Mar 23, 20224 min read

Before you jump - you should probably learn to land first!

Congratulations Shannon on your success! Proud of you! Pictured above.

Before you jump – you should probably learn to land!

I love Lex Brown’s saying, “if you land on your back and you can see up, you can get up!”

When my awesome mom placed in the martial arts academy because of all the problems I was having in middle school, I was scared to death thinking that they were going to put in the ring immediately and I was going to get the shit beat out of me the first day. To my surprise I never even put the sparring gear on until about six months later, which was about six months earlier then normal.

See in martial arts, the good studios and instructors, first teach you the basics of defense, avoiding getting hit, and if and when you do, how to take the hit and fall correctly. We practiced day in and day out maybe a dozen moves and no more. It was the basic techniques that won out every time at the end of the day and it was the mastery of those techniques that were critical in my success. The most important one, was the ability to take a punch, fall correctly and the ability to get back up and not give up in the heat of the moment.

We as individuals always want the “new,” the “bright,” and the “shiny.” Unfortunately, the new, bright, and shiny dull just the same. These are fads and will come and will go.

Let me tell you a secret: The basics never, ever, ever fail!

After three nose surgeries due to me falling incorrectly, I finally learned that the fancy new kicks and spins don’t really work in a real fighting situation and a basic guard with consistent quick hand and foot action, only gained through years of consistent practice, would win the fight. I also found that my ability to take a kick and/or punch, and to fall to the floor properly, that I would be able to get back up and still fight.

This is true in your fitness journey. I get the fact that when you work out a day or a week or even a month and you see no results that you wish to just give up. You do know that if you don’t brush your teeth for a day, a week or month that yes, your breath may be stinky, but you probably won’t lose a tooth. After a year or two though your teeth will rot, and you will lose them. (Right Dr. Marifer?) This is the same with movement and diet. After a year or two your body will begin to deteriorate, and you will begin feeling the consequences.

Falling of the wagon is part of the process. Skipping a day or having a cheat meal is part of the process. Failing is part of the process. You must learn to take these “falls” in stride and learn how to land with your head up so you can get up and “keep fighting.”

Action items today:

1. What have you “given up” on lately that’s of value to you?

2. What can you learn from that situation?

3. Go back to the basics and tools that you know and how can you adjust your behavior to get up after that fall, not give up again and/or start over?

I find that human motivation plays a huge role in either your success and or failure. In order to help our community, we have numerous ways we reach out to help inspire your well-being. I am excited to have launched eVOLV with C.J. Podcast now on all your favorite channels such as Apple Podcast and Google Podcast. I have included links below. These will be “Inspiring wellness chats” with special guests discussing real issues you may be facing and real action items you can take in order to help your situation. This is a FREE service so all I ask is you subscribe, review and share! This will only help our community.

Our schedule of wellness is as follows:

Monday – eVOLV’s Newsletter covering “Healthy Habits” & recipes.

Tuesday – eVOLV with C.J. Podcast & a Positive Member Highlight

Wednesday – C.J.’s Wellness Blog (the one you’re reading today)

Thursday – eVOLV with C.J. Podcast

Friday – eVOLV’s Newsletter giving you a weekend healthy recipe!

These pieces are meant to help remind you that your health is critical in this thing called life! These tidbits of information are here to help inspire you to make the right decisions during your day. Use them! Share them! Subscribe to them!

Speaking of being inspired, the 2022 Rise of the Phoenix Fitness Show and Extravaganza is right around the corner! I invite you to come and help celebrate the successes of this year’s participants April 23, 2022, at the Crowne Plaza Albuquerque on University and Menaul with doors opening at 6 pm MST. Here is a link to purchase this year’s tickets (THEY ARE SELLING OUT SO DO IT NOW): https://evolvstrong.sites.zenplanner.com/retail.cfm