Playing Like A Kid Again!!!

 When we were little, we had wild imaginations, putting thoughts out into the world and create something out of only by what we dream about. As we get older, we become more analytical, cautious, only use what we see and not what we can think of. We become the entity that loses that fire and passion to be creative out of necessity. Is it too late to feel that drive again? To be creative, passionate and to use our thoughts into action? I firmly believe we can and it starts with what we already did as kids and that’s moving like a wild animal.

Remember what it was like to pretend we were bears, apes, tigers, snakes and such? We mimicked our favorite beasts and critters by playing games like tag and racing each other. What happened to that? Being realistic in the adult world is what happened and we went from crawling, jumping and playing to office desks and bringing people bad food in restaurants LOL.

Now, there are things as we get older we need to be aware of and we aren’t always able to play the way we used to and bounce back like it was a cake walk, but we can however; make a difference in how we still can have that child-like quality but put into action how we apply it to what our bodies are capable of in the moment.

Off and on for more than 20 years, I have practiced the art of Animal Movement and it’s multiple styles depending on who teaches it and what is utilized. From crawling to combo moves to HIIT, Tag, Races, Dice Games and others, I am always finding ways to make workouts look like play because I still am a kid at heart, even in my 40’s. I still want to feel what it’s like to mimic an animal in the wild.

Where to even start if you’re just getting back into it? Well, it’s best to start with the basics and work up to them in a variety of ways. One would be to start Bear Crawling which is the simplest Animal to practice. Start with 1-3 sets of 10-20 seconds of just getting the feel for it again. Don’t need to rush or speed up, just focus using opposite arm and opposite leg patterns until you become good at it. As time goes on, build up until you can go for 1-2 minutes non stop. If you want to really be ambitious, one of my favorite workouts takes no more than 5 minutes where you Sprint in the Bear Crawl for 10 seconds, rest 20 seconds and repeat for a total of 10 rounds. 2-3x a week max for this.

Some days, I would wake up, Bear Crawl for 1 minute, rest, Gorilla Hop/Jump for 1 minute, rest and then do a Tiger Crawl for 1 minute. 3 minutes of movement is often all it takes. This is particularly a good workout to build cognitive strength because of the constant movement and patterns being used. It potentially can wake you up better than a cup of Coffee.

At the park, I would sometimes do different crawling patterns, combine different animals together to create a hybrid or do one movement after another and switch on a dime. When I rest, I walk around focusing on my breathing until I’m ready to go again. Sometimes I’ll do this kind of training for 10 min, 20 min or even a few minutes just to get a good sweat going. I get to play and challenge my brain to see what can be done next.

In the video below, you can get an idea of what I mean by this….

When I do these things, I feel like a kid again, living out my imagination and having the time of my life. Sure we have responsibilities and need to do things in order to live amongst our means, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to play again and make things in our lives interesting and playful. You can too with a little practice and doing what’s possible for you.

One course in particular I use that teaches you all kinds of moves and blending them together is called Movement 20XX where it combines the elements of Calisthenics & Animal Movement. Learn and have fun with it.

Fitness is not always about reps and sets schemes or having to go to a gym and face the unpredictability of what to use and maybe wait for people, things like this give you the freedom to explore your inner child and building strength from another perspective. You can do these at a gym if you’d like (preferably in an area where it won’t be in anybody’s way) or do them on off days to keep things flowing. They can be done as warm-ups, finishers, 2-A Days or whatever you like, the choice is yours. That’s the beauty of it.

Be amazingly awesome and let’s keep the imagination and play alive so we don’t have to get stuck in a damn nursing home later in life.

On a side note, a new era has begun for Power And Might as I have ventured out into a new space to write and share my love for training. If you'd like to check out the new spot, go to the comment section or send me an email using the Contact Form and type in POWERANDMIGHT and I will send you a link. 

Can Disney Inspire You To Move?

Some things will just give you the urge to move and play in the most random places. Or was it designed that way? Who really knows, but what I do know is that last night, I had the urge to do Isometrics but something else had me doing something completely different. I was watching the new film Disneynature put together about Orangutangs and really enjoyed it. 

The little story about the species in different families, forming bonds and seeing the young ones learn by mimicking their mothers was just fun to watch. So fun that it made me want to move around like an animal in our living room. Just crawling, doing switches, forming patterns and playing for several minutes. No structure or routine, did whatever came to my head and had a blast. My back was loosened up, felt very relaxed and the soreness in my legs from the squats and step ups yesterday faded out.

Took patterns and moves from things like Movement 20XX and Ed Baran's old Animal Kingdom Conditioning books. I wish Ed was still in business selling these, they were my true introduction to Animal Workouts. It's exciting to do stuff like that and reap the benefits of muscle building, conditioning and hitting those neurons in the brain. 

Sometimes a few minutes playing like an animal will give you that boost of energy that makes you feel great. Endorphins kicking in, that relaxed state of being and just letting go and be wild. I couldn't stop smiling afterwards, that's the effect it has on me. Took a cold shower afterwards and let things sink in. I wanted to keep going but didn't want to wake up the wife. 

Whenever I do this, something within me changes, something amazing and having that surge of strength and power. It's like transforming into a Super Saiyan without needing to get angry. It's a release that puts you into another realm of calmness and focus. That's the true nature of moving like a beast in the wild. Get Movement 20XX and learn exercises that are just insane to test out, plenty of beginner to advanced exercises but overall, let your mind run free. 

I encourage you for those who have Disney+ to check out Orangutan and see a story unfold of the Heaviest Tree-Dwelling Ape of them all. Be wild, play and have a blast using your imagination. Be amazingly awesome.  

Shoulder Health & Mobility

 It can be hard to adjust the way we do things as we get older. We can still do amazing things when we are consistent and listen to our bodies. The trouble is at times, we can get very cocky and become overzealous and anxious so we push ourselves and get hurt. It takes time to recover and it won't be easy getting back to what we are capable of or working around it. 

We pull muscles, put strain on the joints and lose our mobility in the process. It's great to be strong, it's another to be mobile and durable. When we learn to strengthen our joints and ligaments, it becomes a whole new ball game in the realm of living a quality life. That's one of the reasons why I enjoy swinging the Indian Clubs from time to time. Some light work but a huge emphasis on conditioning the areas that keep the body in tact and healthy. It's not a matter of strength, it's a matter of flow and control for a period of time. Some start out with 1/2 pound clubs and others work up to 2-3 pounders. The weight is not meant to be taken lightly (pun intended), it's meant to keep your body healthy and build resilience so less chances of getting injured becomes a priority.

Clubs have been around for many centuries from the time of ancient warriors to the modern day fitness enthusiast who shows classic exercises for health and durability in the shoulders, wrists, elbows, hands and even the core. Clubs can be done with full body workouts and it wakes up the brain as you flow through the patterns with smooth intention and focus. Some do them for time, others for a certain amount of reps, either way if you can control the club and utilize the patterns with efficiency, you can have a hell of a session. Some days I've done 500-1000 total reps with my clubs, other times just a couple hundred or less, it just depends on what I want to do and how I feel that day. It feels really good, gives off an endorphin high and it puts you into a different state of being. It's moving meditation. 

Injuries can be a bitch, some are worse than others and some are mild but we don't want to injured too often or at all because every injury can make or break a person no matter how big or little it is. That's the great thing about clubs as well, to utilize them for prehab or rehab to train those muscles and joints back to a good state of harmony and health. It's a superweapon for mobility conditioning. 

People like Zenkahuna are perfect examples of applying old school methods to keep your quality of life alive with positive affirmations, harmony through physical movement and playful creativity. Look him up, one of the most influential people with an amazing soul. 

Play around with Clubs, learn the movements and patterns, customize your own workouts and have fun. Be old school with a smile. Be amazingly awesome.