Day 90: So it Ends Tigers.

From this...

To this?

Well, hardly.

The Kung Fu Body has come and gone, and what an adventure it was. It is not one for the faint of heart or mind. The truth? It wasn't the PCP. It wasn't an event of massive transformation, but that, I'm told, is normal.

Now, at the end, I realize the KFB is different from the PCP in a very important way. The PCP's focal point is your body with some mind. The KFB focuses on your mind with a little body. Oh sure, there may be more exercises in the KFB than the PCP, but the nature of those additional exercises challenges the mind far more than the body--at least they did for me.

If your looking for body transformation, the PCP is the road to take. If your looking for spirit and mental transformation the KFB is for you.

The greatest weakness I discovered I have while on the KFB is patience. I have not as much as I like to think I have. Patrick talks about us living in a world where everything comes easy now--food especially. But, the truth is alot of things I want in my life for pleasure I can aquire very quickly, perhaps to quickly. As a result, my patience has waned.

The longer KFB regime and the flexibility exercises asked me to make time and wait. The former I'm good at. The latter I'm not. I would go through each flexibility exercise with my mind on the clock. I would try to ignore it, but I almost always felt I had better things to do. The punches and kicks might have gone the same way if I hadn't found them to be a fun activity to do together with my son. We will continue to punch and kick together for some time to come.

I wish I had something more profound to give future readers of this blog, but if you do join this program, know this: The KFB is an advanced program. It will help you get back in shape if you've been there before. But most importantly, if you let it, it will get your mind in shape as well.

THE END

Day 87: Pushing through the weakness.

Hey all,

The last few days have been busy with some extra classes at work and chores around the house with my mother-in-law gone, but today I managed to get up early and have a really good workout. It was only a half hour, but I blasted through exercise after exercise with none of the hesitation I usually go through. Also, for the last few days I've been feeling weak in my midsection and legs, but today I pushed through it and managed to really get myself back in line.

With my reduction in time, I've been picking and choosing from my exercise list. It works pretty well on my schedule and keeps me participating evenly if not completely in all areas of the KFB.

Almost there, Tigers.

More tomorrow,
Sean

Day 84: As usual--after a bad day, a good day.

Hey all,

As often happened on the PCP, after I have a really bad day, I end up having a really good day. I got through my workout today without any trouble save the fact it still takes me an hour and a half. However, I didn't mind because I was up early, finished most of my chores, and their was cloud cover so I could enjoy my whole workout outside.

However, right now my hamstrings, the muscles responsible for my poor posture are tired as hell. I'm practically dropping into chairs when I sit down and I'm not in a big hurry to get up again. Still, I'm glad everything's done for the day workout wise.

I know the KFB encourages us to be flexible with our workout times and places, but lets face it, most people like to workout and get it over with so we can shower and get on with our day. This is especially true in the very hot summer where we like to keep sweat down to a minimum at the office, while spending time with family, etc.
As much as I would like to do my workout whenever and wherever I please, the fact I can't take multiple showers every day--especially at work--keeps the amount of exercise I do outside my alotted time at a minimum.

More tomorrow,
Sean

Day 83: Life vs. PCP vs. KFB

Hey all,

With my mother in law gone on peace boat and my son on summer break, I've acquired a whole bunch of garden chores and house chores which have horned in on my training time. I haven't had a complete workout all week. And, of course, the dizziness hasn't helped. The latter is fading though. Today was much better. I think I just hit a spot where I had a concussion last year and its giving me a little grief.

The heat has been a real enemy too. My park is a hot zone which takes away from my workout enjoyment. Last year was nowhere near this hot.

My strength is better than ever.


My agility is so-so. I still have a good share of misses with the ping pong ball. And, frankly, there are days I love it and hate it. Days when I find it fun and other days where I find myself wondering what's the point? Frankly, I'd rather be playing Street Fighter.

My flexibility has improved. My kicks are higher, but I'm still am quite vertical when I stretch. My butt and legs still fall asleep.

I think my conflictwith the KFB has been largely because of a lack of a desired goals. During the PCP, I was fighting for my life. On the KFB, I tried to ignite the same passion, but it just hasn't been there. Is this the fault of the program. No, just me. Without goals I truly want, I can keep up a daily thirty minute work out routine to maintain my great weight, but it's hard to devote over an hour every day under the schorching sun or in the house where a four year old demands your attention.

And to be honest, on the PCP, because I was fighting for my life, I forced the PCP into my life like the proverbial square peg into a round hole. There were days I got into arguemnts with my wife and my family and my son because I put the PCP above almost everything else--a choice I stand by because my health is so much better now. However, on the KFB, without life-threatening fat to lose, I could not justify being as aggressive.

Well, only a week left.
Com'on Tigers. let's finish this.

More tomorrow,
Sean

Day 82: Hot Hot Hot!

Hey all,

Today and yesterday are supposedly the hottest days on record this year in Japan. It sure felt like it. I've moved my KFB into the house with the exception of J-rope these days. And, I've been cutting back a bit on sets. The main reason is I've been overheating and becoming dizzy lately. I use the AC, but it isn't always enough. Oh well, just taking everything in stride. It's funny. It's like I bumped my head--this dizziness I feel. But, I don't remember hitting my head. Maybe I came down to hard one time during a V-sit? Hmmm. Anyway, the spirit of any workout isn't how hard we go at it all the time, but how often we go at it. And, I have the good looking body to prove it--at least I think so.

More tomorrow,
Sean

Day 80: Why do we fight?

Hey all,

I remember a scene from the comedy Married with Children where Al Bundy, the shows main character gets punched by Suger Ray Leonard as part of a shoe commercial. When it's over and Al is lying on the ground unconscious, Sugar Ray Leonard smiles and, in the comedic vein of the show, says, "You know, it's every professionals dream to know how seriously they can hurt an non-competitor."

Something that just popped into my head while I was meditating today.

More tomorrow,
Sean

Day 78: A moment of grace.

Hey all,

Today I went through my workout from start to finish with no time pressure at all. My family was out today and I had the whole hose to myself. Do you know how much fun it is to do your freestyle moves in a real tatami room to Kung-Fu music?

I'm still not so stretchy and I still miss the ball wore than I would like, but it's fun and that's where I try to keep my head. My balance is definitely improved. But it still has it's good or bad days. But I'll keep working on it. Only a little more than a week left.

One thing, however, that has made this KFB really hard the last few weeks has been the heat. After my workout, I'm always drenched with sweat. I can get so uncomfortable sometimes even with a towel around.

More tomorrow,
Sean

Day 77: Train Drain

Hey all,

Only stretches and J-rope today because I just spent seven hours on the train going to and from Ibaraki to attend my wife's sister's housewarming party. A very Japanese lunch was had. Healthy as heck and reasonably tasty. Would you believe dessert was watermelon?

More tomorrow,
Sean