The top five topicals for hard-training athletes (martial artists, kickboxers, CrossFit enthusiasts) Basically you have two kinds of “remedies” with ancient roots in martial artists but so helpful for anyone who works out and has aches or pains. External, to use topically on a joint, muscle or area that hurts, aches or needs TLC Internal, to take internally, like a liquid, decoction, tablet or capsule. (Later, we’re going to…
astronauts and cottonballs
Last night, I sat with family and friends and listened to Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space. She’s awesome (MD, dancer, engineer, Lego figurine, the list goes on), and so was her presentation. She had so much of value and substance to say about many things. One thing was exactly what I needed to hear, though. She was asked how she dealt with people who were negative or…
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A historical component of martial arts: herbal medicine
After trying for a third time to be a runner (do your joints talk to you? ‘Cause my knees just piped up a disgruntled don’t you ever do that again!), I had to deal with the runner’s knee pain and inflammation. The pain varied and moved all around my patella, hurting when I moved, hurting when I didn’t move. Going down stairs or hills was especially precarious. To go to…
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Lifting the Earth element: Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang
Talking to parents outside my son’s taekwondo class, I hear women say, “I can’t join class because I can’t do the jumping jacks.” You could substitute in run, trampoline. laugh or sneeze hard, or any high impact cardio activity. For so many women it isn’t possible to do these activities without leaking urine. And it seems this is just a problem many women endure. WHY?? You don’t have to! …
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The gift of groundedness, or, my third attempt at being a runner
Every so many years, I try running. Since my mid-20s, I’ve tried to be a runner THREE times. I love the idea of being a runner. People talk of having dreams of flying. I dream of running. Fast. Of gliding, foot fall after foot fall, wind in my hair due to my speed. The latest attempt at becoming a runner was this summer, when I signed up for a local…
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the view from the mesa
I live next to a beautiful mesa in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. To review that fourth grade geography, a mesa is flat on top, like a mountain with the top peak chopped off. Like a plateau. I blog about doing taekwondo, my extra workouts, more recently adding Figure 8 workouts for a core focus. I’ve talked about WFPB and how I’m eating healthy. Nothing has really shifted. The…
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My Orange Belt Test!!
It’s like being at Disneyworld (or your favorite amusement park). You’re having fun, riding the cool theme rides, seeing the entertainment–it’s all good. You’ve avoided the crappy food, the crowds are small and you are remembering the sunscreen. Smooth. What a great time! Suddenly, your group heads to the next Fast Pass ride: the biggest, baddest roller coaster in the park. No one bats an eyelash, everyone else is excited,…
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Does practicing martial arts mean you like to hurt people?
In a class at our Summer Expo, working and practicing in one of the many classes, I was admonished by someone with “oh, you don’t like to hurt people.” In the moment this felt like negative feedback, and I had a momentary flash of shame, of not feeling “tough enough” in class. Wait…Hold it just a minute. So…in my head I was asking this person, so you do martial arts…
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onward, to orange!
I was stunned. After being out of class for two weeks while in Ireland, and coming back with a nice cold that found me while traveling and has been far too clingy, Mr. Ninja handed me my orange belt testing invitation!! I was stammering and babbling because we all remember my test anxiety for the yellow belt test. (Oy.) Do you think I’m ready? Wow, this Saturday. But, I…
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An L of an uphill climb
When I walk into class I’m the biggest one in there. When I go to tournaments, I’m the chubby one. It seems like everyone else in Taekwondo is already awesomely athletic and in shape. Even when I meet other white and yellow belts, so many have previous athletic training and often martial arts experience. (Intimidating!) In sparring gear, they print the size on the outside. (I know, right? Is…
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