Kyellan Episode IV: Revenge of the Rogue Jedi

[Kyellan]

Episode IV

Revenge of the Rogue Jedi

 

 

 

Yup, that's right, folks--that's me in that picture, about to get my butt handed to me by my Sifu, who is wielding two lightsabers. If you're curious to see that duel in full, it starts here.

 

Y'know, watching my Nerd Fitness challenges, one would think that I'm a serious Star Wars nut. I'm really not. I've always been a Trek kid, in fact, with fond memories of watching TNG with my dad at a very young age. However, the fact is that while much of the actual Star Wars media isn't that great (guys, two/two-and-a-half/maaaaybe three movies out of six being good is not a good record) my affection for it isn't about the media. It's about the hope, the vision, of all the things that Star Wars can be. Much of it is exemplified in the fiction, in the Old Republic lore, and in side projects like the Clone Wars series, if not in the "core" films themselves.

 

Plus, lightsabers. Y'know. Because they are freakin' awesome.

 

I've had a bit of trouble the past few challenges when trying to add exercise on top of what I'm already doing. Right now I attend Kung Fu classes two or three times per week, lightsaber once a week, with a lightsaber dueling day once per month. Additional exercise only seems to be causing me problems in my current bodily state, so we're going to stay away from that this time.

 

In my last challenge, I ended up writing something of a short story. I'm not sure whether I'll actually keep writing (I may) but I'm going to pick up thematically where that story left off. My character confronted an ancient Sith Jedi (yup, I mean that) in his quest to find balance in the Force, and ended up with more than he bargained for. So now, supercharged with the hatred and rage which had kept a dead Jedi alive in the force for centuries, he must try to sort out the changes which have come over him, and his newfound affinity for the Dark Side.

 

So, goals!

 

-----------------------------

 

Kiu Sao: This is the closest thing I will be doing for "exercise" in this challenge. The kiu sao is a Southern Chinese martial arts technique for many things, but my particular application will be building chi and strengthening the arms. When performed with dynamic tension, it engages the entire arm, from the hand to the shoulder. 

 

Goal: 1 set of 5 kiu sao per day

 

 

 

Meditation: Bringing back a goal from two challenges ago, I got lax on my meditation while I was focused on running. I've found that just 9-10 quiet minutes before I start my day can make a very big difference in productivity and how I feel, which means it's time to really make this a priority.

 

Goal: 9 minutes (minimum) of meditation per day

 

 

 

Food Tracking: So, my weight has stayed steady for the past several months, hovering right around 230 (give or take a few). I'd like to figure out why. For the duration of this challenge, I'm going to log everything I eat. I'm not necessarily counting calories here, because I do enough of my own cooking that calorie estimation is basically worthless. I just want a record of everything that goes into me, so that I can maybe figure out what the problem is. I'll be using a custom mobile database to do this.

 

Goal: Track all intake 7 days/week

 

 

Other than that, my plan is to keep going to classes and keep training my muscles and connective tissue for strength. I've come a pretty long way in the last eight months since I started taking Kung Fu, and I still enjoy every minute.

 

Wish me luck, because Sifu likes to do "fun" things for a person's birthday, and tonight will be my first class since turning 30 two days ago...

[Thrillho]

[RisenPhoenix]

Ayup.

 

 

(Also I foresee you having to defend yourself against 30 attackers.  Duh.  Don't get cut to shreds.)

[sarakingdom]

This is a great challenge.  Back to basics is a strong approach.  I'm with you on the meditation.  When in your morning do you do that?

 

Given how much your body has been protesting additional things being added and the sorts of injuries you've been racking up, I'd recommend something like a walking habit or a yoga habit, or something else slow and fairly gentle.  I know that sounds really unchallenging (and if it's hard for me to take it seriously, I can only imagine how much harder it is for guys, who are pressured much harder), but I've come to think of stuff like that as shoring up the foundation - getting everything warmed up and lubricated, and putting a certain baseline of motion underneath all the more challenging activities, so they're a smoother continuation of your daily routine, rather than a shock to the system.  Especially in cases of injury recovery, I've come to really think that's important to keeping injury recovery on track.  Sort of a very subtle shifting of the baseline abilities and endurance of the body.  There is nothing inspiringly cool about it, but if your injuries come down to underlying flexibility or physical tolerance issues, recovery time alone probably won't deal with them fully.

[Teirin]

Excellent, your general activity level is high and adding things was sabotaging it.  These look like great and complimentary goals :-)

[Kishi]

30 whacks with a lightsaber. That's what it'll be.

 

Also, I think you've tapped into what makes Star Wars so appealing. It's not the films, but rather it's the expanded universe and the love of the fandom.

 

Though hopefully, VII will start to shift the ratio over a little bit.

 

Anyway! Good luck with everything.

[Kyellan]

This is a great challenge.  Back to basics is a strong approach.  I'm with you on the meditation.  When in your morning do you do that?

 

Given how much your body has been protesting additional things being added and the sorts of injuries you've been racking up, I'd recommend something like a walking habit or a yoga habit, or something else slow and fairly gentle.  I know that sounds really unchallenging (and if it's hard for me to take it seriously, I can only imagine how much harder it is for guys, who are pressured much harder), but I've come to think of stuff like that as shoring up the foundation - getting everything warmed up and lubricated, and putting a certain baseline of motion underneath all the more challenging activities, so they're a smoother continuation of your daily routine, rather than a shock to the system.  Especially in cases of injury recovery, I've come to really think that's important to keeping injury recovery on track.  Sort of a very subtle shifting of the baseline abilities and endurance of the body.  There is nothing inspiringly cool about it, but if your injuries come down to underlying flexibility or physical tolerance issues, recovery time alone probably won't deal with them fully.

 

I usually do my meditation about 10 minutes after waking up. I need a few to come around before I settle back in and close my eyes, but it doesn't take long. I've been doing the kiu sao as soon as my meditation is done, and that seems to be a good pattern.

 

This is a really good idea. I actually do have a decent barebones walking habit, although I've found that walking (not running, not Kung Fu, not pretty much anything else) is what aggravates my continuing hip problem the most. I think it's a bad gait... I'm going to the doctor next month and I'll talk to him about it. May need a little PT to fix it.

 

 

Excellent, your general activity level is high and adding things was sabotaging it.  These look like great and complimentary goals :-)

 

Yeah, hopefully this will help me getting somewhere in figuring out my persistent weight. I'd really like to change it, I've just got to figure out what's going wrong!

 

 

30 whacks with a lightsaber. That's what it'll be.

 

Also, I think you've tapped into what makes Star Wars so appealing. It's not the films, but rather it's the expanded universe and the love of the fandom.

 

Though hopefully, VII will start to shift the ratio over a little bit.

 

Anyway! Good luck with everything.

 

He ended up going pretty easy on me last night after everything, although I did get to be the "demonstrator" (read: punching bag) for several advanced techniques. That was fun. :/

 

I'm so skeptical about Abrams-Wars, especially after what he did to Star Trek. But... I did walk out of Reboot!Trek saying to my wife "You know, that would have been a halfway decent Star Wars flick..." so I guess there's that!

 

--------------

 

Update: last night at Kung Fu I did 40 pushups without stopping! This is up from 17 when I started. I will take that!

[sarakingdom]

I've found that walking (not running, not Kung Fu, not pretty much anything else) is what aggravates my continuing hip problem the most. I think it's a bad gait... I'm going to the doctor next month and I'll talk to him about it. May need a little PT to fix it.

 

Yikes, then walking's no good.  I hope the doctor has some advice there, walking is a rough thing to avoid, just from a mobility standpoint.  (I walk everywhere.  I'd be lost.)

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

Update: last night at Kung Fu I did 40 pushups without stopping! This is up from 17 when I started. I will take that!

 

Congraz! I'm still stuck at.... (ok have to try this out first)...8... mph all right, perhaps I should try to concquer them again during the summer break. But hey I started with 3. So at least I didn't lose strength while I was focusing on a positive mind set.

 

Oh and now you have set up a challenge before me and I'm still not sure about my goals. Perhaps I should just write down what I have and try to fix it before next Monday. I like your goals. They cover different aspects.

 

Thanks for helping me out last challenge. I'll drop down here a few times this time and try to be more accountable. See you. *wave*

 

And Happy belated birthday. We were talking on Sunday and I totally forgot to congratulate you in a message. -.- I'm so bad at remembering birthdays.

[Kishi]

Yeah, Abrams-Wars. I'm definitely holding my breath on this one. I want to believe it'll be good, but if it turned out decent it'd still be a cut or two above the prequels.

 

Also, Earth-Down Woot!

 

[Oramac]

the fact is that while much of the actual Star Wars media isn't that great (guys, two/two-and-a-half/maaaaybe three movies out of six being good is not a good record)

 

BLASPHEMY!!!  BLASPHEMY I TELL YOU!!!  

 

 

But yea, more seriously, I'm really liking your challenge this time around.  It looks like a lot of us are taking the Simple approach this time.  Good stuff, dude.  

[Kyellan]

Earth Downs! 40 more without stopping at class last night, that's two in a row! Woo! =D

 

Today I spent roughly 3.5 hours digging out broken asphalt in my stupid driveway, went to lightsaber dueling and did five duels, and then came back and spent another two hours re-grading all the space that I dug out with new gravel base. Now I just have to find somebody to come finish the job and pave the patch, which is proving to be somewhat harder than I imagined.

 

A good day--a long day, but a good one. Now I am made of hurt.

[Zacsmith3]

You should feel that tomorrow. Challenge looks well thought out. :-)

Sent from my TOUCHBOOK7.0 3G using Tapatalk

[Kyellan]

Congraz! I'm still stuck at.... (ok have to try this out first)...8... mph all right, perhaps I should try to concquer them again during the summer break. But hey I started with 3. So at least I didn't lose strength while I was focusing on a positive mind set.

 

Oh and now you have set up a challenge before me and I'm still not sure about my goals. Perhaps I should just write down what I have and try to fix it before next Monday. I like your goals. They cover different aspects.

 

Thanks for helping me out last challenge. I'll drop down here a few times this time and try to be more accountable. See you. *wave*

 

And Happy belated birthday. We were talking on Sunday and I totally forgot to congratulate you in a message. -.- I'm so bad at remembering birthdays.

 

I'll be looking forward to seeing you around! I'll be dropping by your new challenge thread as soon as you put it up =)

[jaex]

Looks like you are still around and kicking all sorts of butt!  And I've returned to the forums to cheer you on (and get in better shape myself too). Glad you are still doing Kung Fu and the lightsaber classes on the regular. 

 

Food tracking can be a pain but also a very useful tool. I know how it is to do calorie counting when cooking everything yourself, but you can always measure everything to get a idea of howmuch calories in the dish.

[Kishi]

Manual labor never seems fun, but there is something about it that pushes you in ways that few other things do.

 

In any case, what a full day you had! Very auspicious start.

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

Did you finish off the stones and can now come play with us? O-o

It's from a popular French comic called Lucky Luke.

[Kyellan]

Manual labor never seems fun, but there is something about it that pushes you in ways that few other things do.

 

In any case, what a full day you had! Very auspicious start.

 

I actually get a weird sort of enjoyment out of manual labor, especially when I have a friend to work with. There's something about fixing, digging, building or planting something that is eminently... I dunno, it's sort of a primal satisfaction. I made/did that. Look upon my works, ye mighty, and be awed. It's fine when I do it on my own, but I have always enjoyed working with someone else much more. I mean, it's not fun exactly, but it is satisfying in a unique way.

 

 

Did you finish off the stones and can now come play with us? O-o

It's from a popular French comic called Lucky Luke.

 

Haha, we did actually look kind of like this. I even bought a pickaxe! Although we ended up using the 20lb steel spear/bar thing a lot more, because it required less bending over. Better for the back, and quite a workout!

 

First day is off to a good start. I'm finding that right around the eight minute mark (give or take) of my meditation is where my mind actually starts to slip into real quiet. I think I understand why Buddhists and such meditate for hours, if it takes eight minutes or more just to get into some real quiet-mind. I may have to take a half hour during this challenge and try meditating for 30 minutes, just as a one-off, and see how I feel afterward.

 

I did my 5 kiu sao until my arms were screaming, so hooray for that as well. =) I can feel the strength and flexibility building in my wrists and forearms. My tiger claw also feels a bit stronger already, so I can't wait to see what it feels like at the end of the challenge!

[Kishi]

I actually get a weird sort of enjoyment out of manual labor, especially when I have a friend to work with. There's something about fixing, digging, building or planting something that is eminently... I dunno, it's sort of a primal satisfaction. I made/did that. Look upon my works, ye mighty, and be awed. It's fine when I do it on my own, but I have always enjoyed working with someone else much more. I mean, it's not fun exactly, but it is satisfying in a unique way.

 

Yeah, same feeling here, although I too have read Ozymandias and got entirely the opposite message from it. Having someone else to suffer with you can make it worthwhile in a unique way, though.

 

Anyway, glad to hear that you're feeling stronger already! Can't wait to see what the next six weeks do to you.

[Kyellan]

7/27/2015 Review:

 

5 kiu sao -- check
9 minutes meditation -- check

Track all food intake -- check

 

It's important to note (and remember) that I am not currently judging my food intake, merely tracking it. I will make judgments when I have a good data set to build from. Also, it helps to build accountability, if only in my head. I may make slightly better choices knowing that I have to write it down...

[Oramac]

I may make slightly better choices knowing that I have to write it down...

 

I found this to be true as well.  Just knowing that accountability is there definitely helps.  

[Kishi]

Hey, you're making the right move. You can't know what you're changing until you know your situation. And when you go to make the small changes, you'll have data to look back at that will tell you how different you are than how you used to be.

[Kyellan]

Day 2 (7/28/2015):

 

Meditation: check

kiu sao: check

Food Log: check

 

Mmm... food log...

 

Oh right, moving on!

 

Lightsaber was good, although working out in the sauna that is the kwoon on a hot night is always more difficult. I'm considering getting a second stunt saber that I can use to keep a saberstaff assembled, since Sifu keeps threatening to have us do some work with it. My green Dark Sentinel works really well when attached to my Consular-sans-shroud, but it'd be nice to be able to not have to worry about switching blades and such when I want to go back to one. If only they had a quick-disconnect pommel/union that could split a staff into two sabers with a button click!

 

Also, I got to do a staff-on-staff duel last Saturday with him, so I'm feeling a bit giddy about it, since it went much better than I thought (despite a couple of times that I "cut off my own leg". Details!)

 

The heat the past few days is really kinda kicking my arse... I'm a New England boy, and three out of our four seasons are basically cold. I did manage to fix my car's A/C last night with a can of recharge, so my commutes will be significantly less miserable! I really need an A/C given the environment I work in... can't really show up at the office in a shirt-and-tie, drenched in sweat. Not exactly professional!

[Oramac]

Off to a great start! 

 

There's been a few companies that have tried to make a quick disconnect for the sabers, but AFAIK none have been strong enough to stand of to full-contact sparring.  The staff v staff duel sounds fun!!  I'm sure it gets tough to keep track of four blades though.  

 

If your AC needed recharging, it may be worth taking it to a shop to get dye put in the system.  They typically don't lose refrigerant just because, so you might have a small leak in the system.  That said, if it's mostly cold enough up there for you without it, it might not be worth the hassle. 

[Kyellan]

I'm hoping Sifu might clip out the video of our staff-on-staff duel and post it. It was absurd amounts of fun.

 

Re: the car, it has been nearly 120,000 miles and eight years without the A/C system being serviced in any way. I only hit it with a little bit of the refrigerant bottle, and it got significantly better. I'm going to let it go for a few weeks and see if it stays cold--if so, I'll give it a little more off the bottle. If it starts heading toward warm again, I'll have someone look at it. Troubleshooting!