Day 12

Holy crap! I'm almost half done already! Time really does fly.

My back has been sore since Friday, I'm not sure why, so today I decided to do my push-ups and some strength training and then I did a yoga routine for healing a sore back. I think it was a really good idea because as soon as I was done I felt amazing and now tomorrow I'll be able to train like usual again. I think part of why it was so great is also that it was so mellow and relaxing. I feel like it healed my mind as well as my body. That's one of the things that I love about yoga, it's a great way to nurture yourself which is especially important for martial artists because training hard at anything takes it's toll on a person.

Day 11

Today I was really tired. I went for a swim which was good to cool off and for a bit of cardio but afterwards I was totally wiped out. I had to struggle to finish my push-ups and my training for today but I did it. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have more energy again and I'll go to bed at a decent hour. I've definitely been getting less sleep since I started this training routine. Some days it doesn't matter so much, the exercise gets me pumped up and I have more energy, but other days it gets to me a little. I can't blame the workouts for it though. If I didn't go out I'd have gotten more sleep last night and tonight so it's all about priorities (there's that word again). More and more I'm learning about what my priorities are and that in the past there were lots of times when I put other things before kung fu. I'm certain that's a big reason why I've had such problems with consistency. All I'm doing now is putting kung fu first (and sleep last) and I've already noticed big changes in the way I see things.

Day 10

Black belt class today was totally awesome! We did this really fun drill that was a great workout, helped us review our curriculum, and tested our reaction time. Basically we went in partners and one person had 2 shields or focus mitts and they called out random techniques and the other person was doing them. The class flew by! I think this is something that I'm going to incorporate into my home training.

One bad thing was that my back was sore for some reason and kicking high was uncomfortable. I'm going to sleep now though and if it's not better tomorrow I know a great yoga routine for it that really works.

Day 9

I really did have renewed energy and purpose today. Throughout the day at work I was thinking about what I need to focus on the most and prioritizing those things. Even though I only trained for the 2 hours, it feels like I was training all day. That means that by the time I got home from work I new exactly what I was going to do and I was super focused. I'm certain I was much more effective because of it. I guess this is what Master Brinker means when he talks about mental training. I can see that if you were doing that all day every day you really could progress quickly with only 10 minutes of practice a day. Those 10 minutes would be planned to the max by the time you got to them.

I'm really learning a lot already about the way I normally do things and other ways that those things could be done. I'm usually very lackadaisical and sporadic in my training, pretty much doing whatever pops into my head. Now I'm seeing that it pays to be organized and consistent.

Now I'm tired though and I'm going to bed. Good night.

Day 8

I was feeling good when I woke up this morning but my muscles are really tired from yesterday and the day before when I went really hard. I decided to take it relatively easy so I did some tai chi, forms, and a lot of stretching. I think it was a good idea although I am feeling the pressure a bit. Yesterday I realized that I am 25% done and I can't believe how fast time is going. I have a lot that I want to work on and I haven't improved nearly as much as I was hoping to. I'm going to have to focus more specifically on the things that really need work. I'd say the thing that has improved the most is my tai chi form, which is good because I plan on doing 250 reps of it so it better be good by the time I finish that!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I am filled with energy and strength of purpose.

Day 7

Today my sister and I bought our plane tickets for our China trip. I'm sooo excited! We're leaving in October and coming back in February. There's so much I want to see and do while I'm there, I hope we have time to do it all. Just in the area of the kung fu school there's tons of neat stuff! I can hardly wait.

I did my workouts. They were good. I was dreaming about the trip most of the time so it's a bit of a blur.

Day 6

I'm not sure why but I woke up this morning feeling great! Full of excitement for the day and love and gratitude for everyone and everything in my life. I didn't have to work until 1 so I got to spend my morning drinking tea, relaxing, and doing tai chi. I also rode my bike to work and back through the river valley. All in all I must have worked out for at least 3 hours today and here I am still full of energy.

If I could figure out why I feel so good then I could try to create the right situation to feel this good most of the time. Is it the amount of sleep I got last night? The herbal cleanse I'm doing? The fact that I've completely cut sugar out of my diet for this cleanse? The warm sunny weather? The exercise I've been getting? The pure joy that comes from being in the great outdoors? I suspect it's some kind of combination of the above. It's certainly given me something to ponder though.

I really hope that doing this routine is somehow changing me as a person and helping me to not only prioritize but also learn more about myself and what it takes to motivate me and move me forwards. I think that I have a tendency to stay in one spot if it's comfortable rather than go further. I imagine many people out there are like that and if I can figure out how to change it in me, maybe I can help others to do the same.