Category: Fitness & Well Being

If Your Ego Won’t Fit Through The X-ray Machine, It Needs To Be Checked…

I’ve trained with more martial artists over the decades than I could ever possibly hope to count… Different schools, different styles and different personalities notwithstanding, not everyone views what they’re doing the same way. For example, I’ve often noticed that children and teenagers will often be quite proud of being in karate and may occasionally even brag about their skills and prowess.

But it’s important to remember that there’s a big difference between pride and ego. Ego is one’s sense of self-importance or self-esteem. It can be an important part of a person’s overall existence but becomes a problem if it inflates beyond certain healthy levels. It’s possible for one to have an inflated ego where they genuinely believe they’re better than everybody else or have greater skills than everyone else.

Honestly, there’s no room for that shit in traditional karate. I’m well aware that some school shave students like this; I’ve even TAUGHT students like this but it usually never ends well. I was reminded of this recently when I was training at. The Shotokan dojo. I’ve always been very confident in my skills, even in recent years. But I was quickly reminded that time and age are rarely kind and there will always be others who may be more skilled. Squaring off against another student who happens to be half my age and weight but skilled to the same degree was all I needed as a sobering reminder.

Another fantastic aspect that reminded me of this, is when one of the instructors came to me after class ended last week and asked me to teach him one of my Uechi Ryu katas. I was more than happy to oblige and he patiently worked through the beginnings of Sanchin, which is ironically the first and last karate that we learn. We got to discussing how, if one is willing to set aside their egos and learn, rank meant nothing and there was always something more to be gained. Especially when experienced practitioners from different styles are willing to share with one another.

It brought me to believe that I made a good choice in choosing this school as the next leg of my martial arts journey. But it also reminded me of all the times that I’ve dealt with someone who bragged they were the best and had a better style, only to get flattened when they faced me. And maybe a few times when people practicing something I thought less of, flattened ME in much the same way. There’s no room for ego.

The important detail is to go in with an open mind. Check your ego at the door and be willing to listen, learn and absorb. This is truly the only way to be successful in one’s martial arts training. As the old story goes, it’s hard to add to a cup which is already full. If you walk into a dojo with a bunch of pre-conceived notions or opinions, regardless of your rank or skill level, you’ll fail before you even begin. And THAT would be a loss to everyone concerned. Food for thought… ☯️

It’s Toe-tally Painful…

I know that it seems as though I’m often posting about negative shit but trust me when I say, it’s about the journey and the pitfalls we face, not the negative aspect. That being said, it can be easy to fill an entire book with the negative aspects of Diabetes, considering the side effects and secondary issues it causes within the human body. One of them happens to be that wounds are much more difficult to heal for someone with type-1 Diabetes. This if for a variety of reasons including but not limited to, poor blood circulation and nerve damage.

One of the nastiest and most annoying wounds that one can get, is when a toe splits open. Believe it or not, this can happen a great deal when doing karate by virtue of some of the stepping, stomping and movement performed repetitively on a hard floor over hours of class time. I recently discovered this when I noticed last Thursday night after class that my right foot stung every time I took a step. When I got my phone out to snap a pic of what was happening underneath (I’m sure as hell not flexible enough anymore to bring my foot up to my face) I found a fine cut, right the seam where the toe meets the foot.

Calloused but clean…

These types of wounds are worse than paper cuts, because they continue to constantly move and flex with every step one takes. This means that it’s all the more difficult for these kinds of cuts to heal in a timely manner because the wound can’t sit long enough for it to close up quickly (or as quickly as a Diabetic foot will permit). And of course, all the usual Diabetes-related issues will apply; poor circulation in the extremities and neurological damage will contribute to the overall length of time it takes to heal.

That being said, there are things you can do to ensure this type of wound DOES heal up, whether it takes a bit longer or not. Keeping your feet warm and dry are the first lines of defence. Moist feet will breed bacteria (yes, I used the word “moist,” get over it), which is the last thing you want when you have an open wound in an enclosed area like the bottom of a toe. Although most and covered wounds may be more likely to let regeneration happen faster in most wounds, you need to consider the totality of where the injury is, coupled with the fact that the cut I’m showing you in the photo above won’t scab. No one likes scabs, but they do serve an important role in the healing process.

Since a cut like this won’t easily accommodate a band-aid or bandages, keeping the wound site clean can be problematic, especially if you’re stubborn and will keep going to class and training with bare feet. As much as it pains me to recommend it, taking the next class or two off, to allow the cut to heal is preferable to walking and training on a floor where several parties are all bare-footed as well. Luckily, I discovered this cut on Thursday night and no longer have class until Monday night, so I should be able to let it heal.

When you’ve showered/bathed, be sure to dry the area properly and don’t be afraid to let your feet air out well before slipping on socks. If you wear slippers, remember that those bastards contain everything your feet come into contact with. So if you’ve got a pair of old faithfuls that you’ve been wearing for years and you slip them on your freshly-showered feet, you’re mashing light-knows-what into your wound that’s been collected inside them bastards when your feet maybe weren’t as clean as you’d like to think. Moving on…

Antibiotic creams or gels CAN be helpful, although the jury is out on whether they genuinely provide faster healing or not. The consensus I’ve found is that they can help to reduce the risk of infection in simple cuts and wounds but may not do a great deal for the length of time it takes to heal. The other thing to consider is if you smear antibiotic cream into the crook of your toe, as with the cut in the picture above, you’re likely going to rub it all off as soon as you start walking, barefooted or not.

This is the part where I explain that proper diet and exercise and strict management of your blood sugars level will all help with the proper healing of cuts and wounds on your feet. As with any injury, you should seek medical attention if you start to notice that it’s becoming red and angry, turning strange colours, spreading or oozing pus or fluid. Or if it’s been an extended period of time without healing. That’s kind of important, as well.

Limb amputation is the last point I’ll touch on in this post, as morbid as it may be. It’s a harsh reality that’s people will Diabetes often need to face, especially in cases where their condition is poorly controlled and monitored. When a wound in the extremities becomes aggravated or infected, there’s a greater chance that it can lead to amputation, which is why it’s so important to take good care of your feet. You only get one set, so you need to pay attention. Check your feet for wounds and sores you may not feel or be aware you have. Keep that circulation going and keep your blood sugars controlled. ☯️

Take A Knee…

Nobody likes feeling pain and if you do, you likely run in circles that won’t have you reading a Buddhist blog. But I’m not here to judge. GENERALLY, people don’t like to feel pain and it’s no secret that there are many sources of pain outside of accidental or intentional. I’ve recently written posts about injuries and how they can be aggravated by Diabetes as well as how one shouldn’t ignore injuries or pain if they persist for long periods of time.

One of the body parts that can relate to ALL of those aspects are one’s joints. I don’t know about you but as the years have dragged on, I’ve started to notice an increased amount of joint paint. Not consistent and certainly not debilitating but just enough that it draws my notice.

Now, just to be clear because sometimes I’m not, a joint as it relates to the body is where two bones meet. Joints allow the free movement of the body, which we would be unable to do otherwise. These meetings of bones are held together by ligaments, which are strong elastic bands of tissue and movement is achieved by tendons, which are also a connective tissue that connect to the muscles that create movement.

All caught up? Good. People tend to take their joints and the respective movement they provide for granted and assume that muscles are solely responsible for proper movement. But there are many moving pieces to the process (pun fully intended). The last piece of the puzzle is cartilage. This is another type of connective tissue that serves a number of different functions throughout the body. One of the most important among these functions is coating the bones in a joint to cushion them against friction and impact.

Over time and extensive use, such as one might see from decades of martial arts training, the cartilage in one’s joints can become worn. This wear and tear can eventually cause loss of motion in the joint and pain as the bare surfaces of the bones start to rub together. This grinding of bones is called osteoarthritis, or the “wear-and-tear” disease.

It’s not always as bad as bare bones rubbing against each other. Even mild conditions can have you feeling aches and pains in the joints, especially when moving. It’s important to pay attention to these aches and pains as they can be treated in various ways but it’s obviously easier to do so before it becomes worse. Any joint pain you feel that’s sharp or acute can mean something more serious, like a torn ligament or tendon, muscle damage of bone fractures. None of those should be left untreated and you should have them checked by your medical practitioner.

Why am I writing about this? Well, the reality is that when one studies a contact art like karate, one’s joints take a terrific beating, figuratively and literally. I know that after the many decades of training hard, my joints certainly aren’t what they used to be and I would be lying if I said my knees don’t swell up like balloons on rainy days. The important thing is to keep stretching, warming up the body and ensuring that you don’t ignore consistent, chronic pain when it becomes known. Your body will thank you. ☯️

It’s Not All In The Dojo…

Yesterday, I wrote a post about dojo code of conduct and the etiquette that should be observed, regardless of what school you’re in or visiting. It’s a post I’ve written a few times over the past few years, because the concept never changes for me and merits being revisited. Plus, it’s always a good idea to provide information to potential new readers who may not have the time or motivation to read through almost 1,100 of my posts. yes, I may be bragging just a wee bit. I may be full of myself but honestly, who else would I be full of? But I digress…

When I covered a point related to not wasting your instructor’s time, I explained the concept that one shouldn’t JUST be training in the dojo. Although I kept it short (short by MY standards, of course), I think the concept merits further examination. When it comes to something like karate, it’s important to remember that it takes a greater commitment than attending a few classes a week. Although you MAY progress by doing this, the speed and level of your progress would be greatly improved by taking the time to train by yourself, outside the dojo.

When I joined karate, we had three, two-hour classes scheduled every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It was a good spread and I almost always consistently attended all three classes. Over the years, I began to notice a trend where most students would only attend two out of three classes each week, with Friday being the most popular class to miss by virtue of the weekend arriving. For me, Friday was an easier night to train since I didn’t have the burden of homework to concern me before bed. But these absences eventually led to Sensei cancelling out the Friday classes, much to my dismay. I was lucky enough that one of Sensei’s black belts had opened a school of her own nearby and one of her classes happened to be on a Friday.

One of my many quirks (others call them quirks, I call it commitment) that made me somewhat unpopular among my friends, especially when I started dating, was the fact that I would attend class NO MATTER WHAT. This would often be a pain to others, especially during the warmer seasons when we’d be out swimming or sitting around a fire. “Oh, you can miss one class… We’re chillin’ here…” Chill away, lazy folks! Imma go build on my foundation. It sounds like I’m bragging and maybe on some level I am. The point is that I understood, even at a young age that I wouldn’t get to where I wanted to be or have the level of health I wanted to achieve by skipping out on class every time something fun presented itself.

The other problem is that I’d constantly be referencing karate or practicing outside the dojo. Again, others called it a problem; I called it commitment. If we hung out at the beach, I’d soon find myself doing forms on the sand. If we were on a road trip, I’d be using a hand grip strengthener to work my fingers and my grip. That used to drive my friends crazy, especially since I was usually the one driving. If homework was light and it WASN’T a karate night, I was still putting in a couple of hours in my bedroom or I’d go jogging or speed cycling. Anything and everything I could do to improve and increase my overall health and karate development.

It wasn’t always easy. In some ways, a lot of ways, I missed out on a lot of experiences that are considered a right of passage to some. I didn’t go to my prom. I never partied or drank alcohol as a teenager. I never travelled or participated in extra-curricular activities. I just never had the time. I always doing karate. It took me a little over ten years to achieve my black belt, even with that level of intensity and commitment. Of course, there were a number of differences between Sensei’s dojo and many of the ones you see now. Asking to be tested was not permitted; it was up to Sensei to deem when you’d be ready and to test accordingly. And a decade is pretty average in terms of obtaining a black belt in a traditional form of martial arts.

The lesson here is that there really isn’t a bad reason for joining karate, unless your reason is to beat the shit out of someone. So ultimately, if you attend your few classes every week, get a solid sweat in and learn anything, you’ll have still accomplished something. And anything is always something more than nothing. But if you truly want to learn the art, progress and grow into a proficient martial artist, it’ll take more than that. Time is one of the world’s most precious commodities. It the only one we can’t artificially produce or created more of. Giving of your own time is the greatest commitment you can make towards your martial arts journey. And it will eventually yield the best rewards. ☯️

Dojo Code Of Conduct


All the way back in December of 2019, I wrote a post outlining the proper guidelines a prospective student should follow when attending ANY martial arts school. Some of these are simply a matter of tradition, some of them are necessary to ensure that a dojo runs smoothly. Some, mostly all of them, are also a show of respect for the school you’ve chosen to attend. I think we can all agree that even if you’ve studied in a different style or have a different set of core beliefs, you should still show respect when inside someone else’s dojo. ESPECIALLY if your goal is to have it become your dojo, as well. Of course, if your core beliefs don’t align with the school you’re visiting, you likely shouldn’t be joining. But that’s a concept for a different post.

In recent months, I’ve returned to the dojo environment after a significant hiatus. My absence from any martial arts school was equal parts circumstance and COVID-19. But I’ve had the opportunity to observe some students, visitors and outsiders in the dojo I currently train with. Taking into consideration some of the things I’ve observed, I thought it would be ideal to once again share some of the basic principles of conduct within the dojo. This is never an exhaustive list and is often subjective to what’s been seen in the dojo but it’s all good stuff. Here we go:

  1. Bow when entering or exiting the dojo: This seems like a bit of a tiny detail, but it is an important one. It provides a show of respect; respect towards the instructors, respect towards the ones who trained before you, and respect towards the school. It also evokes a sense of discipline. Even though you may not realize it now, that tiny detail begins to lay the foundational discipline that should become the cornerstone of your training;
  2. Ensure your Gi, or karate uniform, is clean and pressed: This one is important not only for protocol and etiquette, but for hygiene reasons as well. And you would be surprised how many people overlook it. There’s nothing worse than someone who assumes that their last workout wasn’t intense enough to warrant laundering their uniform. Make sure it’s clean. Not only does that ensure a more “pleasant” environment for yourself and the other students, it shows proper respect for the uniform you wear on your journey. Keep an eye on the condition of your uniform. If it’s become yellowed and stained, regardless of washing, it’s time to replace it. If there are tears and/or holes, have them repaired (unless they’re unsightly even once fixed). You shouldn’t have to iron your gi but if you do, for the love of ALL that’s good and holy, don’t iron a crease down the center of your pants. Your going to karate class, not a business meeting;
  3. Stand straight and pay attention: When not executing a movement in the immediate moment, it is imperative that you stand straight and tall, heels together and thumbs tucked into the front of your belt. Keep your gaze towards the front and pay close attention to what the head instructor is saying. Try to avoid looking around and fidgeting. A big part of discipline is being able to focus long enough to build an attention span beyond that of a goldfish and if you fidget and spend your time, you may miss an integral piece of information you needed for what you’re working on;
  4. Acknowledge every instruction given: Different styles will have different ways of doing this. Some will choose a shallow bow when the head instructor provides instruction, some will answer in the affirmative by saying Hai (Japanese for “yes”) or something of the like… The method of acknowledgment will depend on the style and school you’re in. But once it’s clear that the instructor has completed providing instruction, this small acknowledgment is not only a sign of respect but provide the instructor with some cursory way of knowing that you’ve understood what’s been said;
  5. No food or drink within the dojo: You would think this one would be common sense, but a martial arts school is no place for you to sip your mocha-choca latte while your kid trains. Since the average martial arts class only lasts about an hour and a half to two hours, you can manage this easily without having food and drink within the confines of a training environment. In recent years, I’ve noticed that it’s become a bit more of a common thing for the practitioners to carry water bottles into the dojo and take water breaks throughout training. I’m pretty divided on this, considering Sensei always use to tell us to use the washroom and grab our drink BEFORE class started, because once you bowed in, you were in until you bowed out. But from a health perspective, I understand better than most that proper hydration is important. That being said, my current classes are only an hour in length and the average person should be able to make it through that short period without necessarily sucking back on a bottle;
  6. Get out of the way: If you become injured or over-tired, bow, step back and sit in seiza (on your knees) at the rear of the class. Stay out of the way and remove yourself from the flow of the class until your fatigue passes or your injury allows you to continue. Of course, if your injury is severe or serious enough to think you need to remove yourself, you likely shouldn’t continue as you could aggravate the injury further. The point is, there’s nothing to be served by standing in the way while others continue and you shouldn’t expect that everyone will stop and wait. After all, this is their time, too;
  7. Don’t show up late: This one is and always has been, a personal pet peeve of mine. Some instructors will say that if you show up late, it’s better to get “some of the workout” in rather than none at all. Although that is a great concept, showing up late can be disruptive to a class and shows great disrespect to your class and instructors. We all have busy lives. It falls to you to plan ahead and schedule things so that you may attend class. Whether or not showing up late is appropriate will be up to your head instructor, but true respect dictates that if you aren’t fifteen minutes early for class, you’re already late. A good example is a recent evening where I had to fight off a bout of low blood sugar and didn’t make it to class. I’m sure that if I really pushed it fought my way down there, I would have been able to make it only a short period after start of class. But such disrespect for the flow of a dojo’s operations shouldn’t be encouraged;
  8. Don’t waste your instructor’s time: Although you’ve likely paid a fee for your presence, the instructor(s) within the school are there to impart their knowledge and skills to you and others. If you aren’t going to put in your full effort, then you’re wasting your instructors time. Effectively, you’re also wasting your time AND the fee you paid. You’re also affecting the other student’s ability to learn properly. Karate isn’t something you can walk into a few 1-hour classes and expect to progress. You need to put in some supplementary time training outside the dojo, on your own. This is the only way you’ll truly progress and make any headway. Otherwise, you may as well join a knitting circle;
  9. Respect and train based on your partner: You will sometimes be paired with someone of lower or higher rank than yourself. If you’re paired with someone of lower rank, you become the example of what is to be taught. If you inflict injury upon your partner, you may discourage them from further learning and you will have gained nothing yourself. If training with someone of higher rank, respect should be given and you should take every advantage to learn from this person as they are in the same position you would be if training with a lower ranked belt. Granted, time has proven that there is just as much you can learn from a lower rank. It depends on how positive your perspective may be…

I’ve seen everything from kids running around, coffee, students fidgeting and looking around… In a school I no longer train with, there was even one guy who showed up forty minutes late for class with a bag of cheeseburgers and ate while the rest of us did calisthenics! Besides the fact that the smell of burgers was killing me, a karate dojo is definitely NOT the place to eating, much less junk food. Even though some of these points could be viewed simply as one’s person’s opinion, it stands to reason that tradition and respect are things that should never be ignored in the dojo.

Folks, no matter what sport or art you study, there will always be guidelines to follow. The martial arts simply have more, and that’s part of the charm. Although the above guidelines are only basic, they apply to any martial arts school you attend. Your specific dojo may have more, and this is one of those moments where it’s important to take the initiative and ask. After all, respect is a primary aspect of karate and all martial arts. Food for thought… ☯

It’s Never Too Late, Until It Is…

“It’s never too late…” How often have you heard that saying throughout the course of your life? It’s a well-known utterance, usually accompanying someone who is doing something said to be beyond the social or physiological limits of their current state. I’ve often read inspirational stories of people in their 70’s getting their PhD’s or parent and child graduating from the same college at the same time, together. Imagine how awkward THOSE frat parties would be? But to some, age is just a number and time seems infinite. I recently read a story about how Willie Nelson earned his fifth degree black belt at the age of 81. You can read that article here.

The big problem with this concept, and trust me when I say that I’m not TRYING to be negative, is that eventually it DOES become too late. Exceptional accomplishments much later in life are the exception, not the rule. This doesn’t make them impossible, simply improbable. And doing so is extremely subjective. Perhaps one person’s specific factors won’t allow for the same level of accomplishment as another. This is true of any point in life, not just the latter part. But eventually, the rigours and responsibilities of life start to accumulate one can find themselves at the mercy of responsibility instead of enjoying the freedom of their own potential. What’s possible becomes a fevered dream, to be dwelt upon during fleeting moments drowned in a cloud of reminiscent drunkenness.

I know that some of this likely sounds negative as hell and once again, it’s totally not meant to be. But since I’m throwing out sayings and utterances, another important one to keep in mind would be, “life is short.” And it is. None of us have any idea when life will take a turn towards that dark tunnel with the light at the end of it, so we should take full advantage. If you spend your life saying that it’s never too late, eventually, time will run out and it WILL be. Although one can always try their best to shoot for the stars, it’s important not to wait on the things that matter to you. Want to train for your black belt? Today is the day you should get started. Want to get on a diet and start losing weight? Don’t wait, get at it. Tomorrow is one more day that you haven’t done what you need to do. “It’s never too late?” Sure, until it is…

Never forget that life should be a pleasant experience. But that takes effort. Happiness should be the first and last thing on every person’s mind in a day but we cause our own suffering, and feeling a sense of loss over the “what if’s” only contribute to that suffering. Despite the pleasantness, life also wasn’t meant to be easy. And one shouldn’t mistake an easy life with happiness. One is not synonymous with the other. One can easily find happiness while still navigating the difficulties of life. What one should never do, is put off the things they want to accomplish. Because eventually, inevitably, the time will come when it WILL be too late. Food for thought… ☯️

Like A Hamster On A Wheel…

One of the big things I enjoy doing for fitness is cardio. There’s something pleasant about pushing oneself to go farther and faster, all while burning calories and fat. Given that my knees are pretty shot from three decades of fight training, I usually opt for cycling because it allows maximum distance while still getting a good burn without all the impact on my knees. This is why I opt for the elliptical during the winter. But despite having the centre of gravity equivalent to a rock, I can run. I usually choose not to, but I can.

During the late autumn and winter months, I’ve taken advantage of using the gym located in my office building. I’ve posted videos of what that location has to offer and it’s served me well. But in recent weeks, I’ve come to find out that circumstances may take this location away and I’ve once again found myself in a position where cardio will take a back seat. I mean, let’s be honest… I have free weights at home. I have a punching bag at home. And I now have a dojo at my disposal. This means that cardio is very literally the only reason I would use the gym location in question.

I’ve gotten rather lazy in recent weeks, missing some classes and negating the aforementioned cardio. There are a number of reasons behind this, including but not limited to the increased work load that has kept me from taking time to run at work. And I kind of enjoy spending some time at home, you know? With this in mind, I started looking for something I could do at home. A traditional elliptical machine or stationary bike would be too heavy and cumbersome to get downstairs, not to mention it would cost a fortune.

My GoZone “Walking” treadmill…

Enter: the GoZone Walking Treadmill. I purchased it from a local retail outlet and I usually don’t make it a point to endorse any particular distributor, but it doesn’t take a genius to guess what location I’m talking about, given the brand name. Pricing in at about $250, it’s currently on special for about $160. It supports a maximum weight of 265 pounds but only weighs 40 pounds, itself. it doesn’t boast a handlebar with a bunch of fancy buttons and displays but it definitely serves the purpose for an at-home workout area.

Digital display

I started by plugging it in to a nearby wall socket and set upon my laptop for music/streaming. It comes with a small, handheld remote, which controls speed and time. The digital display alternates between elapsed time, speed (in mph), distance (in miles) and energy burned. There’s a memory key on the remote that allows you to set maximum distance or time, and a rounded button for speed adjustment. Maxing out at 6 mph (approximately 10 kph), it allows for a reasonable jog. It wouldn’t be fitting for someone looking to train at hard running but definitely serves its purpose for some at-home cardio.

I’m not keen on the fact that it looks as though I have boobs…

I hadn’t run or performed any significant cardio in months, so I decided to test the treadmill out by running a simple mile (1.6 kilometres). I had Disney+ playing on the laptop and I was watching “According to Jim.” The mile crept up quickly and I could feel the shin splints building as I neared the end. It was a good burn, albeit brief, and once I stopped, my core temperature decided to catch up and I was sheathed in sweat. my blood sugars also dropped, making me grateful for training at home. Nathan also hopped on and trotted for almost half a mile.

Being old and out of breath is no joke…

Honestly, I was a bit concerned that the track would start to falter with me running on it. But it held up pretty well. I don’t know how long this thing will continue to work as smoothly as it does but it will make an excellent addition to my fitness routine. Given the low, reasonable cost, light-weight design and portability for storage and reasonable speed, the GoZone “Walking” treadmill is definitely recommended. I keep putting “walking” in quotations because I’ll only ever use it for jogging. ☯️

Self-Care First…

If you’re anything like me, you work pretty hard towards taking care of others. Whether you’ve found your calling by pursuing a career that allows you to help others or you do volunteer work or perhaps simply take that extra amount of time in your daily routine to throw on a load of laundry, do extra dishes or extra cleaning around the house, helping and taking care of others is an important part of one’s life. If there’s anything that life has taught me, it’s that everybody needs somebody and helping to care for them takes many forms and is important.

That is to say, it’s ALMOST as important as taking care of yourself. Great strides have been made in the past couple of decades towards acknowledging one’s mental health as an integral part of a successful, healthy life. Of course, some have been wise enough to acknowledge that, long before it started being well-known. The important thing to remember is that you’re no good to anyone else unless you manage to take care of yourself first. I’ve previously written about the need to take time to do things for oneself, whether that means reading a book or taking a drive on your own.

Your mental health depends on it, which is why it’s so important. Throughout my life, I’ve experienced toxic relationships where I’ve been hindered or prevented from taking proper care of myself. Not only does this make life far harder than it needs to be but the toll it takes on a person is substantial. All that being said, there are three things you should never have to explain or justify. And those three things play an important role in your well-being. In fact, they represent some of the basic needs that all people have. Here they are:

The Need To Sleep

Sleep is an integral part of a person’s health. Without proper sleep, a person can expect difficulty concentrating, blood pressure issues, cardiac issues and a whole score of health-related issues that no one wants to deal with. When you feel tired or sleepy, there’s no reason you should have to explain the need to sleep. There’s nothing worse than being tired and wanting to lie down, only to have someone require an explanation or accuse you of being lazy.

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, sleep counts as a physiological need, which is the bottom and first layer of needs. At its most basic, everyone sleeps. And the reality is that if one doesn’t sleep, one will eventually succumb and die. Work and familial obligations notwithstanding, you shouldn’t have to explain if you need to lie down and grab a quick snooze.

The Need To Eat

Another bottom level and basic physiological need, eating is subjective to the person. The rules of survival are pretty simple; if you’re hungry, you should eat. Now, bear in mind that hunger can be attributed to more than simply the need for food. Dehydration can cause feelings of hunger, so it’s important to maintain proper hydration levels by sipping water throughout the day. Emotional issues can also cause a person to compulsively eat, which isn’t directly associated to hunger but can cause a person to eat outside the regular boundaries of one’s three meals.

But if you find yourself hungry for the the old fashion reason, that being that you need food in your system, this isn’t something that you should need to explain or justify. In past relationships, I’ve actually had partners who have commented on my eating habits and have accused me of “eating too much” or gaining unnecessary weight through excessive eating. Although I’m not exactly the skinniest dude on the block, I also know that my weight is consistent with my age, size and activity level.

The Need To Recuperate From Illness

This one is near and dear to my heart, especially since I was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes when I was 4 years old. Throughout my childhood and into my teens, I would often have friends and later girlfriends, comment on my mood, health and energy levels as Diabetes took its pound of flesh from me. Even into adulthood, I’ve had difficulties when trying to explain or justify needing some down time to myself when overcoming a cold, flu or something Diabetes-related.

I remember one time, I was dating a local woman in on of the towns I was posted in. We went out to an even this one evening when nausea and stomach pain seized me. I told her I would be going home to rest and I could tell she was clearly upset by my early departure. She even made a passive-aggressive comment to others about how we had to leave because I was “not feeling well.” It wasn’t until she came in to check on me the following day and saw the state I was in, did she realize that I was genuinely sick and wasn’t making excuses.

The experience left a sour taste in my mouth and helped me realize that one should never have to explain or justify needing time to medically recuperate. And taking care of one’s health is the second level on Maslow’s Hierarchy as part of one’s Safety Needs, one step above basic physiological needs. I don’t think I need to explain why it’s so important to maintain one’s health and well-being.

This post is effectively an opinion piece. Perhaps there are other needs you feel would be more important and that you dislike having to explain or justify. If so, feel free to share them in the comments section. At the end of the day, the lesson here is that you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Otherwise, the whole house of cards will falter. And as I said earlier, you can’t help others or take care of them before first taking care of yourself. ☯️

Ignorance Isn’t Always Bliss…

As I get older, one of the big things I notice is the increased amount of pain and discomfort. It isn’t a constant, debilitating pain, of course. But it’s usually just enough that it sits on the present fringes of my consciousness, a steady companion as I make my way towards the latter portion of my life. For example, just twenty years I could get a night’s sleep, whether good or bad, step out of bed and hit the ground running. Now, it takes several minutes for my body to acknowledge and accept that I’ve woken up, everything cracks and settles as I sit up and then my knees and joints scream at me as I get them moving. Such is life.

One of the important aspects about any pain and discomfort that we feel, is recognizing the need to seek medical attention. We’re often ignorant of this, whether due to the inconvenience of trying to get in to see a medical practitioner, which is not an easy in modern days, or the stubbornness of believing that pain is temporary. It often is, but we allow ourselves the indulgence of a far longer wait than we should, in some instances. This can lead to complications that one can ill afford, especially if you’re dealing with Type-1 Diabetes on top of things.

From a martial arts’ standpoint, many injuries will be suffered during training. Bruises, scrapes, blisters, pulled muscles, torn muscles and even broken bones are al injuries that I’ve either suffered or seen during my many decades of training. Most things can be healed with a bit of rest and time, specifically things like bruises and pulled muscles. But even those can lead to complications if left unchecked. If bruising begins to inexplicably spread or change to unusual shades of colour than what your bruises typically look like, there may be something more serious happening beneath the surface.

Pulled and damaged muscles actually take much longer than people assume. If left to heal properly, it can take several weeks for muscle tissue to return to its former state. If it’s been several months and the pain still persists or has worsened, that’s a sign that ice packs or warm baths won’t help any further. Medical examination may be required. Trying to return to your normal activities without allowing your muscles t properly heal will aggravate an existing injury and potentially cause others. Broken bones are a problem all their own. Besides the broken bone, certain breaks can cause a kink of nerves, restricted blood flow and circulatory issues.

It goes without saying (despite the fact I’m saying) that broken bones shouldn’t be ignored and require medical treatment. The old belief that you won’t be able to move a limb or use the part of the body if your bone is broken is myth. You’ll still be able to walk on a broken leg as movement is done through your muscles. That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt like hell and cause al kinds of damage, though. I’ve been lucky enough to get through my life with only mild fractures. I’ve only had to be casted once and have otherwise never needed to be laid up.

Numbness and loss of feeling is also an important concern. If you have pain somewhere in your body and start to notice numbness or loss of sensation in the extremities, this could suggest that whatever your injury may be is causing lack of circulation or kinking a nerve. None of that is a good sign and should prompt you to get the injury checked as soon as possible. trying to “tough it out” can lead to nerve damage and loss of extremities if blood flow is hindered.

Having Diabetes adds a whole different flavour to injuries and I recognize that I’ve mostly been speaking about internal injuries that show show a great deal of much on the surface. But cuts and open wounds are especially difficult, since people with Diabetes will have difficulty healing in a timely fashion by virtue of neurological and circulatory issues. Not only will injuries take longer to heal, but T1D’s are prone to infection, which will make matters all the worse. This is why it’s so important to maintain good blood sugars and seek medial assistance if injuries appear red and angry, ooze any kind of fluid and it appears as though they aren’t healing properly. ☯️

Hot Or Cold, The Debate Rages On…

Water. Fluid of life. Our bodies are primarily composed of it, we need to drink copious amounts of it on a daily basis to stay alive and maintain our internal bodily functions. In fact, the average adult needs to drink anywhere from 3 to 5 litres of water a day in order to meet that requirement. This is dependent on size, weight and even gender. And I should clarify that we also take in a certain amount of water through food, as well. So it ain’t all about chugging it down from a glass. Wait, whiskey has water, right? Moving on…

When I was younger, I was always discouraged from drinking icy cold water. There were a number of reasons behind this, including the contraction of tissues that could make it harder to digest food properly, shocking one’s kidney and causing bodily cramps. Most of the time, this was encouraged by Sensei, who explained it was preferable to sip water at room temperature; a practice I maintained for years afterwards, thinking that he had a point. Although how you choose to take in your H2O and like most things in life, there’s a good and a bad side to everything. And the temperature of your water is no exception.

I decided it might be time to examine exactly what is so bad about drinking cold water. Is it genuinely bad at all? Turns out a lot of people wonder that very thing. I’ve read a number of different articles and papers on the subject and they’re al pretty consistent in terms of current findings. My preferred one is posted by Healthline.com, which may be bias on my part since it’s one of my favourite websites. But the article addresses some of the pros and cons of drinking cold water.

One of the points the article mentions that appeals to be is how practitioners of Chinese Medicine have a belief that drinking cold water with a hot meal creates an imbalance. On the flip side, consuming hot water is said to improve breathing, which is likely one of the reasons why people are encouraged to eat chicken noodle soup or hot tea when trying to recover from a cold or flu. All that being said, the article suggests that drinking cold water can cause increased congestion and migraines in people who suffer from them.

Cold water can be beneficial during fitness routines. Not only will the cold water help keep your core temperature cooler as you exercise but it may also help you burn more calories since your body will fight harder to warm that same core temperature up. That’s assuming you can actually get your hands on cold water. My current gym doesn’t even have a water fountain available and if I bring cold water, it’s warmed up by the time I get to the gym, workout and finally take a drink, it’s pretty much reached room temperature.

I can easily agree that the consumption of cold water on a hot summer day may SOUND like a good idea in the moment, but it could potentially increase the mucus in your throat and the difference in temperature between your core and your water can cause cramps, pains and shock the body in uncomfortable ways. I’ve also gotten a mild version of brain freeze on days I’ve come back from cycling and chugged water from a refrigerated water bottle. So while the jury may be out, it’s up to the individual person to decide how good or bad the consumption of chilled water could be.

One way or another, any water you get into your system is good. There isn’t enough evidence either way to suggest total overall benefits or loss of drinking cold or hot water. My older brother, the Light rest his soul, used to enjoy a cup of hot water at supper. Without tea in it or anything. He used to say it helped him digest his food. Maybe there was something to that. As long as you’re getting enough water to stay hydrated and healthy, that’s what’s important. And for my Dia-buddies currently reading, proper hydration can help with proper blood sugar control. ☯️