Some mixed thoughts on tragedy, and measured speech on the heels of tragedy. The blog... https://contemplativefitness.me/2017/10/03/a-measure-of-speech/

The Best Fitness App... With so many fitness apps available, I'm often asked about which ones are best. My default answer is something like this... "The ones that get used, and only then, when the knowledge gained from them is applied toward increased or improved fitness..." Pretty generic answer, but it's true. I actually use a 3-teared system these days at the end of every strength workout or every bicycle ride. It looks like this: 😊 😐 😞 After every workout, I write a smiley face, a stoic face, or a frown face on the upper right hand corner of my workout journal. Pretty complicated, I know. Here's where it gets more complicated... I shoot for more smiley faces than stoic faces or frowns, because at the end of the day, I know that nothing matters more than this... Win 3 days out of 4 and you're ahead of the game. Win 5 out of 6 and you'll feel even better. Win 2 out of 3 and you'll still make progress over time, though more slowly. Win any less than that, and it will be a break-even or losing scenario. It's really that simple. Though I do use an electronic app, Map My Ride, my use of it is mainly for tracking mileage on a weekly basis. At end of the day what matters most though, isn't even whether or not it's a happy face or a frown face - a great ride or a poor ride. What matters most is that I moved my body for a while, helping cleanse the hardware and the software within... Jhciacb

Call Me Daughter... My daughter lives about 2,000 miles from me. Still, we have dinner every couple of weeks. Not together, though I wish that were the case. But every couple of weeks I'll call or text her and let her know it's okay to order dinner in, on me. I try and do this when I know she's at her busiest. This way I feel like I'm helping her out in a time of need, even if it's just in a small way. I wish I could do more for her -- be there more, see her more, spend more time with her, but that's not how life is. She's grown now, and has her guy. She lives in a city that fits her like a glove, and she's happy there. Every couple of weeks I get to buy dinner for my daughter. I don't get to eat it with her, but I get full anyway -- from the pride I have I her and in the feeling I get from staying connected in this way... Jhciacb

So how do we fix what's wrong...? I'll suggest we start by taking 2 simple steps: 1: Lower our expectations 2: Increase our gratitude If everyone did that, IF EVERYONE DID THAT, I can't help but feel we would significantly minimize all that ails us as within our cultures and subcultures. 1: Lower our expectations 2: Increase out gratitude Oh what a wonderful world it would be...

Like Guitars… The guitar has always had a certain appeal to me. Not just to hear them, but to hold and touch them. The guitar has always had an aura of mystery to me. Like many, I have purchased a guitar or two in my life with the best of intentions only to lay them down within a few weeks to gather dust in favor of greater priorities. Though many times my imagination has seen me become proficient with a guitar, my reality has seen me dislike the idea of practice, thus getting nowhere. I’ll suggest most people who take guitar lessons aim simply to be proficient. I have no idea how many people who take guitar lessons ever become proficient. I recently asked a friend who is a guitar teacher about this and when he was done rolling his eyes, he said, “very few”. He went on to remind me that people can take lessons ongoing, but if they don’t practice, the wont progress. This is something I can relate to as a teacher of exercise and fitness. People have been recruiting my services for years as a bridge between themselves and improved fitness. Like the guitar, being fit has a certain allure as well as an aura of mystery – something we all would like to have a proficiency with. It’s easy to imagine being more fit, as it is easy to imagine playing Proud Mary by the campfire. Though imagination is a beautiful thing, it alone doesn’t get the ship across the sea. Fitness takes more than lessons. Like the guitar, it takes practice – and time. Purchasing a gym membership, a diet plan, or even the services of a fitness trainer won’t guarantee results. Consistency in practice, and patience are the primary means of conveyance. And that’s where this little sermon ends; with the thought that becoming proficient with your body is no different than becoming proficient an instrument, though I’ll suggest one is slightly more important... jhciacb

FALLBROOK LOCALS: I am going to have (4) morning time slots come available in the near future. These are Monday/Thursday late morning times. The people currently in them are relocating out of California. I am looking for active adults or seniors who want to work on the following aspects of functional fitness: - Balance - Flexibility - Strength - Endurance If you are interested, or know of anyone who might be interested in these time/day's, please contact me. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, BUT WOULD PREFER EVENING WORKOUTS, PLEASE CONTACT ME - I can also accommodate evening sessions through the winter season. Basic session rate applies: $890.00 for (24) pre-paid sessions. Sessions are (55) minutes long. I am willing to split/share the sessions for the right persons. Consultation/interview process free, but is mandatory. I want to make sure I'm a good fit for them, and they for me. Private training. No fishbowl. No judgment.

Performance Art... I approach most aspects of my life as performance art. I attempt to be creative, if not artistic, in most everything I do. If variety is the spice of life, then creativity is the meat. In such things as planning client workouts, cooking, gardening, and even in social interactions I hope to be somewhat of an artist each day of my life. Of course there's my writing, photography, and my own workouts -- those are when I am at my most creative. In all of those things mentioned above, it comes easy to me. I never struggle to be creative in most of my actions, it just comes to me. There is one outlet though, and I don't talk about it share it too much, where I struggle to be creative. For nearly a decade now I have attempted to write jokes -- at the pace of one joke per week. For nearly a decade, I have failed miserably at that endeavor. If I write 3 good jokes a year, I am grateful. And in truth, maybe, I write 2 good ones. It's not for a lack of trying. Writing comedy is hard. Very hard. As I think about that this morning, my takeaway is just that -- that humor is an undervalued and indeed, an under-appreciated resource. Here's to laughter, and all the creative people who bring it into our lives each day. Go be creative today. And if you can, be funny. If you can't be funny, be grateful for those who are...

FALLBROOK LOCALS: I am going to have (4) morning time slots come available in the near future. These are Monday/Thursday late morning times. The people currently in them are relocating out of California. I am looking for active adults or seniors who want to work on the following aspects of functional fitness: - Balance - Flexibility - Strength - Endurance If you are interested, or know of anyone who might be interested in these time/day's, please contact me. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, BUT WOULD PREFER EVENING WORKOUTS, PLEASE CONTACT ME - I can also accommodate evening sessions through the winter season. Basic session rate applies: $890.00 for (24) pre-paid sessions. Sessions are (55) minutes long. I am willing to split/share the sessions for the right persons. Consultation/interview process free, but is mandatory. I want to make sure I'm a good fit for them, and they for me. Private training. No fishbowl. No judgment.

Goodbye, Old Friend... In a little while I’m going to hike Monserate Hill here in Fallbrook for what will probably be the final time. It’s been nearly 6 months since the last time I was there, and the only reason I’m hiking it today is to help a client take inventory of what she has accomplished in recent months, and to help her build confidence. I hiked Monserate regularly for nearly 17 years, often daily, and occasionally three or four times in the course of a weekend. One day though, last spring, I got to the bottom and I knew I was over it. This hill – this challenging hike that for so many years was my therapy, my exercise, and my sanctuary had become an inconvenience in my changing life. Also, after some 4,200 times to the top, I was just over it. It’s much more crowded these days. The landscape in the periphery is being relentlessly scraped and built upon. The man-made noises are greater. The magic is gone, but the memories will remain. I have hiked this hill with dozens of clients, with family members, and have met many new faces and fostered many friendships along the way. I am grateful for the richness these hikes have injected into my veins through the years. In a little while I’m going to hike Monserate Hill for what will probably be the final time. At a place in my life when I am trying hard to learn the art of letting go, as I reach out to what is or might be next, this goodbye doesn’t seem so sad – it actually seems fitting. Vaya Con Dios, Mi Amigo… Jhciacb

Balance Day 4: Walking… There’s no shortage of data suggesting that walking is among the most useful forms of exercise. I know, I know, and trees are made out of wood. I’ll suggest that not only is walking good for physical fitness, done outdoors it can cleanse the mind and sooth a troubled soul. Despite all my other fitness nonsense, I do a lot of walking. Walking has another benefit though, beyond calorie burning and erasing thoughts of killing people from my mind. Regular walking helps preserve, and depending on how it is done, can help improve balance. Where this benefit takes place – this improved balance, is in the simple act of concentrating on one’s steps. With each stride one takes, if even a little bit of attention is paid to the placement of the foot, synapses are established and reinforced between brain and body that cultivate a greater body awareness. I discussed this earlier this week in my post about lunges. When walking, it is to one’s advantage to be a heel striker – to land on the heel first, and roll the foot forward as the leg and torso rise over the foot, and propelling forward from the toes as the lead leg transitions to become the back leg. I get that the act of walking is simple – something most of us do daily and without even thinking about it. But thinking about it – concentrating on our strides, especially during recreational or fitness walks, can help foster better balance. The simple act of walking and thinking about each step, will go to great lengths to help improve balance... Questions…? Hit me up… Jhciacb

Balance day #4: Upright Pullover... Although considered more of a strength exercise, and often used as a warmup movement, there is also a great balance aspect to this movement. This is a straight arm movement. When the arms are perpendicular to the body, the load ratio is about 4:1. This means that 40lbs of resistance on the machine is roughly 160lbs that I'm working against during the transitional phase of the exercise (eccentric to concentric). If I weigh 175lbs and I'm working against 160lbs of resistance at the peak of the movement, as I am in this video, then every muscle in my body must be fully engaged. Working against AND CONTROLLING that kind of leverage pulling away from the body, is a great way to develop/improve balance and core stability. A beginner might start with 15-20lbs of resistance for this movement. It should go without saying, that proper form in this movement --perfect form, is crucial. Questions...? Hit me me up... Jhciacb https://youtu.be/cHz9cDRR0U4

Balance: Tip #3 Put a ball in somebody's hands and it's no longer exercise, it's recess. This one requires: A medicine ball (3-6 lbs is adequate) A balance disk which can be purchased at any sporting goods store or online for roughly $20 A partner to throw and catch with. There's a brief description under the video of how to best perform this exercise. Two to three sets each leg, ten repetitions each, done once a week or so, can lend itself to improved balance, as well as increased core stability. Questions...? Hit me up.... Jhciacb https://youtu.be/1_elAxdhaFE