DO Drink the Water

First off, unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, it's summer and unless you are a camel, you need to worry about hydration before, during, and after exercise or any strenuous activity.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but actually, you should worry about hydration year round, but I'll save that post for this winter! 

I'm one of those people who carries a water bottle just about everywhere.  I enjoy water (except the kind out of the water fountains at work- NASTY!) and so, I drink it regularly.  When it's super-hot, as it has been in my neck of the woods lately (high 90s, 100s), hydration is even more important.  A rule of thumb is to drink around 8-10 oz of water approximately 10-15 minutes before you exercise, the same amount every 15 minutes or so during exercise, and be sure to drink around 20 oz of water after exercise.  This is just ONE rule.  My own personal preference is to drink water shortly before exercising, but in actuality, I try to drink water throughout the day.   In addition, and I'm sure you ladies can back me up on this...too much water beforehand can make you want to pee and any high impact activity combined with a need to pee...well, you get what I'm saying and it ain't funny.  If I am exercising for longer than an hour, I will sometimes mix a sports drink, like Gatorade, with water...I personally don't care for straight Gatorade, to replenish those electrolytes.  If it's super-hot or I am sweating a great deal, then I might mix a bit of Gatorade into my water anyway.  After exercising is also the time to replace electrolytes, but I also want to eat a little something, preferably carbs and protein, as just a sports drink is not advisable. 

Okay, so those are some tips, but the reality is that there have been cases of people drinking too much water and dying.  Who'd a'thought you could do that?  The problem lies in the fact that the sodium in the blood is not being replaced and the balance is disrupted...hence, the need to sometimes drink a sports drink or eat a salty snack, to ensure that you don't totally deplete your sodium.  Oddly enough, the symptoms of drinking too much water (hyponatremia) are very similar to dehydration, so it's extremely important to monitor your own responses to heat, urine output, etc., to avoid such a thing happening to you.  Granted, hyponatremia is rare and is more often seen during endurance events, such as marathons, etc.

The really awesome thing is how portable water has become (again).  Back in the olden days, people had to carry their own water with canteens, waterbags, or barrels.  Fast forward to the modern times and with things like convenience stores and water fountains everywhere, unless you were going on a hike, you didn't really consider toting your own water bottle.  Now that hydration has become more popular and with nifty things like backpacks that include its own water reservoir, and water bottles (BPA free), and even these really nice collapsible water bottles (for pets, too!), there really is no excuse for not drinking water.  If you don't like the taste of water (which I can't imagine unless it's that nasty "work" water at my office), there are very low-calorie additives that will give you different flavors.  Just make certain that the sugar content doesn't override the benefits of your exercise!  In other words, don't add Cheerwine to your water, as that would kind of defeat the purpose!  And yes, I knew someone who did that!  In fact, the ratio of Cheerwine to water was about 20:1!

Living the Way of Truth

A very important tenet in my study of wado ryu karate has been the principle- "Live the way of truth."  I have given this principle a great deal of thought, as something that sounds so simple generally isn't.

This principle sounds the most obvious of the dojo precepts, right?  Boiled down to the basics, it means "don't lie."  Right?

Haha!  Wrong!  I think this principle, next to the one about patience, is the most difficult.  I decided to write about this principle because I personally know an individual who demonstrated this concept.

One of my fellow martial artists (I'm keeping his name confidential), recently had a situation in his workplace in which another individual (who is subordinate to my friend) was placed at risk of great harm by one of my friend's colleagues.  His colleague physically attacked the subordinate and was quite literally choking the subordinate.  My friend was forced to intervene to ensure that the subordinate did not get any more seriously hurt.  In addition, once he was asked by his superiors what happened, there was an assumption by his colleagues, at large, that he would take his colleague's side.  He didn't do so...as his own integrity required him to "live the way of truth."  He experienced some grief for his decision, at least through the grapevine, as he heard grumblings that he "should have" backed up his colleague, even though his colleague was clearly in the wrong.  His superiors did the right thing in ending his colleague's employment.  My friend never even considered lying for his colleague, though clearly his peers felt he should have done so. 

As a martial artist (especially the super hero kind!), we are, again, held to a higher standard.  Now, I happen to know that my friend is a very spiritual individual and is very open about his faith.  Needless to say, while this quite likely influences his decisions, my friend had to deal with a very difficult, very physical situation in which a life could have been lost.  He chose to "live the way of truth" in a way that reflects not only his Christianity, but also, I believe, the embodiment of his belief in the dojo principles. While I believe that I would have chosen the same path that he did, we don't really know until we are tested. 

So, living the way of truth isn't just about what we SAY, but is also about what we DO.  It reminds me that if I cut someone off in traffic, or get upset because something doesn't go my way, or I yell at my waitress because my food isn't just right, that I am demonstrating my integrity (or rather the lack, thereof).  My friend, who I have always admired because he's an awesome guy, just increased my respect for him tenfold.  I can only hope to live out the same example he gives me.

Don't Get Angry?

Yet another tenet of my karate training involves the idea is "Do not lose self-control or act in a violent manner."   Being that my work involves dealing with people, generally those in crisis, and just like everyone else, my outside-of-work-life is just chock full of stress, this is yet another difficult principle.  Taken literally, one could assume that you shouldn't get angry and "go off" on people, in the manner of a Jerry Springer guest.  While you should never pattern your actions after people on tabloid style talk shows, (and yes, people actually do take their cues from pop culture and act that way...even in court or the middle of Walmart), the root of this principle has little to do with BEING angry.

Violence is never a good idea.  (Well, duh...)  I have never seen a violent act turn out well for anyone.  Karate training means that one is learning techniques that could injure someone (or yes, even kill someone) using just our own hands, feet, elbows, etc.  We train, not be violent, but to learn to protect ourselves from the potentiality of violence.  We can only be responsible for ourselves, therefore, if someone else chooses to act violently, then we must counter their violence in order to avoid injury to ourselves.  Ok, that explains the second part of the principle, but what about the first part?

People have the general idea that being angry is a negative reaction.  Well, naturally if you are Dr. Bruce Banner, anger is always a bad thing, but for us individuals who don't have enormous green guys living inside of us who pop out after provocation, ripping up our clothes (Man, I really liked that shirt!), and smashing cars with our bare fists, anger does not have to be horrible.  Anger can actually serve as an impetus for change.  If I am angry enough at a situation or event, then maybe that is what spurs me to action in order to make things different.  Many successful protests against unfairness have resulted in changes in society, whether initiated at a sit-in or a peaceful protest.  Anger can also be "righteous indignation."  Now, the important part of this is that anger can be used to promote positive change.  If, indeed, positive change is not being promoted, then perhaps this anger is heading toward negative reaction.

Alright, so anger is okay, when used positively.  Even Jesus got angry at the money changers in the temple.  Self-control is an integral part of avoiding falling off the edge of the precipice.  If you are angry, you lose self control, and you, the karateka, knowing a great many, or even one or two, self defense or karate techniques, react REALLY negatively and harm someone, then you are wrong.  Self control is imposing the will on oneself, as opposed to imposing your will on someone else.  If you lose self control, then your reaction is likely to be violent.  As students of a martial art, we must be held to a higher standard.   To quote Stan Lee, "with great power comes great responsibility."  While we aren't Spiderman, knowing things that could hurt, or even kill, another human being imposes a responsibility to see that we do not use what we know against someone, particularly in anger.

So, number one, if you get angry, keep a lid on it.  Number two, don't be violent, even when you want to be.  And finally, number three, you aren't a super-hero, but you can still have a super-hero attitude.  (Just don't jump off any buildings because you think you can fly.)

Waiting for Patience

One of the foundations of studying karate in our dojo is "Perfecting the mind of patience."  This is very likely the most difficult of the five principles for me.  I have never been a particularly patient person, although age and maturity do tend to go a long way toward mitigating patience in general.

Patience is a much more Eastern concept, as we in the modern Western world tend to want things to happen NOW, not later.  This makes martial arts a somewhat difficult endeavor for many.   Some of the techniques that we learn, while simple to do, can take years to master.  So, for us Westerners who need to see results immediately, the thought of spending that much time attaining a goal can be a chore.

Patience is more than a concept in martial arts; it is a cornerstone.  Patience means taking the time to really learn a skill or technique before moving on to the next.   I confess to being in a hurry sometimes when I'm learning something new.  I want to "get to the good part."  Realistically, when learning, what part ISN'T the good part?  In our competitive world, however, we always push ourselves to be better or THE best.  Perhaps this will sound a bit mean, but honestly, giving trophies to children who participate in a sport just because they participated I believe can eliminate the drive or determination to work toward anything.  I can see the reason for the trophy-giving...it is powerfully important to ensure that children grow up with self-esteem and self-worth, but if everything one does is just GREAT and THE BEST EVER, then why try to improve?  One of the most difficult parts of being a leader in my karate school is sometimes telling a student that he or she did not do well enough to promote to the next belt rank.  I do this not to hurt them, but because we expect all students to earn their belts.  Patience is a great teacher; I have personally witnessed students that we have held to the same rank be promoted at the next test because they had patience and did not quit!


I am the world's worst example sometimes of patience.  I've noticed that many of my training partners are the same way, even in other areas of our lives.  I attempt to play the bass guitar and have for a couple years.  Well, darn it, I should be really, really good at it by now, surely!  Unfortunately, I have a long way to go...it doesn't help that I know many incredible musicians and am constantly comparing my skills to theirs!  I also am training to swim, bike, and run (all in one day) and, gosh, I just KNOW that I should be a better swimmer/biker/runner  than I am. After all, I've been training since January, for crying out loud!  I've recently learned the kata, Chinto, and I should definitely have those crane stances perfectly balanced, right?  That'd be a big, fat, hairy "Nope!"

Fortunately for me, the concept of perfecting the mind of patience is the only perfection I need to worry about.  If I am patient, progress will be made.  I can say that I'm already a better cyclist now than I was a few months ago.  This concept is the one also that makes me willing to take a few risks and learn new things at my advanced age of 40+!  While learning patience has been a life-long endeavor for me, and I dare say that I will never fully reach the pinnacle, martial arts as a path to patience has helped me get further along the road than I would have otherwise. 

Run, Rabbit, Run!

Although running is not my favorite activity (Ok, I mostly hate running), it serves me in so many ways and helps keep my fitness levels up.  I'm a bit more focused on running at the moment due to the Ramblin' Rose Women's Only Triathlon in August.  I used to have a better relationship with running, as I took off about a year and a half from martial arts and used running as a way to stay somewhat in shape.  During that time, I trained for three half-marathons and before that, I dipped a toe in the waters by doing a full marathon (walking) in Alaska.  Moving oneself for a really large distance through only the use of one's feet is possibly one of the coolest things ever!

Although I am far from an expert, I learned several things about running. First off, unless you are running for competition or running, literally, for your life, running can be just as slow as you want.  If you would rather train for speed, there are a plethora of training plans involving speed work and assisting you with completing a certain distance within a certain time-frame.  For those like myself who just need to cover the certain distance without worrying about winning, the best way to train is to start out sloooowly.  Instead of training for distance, train for time.  In other words, plan to move your body for, say, twenty minutes and then increase the time over successive weeks (not days!) until you are doing a set amount of time.  A good goal for a slower runner is to aim for running for 40 minutes at a time.  In general, if you can run for 40 minutes, you can cover a 5k (3.1 miles).

A second concept I finally got through my thick, mostly over-comptetive skull, is that you don't have to run the entire time.  In fact, it is thought now that mixing running and walking, particularly for beginners, but even for more experienced runners, can actually assist in a better quality workout.  There are a multitude of training plans for running/walking also.  The most popular and the one for which there are several really decent apps is the Couch to 5k program.  Generally, most of the apps now will let you have your own music, but I started using Robert Ullrey's plan several years ago, and that served me well.  (Admittedly, I would rather run to my own music!)  There are cues for when to walk, when to run, as well as time at the beginning for the warm-up and cool-down.

One other tip that I got after many years is that you really, really should invest in some actual running shoes, preferably at a running specialty store.  I discovered, after much pain, that my arches are really high (who knew?  I thought everyone's arches were high! Isn't that why they are called ARCHES??).  This resulted in a horrid case of plantar faciitis that pretty much made running and martial arts extremely painful.  In addition, I tend to wear my running shoes only when I'm working out or when I feel I need some extra cushioning for my poor little arches and I'm going to be walking a great deal.  You don't NEED the tech t-shirts or fancy running shorts, but it is true that these items offer benefits that your old cotton clothing doesn't.  That being said, if you can afford it, go for it.  If not, you can add items like this slowly (maybe as a reward for completing a couple weeks of running!).

Finally, running supplements martial arts and vice versa.  Cardio training is an important aspect of martial arts training, and if you don't think so, let your kumite go to the mat and try to get out of a hold while flat on your back.  Trust me!  You need your cardio!  In addition, from a purely practical standpoint, it is better to have at least gotten your body used to actually running before you really have to run from an attacker.  Adrenaline can take you farther than normal, but always assume that your attacker knows how to run.  If they don't and you do, all the better for you, but if they do, you want to be able to use your adrenaline and your training.

Here are some really good books about running:

Mina Samuels- Run Like a Girl

Claire Kowalchik- The Complete Book of Running for Women

And for you guys...

Bob Glover- The Runner's Handbook


Finally, Runner's World magazine is perhaps the seminal publication on all things running for beginners to experts.

Why are you still sitting here reading this?  Go run!!

My Love-Hate Relationship with Technology

I have not posted in nearly TWO months!  Not the way to keep a blog going, for sure!  Unfortunately, technology was against me and my computer motherboard decided to up and die on me.  Hey, guess what?  Computers don't run without a motherboard!  (Well, duh...)

So, between one repair and another (not just my motherboard decided to fail me!), I finally was able to get all the pieces and parts and components, and memory, and cables, and video cards, and power supplies to operate at the same time and I am back amongst the land of computer-dom!

I actually love technology...except when I don't, which is when it fails me when I need it most.  Similarly, I love working out and exercising, but my body sometimes fails me too if I don't give it enough rest or TLC.  Fortunately, I don't hate my body, but at the same time, occasionally, I will try to do something that I SHOULD be able to do, or that I USED to be able to do and, I can't (a jump spinning side kick, for example).  Even with all the technological and medicinal advances in the world, sometimes, you just aren't able to do something even when you feel that you have to do it. 

My cousin and I are in the middle of training for a Ramblin' Rose Women's Only Triathlon.  We're making slow but steady progress, yet even with all the high tech arch supports in our cushioned shoes and our tech-shirts and our special wicking bike shorts, we still sometimes end up with sore feet, soggy, smelly shirts, and chapped rear ends.  While I can't say that part is FUN, it's all a part of the process.  Of having to struggle through a sucky workout or push through when you don't really wanna.  Come race day, I expect that there will be pitfalls, but I fully 100% expect to finish.  Over-confident I am not.  But I do believe in the process of training and working towards a goal.  The bottom line is that technology can make things easier in some ways, but if you've never gotten a blister on a long run, then you haven't really experienced training!

In karate, the same is also true.  I can honestly say that not much has changed for our karate school and technology is often only outside the dojo.   Research and better methods of doing things- fueling our bodies, for example- has helped us, but not much has changed in terms of the uniforms we train in (white gi and pants) and the fact that we train in bare feet.  I admit to wearing a pair of tech UnderArmor shorts or a tech t-shirt under my gi, but if I don't, I don't really notice it that much.  (Ladies, you'll understand when I say that the shorts help a lot with modesty....drawstring karate pants have a tendency to gape open and show too much on the side for my comfort!)

While I have not been happy about my enforced "computer vacation," I do realize that for every good thing that we rely on, there is a negative aspect when you have to be without it!  Will I have abandon technology?  Heck, no!  I wouldn't be able to post my thoughts and share with so many people about some of my passions!  Not only that, but my friends would probably get a bit annoyed with me if I wrote down my thoughts long-hand and then passed out copies for them to read!  This way seems a lot less intrusive!