Another Rut

I apologize for my inactivity but this past week can be best described as interesting. I started the second week of my new job at a new business. I was hired as a sign sales man but have started to improve their online identity as well as help on service calls when needed. I've already found some clients as well as started networking with a business intent, my career direction seems to have taken a 180*.

My health has also been affected by my new routine. I find myself able to fall asleep easier, but I have also been finding myself more exhausted throughout the day. I'm seeing my doctor next Wednesday since there has been no update to my ENT recommendation and the last physician I saw dismissed my high iron levels outright. I hope next week will hold some answers.

Until I am out of this rut I will have to postpone the start of my vlog, but I will try to post a video on my channel each week.

Regrouping

I have to apologise for my inactivity, again. This past weekend was a hectic blur of music, dance and partying and this week was the start of a new and promising employment. On Monday, my rest day between Folk Fest and my new job, I was inspired by YouTuber Skallagrim as well as our own Sihing Chervenka to start producing videos.

Jian Test Cutting

This is just the start of the many ideas I have for content, the most important of these is the start of a vlog. Last night I started writing about my weekend but was starting to find myself on the fourth paragraph only two days into my extended weekend. If I have not started my vlog by Monday I hope my team mates will hold me accountable.

I have so many things that I want to update everyone on, but all my plans are still not fully solidified yet. When they are I will have much to share.

My Wakeup Call

This past weekend I got the wakeup call that I needed, the annual Silent River boot camp. When I first woke up at 5am on Saturday I felt terrible, my head was foggy and my body ached. I didn't think I had it in me to even leave my bed and had came to the conclusion to just give up. I don't know what motivated me but with only a few minutes to get ready I set out to the Keephills Community Hall to begin my day.

Each seminar had it's purpose, and as I went though the hours of work leading to the fitness test I found myself in a better mental state. However once the fitness test started it felt like my world was falling apart. I was so angry at myself for not performing at my best, regardless of what shape my health has been in. I just felt like I should give up on everything. But I couldn't give up, because letting myself doubt take control would only let my friends, my family, down.

After completing the 2km run that marked the end of the boot camp, I felt my self doubt vanish. In it's place I found an urge to improve myself and a desire take all the lessons I had learned that day and put them into my daily training. Although I am not where I need to be for my black belt grading, I feel that I have gained the tools necessary to succeed.

In my last blog I reached out for help and am thankful for the advice I was given. I want to reach out again because the only way my health will improve is if I make changes to my healthcare. The doctors I have seen at my family clinic have been trying to patch me with medications that have little to no effect. I am currently waiting for my recommendation to an ENT specialist but I have my doubts about taking this route. Any recommendations on this matter would be greatly appreciated.   

What is Happening?

On Wednesday I felt like myself again, waking and eating in the morning and having consistent energy levels throughout the day. However yesterday my condition slip again and it has continued into today. My joints and lower back ache, my mind feels fuzzy and incoherent and I feel as if my energy stores and depleted. Also when I walked my dog yesterday I had an intense pain in the upper abdomen that was making me wince. My mind keeps going back to my last doctors visit, where I was told my iron levels were high but that fact wasn't looked into. I keep staring at webpages about hemochromatosis and my symptoms seem to fit.

Today I came to the conclusion that my best course of action would be to acquire my test results and go to a night clinic in hopes of getting answers, not more questions. Because of these events I am unsure about my ability to participate in the annual bootcamp tomorrow. It's very hard for me to write this but I am at a point where I am actual scared of my condition.

I'm about to head to Edmonton to pick up my results and will be updating this post as I get new information.

UPDATE: After driving to central Edmonton to pick the results and driving back, I opened the envelope I was given to only find the results for the urine sample. I needed the results from the blood samples to execute my plan and now find myself with no other options until next week. Since my condition is so volatile I won't know if I'm well enough for bootcamp until the morning of. I will be at class tonight and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Training at Home

One of my personal requirements is to create what could consider a proper training space for me. I think the best discussion I made was putting this space in my bedroom. In the morning I can literally roll out of bed and start pumping out reps first thing in the morning. I can also put my YouTube subscriptions or other media on my laptop and watch while I get my numbers in. The only problem I've had is having a large enough space to practice my forms.

I used to train in my backyard but a few weeks ago a colony of wasps built a nest under our deck. The nest was situated at our back door, leaving my dog unable to relieve himself unless he was taken for a walk. After many nights of removing a few screws than running from the swarm, we were left with two stripped screws only allowing one side to be lifted. With my mom armed with a garden hose and myself with a blowtorch, we finally destroyed the nest. Tomorrow I will be checking for any new nest, but also will start playing catch up on my form reps.

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More Answers, Questions, and Waiting

I have to start by apologizing for missing my last two blog days. On Thursday I met with a new doctor to discuss the results from my latest blood test as well as get a second opinion on what could be wrong with me. The results came back normal except for high levels of iron. I did some "research" (google) and found out that the body only absorbs 10% of dietary iron but a hereditary disease called Haemochromatosis can increase absorption by a factor of three. Next chance I have to see my doctor I will bring it up. I was also given a recommendation to an ENT specialist, but before I get the appointment I need to first take a hearing test. It seems that the closer I get to figuring out what's wrong with me, I have to wait and wait before taking the next step.

Friday ended on a good note. Although I felt tired and hungry after two hours of class I was convinced to stay for sanshou since the class was practically empty. I know to have a successful year in the I Ho Chuan I must log 1000 rounds of sparring, but with how my health is affecting my balance and stamina I have been missing out instead of training smartly.

Over the weekend the ideas for my first "real" YouTube video have started to work out. If everything goes to plan I'll be uploading my first videos next week.

Last Minute

I didn't think of a topic to journal about, hopefully I will have something tomorrow.

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Another Day

Tonight I have a goal, reach 15,000 pushups and situps. I have an hour and twenty minutes to get in the last one hundred repetitions. In between sets I made a calculation for how many repetition I need to do every day to reach 50,000 the Friday before the annual New Years banquet.

I was able to find an online app that counts the days until February 20th, 2015. This plugged into the formual with my current numbers requires me to perform 160 each day. I've also found that 50 pushups cause a .2% increase or decrease to the number. The last 50 pushups to 15000 will put be at 159.8 pushups a day.

After completing the last 50 pushups to 15,000 I wrote the formula on my board. x represents the current total of repetitions and y represents the number of days until February 20th. I think that's all I can do for today, but tomorrow is another day.

http://flavors.me/lairdchris

Changes

One of the few constants in life is that there will always be change. Over these past few weeks I've been trying new ways to log my numbers, blogging on different schedules and working towards new ways to express myself. Today I was working on a project that I hope will inspire the I Ho Chuan team as well as influence as many people as I can to try and rid the world of mediocrity. My last major hurdle for this project is mastering my memorization. I was hoping to finish this project for this week, but I believe that I won't have it finished until next.

I have also been remaking the firepot to my forge. The last one that I created didn't allow for proper air flow, so after tearing it all apart and recycling the clay I went to work again. I learned from my mistakes and made the pot wider and shallower, and after a few attempts of lighting the charcoal, it roared to life. I will have to fire it a few more times before I can work with it properly, but this latest build has been my most successful.

After blogging each week day last week, I found myself feeling more engaged in my training. From now until I start my vlog, which will follow the same schedule at first, I will be updating this blog each weekday.

http://lairdchris.flavors.me/

Braindead

Today has taken a toll on me. I played a few hours of Ingress, putting me at a recorded 100km this year. I am far behind.

My two hours of class tonight put me through a lot of physical stress. Bruised shins and forearms from combinations followed by many repetitions of lion dancing. I'm feeling more comfortable under the lion skin but still view myself as a sub-par head. That only means I'll have to practice on it more.

http://flavors.me/lairdchris

How I Logged 23km Today

Today I spent three hours playing a video game, and I had a great time during those hours. I walked between landmarks and art pieces, and even stepped into a shop to pick up my favourite incense. All of this took place not in some cyber world of online gaming, but in the world we all live in.

The game I was playing is called Ingress, a location based alternative reality game (ARG). Created by a Google startup lab of Google called Niantic Laboratories this project led by John Hanke is the start of a new type of gaming. The objective of the game is to control portals in the "real" world for one of two factions, the Resistance and the Enlightened. Typical portal candidates are public works of art and places of commune, but there is a wide range of accepted portals.

After three hours of walking up and down King St, I was able to capture most of the portals in Spruce Grove for the Enlightened. I plan to take over a few remaining portals tomorrow and reinforce the links I created between them.

this morning

this afternoon

Today I found the clay in my forge still a bit to wet to fire yet, but I did take the pictures that Mr. Smid asked me to take.

http://flavors.me/lairdchris

Building the Firepot

Today was a large step towards my personal requirement of building and working my own forge. One of the last materials I needed was clay and was told to try the Parkland Pottery Guild. After inquiring with the members I was given a large bag of recycled clay. The only charge was to tell a friend about the guild,  but informed them that I would be telling my crafty mother. They were thrilled.

I've made two forges before but over the winter my air supply, a cheap hair dryer, shorted out.I tried to salvage it but I think I'll need to invest in something a bit better suited. I used the clay to create a better shape to the firepot, the place where the smith creates a fireball. I'll be firing it tomorrow providing the clay has dried properly.

http://lairdchris.flavors.me/

What Am I Doing?

In my blog I have never explained what it is I'm doing. I know many of my readers are apart or know what the I Ho Chuan program is, but I also know that some readers don't know what it is exactly. I think the person to describe it the best is our head coach, Master Instructor Jeff Brinker. I have put all of my requirements and totals on my personal website, which can be found here.

Today I have been improving on the framework I started with, fleshing out the designs I implemented at the start of my first year in the I Ho Chuan. I'm hoping to also expand into YouTube in the next few months, making a vlog as well as videos about jianfa and kung fu as well as my personal thoughts on current events.

One YouTuber that has inspired me to try out the medium is Skallagrim. 

Tomorrow I will be sharing my progress on my personal requirements as well as how I plan to incorporate them into the I Ho Chuan as well as the kwoon.

No Excuse for Inactivity (A Late Canada Day Entry)

During the meeting on Saturday one of the topics that bothered me the most was blogging. Not because of the topic itself, but how I have not been engaged with my journalling. To try and rectify this I will be posting a blog each weekday this week, then return to blogging each Sunday.

Canada Day was a major highlight for this year, performing in a lion dance for 77 new Canadians, the challenge of modifying my jian form and the hard work that everyone put into the day have given me a boost that should carry me until bootcamp. Although I had accepted the challenge to log 1000 pushups and situps, I only achieved 100 of each. After the demo I went to the Spruce Grove celebrations and caught up with some old friends. Later in the evening I was tasked with calming Hawksley, my border collie, during the fireworks.

http://lairdchris.flavors.me/
http://tinyurl.com/my-totals

It's All in the Numbers

Today I realized I need a new way of logging my numbers. Currently I write them on my chalkboard during they day then input them into a .txt file. Because of human error I have missed days of logs but accept the consequences. Later this evening I will be looking through various apps for my Android tomorrow will be transferring all my numbers.

Today I was also curious at my progress of my pushups and situps. After doing the math I find myself much further than I thought I was. However my other numbers are pitiful. This next week looks promising for my health, I have an appointment with my GP on Tuesday and I think some questions will finally be answered.

I know my blogs have been lacking, and that I have to change my attitude about them. I have many ideas that I will hopefully be implementing in a few months if not earlier.

Totals:

Pushups: 13350
Situps: 13230
KM: 45
Kempo: 76
Jian Form: 177
Acts of Kindness: 160
Rounds of Sparring: 13

Am I on the Path?

I will admit I knew about my problem with blogging. It's something that I find reluctant in thought but once it's actually done I feel better. My life was in a very low spot, and I felt the only thing that could help me was to focus on what I was doing or what I wasn't doing, not what I could do. At the same time how ever I find myself thinking about the plan of action I will need to take to have a successful year.

I believe I have already failed one of my personal requirements. I had planned to have Scott Rodell teach a swordsmanship seminar for the kwoon, but I find myself in a place where I can not make it a reality this year. However at the Horse Team meeting on Saturday I will present my plan to try and not fail it in it's entirety.

Another problem that I have been encountering are the dated requirements. I know I did not learn Mastery by Stewart Emery with in the time I was supposed to but I have only a few sentences left. I will have it memorized by the meeting on Saturday.

Struggle

Last night was the first time I attended a class other then my own in a very long time. For so long I have wanted to do nothing, but staying stagnant will accomplish nothing. I was asked to work with the yellow belts on Kempo and put focus on the open-x - snap punch transitions. It's a part that I have had beaten into my form and knew it was something that we could all work together on. I felt involved in my Kung Fu and had a buzz that lasted until I went to bed.

That morning I had seen my doctor, the results from the MRI I had were in and didn't provide any answers. It showed there is nothing wrong with my alignment, and my doctor had little idea where to go from there. He has prescribed a sleeping aid to try and help with one of my symptoms, but it didn't have much affect on me the first night.

This morning I found myself unwilling to leave my bed until noon again. With the time that I had I worked on repetitions of Kempo and breaking down my techniques, looking for how they should feel. I have been struggling to stay on the path, but I won't give up without a fight.

Outrunning Apathy

Recently my condition has gotten worse, I have been finding myself not able to leave bed until the afternoon and it feels like all of my tendons and fibers of my being have been shrinking. It has been hard to even walk most days but today I decided I had to make changes.

My alarm went off at 8 A.M., but from a lack of sleep I decided to just roll over and fall into the rhythm that had started. I fell into a dream where I was running up a seemingly endless building, it appeared to be an old apartment complex. At each level I would have to open a door to continue up, and I would shut the door behind me because I knew I was being chased by something. There were times where this being almost caught me, but I found myself become invisible, allowing me to gain some distance from this mystery monster. I found myself in agony, but I kept up my pace and eventually reached the door that led to the roof. Standing in front of me was a 4-foot warrior, with green hair, patched armour and blade. I returned to consciousness and listened to the radio from upstairs for a while before getting out of bed at 10 A.M.

After my breakfast and watching my stream of YouTube videos I decided I had to do something with my day. For too long I had been stagnant, only walking my dog, doing little work on my forge and sitting at my computer. I decided to go for a run.

I took a route that I used to run when I was training for Bloomsday back in 2005, 2 kilometers one way and then back. The first kilometer made me feel terribly out of shape, I found myself tripping over my feet and out of breath fast. I had to take two breaks on that first part, something I didn't think I would ever need. The next kilometer I found my step, I felt like a load had been taken off of me and I was finally on the proper road to recovery. I didn't stop on the 2 kilometers back, and when I saw the end I ran with all I had left. I ended with a short walk back to my house, some stretching and finished with Awakening the Dragon.

Tomorrow I'm going to go for a run again, before I go wait for an MRI that I hope will shed some light on what is wrong with me. 

Taking a Break (Physically)

Last week I didn't write a blog and I have beating myself up about it. My only reason for it is that my condition has been getting worse and apathy has started to engulf me. Each morning I find myself weaker than the day before, my hands and feet pale and cold and I have only a small and finite amount of energy to put into my day. I have an MRI booked for the 25th and a doctors appointment on the 28th, and I just hope that what ever is wrong with me is found. Because of this lack of energy and strength I find myself in a rut again, just after I found my balance. But because I am unable to continue in one respect, I have been pushing forward in other ways.

I have started to contact Scott Rodell about having a swordsmanship seminar taught and will be giving updates on that as I find out more. I also have been working on another of my personal requirements, building a forge and workshop to express myself in a way I have always wanted to. Ever since I was a child I loved working with metal and have always sought jobs that involved the ductile and somewhat forgiving medium. I already have plans on how I am going to meet this requirement but  at the moment lack the tools and funds to fulfill it to my own specifications.

Even though I am taking a break from the physical aspects of my training I will still be coming to class, I will be planning on how to play catch up once I am better, and I will still blog and keep everyone up to date on what is wrong or right with me. I don't want to let the team down.

Perpetual Sickness

It's seems that my health's trend of "One step forwards, One step back" is still persisting. Yesterday my chiropractor told me that it was the first time my legs had stayed even at rest, I knew right away that this was a great sign and for the rest of the day I felt like everything was starting to turn around. This morning I awoke with a sore throat and little to no appetite through out the day. My head feels like it's been put back inside of a vice and my body burns while freezing. My doctors still have no idea what is wrong with me, and I am currently waiting for a MRI requisition to come in the mail. Although times seem hopeless, I am sticking with my pushups and situps. There have been a few days where I could only push myself to do 100/120 of each, but today I am pushing myself to get to 8000 pushups. I am grateful for all of the support I have, and hope that my recovery comes soon.

-Totals-
Pushups - 7900
Situps - 7360
Kempo - 15
Jian Form - 85
Rounds of Sparring - 8
Acts of Kindness - 30

A Quick Update

It seems that for every step I take forward, something else seems to try and push me back. My sense of balance has returned (99%) but recently I have been finding myself exhausted during the day and having insomnia at night. I have been seeing a chiropractor for two weeks and have been seeing results. The only down side I seem to be having is this exhaustion, which I suspect is being caused by the reset to my nervous system. The insomnia started a few weeks into my lose of balance and I haven't not found a remedy that has worked yet. On Monday I went in for my first full day of work since the start of my ailments but the next day I woke with no energy. My bed seemed to be my only place of refuge and it took me hours to leave it. The following day I went into work but to only show the report given by my chiropractor and was told to stay home again until I was better. Because of this I will have to apply for EI if I want to continue with my "normal" life. This coming Monday I am seeing my GP again and am going over everything that has affected me over these past months.

I know I haven't been vocal about my personal requirements, but I have been setting up the necessary framework first. At the April meeting I will be showing this progress on what I believe will be a requirement that could benefit the whole team and even the school itself.

-Totals-
Pushups: 7250
Situps: 6580
Jian Form: 65
Kempo: 15
Acts of Kindness: 20
Rounds of Sparring: 8

Back on Path, Towards the Path

Today has been a productive day. I shoved off the deck in my back yard, giving me plenty of space to practice my forms. I have a lot of catching up to do since my numbers are far to low, but it is a challenge that was made out of necessity. My balance has more or less returned, I have been back to work but only part-time. This week I will be making appointments at the chiropractor and acupuncturist that were recommended by Sifu Wiebe and Ms. Csillag respectively.

-Totals-

Pushups - 5600
Situps - 5600
Kempo - 10
Jian Form - 60
Acts of Kindness - 10

On the Road to Recovery

I'm happy to say that I have been able to go back to work and my condition has started to improve. I am still having problems with my balance but I have been able to work through them and have even been able to go back to the foundry I work at. For two weeks I'll be working four hour days but should be well enough for full work soon. Because of my lack of work hours I have found myself in a tough financial state, currently I am unable to afford to see a chiropractor nor acupuncturist but hope to have the funds to do so soon. I would like to thank all those that have been giving me suggestions on what I can do to improve my situation and it has really shown me the value of the team.

Pushups - 5150
Situps - 5150
Jian Form - 40
Kempo - 10
Acts of Kindness - 3

Have You Seen My Center? I Seem to Have Misplaced It

This morning I awoke from a restless sleep. I remember still being awake at 1:30 even though I laid down at 9:00 and had an alarm set for 5:00. Within the short amount of time that I was actually unconscious I had a very vivid dream. I was running towards a finish line, my legs in agony while everyone passed me with smiles on their faces. I felt like I couldn't take another step, so I turned around and started running backwards, the only thing propelling me was my falling center. When my alarm brought me back to consciousness I felt pain running through my entire body, it felt like I had just ran the race that my mind had created. It took me four hours before I could muster the energy to leave my bed.

For the past three weeks I have found myself in the deepest rut I have ever experienced. My body is in the best shape it has ever been in but it feels like my head has been missing. My doctor has pinpointed the cause of all this, a group of muscles in my neck, but the medication and stretches I have been told to do have little affect on my situation. When I walk my steps seem to fall instead of being placed, my path sways in front of me when I try to keep it straight. Each night I hope that I'll be better in the morning, that I can return to my normal self and go back to work, but each morning I find myself in the same spot. The constant sense of failure has started to push me into a depression, something that I thought could never happen to me.

Totals:

Pushups - 4050
Situps - 4050
Jian Form - 30
Kempo - 10
Acts of Kindness - 1

On Track but so Far Behind

By the end of today I will have logged 3000 pushups and situps. This has been the only requirement I have been tracking. I have done forms in class as well as sections at home and have done various acts of kindness but those have not been written down. For the past three weeks I have not been at 100%, I wouldn't even consider myself at 50% most of the time. There is something wrong with my sense of balance, but none of the doctors I have seen have figured out what it is exactly. I have been on three types of medication that have had little to no effect and most simple actions can cause me to sway and almost topple. My doctor also requested x-rays of my neck to be taken, as there has been some muscle pain in the area.

Even though I have felt terrible most days, I have kept using some of the tools I have been given, mainly pushups and situps. I have worked on small sections of forms, and have many plans and ideas for my personal requirements but at this moment I do not feel like I can fulfill them properly. However I will push myself to go to open training this Saturday however and try to mark some repetitions of Kempo as well as the jian form I have been working on, because I need to start now before it's too late.

Always Keep Moving (Even if the Path is Rough)

So far today I have done 100 out of my 150 daily sit-ups and push-ups, this puts my current total at 1000. Already I can feel the difference a daily routine can make, something that I hope to see in my forms soon. Recently I have been having problems keeping my balance, this has kept me from participating in class or practice the footwork of my forms and therefore not completing them. After taking medication to help clear out my sinuses I still feel a weight and pressure in my head that can send me into a tumble from time to time. I will have to wait over a week to see my doctor again but I believe I am experiencing "migraine-associated vertigo".

Even though I am finding times hard and am still making myself keep on top of my sit-ups and push-ups, because I believe they are worth all the effort I put into them. As I finish this entry I will also be finishing my last set of the day, cementing another step in my path.

Official Start to 50,00 Push-ups and Sit-ups

150 Push-ups
150 Sit-ups

This is my daily routine with one day of rest each week. About 3 months ago I didn't exercise much if at all outside of the kwoon. With the start of a new job at a foundry, and the approach of my year of I-Ho Chuan, I decided I needed to change that. My first goal was at least 100 push-ups a day, but soon after added sit-ups to match. I started with around 120, then 135 and after two and a half months reach my 150 goal. The first step on my 50,000 path. The start of this count is just another step on the path to my goal.