Eating the Good Fight

Post By: Kris Green 

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always make the best food or drink choices. Dr. Pepper is a particular weakness – nutritionally, though, it counts as a big negative, adding sugar and calories without any benefits except flavor and caffeine.

But I want to eat better so that nutrition doesn’t work against my training. A lot of things can interfere with our training, and they’re hard enough to work around without also getting tired or losing focus because I didn’t eat right that day.

Starting at the top, this means getting a decent mix of the three macronutrients: fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Without protein, your muscles break down. Without carbs, you have no energy to burn. Without a little fat, the entire engine stalls before it starts. What’s the right mix? That’s a little harder. Some experts say to go with 30% of your calories from fat, 30% from protein, 40% from carbs. Other experts have different mixes. Bottom line, though, is that each meal should have all three in decent proportions.

I also try to get the right kinds of proteins and carbs and fat. Lean protein, like chicken or fish or tofu, is much better than fatty stuff, like beef. Slow-burning carbs from whole grains are better than fast, simple carbs like sugar. And yes, honey counts as sugar, so I’m trying to stop adding honey to every mug of tea I drink. But a plate of pork ribs covered in barbeque sauce gives my willpower a black eye every time. Tasty, but it’s all the wrong stuff since the pork is high in fat and the sauce has a ton of salt and sugar.

Another factor I try to keep in mind is varying the sources of each of these nutrients. Sure, tofu is good for you, but it shouldn’t be the ONLY source of protein in your diet. All foods have micronutrients as well, like the omega-3 acids, iron, and potassium. Only by varying the source of the food you eat can you get a reasonable mix of these. And at all costs, I try to minimize the condiments on my food. A salad of fresh veggies is about as healthy for you as it can be – especially with some nuts for protein and fat thrown in – but after you add a typical salad dressing, you’ve done yourself more harm than good. (Fact: Some salads and dressing combinations at McDonald’s have more 30% more fat than the Big Mac!) So what can you do to punch up a salad? Add balsamic vinegar instead of dressing, or sprinkle unsalted sunflower kernels on it.

Finally, I find it helps a lot to spread my calories out through the day. Three balanced meals of 650-700 calories with some small 150-200 calories snacks helps keep my energy level more consistent throughout the day and avoids overeating at one meal. This also avoids spikes and slumps in blood sugar. Then your workouts are building your body up rather than tearing it down.

Photo by: YaiSirichai

Your Favorite Way to Train

Post By: Lee Phelan

This week's blog post is about you!

What is your favorite training activity during practice? You know, the activity you get the most excited about when practice starts up. Maybe you have a particular technique you feel confident with, or maybe there is a certain kata you love practicing, or a weapon that just feels right in your hands.

I'll start.

No big surprise here, my favorite training is sparring. In my opinion, sparring is the culmination of everything we do in the martial arts. Techniques, balance, reaction time, and state of mind are all being used at once. Granted, we use all these things in everything we do, but in sparring the stakes are a lot higher. Being slightly unbalanced in kata will likely result in a shaky technique that makes Sensei give you That Look. But being slightly off balance in sparring will likely result in you getting hit and then thrown to the ground, where you will probably be choked, mangled, or hit again. Because of sparring, I feel confident in life both in and out of the dojo. I know I can handle pressure, that I can take a hit, and that I can keep going despite adversity.

What about you? Leave a comment!

  

Photo By Ken Smith 

It's Not Too Late

Post By: Ken Smith

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your entire martial arts career laid out in front of you in your own words? Your challenges, your accomplishments, your “ahah moments”?  Well, although it may too late to capture it all from the beginning, it'’s not too late to start now, because only the past is certain. The future is yet to be written.

Keeping a journal of your training can add a level of depth in your understanding of the techniques as well as understanding of yourself.  You can use it to remember key points that were taught during class or to jot down questions for Sensei later. Sometimes there'’s a certain technique that suddenly just “works” because some little adjustment you make. Write it down!  While it's still relevant to the state of mind you’re in, it’s easier to remember.  For some, jotting down what they value from the practice right after class can be easiest. For others, choosing another time later in the day can work better. It doesn’t matter when.  Just try it.

With all the electronic means today to record just about anything, keeping a journal about important things in your life is easier than ever.  But something as simple as a pen and pad of paper can add a lasting dimension to a part of your life that would otherwise be left to memory.  You can do it anyway you choose.  Jot down words, phrases, concepts, even the occasional humorous description by a Sensei. For example “ "Being centered with the uke is the way to be. It’s the string cheese of life”." I guess you had to be there, but thanks to Sensei Jay for that classic moment in Aiki class May 9^th 2009. Now that classic moment lives on permanently “out there” on the Internet thanks to my journal. 

Maybe you can take this moment as your start of your journal similar to when I mentioned to Sensei, “ "I wish I had written down stuff I’ve learned from when I started."”  He said “ "Why not start now, it’s not too late.”"  And it’s not. Try it for a week. After a week, look at what you wrote and I bet that it helps all those important bits of info soak in deeper to the places they belong in your training. If not, then maybe you can just forget the whole thing….

Photo By: Nattavut

Thoughts on Testing Requirements

Post by: Lee Phelan

When I was in high school I loved art, and my day was packed full of art classes. There was one particular project that I was extremely excited about. We were asked to construct a box out of whatever materials we wanted, the inside was supposed to represent our inner selves, while the outside was what we portrayed to the world. I was so excited about it that I took my project home and stayed up all night working on it, ignoring the other homework I had been assigned that day. By five in the morning the box was done and I was thrilled, however, the art teacher was not.

He explained to me that this project wasn't going to be due until the end of the month, giving us three weeks or so to work on it. To my dismay he pointed out how hastily my box had been constructed: there were uneven edges, blobs of glue showing, and the drawings were sloppy. Most importantly, he noted that I simply did not take the time for my ideas to solidify. My box met all the requirements for the assignment and it was “done,” but it was not the finished and thoughtful piece he was looking for.

Testing in the martial arts is like my art box. It is easy to get in a hurry, to check off the requirements in the book, to expect your next belt, and to inevitably feel crushing disappointment when told that you are not ready. Despite all the years of your training, despite doing Seisan kata or Aiki-Otoshi five million times, you may not be ready. It isn't that you are doing the techniques wrong, or that you didn't complete the requirements set out before you. Instead, it is because Sensei has the ability to see your potential, and that you have not quite gotten there yet.

Initially you may feel like ripping your box apart and throwing it in the trash. You may wonder why you even bothered working on it so hard only to be told it isn't good enough. You may look at the boxes around you and start comparing them to yours. You may even wonder if other teachers would better appreciate your box. But this will get you nowhere.

Trust in those who have walked this path before you, and most importantly, trust in yourself. Your journey in the martial arts is not about what you are, but instead it is about what you will become.  

Photo by: Graeme Weatherston

Seigans and Commitment

Post by: Kris Green 

On this, the 950th day of my Seigan, I find myself wondering what has helped me

continue with my commitment? I’m not doing it for a record; it’s a personal 
challenge. 
 
Some of what’s kept me going is definitely an obsessive personality trait. 
That’s the part that has me log each class. (That’s how I know that I’m 
averaging just over 63 minutes per day.) Mostly though, it’s the desire to 
improve myself physically, mentally and emotionally that’s kept me going. 
 
I started simple, challenging myself to keep an official seigan going. Then I 
tried to bump it and do an hour each day. It doesn’t always work: sometimes I’m 
sick or injured or too busy or make other excuses and only get in 30 or 45 
minutes. But I always feel a little bad about it the next day – there’s the 
obsessive part of me. A half hour sometimes feels like I haven’t quite gotten 
what I want out of my workout, especially since I’ve started trying to bring 
more balance to them. 
 
A big key for me is variety. For a while I achieved this by making each day’s 
workout different. I’d do my kata as slowly as possible one day (I made the 
motion-sensing lights in a racquetball court turn off and stay off while doing 
kata once!) The next day, I might try to get power out of the kata, or focus on 
my stances or balance. Or really envision all the attackers and different ways 
to apply the movements. Some days I’d do a thousand kicks, or a thousand 
punches, or both to work on stamina. 
 
Recently, though, instead of doing the same thing for the entire workout, I’ve 
started to bring variety into each day. I’ll break the hour up into segments, 
like three 20-minute segments or four 15-minute segments. Then each segment gets 
a different focus. I may do one segment for conditioning, one to go over the 
most recent moves from kenjitsu, one to run through some self-defense moves, and 
one to work on my kata for third degree. It’s amazing how quickly the time 
passes. 
 
Another trick is to add in a little outside element to your training. For 
example, if you like to watch cartoons, have them playing while you work out and 
make them part of the workout. Scenes change quickly in cartoons, and every time 
the scene changes, you could swap to a new sparring combination, or add in an 
extra punch or kick to the head of your imaginary opponent. 
 
Anything we do in class is a potential source for a workout, and everything can 
be modified for different situations. Try doing all you upper body basics 
sitting in a chair, or doing the lower basics from seiza. 
 
Start small, build up, and pretty soon you’ll realize that you’ve made it 100 
days or more! Keep a record of your workouts so that you can vary them and to 
encourage you to remember to do it. 
 

Photo by: Salvatore Vuono