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!

Kickin’ Back (Literally)…

Last night wrapped up this year’s karate sessions, with my current dojo closing to their regularly scheduled classes for the summer in conjunction with the school calendar. This is nothing unusual and has actually been the norm with most dojos I’ve trained in. Monday night was the last kids’ class with last night being the last adult class. It was bittersweet, especially since I only joined Shotokan in January (or maybe February?) and missed nearly two months of training due to injury.

This dojo has two aspects that set it aside from any other dojo I’ve trained. For one, they’re closing up the year with a group outing. yes, you read that right; tonight, during what would otherwise be a scheduled class, the instructors are taking all the students out bowling. Although it’s the first I’ve ever heard of this in a karate dojo, I think it’s a fantastic way to wish everyone well for the summer and acts as a nice team-building exercise.

The next thing they’re doing, is offering a limited summer package for the remainder of June and through July. This involves two classes a week aww opposed to three with a reduced tuition cost for the month. Don’t mind if I do! This will allow me to use part of the summer to maintain the new techniques and forms that I’ve started to learn in Shotokan through the summer as opposed to becoming stagnant during the summer months. I can have August as a break month, since my family and I will be travelling.

Last night’s class was solid and I can admit that I pushed and gave it all my effort, breaking a significant sweat and making a difference in my overall health. My years in Saskatchewan have been difficult for me, having trained in the martial arts alone for so long that becoming a permanent part of a dojo that aligns with my skills and particular style is nice. I’m looking forward to continuing to train through the month of July in combination with some fun summer activities, including cycling, playing ball with my son and swimming. Then, I can hit it hard when we go back in September. ☯️

A Little Music Can Lighten Your Soul…

Yesterday, I wrote a piece about things you can do to eliminate some of the stress in your daily life and I apparently neglected to include something so integral to keeping one’s stress low and maintain good mental health; music. Every morning, I spend roughly 10 to 15 minutes travelling to work and at least as much, if not more, travelling back, due to end of day traffic. During this commute, I usually take advantage of the time to play some music (I have over 3,000 songs on my phone) and usually find myself singing along.

Doing so is incredibly therapeutic and plays a big part in my mood and mindset by the time I’ve gotten to work or by the time I’ve gotten home. Pleasant, upbeat songs can have a significant and positive effect on one’s state of mind. Although good music won’t pay your bills or get your boss off your back, a better state of mind can help how you manage those aspects of your day.

I’ve had this happen before but it always makes me smile and I couldn’t help but share… Yesterday evening, I was travelling home and I had the music just blaring in my car. Since I’m an A/C guy, I rarely have my windows down but I apparently had the music loud enough to be somewhat heard from the outside. I was north-bound on the main strip leading to my homee when I came to a red light at a major intersection.

I was singing along to the best of my ability when I glanced to my left and noticed a car full of young people (young to me, mind you) smiling and laughing in my apparent direction. Before I could decide if they were laughing at me or with me, they motioned for me to lower my window, which I foolishly did. I say “foolish,” because one can never truly know another person’s intention but I took the chance and everyone in their vehicle started crooning along with the song that was playing. Here what we were listening to:

It’s definitely a catchy song and it plastered a smile on my face to have these random people join me in my little daily ritual of singing some joy into my evening. On occasion, unexpected happiness can find its way into one’s day, if one is willing to pay attention for it. In this case, a small piece of music and a three-minute wait at a red light was enough to bring a half dozen people together in a joyous moment. What more can one ask for, in this life? ☯️

Don’t Stress While Reading This…

Stress is without a doubt one of the most insidious and harmful things that a person can fell, short of paranoia and distrust. The reason behind this is quite simple; prolonged stress will cause all sorts of measurable, physiological effects on the human body. In fact, prolonged stress in one’s life can be almost as damaging as Diabetes, in that it can cause digestive and sleep issues, cardiac issues, not to mention potentially harming and damaging personal relationships, if not managed properly.

“Self-care Is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From An Empty Vessel.”

– Eleanore Brown

It continues to amaze me, how people manage their stress so poorly. But don’t lat that amazement fool you; I’m just as guilty of being unable to do so. Even recently, I’ve found myself managing my own stress quite poorly and as I’ve written about before, you can’t truly help others until you’ve helped yourself. Therefore, if you’re stressed and managing it poorly, you’ll be ill-equipped to help others or deal with issues outside of that stress.

A lot of people are afraid of taking the time to self-care because they either feel that it’s a selfish thing to take time for oneself or are made to feel this way by others. The caveat there is that if you’re surrounded by people who consider you selfish for taking care of yourself, they’re likely a big part of the stress you’re feeling. And although I’m not suggesting throwing momma from the train, eliminating those negative sources of stress from your life is a huge step towards self-care.

There are a number of things you can do that are extremely helpful with managing stress within one’s own life. They seem obvious and may be common sense to some but if sense were common, it wouldn’t need saying. For that reason, I’ve decided to share some tips on what one can do to help manage daily stress. Here are a few gems:

1. Exercise Regularly: Look, I don’t care if cardio, weightlifting or fuckin’ speed-walking is your poison! Just get up off the couch and do it. Regular exercise not only helps improve your overall health and mood, it will help mitigate the feelings of stress. At least three or four times a week, set aside at least an hour for some sort of physical activity. I know that in the hustle and bustle of modern life, finding this time can be difficult. But the benefits of doing so far outweigh the struggle of finding said time. As the popular logo says, just do it!;

2. Maintain a Proper Diet: Again, this might seem like common sense but the reality is that if you eat like trash, you’ll feel like trash. And if you’re one of those people who justify their diets because they eat fish and poultry a few times a week, it doesn’t count if those foods are battered and deep fried. Eat lean proteins and be sure to includes some freakin’ veggies in that mix (something I’m sorely lacking). There’s nothing wrong with occasionally snacking, but this doesn’t mean eating the entire bag of chips or binging, even if it’s only one day a week. Contrary to the joke where an entire cake is only one piece if you believe in yourself, moderation is key;

“If Your Compassion Does Not Include Yourself, It Is Incomplete.”

– Jack Kornfield

3. Get Enough Sleep: Please take note that I didn’t say “get some sleep.” I said to get ENOUGH sleep. There’s a big difference, there. I recall a time where I could get away with five or six hours’ sleep and still function normally the next day. The problem with that kind of thing is that rejuvenating sleep is not cumulative. You can’t skimp on proper sleep all week and then sleep for twelve hours a night on the weekends. that won’t repair the damage it does. Proper sleep will greatly help in decreasing feelings of stress and anxiety one experiences. A rested mind will manage daily stress far better than the opposite;

5. Get A Hobby: Look, it may sound easier said than done but the purpose to life isn’t to simply go to work, come home and have dinner then flop on the couch and wait for bed. Wash, rinse and repeat. There needs to be some purpose to your life, whether that means playing with your kids, building models, playing with LEGO’s, whatever! There needs to be something that you do for yourself that takes you out of the humdrum habit of the daily grind; and

6. Find Your Inner Zen: Yes, I know! Not everyone is into religion or spirituality but you know what? You really don’t have to be, in order to reduce stress and anxiety within one’s life. Meditation, yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi… Hell, just go sit by the water and have some quiet, contemplative time to yourself. All of those things will go a long way towards helping you overcome stress and live a happier life.

Having some stress in life is normal. After all, a sense of urgency is necessary in order to reach and accomplish some goals. But if your stress is deep and affects your overall daily life, you may want to consider some of the above elements that can affect one’s overall ability to manage that stress. Your health’s be wellbeing are paramount to a happy life. And you can’t take care of others until you’ve learned to take care of yourself. Food for thought… ☯️

Time Catches Up…

Nathan and I watching TV together for the first time in the hospital

Sometimes it takes me a moment to stop and recognize that not only am I a father but I’m the father of two. Although I have very clear memories of what life was like before having children, the daily routine of my life has changed significantly and has come to feel like the “new normal.” I now get home from work every day to have two loud, rambunctious little balls of my DNA come running to the door, yelling and screaming, “Daddy’s home!” It’s a significant difference from coming home and having the time and ability to slowly drop all my work materials, change into more relaxing clothing and grabbing a stiff whiskey to finish out my day. But I digress…

There are significant differences and difficulties I face with my children. And just to be clear, I don’t mean with THEM specifically, so much as I mean with the fact that I had my children reasonably later in life than most. I was 36-years old when Nathan was born, nearing my 40’s and beyond the point in my life that I thought I would actually be having children. But as I’ve often said before, life rarely cares about one’s plans and I couldn’t help the fact that I fell in love and got married later in life than most would. After all, there’s no “set” plan to life; stuff happens when it happens. But the added birthdays I’ve celebrated prior to having my first child has had its effects, especially as it involves a little ol’ thing called Type-1 Diabetes…

Nathan and I, sparring

Being a little further in life while raising a young child comes with a unique number of challenges. And I certainly don’t mean being woken every few hours during the night for feedings and changing; that shit is exhausting no matter what age group you find yourself in. But one’s energy levels tend to be lower and one’s availability also takes a hit. For myself, I’ve always worked really hard at maintaining my fitness and overall wellbeing. The problem is that I get to choose where and when I perform my fitness routine and workouts. One NEVER gets to choose when a little one will suddenly want to play a rousing game of “dive on daddy.”

Realistically, I get home from work at night and all I want to do is slip into some jammies, pour a stiff drink and binge-watch some Netflix with my wife. But in most cases, I get home and it’s mealtime, homework, showers, laundry and dishes… all between trying to accommodate either son when they’re asking to spend time with me and play in ways that my body tells me I have no rightful business playing. It sometimes makes for some hard feelings as my boys don’t have the age or maturity to understand that daddy doesn’t necessarily have the energy to keep up, although I sincerely wish I did. If I could bottle whatever gives Nathan his endless reserves of energy, much like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, i’d put that shit on everything!

Brothers! Nathan and Alexander

Sharing presents a significant challenge as well. Not because the boys aren’t learning about the use and importance of sharing but mostly because I often find myself in a situation where I suffer a low and have to try and explain to either child that no, daddy can’t share his jellybeans because he needs them to stay alive. Over the years, I’ve trained Nathan to understand that he needs to be careful around my insulin pump and CGM so that he doesn’t accidentally yank something out while we play. Alexander is slowly starting to get it, pointing and saying “ow” whenever my pump parts are exposed.

Given that Alexander was born after I had reached my 40’s, this phenomenon has become more pronounced. Although I make efforts to spend time playing with either and/or both sons and doing activities with them, I usually opt for independent forms of entertainment , such as bringing them to outdoor parks or indoor play structures where they can socialize and play with other children their age while their aging daddy sits comfortably on a bench and watches.

Two against one! Let’s get daddy!

Being several years older than many of my counterparts, a more traditional approach t life would have seen my children reaching their teen years by now. This would allow for a significantly different type of relationship that would better accommodate the added years I have. It would also mean that the frequent lack of energy and motivation that fluctuating blood sugars cause would be mitigated as well. But such was not my path. Luckily, I still find myself in situations where I can freely play with my children and not everyone has that benefit. I’m definitely blessed in that regard. I’m looking forward to the summer months where I can start playing with the boys in the back yard, tossing a ball around or dousing them with water guns.

By the time Nathan graduates from school, I’ll be in mid-50’s. Maintaining my health and keeping my energy levels up play a big part in how well I can participate and stay active with my children, which is why it’s SO important to exercise regularly, monitor blood sugars frequently and stay in regular contact with your health or medical practitioner for the things you can’t self-monitor or diagnose. Taking good care of yourself means being able to take care of those who mean most to you. Even if this means sometimes disappointing one’s children by telling them that you need to rest and recover and can’t necessarily play. Take care of yourselves. ☯️

When A Facepalm Isn’t Enough…

So a couple of days ago, I wrote a bit of a lengthy post surrounding my weight loss ambitions, some of the background behind how/why I’ve gained some weight and different times during the past ten years. I was a little taken aback by the number of people who reached out through my feedback function and I felt that I should take time today to address some of the comments and concerns that were sent my way.

First and foremost, I will once again reiterate (for the millionth time) that I am not a doctor or health/medical practitioner nor am I a nutritionist or dietitian. When I write posts in my blog, I do so based on what research I’ve personally done and what has worked or not for me. Anything anyone reads in my posts should be taken with grain of salt and your own research should be done. After all, how can you confirm anything I may have looked up myself? I do my best to cite my sources when they’re attached to a webpage that i can include.

For example, I’m not opposed to diets. That’s a feedback comment I’ve often gotten, regarding previous comments I’ve often made about how fad diets don’t work. Here’s the thing: they don’t work for ME! Every person is different. Every metabolism and level of health is different and as such, every fad diet will provide different results for different people. This doesn’t mean that they’re universally bad, they may simply not provide the results that EVERY person is looking for.

If someone decides to try and lose weight by cutting carbs, that’s fine. So long as you’ve consulted a professional and you acknowledge that carbohydrates are actually a primary source of fuel for the human body, there’s nothing wrong with cutting back on them. Trying to eliminate them altogether brings a certain host of problems but this is why you should consult a professional before making such a change.

Since every person is different, maybe going on a specific diet has helped you shed some weight but does absolutely nothing for someone else you know who has tried it. This doesn’t make it bad, especially if it worked for you. Just be cognizant that as with all “fad” diets, the weight will likely return unless you stick to it permanently or make significant lifestyle changes.

The next aspect I’d like to address, which seems to be thrown at me often, is self-image. One’s self-image is important because it helps to define you to YOU. It’s important to one’s overall sense of wellbeing to be okay with one’s body type, weight and overall image. If you are not, it’s incumbent on YOU to make the changes necessary for you to be happy, provided it doesn’t risk your health. And that’s the caveat; being overweight and/or obese is unhealthy. But positive body image and positive health are two different things. Is it a good thing if you love yourself regardless of your weight and have a positive self-image? Abso-fucking-lutely! However, do you need to acknowledge that your health may be impacted if you’re overweight? Also abso-fucking-lutely! I

t’s up to the individual to discern and recognize that difference. I’m not lending an opinion on what any one person’s body type SHOULD be, I’m simply pointing out that weight loss is good for the body. granted, that’s to an extent, as well. As with all things in life, there needs to be a balance. One can lose TOO much weight and that becomes dangerous, as well. Living a healthy life contains many moving parts that all require attention.

Last but not least, it’s not just about the food. If you’re committing to eliminating certain “bad” foods and eating healthier, good for you. Just be sure that you recognize that you exercise regularly as well, as part of your fitness and health journey. Lack of exercise will render all other efforts moot. Diets help but you need to burn some of those calories in order to lose weight. Fat won’t necessarily burn away JUST from eating better. But don’t take my word for it, I’m struggling to slim down.

My blog is a platform for me to describe and share the experiences, knowledge and information I’ve accumulated during more than three decades of studying martial arts and four decades of living (reasonably successfully) with Type-1 Diabetes. And flex my writing muscles but that’s neither here nor there. As with all things in life, if one does not agree with content I write, I’m always open for constructive discussion, so long as the respect due to the person whom you’re addressing is observed. Otherwise, to those sending snarky or rude comments, this is why I won’t reply or engage. I don’t intentionally allow others to bring suffering into my life. Have a great weekend, everyone! ☯️

Where there Is Life, There Is Growth…

I started my current job in April of last year and I have to say… it’s been a total blast. I have good people, a good boss and the environment is conducive to my staying put for the foreseeable future, which is ultimately all one can truly ask for when contemplating employment. Enjoying what you do is an important part of maintaining a healthy life and eliminating suffering in one’s own life. But when I started in my new office, my wife and kids were kind enough to provide me with something of an office-warming gift…

This is Herb, my adorable little succulent plant. When I first got this little guy, I had him sitting on the corner of my desk so that I could glance at him occasionally throughout the work day in an effort to brighten it. As time has passed and my thoughts focused more on herb than myself, I moved him to my filing cabinet where he can get the most intermittent sunlight. I water him every Monday morning when I get to the office and I’ve come to be amazed at the growth I’ve seen in such a small plant.

I unfortunately don’t have a “before” photo… I took some when I first got the plant and I’m sure they’re still in the original post from a year ago but for the purposes of this post, a current photo will suit the purpose. As you can see from the photo above, Herb has significantly sprouted up since last year. When I first got him, his stalks were completely flat against the rim of the pot. Now, we can clearly see that his stalks are pushing up.

What’s even more interesting, is that the stalks are shifting in such a way too face the sun. This fascinates me and I’ve made a point of turning the pot on occasion, as the stalks at the back (facing away from the sun) are yellowed compared to their sun-facing counterparts. The overall plant has gone from being all but completely flat to being almost two inches tall.

Plants can be finicky at the best of times. Depending on the type and breed of plant you have, keeping them alive and healthy can be a challenge. In my case, my wife got me the perfect type of plant for me; one that requires very little watering or care and only needs intermittent sunlight. This is perfect for an office setting, where there may be a number of days where I wouldn’t be in the office. Plus, there’s no denying that having a silent touch of life in one’s environment can help to improve mood, temperament and overall productivity. ☯️

Hopping In To Help…

An interesting occurrence took place on Wednesday afternoon. It seems that a large crow took it upon itself to attack a rabbit and it’s two kittens (Yes, that’s what they are called! I checked!) It was loud and raucous enough that the rabbits thumped against the front of the house a couple of times and caught my wife’s attention. The end result was that one kitten was killed on my front lawn and the mother bolted and took off. The second kitten was found some time later, wedged beneath the wheel of our recycling bin. It didn’t happen that a rather large, fat orange cat reminiscent of Garfield, was floating around like a scavenger, looking to reap the benefits of the carnage.

I came home from work early that afternoon, and my wife was able to show me the remains of one of the kittens as well as the remaining kitten that I was able to confirm was still alive and trying to wedge itself as deeply beneath the wheel as possible. It was obviously frightened and possibly in distress, so I reached out to social media to seek assistance as to what I should do. I also contacted my City office to seek guidance as they might have access to animal control and humane society resources that I couldn’t easily access on my own.

Introducing, Fluffernut!

Some people over social media were quite helpful and provided contacts for certain wildlife rescue and animal non-profits. Others, not so much. It was very reminiscent of how far we’ve fallen as a society, where people still find something negative to say even when the situation very clearly involves helping another fellow living creature. In fact, the vast majority of people who commented basically told me just to drop this poor, vulnerable thing back out in the open and come what may! Although it makes sense and I learned as a child that one should never interfere with the process of nature, this felt different.

I ended up helping the kitten get out from under the wheel of my recycling bin. I had a small, wide clear plastic box that I lined with a small dish towel, a small bowl of water and I even went to a local pet store for advice and bought a small bag of timothy hay for the little guy to snack on. The intention was to keep him protected until I got some constructive advice on how to proceed. That constructive advice wasn’t forthcoming, with even the animal advocate groups I had reached to, telling me to just put the kitten back out in my front yard where I found him. Unfortunately, I DIDN’T find him in my front yard and rescued him from his predicament.

Energetic and apparently uninjured.

One thing that was frustrating was how many people were trying to explain that the mother returns only twice a day to feed them and leaves them be, otherwise. I kept trying to explain and correct that the kitten wasn’t found hidden under a bush or in a den, waiting for momma to come back with food. This was an active situation where the momma and the babies were being attacked and killed. This changed the dynamic for me and I felt that since the mother had bolted, it may have changed it for her, as well.

The one wildlife rescue group I messaged, and obviously I won’t be naming any of these organizations because I’m not trying to shed negative light on them, basically told me to leave the kitten outside overnight and if it was still there and alive the following morning, that they’d consider picking him up. Given my personal beliefs, I feel that I have a significant respect for all life and I couldn’t bring myself to just drop this guy outside and go sleep in my warm, safe bed. I was taken aback with how little regard people had and how little they were concerned.

Hanging out in my garage with Fluffernut

When my 7-year old son realized there was a baby rabbit in the garage, the reaction was exactly what one would expect from a child. He was excited and fascinated and almost immediately started rationalizing why Fluffernut would make a wonderful pet. I had to explain in no uncertain terms that he was a wild rabbit and we couldn’t keep him and had to try and get him back to his mother. With no constructive information coming my way from any source and a lack of understanding otherwise, my wife and I agreed to bring him inside for the night, leave him in the makeshift bed we provided and see what the morning would bring.

While I was doing dishes in my kitchen, which overlooks our driveway and front yard, I suddenly noticed three large, adult rabbits sitting on my driveway. I was caught off guard as I’ve often noticed one rabbit at a time in our front yard but never sitting on our driveway and never in such high numbers. Were they looking for Fluffernut? Were all the heartless idiots online right and I should have left him outside? I retrieved Fluffernut and brought him outside. My plan was to put him under the base of our pine tree and let the rabbits retrieve him (if that was the goal).

As soon as I started trying to set him down, he started making panicked noises in my palm, which didn’t help with the heartbreak I felt at just ditching him outside. I begrudgingly left him in the shelter of my pine tree and retreated to the house. I prepared my children for bed, watch a bit of television with my wife and tried to make my peace with the chaotic and sometimes seemingly cruel nature of, well… nature! My wife and I eventually went to bed and the day had ended, rabbits and all.

I went outside almost immediately the next morning and noticed that Fluffernut was nowhere to be found beneath my tree. Although I’ll never know what actually happened, I like to think the mother came back and retrieved him. There are more lessons to learn about this whole scenario than I could possibly write in one post. But the most important to me, is that we’re all living in the same world. Although many would have argued that we should have just left all of this alone, being willing to allow a vulnerable creature to be killed or die needlessly, especially on my property, is what’s wrong with the world. Compassion, caring and the reduction of suffering could NEVER be a bad thing. I’ve unfortunately discovered that the majority of the population in my city haven’t learned that lesson. ☯️

But Weight, There’s More…

As if the pandemic weren’t bad enough, with being sent home from my job and losing access to a world-class gym on a daily basis, I was suddenly found gaining more weight in one sitting than I chose to think about. Over the course of the 2020 year, I pudged up to the point where some of my favourite pieces of clothing weren’t fitting me anymore (probably didn’t help that sitting at home gave me time to sit in my garage on my ass, sipping beer and eating snacks).

Everything seemed to align in just the perfect circumstances to promote this phenomenon, with karate classes closes due to the pandemic as well. I was left to my own devices, which as much as I would like to say that my sheer strength of will would be enough, it wasn’t. Don’t judge, I’m sure most of you would be the same. Although January of this year saw me take some positive steps in the right direction, joining a new karate club and performing specific workouts throughout the week, an injury that took me off my feet in early April saw me sitting still for almost two months while I recovered.

The worst part is this time, I had no choice. The end result has seen my weight fluctuate by only a few pounds; the issue is that I’ve lost a fair bit of muscle mass and gained a fair bit of fat. now that I’ve returned to the dojo, I find myself in a quandary over how to shed these pounds in a healthy, reasonable way. And that brings us to the topic of today’s post, which was supposed to actually be a video but the amount of time it takes to successfully take a video without mumbling over my words and looking like an idiot, edit and prepare the video, upload it to my YouTube channel and then link all my pertinent platforms so they receive the video for those who aren’t subscribed to my channel (GET TO YOUTUBE AND SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL!), it’s far more time-efficient to write it out. But I digress…

Diabetes and weight gain have something of an inappropriate relationship, feeding off one another like a couple of co-dependent leeches that can’t seem to cut me a break. On the one side, fluctuating blood sugars, poor management habits and gorging on sugared goods when hitting a low definitely don’t help. The other side of the Diabetes equation is that insulin is technically a growth hormone and will promote weight gain in the least wanted of places; namely, the gut and overall abdomen.

Although I’ve always been a bit on the heavier side, I’ve also remained intensely active, which has played a huge role in keeping the tide of weight gain at bay. Genetics also plays something of a role, with my father being a significant hefty man, sitting at over 300 pounds of raw, red-headed aggression. But my decades of constant exercise, karate and trying to mind what’s on my plate has played well in my favour. And then, 2009 happened…

In 2009, I travelled to Regina, Saskatchewan to undergo the Cadet Training Program at the RCMP Training Academy at “Depot.” I was subjected to a gruelling 24 weeks of intense physical and educational training, and the learning curve was steep. On a good day, I’d be out of bed between 4 and 5 am. I’d make my bed, shower up and dress in the uniform of the day. I’d attend morning parade, grab a brief, 10-minute breakfast before starting my day, which often consisted of several workouts of varying kinds and trying to stay awake through classes where we covered off the various subjects required by a police officer in the course of their duties. The evening would involve heavy amounts of study, followed by more workouts on our down time.

After 24 weeks of that bullshit, all I wanted to do was sleep. To put that into perspective, the basic training program for the Canadian military is anywhere between 10 to 12 weeks. All of that complaining notwithstanding, I arrived at Depot weighing a reasonable 185 pounds. I had just reached my 30’s and I still had that youthful energy that I sorely miss, these days. By the time I completed basic training, I had dropped to 165 pounds. I was the slimmest and felt the lightest and fastest that I ever had. Granted, this came at the cost of working out beyond what was healthy, functioning on minimal calories and severe lack of sleep. Some nights, my head wouldn’t hit the pillow until 1 am and I’d be up again at 5 am.

It didn’t take long for me to balloon up beyond the 220-pound mark, what with shift work, poor eating habits and the lack of consistent exercise. It wasn’t until 2016, when I returned to Regina to take a teaching position at the academy, that I was able to see some stability and start shaving down the weight I had gained. I had full access to the academy’s training facilities, I joined a local karate school and I broke out the bicycle and started making it a staple of my fitness regime. Without delving into some of the more unhealthy habits from my academy days, I was able to hover at the 200-pound mark for the longest time.

As of writing this post, I’m sitting at 208 pounds. Certainly not the heaviest I’ve ever been but I recognize that my muscle to fat ratio isn’t what I would like to see it at. To be clear, I don’t consider myself fat or even unhealthy; I simply recognize that recent events have put me in a position where I need to make a concerted effort to slim down in order to be healthier, whether I regain muscle mass or not. The burning of excess fat is important for overall blood sugar and Diabetic control, as well as cardiac and overall health.

Diabetes and weight loss will continue to be a challenge and the only thing that can really help is rolling up one’s sleeves and finding the inner strength to do what must be done in order to promote one’s health and overall fitness. And as much fun as it is to have others encouraging you and motivating you, never forget that the encouragement and motivation has to come from you. It’s you against you; the paradox that drives us all. ☯️

Trust, A Blind Leap of Faith…

Like most people, I’ve suffered through trusting people who have burned me badly in life. This has applied to both my personal and professional life, with some of the ones who violated my trust being something of a surprise when it happened. It’s a special kind of hell when someone you know and trust contravenes that trust, especially when you opened yourself up and made yourself vulnerable; something you may not have done in most cases.

As my 7-year old awkwardly found out a couple of weeks ago, trust is a bit like a fart… If you have to force it, it’ll likely be shit. We all have an inherent instinct to recognize when someone is significantly untrustworthy. But what about the ones that AREN’T significant? Does that make that lack of trust any less important? I guess it depends on the nature of the mistrust.

For the most part, people tend to fall under two categories: the ones who believe that trust is earned and the ones who feel that they can trust an individual until they betray that trust and then the trust needs to be rebuilt or re-earned. I’m sure there are many other sub-categories” and I’m mostly thinking out loud, here. But it’s important to acknowledge that unlike respect, which includes individuals who may have some passing entitlement by virtue of their station or association to you, trust falls under a different category and can be murky waters to try and navigate.

Nothing that I’m saying here is rocket science and I don’t think any of you are slapping your forehead in some sudden shock of epiphany. All I’m saying with today’s post is that life doesn’t care about one’s plan and some times, the only way to genuinely learn is by taking the leap and seeing where it takes you. There are a number of individuals that I’ve met, associated and befriended that although I don’t necessarily wish I hadn’t, I recognize that they’ve said and done things that have brought damage and difficulty to my life and are no longer deserving of my trust.

If such instances never happened, one could easily develop and unfortunate “blind trust,” where one believes that trusting anyone in any situation is just fine and there are no issues with that. Ultimately, we all need people we can trust in our lives. For me, I’m blessed to have my wife and a few friends and associates that I know I can trust implicitly. But the only way I know that is because I’ve been through the difficult situations that are the opposite of that.

They may have sucked and have been difficult to get through, some have caused damage to my life that I may feel for years to come, but they were a necessary part of my growth and life experience. As long as one ensures to protect oneself as best as they can, that’s really all one can do while navigating the stormy seas of life. As usual, food for thought… ☯️

It’s Not A Solitary Journey…

Once ion a while, you may encounter someone who has the ability to push through and reach their goals without any assistance or guidance from the outside world. These people are pretty rare and are the exception to the rule, not the common theme. And even for those who go it alone, they’ve usually learned the skill or reached the goal they’ve set by learning from a source that was written, filmed, developed or provided by an another individual. If you look at it from that perspective, they’ve still gotten help from someone else. And there’s an important lesson to learn from that…

Originally, and I’m talking way back before we stood upright, humans were nomadic animals. We stopped long enough to find food, mate and bear children and move on. Eventually, as we evolved and progressed, we came to realize that certain things were easier when we stuck together. There was strength in numbers, we were safer in packs, food was easier to attain and we could maintain a better lifestyle in groups. This became the norm as humans eventually became sedentary and would seek each other out for this purpose. Although you can still find the odd individual here and there who lives completely off grid and by themselves, they’re pretty rare.

The moral of this morning’s narrative is that humans have evolved to come together to tackle common causes. And some of them are substantial enough that they would be all but impossible to learn by oneself. And this is where karate comes in. I recognize that someone, somewhere, closed their fist and used it as a weapon for the first time, although one could argue that this was likely more instinctive than anything. But for anyone who has studied karate extensively, can you imagine trying to learn that art by yourself? Sure, you could find books and videos, either online or in stores but there’s nothing that quite substitutes the presence inside the dojo.

Everyone who is in the dojo has come together for a common cause; to learn the art. Although one’s reason for wanting to learn may be different than another, that end result will always be the same. This is why it’s important to come together within the dojo and help each other out. There’s no room in a traditional dojo for egos, attitude and cheering for one person over another. The dojo environment is meant to serve as a safe space for all students to learn. The only thing worse than a McDojo (look it up, I’ve written several posts on this) is a dojo where the instructor ignores, belittles or openly ignores one of their students.

I once wrote about something referred to as the martial arts ladder. The concept is pretty simple: a student advances and progresses to a point where they can teach and pass on knowledge to another. Once the other student begins to learn and progress, they may climb that ladder and surpass the one who was helping them along. It’s important at that point to stop, turn around and assist that surpassed student in climbing higher as well. And this is how we grow, by helping each other up one rung at a time.

Last but not least, it’s important to communicate within the dojo and with your instructor. If you feel that you aren’t being treated fairly or that there is something off, you should talk about it. Although there are rules of conformity within any dojo and it’s important to show proper respect, your instructor likely can’t teach you properly if they don’t know there’s a problem. And it genuinely sucks to be training in an environment while suffering in silence. Talking about such things is not a sign of weakness but a sign of maturity; the modern dojo has no place for the disregard of a student. Food for thought… ☯️