Mental and physical health. Fitness and wellness. Anxiety and Karate.
Lethargy feels like the mayonnaise that won’t squeeze out of the plastic bottle. To get unstuck, get movin’! So I’ve been ramping up my fitness. When the Summer sun isn’t trying to kill me in a Texas heatwave, I’ve been outside literally taking steps towards my exercise goals. Continue reading Moving With Google Fit
In a world of tablets, there’s iPad. Then there’s…not much else really. And in a world of smartwatches, there’s Apple Watch. Then there’s – crickets – ? OK. There are a few options. Most notably is FitBit. But are fitness trackers worth it? Continue reading Is Google FitBit A Good Fit?
For fitness (and fun), my family takes karate. I rejoined last year after a hiatus and immediately trained for the next belt, a most elusive color for me in martial arts: the Blue belt. One year later, to my surprise, the next belt test is a double-whammy! Continue reading Double Whammy Belt Test
Living with Tinnitus may not sound like a big deal. But if you could actually hear the inaudible sounds in someone’s head, you’d think silence is not so golden. Continue reading Silence Is Not So Golden
This post is a little outside my usual topics, but I felt like sharing it anyways. I just participated in a very special event and am happy with how it turned out. It was a mixed-style martial arts sparring session for a good cause – raising support for a fellow martial artist’s family. Continue reading The Sparring Fundraiser
Something has bugged me for a while. In American culture, men are basically allowed to express only one emotion – anger. It’s like an unspoken rule. Other emotions men have are downplayed or hidden. Somehow being emotional is linked to weakness or vulnerability. Continue reading Anxious Dudes Anonymous
Anxiety is not my favorite subject to talk about. I kind of avoid it. If you’ve had anxiety or panic attacks and have been debilitated by them, then you know – anxiety is terrible. Continue reading Exercise Against Anxiety
My entire family of seven takes karate. We’ve been kickin’ it Kyokushin style for a few years at the YMCA. The fitness is fun and challenging. To help with training, we bought a heavy bag! The first thing to notice is the color: in-your-face red! Not boring black. This heavy bag screams, “Alert, get fired up, find the driving power inside and kick me off … Continue reading Family Pummels Heavy Bag
After all these years, and after all the training and discipline, even in various martial arts, you know what? I finally got a blue belt! Yeah! Do you know what this means? I got blue! Ok. I take chill-pill now. But really! I still can hardly believe it. I just rejoined my karate class in January, then crammed for the belt test! Lots. Of. Fitness. … Continue reading Excited For The Blue
Yesterday I passed the first part of my karate belt test. It was very hard at times; my body was getting tired and weak. The extra cardio and strength exercises pushed my body to its limit, causing me to dig deep, push myself, and keep going. After a lot of workouts, at one point we were doing 100 leg scissors; it was tough! And while … Continue reading Karate Testing Perseverance
