From What I Know
The Musings of a Karate Guy
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And so it begins… I’ve been on the intermittent fasting bandwagon since before it was cool and typically rotate between the 16/8 and One Meal a Day (OMAD) timing. I’ve gone 48 hours without food several times…and 72 hours just a couple of times. This year, to ring in 2023, I’m going to start with a 5-day fast. Sounds pretty crazy to some of you, I know. To others…the ones who know me personally…you’re probably just smiling and shaking your head. Why? Well, there are layers to this. To be very clear: I’m not doing this to lose weight. I’m at the stage of my fitness journey where weight is probably the metric that I’m least concerned about, but I will be tracking it over the next 120 hours. So, why? Well, remember that year when Covid shut down everything and teachers (like me) had to do our jobs virtually…to black screens and muted mics? Yeah, that was an absolute soul-sucking time for me BUT during that period, I made a couple of changes to my lifestyle that were pretty significant. The biggest change…I went vegan. That's right…no meat…no animal products at all. It was kind of an impulsive decision…about 1:00 pm on a random Tuesday, I decided to give it a shot; but just for one month. Well, one month went on to about a year and a half. Since my vegan experience began as an impulsive n=1 experiment, I decided just last month to reintroduce meat, but just for one month. I wont say yet what changes I noticed with the dietary changes. I’ll save that for a later time. So, Reason #1 on the “Why Bob” list is that I want a complete 5-day reset of my digestive system. Like I said though, there are layers to this. I’m taking the whole “new year, new me” quip and going all the way down to the cellular level. There’s a powerful process that takes place in our bodies when we go deep enough into a fasted state: autophagy. Look it up on your own. I want you to do that because I don’t want anyone taking my word for it; I’m not a doctor after all. Also, by digging into it a little on your own, I’ll be you get more out of it anyway. The short of it though is that when in a state of autophagy, your body starts to clean itself out, and we’re not talking about extra time in the restroom. No, autophagy goes deeper…cleaning up the body at the cellular level. So, Reason #2 on the “Why Bob” list is that I want to start 2023 with what I predict will be a stronger everything, but I’m specifically looking for improvement in my immune system. More superficial layers/reasons include: Reason #3- fighting back against the belief that we need to eat 3 meals (or more) every day. Reason #4- pure curiosity. I want to see how a prolonged fast impacts my ability to train, and recover from training. Reason #5- it’s going to be hard! I haven’t done this before! So there you go. The timer officially started 27 minutes ago. Just 119 hours and 33 minutes left, but who’s counting? Check back in throughout the week. I’ll be posting stats daily as I track:
I’m excited about this and hope to learn about myself and how my body works best. I hope that, in some way, this adventure serves someone else in a positive way. Be blessed! ~Bob B.
In my opinion, I lump self-defense seminars into the same group as:
- marriage seminars - parenting seminars - teaching seminars - training seminars - diet/nutrition seminars Seminars don't work. Sure, they provide a ton of helpful resources and suggestions; practical tips and adjustments are shared, but seminars don't work. All they are, are presentations of material and ideas. Don't get me wrong. I've been to some amazing seminars for all sorts of topics; and many have been incredibly helpful. Over a decade ago I went to a movement seminar with Michol Dalcourt that to this day informs the way I train/workout. I've been to teaching seminars with the likes of Ned Hallowell and Rick Lavoie, which continue to have a benefit on my classroom teaching and the way I interact with students. Those were GREAT seminars, but the magic was in ME. No, I'm not going on an ego trip. You just have the realize and understand the phrase "It works if you work it". See, if I would have taken my notes from those seminars and tossed them on my desk, never to look at them again...I would have gained nothing. Rather, I would have lost out on time and money! Those seminars continue to have benefit to me, because I consistently revisit what I learned from those teachers/instructors. I am able to consistently practice an hone the skills that I picked up from them. And that's why I don't do self-defense seminars. In fact, I think self-defense seminars are downright dangerous. Sure, there's benefit into learning more about conflict resolution, situational awareness, and the basics of escaping or engaging in a fight BUT without regular practice, regular training, those skills you learn over the course of a few hours will not serve you when you need them. If you don't practice what you learn, the skills just wont "stick"; ESPECIALLY when it comes to situations where you need to defend yourself, or someone else. Think of it this way. Most people have never been in a fight. You're not going to go from zero to pro in one seminar. You've got to train that part of you! So...ditch the idea of signing up for a self-defense seminar and instead find yourself a good martial arts academy (I may know a really good one here in the DMV;-) and commit to scheduled, regular training! No. That’s an easy one to answer AND I don’t even need to know your age. Our approach to Kyokushin karate makes training accessible to men and women of all ages and stages of life. Our conditioning is carefully planned out so that everyone is pushed to another level, regardless of their age as intensity is the usual goal, NOT a set number of repetitions.
In fact, more years under your belt has some tremendous advantages. The first that comes to mind is that you are much more in-tune and aware of your body and moving through space. This is something that, with a few exceptions, only comes with age due to neurological and biological developmental milestones. Another advantage is that as we get older, our goals become more clearly defined. Want to become a champion fighter? I can definitely help you. Want to just become active and more fit? I can definitely help you. Want to be a part of a team/tribe? I can definitely help you! One more bonus to beginning your training as an adult is that...well...it’s cheaper than therapy! While I might smile typing that, I am completely serious. The benefits of being part of a community of like-minded people who are all there working toward their goals...you just can’t put a price on the impact that can have. Research shows that regular physical exercise is beneficial for the body AND the mind. So are you too old? Nope. You’re not. By the way...the oldest member of our dojo is 70...and he works his ass off every single day. Oh, he also hits like a dump truck. See you in the dojo. Short answer; yes, twice.
I distinctly remember both of the conversations and they were tough, but necessary. Our dojo has a code of conduct (reminder to self, review this with students periodically) which is read and signed during the enrollment process. This list of expectations is all built around the idea of protecting not just each individual student, but our class community as a whole. Protecting the spirit of and community of our group is one of my primary concerns and responsibilities. Without a strong community, learning becomes more difficult that it already is. Without being able to trust your partner(s) it's impossible to embrace the idea of taking a risk. So yes, in order to protect the community of learning in our dojo, I have asked two students to leave in the last decade, after an unchanged pattern of behavior which which both individuals were unwilling to address from their end. |
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