Indian Clubs And Rope Skipping

Getting the body to wake up or getting out of a funk from being groggy can be a difficult task for many, especially those who have to be at work in the morning rushing out the door and sometimes forgetting your pants. Some take a nap and wake up still feeling like their energy is depleted. I'm not a morning person and had plenty of times where I napped and still felt tired and unmotivated.

Exercise can be a hell of a wake up and often times, better than a cup of coffee because you're releasing tension and opening up the body from the inside, creating energy and getting those endorphins in. With coffee, people drink it to get the caffeine and give their body that jolt of adrenaline and even help eliminate some waste but the trouble with most caffeinated drinks, that crash can drain you so bad that even recovery is difficult and gaining that energy back. 

A great routine you can do to wake up the body and wake up the brain is swinging the Indian Clubs & Jump Rope. Some people, like me aren't all coordinated with a regular Jump Rope so we use an alternative that anyone can use called the Ropeless Jump Rope. You can do all sorts of skipping movements with it and it'll never smack you in the ankle or foot. The Indian Clubs are incredible for building stamina and upper body conditioning while strengthening the shoulders, elbows and developing agility. They also work the brain because of the specific exercises to execute as you work the wrists and follow the centrifugal force.

You can do this routine as a superset, or do one series of exercises with the clubs and head straight to the rope. It builds awesome upper and lower body conditioning as you get into the high reps. For the clubs, I do sometimes up to 50 reps per arm for 100 total reps of an exercise and go up to 500-700 Reps for that workout. For the rope, sometimes i'll go 10 minutes straight or do no more than 500-1000 skips depending on how my body feels that day. This routine energizes the lymphatic system, strengthens the shoulder girdle, strong feet and ankles and works your reflexes. 

It's a very light workout, doesn't do a ton of impact on the joints and can be done just about anywhere at any time. A lot of us need energy to do the tasks that is needed from us and that's where we might be tested for our stamina and be able to keep going without fatiguing. As we get older, recovery becomes a bigger necessity than the training itself and we need to be able to keep on our toes and get plenty of rest, it varies for certain people but the principle still applies. 

So if you're in need of motivation to wake your ass up and get that blood pumping for the day, give this a shot and see what you can do. If you're to club swinging or haven't skipped rope in a while, do lesser reps and skips and build yourself up. Start with 10 reps per exercise and work up to 100 skips, after that build from there. The workout doesn't need any more than 20 minutes, that should be enough. In the beginning, start with 1-5 minutes. 

Come and check out Matt Furey's *NEW PRODUCT* The Success Posters based on The Theater Of The Mind from Psycho-Cybernetics.

Meditation Finisher

Training in a variety of ways reaps many benefits beyond the physical and the development of the body. There are workouts you can do that don't take very long and can be used as what's called a Finisher where you do your regular workout but at the end, you do an add on of getting that extra boost of hormones, energy and fat burning entities. This last no more than 10 minutes and if your workout isn't long to begin with, than 3-5 minutes is more than enough.

Finishers are awesome for burning those extra calories and keep burning long after the workout. It can be 3-5 exercises where you just blast right through (safely of course) with little to no rest for as many rounds as possible or they can be like a metabolic booster where you do tabata types of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off or go through the exercises, rest 15-30 seconds than repeat for several minutes. Been a while since I've done one and maybe I just try one out today, you never know.

Now, if we did a finisher to boost our calorie burning, what if we took the Finisher approach and used it as one for Meditation? That might sound contradictory because why meditate and than just go like a madman for 5 minutes? Here's my idea of a different kind of finisher; you do a series of meditative exercise (Qi Gong, Yoga, Tai Chi, Dao Zou, Joint Loosening) for say around 30 minutes to an hour, just de-stressing and calming the mind and body, letting go of worries, fear, criticism and build clarity, endorphins, positive energy. As a finisher for no more than 10 minutes (minimum of 3) do a series of techniques of visualization, deep breathing and boosting even greater clarity and positive energy. Something to give that little oomph of even greater mental conditioning, emotional stabilization, eliminating negative energy at a bigger rate, just like getting rid of unwanted fat.

Here's an example of what I mean by Meditation Finisher.....You do the Dao Zou Program for 30 minutes, swimming in an ocean of peacefulness, mental clarity, brain power and effortless control of emotions by acceptance of the universe and shielded from negative thoughts and energy. Boosting your cognitive abilities and having the radiant energy of a zen monk. As a finisher, you listen, visualize and focus with emotional content the voice and sounds of Garin Bader's 5 minute session of The Magical Imagineering Theater. It's a mental fat burning audio of seeing your goals achieved and picturing yourself in a Success Arena/Theater in your mind. Taking mental pictures of being at your absolute best and most successful even if it hasn't happened yet. It opens up the door to your imagination and creating a new outlook of what YOU can achieve as long as you FEEL it, DREAM it and BELIEVE in it.

To me, the MIT is so damn powerful that every time I listen to it, something always happens within a short period of time. No more than a day or two, I see sales pop up, more money is made, getting positive reviews and clicks/views jump up almost doubled. It is just so amazingly awesome to feel such incredible energy and being able to send it out without strenuous effort. Now this doesn't mean you listen and not do anything. It helps you take action but with incredible passion and energy; you get into a greater flow that makes negative stress seem far in the background. It gives you the belief that the universe is on your side and developing that LAW of ATTRACTION.

Just listening to it once can have an impact on you, listen to it 2-3 times a day, success can come so easy, you thought it was a dream. You can achieve anything in the MIT, the next step is taking action. Boost your mental powers even more with a Meditation Finisher and see where it takes you.

The Spirit And Mysticism Of Animal Exercise

The mimicking of animals has been around for centuries, if not eons from the days of the hunter observing and understanding the movements of a wild deer, wolf, bear or any big animal in order to make a kill to the Shaolin Masters who practiced moving in animal like sequences for combat, moving meditation and defense to the modern day man using Animal Moves as recreation and health benefiting qualities for a better, functioning body. It is a timeless method of exercise that corresponds with the understanding of nature and it's tough yet beautiful construct.

As children, it benefits in a most crucial time in their lives because of the practice and development of gross motor skills and coordination to master the balance and strengthening of the human body both inside and outside. For teenagers and adults alike; the movements from a basic concept, build a rugged body but also teach how to form patterns within the brain and learning the ideas of functional muscle building and the will to test their abilities in agility, endurance, strength, durability and flexibility. It is meant for all ages but like every other method, it has to be tailored to the level their currently at whether it's the complete beginner or the superhuman like qualities that form incredible conditioning.

Crawling alone, tests ones ability to learn how to balance his/her body and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the human structure. It can be both serious and fun at the same time. It can be a game or used as a punishment but when it comes down to it, it is a continuous cycle of being lost yet found again. The movements or names of the movements may have changed over the years but almost nothing has changed in the fact that it comes back again and again. When you give it a chance and open the doors to its possibilities, it's beyond an exterior looking concept of exercise, it is a door to unlocking the secrets of nature within all of us.

It is slow, it is fast, you can move in different directions, make up it as you go and use it as hard work but seen with the illusion and belief that is playful. Although it is watered down so many times, you can't take away the fact that when you use it as much of an interpretation of movement that humans can handle, it becomes a beautiful form of making the body strong for years to come. It has been broken down to concepts of Yoga, Breakdancing, "Primal" and gymnastic entities and that's where it becomes confusing. Cheetahs don't tie themselves in a pretzel or mimic a tree pose, the Gorilla doesn't do handstands or dance around to the cha cha, a Flamingo doesn't do tumbling moves and a bear doesn't move and always focus on opposite arm and leg movements; they run, jump, crawl and fight for the will to survive otherwise they'll be killed. 

The most awesome yet challenging aspects of animal movements is how to move at a moments notice in unexpected conditions. An example would be the Animal Dice Game; for most, it is just a random set of exercises and you count the steps/distance of that movement but the real depth of it is beyond just a game, it is an ideal experience of being prepared for the unexpected. In the jungle, it's unpredictable and things can sneak up on you at any time so you have to be ready for anything that'll come up and be on your guard. It's that fight or flight mode and also being ready to pounce or run in the blink of an eye. The idea is to teach the person an intuitive mindset that although you are practicing, you must always be ready and if you lose focus, you're a goner or you'll get hurt. It's about play but also learning preparedness and being able to change movements on a dime.

Workouts become play but even the most serious student of the method knows how tough it can be and practices the mindset of using it as way to master their body that most methods can't teach or apply to in a real situation. It is way of tackling your ability to condition the body for other things in life. It isn't easy for most people climbing a flight of stairs or being able to get up off the floor without feeling pain but if you had strong legs, arms that last and core strength to twist and turn without discomfort, you're on your way to being in condition to do those things easily. It can also aid in weight/fat loss because it is a multi-dimensional, multi-muscle grouped set of movements that burns calories like a furnace with the right applications of the movements.

Treat it as play but don't treat it as if it was the easiest thing in the world, it is hard, it's tough to do and if you do it wrong you'll painfully find out why. It is not meant to be easy but with seeing the simplicity of it, it becomes a world full of wonders and will have an effect on your psyche and your soul. Some see it as a myth in the sense of how it's used as a movement for only as a warm up and nothing else but others see the spirit of it in the sense it is a general outlook of developing a conditioned body and turning weaklings into strong individuals and overcoming an obstacle of generating the human condition within our natural selves. It is used in many cultures with their own versions but it is a gateway to learning nature in our own way. 

Conditioning The Hands

When I was in High School, I went out for the Shot Put & Discus. Wasn't all that good at it and didn't really do it for competition, I did it because my dad did the same thing at my age but I wasn't anywhere near his level. My best throws were a 32 ft shot put and 110ft Discus Throw. My training wasn't all that great either and because of it, I developed tendonitis and wrist problems. I even went to rehab at one point at 16-17 years old and it didn't really do me any good. 

At the time I was a busy bee doing School, S & D and Drama at the same time. Safe to say, my sleep and recovery wasn't very good and I use to stay up most nights until 1-2 in the morning because I was too wired. For some odd reason (and getting my own version of sex ed) was listening to Adam Corolla & Dr. Drew's Show on the radio to help me fall asleep. So what does this have to do with Hand Conditioning? At a young age, it sucked being hurt and not understanding how to keep my body in good condition whether for the Sport I was doing or thinking I could heal easily and not have problems. I didn't understand a damn thing when it came to training and just followed everyone else because it was easier that way and I paid the price for it.

Later on in my life after High School, I was going to the gym, still not understanding what the hell to do, had no one to teach me anything and ended up hurting myself to the point where before the age of 20, I woke up at times feeling like an 80 year old man with arthritis and pain in places where I didn't think existed. After studying Combat Conditioning and getting myself back into shape, I started learning other aspects of exercise that weren't just for muscle building and having a good set of lungs. Learned more about the tendons and ligaments, the smaller aspects yet important stuff of the human body. I remember my studies of anatomy when I was going to Massage School and used some of that to train myself. 

I learned right away some of the weaknesses in my lower arms, wrists and hands when I was doing Matt Furey's Carpal Tunnel Program and felt the need to not only improve, but eventually throw all the pain I had from a few years before out the fucking window. Started studying up more on training the fingers and building suppleness in the wrists. It was around this time I was also practicing strongman feats such as bending steel, ripping phonebooks, levering sledgehammers and others. My hands were getting stronger and started noticing that I wasn't having painful days like I use to. The one course (which isn't up and sold anymore as far as I know) that really skyrocketed my progress with Hand Conditioning was Garin Bader's Finger Gymnastics DVDs which to this day is still in my possession. 

Finger Gymnastics opened up a whole other world of possibilities for building strength, flexibility, dexterity and mobility in my hands. I was even noticing very small results from certain exercises with my right hand that I never noticed before. If you read the story about my Meningitis, you know that my right hand has some nerve damage and individual dexterity is virtually non existent but with this course, it taught me how to use my brain and my movements to create another outlook on the way I move my hands. For decades, it was difficult just to feel any sense of normalcy with my right hand, about 75%+ Dominant in my left hand and always felt out of my place to what I had to do with that other side. This course was what I needed more than 20 years prior to when I first learned about it. For me, it was the Holy Grail of Hand Training.

If you talked to Garin or learned the aspects of CoreForce Energy, he can show you incredible exercises that will open up your eyes and shock you to what you can do if you practiced these hand exercises. I was able to play golf with Right Handed clubs, took up gymnastics and could hang with just my right arm on the horizontal bar for a good period of time, better coordination in my other exercises and strongman feats and I was able to give better massages to the point where people thought I was using my elbow but it was my pinky, they couldn't tell the difference. 

To this day since learning Finger Gymnastics, I don't have tendonitis, have very supple yet strong wrists, my finger strength has increased to where I could pick up my 70 lb kettlebell with the middle finger of either hand, my forearms feel like bone yet flexible and elastic and more. 

Strengthen your hands and turn them into powerful weapons of awesomeness. To find out more about Finger Gymnastics, talk to Garin Bader at garin@coreforceenergy.com or you can find him on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/garin.bader.

The Catcher's Squat Hold

Holding a near ass-to-grass squat can be very beneficial to ensure healthy hips, legs and the spine. Taking the pressure off the lower back, this specific squat also promotes incredible flexibility and a test to strengthening your structure.

It has been called by many names but Catcher's Squat seems very fitting especially to those who understand sports like Baseball. Catchers in the big leagues have incredible explosiveness and endurance to withstand holding a position like this for 9 straight innings day in and day out. The best catchers such as Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Mike Piazza and Jorge Posada were a dominant force at their position for a reason and arguably had loads of flexibility and explosive strength to just jump up and throw the ball to a base with incredible accuracy. It's awesome how long their careers lasted considering not one has yet hit 500 Homeruns.

As toddlers, we almost have stupid flexibility and can hold this for several minutes without feeling a damn thing. As we age, it becomes less important to us to stay that limber and we get caught up in the rigors of life and forgetting what it was like to be very mobile, flexible and strong. Often times we have to use a reset button and start over, learning mechanics and body reassessment to understand the ways of living without pain or stiff muscles/joints. When I was rehabbing after my accident, just doing the Hindu Squats were more than I can bare, I couldn't hold the low squat for more than a few seconds because of the stiffness I had not just from not being able to walk for almost 3 months but not understanding how important it was when I was going to the gym and training beforehand. Now, I can hold this Squat for 10 minutes and feel great. I have a profound respect for farm workers who have to plant, pick and water fruits and vegetables in that position for hours on end. 

In qi gong circles, being able to do this is a basic testament of how good your health is and being able to transition fluidly from a low squat to standing or kicking. Russian Dancers have powerful legs being able to kick in front and sideways in the lowest squat possible. Some of the strongest squatters in the world have flexibility that can't be matched. Some don't think it's relevant at all in how it determines health but just a thing you can do to build flexibility and nothing else coms of it, I humbly can't agree with this but I can understand why. 

You don't have to squat for hours to get the benefits of it but a few minutes a day or a few times during the day can really aid in how you can strengthen your spine through realignment and building supple yet pain-free hips. Many of us sit in a chair way too long and put too much compression on the spine so doing this squat takes away the compression and just sink in and breathe. Even when we go to the bathroom, we're not squatting properly, for best elimination of waste, we need to squat as low as possible, elevate your feet onto a stepstool and relax. 

The body was meant to squat and the universe gave us legs for a reason. Train those legs not just for stamina and strength but like every other part of the body, become supple, flexible and mobile. 

The Changing Of The Tides

Sometimes, there are things you cannot simply change about yourself. You are who you are through experiences, self discovery, observation of your personality towards others and how you apply things. Things change eventually and we can't stop the change any more than we can stop the sun from setting but there are things that will never change because of what you have become and where you move forward.

I do love talking about my workouts and sharing ideas but at the same time, I've always had trouble keeping interested after talking about them. I keep thinking and try so damn hard but alas, every time I talk about my goals or make certain promises of what I'm going to do, my interests sooner or later, they go by the wayside and my motivation and interest doesn't exist anymore with those goals. It's basically a curse I've brought upon myself unintentionally. I' am one of those people for some odd reason, wants to prove to others what I'm capable of doing and yet it comes back to bite me in the ass.

I want to fit in with certain people and I'm confident that I can get along with just about anybody and talk about anything but it becomes apparent that whenever I force myself to fit in somewhere, disaster usually strikes either on my end or theirs. My workouts whether they're short or long shouldn't reflect how much I'm worth to somebody else. Truly the only people that should matter are the ones who encourage me and push me to discover for myself what I can do and learn how to mold it to my own goals and dreams. I know I'm not the only one who feels this, it's human nature to have dreams, goals and fit in because it's tough being alone and understanding your worth in this world.

Sometimes I train because it's what I'm supposed to do and follow someone's protocol down to the very T. My problem with that is, every time I try to just follow a course to the core of it, I become a slave to it and I have no say in how it could truly work for me. It's the way it is and if you can't do it or think you can do better, than you're an idiot. When I started out with Combat Conditioning, I had no idea what the hell what I was getting myself into, I had no real experience with bodyweight exercise, I did it only as a self-rehab program and drilled myself into the program because in a sense I felt that it was what I was told to do. It was painful, agonizing and for weeks during my first run with it, I wanted to quit and give up on myself because at first I was just doing stupid Hindu Push-ups, Hindu Squats and Bridges. The more I kept with it and learning from my friends Tyler Bramlett & Logan Christopher, I started really discovering a whole other world full of possibilities. 

Quite frankly, after every single course, exercise, program, the amount of time and the hard work I put myself through, one thing always never changed with me and that was that I couldn't stand following others and feeling like I had nothing to call my own. I started creating ways to fit all the things I learned into something that was meant for me, nobody else. The programs do work but it didn't matter who it was, I couldn't last very long doing what they only do. I had to fight for myself and change what I needed to do for me. I can't do Hindu Push-ups exactly like Matt Furey or John Peterson, I can't do Hindu Squats like Karl Gotch did, I can't do Animal Moves exactly like the Baran Brothers or Mike Fitch, hell I can't even do the speed and precision like a Barstarzz Guy doing Pull-ups but what I can do is exercise that my body allows to do with the structure and accuracy it can only do at the time. I can do things many people the same size as me can't and I have convinced myself that if I took a "day off", I would end up dead or in coma before the day's out. 

Change is inevitable but some things will never change because if it comes natural to you, it's what you were meant to do. You'll find things you've never done before and it can be scary and you never truly know if you can do them until you take action but if you force yourself into something and you can't do it but keep pushing it anyway, the majority of the time, it'll end in disaster and it's either going to keep you from what is natural to you or it'll bring you to the brink of always doubting yourself and confidence and the ability to move forward won't exist. Some things are just natural to us whether physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually and when we find that, we work hard to make it stronger. What isn't natural to us, makes us feel fear, doubt and not knowing if it's going to work. 

It is not your job to be like somebody else, they're already taken and even if you're a twin; there's always something different. I can't be a second athlete, businessman, teacher, promoter or even someone in Hollywood; I can only be the 1st me because if I try to be like somebody else, where's my true reason to live or discover who I' am?

Train to what suits everything about you. Put in the work that is synergistic to your being, your personality, your outlook on life and helping others discover themselves. It's a gift to help people discover themselves, it's also murder to humanity when you drive people away from what they're true self is and make them be more like you or have them be a slave to your agenda. 

Isometrics For Core Strength And Better Posture

Working the Core Muscles whether dynamically or Isometrically helps prevent injuries to the lower back and sides but for the most part, many train the Core to have that six pack look and have a thin ass waist. There's nothing wrong with wanting to look like a million bucks but if you don't have the strength and conditioning or the flexibility, looks will only take you so far, they may make you money possibly but you'll be plagued by injuries easier later on in life or sooner.

From an Isometric standpoint, you don't need to do a ton of exercises to work that center of the body. Maybe 3-4 should do the trick if you understand the technique and the breathing aspects. The Core is usually always activated in a lot of exercises as it is because in a lot of cases, you have to be stable in order to pull them off. If you slouch or don't pay attention to the movement or the hold, you're going to pay a hefty price and suffer a hernia or worse.

Karl Gotch talked about the two C's of muscle that gives you a clear distinction to how certain people last or become Injury Proof; there's the Counterfeit Muscle where you have the bodybuilder type look where it looks straight out of a comic book and has a plethora of ripped, shredded and even bulky structures but outside of that, they can't do a damn thing when it comes to fighting and real world cardio. This look burns out faster and if you're tired within a minute, you're a dead man. The second he talked about is called Conditioned Muscle where although you may have an athletic build or carry a bit more body fat, you have a better set of qualities of endurance, long-term strength, agility and flexibility where you have a far lesser chance of being injured. You want to see the difference in action, check out on youtube the fight between Maurice Smith and Mark Coleman in the UFC. Another look at the two major differences would be the Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match between Rulon Gardner and Aleksandr Karelin in the 2000 Olympics.

Two of my favorite Isometric Core Exercises is the Arch & Hollow Body Holds. They target the whole body but at the same time, you're generating great power and stability in the Core Muscles. Great for developing posture and developing injury-proof abs. Another great exercise is one you can do after waking up in the morning or at any time during the day; it's called the Farmer Burns Stomach Flattener. It's very simple to do and this can be done seated, standing or laying down on the back, you inhale as you pull the stomach in, once you hit the full inhale, exhale and and squeeze the abs as you make the "sssss" or "ffff" sound. You'e not just working your abs, you're hitting the transverse muscles, the obliques, the low back and the upper/lower abdominals.

When it comes to Posture, in my personal opinion, the best exercise or Isometric would be to just hang from a pull-up bar, even if you can only hold it for a second that's ok, just build up little by little. This builds a tremendous stretch in the obliques and helps ease tension in the lower back. This exercise alone when practiced regularly, can possibly man handle that slouch you have and get you to that natural upright position. People have even experienced adding an inch or two to their height. Now this isn't to say you'll turn into Shaquille O'Neal but it'll help develop your natural height and have that feeling of being taller than you normally are.

Isometrics for Core Strength and Posture is not just about looking good and having punch-proof abs, those could end up being just a bonus, it's really about creating a better conditioned center of your body and being able to move without putting your back in danger doing small things. Train your Core with efficiently and you'll be rewarded in ways you've never experienced before.

One Body Part A Day Isometrics

Been focusing a lot on Isometrics lately, particularly doing one body part a day from the Neck down. I took ideas from Batman O'Brien's Perfect Body Course and mixed in exercises using both Free Hand and the Isometric Power Belt. I'm already well into my second time around the exercises, hitting shoulders and arms today. Tomorrow is Legs.

Always experimenting with something since I'm not the best at sticking to a routine, but my intention is to cycle around the parts of the body at least 4 times. I'm already nearly half way there so this should be interesting. So far, I like how it's going. Mainly, I love how the workouts don't take very long and I can purely focus on the areas of the body one at a time instead of trying to do so many in one workout. It's all well and good to do multiple body parts but it can also be very draining and Isometrics are crazy enough as it is. 

After you focus on particular body part, you can go after other exercises in your arsenal the rest of the day and work on other areas. At times i'll do animal movements, do a quick workout while filming, go for a walk with my weight vest on, play around with CoreForce Energy Techniques, do some circuit training, mace play, play with the Indian Clubs, whatever tends to pop up into my head. So far my favorite body parts to train are my neck and back. I'm seeing definition and thickness from both areas and that makes me happy. Great seeing results from other areas and I'll take photos when I'm done with my version of the program but I've always seemed to form better results from the neck and back. When I do the back, I use the Belt for those doing the deadlift, upright row, lat pulldown and seated row and then finish off with the 3 minute wrestler's bridge. 

I have been gearing back towards bridging again to get some stretching, strengthening my neck and experimenting with both flat footed and heel up Back Bridges. Because of the rod in my left shin along with the scarring, I have to be careful to not aggrivate that area because it does cause serious discomfort that I don't wish on anybody. I don't have very good flexibility in my ankles anymore so when I do the Back Bridge, I literally can't flatten my feet after a certain point that others can otherwise I'm risking pain and feeling that metal pressing against my skin. Although I can Bridge feet flat for 3 minutes whenever I want, having the heels up seems to take more of the edge off on my shin and ankle and hits more of the thighs and calves and I can get a way better stretch while also bringing the heels closer to my head without discomfort or pain. Don't do things that cause pain, trust me, it's too muh of a bitch to handle for so long.

I'm doing this experiment mainly just to see what it's like to focus on one thing at a time and putting my energy into an area of the body where I don't feel the need to focus on anything else and go with the straight line of just hitting that muscle group. It's a good experiment and if it's something you want to continue to persue, do so, if you're more of working multiple muscle groups, that's awesome. Do what makes you happy and gives you results. If you're not getting the results you crave, change things up, try different things and focus on getting better. Progression is the key. There's so many things you can do with Isometrics and it can make you stronger and help drop unwanted bodyfat. Keep at it and train with intention, not for the sake of just exercising. 

My Thoughts On George Floyd And The Riots

It breaks my heart that human beings do bad shit to each other and end up on the wrong side of humanity. What happened to George Floyd was pretty damn awful and no one should have to die that way. Not all cops are corrupt but if one has a history towards certain people and isn't accounted for his actions, he needs to be removed from being a cop. I forgot the cop's name but I read they found him guilty and hope it brings some peace of mind to George's Family.

The riots in Minneapolis aren't surprising to me and it's downright stupid for the most part. Looting and destroying businesses is not the way it should've gone down. There were riots in Spokane, WA just 40 minutes from where we live in Idaho and my wife works at one of the busiest Albertsons around the Spokane area. I fear for her safety. In Minnesota however, it's fucking crazy how much shit has gone down. The reason why it's not surprising to me is because with the death of Floyd, this was the last straw for people who've already gone crazy for months because of the Covid crap and this triggered something that made many people reach a boiling point. I don't condone their actions and hope justice and order is resolved soon but it's not hard to see that other side of the coin and if you can't see that, you're either blind, ignorant or just don't give a shit.

This won't be the last death that strikes people's hearts and this isn't the last riot that reaches disasterly heights but I do believe in being prepared the best ways you can. I'm just glad that it hasn't reached our City of Coeur D' Alene and for the most part, we live very peacefully out here. Compared to other big towns, it's quiet as a church mouse. We are a gun carrying town which I have both good and not good thoughts about and my wife has a gun. I never held or fired a gun in my life so my thoughts may not be as relevant to you but I will tell you this... I grew up in Santa Cruz, CA where you had Gangs, Hookers, Corrupt Cops, Rapists, The Mentally Ill and more Homeless people than you can count the people at the Boardwalk just roaming around everyday. I never once got jumped, been mugged, beat down or stabbed and yet still walked around the darkest and dirtiest places in that town with my head held high without a gun or a knife on me. I was always ready to defend myself or those around me and I feel blessed I never had to go to drastic measures to do so.

Not many people know this about me but I once had to help break up a big fight between two guys at a Gold's Gym when I was 19-20 years old. Two crazy muscle bound bloodhounds were going at it at the entrance inside the Gym and one of the members was screaming for help, I was about 30 feet away and rushed over there and was one of three guys to get one of them off each other and hold them back. It was only for a minute but that was one of the scariest things I had to do. I could've just sat there and kept going on with my workout but something snapped in me to go help someone in need. It may have been just one of those days where some guys had to bloody each other up but it could've been way worse, so yes I've dealt with seeing the ugliness and the hurt others put on each other especially in an environment where we're supposed to keep something like that from happening and help each other get in shape.

The world is always going to have some form of nastiness and hatred towards one another. It's not going to change any real time soon. We can damn sure however, show people love and kindness when it is needed the most and defend those who can't defend themselves. We can show love through a hug, a note, an article, giving someone a shoulder to cry on or just listen. I was raised to show as much kindness as possible but also be there for people to defend them or myself. I'm not the easiest person to deal with and everything I do for the people around me is coming from a place of love whether it comes off as that or not.

Someone like George Floyd deserves Justice for what happened to him. Did he have the most beautiful past, hell no, but he should never have had to die the way the he did and I hope there is some peace coming to his loved ones. As for the riots, I do believe action should be taken and do their damndest to not have anyone else harmed or murdered. A member of my own family is a cop and an uncle who's a Vietnam Vet was also a cop. I don't believe for a second there isn't a corrupt cop out there but there are plenty of cops who are the best people on the planet and fight everyday to keep their city safe and I'm proud that they serve and protect to the best of their abilities.

The Realities Of Having A Journal Or Diary

Many people write or type in a journal or diary to let out their most powerful thoughts, observations, goals and feelings. It isn't a bad thing to do and it certainly isn't terrible to find something to cope or get things off your chest and leave it in writing. However, unless you're super careful, the odds are someone sooner or later will find that book or entries somewhere at some point in time. Some journals however have been kept locked away to never see daylight again or have been burned to be kept from being found out.

If you ask me, the most secretly kept book in the U.S is highly likely the President's Book Of Secrets that contain things that could change the very foundation and the core of this country for better and far worse than we can possibly imagine. In smaller cases, have you ever found someone's journal or they found yours? What do you think of the person now that you learned what they really thought or what they truly found out about you. Some journals contain entries that can make or destroy a relationship, others talk about how happy they are and what they love about the world and the people around them. 

The reality is whether you have a secret journal or have an open one on social media like a blog or Vlog, it's important to understand that there is a possibility that everything you write or type up, could potentially put a target on your back. I often times felt obligated to write in a journal and today with my fitness journal, I found out that I missed one or two entries and can't remember which days I missed. I have quite a few workout journals that never got to the end and it just makes me mad that I missed out writing in them. 

This isn't a way of telling people not to have a journal or anything like that, if that helps you be successful and you write things that you need to let go of in a certain manner, go for it and I really hope it brings peace and success for you. If you're a blogger like me or someone who puts their thoughts and "rants" on film, you will whether from the get-go or later on, some people who will mock you, despise you and do everything in their crazy minds to prevent you from doing what you want to do and discourage you to stop and find a way to hate you. Granted everybody has an opinion and will go into deep lengths about it (I've done it on a couple occasions lately on Youtube and Facebook) and sometimes, you just got something to say whether it's good or terrible. 

I know fully well what it's like to get caught up in keyboard wars and utilizing Free Speech and express my opinions and observations. When you talk or write, be prepared for what people might say or do. Most of the time, people will just shoot their mouth off and nothing else comes after that but people can be cruel and harsh and act like they don't give a shit and try to destroy you. A written Journal might be the most precious thing they have in this world regardless of what is written; it's their escape, their sanctuary, a fortress of solitude, excalibur, the holy grail of their livelihood and their biggest secrets laid out just for them alone. 

One of the biggest problems with Social Media is the overkill of Freedom Of Speech, words can pound you into an oblivion more than a fight or gun or stabbing ever will. People have died because of things like Cyberbullying, feeling like no matter what they do it's better to not live and being damned if you do and damned if you don't. Seeing from both sides the good and the bad of what Social Media can do to a person. It's a matter of teaching, helping and using a positive format that people can go to or write into that makes them feel safe regardless of what they write, to not be judged, ridiculed and to be themselves. 

There are pros and cons to having a Journal or Diary whether it's for writing down how cute that boy or girl is, the feeling of happiness or sadness, being loved or being abused, scoring the winning touchdown or missed the ball in the most important game of your life at that very moment; anything. Sometimes we write things we don't always mean and it's better to write it down than shout it out and make things far worse. There's a saying that one moment could change everything and whether it's good or bad, that moment will determine how things will go on if at all. A journal can hold a secret so powerful, it could destroy or skyrocket a person's perception for the rest of their life. 

Journals may mean something to someone, other times it's just a book someone put thoughts down and nothing else ever happens and than, there's that thought of being able to still be optimistic that whether someone finds out what you wrote, talked about or typed up, it brings better clarity for all sides and people can still live their lives and not be feared of what they put down. It doesn't happen all the time, but it isn't impossible to happen.