Disguise Exercise
Do you realize some people actually view exercise as work and therefore decide not to engage in it? Many of you might have associated massive amounts of pain with exercising because you felt so much of it the day after your first training, making you question why you decided to get in shape and follow a fitness program in the first place. I normally categorize someone's fitness level with "Days of Recovery" you require to get rid of all soreness. It's worth mentioning on a side note that once you have more experience and "time in" training you look for that soreness the day after to judge how hard you pushed yourself. If you feel nothing you're either in tremendous physical shape or you failed to give your maximum output. More on that later. From a beginner's standpoint I follow these basic rules: If you need one day of recovery you're in decent shape. If you take 2 to 3 days to recover and can hardly walk up stairs or sit on the toilet bowl or get out of bed, you really need to stick to your plan and exercise regularly. If you take 4 days or more to recover you seriously need to look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself: "no matter how great the soreness you might feel now from exercising, it will pale in comparison to the kind of pain and health issues that await you in the future. Heart Attacks, High Blood Pressure, Gallstone operations, Lack of Energy, Circulation problems, Diabetes and Obesity are far more painful than the muscle soreness you experience after your first few workouts. Being a martial art teacher for the past 20 years you have no choice but to evolve and be constantly improving how you communicate with your students to get the best results. And sometimes it also means helping students by disguising repetition, creating a variety of drills which uses the same technique but presented 10 different ways, this is also very effective when working with kids which as you know, have an even shorter attention span than adults. In general we get bored easily and exercising for some might be tedious and boring but it doesn't have to be that way. Today I thought I'd give you ways to "Disguise Exercise". One way to disguise exercise is to blend it into your day. Exercise along side the most common daily chores. Wake up in the morning and instead of walking to the bathroom get down on hands and feet and crawl there without allowing any other body part to touch the floor. Hold a wall sit while brushing your teeth. With the help of the kitchen counter, hold your leg up off to the side and hold for as long as possible while your eggs boil. If you sit in front of a desk all day, squeeze your butt and flex your calves while you work. Take small steps this way and give your body a chance to adapt while you implement healthy habits such as daily exercise. Think of yourself as a fighter. You always want to be ready, use every moment of the day to strenghten yourself. When you think of it we're all fighters. We're all fighting to make a living, to leave our mark, to make a difference, to achieve some level of success and happiness, to defend against cravings which slowly weaken us, to make the right choices. Speaking of choices, I gave just a few examples of what you can do throughout the day to squeeze in exercise. Our Basic Strength Training System offers 50 different bodyweight exercises which can be performed anytime of the day. Remember, one of the things your body craves the most is Oxygen. As you implement little exercises here and there throughout the day and make demands on your body it will come to crave them, one exercise at first might become 3 or 5, maybe even 10. This in turn might lead you to train in the morning when you wake up because you feel so good after you've exercised. Try it and let me know how it goes. Master Yourself, Sifu Martin P.S. Exercising is the fastest way to optimize your body's chemistry and improve productivity throughout the day. Learn how to do that here. Labels: Consistency, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Strength Training
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Important lifestyle changes and choices
I came across a memo being passed around in different levels of government recently and I thought I'd share it with you today. It's a report from John Hopkins Hospital, a leader in cancer treatment and prevention. It goes on to explain updates, new studies and alternative treatments to the dreaded chemotherapy, as well as important knowledge we should all be aware of. Cancer touches us all in some way, either personally, through family or friends. And will continue on that trend if we don't make some important lifestyle changes and choices. Because in the end, who has your best health at heart? You do. My January post on keeping the body alkaline and our work with KO Recovery Drink falls right in line with the report. What they found is staggering: Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size. When a person has cancer it indicates multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors. When a person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors. Radiation and Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells but also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with foods it needs to multiply. Cancer cells feed on: Sugar. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. The same is true about all sugar substitutes like nutra sweet, equal, spoonful, etc. They're either made with aspartame, sucralose, or high fructose corn syrup to name a few which are all harmful. Sugar really does drive the world, if you can just control this one poison, you can avoid many health problems down the road. Do you think the world is ready to cut it from their diets? Just take a look at the popular donut shops in the morning and see what's the verdict. Disgusting. Next food to avoid: Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with almonds for example, you're getting your dose of calcium and of protein while starving cancer cells. Milk does a body good? Bull. Here we go again with external authorities trying to tell us what's good for us. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, seeds, nuts and good wholesome fruits help put the body in an alkaline environment. Drinking alkaline water also helps balance your bodies ph levels and as you know, is found in KO Recovery Drink, a product we're proud of being the canadian distributors for. Cancer cells cannot live in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily and deep breathing helps get more oxygen to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means of destroying cancer cells. It's always better to prevent than to cure that's for sure, this is only a small reprint of John Hopkins' report but you get the picture. Exercise, Common sense when eating, deep breathing, drinking alkaline inducing water or food. Cutting out acid builders like sugar, certain foods, and smoking, clearly give you protection against the big "C". KO Recovery Drink has been engineered to do just that, to go to the root of the problem, to go in cancer's natural habitat and wreck havoc through alkalinity. KO is sold in all of our schools, if you want to stop by one of them to pick a case up for yourself, find one close to you and a contact number here, or you can order on-line by visiting this link. Protect and Master Yourself, Sifu Martin Labels: Alkalinity, Breathing, Exercise, Fight Cancer, KO Water
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Are you a Sit -aholic?
Think about it. How long and how many times a day do you sit?  You sit at your desk at work. You sit in your car or bus for your daily commute. You sit at the cafeteria or restaurant on your lunch break. If you're a parent and bring your kids to the park you'll probably do like most and sit on the bench instead of playing with your kids. Then it's off to the house to sit some more on the couch to watch the Zombie Box. Don't get me wrong, some times you have to sit but no wonder people are out of shape. This filthy habit is plaguing many of you. They say the first thing to "go" with old age are your legs. Loss of strength and circulation. And I can tell you sitting isn't the solution to solving the problem. You know the old saying : I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees". Let's change knees for ass. Another statistic being passed around is we sleep 1/3 of our life. That means most people spend the other 1/3 on their butt. That leaves just another 1/3. That doesn't leave much time to do all the other things we enjoy doing and training should be a big part of that. What's more important than your health? Nothing. The first thing to beating the addiction, get out of what we call "the Trance" and when you catch yourself sitting when you could be standing, stand. Once you're aware of your habit slowly start implementing exercise when you catch yourself doing the "thing". Sit should mean: you owe me 10 push ups! You'll feel better, you'll have more energy and you'll beat the 2 o'clock fatigue. When you're stronger at push-ups then grab one of our Strength Training Kits. You'll kiss the addiction goodbye and proudly say: I've been sit-sober for the past 6 mths. Master Yourself, Sifu Martin Labels: Body Awareness, Exercise, fat loss, Strength Training
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Body says: you're fired!
Are you overwhelmed by today's hectic living? Would your body fire you if it could, based on the times you missed work - outs. When it comes to physical fitness you might think it would be easier to live in a monastery like monks and train all day every day to get results. Very few of us would have that privilege. We all seem to have less and less time to enjoy the things that make us happy. We need results fast and that's where we come in. Station Training was created to keep you in peak physical and emotional shape in the least time possible. If in one hand, I guaranteed you results with a 2 hour workout, a trip to the gym and a personal trainer while in the other offered you our Strength Training Program with the same results at a fraction of the time with no commute, while in the comfort of your own home or office. What would you choose? The answer is obvious. It doesn't take complex workouts or routines to get results. Shuffle your cards, pick 15 of them, lay them down, put the music on (or download to your i-pod) and go! You have the luxury of choosing within 50 different exercises in your stack. As you progress your workout will get easier and so will your desire to do more. Next, you'll need to set a number of reps for each exercise. Still too easy? Work your way up to 2 minute stations instead. Still not enough, take your intermediate stack (85 exercises) and choose from those. I can go on like this all day. The versatility of the kits are incredible. But the best part has to be it's SIMPLICITY. We all have too many things to juggle: Kids, businesses, employees, relationships, AND our physical fitness? Might as well make fitness the easy, fun part. 15 stations equals 15 minutes. You can take only 5 stations and make those the hardest ones you've ever done and still have a sense of accomplishment at the end and it only took you 5 minutes. The secret is in the Intensity. The emotion you bring to your workout. Don't leave your problems at the door bring them with you and burn them right out of your mind and body. Use them as fuel to take your physical fitness levels to all time highs. Your body will feel refreshed and pleasantly satisfied. Avoid getting a Pink Slip, get your strength training kit now. Master Yourself, Sifu Martin Labels: Discipline, Exercise, Intensity, Strength Training
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Results in 1 minute. Really?
There are 3 reasons for choosing 1 minute exercises. I agree 1 minute is pretty short but when you follow a proven system like ours you quickly realize 1 minute at a time is more than enough. Your goal in each exercise is to give your maximum output, no pacing, no breaks. You have to go all out and sustain a peak intensity level. When starting out, If each station would be 5 minutes you would have a hard time keeping your form in check. The first reason is: "Immaculate Technique". Each exercise is designed to help you carve and strengthen a specific muscle group or groups of muscles. Everyone can do Tigers for example. But if you're bending your knees, not touching the floor with your forehead, failing to keep your feet up against the wall you're robbing yourself of results. Same thing with Leg-Ins. If your feet always touch the floor, you lean back too far, or you fail to exhale on every knee pull-in, you're not keeping perfect technique. So as a gage, training 1 minute allows you to be intense and dynamic while maintaining perfect form. When you are able to do that consistently with each exercise you're ready to either add stations or step-up to 2 minute stations. While strength training, pay attention to these 2 key factors: level of Intensity, and level of technical prowess. When starting you should choose 10 exercises. Stick to those for 4 weeks. Never changing the order of them. Every time you complete a circuit on any given day, record your stats. Focus on beating those numbers every time. When you see and feel an increase in your endurance level, change the order of those 10 exercises. Still not enough? Add more exercises and repeat the process until you can complete the basic kit (50 Exercises). It should never get EASY, since you're always giving maximum intensity coupled with perfect technique. If it does (get easy), you need to re-visit those 2 key factors: Intensity and Technique. For a quick reference of strength training exercises pick up our Basic Station Kit which comes with our Strength Training Workbook. Aim Higher, Sifu Martin Labels: Exercise, fat loss, Results, Strength Training
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Squeeze weakness out of your muscles
This brings me to the 3rd benefit of our strength training program: Endurance (Mental & Physical)You should never be complacent in this area. You can always do more and take more, always demand more out of yourself. Your body is capable of wonderful things such as adaptability. The more stress or work you put your body through the more it will adapt and produce the desired results. In Station Training this is at the center core of what we do. Once you've completed your first 4 week initiation where you have 30-second breaks between each 1 minute exercise, you move on to: no rests between your stations. You are put to the test for 10 to 20 minutes non-stop, giving your maximum intensity at each exercise, while always going to your own pace. It builds very strong individuals. The kind that will not give up. When you're strength training this way, it doesn't take long to realize there's more to station training than push-ups and sit-ups. It can be summed up in one Word: Toughness. You must dig deep within yourself and find strength. Expanding your threshold for pain. At first you either break or survive and move to the next exercise where the same thing starts over again. This is done with every muscle in your body. Any weaknesses in your muscles are quickly being squeezed out of them like you would water from a towel. This is where you have to pay attention to what you feel. When you no longer feel like "breaking" you must either: a) increase number of stations b) increase number of reps c) step up to an intermediate or advanced level d) or increase station time. I've seen people plateau because they failed to recognize their breaking points. Let us put you to the test. Try our strength training system for 30 days and let us know how stronger and tougher you've become. You can get it here. Master yourself, Sifu Martin Labels: Endurance, Exercise, Martial Arts, Strength Training
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3 Secrets To Maximizing Strength Training - Part 1
We're actually "snowed in" today. 40 cm of snow!. It's one of those days  where you stay inside and do nothing right? Not. One more reason to get busy training. Now strength training doesn't have to be long and boring. If it's done right, you could be done in 5 minutes and still feel energized, challenged, and working up a sweat. I'd like to tell you more about our strength training methodology. There are many benefits to strength training the way we do and the first one is: Emotional Intensity. An ingredient we could all use more of. It doesn't just relate to physical activity, in Fang Shen Do it's considered as the level of JING (life) you're able to bring into any activity you commit to. It might be conditioning, sports, social events, relationships, martial arts, any endeavor really that you're passionate about. As you might realize there are a lot of dead people walking among us. Not physically but emotionally. As the old saying goes some people die at the tender age of 95 and some die at 25 but stink all the way to 95. They die emotionally. By that I mean: they've got a poor attitude, they always seem to be "bored", they live in fear, they are undisciplined, or they're chronic "complainers". So what do you bring to the table when you're part of something?  Are you a magnet or a repellent? Do people love to be around you or can't stand you. I always want people to be happy they've taken the time to either come out and train with me or commit to being part of an event that we're hosting. Time is non-renewable, invest it wisely. In any field be it: Soccer (Zidane), a Rock Band (Isis), Poets (Shakespeare), Martial Artists (Bruce Lee), any professional, the top person in every field has a very high level of Intensity. They have passion for what they're doing. They each have a different vehicle for expressing emotional intensity but I'm sure if we interviewed each one of them (when some were still alive) and asked them to describe what they feel when doing what they do, they would all answer the same thing: a Heightened level of awareness & focus, time seems to stop, out of body experience, deeply rooted, fully engaged. You need to transfer that into your strength training. When you train every minute counts. Like I was mentioning earlier, you can take 5 exercises (5 minutes) and make that the toughest workout you've ever done. It doesn't take a whole lot of time. It all depends on your mindset. When you're in the moment, nothing else should matter, indulge yourself fully in the exercise, as if you were doing it for the last time. So go ahead pick 5 exercises. Do as many reps as you can in 1 minute without stopping and having total intensity, then switch to another exercise until you've done all 5. Just try it and let me know how you feel after. For our complete strength training system go here. Master yourself, Sifu Martin Labels: Exercise, Fang Shen Do, fat loss, Strength Training
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Do You Value Your Ability to Move?
The ability to move is something we all take for granted. You and I should express gratitude every single day just to be able to do basic chores like: walking, sitting, running, and eating. What if you suddenly lost the ability to move now? As you're reading this you can no longer move or function. Any regrets? Any shouldas and wouldas? What does it take to get you to move, to exercise and master yourself through martial arts or any other physical endeavor? Lazyness, Too busy, Too hard, Too many distractions? Bull. We cannot predict the future so I strongly suggest you decide now to start moving and appreciating your freedom. You know why? Not everyone has the luxury of independent motion. 2-3 CANADIANS DIE EVERYDAY FROM A.L.S. This reality really hit home with Sifu Brian Paquette. The owner of our Downtown Montreal Kung-Fu School. His brother succumbed to the disease at age 38, shortly after being diagnosed with the disease What Is ALS? Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease," is a progressive neuro-degenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. Sifu Brian has decided to set up the Father Phoenix foundation in hopes to raise awareness and funds in support of the cause. One of the ways we raise funds is through: The MOVE-A-THON. It's a celebration of movement. It entails twelve hours of non-stop action and exercise from participants including any combination of push-ups, running on the spot, jumping jacks, sit-ups, shadow boxing, kicking, punching bags or targets, skipping rope, weapons demonstrations, circuit training etc..  Two participants will be in movement at all times during this twelve hour period. Participants will be replaced on a rotational basis depending on number of participants and time donated. (E.g.: 10 minute intervals) Participants gather pleadges based on time participated or a flat rate based on estimated participation. IMPORTANT NOTES:No one person will be required to exercise for the entire twelve hour period. Any amount of time donated as exercise is very appreciated whether it is for two minutes, or two hours. Food and beverage will be supplied to participants. COME AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!! You can help with a donation, through participation or by supporting the participants in this worthy cause. A few dollars, a few push-ups or a few words of encouragement will drive this endeavor forward.
Don't wait until you're over-weight to start eating right, don't wait until you have lung cancer to stop smoking. Take action and realize the gift of movement and lead an active lifestyle now. Don't know where to start? Click here to find a school near you. Move, Sifu Martin Labels: ALS, Charity, Exercise, Martial Arts
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