DanStryker.com

2011-09-02T05:32:02.256-07:00

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@Dan... Looking forward to it. We were missing y...

2011-09-01T18:45:23.284-07:00

@Dan... Looking forward to it. We were missing you this week but we know you were working hard doing important work. Look forward to seeing you next week!

Master Dan - Unfortunately I wasn't able to ge...

2011-09-01T15:58:48.062-07:00

Master Dan - Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to training this week b/c of work but wanted to share with everyone how lethargic & "off" i feel. Keep up your training guys, even on those nights where you feel like sitting on the couch. It's as important physically as it is mentally. See you all next week. Dan

My pleasure. Feel free to share this page with ot...

2011-08-25T11:33:06.647-07:00

My pleasure. Feel free to share this page with others!

Great videos for testing day! (or any day) thanks!...

2011-08-25T10:38:40.304-07:00

Great videos for testing day! (or any day) thanks!

This week showed me how important my fellow martia...

2011-08-25T09:25:05.827-07:00

This week showed me how important my fellow martial artists are as a support network. Through training together, a bond and relationship has been built which I needed to call upon and they were there with full support. I don't know many other environments where that is possible.

True! This is totally another way to look at goal ...

2011-08-23T18:05:45.663-07:00

True! This is totally another way to look at goal attainment.

Here's to creating the reality you want!

@ Nikki... excellent. And remember that courage ...

2011-08-23T06:54:38.629-07:00

@ Nikki... excellent. And remember that courage is not without fear... it is action in the face of fear. Well Done!

I kept thinking about this post during last night&...

2011-08-23T05:12:21.195-07:00

I kept thinking about this post during last night's advanced class. That was the most fun I've had in a while - loved it!

I misspoke, what I meant to say was - "I hope...

2011-08-22T10:19:17.961-07:00

I misspoke, what I meant to say was - "I hope we can all agree that it would not be sane to prefer a body tormented by starvation to 15 "extra" pounds."

The argument "you wouldn't be fat if you ...

2011-08-22T10:15:08.387-07:00

The argument "you wouldn't be fat if you were in a concentration camp" is one I have heard before too, in the context of, "how far are you willing to go to feel skinny?" If you ask yourself that question, it has the right impact. No one, I hope, would reasonably argue that holocaust victims are healthy just because they are the opposite of "fat". I'm not sure what the rest of this nutritionist had to say was, but I hope we can all agree that it would not be sane to prefer 15 "extra" pounds to a body tormented by starvation. Extreme examples like this are difficult because they make an emotional impact, but they really offer nothing constructive. Nobody wants a body like that, do they? We want to settle for something in between that, and what we have now. How do we achieve that?

Sure, starving works. There is no more efficient weight-loss technique than simply eating fewer calories. You'll drop mass very quickly. But will you be left with a body that leaves you feeling good? Or will you be left with a body that is emaciated, feeling like you have no energy to think, let alone move? I know how it feels to convince myself that starving is the right answer... I know how it feels to suffer from an eating disorder because losing weight seems so helpless. There is no long-term happiness in it. The feeling of pulling on jeans with a smaller number on the tag is nice, but by itself, that pant size doesn't give you energy, it doesn't make you feel stronger, and it certainly doesn't make you healthier. "Eat less" is a worthwhile argument for people who have 50-100lbs (of FAT) to lose and would like to do so before they die of old age.

But at some point, your diet needs to become something that you can maintain over time.

The saddest part to me, BECAUSE I HAVE DONE THIS, is how we are trained to go about losing weight; with the aid of 100-calorie packs, slim-fast meal replacements, low-calorie and low-fat meals, the aim is to "feel full" and to pack the highest MASS of food into some number of calories or points we allocate ourselves for a day. What we are given, truly, is the opportunity to cram as many emtpy carbohydrates into our diet as we can, because it makes us feel as though we have eaten more. It is more physically satisfying. We get a short-term energy boost that in the form of a glucose spike, which turns into an energy crash, which makes us crave more carbs. Historically, processed grains (the ancestor of the 100-calorie snack pack) were the human race's invention in the face of the reality that many people would have otherwise died from lack of food. Processed food kept many people alive when the only alternative was to starve, not an ideal scenario, but one that worked for survival. I am not here to say that carbs/grains are the enemy, but they were created by people to stay alive when there was nothing else to eat. Is it any wonder that people who lose weight by starvation, or by eating almost entirely "diet food" (which is really the same thing as starvation because it is so nutritionally lacking) lose the weight they want, feel listless, and eventually pick up their old eating habits?

Everyone has secrets that amount to "consume fewer calories". Again, this does work, and it is possible to eat "better" calories while still eating "less" if you really have a lot of weight to lose. But for those of you on the Special K diet, the Nabisco 100-calorie pack diet, the cabbage soup diet, the

slim-fast diet, any diet that points to "eat 1200 calories worth of nutrient-poor food"... Eventually your body will make it very clear that it is starving. You will lose the weight you want.

But I'm still struggling with an eating disorder from it. Striving for "skinny" is not the right answer.

-Brie

I have also experienced the following: where I ha...

2011-08-13T19:03:15.610-07:00

I have also experienced the following: where I have not wanted to (in this example) get dressed and go to SMA for a class. But, I do.. I drag my sorry butt into class and the energy in the room picks me up. I then proceed to have a really great workout with a bunch of really great people and, in the process, HAVE FUN.
And if I happen to pick up some small nugget of information along the way, it is a bonus.

For me fun has to be comprised of a challenge. Eit...

2011-08-13T16:26:42.093-07:00

For me fun has to be comprised of a challenge. Either mental or physical. This morning's class had both physical and mental challenge. That is why I come to class. I did not want to wake up this morning at 7:30 in order to get myself dressed and fed, wake up my three kids and husband to get dressed and fed. But I did, and I'm glad I did.

@Kristin... I agree. If Disney World is the exte...

2011-08-13T16:19:53.254-07:00

@Kristin... I agree. If Disney World is the extent to which you can experience fun... that is a mighty small view.

I'm really drawn to the moment when the photog...

2011-08-13T16:14:02.616-07:00

I'm really drawn to the moment when the photographer instructs the "model" to "think horrible thoughts." That's such an interesting commentary on the mind-body connection.

I'm totally on board with this. I think there ...

2011-08-13T16:09:43.541-07:00

I'm totally on board with this. I think there is a lot around us today that makes it hard for people to learn what "adult fun" is. This is NOT a bash on contemporary culture or technology, but I think there are so many new things that offer instant gratification that make it easy to equate that with fun. Fun does not have to mean amusement park; instead, there is fun in challenge and perseverance resulting in an accomplishment.

Oddly enough, that sounds like "work."

Maybe that's where the real issue is; we have warped the term "work" rather than only the idea of "fun." Work should feel fun.

In that way, I'm completely fine with thinking of Kbx class as work!

@Cat and Bill... first thanks for posting and mak...

2011-08-13T12:48:19.590-07:00

@Cat and Bill... first thanks for posting and making a difference! I really appreciate your participation.

I am glad to hear that the program is working and is fun. Yet it is always good to go back and tip things on their head to see if what we thought was so is really that way. Hence, growth and development... wisdom and mastery.

Ahhh yes. That is what I thought you meant. It ...

2011-08-13T12:46:21.114-07:00

Ahhh yes. That is what I thought you meant. It seems that we have an epidemic of that recently.

i meant that my shoulders and hips weren't alw...

2011-08-13T12:44:37.690-07:00

i meant that my shoulders and hips weren't always facing my opponent. at times, i turn to the side and that just opens me up.

This morning was the most fun I've had in almo...

2011-08-13T12:05:44.784-07:00

This morning was the most fun I've had in almost 3 months!

Are you joking...? Seriously, the main reason I c...

2011-08-13T10:01:44.298-07:00

Are you joking...? Seriously, the main reason I come to SMA is because the classes are so much fun! I also happen to get an amazing workout! When I am challenged to push myself I am rewarded with a sense of relief and satisfaction. I am the type of person who will not follow an exercise routine if it is not fun. Kickboxing at Stryker Martial Arts is a blast which is why I will continue to come to class for as long as I can continue to walk without assistance.

@Eric... How do you mean "squaring off"...

2011-08-13T05:55:12.030-07:00

@Eric... How do you mean "squaring off"?

I learned this week about the importance of basics...

2011-08-12T17:46:37.417-07:00

I learned this week about the importance of basics - especially squaring off against your opponent. For me, its easy to lose focus on that in a different setting( against a person versus a bag) - but that is when its most important.

This is one of my favorite exercises. What amazed ...

2011-08-12T17:33:59.421-07:00

This is one of my favorite exercises. What amazed me when i first started doing these were the amount of muscles that were used for what seems like a fairly simple motion. i've seen great results in my back and legs. i used to have back problems as well and haven't since doing these.

This makes a lot of sense to me. Strange but I get...

2011-08-12T17:26:07.756-07:00

This makes a lot of sense to me. Strange but I get the feeling like I knew this all along yet I still buy into it. i'm still a bit of a news junkie but i find that when i am away from it for a few days, the world seems less stressful. There isn't someone telling me all of the things i need to worry about.