Back to Sportcentrum De Meern

Well, I’ve healed It took ~1 week to get rid of the flu, but much longer for the cold. And even tho after 1 week the flu was gone, I had so little energy I couldn’t even lift a feather with two hands! Fortunately I’m 100% now again and doing kung-fu and fitness as much as I can (love it!).

Saturday last week, I went with my dad to Sportcentrum De Meern for a free fitness try-out. Years ago, I practiced jiu-jitsu at SDM together with my brother. My father drove us there by car every friday, and he did fitness exercises there while we did jiu-jitsu. It was great, but at some point our teacher had somekind of (financial?) problem with the owner and stopped his lessons so I left SDM. But now, I practise fitness as well so I’ve decided to go back to SDM and practise fitness there with my father!

The Joys of Boxing

I began one of the most rewarding experiences of my life a few weeks ago. I started learning how to box. I have only had a few lessons, but it has already had an enormous impact upon me. My dad was a boxer when he was younger and I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but he refused to let me start the sport. During his boxing days, he once saw a fighter violently killed in the ring and it turned him away from the sport forever. He hung up his gloves that day and never stepped into the ring again. Of course his response, although understandable, does not make a whole lot of sense. When someone is killed in a sport, any sport, it is definitely a tragedy, but it does not validate a blanket condemnation of the whole sport itself. People have died in all kinds of sports, not just boxing. I tried to show him the folly of his decision, but he never backed down. So I was never able to start boxing for my self. Until now that is.

I have a neighbor who boxed in the Air Force for a number of years. He still has the physique of a heavy weight fighter. His shoulders are wide, his arms are muscled and his stocky stature outweighs mine by about sixty pounds. I knew he used to be a boxer (his son and I are good friends), but for some reason it never clicked for me ask him to train me. Silly of me I know. It’s amazing how we often overlook opportunities that are right in front of us. Well the other day I was at his house talking with him and the subject turned to boxing. I wanted his opinion on who would win in a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. The two fighters are the crème de la crème of boxing right now and a fight between them is heavily anticipated. He thought Mayweather would win the fight easily and I agreed. The reasoning being that Mayweather is simply too fast and too well trained to be beaten by Pacquiao.

From there, the discussion turned to my own personal regret at never learning how to box. I told him my dad’s feelings about the sport and how it had prevented me from ever learning it. “Well,” he said, “Do you still want to learn?” “Of course,” I replied, “But I don’t have the money to sign up at a gym right now.” “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’ll train you.” “You can pay me five dollars a week after you’ve had a few lessons.” Looking carefully at me he added, “We’ll start tomorrow morning at nine.”

I was ecstatic. I’m too old for my dad to ban me from learning and just to reassure him anyways, I told him that it would simply be a form of exercise and I had no intention of entering the ring for a fight. I showed up at my friend’s dad’s house at eight forty-five to begin my first lesson. It was brief but intense. I never knew how much work and training goes into boxing. It seems like there’s a million things you have to do at once: maintain your stance, breathe properly, move your feet, keep your hands up, counter a punch, protect your body, bob and weave…. It’s insane. Boxing is like an exercise in multitasking. You have to do several things at once and you have to do them well. And if you don’t or you’re not in the right shape, then your technique falters and you get knocked out. One thing that has surprised me about the sport though is how much of the fight depends on what’s going on in your head rather than what’s going on with your fists.

For most people (myself included) physical altercations are messy affairs. The majority of individual fights are quick scuffles that either end in possible injury or simply a loss of pride. There’s an initial flurry of blows by both parties, usually without aim or reason, and eventually one person might land a lucky punch that ends the fight or both parties withdraw with their health intact but too tired and winded to continue. Boxing is nothing like that. It’s like a chess game with yours and your opponents bodies encompassing all the pieces. Every punch is a strategic decision. Plus you don’t go into the fight expecting it to end quickly unless you far outclass your opponent. And even then it’d be foolish not to train adequately regardless. Expounding further on the chess analogy, how efficiently you use your pieces (your fists, your torso, your shoulders, etc.) is less important than how efficiently you use your mind. Learning this lesson, at times at the cost of a well placed punch to the chin during a sparring session, has radically changed my view of the sport.

But that’s not all that’s changed. When I first started training, I would get easily flustered when my trainer would slap at me casually after I threw a jab. Or I would panic as I saw his punches heading towards me. But over time I’ve learned to stay calm and resolute. To stay in the pocket as the blows come and counter them without losing my head or my technique. Not to be afraid of taking a punch and to move my feet and my body to protect myself while staying aggressive. I’ve slowly learned how to master my natural inclination to flinch and recoil from a punch instead of remaining unruffled even under the most severe of flurries. There’s so much more that I’ve learned, but I lack the space to write it all. Boxing is a tremendous sport. It teaches discipline, concentration, and alertness. Not to mention increased self-confidence. I wish I had started when I was younger. It’s ok though. The man training me started at 22 so I’m not too far off. I don’t know whether I’ll ever step into the ring to face an opponent, but I do know that boxing can teach me lessons I can take with me for the rest of my life. For that reason alone I plan to continue it for the foreseeable future. Besides, it feels too good and teaches me too much for me to do otherwise.

Sheri's Rants # 29: Fun With Water

“Sheri, I had such a great week.  The best ever.  I am feeling so good and finally feel like I can be successful and have what I want with my body!  I’m so excited.”

I’ll bite.   “What happened?”

“Well,” she gushed, “every day I am really good about drinking 3 quarts of water.  I’m great with that.  This last week, I decided to push it and I drank FOUR quarts a day!  It was incredible!  My skin got softer, my moods settled down, my bowels got better, I slept a little better AND I finally dropped weight!  It’s so amazing!”

I was speechless.  “Really?”  I said.  This gal was really proud of herself.  She was in the presence of a True Miracle of her body and she was H-A-P-P-Y.

“You do know” I could not HELP but add, “I’ve been telling you to drink four quarts since you started, right?”

“OH I KNOW” she went on “but I couldn’t possibly.  So when I did push it, it’s incredible the difference!  You guys should really be talking about this.  I had no idea!”

In Genesis Transformation your coach gives you very clear and simple directions.  If you follow them, things will happen and you are going to feel GOOD quickly and your body will move right along.  Here’s the thing:  do you really think we will tell you to drink 4 quarts of water because 3 quarts is good enough?  Really?  Do you think we say ‘avoid alcohol’ because we’re cruel?  ‘Put down the cupcakes’ because we like to see you writhe?

We get into these little weird sabotage patterns because no matter what we SAY we want, our behavior will get slippy when our body is changing.  That’s the way we humans are.  We’ll work out 4 days a week and that is working, and when our weight is moving then we decide 3 should be ‘good enough’ and then a couple weeks later the weight stalls and we act all surprised.  Hello. We’ll be cruising along eating to plan and suddenly we decide we don’t need to pay attention to amounts so much anymore, we get random, and that works for about 10 days and then things stall and we’re surprised.  Hello.

We’re good at fat loss, really good.  Really.  We already slimmed the system down to the simple of ‘what works’ to get your body to burn fat.  We didn’t leave any padding or ‘fudge room’. As a heads up.

Here’s another good one:

Diana had been struggling with her weight for most of the last year.  Her weight made very strange fluctuations that didn’t make sense, and had settled into a high range that did not make sense for her.  Other odd symptoms: swollen fingers, general inflammation, her blood pressure was up.    She sent me this email (reprinted with permission):

I had the refrigerator man come this week to fix a problem with my dispenser, and I learned something interesting.  You wonder what this has to do with anything, don’t you?  Well, turns out that my water softener was hooked into the water coming through my dispenser, so I was drinking “salt” water.  How’s that for an interesting twist.  I have it temporarily fixed and need to call a plumber for a permanent fix, but I thought that was good to know…

Indeed!

Not sleeping well? The Importance of a Good Night's Sleep

The Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep

Do you have trouble sleeping? You’re not alone. An estimated 3.3 million Canadians aged 15 and older, or about one in every seven people, have problems getting to sleep or staying asleep – contributing to insomnia.   Part of the problem is 80 percent of North Americans say they believe it’s not possible to sleep enough and be successful at their jobs. As a result, 75 percent experience daytime sleepiness and 34 percent say sleepiness interferes with their daytime activities – that’s certainly no way to live.

 

Sleep is important for a multitude of reasons but mainly to rebuild, repair and recharge your body. When you’re asleep, your immune system is most active and repairs what it needs to while your brain re-organizes your cerebral ‘files’. Without sleep, you get sick in both mind and body.  

Symptoms of Sleep Deficit

• Daytime fatigue

• Poor memory, mental performance

• Irritability

• Depression, apathy

• Heart Disease

• Morning headache, wake-up feeling un-refreshed 

• Heartburn

• Need to urinate in the middle of the night

• Loud snoring

• Diminished sex drive

• Decreased exercise tolerance

• More than five pounds of weight gain in the past year

• Need for stimulants

 

Why Does Your Body Need Sleep?

 

Sleep Regulates Hormones and Prevents Cancer

Lack of sleep affects hormone levels. A disrupted circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle) may create shifts in hormones like melatonin. Melatonin is made in the brain by converting tryptophan into serotonin and then into melatonin, which is released at night by the pineal gland in the brain to induce and maintain sleep. Melatonin is also an antioxidant that helps suppress harmful free radicals in the body and slows the production of estrogens, which may activate cancer.

 A link between cancer and the disrupted circadian rhythm lies with a hormone called cortisol, which normally reaches peak levels at dawn then declines throughout the day. When you don’t sleep enough, your cortisol levels don’t peak as they should. Cortisol is one of many hormones that help regulate immune system activity, including natural-killer cells that help the body battle cancer.

 Heart Attack and Stroke

Lack of sleep has been associated with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both potential risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Your heart will be healthier if you get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night.

 Stress

When your body is sleep-deficient, it goes into a state of stress – creating an increase in blood pressure and production of stress hormones. The stress hormones unfortunately make it even harder for you to sleep. Since reducing stress will allow your body to get a more restful sleep, learn relaxation techniques that will help counter the effects of stress.

 Energy level

A good night’s sleep makes you energized and alert the next day. Being engaged and active not only feels great, it increases your chances for another good night’s sleep. When you wake up feeling refreshed, and you use that energy to get out into the daylight, be active and engaged in your world, you sleep better that night.

 Memory

Researchers don’t fully understand why we sleep and dream but a process called ‘memory consolidation’ occurs while we sleep. While your body may be resting, your brain is busy processing your day and making connections between events, sensory input, feelings and memories. Getting a good night’s sleep will help you remember and process things better.

 Weight

Researchers have found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to be overweight or obese. It’s believed that the lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body that affect appetite. The hormones ghrelin and leptin, important for the regulation of appetite, have been found to be disrupted by lack of sleep.

 

 Ways to Maximize Your Sleep

• Listen to white noise or relaxing music
• Avoid before-bed snacks
• Avoid grains and sugar.
• Keep a schedule
• Create a bedtime routine
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise daily
• Make your bedroom dark
• Get some sunshine
• Avoid caffeine after noon

 For more tips on maximizing your sleep, and other tips and tricks for living at your best, check out Nathalie’s book Wellness On The Go at www.drnathaliebeauchamp.ca.

 

 

WSOP, Joe Cada, Tuesday Mumblings

Stayed up pretty late last night listening to the audio broadcast of the heads up portion of the World Series of Poker. I was rooting my ass off for Joe Cada, but found myself strangely pulling for Darvin Moon near the end.

There’s an argument about who would be better for poker; Darvin Moon or Joe Cada? Poker’s sorely missed a good ambassador for the game; Joe Hachem was the last real good one. The last few champs haven’t really done much. Perhaps Joe Cada will turn it around? He seemed pretty enthusiastic about the opportunity to represent poker for 2009 as the youngest main event champ.

But what if Darvin Moon won? He’s the “every man” we’ve been rooting for since Chris Moneymaker set off the boom in 2002. He mentioned, though, that he would head straight back home, had no interest in a sponsorship deal, and didn’t want to be poker’s ambassador. Everyone I know said Darvin was a super likable guy, but he’d be awful for poker. Is that true,? It seems like everyone outside of the poker world has been rooting for Darvin to win. Who would set off more shock waves with a win, Moon or Cada? Everyone expects the smart, young online guy to take down the good ol’ boy, but isn’t an upset every now and again a good thing? Wouldn’t Darvin winning send off another round of – “Hey, this guy can do it, why can’t I?” Does Joe Cada winning make poker a little bit more elitist, like – “Man, I have to study a ton to get as good as that guy, it’s not worth it, I’ll just lose money!” Or is it more like a, “Oh man, if I work hard enough, I can be like Joe Cada.”

Who knows!

Woke up today at 2PM, started the day off with a tiny little blueberry yogurt and an oat and honey granola bar. Hitting the gym in about 2 hours or so, grabbing a shake, then hunkering down to start the work day at a very lol time of 6PM or so. I’ll be up until around 5AM at this point. Whoops

Nov. 9 Mile 9: Be Smart

“A person can make a decision in three ways: positively, negatively, or a decision not to make a decision. In all cases, a person is responsible for, and reaps the benefits or problems associated with that decision.” ~Thomas D. Willhite~

So, mile 9 was hard because I’m nursing a fat knee.  Swollen, I still wanted to run (walking takes longer to finish).  But, I decided to act wisely and speed walk.  I brought the kids with me, it was a great time together & I had to lower the intensity for my 6 yr. old.  I had a moment where I did get down on myself for not performing at the level I wanted (I had hoped for 2 miles).  Usually, along with disappointment (anxiety also), I have an urge to comfort eat.   Be careful if this happens to you.  It’s much harder to make clear wise decisions when emotionally charged. 

But being smart, I decided it’s wiser to walk & heal.  If you are having joint pains, ice 20 mins on and 20 off.  Stretch as often as you can, drink tons of water, get a massage, and get adjusted by a chiropractor to put your skeletal system back to alignment.

There’s no condemnation…. just awareness that today is only a small piece to the big puzzle.  Slow forward movement is still movement.  So make each choice count. 

9 miles done, 21 to go…. Woooohooo!

Word.

So  last night was PARTY –> PARTY –> PARTY.

Mere and I party hopped for a little while which = late bedtime.

Needless to say I slept in until 10 this morning which meant I missed breakfast + my regular church service.

We decided to go visit Elevation Church since they have services all morning.

It was glorious + I got a free t-shirt for being a first time visitor! This might be the first time I have ever gotten two free t-shirts in one weekend.

After church we went to the grandmothers for a lovely meal + family time.

Jambalaya, apples, macaroni, sweet potatoes, bread, salad.

CAKE!

 

Puzzle time!

And then I met my Stacey for a lovely 5 mile run.

Word from ya motha: Do not eat cake before you run 5 miles. You will regret it.

Gotta go, Mere and I are meeting Izzle + J. Bizzle for some fun times, since we overslept this morning, so therefore missed out on hang time.