Blog

We Having Fun Yet?

by defiancetrainingcorp, posted in balance

I saw a meme on Reddit the other day that had a guy looking at his watch for the data on if he had fun. Of course, the thread that followed was definitely hating, Regardless, it got me thinking. “Am I having fun?” I mean sure, the work has to be put in. There is a time for hard work and the often talked about “grind.” But shouldn’t we also have fun? There should be a balance, right? I remember how fun it was to absolutely kill it on the court or the field, games where we were just crushing the other team and it was obvious that our conditioning was far better than theirs. Those practices leading up to those games sucked, but damn, those kinds of games were awesome! I can say the same now. I don’t compete in those games anymore, but I race for fun, I kickbox and I hit the BJJ mats. I have way more fun when I feel good and can just flow. That definitely takes putting in the work. But I’ve noticed lately that the work is always work. I was running shortly after seeing that meme and it hit…..I was on the struggle bus and had been for days, weeks, maybe months. What I normally do for stress relief was a very difficult chore and I was struggling to run even a slow pace early in the run. That is most definitely NOT fun! It made me realize that the way I’ve been living lately is NOT fun. Constant grind. I don’t think I’m the only one living like this either. Life ebbs and flows, for sure, but it seems that we’ve made it some sort of mark of achievement to run ourselves into the ground, or bottomless pit of stress, anxiety, and despair rather.

Mental Health has taken a back seat to success, and it shows. Exercise is supposed to be a stress reliever, a mental health aide but for many, it is just on the list of things to do that isn’t getting done. Exercise is supposed to be a tool used for good physical, mental and emotional health. As a kid, we couldn’t wait to bust through those doors, running full tilt to the swings, the see saw or the playing field. It was our release, and it was fun. Do we even know what that is now, without a drug of some sort anyway? Can we even find that feeling inside without assistance? Forget the feeling of joy from fun, what about peace? Is that around anymore? Everything we do is on some gadget of sort compared, criticized, photographed and shared for more comparisons and critiques. It’s not required, ya know. Comparison is the thief of joy. You don’t have to participate in that game. Do you. Yes, the work has to be put in for the most fun to happen, but balance. Go have fun! Don’t turn your watch on for the next run. Just go run. Hop on the logs and soar over the puddles. Here’s a thought….don’t pace yourself. Run full tilt as far as you can and then stop, huff and puff and do it again. Or run full tilt to the swings and play. Lace up some skates, ride your bike and go jump some stuff. Whatever. Do the work, but then also, play, have fun, smile….for real. And if the work needs to pause a second, then maybe it should. Live for you!

Streeeeetch

by defiancetrainingcorp, posted in stretching

When is the last time you stretched? Like for real stretches, not the ones you do when you first get out of bed huffing and puffing for the day ahead. When have you actually sat down and made time to stretch?

Stretching, in my opinion, is the most overlooked, forgotten, highly beneficial activity for your overall health. It isn’t just for your muscular health. It helps EVERTHING! It can be done in short sessions when you just have a second or need a shake out, or it can be done in long form. It helps gets you going, and it helps to settle you down. It really can be a tool for all aspects of your life, mentally, physically, and emotionally. We are living in an age of uncertainty. Health crisis both physical and mental are at an alarming high. We have this generic idea of what a workout should be, where we go to a big box gym and slog away on the treadmill for the allotted time necessary to meet the guidelines social media and the government says. We push and pull on all the little machines in the line and then walk out the door calling the workout done. Ok, good job on hitting the gym, but how do you feel? Sometimes those endorphins are kicking at this point depending on how hard you pushed, but sometimes folks just walk out with the idea that something has been checked off the to do list. Which that idea needs to be a whole other blog. Yes, workouts are needed. Cardio and strength training are both very important but so is stretching. Stretching helps lengthen and relieve the pressure that has been pounded into the body in all areas, muscles, joints and organs. Taking the time to breathe with your movements hits a whole different way. That gives relief to the mind and soul….especially when the alerts are turned off of your phone for the duration. I’m not saying to give up your typical workout. I’m saying balance, add some stretching. Mix it up if time is an issue. Do a long stretch in place of one of those box gym days. Or put it in your daily routine, maybe part of your bedtime ritual. Turn the tv off and stretch for 10 minutes before you brush your teeth and go to bed. Maybe netflix and stretch instead of chill. I use it to wind down at night by stretching in a dark room with a dim red lamp, but you do you. Find the balance you need to make stretching a regular part of your life and I guarantee you will feel better everywhere.

Float and lift

by defiancetrainingcorp, posted in Uncategorized
float like a butterfly

Keep it simple with a jump rope and some kettlebells. If you don’t have kettlebells, no worries, use dumbbells instead. Canned food or water bottles work great in a pinch, so you’re good with whatever is on hand. And if you don’t have a jump rope, pretend. It’s all good. No equipment, no problem, no excuses!

Get your warm-up in. About 5 minutes of shadow boxing mixed with some dynamic stretches…..soldier walks, kickbacks, toe sweeps, and quad walks.

Workout: You are alternating strength moves with jump rope intervals. Do sets of 12 for each strength move and do 45 second intervals with your jump rope. Do 3 to 5 rounds.

  1. Renegade Rows
  2. Jump rope
  3. Gunslingers
  4. Jump rope
  5. KB swings
  6. Jump rope
  7. Squat/high pull
  8. Jump rope

Cool down with some static stretches…..toe touches, warrior 1 pose, pigeon pose, down dog

**modifications: If you can’t jump, use a small step or curb and do step ups or do high knee marches in place. As always, work in your ability level to gradually build your strength and endurance. Don’t force it!

No Days Off?????

by defiancetrainingcorp, posted in Uncategorized

I like to play.  That statement may be an obvious one to those who know me, I love it.  I love a good workout in the gym or park, running or riding trails, a good kickboxing session, you know….the fun stuff.  I love adventure so I thoroughly enjoy a good hike or some time spent on the disc golf course, but I admit that those don’t appeal to me nearly as much as the faster things I listed first.  Honestly, I could do those things every day….if my body let me.  I used to or pretty close to it, especially when I was competing in high school and college sports.  I decided that I wouldn’t be outworked, so I trained all the time.  And I trained hard.  I worked through injuries or came back from them sooner than expected when a surgery or a cast was involved.  I’m older and I like to think wiser now, but man it’s hard for me to ease up.  Some of that is simply because I like to play and, let’s be honest, some is that old mental “work harder” thing.  I don’t know why so I can’t explain it, but I love it.  I love to hate it even.  I’ve learned, though, that that isn’t the best way to train.  That “no days off” thing is stupid!  It’s funny because I’ve preached the importance of rest and even forced it on athletes I coached, but did not abide by that with my own body….until I had to.

Inflammation! Chronic inflammation to be specific.   I’ve learned some stuff on that topic.  Inflammation is meant to be a good thing.  It’s physiologically meant to protect and defend us but it can wreak all kinds of havoc on us too.  I’ve felt it in my own body although I know I ignored it most of my life, not realizing what was actually happening.  But as I have worked hard to overcome a brain injury and live a normal life, I’ve become very aware of its detriments.  With this whole brain injury thing still playing an ugly role in my life, it just seems like a constant battle to try like hell to get things straight in my body.  It effects everything!  Well, seeing as how the brain controls everything, a brain injury will negatively impact lots of stuff.  In trying so hard to find answers, I realized just how damaging chronic inflammation can be.  I know what it does to my body and I’ve seen what it can do to others, many of whom are people I love dearly.  Which makes it very hard to watch.  Ya see, chronic inflammation can be the cause of disease…..heart disease, diabetes, some cancers.  It can be a major player in anxiety, depression and even some anger disorders.  It can cause diseases that kill you pure and simple.  It starts as a means of defense and protection to heal the body from trauma and unwanted invaders, but can turn chronic, which can turn deadly.  That’s the extreme end of it, I know.  It can just make you feel like shit and keep you from being able to do the things you want to do or be the person you want to be.  So what’s my point about this “no days off” rant?  No days off means no time to let the natural inflammatory response from hard training subside.  It means your muscles never have time to heal, which is growth.  Inflammation is brought on by stress.  Exercise, as good as it is for you, is a stressor.  You can’t become better, faster, stronger if you never give yourself time to heal and grow.  And if you have lots of other stress in your life, maybe a nagging injury, or you’re one of the many athletes out there facing underlying health issues, you are bringing that much more inflammation to the game and expecting your body to just sweep it out the door like yesterday’s dust pile.  I have news for you, it won’t sweep out the door….regardless of how tough you are.  Inflammation is the beast that will drop even the strongest.  Listen to your body.  Do what it asks you to do.  Rest when you need to…when you feel horribly fatigued, you can’t shake that little nagging illness, you can’t sleep well at night or you have parts that just don’t seem to ever feel good.  Yes, there are days that you push through.  That’s normal.  But, when you really listen, your intuition will tell you when you need to ease up, rest and even eat a bit more.  Don’t get all freaked over that part now.  Another hard thing I’ve learned is that chronic inflammation will cause your body to hang on to fat as a form of defense regardless of how much you are NOT eating compared to how much you ARE burning.  It’s not always as simple as calories in vs calories out…..but that’s another post.   So for now, play, move, groove, enjoy the endorphins that flow from a good dose of moving but rest when it’s called for, my friends.  You’ll move that much better afterwards.

Let’s Play

by defiancetrainingcorp, posted in Uncategorized

 

I say it all the time, “It’s not years going by making you old.  It’s that you stopped moving making you old.”  I hate when people blame getting old for some ache or pain.  Yes, age happens and with that certain physiological changes.  It’s nature.  It has to.  I mean look at the trees and the grass and the flowers and the…..look outside.  Things change, life happens.  But it doesn’t have to be to complete pain and immobilization.  That’s a broken bone, not the aging process.  How we live now is so often the reason for those, “getting old sucks,” comments.  We sit. all. the. time.  In traffic, at a desk, on the couch, then straight to bed to do it all over again the next day.  Think about it….as a kid we played all the time.  At least I did, and with the benefit of country kid life, I had lots of space.  School years rolled around and I learned to sit my butt at a desk or I would get a whipping.  At least recess happened though, where we played until the very last second when that whistle was blowing for the 3rd and final time sending us running hard so we wouldn’t get in trouble and have to sit out of next recess.  Moving was life!  Let me rephrase….Playing was life!  You know, tackle the man with the football, freeze tag, seesaw….or trying to stay on anyway, climbing ladders to slide down fast, hit the ground to do it all again as fast as we could.  And there’s always the “who can run down the big slide without falling” thing.  I fell….hard!  My first experience with having all wind knocked out me.  I was dying!  But I didn’t die and I got up for more recess eventually.  It hurt!  The “I still remember it to this day” kind of hurt.  But you know what, I got up and moved.  I’m quite certain that the way I fell caused some serious bruises, to lots of parts.  And I’m sure that I had to have been pretty sore for days after, but I don’t remember that.  I played.  Playing is moving so that made the hurts not hurt so much.  Now I know from experience that when I’m sore and I have to sit, I feel so much worse later.  Being stuck in a car or plane for hours leaves me feeling like crap for days.  As a kid, we paid little attention to hurts because we were too busy getting to base before getting pegged or getting to the court to call dibs on first game.   Now, our minds are on other things, we sit for hours, we stress, tense up and hold our bodies in one position for long periods of time.  Of course we hurt.  Of course we lose muscle.  Of course we lose mobility.  Of course that sucks.

I know life happens and we can’t spend our lives on the playground.  We get older, seasons change.  As those seasons change we notice different things, we get made fun of for something so we get embarrassed  and don’t want to do it again.  We care what others think more.  We have to make certain grades so we have to be in class.  We have to study so we can get into the school that we have to go to.  We have to get a certain job so we can have the house the we have to have and the car that we have to have so we can look a certain way.  With all the have to haves comes more responsibility, more bills, more work.  I’m being a bit smart ass, I know.  Some of us just live just to live and get by with what we can.  And some of us have crap happen that puts us in a hole to climb out of.  As I said, life happens.  The point is, whatever the reason, we forget to play.  We forget how good it felt to run screaming from the building to be the first one to the best swing or the first one to the tether ball pole.  We forget the stress relief that it was and that it made the hurts from falling off the slide not hurt.  I say “forget” to play. Maybe I’m wrong.  Maybe we don’t forget.  Maybe we feel like we can’t do that anymore because we’re not kids anymore so it’s not the responsible thing to do.  Maybe we’re afraid of how we would look.  Playing chase wouldn’t look like responsible adults…..or it’s not the right look for whatever your role is.  I get it.  There is so much that can come about to make a person take on seriousness.  Well, I’m here to tell ya, playing is life.  It’s necessary!  Whatever your reason for seriousness, playing will make you better at it.  I’ll say that better.  Whatever your role, moving will make you better at it.  It’s a proven fact that moving does wonders for depression, anxiety, mental and emotional health.  It really does make you happy.   You have to live under a rock to not know that moving is crucial for a healthy body, but it also makes you smarter, sharper and more creative.  It gives that brain a little kick.  Moving helps you heal and it slows the aging process.  It does all these amazing things, yet we don’t do it.  Why?  We put it in a box, mark that box “exercise” and then we file that under “I don’t want to.”  Well, don’t go exercise.  Go play.  Yes, going to the gym for a workout is a good thing but it doesn’t have to be that ho-hum ride on the treadmill to be exercise.  Find a class that you have fun in, that you really enjoy.  Go to a boxing class where you can hit things.  Go try something completely new and don’t worry about what you look like.  Every expert had to be new at some point.  Let that newbie status be your excuse to look like a goofball and enjoy it!  Go outside.  Nature is pure therapy whether you’re in water or on a trail.  Play chase with your kids.  Whatever.  Just be open to the idea of play, have fun and get lost in it.   You are never too old for that.  And I absolutely promise if you play, you’ll never be old.