How Bad Do You Want It?

This is probably the most inspirational thing I’ve heard since I’ve begun training 3 years ago:

 

He brings up a good point-how bad do you want it? Do you want it more then you want to party? Then you want to SLEEP?

Both of those ideas hit home for me since in boxing you have to follow a strict diet and sleep regimen, you use up so much of your energy. The weekends are the hardest, sometimes when you get overwhelmed by the work/training  schedule that you just want to relax and have a drink. I wonder at what point is it beneficial to force yourself to do/not do  things and at what point are you starving yourself?

I’ve always admired people who have passion for things- in high school I had a friend who was a drummer. He was, hands down, the best drummer in our town.  He was more passionate about drumming then anyone I’d ever seen about anything.  He played every day, all day, he’d rather stay home and play then do anything else. I was a drummer too, but I saw practice more as a chore then a fun thing to do(I was also never very good).   Well he grew up and studied at Berkley and expanded his musical knowledge and is now a composer and one of the most at-peace people I know.  I always wished I had that same drive about something.

I didn't discover my passion for boxing until a few years ago, Ive always loved fighting but hated working out, but boxing training is different- you feel yourself becoming STRONG, you see the ring and your progress towards it.

I get into these kicks were all I do is train, work, watch youtube videos of fights and focus on nutrition, but life seems to get in the way sometimes.

 I believe this journey towards minimalism will help me maintain focus, there seems to be no end to the ways I can simplify my life and make space for more boxing.  

 

Also, I am working on being able to do weighed push ups like the football player in the video lol- that mans a BEAST.

 

Training schedule

At-home training schedule.

·         Jump rope- 3 min

·         Leg work- 40 reps

·         5 Pull ups-  5 sets

·         Bag work- 6, 3 min rounds

·         20 Push ups- 3 sets

·         Weight bar- 10 reps

 

Gym training schedule

·         Run 1 mile 7- 8 min

·         Shakedown- 3 min

·         Free weights -6 min

·         Jump rope -5 min

·         16 lb weight bar- 3 min reps

·         Leg work- 40 reps with weight bar

·         Stretching

·         6 3min rounds (bag work, drill, footwork)

Where have I been?

Long story short?
Moving.

We found out at 10pm on Saturday that we needed to be moved out by 3pm Sunday. This totally ruined my plans to minimize my possessions as I moved- we had to throw it all on the truck and throw it into the new house and then go back for more. In the end it took 4 truck bed fulls and 1 very stuffed firebird to move me and I was pretty ashamed at how much junk I STILL own.

I was very glad I had already consolidated my plants and gotten rid of some of my furniture but I still had ridiculous amounts of things.

I do love my new place though- it's very peaceful and i don't have to worry about the negative energy that was coming from my old roommates who I think got a little too used to taking out their relationship problems on me.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sea Shells by the Sea Shore

I went to the beach this weekend and had a wonderful time. I love walking at the water’s edge and feeling the sand pulled away beneath my feet.

Roxy faced the water bravely but the waves were big and she is so short that I think after her first face splash she wasn’t too keen on it happening again, she did really seem to enjoy chasing the waves in and out though.

When I go to the beach I always look for shells, in particular I look for the kind that twists in on itself, I’m not sure what kind of creature lives in these shells, I guess sea hermit crabs?

Anyway, I found the BIGGEST one I have ever found it was beautiful, pale orange and super smooth and 3 times as big as any I have ever found. When I got back from my walk I triumphantly showed it to my boyfriend and his best friend Danny who, of course, were not as excited as I was “It’s broken, it’s a piece of shit- throw it back” were the exact words Danny used to describe it. I knew it was broken, but it looked so pretty anyway and it sounds so lame but I actually felt a pang of sadness when he pointed it out, I almost threw it back.

But I didn’t and as I type it sits on my monitor stand and looks beautiful and I don’t mind the blemishes one bit.

I guess since I have had such an awakening this year that something as simple as a shell has made me think a lot more than it would have in the past. Questions kept turning over in my mind:

·         Why are we so obsessed with everything being perfect?

·         Why is our automatic reaction to anything that is broken is that it’s a “piece of shit” especially something as trivial as a shell?

·         What is the difference if it’s broken or whole? Is it somehow more aesthetically pleasing if it’s whole?

·         Does it mess up the ZEN of the shell?

·         Does anyone collect broken shells or are only the whole ones the special ones?

 

Danny’s parents have a really nice beach house that we were staying in and in the bathroom on a shelf were several large shells on display, I’m not sure if  his mother found them or if she bought them but it made me think: If the shells were broken would they somehow not look as good? At what point does a shell go from being a thing of beauty to sea trash? Who decides?

 

Also (this is probably the hippie in me speaking) but, aren’t we essentially stealing sea-hermit crab homes from their rightful owners?  Are the whole ones prime hermit-crab real estate?

Back to the Ring?

Returning from a recovery period after my last foot injury I'm back at my boxing gym, training 4 days a week, I'm not as good as I was before my injury and it is very frustrating. My coach is a big proponent of negative reinforcement which makes it even harder for me, but since I'm almost 30 and i have hurt both my feet training and can no longer wear high heels or any shoes without my orthotic inserts without pain, I have realized that I can only build myself up so quickly.


Mentally I'm ready to get in the ring and start sparring but for now I guess I will just have to be content with a slow steady progression towards the ring.






This slowness can be applied to many aspects of life. I feel ready for a promotion but am not eligible for another year, i feel ready to buy a house but my credit does not allow appropriate financing. Bummer.

I've found the key is to step back and evaluate what exactly it is that I am after. For example, boxing for me is a way to make myself stronger and become able to defend myself(by knocking mf's out with 1punch) I would like to do amateur boxing, but I recognized early on that my 5'5" 110lb tiny boned frame won't ever be able to be a pro boxer, since then I've gained 15lbs of muscle and become bigger than I thought possible, so I'll admit I secretly dream about going pro and facing off against Holly Holm.



....and prolly getting my face crushed, much like this chick. But it is still a dream I have. The flip side is tho, to become a pro boxer you must become a boxer. It's not a sport, it's a way of life. It's going to bed sore every night, not drinking, not eating anything but health foods and protein shakes, not having a social life and barely having time to walk your dog.



This week is a prime example, I've been at the gym till dark after work every day this week and will be tonight. By the time I get home I'm almost too tired to walk my doggie so she gets an abbreviated walk and it makes me feel just terrible.

So I have been asking myself what it is exactly I'm working towards in the ring. I want to spar a few times a week. That's it. I like fighting, being punched and punching people is actually enjoyable for me but realistically I have so many interests that I'm not 100% committed to becoming the next Preachers Daughter....but a girl can dream can't she?

Attack of the potted plants!

In preparation for my move I have decided to do something about the overwhelming number of plants I have at my house. I'm not sure exactly when I crossed the line from a few houseplants to 35 very thirsty air purifiers but I did. The problem is, I can't kill any of them- I feel too guilty. It's corny I know but I literally feel like I'm taking a life, even if I plant one outside I can't stand the idea of a tropical plant being frozen to death in the cold Virginia winter weather.

I did figure out a way around my predicament- mainly to consolidate more then 1 plant per pot and/or to give them away(then someone else can murder them)





So I got a biggest pot I could find (left over from last years attempt at a water garden) and put 4 plants that take similar amounts of water and light.
This solves 2 problems, the overwhelming number of plants to water and the number of pots I have to move in August. It came out looking pretty cool- I added some pea gravel that I found in the garage & random rocks & shells to make it look super classy too.



Now I've only got to move & water 1 huge-ass pot that won't fall over instead of 4 small ones that would've probably fallen over in my truck and gotten soil everywhere.

I also planted several small plants into my green & yellow pots that match the red one so I've got this cool rasta plant set up that I love.




I also consolidated 5 more plants into 1 pot and gave it and 3 others to my friend that recently moved to the mountains.

I also *cry* took 2 of the plants and added them to the compost pile- sometimes plants must die so that people may live lol

I still have more to deal with - probably about 15- 20 more but I'm hopeful I will find homes for them soon :-)

Sunday Morning

It's Sunday Morning.
As usual I have "things to do."
And also, as usual, it isn't possible for me to get it all done and all I really feel like doing is watching Stargate SG-1 & napping



I've been reading a lot about limiting your projects so that you don't feel overwhelmed, but sometimes I feel like that isn't possible- I'M IN TOO DEEP.

Maybe if I make a clear list of my major "To Do's" and a list of what I want the result to be I will make it more clear in my mind.

Thangs I HAVE to do:

• Maintain the manor (my over sized house I rent with 3 roommates)
• Laundry
• take care of my dog
• work- day job
• work- boxing gym

Things I am working on:

• BOXING- training to fight
• L.A.M.B. Ebay store, FB page
• Firebird repair
• candle making
• getting rid of all my extra stuff
• Day bed & other extra furniture
• Clothes
• Drum set
• garage stuff (tools, old paint, extra firebird parts, used oil, ect)
• basement stuff (decorations, ebay shipping containers, shoes, hobbie/craft stuff, ect)

Things Id like to have going on (that I don't):

• have at least an hour a day play time with my dog
• 20 items listed on ebay all the time
• firebird consistently running
• clean house
• clean bedroom
• have my LAMB facebook page updated
• happiness
• simplicity

It's tough trying to establish priorities, and I fell like I need to get it ALL done in the next 2 months because I plan on moving out - I guess the firebird is the major priority, its been waiting the longest and I probably won't have a garage wherever I move but it is also the most discouraging to work on because it never ends and involves multiple trips to the auto store and or calling my hot rod friends to get advice on the best way to do stuff.

The "getting rid of stuff" seems never ending also,  last summer I read a book titled "The Joy of Less" and it got me motivated to CLEAN HOUSE, I can't even remember how many garbage bags of stuff I have taken to the thrift store (at least 20). Though it has been tough since I have roommates that aren't of the same mindset and their clutter seems to take the place of mine. My goal is to have only things that I love & need by the time I move out at  the end of July.

The Ebay store goes hand in hand with the "getting rid of stuff" since lots of what i own is second hand designer stuff that I bought on ebay (yaa for credit cards, boo for debt). An ebay store is a lot more of a hassle then you would think, listing is a chore, ppl bombard you with all kinds of questions and then you have to ship and deal with rude buyers if they miss read the description or are just a** hole people....grr. OKAY, this is rapidly turning into a bitch fest...I'm gonna go try to get some stuff done, I'll keep you posted :)