're not going to like and please don't send me hate mail. Around 95-98% of all exercise programs suck and are terribly boring plus shallow and pedantic and not to mention gratefully tedious. I mean seriously who the bloody hell comes with barbell squats on a bosu ball or using a kettlebell during aerobics class? Come on people, be more simplistic and not a bunch of shmucks reading out of a text book and calling yourselves trainers. Boring programs bring boring results and when you get bored, you become uninterested and you lose out.

Kettlebell training alone brings great benefits; uploaded strength and conditioning, flexibility, endurance and all sorts of ways to move that piece of iron or soft styled bell. The three main ideals for Kettlebell work is the Snatch, Clean & Swing; all three have tremendous effects on the nervous system and can help burn off fat and build muscle quicker than most systems. The type of training I'll be talking about goes beyond that....Kettlebell Juggling. You're probably thinking "What is this the circus who the hell wants to Juggle?" KB Juggling takes the training to a whole different spectrum that builds hand/eye coordination, brain activity, strength in multiple angles and places it's Core of moving the kettlebell from one one of the body to the other. What if you could flip, catch, swing under the legs, switch hands and do all sorts of cool moves that will make your conditioning that much more fun and enjoyable?

Systems I believe should have a sense of fun, enjoyment and interesting to practice. Nothing too complicated and bring a sense of creativity and aspirations for play. I enjoy most of the systems I practice but since I've added KB Juggling it takes on a life of its own and have only  done a few workouts on it using a Soft Kettlebell. It tests your strength and conditioning in a very unique way and tests your grip strength and agility to shift or catch the kettlebell from one hand to another and doing all sorts of combos and movements. It can help you amplify your basic abilities in the snatch, clean/press and swing. 

One of the things I was taught while I was rehabbing myself was to practice moving the body from as many angles as possible utilizing basic principles and simplistic sense of understanding how you use your own Physiology. Being able to strengthen your body from different positions using full body movement brings out more than just muscle development but how you become flexible, supple and adapting your body in odd positions. KB Juggling brings out some of the very best Multi-Angular Training prowess in your quest for fitness both in body and mind. Just the basic juggling moves are tough trying to catch it and time it plus keeping a firm grip on the bell to process the next set of moves. Start off with a small weight but the heavier you can juggle, the more impressive you'll be. Practice with intent and be sure to use a regular KB outdoors and use a Soft KB for indoors so it won't break anything on your floor. 

Go Beyond A Single Training Tool

In the movie City Slickers where Jack Palance & Billy Crystal are riding in the New Mexico plains, good ole Jack tells Billy the secret to life. Do you know what it is? One thing, just one thing, you stick to that and everything else don't mean shit. Although in fitness there's no such thing as a One-Way to do things, however; there is a favorite exercise tool everyone has whether it's just their bodyweight, a kettlebell, a big sledgehammer, barbells/dumbbells whatever there's one way that sticks with them and they beyond what the normal ways of using them. They take that one tool no matter what it is and make it magical for them if they put themselves in the right state of mind.

I use a lot of tools to train with but the one thing I stick to when I use them is my imagination, I create something out of them that may not look like anything to the human eye but to me, a sense of magic happens; not just physically but mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well. Magic is real and it's through the imagination that brings out the very best in your abilities. It doesn't matter what you use or how you do it, the one thing that makes it all worth while and brutally beautiful is how you make things happen. When you have a big sledgehammer in your hands and you hit a tire as many times as possible whether in sets or whatever, you develop power in your body that can't be experienced with anything else. You picture being John Henry taking on the machine or lifting and moving a mighty axe like it was in an epic movie or you sum up the thunder from the heavens like Thor, anything is possible in your imagination. With a Kettlebell, you can develop conditioning that is unique by juggling it, making it your mission to use it in many ways most won't do; it takes a special skill to utilize your mind into how you develop your body.

The way you picture, feel and sense in your imagination brings out the very best of your abilities to do something incredible. Most rather go through the motions and follow along like a little puppy and that's fine if it works for them but if you're a regular reader of this blog, i'm guessing you're not the normal type and have that odd sense of being where you want to get past that typical stuff and go beyond what your capable of. You can amplify your results just by how you picture something and putting it into action. A tool to most people is just that a tool, nothing else but for those that love that tool and use it to get themselves fit don't just see it as a tool; it's part of their livelihood, it's their sense of who they are and what they're willing to fight for. They see themselves in that very tool.

Simplistic fitness is a key to going far into your training journey. With one tool, you can create a world no one can comprehend. With a Barbell you can create strength very few people can ever create, if you're a bodyweight enthusiast you have endless possibilities to become more athletic than anyone can possibly imagine. Whatever tool you decide to use, do something with it that makes you different, keeps you on your toes and lets you live in a place where you can always go to. Just one thing and if you stick to it, the rest don't mean shit.

Your Household Is Your Gym

Many people like to believe or have been told in order to get in shape you need this or that for equipment. Sure it's important to realize that in order to build specific types of strength and fitness there are things you may not realize that can aid in your quest to get fit. Now, when people say you can train in the comfort of your own home they're mainly talking about using bodyweight styled exercise or using small pieces of easy to carry equipment you can use anywhere. There's more to it than meets the eye. What if you could you use your household items as a token of your fitness? If you want to spend the day inside due to weather conditions or recovering or whatever it is, you can and still get fit.

Believe it or not one of my favorite household items to use is my toothbrush. I know what you're thinking "how the hell can you workout with a toothbrush, it weighs nothing." I use it mainly for working my fingers and my grip by rolling my fingers until I get a full grip on the brush and hold for a few seconds then do a couple more more reps that way. Be sure to do both hands, it develops dexterity and isometric strength from the squeeze you're putting on. I don't recommend toilet paper as a workout tool but that's up to you, a smooth rounded hairbrush can work the same way or you can do push-ups on your bathroom sink; it's like a modified version of dips but to get the best benefit, tense your muscles as you go up and down, works the chest, abs, arms and shoulders. 

A good number of houses have stairs depending on the level of the house itself. With stairs you can do a variety of things that won't cost you anything; step-ups, jumps, push-ups, duck walks, dips, you can even have someone hold your legs as you walk up and down the stairs on your hands. Be simple and creative, use your imagination. During my MovNat or Darebee Workouts I use the stairs of my house for quality jumping, stepping and Push-ups at an elevated level to challenge my body in a different way. Even if all you can do is walk up the stairs barely that's great, one thing I like to do especially if I want to strengthen my joints is after a couple steps, press your feet into the ground for an isometric contraction using an "sssss" sound as you exhale. Do double steps as you walk up go sideways to strengthen the hips and gain flexibility in your hip flexors and extensors. Many ways to use the stairs.

Where is one of the best places to be after a long day at work and want to chill out? Most likely your couch or comfy chair. Now you can still get an awesome workout even in the comfort of your favorite place to sit. Want an example of what you can do even if you just want to sit and exercise....Get yourself Sofa Abs or Get fit watching your favorite movie and why not kick back and do a little workout during the commercials of your favorite TV Show. Don't make excuses, make the time to exercise in your home and get in great shape. 

Break The Rules

When you learn different ways to train its all good to get an idea on what to do, how it works for you in certain times but in the end; hiding behind a book or a DVD won't bring you full training success. In order to get the best out of your training is to follow your own path while learning your ideal methods to help you find the success you want to achieve. A DVD won't always give you results because you're following someone else's pace and rhythm while you aught to learn how your own body suits certain aspects of a program. A book can only take you so far until you realize it won't always help you in your favor.

Be open to ideals that can have you follow your own path as you train within your own style and goals. Breaking the rules doesn't mean shrugging off everything and being "rebellious", it's about not restricting yourself into the palm of someone else's hand. Some will tell you to follow your own path but are secretly getting you to follow them to boost their ego and have you splurge the good money you earn. I have had many mentors in the last decade but I don't worship them as fitness gods or allow them to dictate my success, I learn from their ideals but develop my own style that suits my personality, my body's energy and interest. Rebel by being your own person while learning what works for you.

There are some courses out there that don't want you to go to failure exercise wise and yet others will tell you going to failure will have you reach the pinnacle of your will to "beat" an exercise or system. Which one should you choose? I'd say go in the middle and pick your moments of when to test your abilities and when you go with the flow and challenge yourself but to a degree. Breaking the rules is not about who to stand up against but about making a decision that pits you in that unique group that see's not the right or wrong way but going beyond that and daring to do things that bring you a sense of self-awareness and individuality that bring you the success you crave.

You can learn from others what can be helpful but yet your way of training is a gift and it's something that you can own for yourself and not allow those assholes in the mainstream to tell you if you do this it's wrong or that your way of training is not up to their standards. You are one person finding their way and it's never an easy path due to what you may have been exposed to. I fell for it a lot trying to follow someone else's path and it kept making me frustrated. Their way is their way period. The way you do things is your choice, you choose who to learn from, where to get ideas and what style you settle for that bring you success or failure. Don't be afraid to fail and make mistakes, it's finding who you are and what makes you unique. Break the rules, it's not only fun but it exposes what's a lie, the truth and the reality of what things come about.