A Decided Lack Of All Things Motivation
Winter is fully set in up here in Nunavut. While it’s getting lighter later, this is the point of the year where it’s just really a drag. January always brings one week of 40-50 degree temps in the midst of 20-below. March brings the REAL thaw. February … well … I’m glad it’s short. There is that.
That combined with a very slow recovery from great sciatic back pain means that yours truly is one highly cranky blogger. I’m an active person who highly enjoys his martial arts training. Being forced to not smash people with elbows and throw them across the room makes me want even more to smash people with elbows and throw them across the room.
So if posts seem short or non-existent, fear not, I just have a serious funk that needs getting out of. I’ll try to publish some old rejected drafts that have been sitting around.
I’m sorry to hear about the back pain. I used to get sciatic pain, and I don’t envy where you’re at. You sound like you’re in great shape though, so you shouldn’t have much trouble bouncing back.
Yes, the winter funk is definitely upon us. These days I can’t do any shooting, but with the motivation you gave me a few months ago, I have managed to clean up a room in my basement and turn it into my gym. I’ve been busting my ass for the last month and a half, and that takes up the time. Thank you for that!
I’m on track for Saturday being my first day back in the school dojo, so I’m looking forward to it, even though I have to ease back into it all. Still, it’ll be nice to sweat a little and test the back. The worst of it is certainly over – it doesn’t cause immense pain to simply sneeze anymore. But there’s one spot where if I bend just the right way I kind of fold like a house of cards. Hopefully that clears up soon too.
This is my third or fourth go with sciatica in the winter, so I’m getting to the point where I’m recognizing when it’s better and what the limits are, but damn. It just sucks.
Great to hear that I could provide at least a little motivation! Made my day right there, buddy! I’ve been shooting once in the past two months, probably head out again soon to the indoor range. And in the next couple of weeks I’m looking to join you as I resume the self-administered ass-kicking in the basement. :-)
Self-administered ass-kicking is the coolest! I’m mixing it up with lots and lots of weight training, as well as some good ol’ body weight exercises. Tough part is finding the time.
I don’t know how long of a hiatus you took, but when I got back into working out again I hurt myself pretty well; something about pressing as much as I did when I was fit made my shoulders angry. Just be careful.
Heh. I’m a big fan of body-weight exercises. I don’t generally use weights, opting instead for cinder blocks. Sounds all kinds of hardcore, but really they provide a great workout and they’re a hell of a lot cheaper than purchasing weights.
I’ll take two, lay them flat (holes to the sides so they have the flat top), and do however many sets of deep push-ups I can handle. By deep push-up I mean real slow on the way down so your chest ends up lower than your hands on the raised blocks, then back up slow again. That’ll put a hurt on you, but do about 3-4 sets of around 20 or so a day and by the end of the week you’ll be quite conditioned. You’ll be at a point where you can bang out 100 standard pushups without taking a break and that’s a good point to be at.
Another good one is to do crunches while holding the block, or even jumping jacks alternating holding it down by your belly and up over your head with each jump. They’re rough, but they don’t generally hurt your hands, and since you have to grip them on the thin portion around the wholes they build up monster grip strength as a benefit to however you hold them.
Right now I’m just happy it doesn’t hurt when I stand up from sitting. My goal is to slowly ease into the karate thing again, working on the slow stretching and movements and such without shoulder-throws and the ridiculous physically straining techniques. I’m guessing within a few weeks time I’ll be back sparring. Aiming for a black belt test in July, so I have very little breathing room for time off or injuries!