Exercising with Nature

I grew up exercising in natureza. Hawai'i is where I would like to raise children, so that they too can learn to swim in choppy surf, run up mountains, climb up sloping palm trees, do handstands in their friends' backyards, surf, body surf, boogie board, all that! When you move your body in a way that compliments/uses/celebrates your surroundings it just feels better. Like planting yourself in the right soil.

In New York you have to try a little harder but it's possible. Prospect Park goes off in the summer and you can find people doing all sort of routines near the lake, under trees, between trees, on the rolling hills.

After capoeira class in the park, I brought this melon home. My awesome friend Renee helped me carry it took these (thanks girl!). I couldn't ask for a better medicine ball. Thank you mother nature! I had some fun with it.


I started off Memorial Day by working out with Emily in the park. How awesome was that? We realized we had different interpretations of the kicks (this was before we received Patrick's email) so it was fun to try out each other's "style." We even got to sing a capoeira song while in plow position!

More tears...

I cried again today in meditation. Was it because it went on for ten minutes and my back kind of ached? Or because my forward bend was a joke and a half (and also painful - the behind the knee pain is baaaaacckkk). I had to stop midway and bend the right leg. Or - and here's what I think it is - we just got the diets, and I was picturing myself spooning couscous onto the food scale again, not being able to eat the whole apple anymore (like I did today after my awesome run in the park, with pure joyful abandon. Damn, just when I was getting used to my mammoth fruit portions!), standing in a corner at summer barbecues looking like a weirdo (a graceful, lean, enlightened weirdo. And hey, veggie kabobs rule dude).

I feel all sad and pensive, but no particular thoughts are coming to mind. Whatever I cried about has to be released, so I guess this is a good thing! And yes, the Lord Google says this is normal. Happens all the time...

We'll see what happens tomorrow. Any ideas for good unprocessed breakfast carbs?

Slip and Slide

Hot child in the city! I just did my workout barefoot. The sweat on the floor made it easier to pivot for those sidekicks. Excessive sweating comes in handy sometimes. So, what's your KFB soundtrack? Because "Buy UA Drink" and "Birthday Sex" (uncensored) just don't sound right when you're in Shao Lin stance. Hips don't want to stay still, and hips don't lie, which is now a proven fact because I'm HELLA RESTLESS.

I just don't have the crazy enthusiasm I thought I would when I signed up for this. It's too soon to tell, yes, and maybe there is something valuable in learning how to complete a process without fanaticism. Or maybe I'm just used to doing these moves in the presence of a master/mestre/yogi/former champion. It seems blasphemous to be learning something so complex, so rich, via the WWW, without the fanfare, the ceremony, the oms, the heavy bags, the screaming coaches, the mirrors, the uniforms, the camaraderie, the instructors who are really named, like Frank, but call themselves Ganesh. I miss them.

I had my first craving for processed food today. After capoeira class, I was covered in a nice film of sweat. My dress stuck to my ribs as I hurried home in the mugginess. I ran into my friend, who was devouring this:



It's a Rice Dream non-diary somethingsomethingorganicnatural processed thing. He motioned for me to wipe my drool and then offered a bite. Literally he stuck the cold delishous chocolatey mess in my face. I said no. He said, "You're on another diet?"

YEAH. I'm on ANOTHER DIET world. Really?

I went back to my PCP blog and read the part about where I said I wanted a deeper mental transformation, which is not a damn diet.

So what words do you use to tell people what you're doing? And does it matter?

And I finally got around to the benchmarks (again, thanks to Emily!):

Standing Jump: 10"

Consecutive Ball Punches: 43

Toe Touching: Gots it. I feel all the little piggies.

Post-workout nausea?

Hello world! I just did the workout and feel like vomiting. I didn't think it was particularly hard, but here I am salivating at the mouth, and not because there's an unprocessed ice cream sundae in front of me (hot city afternoon makes me want the cold sweet stuff).

Am I dizzy from the sidekicks?

I'm going to eat a grapefruit and see what happens!

Cry Me a River

I cried today during meditation. Somewhere during the fourth minute, I think, I burst out into tears, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of the cigarette smoke wafting into my window (I'm saying, living above a bar sort of blows). Physically it was awkward, and my posture suffered, but I didn't open my eyes, even though I felt like a crazy woman. I was happy for some emotion, though, because so far I've been going through this project like an uninspired zombie. Unlike PCP (yes, I too, will stop talking about this one day!) I'm not sure what my goal is. Should I put up a photo of an agile, flexible, Kung Fu-ish woman on my fridge? Maybe it's time to finally do those benchmarks, girl!

Maybe I cried because I realized that peanut butter might not exist in the post apocalypse, or because Pingo (Ms. Emily) schooled me about the processes involved in the creation my beloved Heritage flakes (I knew they come in a box, but they're so virginal, so pure to me!).

Speaking of heritage, meditation is a part of mine, and I really regret not listening to my mother about this one. She often prescribed it to me (boyfriend troubles? Meditate! Can't find a job? Meditate!), but each time I laughed it off, despite repeatedly witnessing how much peace and comfort it brought her. In the midst of intense family drama, or if her slipped disc was acting up, all of a sudden, she would just be "gone" - like, she'd be sitting there (this happened in a restaurant once), but she wasn't hearing or reacting to anything. I'm not at that level, obviously, but I already feel the benefits of sitting in silence: a slightly sharper awareness of my surroundings, a deeper appreciation for my post-workout snack...

I guess the tears were related to the stretches. While I was going through Patrick withdrawal these last few days, I thoroughly combed his blog and find a great post about opening up hips and, as a result, creativity. I'm hoping that regular pigeon poses and knots will make me a genius novel writing machine!

A little patience...

So far I'm liking the workouts. Kicks, stretches, punches - YUM! I missed moving my lower body this way during the PCP.

The stretches are the most challenging thus far - getting into them is pretty fun, but holding them without too much fidgeting, boredom, restlessness is the real work. In meditation my mind is fairly quiet, or it drifts to calm, soothing places, like the beach, like the future of my dreams. During the stretches the concentration and attention to form and breath (breathe, breathe into the pain) wear me out. I guess this says something about my state of mind right now!

I'm also worried about going from 15-18 minutes of jumping to like, almost zero. Will the fat start creeping back? I'm going to let it go, trust in the Patrick/Chen process and see what happens!

Day 3! What I'm doing here....

HELLO KFB peeps!! I'm so happy to be here, along with my Badass Sisters from Jan-April 2010, the recently complete PCPers Heather Lin and Lili. That's what I'm talking about ladies! I'm totally thrilled to be working with you again, along with the rest of the alums!

I decided to rock KFB because PCP very recently rocked my world, and I wanted to learn even more ways to take care of myself. Oh yeah, and I'm hella excited about becoming a warrior (I love punching, kicking, stretching, and sitting in silence), especially after my last week of falling hard off the wagon...

So here's the deal...up until about day 112, I was feeling pretty fit and healthy. I continued eating vegetables like they were going out of style, and tried to exercise 4-5 times/week according to Patrick's maintenance plans (though I did avoid the chest dips and jump squats....not my faves). The belt buckled in the same place, I was even getting the hang of pistol squats.

But then, as I considered the upcoming dietary restrictions, my rebellious streak ignited. I went buck wild with the wine, the nuts, the cheese, etc. I spent the weekend on Fire Island, where I was in the perfect place and mindset to indulge. Granted, it was only for three days, but after some serious meals and cocktails, I already feel that little extra padding in the midsection (photo to come - proof that a few days of face stuffing can un-rock your abs), the major the loss of energy, the weird stomach issues. Basically, I feel like CRAP!! I'm moody, tired, and angry at the world. Get this junk out of me dude!

What better way to cure this junk food hangover than the start of something new and amazing? I'm excited for this journey!

Here's where I become a warrior....

More to come!