Author: Shawn

I am a practitioner of the martial arts and student of the Buddhist faith. I have been a Type 1 Diabetic since I was 4 years old and have been fighting the uphill battle it includes ever since. I enjoy fitness and health and looking for new ways to improve both, as well as examining the many questions of life. Although I have no formal medical training, I have amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding health, Diabetes, martial arts as well as Buddhism and philosophy. My goal is to share this information with the world, and perhaps provide some sarcastic humour along the way. Welcome!

George Michael Was Right…

Sometimes, you gotta have faith… Ah, that song brings me back. released in the late 80’s, it used to come on the radio in the mornings when I’d be on my way to school. Gets my foot tapping, even now. But I haven’t even gotten into today’s topic and I’m already slipping off the rails, so I’m going to rein myself in. As I said in the opener, sometimes, you gotta have faith. This is especially true when. You make the conscious decision to join a dojo or a sports club.

In general, people who walk into a dojo for the first time are likely to be inexperienced and unaware of the art they’re choosing to undertake. This makes it so very important that one be able to trust and have faith in what they’re being taught and who is teaching it. I remember when i first walked into a dojo, all the way back when I was a kid… Ironically not long after George Michael’s “Faith” was released, I had a head full of karate movie scenes and high expectations. I never could have imagined the journey I was about to embark on, or how it would ultimately change my life.

But imagine how that journey would have been different if I didn’t trust Sensei and the other senior students? Imagine if I questioned and doubted everything I was being shown and taught? I’d say it’s hard to fill a cup that’s already full but the joke is that if you’re walking into a dojo for the first time, your cup should be fuckin’ empty. Unless you’re one of these black belts who move to a different Province and end up having to train with a different style… *cough, cough* Moving on!

That trust and ability to have faith in the teachings you receive is a two-way door. You need to trust the people teaching you but they also have to be able to trust your. The dojo will only be as traditional and strong as its weakest student but it’s everybody’s responsibility to raise that weakest student up in order to ensure the strength and effectiveness of the curriculum and the reputation of the style. I recently had an associate who told me about a dojo he trained in, where he was put through hell for years on end to reach black belt.

Although he’s found himself moving on from there due to other obligations and responsibilities, he’s occasionally visited and has been disheartened by how the curriculum has weakened and become watered down to accommodate those who prefer not to get hurt or don’t want to put in as much effort. This is a sad and dangerous path for a dojo to follow. Not only will it dilute the style and make it less effective, those who grow in rank will be nowhere near as effective and skilled as their rank suggests and could put them in danger, should they ever be in a situation where they need to defend themselves.

Sensei saw this trend start to take shape about six or seven years ago, which ultimately led to him closing his dojo doors permanently. As sad as I am about that, I’m comforted in the fact that I trained hard, learned well and have confidence in my skills, which have been time-tested and proven. I rather that than have my beloved school turned into a cookie-cutter producer of people who don’t put their full effort into it or train the right way for the right reasons.

It’s important to trust in your dojo. If you have doubts or question what’s being taught, maybe that means that the school isn’t for you and you should likely move on. This doesn’t mean you should never question ANYTHING. But how can a dojo be strong if its students don’t trust each other, raise each other up and you don’t believe in what the sensei is teaching? Not only does this make it hard on you but on the dojo as a whole, as well. Always remember that choosing a style or a school to train with is a subjective thing. There’s nothing wrong with a school being wrong for you and moving on. Food for thought… ☯️

Even The Finest Armour Can Rust…

There’s a consistent truth to life that eventually, we all get older. I never got it or understood it when I was younger. My parents felt old to me when they were almost twenty years younger than I am now. I never understood all the jokes and memes about how waking up in the morning was like the sound of a thousand mouse traps. But I swear that my joints are the reason why mice stay the fuck away from our house in the winter. A little touch of cold and all of a sudden I have to rock back and forth a dozen times to roll myself out of bed. But I digress…

I’ve always prided myself on maintaining my health as best I could. Getting the basic equivalent of a death sentence from my doctors at the tender age of 10-years old woke me up in a way that most adults wouldn’t appreciate, at the time. I started training in the martial arts, taking control of my food and make conscious choices about my health and my future. Having been educated on all the complications Type-1 Diabetes can bring, I refused to become part of the overall statistic. There was no fuckin’ way in hell anyone was going to amputate one of my limbs. losing my eyesight or having a heart attack also didn’t sound too appealing.

I’ve had the benefit of navigating the rough seas of Diabetes with a certain amount of pride. And zeal, I guess. Given my increased level of fitness, proper diet and attention to my condition has allowed me the benefit of reaching my current age with all my limbs and organs intact, a clean nervous system and essentially no complications after over four decades of dealing with Type-1. In my early twenties, I travelled to Japan and subsequently, Okinawa. I soon after passed my first degree black belt. I became a teacher of others. I excelled in every job I ever held. Despite all odds and opposition, I graduated from the RCMP Training Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan and became a Mountie. Despite what some may say and mistakes I’ve made, I have a story to tell…

Despite how hard I’ve worked and how many obstacles I’ve faced, time is beginning to show me that I need to slow down. I don’t move quite as quickly as I did years ago, which was premised by the broken rib I suffered last April from a punch I should have easily blocked. Getting out of bed, even after a full eight hours of sleep, has become more difficult. Getting through the day without increased amounts of caffeine (or a nap, if its the weekend) is becoming more and more difficult. I worry about things like cholesterol and blood pressure now, and have prescribed “preventative” pills for both. Apparently, that’s a good idea if you’re above the age of 30 and have Type-1 Diabetes.

If you would have told me, twenty years ago, that I would have to constantly check and worry about my blood pressure, I would have told you to, as the French would say, go fuck yourself. But believe it or not, here I am! Taking preventative measures for my health and slowing down, as time is wont to do. But slowing down doesn’t mean stopping. As I’ve always said, life brings movement. Movement brings energy. Energy brings life. If there’s one thing I can guarantee, it’s that I’ve never done anything less than 100% and I don’t intend to stop, creaky joints and all… ☯️

Zen And The Art Of Blood Sugars…

I had something interesting happen to me yesterday. I took a workshop to practice speaking on camera. Something required by virtue of my current job. Now, I consider myself something of a reasonably well-controlled individual who can compose and control himself at the best or worst of times. But there’s something about dealing with the media and being questioned on camera that causes me a great deal of stress and anxiety, more than I care to admit. So it came as a surprise to most people in my inner circle when I revealed I was taking media training.

The workshop included a short lecture on media and press interviews in general, followed by some short videos that illustrated what NOT to do while being interviewed. It was valuable information and I learned a lot. The workshop concluded by having all of the participants provide a brief, five-minute on-camera interview. I watched a number of people go before me and learned a great deal about that, as well. When it came time for me to go up and provide my interview, I was reasonably surprised by how stressed I was over it. Considering it was only for a small group of my work associates and not the actual press, I’d hate to see how I would have actually done on air.

Anyway, I leaned on my training and allowed myself to control my breathing and slip into a meditative state, something I hadn’t actively done in years. Most people believe that meditation has to involve sitting cross-legged on the floor with your eyes closed, breathing deeply and doing nothing else. The reality is that meditation is something one can do while in motion, while performing other actions or on the fly. With practice, one can learn to be in a meditative state throughout one’s day. It’s actually SUPER handy, allowing you to reduce stress, fatigue and clearing the mind. It’s also SUPER handy at taking you out of the stressful moment and find peace.

I gave my interview with a level of cool-headedness and calm that shocked and impressed the others around me. I barely realized the interview was over until the facilitator told me it was. I was pleased at how calm I was and how I had used skills I trained for decades to de-escalate my stress. But this is where the “something interesting” kicked in. My blood sugars bottomed out. Badly. It made me recognize how deep a physical effect meditation can actually have on a body. It kind of struck me out of the blue. But it worked. Meditation works. It’s unfortunate it took something actually stressful to make me remember that… ☯️

What Do YOU Know?

When you’ve trained and travelled as much as i have over the course of my life, you get to see a few things. I’ve seen people who know nothing that thought they knew everything. I’ve seen people who knew plenty who were humble enough to recognize they knew nothing. I’ve always fancied myself as somewhere in between but I would be lying if I said that it was easy backing down, especially when I was of the opinion that I was right or had the better way.

I’ve always fancied myself as the type of guy who could be humble enough to allow someone, especially of a different style, to express themselves and provide a different perspective. After all, the only real difference in any style of karate is that we all do the same thing in slightly different ways. Until we don’t. And that’s a situation the practitioners should all remember when butting heads on techniques. I got to experience that firsthand, less than a year ago.

Uechi Ryu is significantly different from Shotokan, in that the former focuses on tight, small circle techniques with a focus on fine-point strike. The latter focuses on crossing long distances, elongated stances and full impact strikes for every technique. There are a number of significant differences beyond that, but that’s a very generalized summary of how the styles differ. Uechi Ryu also owes its origins to Okinawa and Shotokan is a Japanese style that descended from Shorin Ryu, which is also an originating Okinawan style. You’d think coming from Okinawan roots would make the Japanese style a little more humble. It did not.

I encountered a particular situation some time ago; one that made me question whether I should take a firmer stance or simply let it go. For the most part, the easy route is usually to let it go. I guess the question is how far do you let it go before you wind up compromising your teachings in exchange for those of another? It’s important to be respectful of other styles’ perspective and techniques. But how far do you allow that respect to go, if it contravenes your own style’s way of doing thing? That is the question and that is what I faced all those months ago.

We were performing lines of techniques that included a simple front kick. How ironic that one of the most basic of techniques would be the one that two black belts would differ on? The Shotokan black belt commented on how I should be using the ball of my foot as an impact point. I argued that Uechi uses the bog toe, training to focus the dynamic tension of the remaining toes to strengthen the impact point as such. He countered that doing it this way posed too much of a chance that the technique would break the practitioner’s big toe. I stated it would only happen if the practitioner did it incorrectly… Impass.

I chose not to argue. I was comparing our respective training and found my opposition lacking. He was in his early 20’s and had only been doing karate for about a third of the time that I had. I felt that I definitely had time and experience on my side. The difference is that I was in HIS dojo and was there to learn HIS style. Even though I felt that he might have been wrong, I acknowledged that it would have been rude to correct an instructor in his own dojo. I stayed silent on the matter but it might go a short distance towards explaining why I no longer train there. Besides their exorbitant costs…

Cross-training in different styles can be rough, especially if that other style differs significantly from yours. But a big part of the dojo culture is respect and understanding. Even if someone’s way of doing something may be different from yours or the techniques differ, be willing to keep your mind open to learning a new way of doing things. This is genuinely the only way to expand your overall martial arts toolbox. Food for thought… ☯️

Pain Is Subjective…

It’s safe to say that I’ve been through a fair bit throughout the course of my life. Between Diabetes, karate and all the violence I’ve been exposed to during my policing career, I’ve experiencing varying degrees of pain. Some of this ranges from a paper cut, which if we’re being honest, is painful as shit despite how menial it is, to broken bones, contusions, black eyes and needles in my eyes for my edema. I’ve openly bled from injuries and hav even awoken from comas on more than one occasion. But the interesting thing is that pain is subjective.

Last April, I took a solid punch to the rib cage and fractured a rib. It took a couple of months to heal properly, which included pain killers, muscle relaxants and slowly working the area to obtain range and mobility again. I had nights where I was curled in pain despite the meds while the bone healed and the muscle wall mended. Wow, when I read it that way it makes me seem like a little bitch… But I digress… A broken bone and damaged muscles would justify some pain and difficulty getting over it. But a paper cut, for example, one should be able to get over in just a few moments.

That’s why something that happened a few weeks back seemed to elicit more pain than it rightfully should; a fact my wife found hilarious. I need to change the transmitter sensor for my continuous glucose monitor every seven days. Because this is me, it always seems to happen at the worst possible time. Setting up a new sensor requires roughly four to six hours. Although super convenient and helps to maintain my overall health and blood sugars, there’s a lot more involved than just removing the old one and slapping on the new one.

First, I remove the old sensor and place the transmitter in the charger. This happens so that the transmitter can recharge and reset from its previous use. I also take the opportunity to clean the transmitter with some light rubbing alcohol and a swab in order to remove any residual blood or adhesive. While it charges, I have to go through a plethora of settings on the insulin pump so that it won’t start panicking that it can no longer read my blood glucose levels or locate the transmitter. Given that it’s 2022, you would think there’d be some way for that process to be easier, but whatevs.

once the transmitter has had an hour or two to ensure it charges completely, it’s time to inject the new sensor. This is a bit of a delicate process. The sensor is injected using a device that places it in the interstitial space beneath the skin. Assuming I don’t strike a blood vessel, I attach the transmitter to the sensor. As long as the sensor absorbs the interstitial fluid properly, the transmitter will blink and I can tether it to the insulin pump. Then, the sensor requires a two-hour period to warm-up before needing to calibrate by testing one’s blood sugar. This needs to be done twice within four hours, hence about a six-hour period to reinstall.

Either way, I usually install the sensor on my tricep but in recent weeks I’ve been cycling between my tricep and my abdomen. When I install it on my abdomen, I usually run a quick razor over the area to remove any hairs on the ol’ gut. Once the adhesive is in place, the hair will still try to grow back. Turns out on this one occasion, when I pulled off the adhesive, I took a chunk of flesh with it. Tore the follicle as well as the top layers of skin right off. I hurt badly enough that I temporarily saw stars and nearly blacked out. This is the part my wife thinks is funny…

When one considers all the injuries and attacks I’ve been subjected to in my life, it seems a bit hilarious that removing what’s essentially a sticker from my belly would be enough to hurt so damn bad. But there it is. Diabetes, am I right? As with all things in life, there are worse things and I can’t say I’m not happy with how well I’m able to control my blood sugars. But pain is subjective. ☯️

Merry Whatever And Happy Whatnot…

We’ve kind of reached that time of the year when people start thinking and planning ahead for the Christmas season. This time of year can be pleasant but also quite hectic for some and awkward for many as the prospect of affording gifts for all of our loved ones becomes a concern that lingers well into the new year. For myself, Christmas was never a very celebrated time, Although, my family did trim a tree and place gifts.

My father used to do shift work and whether he’d be home on Christmas or not was always up for question. Given the nature of our household and the fact that my brother and I were both sick children, any holiday season spent outside the hospital was really all we wanted/needed. And believe me when I say, there were Christmases where I spent the holiday lying in a hospital bed. But I digress…

With the coming of the holiday season also comes the opportunity for many to focus on their own agendas. In recent years, saying something classic and genuine like “Merry Christmas” has become a faux pas, considered by many to be offensive to those who don’t celebrate Christmas. This essentially makes zero sense and doesn’t jive with me. Although I inherently have no issue with saying “Happy Holidays,” I don’t believe wishing someone a Merry Christmas should be construed as offensive or insensitive, whether the recipient observes the holiday or not. After all, I don’t celebrate Hanukkah but if someone wished me a Happy Hanukkah during that specific holiday, I would simply say thank you.

This is a trend that seems to permeate and infest the holiday season, with public locations being forced to change directions and in some cases even forego decorating in favour of not “offending” someone. Here’s the reality: people will have different beliefs and faith backgrounds. And that’s okay. All those differences is what makes Canada unique. We are home to a perpetual rainbow of people and cultures. But respecting each of those cultures without taking offence of those we aren’t a part of is key. This is what’s referred to as tolerance.

The holidays are already a busy time and somewhat hectic for people, dealing with work schedules, finances and potentially hosting family. And there is already enough intolerance in the world at the best of times. Let’s be sure this holiday season, to appreciate when someone wishes us well, regardless of what terminology they use. There’s no need to be offended is someone says Merry Christmas. By that same token, there’s also no reason to be offended if someone says something different, or nothing at all, in return. Let’s learnt o be more accepting and tolerant. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean we need more snowflakes. Food for thought…☯️

Happy Birthday, Bro…

Today is always a bit of a bittersweet day for me. It’s my older brother’s birthday. Born on December 3, 1972, he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease from birth. His kidneys failed soon thereafter and he was the recipient of donor kidney when he was a toddler. He was diagnosed with epilepsy, heart conditions and Fanconi Syndrome, which likely contributed to his kidney failure. His replacement kidney, which wasn’t supposed to last more than five years, lasted until the age of 18. A veritable walking miracle, he continues to be a source of inspiration and the example to follow, even in my adult years.

His love of life and love of family taught me the importance of valuing what’s important and to continue fighting, no matter how dark or bleak the outcome may appear. He continued to fight his illnesses and always kept a smile on his face, always ready with a hug or an “I love you” for family or friends. I always admired how someone so young who literally fought death every day could have such a positive outlook on life and appreciated everything. If that isn’t the epitome of a shining human being who knows what it means to live, I don’t know what is.

Sadly, my brother passed away in April of 1991. During what had become a routine hospitalization to our family turned out to be the last time he would leave him home. Called in the middle of the night, my family and I rushed to the hospital to find my brother comatose. He passed from congestive heart failure a short time later. His death affected me in ways that even now, I haven’t consolidated. His influence and example continue to drive my day to day existence. If everyone would be a little more like my brother had been, the world would be a better place. Happy birthday, bro. You would have been 50-years old. Miss you. ☯️

Testing One’s Medal…

I think I’ve gone overboard… A couple of years ago, I signed up for an app called the Conqueror Challenges. In short, you pay a marathon entry fee, which is pretty standard when you enter a marathon, and you perform a “virtual marathon,” completed a certain amount of distance in a certain amount NPF time. It’s a neat concept and the money you pay goes to planting trees or cleaning up plastic on the oceans. All in all, it’s pretty neat as a concept.

I started seeing advertisements for this thing on facebook and as I am with all things, I was a bit sceptical. After all, we now live in a world where almost EVERY advertisement for a downloadable game fails to accurately reflect what the actualmy is. For that reason, I sought out the guidance of others. I had a Facebook contact who often shared their link, so I asked him if he’d participated and/or ever received any medals. He said that he hadn’t participated himself but that one of his coworkers had, and he had physically seen the medals.

Alright, I was reasonably certain this wasn’t a scam and could be something worth trying. Considering the total cost was under $40 Canadian, I was willing to risk the loss if it fell through. Considering I’m not a big fan of large crowds and mass public gatherings at the best of times, this suited me perfectly. I downloaded the app and signed up for my first challenge. If memory serves me correctly, it was a “Marathon to Athens” and was 42.2 kilometres in distance and was to be completed over 3 weeks.

The collection… a few are missing, sitting at home.

The beauty part about these challenges is that you get to set your own pace, set your own timeline and you can include any of your fitness workouts that involve distance. Cycling, running, elliptical, even swimming! When I started doing these, I focused primarily on cycling but I started incorporating my walks, as well. Since I was measuring on a daily basis, it became an interesting challenge to see how far I actually walked in the course of a day. On average, I was putting in about 6 to 8 kilometres of walking, just around the office and going on breaks. That didn’t even include going to the grocery store or running errands after work!

When the summer ended this year, I decided to back it off a notch. At about $40 a piece, there’s a whole lotta money sitting on that wall. Plus, my summer was somewhat tame in terms of how much I cycled, compared to last year. That’s why I opened by saying I think I’ve overdone it a bit. But the medals are definitely gorgeous and if you’re looking for something to spice up your fitness routine, this will definitely do it. I don’t have any link to share but if you Google “Conqueror Challenge,” you’ll find it. If you’re an iPhone user, the app is also available through the App Store. ☯️

Across The Finish Line…

November 1st marks the end of “Movember” and my fund-raising efforts have come to an end. Movember was a bit difficult this year, as the team I participated with last year was less motivated this year. This might have resulted from the fact that last year, the team approached me to set it up. This year, I kind of just assumed we were doing it again and threw it at everyone. Not the best way to approach fund-raising but most of them were good enough to donate, although not everyone participated.

Before…

Charitable fund-raising is one of those odd creatures that hold a strange place within modern society. Although the motivation and reasons behind fund-raising are usually noble and altruistic, people will be hesitant to participate and/or donate, especially in light of rising costs on just about everything. It can be difficult for some, as they tend to take it personally when someone they’ve approached doesn’t donate. I was somewhat guilty of this, myself. Although a good number of friends, associates and coworkers provided donations throughout the month, I felt that unnecessary little pang of frustration when some would decline. I needed to learn to let that shit go, which led to a learning lesson as a positive.

After…

Ultimately, we managed to scrape across the finish line and achieved our $500 goal, thanks to some last-minute donations from an associate of mine as well as well as my loving wife. Although last year saw me raise more money, it was no easy task so I should have recognized that it would be a bit more difficult this year, given the current state of the world. But we made it.

I like to do my part. Even when i was younger, I would find a way to donate a couple of hundred dollars to charities or foundations that focused on Diabetes. Given that members of my family have suffered from prostate cancer, Movember landed on my radar doing my time with the Force and I’ve been doing it ever since. It’s good to contribute and help out where we can. But I think that in the years to come, I may make my donation as an individual and leave the team-building to others… ☯️

Try And Sleep On It…

I’m no stranger to lack of sleep. I did spend almost 13 years as a police officer, after all. I lost count of the nights where my phone would ring, I’d get yanked out of bed and spend the remainder of my night up. On the flip side of that very issue, I spent nearly 13 years as a police officer… This means that after everything I’ve seen, done and been subjected to, my brain is a hot mess of recurring nightmares\ and an inability to calm myself, which translates to a significant lack of sleep.

Because I enjoy adding icing on the cake, once you throw Type-1 Diabetes into the mix, it gets even worse. Fluctuating blood sugars, circulatory issues, restless leg syndrome… you name it! There are plenty of things that have kept me from sleep over the decades and although I firmly believe that I’ll sleep when I’m dead, I’d kind of like to enjoy the prospect of proper rest while still in the land of the living. But I digress…

There are a number of different reasons why one may not get adequate sleep. One of the biggest culprits, is stress. Stress has a way of creating that tight knot in your gut and keep the gears of your mind running like an exhausted bastard. The result is usually that a person is unable to successfully fall asleep when something pertinent and important is on their mind. There are different ways to address this, including meditation, relaxation and calming exercises and even some dietary aspects that can help calm your mind t promote better sleep.

On the topic of diet, what you eat makes a significant difference in the quality and even quantity of sleep. Contrary to popular opinion, alcohol doesn’t actually help you sleep better. You may fall asleep FASTER, but the quality and depth of sleep won’t be there. There’s no harm in having a couple of drinks but drinking to excess where you flop on the bed and pass out won’t provide reasonable sleep. In fact, you’ll likely wake up more exhausted than when you went to bed. What you eat will also prove problematic. If you eat something too spicy or too heavy, it will weigh heavily on your system while you’re trying to sleep.

WHEN you eat is almost as important as WHAT you eat… And I’m likely the worst fuckin’ person for this type of thing. I have this nasty habit of snacking late at night, usually during that last hour that my wife and I are watching a couple of episodes of a show before bed. The problem with this is that sleep is when our body takes the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate. If several hours are contributed to digesting the food in your gut that you ate before bed, your body won’t be getting the rest it requires and depending on what you’ve eaten, it may also keep you up.

And since I mentioned binge-watching shows, modern times have made staring at a screen the common thing that binds us all together. Unfortunately. The issue there is that our bodies are designed to recognize that once things begin to go dark, the body prepares for sleep. Staring at a screen fools your body into thinking that it’s still daytime out and it will be more difficult to fall asleep. Most articles I’ve read have suggested avoiding screens for an hour before bed to allow your body to be receptive to sleep.

All of this is great information in theory but not all of it can necessarily apply. Given that some folks perform shift work or work at unusual hours or have underlying medical conditions that may affect sleep, avoiding food and bright screens for an hour before bed may not cut it. It’s important to bear in mind that most forms of insomnia or lack of sleep can linger but shouldn’t last for longer than a week, at most. If you notice that despite all the steps you take and improvements you make, that you can’t get proper sleep, it may be time to consult your family doctor or medical practitionner.

Sleep is integral to good health, balanced blood sugars and proper diabetes control. Taking Diabetes out of the equation, lack of sleep will cause eventual cognitive issues, difficulty concentrating and lead to further medical issues. It’s important to get some proper sleep and if you find yourself unable to achieve that, it should be addressed sooner rather than later. Even something simple, like switching mattresses or ensuring your have a fixed bedtime routine can help to promote proper sleep and by virtue of that, proper rest. ☯️