Friday, July 12, 2019

Friday Reading Report: Swordfighting



Sometimes I start reading a book for one purpose and it turns out to be useful for something else as well.  Guy Windsor’s book Swordfighting, for writers, game designers, and martial artists is that kind of book.  I started reading in order to write a non-cringeworthy fight scene.  I have a lot more tools to accomplish that now.

However, from my perspective as a personal trainer, I found a great book about how to learn physical processes.  Windsor’s methods boil down to what I learned as “praxis” back when I worked as a facilitator for a service-learning program.  He combines analytical work, including scholarship and intellectual inquiry into how techniques are playing out, with rigorous physical training.  The results enrich both the theory and the practice as the knowledge informs the movement and the movement provides feedback on the quality of the knowledge.  Essentially, he provides a blueprint for one way of doing mindful movement.  That may sound a little Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but it’s a good thing.  (And I liked that book, back when I read it a hundred or so years ago…)

This may not be the book for everyone.  I happen to have a degree in English with an emphasis on the medieval period, so I don’t need to be sold on the coolness of swords or manuscripts and I find the research part as fascinating as the practical aspects.  It is not a stand-alone reference for the new-to-the-subject—a lot of the Italian names for the various techniques are unexplained and untranslated.  However, Windsor is an engaging writer with strong and sometimes eccentric opinions, some of which align with my own eccentric opinions.

I like his general philosophy for working hard and smart.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

The Small Stuff...



Sure, a lot of fitness is about the big stuff—getting in the cardio and the lifting.  But little stuff can make a big difference, too.  Here are some small things that don’t take a long time that can help us without using up a lot of time.  We tend to skip them, but it’s really worth the few minutes of investment.

• Floss.  Yeah, it’s not fun at first with the bleeding and all, but life is better with teeth.  It takes less than five minutes to do.

• Roll.  At the end of the workout, we often want to head straight for the shower.  We don’t want to take any extra steps or get down on the floor one more time.  Until we get used to it, rolling hurts as we untangle the knots in our muscles.  Then, after we’re used to it, we feel a little guilty “wasting” time on something that feels so good.  Less tightness in our muscles and greater range of motion are worth the few minutes of investment.

• Pack a lunch.  A few minutes of organizational work in the morning can make the difference between getting our healthy veggies in and a face full of fries.  It’s also cheaper, which is better for our financial fitness.  For bonus points, weather permitting, we can eat our lunch outside in the fresh air.

• Breathe.  Fine.  I know we actually do this all the time.  But pausing to focus on our breath for a few minutes a few times a day can help reduce our stress and calm our minds.

• Hug.  Contact is essential for healthy humans.  (Get consent first, of course!)  Wrap your arms around your spouse or kid or dog or buddy and hang out for thirty seconds.  Everyone will feel better afterwards.

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

We Can Dance If We Want To...



I am 51 years old.  This explains why I had a fabulous time over the weekend seeing Men Without Hats and Howard Jones.  I am not ashamed of my enthusiasms, or of the fact that I was once a 15-year-old girl.  No matter what age we happen to be, we have music that speaks to us because it spoke to us when we were young (unless we are young right now, in which case we are collecting music that will evoke this time later!).  This is a good and useful thing.

For one thing, we can dance.  Sure, we might look silly.  That’s not bad.  Most of us can use an opportunity to lighten up, especially in these dark days.  If we want to be able to jump around into our old age, we had better keep it up in the present.  Dancing is fun, aerobic, and social.  Sing along and you add another level of challenge.

If those old guys up on stage can still rock their leather pants and crazy pleated suits by keeping up the dancing, we can too.