Delays!

To employ an oft used sports colloquial metaphor, sometimes life throws you a curve ball. Work will give you odd hours, family will come into town, or any number of odd circumstances that arise that can throw your schedule for a loop. Personally, I like to exercise on a set regimen. Or at least I try to. My morning routines consist of Tai Chi followed with an intense bodyweight workout. Every other day I like to go for a run. Unfortunately, that's not always an option. So I do what any good animal would do when confronted with a changing environment. I adapt!

This is a very important principle to take to heart. The second most dangerous time for someone's commitment to fitness after the first few days is after the first two weeks. After two weeks of solid effort, people are apt to relax, feel like they've earned a day off or two. This mentality is exceptionally dangerous when one of the aforementioned curve balls come your way. If work needs you to work some extra hours, then you figure that skipping a couple of days of exercise won't hurt. That kind of thinking is wrong!

Well, not wrong per se. Here's what I will say on the matter though. The best way to keep going is by building momentum. When I'm running, I try my hardest never to stop. Slow down, certainly. Slowing down to a jog can help me recover, catch my breath, and let me keep going on much longer. If I slow to a walk or stop altogether, than getting back up to a run is awfully difficult. And when I do finally get back up to speed, the first leg is the most difficult. But once I get past my initial windedness and aches, then the running starts to get a little easier.

This holds true for workouts. After skipping workouts for more than two days leaves me in an obviously more fatigued state. My workouts are harder than they previously were, I can't run as fast or as far, and I'm winded so much faster. This can easily be discouraging. And I have been discouraged before. I have started and stopped more fitness programs than I can count. And often after the first 2 weeks. I've even slowed down my commitment to this blog! But what I have to remember is that starting and stopping are all part of the journey. Every time we stop, no matter how long or short, hopefully we're that much farther down the path. Starting is hard, but it's much better than standing still.

So here's my advice. Wake up a little earlier of you can. Get your workout out of the WY in the morning before any of your obligations kick in. If that's not an option, on days when you can't get in a run or a full on workout, do something. Ten pushups are better than no pushups. If you have 2 minutes of free time while the coffee is brewing, see how many pushups you can do in two minutes straight. The answer might surprise you. I certainly was. Two minutes of straight pushups is a lot harder than I thought. But if you do that every day it becomes easier. Something, no matter how small it may seem, is better than nothing.

Backgrounds

Man, backgrounds are really hard to choose. I want something that encapsulates the entirety of blog at a glance. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think I've easily written that many. How good they are or not is another matter. What I want my background to convey is my geeky fascinations (comics, kung fu, movies) and my fitness goals. That's why superheroes like Daredevil and Iron Fist appeal to. Sure, Daredevil may have a little extra something under the hood, but at the end of the day he's still just a really well trained fighter. Heck, Iron Fist had to train himself for years to earn his super power. I also grew up loving Kung Fu movies. That's another reason why they appeal to me. Batman, the classic trope, is ultimately just a super ninja. And a billionaire. And the world's greatest detective. But I digress. Spiderman has the reflexes of a spider. Angel has the anthropomorphic anatomy of a bird. But Daredevil, Iron Fist, Batman, Misty Knight, Nightwing, Green Hornet, and so many others had to put in hours of blood, sweat and tears to be at the top of their games. Unfortunately, I don't have the resources or time to dedicate to become a Kung Fu master. But I do have the time and resources to learn a thing or too. Firstly, something I recommend to everyone is the Tai Chi and Qi Gong course offered by the Great Courses Plus. Although to become part of the beta test club you need a pass-code. Right now I know that "Conspiracy" is functional, although I don't know for how long. Another great, free resource that I'm taking advantage is Darebee. On staff they have an international martial arts champion and he helps them design wonderful martial arts themed workouts. In fact, later this month they're doing a Katana themed workout week. I'm really looking forward to that. In fact, most of my workouts come from Darebee. For a long while, they had routines based on superheroes; until Disney and DC forced them to take down anything related to one of their intellectual properties. Although, if you look on the internet, I'm sure you can find the Batman, Daredevil, and Captain America workouts and so forth. Today I did the Bruce Lee abs workout at level 2.

Man. Bruce Lee, what a guy. He was a real life super hero. Bruce Lee once kicked a man so hard that it broke someone else's arm, His one inch punch was described as being hit by an SUV. And while he had great abs, I most remember him for his lats. I swear that guy could take flight, a la flying squirrel, with those things. Makes me wish I could do pull ups. By the way, I can't do pull ups. But I'm working towards that. They're the ultimate back exercise. But I digress. I want to share with you all the things I love, all the things I'm involved with. And picking the perfect background that expresses all of that in one glance is really hard.