4/8 - Atlas Lesson 1, Sun Salutation A x8
Pushups/Pull Aparts [throughout the day] 3x 10reps
P90X - 32 - Kenpo X [no warmup or cooldown]
20m eye relaxation/guided visualization
*A note I meant to add with yesterday's training post, because that's when it actually first applied, but I ran out of time - I'm back into the groove of doing the P90X workouts, but not doing them in the order recommended. I figure as long as I do all of the workouts within the week, it'll be fine. Started on Tuesday, which was supposed to be Plyo X, but did Back & Biceps instead. Weird day. Felt a kind of strange nervous tension all day. At the end of it I really just needed to throw around some weights - albeit "throw around" is scaled to my current state of weakness.
Odd, I think that weird all day feeling was from a shirt I was wearing that I hadn't worn in a while... and it fit in a way that I didn't think or feel I was breathing correctly. Been reading a book on pranayama [yoga breath work] and have been particularly cognizant of how I've been breathing... and it felt like I couldn't get a good, full deep breath wearing that shirt... and it just made me feel - odd, I guess. Weird the connections your mind starts to make. So at the end of the day I had to burn out that tension with some weights. And then yesterday I did Legs & Back instead of Back & Biceps, today Kenpo X instead of Yoga X... anyways, worth noting. Maybe.
Also, I've started this week trying to add some yoga into my training. I've always been fascinated by the flexibility [probably because I've never been flexible, even when I was doing martial arts regularly], body control, balance and strength yogis have. Over the years yoga has forever been popping up in the periphery of my life - the books I read [even the comic books], the people I know, things of that nature. And I've built up a nice little stack of yoga books and DVDs with the intent of starting to practice. But I never have.
And I read a great article from a financial/fiscal blog called "Spend Based on Who You Are, Not Who You Want to Be" and it really rang true for me. I've spent $$ on yoga stuff because I like the idea of being the kind of person who does yoga. I've blown cash on Japanese books and software because I wanted to be the kind of person who studies Japanese intently while living in Japan. I've got a stack of books and CDs on natural vision therapy because the concept appeals to me. But what I've lacked is follow through on any of those things. So yeah, you probably shouldn't spend based on an amorphous idea of who you'd like to be - identity via consumerism - but otoh, since I already have sunk costs in those, what I can do is actually follow through NOW and try to do those things.
With 4 months left in Japan, I'll admit to writing off studying Japanese, especially with no shot to get here on the Mrs first State Dept tour, but I've made a concerted effort since Monday to include both yoga and vision therapy relaxation in my routine.
With yoga, I also had the additional stumbling block of analysis paralysis. "Yoga seems interesting... but what kind? Sivananda? Ashtanga? Anusara? Bikram? Iyengar? How much should I do? How to schedule it?" I lose a lot of time trying to figure out how to be optimal - and end up suffering under a deluge of information and then just chucking it.
So I decided to start with something simple - sun salutations - because, also, yoga is difficult as hell. I couldn't even hang with the 15m Ashtanga Short Form from David Swenson, so I need to start small, clearly. I'll work up to a bunch of sun salutations, both A & B, and then move onto the 15m short form. Baby steps.
As far as the vision therapy stuff goes, I had an experience today that made it ring true for me. The underlying theory is that eyes see poorly because they get "stuck" in "strain" and the basic therapy is eye relaxation [of various kinds.] Also, that eyeglasses serve as "crutches for the eyes" and you have to throw out your glasses [or in my case, with such a high correction, get lenses that undercorrect your prescription.] So to that end since Monday I've been wearing contacts with a slightly weaker prescription - it's not like I drive in Japan anyways. Monday was a little strange and stressful, not being able to see the way I'm used to... Tuesday was a lot better, more relaxed and I was impressed with how clear a lot of my vision seemed, moreso than the day before.
But the kicker was this morning I was running a little late and was booking to get to school on time, plus I was wearing a monkey suit and tie for today's welcome ceremony for the new Jr High first graders - and suits and ties always feel like uncomfortable straightjackets to me, plus I've put on a couple kg since last summer when I bought it, so it was a little tight in some places... So the upshot is I was a little stressed and I noticed my vision seemed blurrier than even on Monday. Seems that stress does have a really significant effect on visual acuity.
One thing in common to both the yoga and vision therapy is it becomes more obvious that there's all sorts of tightness and tension and stress I'm holding on to unawares, so that's something to work on.
Final thing, for the last couple weeks, and up until Monday is that my diet has been an abomination. Enkais and multiple cakes and snacks left on the work desk by departing and arriving teachers... of course I don't have to eat them, but I do. Just call me Mr. Will Power, apparently. Plus too many visits to 7-11 and their tasty karaage and snack foods. Need to reign that all in get back into the groove, as even the scale is starting to reflect my poor choices. So, onwards.
Pushups/Pull Aparts [throughout the day] 3x 10reps
P90X - 32 - Kenpo X [no warmup or cooldown]
20m eye relaxation/guided visualization
*A note I meant to add with yesterday's training post, because that's when it actually first applied, but I ran out of time - I'm back into the groove of doing the P90X workouts, but not doing them in the order recommended. I figure as long as I do all of the workouts within the week, it'll be fine. Started on Tuesday, which was supposed to be Plyo X, but did Back & Biceps instead. Weird day. Felt a kind of strange nervous tension all day. At the end of it I really just needed to throw around some weights - albeit "throw around" is scaled to my current state of weakness.
Odd, I think that weird all day feeling was from a shirt I was wearing that I hadn't worn in a while... and it fit in a way that I didn't think or feel I was breathing correctly. Been reading a book on pranayama [yoga breath work] and have been particularly cognizant of how I've been breathing... and it felt like I couldn't get a good, full deep breath wearing that shirt... and it just made me feel - odd, I guess. Weird the connections your mind starts to make. So at the end of the day I had to burn out that tension with some weights. And then yesterday I did Legs & Back instead of Back & Biceps, today Kenpo X instead of Yoga X... anyways, worth noting. Maybe.
Also, I've started this week trying to add some yoga into my training. I've always been fascinated by the flexibility [probably because I've never been flexible, even when I was doing martial arts regularly], body control, balance and strength yogis have. Over the years yoga has forever been popping up in the periphery of my life - the books I read [even the comic books], the people I know, things of that nature. And I've built up a nice little stack of yoga books and DVDs with the intent of starting to practice. But I never have.
And I read a great article from a financial/fiscal blog called "Spend Based on Who You Are, Not Who You Want to Be" and it really rang true for me. I've spent $$ on yoga stuff because I like the idea of being the kind of person who does yoga. I've blown cash on Japanese books and software because I wanted to be the kind of person who studies Japanese intently while living in Japan. I've got a stack of books and CDs on natural vision therapy because the concept appeals to me. But what I've lacked is follow through on any of those things. So yeah, you probably shouldn't spend based on an amorphous idea of who you'd like to be - identity via consumerism - but otoh, since I already have sunk costs in those, what I can do is actually follow through NOW and try to do those things.
With 4 months left in Japan, I'll admit to writing off studying Japanese, especially with no shot to get here on the Mrs first State Dept tour, but I've made a concerted effort since Monday to include both yoga and vision therapy relaxation in my routine.
With yoga, I also had the additional stumbling block of analysis paralysis. "Yoga seems interesting... but what kind? Sivananda? Ashtanga? Anusara? Bikram? Iyengar? How much should I do? How to schedule it?" I lose a lot of time trying to figure out how to be optimal - and end up suffering under a deluge of information and then just chucking it.
So I decided to start with something simple - sun salutations - because, also, yoga is difficult as hell. I couldn't even hang with the 15m Ashtanga Short Form from David Swenson, so I need to start small, clearly. I'll work up to a bunch of sun salutations, both A & B, and then move onto the 15m short form. Baby steps.
As far as the vision therapy stuff goes, I had an experience today that made it ring true for me. The underlying theory is that eyes see poorly because they get "stuck" in "strain" and the basic therapy is eye relaxation [of various kinds.] Also, that eyeglasses serve as "crutches for the eyes" and you have to throw out your glasses [or in my case, with such a high correction, get lenses that undercorrect your prescription.] So to that end since Monday I've been wearing contacts with a slightly weaker prescription - it's not like I drive in Japan anyways. Monday was a little strange and stressful, not being able to see the way I'm used to... Tuesday was a lot better, more relaxed and I was impressed with how clear a lot of my vision seemed, moreso than the day before.
But the kicker was this morning I was running a little late and was booking to get to school on time, plus I was wearing a monkey suit and tie for today's welcome ceremony for the new Jr High first graders - and suits and ties always feel like uncomfortable straightjackets to me, plus I've put on a couple kg since last summer when I bought it, so it was a little tight in some places... So the upshot is I was a little stressed and I noticed my vision seemed blurrier than even on Monday. Seems that stress does have a really significant effect on visual acuity.
One thing in common to both the yoga and vision therapy is it becomes more obvious that there's all sorts of tightness and tension and stress I'm holding on to unawares, so that's something to work on.
Final thing, for the last couple weeks, and up until Monday is that my diet has been an abomination. Enkais and multiple cakes and snacks left on the work desk by departing and arriving teachers... of course I don't have to eat them, but I do. Just call me Mr. Will Power, apparently. Plus too many visits to 7-11 and their tasty karaage and snack foods. Need to reign that all in get back into the groove, as even the scale is starting to reflect my poor choices. So, onwards.
Thanks!
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