Day 19

I spent a fair amount of my workout today working on kicks. I'm noticing that stiffness and soreness in my lower back is affecting my kicks. Generally front kicks are ok, it's side kicks and roundhouses that are suffering. I figured that I should focus more on improving that by kicking a bit lower than I normally would and then working my way up higher and higher. I also think that I need to stretch more at work. I work in a standing position most of the day. I do get to walk and move around a lot which is good but my back and hips still get stiff after a full day. I'm going to start doing a quick stretch on each break throughout the day and see if that makes a difference. Yoga always helps but I'd rather be pro-active and prevent it before it becomes a problem.

Everything else is going well. My forms are coming along nicely and I'm noticing an improvement in my stamina. I find that having stamina for working out at the gym is a lot different than for practicing kung fu. They don't necessarily go hand in hand.

Day 18

I've mostly been practicing my hand forms lately to try an improve on my basics but today I decided to do some weapons and pulled out the old nunchuks. I'd forgotten how fun they are! Even though I wouldn't say that chucks are my forte, I have a good time with them. I started out practicing my form and then I just improvised for a while and made some stuff up. I was surprised at my creativity when I got to trying new things. I wonder if the fact that I've been training so much means that I've got the juices flowing and new ideas are coming to the surface? I've noticed that I seem to be coming up with some neat ways to mix up my training so this might just be the next step.

I also noticed that the nunchuk form is a great one to work on footwork. I was having a challenging time when shifting stances. My ankle seems to be doing a bit better when doing a horse stance so I'm pretty pleased. I was starting to worry that it would never fully heal and I'd be stuck with a lopsided horse stance forever. Now I see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as that goes.

I ate 2 sweets today and it was the most sugar I've had since doing that cleanse. I feel kind of gross. I think it was a mistake and I wish I'd been more disciplined and less concerned with being polite. I'm going to have to get over that unless I want to have a sore tummy too often. yuck

Day 17-Thanks!

Today was great.

I had the day off so I could just hang out this morning and perfect my vegan green tea latte making skills and tidy up the house. Then I went for a swim with my cousin and had a great time. Something about splashing around in water makes me feel like a kid again.

Kung fu class was a really good experience. I learned a lot just from being at the second degree brown class and then in our class I learned even more. Master Brinker helped me to see some of the mistakes that I've been making in my sparring and how to correct them. I got to really practice the techniques and get a feel for them. Some of the mistakes I was making seem so obvious in retrospect but for some reason I needed someone else to point them out to me. I think that's one of the good things about going to class consistently, your instructors can offer you really good advice on things that you might not ever notice on your own.

I also want to thank everyone who has complimented me on my blog and my current training project. I've had some very kind words lately and it's so nice to know that other people are benefiting from my actions. I feel encouraged and inspired to continue on.

Day 16

So I'm really relaxed and tired out now from training and so I'll keep it fairly brief. All went well today. My tai chi form is really coming along nicely. I've got tons of questions for Sifu Dennis next time I see her. The flow is a lot better though and my footwork is improving. I've been concentrating on footwork and stances in my tai chi form and my kung fu forms too and I'm noticing two things a)it's a lot worse than I thought it was and b)it's getting better more quickly than I thought it would. All in all I'm pleased. Good night.

Day 15

I am half way done!

Initially when I started planning this project I considered making it 90 days. Everyone said I was crazy so I brought it down to 30. Now part of me thinks that was a good idea. It's pretty hard to find 2 hours every day, I'm a busy gal. That has definitely been the biggest challenge for me thus far. Another part of me thinks 30 days is maybe too short. I still have tons to work on and I need more time to do it. Do I really think I could maintain this pace for 90 days straight? Definitely. Would I live in filth and have no contact with the outside world? Maybe.

I'll be training way harder in China for about 90 days but there won't be any other responsibilities to take care of. No cooking, running errands, or work to get in the way. I'm really excited about that and I also wonder what kind of pace I'll be able to keep once I get back. That'll be interesting to see.

All in all I'm glad I decided on the 30. I'll still train hard afterwards and hopefully I'll also have time to see more of the people I care about and take care of all the things that I'm currently letting slide (like the dishes!). I don't want to take too much time off though, I need to stay on my game.

Day 14

It's been a while since I said anything about my push ups but all is going well. For a while I felt as though I'd stopped progressing and was staying at the same level but now recently I've had a big improvement. I feel so much stronger than before I started this project and I'm proud of myself for making it thus far.

I also feel good about the things I've been working on each day. The forms I've been practicing are getting better and better, I'm getting stronger, I have more stamina, and my foot position on my side kick is looking more like it should.

I've noticed both in the training and in my push-ups that sometimes it feels like what I'm doing isn't working and I get discouraged and critical. Somehow though it all comes together and I experience a big leap in progress where I can see a major change and feel really good about all my effort. I can see now that in the past if I was feeling that I wasn't getting better fast enough I'd get impatient and move on to something else. If I'd only kept working on it, I probably would have experienced a great improvement.

Hindsight really is 20/20.

Day 13-Lucky # 13

I really did feel lucky today. Lucky to have kung fu in my life, lucky to be surrounded by wonderful people, lucky to be fit and healthy, and lucky to live in such a privileged country. I imagine what it would be like to grow up on the other side of the world sometimes. I might never have been able to learn kung fu as a female in some cultures. I might not be able to afford the luxuries that I so enjoy like fresh groceries and a comfortable place to live. I might not have the freedom to believe what I want and be the weirdo that I am.

One of the reasons that kung fu is so important to me is that it helps me to be more humble and more compassionate. It has opened my world so that I can see more, good and bad. It gives me the passion to change what I can and try to make things better somehow. The biggest difference it has made for me personally is that it has given me confidence. Confidence to speak up for myself and others and to stand up for what I believe in. I can say with certainty that I would not be who I am today if I never met Master Brinker and started training all those years ago.

When we bow in and out at the beginning and the end of class what do you think about? When we say "past masters" I think of all those who have directly or indirectly helped me get to where I am even without me knowing. I feel gratitude for all their efforts and caring. Throughout our history people have struggled to pass on their knowledge of kung fu, sometimes even risking their lives to do so. We are blessed and privileged to be part of this lineage.