Po, the Dragon Warrior
Jessica and I have similar physical histories. We both were avid runners in our younger days but physical injury took their toll and we slowly slowed to a crawl. We both had spurts of activity when we found the motivation but they never lasted long and we ended up sitting on the couch and thinking about getting started again (after the weekend, Monday perhaps). After my second right knee injury in 2004 I became wary of impact activities, especially jogging. This was a major whack to my fitness, when I was inspired enough to do anything. I tried lifting weights sporadically but again I had a difficult time seeing results as I never made changes to my other habits like eating (or pre-2007, fermented hops and barley products).
This was particularly difficult during the years of being in school full time. By the time I was done studying I couldn't have cared less if I was overweight or not and I was just happy to be able to go to sleep. I got good grades, but I earned every one and the kids complained that I was always too busy to play. Non-study time became a precious commodity and was spent with family being as still as possible. And so enters Newton's First Law of Motion:
A object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion stays in motion,
unless acted on by an external force.
No, my physics minded friends, this does not relate to weight loss or exercise in the realm of physics but it does wonderfully from a philosophical point of view and with a little tweaking:
A body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted on by internal and external motivation.
(Yeah, so I'm short on motivation for art work)
I, on the other hand, was becoming what I was shocked by at work. I felt tired and lazy most of the time. Walking up stairs, while not exhausting did make me very aware that I was challenging gravity. When I did get the gumption to do some push-ups I was acutely aware of it for a few days afterwards. The day I built the igloo in December I could barely move for the rest of the evening. Not the guy I knew ten years ago.The question for me was what would be the force to help accelerate my mass? I needed to start over and train my body to work again.
Fortunately, Jessica had already been working on this question with us both in mind and presented me with the solution: Yoga and the Five Tibetan Rites. Most people are familiar with yoga or have at least heard of it. The Five Tibetan Rites, not so much, but there is a good following on the Internet. The five "rites" or exercises are five yoga-like moves and stretches that work your body very nicely, especially for someone starting fresh. As recommend, we started out doing only three repetitions of each one and increased by two weekly.There is a whole more mystical side that goes with the rites, similar to that of yoga, including a fountain of youth aspect. While I have my reservations about my ability to look twenty years younger, I have no doubt that any form of exercise will help one feel and look better (much like when they were younger). Of course, who knows? I may end up with a full head of hair and the six-pack abs that always alluded me in my youth.
We started with the Five Tibetans and have progressively added a few other yoga moves and more conventional exercises like push-ups, pull-ups and light weight training. I have been amazed at how quickly my body is recovering from my self-imposed convalescence. In just three weeks I feel great, and am seeing the results. Flexibility is increasing, strength and definition are returning, and stamina is making amazing headway.
So here are the current stats:
Tibetan reps per exercise: 9
Push-ups 15
Pull-ups 1! Whenever I walk past the bar
And most importantly:
Give a google search for an RKC or SFG kettlebell instructor in your area. They are very very low impact and awesome for bum knees.
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