theboot90

#21 the movement class lesson four

This time, its your spine.

Last class we discussed the importance of maintaining your core and what it means to have a strong core and the life impacts that having a strong core has overall. Today we’ll discuss your spine and how fueling your spine will have an impact on your life.

Predatory movement, Think about the motion of a shark swimming, or the dynamic movement performed by a predatory cat mid hunt. You should not remove yourself from these predatory motions, but that is all we do, we sit in unnatural positions at desks stretching out our lower spine leaving it stationary for hours on end expecting it to perform when we ask it to.

A predators spine is healthy and resilient

2. Our bodies will become good at what we ask from them, so if you ask your body to sit at a desk for long periods of time it will become sore, at first, to challenge itself and then once it realizes that this is normal now you will remain in that position, when standing, and when operating as a human. Diversify your movement; don’t let your body think that sitting, hunched over a computer, is normal.

3. Your spinal column is organized to send information from your brain to the rest of your body using that thing sitting at the top. If you neglect the attachments, like an under used peripheral on your computer your spine will react, whether it be pain or worse. You must keep your spine in action and if you are ever wondering what is possible look at the flexibility of top performing humans at the Olympics and see, your range of motion sucks and it all starts from your spine.

I think I’ll revisit the spine because I am not done with its utility, this was mostly based on spinal health but I think that mental health can be tied to the spine as well.

Your Canadian Brother

#20 “Just turn it off and turn it on again”

Three steps to press your body’s reset button.

Wouldn’t it be something if you could “turn off” and turn back again, resetting all your settings, clearing all your memory and becoming ready for whatever tasks that you’re exposed to on a daily basis. What a great idea, unfortunately that’s not going to happen. Here are three steps you need to take to reset your body and mind and start on the newest freshest page of your life book.

Sleep. The best and only real medicine is when you allow yourself to recover deeply and fully with sleep. After a period of intensive work, whether it being a long string of late shifts or a week of extra difficult workouts the chemicals in your body and mind will be exceptionally damaged, you can overcome this with sleep, and enough of it in the right conditions, we know all the factors that affect sleep so don’t be stupid and curse your sleep by drinking and sleeping longer, it wont help you in fact it will put you farther behind your goals.
Exercise. Strong mind, strong body, ah the old adage rings true today. The physiological benefits to being fit contribute to general health and ensure that all circulatory systems are in check (and lymphatic and cardiovascular blah). Think of rinsing a straw before you use it, the longer you go between washes the more junk you might find in that straw, naturally accumulating.
Exhaustion. It might be controversial to think that you need to exhaust yourself, but you do, your bodies love being in a steady state (homeostasis) so your body will have no issues, in fact it wants you, to become a couch-bound television, video game, etc. addict, it is predictable, your body does not have to react to things that trigger flight or fight and you are in a very comfortable position for a long time. Exhaust yourself with work, or study or exercise somewhat regularly, allow yourself to fall on the other side of exhaustion, but always remember to hit the reset, with sleep and exercise.

Your Canadian Brother.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

#19 knock knock, look inside

I can prescribe humanity as being bombarded by information left right and centre, in seeking a path everyone is using different maps. We have all strayed so far away from trusting the people we used to in the past and now turn elsewhere for people that agree with us. Gone are the singular doctor, lawyer, spiritual leader of the past and welcome the day of experts around the world.

Turn it off.

Turn on your spirit, and look inside.

Read. Find an author and read, by filling your days with information from people that you are unsure about. Consuming from sources you mostly agree with you are getting a part of the picture, the more you can grow from others the better off you will be.
Meditate. I don’t care what your meditation is, whether sitting there, walking, in your bed with your eyes closed, introspective reflection will reveal to you what is actually important, to you. You can be as outraged as you want at whatever you want, but if you cant move like a human because you are so disconnected from your self, you wont be able to act when the time is required.
Exercise. Like meditation, and determining what is important to yourself, being physically prepared to take on the harms that require your attention will require you to know, understand and improve your physical capabilities as a human. I have plenty of posts on how-to exercise so check those out.

I’ve believe in you, with no doubt.

Your Canadian brother.

#18 the movement class lesson three

Core core core core. We’ve all established that foundation movements are important because they are the fundamentals to our movement, insomuch as they help you move in general, walk, run, jump, roll, these foundational movements ensure that you have enough skill in these areas to catch your prey, and present as the dominant human. However more compelling, is that in each of these activities we must engage our core, or we will hurt ourselves greatly. The core will even save your life when your body goes into shock, master your core and master yourself.

Thought. Sitting there right now tense your core, how does that change the way you were sitting? If you feel no difference and sit with military posture day after day I applaud you. Much of our day spent sitting at a desk hunched over pixels has removed our innate ability to correct our posture before it goes awry.
Ouch my back. So your back is stiff, tight or even hurts, our bodies are connected from head to toe in fascia and if you have a nagging calf injury or an injured shoulder, it will all appear in your core where the intersection of all your fascia happens.
Roll. relating to my last movement lesson, being on the ground has innumerable (or three) benefits to humans, but pressure treatment such as rolling and stretching will benefit your body and tissue.

Your Canadian Brother

Ref. Muscle pain: It might actually be your fascia, Johns Hopkins University

#17 the grass is always greener

A fantasy, of green grass or maybe a description of the American dream. A now cliche form of symbolism can be defined as comparing yourself to your neighbors. Commonplace to North America the comparison of your neighbors values has expanded to the ether, you can now compare your life to literally anyone with an internet connection. You can witness disparate abundant wealth and utter poverty at a few keystrokes. Now, what you do as a witness to the visual assault of people that are not you will mean the difference between a successful life and that not.

Who are you. I mean what are your values, without a set of values that you live by, imagine a compass turning wildly as it is attracted to North. Except your compass does not land, and each action you make involves a revolution of the compass, you end up back at the first square.
Precision. So you have discovered your true North, now what. With lethal precision pursue your goals, you cannot pop a balloon with another balloon, sharpen yourself into an arrowhead or at the very least a needle.
Trudge. Now that you’ve popped your opposition with instinct sharpening your moves, pick up each muddy foot and put it down again, you will be better off after every step and before long your drudgery will be recognized, your ability to lead will improve. The “I have been in that situation before” is a powerful educational ability only you can give yourself.

Who are ya?

Your Canadian brother.

#16 the movement class lesson two – play

Think about it, close your eyes if you have to, but not for too long (you’re reading this after all). When is the last time you played? If you have a dog, or a kid, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. That all consuming smile and laughter, the fits of excitement emanating from a place where play is happening. It is infectious and life giving and I am sure that you can remember the feeling.

One of the things that as adults we fail to do for ourselves is play in the dirt. Play on the floor. I can probably ask you the same question about the last time you rolled around on the floor for any reason, and I’m not talking about your three minute heaven and it is probably as far back as you remember, too. While I am not asking you to regrade to playing with the ABC blocks, there is space for grounding in all of our lives. This lesson is about getting on the ground.

Yoga. While not all exercise is the same yoga is one of the simplest gateways into the better you. By using grounding, in every move, with every part that is touching the ground you will use the earth and no doubt be better off for it. A couple of clicks and keystrokes and you will be able to find a yogi that suits you.
Burpees. For an exercise now, which you can literally do anywhere at any time take a burpee for a spin, or two, three if you are feeling brave. There is not much more humbling than performing a set of burpees and realizing your own deficiencies and quickly. But as far as a bargian and bang for your buck exercise, perform burpees.
Jiu-jitsu. I am including this because it is an art form that boils down all of the above experiences into one form and it is not recommended for everybody, but if you are testing yourself, test yourself on the mat with nothing but your own strength, among other skills.

I don’t want this one to be over but I have boiled the ground experience down into what I think is enough to get started, but trust me when I say that I am not finished with the ground.

Your Canadian brother.

#15 what is your legacy

As leaders, it is our duty to continuously perform planning for our successors. Every time an email rolls across your inbox and is quickly turned into a later problem we put our future selves and our successors in a less privileged position. Putting off work, doing the same work twice and leaving it to someone else to handle are examples not of procrastination but of a dangerous rainfall on the side of a compromised slope.

Mudslide.

There are of course three steps to take to tackle what you are confronted with.

Confidence. Hang it all out there, take all the doors and roof off and as you scream down the highway see what falls off, until you are lean and mean and agile you will make it to your destination without losing too much.
Aggression. Demand respect and demand peoples ear, if you are consuming time to explain things twice or guide someone down a path that they are just not getting, you are wasting your time. Be aggressive with your time, be aggressive with your words.
Recognition. En mass people are dis-satisfied for not being recognized for their hard work, or perceived hard work. People will groan and gripe about not being recognized. You as a leader must quickly and deliberately recognize your people for their accomplishments, not only will it make them work harder for you, it means you have led them well.

They are simple steps, but easy as one-two-three, and you can accomplish them, I have no doubt.

Your Canadian brother.

#14 what are you willing to sacrifice

Generally, what will differentiate you from the next person is the amount you are willing to sacrifice. My employer to some degree causes the entire organization to sacrifice what would normally be accepted as a “normal” North American life. I have a friend who is unwilling to sacrifice a moment of his time towards work. A recommendation from a boss turns into a cascade of messages about being abused and overlooked. I hate to break it to you, buddy, but if you’re not willing to sacrifice a moment of your time, why do you expect an acknowledgment of your ability? Obviously there are three things that you will have to sacrifice to be a success.

Set your limits. Before you go out making lofty goals like conquering the world, you have to be willing to set your limits on sacrifice. If you aren’t willing to, give up where you live, your social circle, or your daily routines, you should consider what lane on the freeway you are willing to travel.
Know yourself. Getting to your limits means you first must know what you are capable of. Before you understand where you can get you must understand where you first can go.
Develop. If you are going to give something up, you have to have it in the first place. Continue to develop yourself in all aspects, a tireless and endless pursuit absorb everything like a sponge.

Your Canadian brother.

#13 the movement class lesson one – walking

The movement class will be a series because movement is the most important thing you can do for yourself.

There are just as many ways to move as there are people there are on earth, one of these methods will suit you best, I have no doubt.

One, walking.

Walking is the act of locomotion generated by picking up one leg, putting it to one side of your body and allowing the momentum of your body to lead yourself in the direction of the displaced leg. Before toppling over like a table that has lost a leg, the other leg is put into action and a step is completed. There are countless ways in which the act of walking can improve your life. But classically, you will not remember more than three.

Primordially, it is what makes you human.
Circulation. Whether it be an improvement in blood circulation due to an elevated heart rate, or the physical effect of the tearing and subsequent healing of muscle tissues, walking is the catalyst of all of your biological processes, and can quickly indicate to you where you may have a deficiency.
You can not do it wrong. Walking is non strenuous and low impact the act alone can not take you farther from your goals, being built into your code you are supposed to walk.

Do it, for half hour or more each day, you can do it, I have no doubt.

Your Canadian brother.

#12 seasonal disorders or opportunities for growth?

We are in the thick of winter here in the northern hemisphere and it is pretty unpleasant to be cooped up and isolated and away from family and friends, but what a great opportunity for self development.

Here are three ways to kick winter in the face.

Pick something up. How about that life-making to-do list that you’ve been putting off. Invest in yourself first and take courses that are now available online, or change up your routine by waking up at a different hour, and track and record what happens.
Move. The world is huge, and if you are finding that your personal philosophy does not jive with your values, take the plunge and become a modern explorer, find out for yourself what color the grass is on the other side.
Sharpen your sword. Always, always, suffer in self development, I hope that I will be able to retain my motivation for self improvement for as long as I possibly can. You’ve heard it before, your body is your temple, take advantage of this time.

You can do this, I have no doubts.

Your CDN bro