Change

I am reading the Lil Leopards the book “The Lorax” by Dr. Suess. I feel it’s an important tool that I have to start teaching them environmental self defense. It’s a lyrical book, with lots of colours, and I hope that these young children of tomorrow will learn from it.

This ties in with my Lorax Project, which will coincide with Earth Day on April 22nd. Although it should be Earth day everyday. This project first appeared with our school in 2008, and the students at Silent River Kung Fu all submitted a letter or picture to Mother Earth. You can find it on my blog and the link is posted below. This year, this project will be a video blog, and I hope the message will be just as clear.

Our earth is very unsettled right now, and it’s time to make some serious changes.

3 Laps and an 80 pound push

One of my goals for this year was to run the PARE test. It’s the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation, that all RCMP applicants and most member’s need to complete. My test is on Wednesday April 13th, and so this past Wednesday I went down to the gym to give it a try. My purpose was to see what it was like, and perhaps adjust my workouts accordingly.

I ran 3 of the 6 laps, and holy smokes batman! It is harder than it looks. It’s like an obstacle course for grownups, and has a easy look to it. But it’s not that simple. I know I can do it though, but that’s the easy part. The hard part is that you immediately go to the push/ pull machine. There are 6 180 degree rotations you must do while pushing/ pulling the appropriate weight. I was given the applicants weight of 80 pounds. I mentioned in a previous post that 80 pounds is 2/3 of my body weight.

Again, holy smokes batman! Pulling wasn’t too difficult, as a good horse stance is all I really needed. Walking that way was a little more challenging, but not as challenging as the push. I could get the weight up, but walking/ cross stepping while doing it is almost impossible for me. I don’t have the upper body strength that I thought I did. Hm.

Anyway, while I was really sore in my shoulders the next day, I am really looking forward to April 13th. Wish me luck!

Let's get this over with....

Today has been a difficult day to blog. Most of the time, this is pretty easy for me, but today I can’t seem to organize my thoughts.

I am definitely all over the map here, but my training is mostly on track. I have spent some extra time with different forms this past week, and next week I am going to observe (and maybe try a lap or two) of a physical fitness test for the RCMP. One of my goals this year is to run it and I am looking forward to accomplishing it in April. Basically, it’s an obstacle course for grown-ups, and I have to run it in a certain amount of time. And part of it involves lifting and carrying 80 lbs of dead weight. Considering that’s 2/3 of my weight, it’ll be interesting. And I guess this is where my leg strength will come into play. Lift with legs, not back...

Anyway, that’s all folks!

Rank

I have been thinking a lot lately about rank. I am aiming for my second degree, and find myself getting discouraged about where I am. My inner voice tells me that is doesn’t matter where I am in the totem pole, as long as I train mindfully and stay true to myself. But sometimes that inner voice isn’t very strong.

Part of my reason for the UBBT was to give myself a boost in mindful training, and to act as a guide to grade in the fall. But the more I think about grading, the more stressed out I get. I forget to be in the moment, and forget to find joy in the little things that make it all worthwhile.

As I write this, I find my mind wandering to the Lil Leopards class yesterday, and the light that shines in all those little faces. Some are shy, don’t talk and stick to the instructor they trust. Others are chatty, and can’t wait to tell you about their day (even though it’s only 9 am). That gives me joy, and knowing that my training is getting passed to them means a lot. The same goes in my Advanced kids class. They are on the cusp of teenage hood, and I go away feeling like I made a difference all the time.

So really, does the belt around my waist mean anything at that point? Does it ever? Will the stripes on my belt give me more respect? More wisdom? No. All it does is symbolize a goal I met. So what if it takes longer than I plan? It’s the journey that takes me there that matters the most. That’s the mantra I had when I earned my black belt, and I mentally kick myself sometimes for forgetting that now.

This journey has to stay about learning, and becoming a better person. It’s about personal growth, raising awareness, and inspiring those around me. And on that note, I am going to go do some Tai Chi.........

A healthy weight

We had our UBBT8 meeting yesterday at the school (student members), and we have decided that as of March 1st we are going to log our diets for one month. I followed the one they did last year, and it looks like it would be a great tool to see what you are putting into your body. Whether it’s balanced, or if you are getting enough of the things you need to maintain our athlete’s physique.

We also talked about taking care of ourselves - recovering from injuries etc. It is important and is something that I need to constantly remind myself of.

Because of the requirement to take care of oneself, I am not participating in the diet blog. About a thousand years ago, I journaled my diet. But this moved me into a state of mind, where I began to obsess over food, and my intake was severely limited. This lasted for too long, and it was a long haul to get to a point where I no longer obsess about food, it’s fat content or how many calories are in it. I am at a good weight now, and because it was journaling that started that dangerous journey, I will not participate. However, I will share some recipes though, and encourage those around me.

At this point, while I am aware of what I eat, I no longer worry about how much. I am aware of the choices I make, rarely eat meat, and I opt for the most natural choice available. It is not healthy, to obsess over what you eat. Nor is it healthy to eat whatever you want when you want it. The key is awareness - being in the moment and thinking about what you are eating, where it came from, and the fuel it is giving you.

Thich Nhat Hanh/ Dr. Lillian Cheung’s book “Savor” is a book worth reading, with regards to awareness. I highly recommend it.

Sleepover

This Friday night, we held our annual Children’s Kung Fu Sleepover. The kids get to come sleep in the kwoon, play games, eat pizza and watch a movie. It’s a great way for them to socialize, and it adds an element of fun to their training.

For me as in instructor, this was my first to run. I had attended one in the past as simply a parent who trained, so this one was exciting for me. A little stressful, but exciting at the same time. And I have to admit when,Thursday night, Sifu Brinker told me that there would be around 30 kids, I was a little bit worried. But that dissolved completely when Friday night we realized that there would only be about 20. That made everything feel like a piece of cake from that point on.

It worked out better than I thought. And I am glad that I have learned to go with the flow, rather than try to strictly impose a schedule. I had a list of things we could do, but you have to read the kids, and their moods and simply work with that. I work well with the other children’s instructors, so it went just swimmingly.

All the kids were great - they ranged from 4 years to 12 years of age, and the one 4 year old, was in with the older kids like a dirty sock. It was a great experience. I did learn one thing though (although I had a sneaking suspicion of it beforehand). I learned that I am too old to be sleeping on the mats without a mattress of some sort. So next year, maybe I will actually get some sleep. Ha ha.

Teaching kids has really impacted my training in a positive way. It helps keep me young at heart, and keeps the fun in Kung Fu. It inspires me to be a better role model, and to be more creative with drills.

National Sweater Day - February 17, 2011

This Thursday February 17th is National Sweater Day. The idea is to turn down the thermostat by 3 degrees, put on a sweater and make a difference.

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, if all Canadians turned down their thermostat by 3 degrees over the winter, we could save 2.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide a year. In other words, reducing 2.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide is equivalent to taking 350 000 cars off the road. I think that’s pretty remarkable, and it’s such a simple solution.

There are many things we can do to reduce our carbon emissions. We can choose to drive less, and find alternative ways of transportation. We can lower our heat, and/ or air conditioning. We can stop idling our vehicles. Draft proof your house, hang dry your clothes, wash them is cold water, purchase a more fuel efficient car, or ride your bike instead. By eating less meat we are helping our environment, by buying local foods, we save on our carbon output. We can use a man powered lawn mower to save on emissions, and we should be using reusable bags for our shopping needs. These are just a few things we can do to slow down the climate change. They are just simple things, that go a long way.

Climate change is the biggest environmental threat in the world. Now is the time to raise awareness - every day. So, this Thursday, I am going to don an extra sweater and turn down the heat - at work and at home. (On a side note, this winter I did not turn up the heat as much as I have in the past. I usually like to be able to walk around in shorts in the winter, but this year, I chose to just dress a little warmer, and put an extra blanket on my bed.)