Saturday, November 28, 2009

Hmm. Don't know why that didn't go through.

Dim Sum tomorrow morning, a Taylor household tradition. Hopefully I got all my gorging out of the way this Turkey Day. God Bless America, yeah?

Tomorrow will be a good chance to be mindful about eating. I'm at Anna's house right now, so that will be a good chance to reign in the calories.

Back to the real world on Monday. My friend Alex asked me for some workout advice. I gave him plenty, but felt kinda like a hypocrite. Keep ya updated!

--MCSM

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Focus/Commitment Scale

FOCUS RATING SCALE
1) I get so absorbed in my performances (or experiences) that everything else disappears--8
2) I can direct or redirect my focus so that it does me the greatest good, even if I become nervous or uptight in performance--8
3) I maintain or quickly regain a high-quality focus in practice or preparation sessions.--4
4) I maintain or quickly regain a high-quality focus in performance or competitions.--9
5) I have a strong inner confidence, a feeling that I can do anything I set my mind to.--3
6) I learn from criticism and take it as an opportunity to improve.--8
7) I handle bad calls or situations that go against me by getting right back on a positive path.--9
8) I stay motivated and focused even when behind or down in points.--10
9) I maintain my performance focus totally in the present, in the here and now (for example, one shot, one step, one moment at a time.--8
10) I quickly regain my best-performance focus even after an error or setback.--9

COMMITMENT RATING SCALE
1) I am willing to put aside other things to excel in my sport or chosen performance domain.--6
2) I really want to become an excellent performer in my sport or performance domain (or other chosen endeavor)--7
3) I prepare myself mentally for each practice and each performance so I can continue to get the best out of myself.--4
4) I am determined to never let up or give up (for example, I remain committed to achieve my goals, make the move, or complete the mission), even in the face of obstacles.--2
5) I take personal responsibility for mistakes and work hard to correct them.--9
6) I give 100 percent focus and effort in practices or preparation sessions, whether it’s going well or not--6
7) I give 100 percent focus and effort in performances or competitions, whether it’s going well or not--10
8) I give everything I can, even when the challenge seems insurmountable or beyond reach--9
9) I feel more committed to improvement in my performance domain (or other chosen endeavor) than to anything else--4
10) I find great joy and personal fulfillment in my performance domain (or other chosen endeavor)--7

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Getting better. Wow that was bad. Still kinda cold-hot-cold and full of crud, but I'm actually on the winning side now...

Posting the Focus/Commitment thing soon, I promise!

MCSM

Sunday, November 15, 2009

....aaaannnd I'm sick.

Postponing hard workouts until recovery. In the meantime, trying to prepare other aspects of my life for success. Terry Orlick is a constant warm fuzzy inspiration--sometimes there's too much of a good thing there in my opinion, but he makes me think about what I'm doing.

Job interview tomorrow, but I hope I sleep well tonight! Bet I do...

Will post my results from Orlick's "Focus/Commitment" Survey soon. I'm looking forward to it, anyway.

MCSM

Good night.

It's not quite 1:30am on a Saturday. Slowly but surely, I will get back on the sleep horse.

My throat itches. If I'm sick, I will cry a lot.

MCSM

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Athletics afoot!

Hi! I just looked up the Bloomington YMCA. There are racquetball courts and there are Judo and Tae Kwon Do classes! Gosh, I could work out 6 days a week--2 days of Judo, 2 days of Tae Kwon Do, and 2 days of Fencing! Hmm.. What is there to "Hmm" about?"

I think Tae Kwon Do may be too expensive for now. I think Judo might be more my speed for now anyway.

Just read a great article about how cross training is very important. So that seals it for me. Gotta go get in that Judo class! Mon-Wed- 7:00-8:30, Saturdays 9:00-10:30. Hmm, half Judo half Fencing? that would do me quite nicely, and I think I'd get some good flexibility in Judo-wise, which of course would help fencing.

Running and maybe get into an Indoor Soccer league? That would be fun.

I walked to work today, just like I said I would :) Took me about 50 minutes. Not sure what the calories for that is. Should probably find out before I clock on...

I'm feeling pretty good about getting back on the fitness horse. I've been at a cool 222 for a long time now. I'm almost considered "overweight" and not "obese." So it's almost time to get out of "recovery mode" and into pro-active "fitness mode." I should reflect upon what a milestone this is about to be.

--MCSM
So I've realized I use this blog kind of as a pep talk. It's after 4am, and I feel pretty messed up because it's so easy to sleep in when I don't have to go to work till like 11:30. As I mentioned in my last post, I think I'm basically at the same weight, and I'm not going to get much further down without some real commitment to physical activity. Not really a problem, but it does require a bit of planning for me.

I imagine I'll be very tired on Saturday, but I'm going to try a nice long walk on for size. Anna has hurt her foot recently, so running or going on long treks is not an option for her right now. Still, I think it's possible to find a stretch of time to take a nice long one. Maybe I'll go play in Bloomington in the morning? Or just go down town after a healthy breakfast. Who knows, but tomorrow needs to be healthy.

I've been trying to listen to my body to see what agitates my hip. Seems like everything agitates my hip. I think I can rehab it, but I have to do some serious work to it. I have a contact--Cara's mother is a professional kinesiologist :) That means she prolly knows why my hip hurts when I do lateral movement. It will either require rehab or surgery. If its' rehab, go me. If it's surgery, well I can wait.

In the meantime, gotta get that cardio in. Need to seriously consider a free-weight program. And weights. I'm a P.E. major, yet my anaerobic repertoire is pretty pitiful. If anyone asked me to teach a high school weight training class I'd be sunk lol. Not really, but brushing up on technique and what to do for specific weight training goals IS a must, and soon.

Refresh:
*Burn more calories by walking. Maybe I'll walk to work and have Anna pick me up?
*Eat well.
*Create Anaerobic plan
*Fencing workout
*Laundry situation--how can I optimize my environment so that it is most conducive to working out?
*Go to sleep goddammit

--MCSM