WhitebeltBrowncoat Round 2 – In want of a compass

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

Well, I survived my first challenge and greatly enjoyed it (even though the wheels fell off towards the end). This time around I think my goals are going to be a little more diverse.

 

2.1 The Path to Mastery (STR +2; DEX +2)

2.1a Attend Kajukenbo class two times a week. Last challenge I found out that three times a week is too much for me and my family. Two classes a week is the minimum to progress towards belt testing, and I would really like to work towards my yellow belt. Plus if I'm not going twice a week, I think that I will have a very hard time justifying the expense and will have to drop out.

A = >14 classes; B = 12 classes; C = 10 classes; D = 8 classes.

 

2.1b Practice at home. This will be a broad category of practicing martial arts at home, stretching, exercising. Let's aim for doing some sort of activity at home four times a week.

A = 24; B = 20; C = 15; D = 10

 

2.2 The Way to Enlightenment (CON +3)

Weight loss is still a goal. I will be 175 by October 1, 2016. I did well with only one piece of candy at work last challenge, but eating at home is derailing me. To that end, I am going to reduce the snacking at home. That means after work, no bowls of cereal or pieces of buttered toast while I'm making dinner. If I need a snack, I can cut up some carrots/celery or wait. It also means reigning in desserts to a reasonable amount. No more 8 peanut butter cookies with milk (no matter how freshly made they are) or giant root beer floats. Let's work on moderation. Three cookies with milk, or a small root beer float. No need to cut all the goodies out, but let's be a bit more responsible with them.

No snacking after work, reasonable amount of dessert; 2 opportunities a day.

A+ = 84; A = 75; B = 65; C = 55; D = 45.

 

2.3 The Road to Stability (WIS +2)

Adulting is hard. Having a set routine seems like it should make it a bit easier. One of the large friction points with my wife and I is my not paying attention to finances. I am going to sit down and look at the finances three times a week. If I can get into the habit of this, then this will be modified to include other adulting challenges (cleaning the bathroom, folding laundry right after it comes out of the dryer...)

A = 18; B = 14; C = 10; D = 6

 

2.4 (WIS + 1):

Reread The Obstacle is the Way and segue into reading Meditations. I've been interested in Stoic philosophy recently after hearing about it on the Tim Ferriss podcast. Instead of going after the fluff and fun books all the time (which have their place), Let's try for something different.

[Toshimi]

2.3 The Road to Stability (WIS +2)

Adulting is hard. Having a set routine seems like it should make it a bit easier. One of the large friction points with my wife and I is my not paying attention to finances. I am going to sit down and look at the finances three times a week. If I can get into the habit of this, then this will be modified to include other adulting challenges (cleaning the bathroom, folding laundry right after it comes out of the dryer...)

A = 18; B = 14; C = 10; D = 6

 

Routines can help a lot! It's one of the things I'm doing. I'm starting out with a clean sink, then going to add other things. Got a lot of the inspiration for it from Flylady's 31 baby-steps (but I knew if I added 1 new thing a day I'd fail super quick, so taking a lot longer to build up to it)

 

 

And there are lots of things that can make finances easier. Not sure if you use a budgeting software, but Everydollar is free and I've been mostly happy with it. YNAB (you need a budget) is another I've been looking into, and probably what I'll switch to Jan 1

 

And the Kung Fu Vitamins... I wish I could take credit, but it's what my teacher calls what we do at the start of every class... I just figured why not take daily! 

[Kishi]

Kaju! YUS.

 

I think you might be the first Kajukenboka I've seen in the Monastery. Maybe even the first I've seen in the Rebellion period. That is super exciting, and it's good to have you here.

 

Also, your challenge looks good. It all looks process-oriented, and that makes me happy. Doing this kind of thing cold-turkey doesn't seem to have any kind of real success rate, versus gradually adjusting your reality until it's the new one that you're aiming at.

 

Good luck! let us know if there's anything we can do to help you.

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

Love your name :-) good luck with the goals! Small changes are definitely the way to go; the smaller it is the easier it is to build the habit. Once you've formed the habit it's easier to stick with it and build on it.

Good luck with your classes!

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

I like your second goal, too. Reducing it gradually will be helpfull for sure. And you also incorparated an alternative to unhealthy snack.

I'll follow along.

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

Thanks for all the encouragement guys. It really is amazing how supportive this community is. 

 

Routines can help a lot! It's one of the things I'm doing. I'm starting out with a clean sink, then going to add other things. Got a lot of the inspiration for it from Flylady's 31 baby-steps (but I knew if I added 1 new thing a day I'd fail super quick, so taking a lot longer to build up to it)

 

 

And there are lots of things that can make finances easier. Not sure if you use a budgeting software, but Everydollar is free and I've been mostly happy with it. YNAB (you need a budget) is another I've been looking into, and probably what I'll switch to Jan 1

 

And the Kung Fu Vitamins... I wish I could take credit, but it's what my teacher calls what we do at the start of every class... I just figured why not take daily! 

 I'm browsing through Flylady's site now. It just so happens that I have a sink full of dishes to clean when I get home tonight. I'll have to start with shining up the sink when I finish. I agree that adding 31 things in a row sounds like a whole lot. Maybe I'll try for a 31-week process and see if that works. The budgeting stuff is tricky. My wife is a bit of a technophobe (though she just found pinterest and is enjoying that), so our budgeting is all on pen and paper. I've dallied with Mint but never been able to stick with it for any length of time. Sadly, Everydollar isn't on Android yet, but I'm going to keep an eye out for it. And daily vitamins are a good thing for sure, when I come up with some (or shamelessly steal) I'll have to see about posting them (now I've got the Flintstone Kids vitamin song going through my head).

 

Last night was the triumphant return to Kaju class after being out for three weeks (turns out that trying to spend time with the wife, clean the house before going on a weekend trip, and trying to make a halloween costume for a little bear will eat up any and all time/energy for Kaju). About 5 minutes into warmups I felt like I was going to die. Proof that I need to be doing my at home exercises more I think. The class itself was kind of meh. The instructor is one who is great with the kids, but my experience is that he tends to gloss over the basics. I was the only beginner last night so the class was geared towards the intermediate/advanced students which left me trying to puzzle out the basic steps that were being shown. Hopefully Thursday's class will have a different instructor. 

 

Foodwise, eh. I did better controlling the snacking at home; it was easier being away from the house. But I did end up having more sugary treats at work. So six of one, half a dozen of another.

 

Adulting, Kaju class threw a wrench into it. I got home, showered, then ate dinner and watched a couple episodes with the wife. Sounds nice. Unfortunately, I didn't do laundry or dishes that needed to be done. Though I did manage to look at the finances, so that's a plus at least.

 

Recap:

2.1a - Attend Kaju class (1/12)

2.1b - Practice at home (0/24)

2.2 - Responsible snacking (1/84)

2.3 - Adulting (1/18)

2.4 - Stoics (0/2)

[Toshimi]

 I'm browsing through Flylady's site now. It just so happens that I have a sink full of dishes to clean when I get home tonight. I'll have to start with shining up the sink when I finish. I agree that adding 31 things in a row sounds like a whole lot. Maybe I'll try for a 31-week process and see if that works. The budgeting stuff is tricky. My wife is a bit of a technophobe (though she just found pinterest and is enjoying that), so our budgeting is all on pen and paper. I've dallied with Mint but never been able to stick with it for any length of time. Sadly, Everydollar isn't on Android yet, but I'm going to keep an eye out for it. And daily vitamins are a good thing for sure, when I come up with some (or shamelessly steal) I'll have to see about posting them (now I've got the Flintstone Kids vitamin song going through my head).

 

 

They say the every dollar android app should be out "soon"... last time a company told me that though it was almost 2 years later... I would love it if it came out sooner (yay for a fellow android user!) 

 

Hopefully the thursday instructor is better! I know it's hard to try and figure out what to do when you're first starting out, but it does get easier to pick things up faster. Not sure if they have time where you can ask questions, but maybe they don't realize that they've skipped things you need?

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

I think you're right, that it will get easier later on. Unfortunately, it seems like this school is a bit disorganized when it comes to the beginners classes. It seems like each instructor has a different idea of what curriculum is being covered. Which is nice when you get a good instructor who you work well with, but it does seem like it can leave gaps. 

 

Recap:

Still sore from Tuesday night class, but I managed to do a Simple and Sinister session. I like how it is designed to not totally exhaust you.

Snacking wise, I did good not eating before dinner, but dinner left something lacking and after dessert (a small root beer float) ended up snacking on buttered toast. I think I need to work on leaving bread out of the shopping cart when we go to the grocery store.

Adulting-wise, I discovered the bottom of the sink. Turns out it HAD been hiding underneath all the dishes. Alas, it disappeared again this morning. Also managed to wash two loads of laundry, but now I have two loads of laundry sitting on the living room floor waiting for me to fold them. I had been planning on folding them while watching tv with the wife, but that just didn't happen. Ooh, and I managed to make up a large batch of rice, which will help with meals for the rest of the week, so that semi counts for the batch cooking challenge, maybe. I'm thinking that veggie curry will make an appearance tonight or tomorrow. 

Stoic reading: I got through the first couple pages in the Obstacle is the Way. Not much, but it is more than yesterday.

 

2.1a - Attend Kaju class (1/12)

2.1b - Practice at home (+1; 1/24)

2.2 - Responsible snacking (+1; 2/84)

2.3 - Adulting (+1; 2/18)

2.4 - Stoics (0/2)

[SnowOwl]

If cutting out bread altogether is too much right now, try storing it in the freezer. Then you have to take out your slice and wait for it to thaw (or toast) - giving you just enough time to think if that's the best thing to eat right then, and maybe, making it so that bread is no longer the easiest/quickest snack option. (I always go for easiest when I'm tired/hungry.)

 

I really like your challenge - very well thought out goals.

 

Adulting (dishes) has always been a struggle for me too. I'm much better at it now, but I still have to make myself do it everyday. I did flylady for years, helped me get things under control while I figured out what worked best for me. (And Konmari - if you don't have extra dishes, they can't pile up in the sink.)

[Kishi]

Dude, I know what you mean. I had to face the same thing at the judo dojo I went to. You'll probably not progress in rank so much as just stumble around not feeling like you're getting better (but you should be getting better - really).

 

And, uh, yeah. Simple and Sinister for the win!

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

Updates:

2.1a - Attend Kaju class (+1; 2/12)

2.1b - Practice at home (1/24)

2.2 - Responsible snacking (+2; 4/84)

2.3 - Adulting (+1; 3/18)

2.4 - Stoics (0/2)

 

2.1a – Kaju class last night was fun. I was the only beginner again so for half the class I got to work with the more advanced students. I guess that means I get more exposure to other things and working with more experienced partners. Then I got to work with an instructor one-on-one for the other half of the class. Reviewed some old material and went over something new that I'm looking forward to practicing at home.

2.2 – Snacking went well. I wasn't home until late so that removed the snacking after work temptation, and then I managed to convince myself that I was full and didn't need dessert. I think I want to work towards not having dessert every night. It was a treat growing up, but now it's more of an every night kind of thing.

2.3 – Adulting. I'm thinking I'm going to change this starting next week to take care of 10 adult responsibilities in a week. That can include finances, laundry, dishes, cleaning, parenting. Any of the non-fun stuff that needs to get done for the household to run smoothly.

 

Snow Owl – The idea of freezing bread is a good one. Too often I've come across a stale, half-eaten loaf in the bread basket on top of the fridge because we couldn't see it. Keeping it in the freezer would keep us from wasting that.

 

Kishi – I'll keep that in the back of my head. Also, I can't wait until I can get a real kettlebell. The bag of tire chains works, but the proper tools would be nice. On a side note, I really like Tsatsouline's view of exercise being a skill that should be practiced, not a mindless repetition of things.

[Kishi]

Yeah, man. I mean, kudos to you for figuring out a different solution to the kettlebell dilemma, that's awesome. I tend to find that Rogue Fitness has the best retail prices for gear, but you might have some luck looking on Craigslist or something like that... possibilities which I'm sure you've considered already.

 

Also, yes, strength and exercise as practiced skills. I enjoy this concept very much. I find it integrates with martial arts extremely well, and hope you will find much the same.

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

Updates:

2.1a - Attend Kaju class (2/12)

2.1b - Practice at home (+2; 3/24)

2.2 - Responsible snacking (+1; 5/84)

2.3 - Adulting (+2; 3/18)

2.4 - Stoics (0/2)

 

2.1b – Doing good here. Last night I got to do maybe 10-15 minutes practice on the figure 8 pattern with two sticks. I finally know how the coordinated kids in middle school did the twirly thing with the glow sticks at the school dances. It only took me 20 years to catch up. And then this morning I got to do the warmup sequence that the kaju class has been doing lately (45 seconds pushups, 45 seconds crunches, 45 seconds squat jumps; then 30 seconds; then 15; then 5).

 

2.2 Snacking last night was a mixed bag. I did good until dinner, but then after dinner I snacked a bunch while doing chores and waiting for the wife to come home. I'll have to work on that. The big challenge is the mouth feel of crunchy bread and butter or cereal.

 

2.3 Adulting – I done good. Last night I folded two batches of laundry and got a third into the dryer, did all the dishes, wiped down the stove and counters. 

[Kishi]

Yeah. The exact crunch is hard to make happen with veggies. You'll get close with carrot sticks and celery and such, but it's so bland comparitively speaking.

 

Still, that's what sauces are for.

 

Way to adult!

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

Updates:

2.1a - Attend Kaju class (2/12)

2.1b - Practice at home (+1; 4/24)

2.2 - Responsible snacking (+1; 7/84)

2.3 - Adulting (+2; 5/57)

2.4 - Stoics (0/2)

 

The practicing at home went really well this weekend. Saturday/Sunday I did the warm ups from my kaju class and noticed it getting easier which felt really good. Then Sunday afternoon my wife and I were able to do a little bit of sticks work together while we were waiting for the little bear to finish making his road in the garden right where we were trying to plant.

 

Snacking was harder, the wife made a really yummy rustic apple tart and that threw all sense of reasonable dessert out the window. The only way to properly enjoy that is a large slice (or two) with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. But I did manage to make up another batch of rice for the week to go with the large pot of curry. 

 

Adulting was okay. Great in the sense that all the clothes are clean and put away before the week starts and the house is mostly clean, but we didn't talk about our finances like we needed to. One of our cars took a dive on Friday and we're hoping it is the alternator (only a $450 fix) vs. something else. Sadly this sort of thing tanks us and unless the repair shop can pull some sort of miracle and get the car diagnosed and repaired today, I need to rent a car to deal with picking up and dropping off the little bear, not to mention getting to and from work. Blegh.

 

Other than that it was a good weekend. Productive and relaxing.

[SnowOwl]

Sorry about your car. Car troubles really throw everything off, especially if you don't live in a city.

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

Hooray for a good weekend of practice and adulting! Sorry about your car though. Fingers crossed that it's nothing too bad. 

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

Thanks Ceph. Sadly the car ended up being $630 to replace the alternator and battery. That stings more than a little bit.

 

On the challenge front, yesterday was a bit of a wash. Didn't get around to practicing at home, chose unhealthy snacks after work, and a large slice of pie and ice cream for dessert. On the plus side, the pie is all gone now and I don't have to worry about it tempting me. I did manage to put together a large potato gratin for eating later in the week and freezing the leftover curry. So food prep counts as +1 adulting.

 

Updates:

2.1a - Attend Kaju class (2/12)

2.1b - Practice at home (4/24)

2.2 - Responsible snacking (7/84)

2.3 - Adulting (+1; 6/57)

2.4 - Stoics (0/2)

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

As long as the temptation is gone that's good, even if it's only gone because you ate it. I do that sometimes too, I think we all do.

[Kishi]

Homemade dessert, man. You gotta do it sometimes. Especially this time of year. Hopefully you did some exercise before each time to earn it and partition it well.

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

Ok, so long time no update. To recap in short, the entire house got sick. That tends to put a crimp in goals. Hoping Thursday will be good to go for class. Definitely miss going. There is only so much you can do with having learned a handful of basics and no equipment to work with. Food has been meh. Being sick doesn't really encourage the responsible choices. On the other side, I'm going to count taking care of family and self as adulting. The weekend was spent almost entirely in pajamas resting. 

 

As far as not being able to make it to class, are there any youtube channels that folks would recommend? I've been enjoying watching the very basic tutorials for any martial art and try to see how it might crossover or apply to what I've been learning. It's definitely not a replacement for actually being in class, but the thinkwork and theory is interesting. 

[Toshimi]

not youtube, but there is also reading that can be done, if you're interested in the history of martial arts or philosophies 

 

Complete Book of Five Rings

 

these are on my "want to read list"

Hagakure

Suh Do Kwan (teachings from the person who created the style of martial arts I do, i've heard the books of Haiku are great too)

Unfettered Mind

Art of Peace

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

Oooh, books. I will definitely look into them. One place I've been looking for books recently is scribd. If you use their web browser version, you have to sign up and they restrict the number of pages you can see. But if you use the app on your phone, and filter your search through the documents section, you can find many many full copies. I know I have seen versions of Hagakure on there, along with a lot of stuff. I've found lots of documents so far on Karate, Philipino arts, Aikido. It's worth taking a look at sometime if you have a moment.

[WhiteBeltBrowncoat]

Ok, time to get back to it. I think I've finally managed to kick whatever bug was going around. Yay! So tonight I can finally get back to Kaju. I hate missing a week of class, but it was probably better to have taken the time off. Hoping that there is a good instructor tonight. 

[Kishi]

Given that judo forms the 'ju' part of Kaju, I'd recommend ptnippon's channel. Lots of good judo stuff in there.

 

Sorry to hear you got sick, but glad to hear that you're back at it!