We worked North South tonight. When to get on to your side, grab an ankle, push you opponent over, pass the legs, take side control.
OR
Pivot under them using your legs as a counterweight to swing around to grab guard from the bottom.
Tough stuff.
The I rolled for a short time with Lex. He’s good and I played a limited defense that went nowhere.
Aidan did well, rolling for about 40 minutes with Greg. The have fun. Aidan’s a bit bigger with longer legs but Greg is more experienced and is quite strong so they trade subs.
Fingers still hurt and I can’t grab anything with any strength. I have been using aspercreme and I tape them to their neighbours when I roll. I force them through the full range of motion a few times a day but 3 weeks after being dislocated they are still pretty swollen. I guess dislocation injuries are pretty traumatic. Right afterwards I iced them on and off for about 24 hours. Maybe I should go back to some ice therapy. Hmmmm.
This was another 1500 calorie day. It leaves me feeling weak, unmotivated and a bit depressed. I am determined however, to lose some weight so I’ll put up with it. Absolutely no junk, and only complex carbs.
Right now I’m in the basement doing some deadlifts, weighted pullups, and presses. Just a few sets.
Ha!
Haven’t been able to train or workout this week due to other commitments so between laundry loads I did a quick Crossfit “Cindy”. As many sets as possible in 20 minutes of:
- 5 pullups
- 10 pushups
- 15 squats
I stranded 7 seconds at the end so it was close. Of note: I managed to do the pullups without stopping all the way up to set 12. Around set 16 I had to slow down or throw up.
20 sets in all. 1 better than last time and 6 better than when I started using it as a test again. Good form. That’s a record. Now 21 is calling my name. Yuck.
I wonder if all that time off helped.
Not bad for a guy in his mid 40’s.
A-n-d GO!
Gotta get the housework done in record time so I can do a decent workout today! Was supposed to work and it got cancelled so now I can get caught up.
I’ll shoot for a Crossfit “Cindy” record. Haven’t been able to get past 19 sets in 20 minutes of 5 pullups, 10 pushups and 15 squats. Today feels like the day.
Tonight…Chili. Annette is bringing over chili and we’ll all watch a movie.
Back to BJJ tomorrow. I feel like I’ve been away forever.
You are what you eat. Hmmmm.
Had a super supper at Annette’s tonight. I’m taking a page out of her book and trying to eat “clean”. Fewer carbs, no sugar. Eat all meals and snacks. I prepared breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack ahead of time so I have no excuse in the morning. Plus I’ll take a green tea for the drive in my thermos. Annette has had tremendous success with this strategy so I’m game.
Also, I managed to find some Arnica Gel. Wikipedia tells me “Arnica is a genus with about 30, perennial herbaceous species, belonging to the sunflower family. The thymol derivatives concentrated in the plants roots have been clinically shown to be effective vasodilators of subcutaneous blood capillaries. Arnica preparations used topically have been demonstrated to act as an anti-inflammatory and assist normal healing processes by facilitating transport of blood and fluid accumulations through a dilating action of subcutaneous blood capillaries”. My fingers are still quite stiff and swollen at the joints from my BJJ mishap so maybe this will help. Chris suggested it. Fingers crossed (figuratively).
Salvia hispanica, commonly known as Chia, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, that is native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. It was cultivated by the Aztec, and was so valued that it was given as an annual tribute by the people to the rulers.
It is also used for chia pet planters.
Where am I going with this?
Wikipedia tells me Chia is grown commercially for its seed which is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids and is also is a source of antioxidants and a variety of amino acids.
Annette bought me some ground salba to put in my cooking and protein shakes. So I’ll give it a shot. Those Aztecs were smart dudes…..
What is the key ingredient in excellence?
You become what you do. You become who you hang around. If you surround yourself with competent people then your horizons are high. Is the opposite true? You bet.
At some point mediocrity becomes a noose round your neck.
Why is heart important? Because it is heart that drives us forward. It is heart that drives us to push through the mental discomfort that surrounds the effort we have to put out to do the things that make how we experience this life extraordinary.
I got tired of feeling sorry for myself this morning because my hand looks like it was stepped on by an elephant. I couldn’t go to BJJ because the risk of further damage was just too high. So I taped all my fat fingers together and went downstairs to my home gym and did a crossfit workout (19 rounds of a “Cindy”) at max intensity. Fingers survived and now I feel great.
I am on track with clean eating today and that adds to the positive vibe.
Okay, why is it that I always feel better when I’ve had a good workout? It’s the key ingredient in a good day. I actually feel good when part of me is sore. Seriously twisted but true.
I’m not crazy. I just think that the work ethic is important. Fitness is a war I have been waging for years and each workout is a battle. It’s hard to fit in exercise when life is hectic.
Someone (was it Yuri Harsh or Greg) said to substitute “life” for “time”. So not having enough “life” to stay fit does seem pretty silly.
So, feeling good after a day of eating clean and a decent strength workout. Looking forward to BJJ tomorrow.
I was up late last night. Dinner party at Annette’s place. She is a fabulous cook. Prime rib, souffle potatoes, carrots, parsnips, red cabbage. Unreal. Cooking is her thing and she’s good at it.
Today….laundry. While that was happening I did a slow and careful strength workout. Weighted pullups, Deadlifts, One arm kettlebell presses. I hurt everywhere but some of that pain goes away once I’ve warmed up.
Read a bit of “Fight Club” in the middle of the night. It’s a strangely hypnotic narrative. A bit too synonymous with my current view that what ever I’m gonna do I’d better do it now because I’m not going to live forever (BJJ for instance is not an old man’s sport).
I’ll go for a run tonight in the dark just to get the yaya’s out. Yeah I know.
Winter blahs have hit. Motivation is at an all time low. Seriously this is bad.
Had a massage today (Annette got me 2 for Christmas because my back has been bothering me). My right hip took a serious turn for the worse yesterday after BJJ. I went to Active Health here in Kingston. Kurtis worked on both hips at the back. Apparently they are pretty seized up. The pain is in the right but the left seemed way tighter when he was working on it. I really have to focus on my breathing when he goes deep. It freakin’ hurts.
Then I went home and grilled Aidan before his oral French exam. He left and I did a quick Crossfit workout because I am brain dead and deep down don’t want relief from my back pain. As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
- 5 pullups,
- 10 pushups
- 15 squats
I managed 19 sets without puking. That ties my personal best so next time I’ll shoot for 20. And really if I am not retching at the end have I done my best?
Aidan came back soon after. The exam went really well. HA!
Stole Annette away from the hospital long enough for a quick Thai lunch. Her sunny disposition is infectious. We had a very nice time.
Oil change – long overdue, Caulking for the downstairs shower, picked a copy of Inglourious Basterds. Hard to know what to say about this one. Definitely a Tarantino film. Boys liked it.
Then cooked boys dinner. Rowed some intervals on the Concept II to make sure that the back damage really takes. Had a protein shake and now I’m sitting here feeling like I’ve been run over by a truck, listening to Aidan’s computer playing Breaking Benjamin while we read.
BJJ at Martial Arts Planet tomorrow. Let’s see if I can be a bit more inspired. I’ll ride the foam roller and a tennis ball beforehand to try and loosen up. Maybe a full night of sleep would also be a good idea.
Just back from a great afternoon and evening with Annette. We always have a lot of fun. Watched “Reign Over Me”. I liked it.
BJJ today was a lot of rolling. I got some great instruction on take downs from Matt. Gassed out badly though. Not good if I plan to enter a tournament at the end of the month. On my last roll with one of our Blue Belts I let him know I was out of energy before we rolled. I was retching for air on the previous roll and had to stop and that is pathetic. Then I proceeded to forget how tired I really was and near the end of the roll, in a quick move to underhook sitout I hyper extended his elbow. We think his hand got caught in my Gi. This is the first time I have hurt someone and I am not happy with it. I am hoping he is back in class on Monday.
…..Okay it might have been a mistake in judgement to have coffee with dinner. I am wide awake so………
……..I just finished off a Crossfit “Cindy” – as many rounds of 5 pullups, 10 pushups and 15 squats as one can do in 20 minutes. In this case I managed 18 sets before the clock ran out. Hopefully after a hot shower I’ll be able to sleep.
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