For people that know me it's no secret that I love the WWE... Wrestling for those of you who aren't familiar with the abbreviation. It's not just guys in tiny shorts beating each other up... It's guys in tiny shorts hitting each other with chairs!! Just kidding. Though that does happen and I love it when it does, I watch it for the addicting story lines and athleticism shown by the performers. Even when the story lines are completely ridiculous, I still can't turn away.
But on the positive side, every time I watch it I want to work out. Often I do work out at home in my living room while watching. If looking at a bunch of people with beautiful, fit bodies that can take a pounding doesn't motivate you... well maybe it doesn't motivate everyone, but it certainly works for me.
This weekend I saw a video about one of their superstars, featuring his personal gym. There's a guy in the video that does a bench press with 575lbs... Holy Cow! What even weighs that much???
The bench press was very impressive, but what left a lasting impression on me about the video is the camaraderie of all the people in the gym. I want everyone that walks into TVAK to feel this way. Treat the gym like it's important to you. Take pride in where you train, how you train, and who you train with. We are a bunch of like-minded people just trying to get stronger and see some progress.
I like what John Cena says in the video. "Don't shut anybody off. Don't think you know anything more than anybody else. Cause at the end of the day, hopefully we're all just fans." - Even as instructors, we're just people working to be fit.
On a side note, if you're into stunts and film fighting, watch another wrestler Dolph Ziggler when he gets hit. He's incredible and makes everyone that fights him look amazing. His whole body reacts to every hit and when he's slammed on the ground usually he whips his head so violently and bounces a few times. I don't know how he learned to do that so well, but he really sells it every time. Check it out.
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Black Belt Fever
I got a fever... and the only cure is more cowbell. Wait, wrong fever.
Ever notice how your attitude is 150% contagious? If you're having a bad day or looking at something negatively, the person next to you can try to muster up some optimism, but it can be hard not to fall into what I call an "Eeyore Mood", specially in Vancouver when sometimes everything seems grey.
Now look at someone who has a goal and a plan and is working mindfully on making improvement. This person is on their way to Mastery of their task. If they take this approach to their entire life, not just their training, then they will have a very productive lifestyle and will spend most of their time in the present, enjoying what they have worked for, making the most of each day.
Growing up in martial arts I was well aware of the Standard of Black Belt Excellence. It was the reason I did my homework in the library at lunch instead of having a normal social life. How else was I going to fit in all those kung fu classes I had to teach and take myself? I prioritized and though some people might look at my high school years and say they were wasted, I look at them and am proud of how much focus and drive I had for my training.
The final phase of completing a 1555 is now called "You must have Black Belt Fever" - doesn't this fit perfectly?
Watch a Black Belt train. They pay attention to detail and repeat a movement again and again until it feels fluent and natural to their bodies. Watch a Black Belt live... it's getting the most out of every single day, having a positive attitude to share with others, and leading by example. Don't you want to follow that?
You don't have to be a Black Belt to exemplify Black Belt Excellence. If you spend enough time around someone who trains and lives this way, you will no doubt become infected with the fever.
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
Ever notice how your attitude is 150% contagious? If you're having a bad day or looking at something negatively, the person next to you can try to muster up some optimism, but it can be hard not to fall into what I call an "Eeyore Mood", specially in Vancouver when sometimes everything seems grey.
Now look at someone who has a goal and a plan and is working mindfully on making improvement. This person is on their way to Mastery of their task. If they take this approach to their entire life, not just their training, then they will have a very productive lifestyle and will spend most of their time in the present, enjoying what they have worked for, making the most of each day.
Growing up in martial arts I was well aware of the Standard of Black Belt Excellence. It was the reason I did my homework in the library at lunch instead of having a normal social life. How else was I going to fit in all those kung fu classes I had to teach and take myself? I prioritized and though some people might look at my high school years and say they were wasted, I look at them and am proud of how much focus and drive I had for my training.
The final phase of completing a 1555 is now called "You must have Black Belt Fever" - doesn't this fit perfectly?
Watch a Black Belt train. They pay attention to detail and repeat a movement again and again until it feels fluent and natural to their bodies. Watch a Black Belt live... it's getting the most out of every single day, having a positive attitude to share with others, and leading by example. Don't you want to follow that?
You don't have to be a Black Belt to exemplify Black Belt Excellence. If you spend enough time around someone who trains and lives this way, you will no doubt become infected with the fever.
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Find Your Inspiration
Inspiration is something that is different for everyone. Some people are motivated to improve themselves by other people, by music, or maybe an upcoming event or opportunity. Some are even motivated by fear.
When working on your fitness, what inspires you?
This week, I saw a picture of a friend doing a headstand on a surfboard on the beach. Her goal was to do the headstand while surfing on her board (on the water - if that wasn't obvious). What a huge goal. I don't know how many of you have tried surfing, but it's not the easiest thing to do. Headstands are also not the easiest thing to do. I've put in the time practicing, so I am able to do a headstand, but the thought of headstanding while surfing is a little out there for me.
Nevermind the goal she was trying to accomplish. I am inspired by her spirituality and lifestyle. She treats her body like the temple it is and is always improving because of it. She had a baby recently and looks like she adopted because her body is in such good shape. I am also inspired through the way she interacts with others. Some people just make you want to be a better person.
We should always have something to work on and always look at the ways we can inspire others. I can write a post like this online, but even better, I can set an example for others around me and hope I am a positive influence for others to feed off of.
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
When working on your fitness, what inspires you?
This week, I saw a picture of a friend doing a headstand on a surfboard on the beach. Her goal was to do the headstand while surfing on her board (on the water - if that wasn't obvious). What a huge goal. I don't know how many of you have tried surfing, but it's not the easiest thing to do. Headstands are also not the easiest thing to do. I've put in the time practicing, so I am able to do a headstand, but the thought of headstanding while surfing is a little out there for me.
Nevermind the goal she was trying to accomplish. I am inspired by her spirituality and lifestyle. She treats her body like the temple it is and is always improving because of it. She had a baby recently and looks like she adopted because her body is in such good shape. I am also inspired through the way she interacts with others. Some people just make you want to be a better person.
We should always have something to work on and always look at the ways we can inspire others. I can write a post like this online, but even better, I can set an example for others around me and hope I am a positive influence for others to feed off of.
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
Monday, January 30, 2012
New Black Belts
No, I'm not promoting any Black belts. Not for some time yet. We might be seeing some more orange in the class soon, but we'll have to wait and see.
Silent River, the school that produced every good quality I have, had their annual Chinese New Year celebration on Saturday and though I wasn't able to attend, I am very proud of the accomplishments of the 5 new Black Belts and 2 new 2nd Degree Black belts.
For those of you who don't know, getting your Black Belt is one of the greatest moments of your life. If you worked for 7 years (sometimes less, sometimes more) working up to one moment you would think it would be pretty big. And pretty big might be an understatement. It is phenomenal. It is recognition from your Sifus and your peers and everyone who has ever seen you train. My Black Belt grading, 9 years ago now, is still fresh in my mind. My black belt grading even more so.
In 6 months you go from just working towards this belt dangled in front of your nose since the day you started, to scratching and clawing your way towards something that you want more than anything. You train more than you ever have and harder than is natural. Everything you do becomes about Kung Fu. And it stays that way for the rest of your life. I was still in junior high when this change happened and my friends did not share the same appreciation as I did for Kung Fu, but I had my kung fu family to geek out with and enjoy my training.
I don't know that my students know what it's like to have a kung fu family, but hopefully someday it will feel like that, not just a place to go learn something cool.
What is Kung Fu? -- it's everything
How hard should you train? -- as hard as you can
When should you stop? -- never. If you have your health there is no excuse not to better yourself.
This is the attitude I had when I was training for Black belt and am reminded of with the new round of Black belts. With the Year of the Dragon already a week passed, I am hoping that I can reflect this attitude on my students, clients, friends, family, and acquaintances for the rest of the year. It is my year after all and it's going to be a good one!
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
Silent River, the school that produced every good quality I have, had their annual Chinese New Year celebration on Saturday and though I wasn't able to attend, I am very proud of the accomplishments of the 5 new Black Belts and 2 new 2nd Degree Black belts.
For those of you who don't know, getting your Black Belt is one of the greatest moments of your life. If you worked for 7 years (sometimes less, sometimes more) working up to one moment you would think it would be pretty big. And pretty big might be an understatement. It is phenomenal. It is recognition from your Sifus and your peers and everyone who has ever seen you train. My Black Belt grading, 9 years ago now, is still fresh in my mind. My black belt grading even more so.
In 6 months you go from just working towards this belt dangled in front of your nose since the day you started, to scratching and clawing your way towards something that you want more than anything. You train more than you ever have and harder than is natural. Everything you do becomes about Kung Fu. And it stays that way for the rest of your life. I was still in junior high when this change happened and my friends did not share the same appreciation as I did for Kung Fu, but I had my kung fu family to geek out with and enjoy my training.
I don't know that my students know what it's like to have a kung fu family, but hopefully someday it will feel like that, not just a place to go learn something cool.
What is Kung Fu? -- it's everything
How hard should you train? -- as hard as you can
When should you stop? -- never. If you have your health there is no excuse not to better yourself.
This is the attitude I had when I was training for Black belt and am reminded of with the new round of Black belts. With the Year of the Dragon already a week passed, I am hoping that I can reflect this attitude on my students, clients, friends, family, and acquaintances for the rest of the year. It is my year after all and it's going to be a good one!
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Less Wasted Time, More Productivity
"Have you ever noticed how many exercises you complete in an hour long workout or how long you’re actually working?
As a personal trainer, I have to motivate my clients and give them exercises so they see as much benefit from working out as possible and I only have one hour to do it. Minus stretching, instructional periods, and water breaks (I don’t give many either). I started thinking about how much time was being used working and how much was resting.
One method I use is timing an exercise for one minute. I would plan the workout with 12 - 14 exercises for one minute and rotate through 3 sets. Let’s do the math. That’s 36 - 42 minutes of actual workout and it takes the full hour to accomplish. When I explained to my out of breath clients that they had rested for 18+ minutes in their workout they didn’t believe me, but you can’t argue with the simple math.
Another training tool I use is Tabata. Tabata workouts are becoming more and more popular and I like them for bootcamp classes where everyone is at a different level. Tabata allows everyone to stay together, but work at their own pace. It’s great for that reason. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the design of a Tabata workout, it is simply four minutes of one exercise, let’s say push ups. Do 20 seconds of push ups as intensely as you can, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. When teaching this in my one hour bootcamp I plan to do 12 exercises and almost always run out of time. When you break it down, every four minute round (240 seconds) you are working for 160 seconds which is less than 3 minutes! So out of an hour of Tabata you’re working for approximately 1920 seconds which totals up to 32 minutes. You’re resting for 28 minutes out of your workout and that’s jumping from one exercise to the next with minimal transition time. When my class is finishing their round of push ups, I’m telling them, "Next is lunges. Get ready to go right into it." I couldn’t believe this when I did the math.
The last bit of math I’m going to ask you to do is how many exercises you’re getting into a normal workout. If you’re doing a traditional gym workout you might do an average of 12 exercises, 15 - 20 reps and 3 sets. So in that hour you’ll do 540 - 720 reps total. Let’s give an average number of 630 reps.
The 1555 eliminates your rest time (if you’re doing it right) and multiplies your productivity by 247% (1555/630) and that’s if it takes you the full hour to complete. Some of these workouts can be done in 30 minutes, thereby doubling your productivity once again.
No it’s not crazy and yes it can be done, by anyone, specifically by you. All you have to do is get up and do it and don’t give up! I’ve been 3 minutes into some of these workouts with the list in my hand wondering how I’m going to make it, but if you keep pushing forward and believe in yourself you will slowly start to see things getting crossed off and at the end it is always worth it."
From my book "The 1555: No It's Not Crazy and Yes It Can Be Done"
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
As a personal trainer, I have to motivate my clients and give them exercises so they see as much benefit from working out as possible and I only have one hour to do it. Minus stretching, instructional periods, and water breaks (I don’t give many either). I started thinking about how much time was being used working and how much was resting.
One method I use is timing an exercise for one minute. I would plan the workout with 12 - 14 exercises for one minute and rotate through 3 sets. Let’s do the math. That’s 36 - 42 minutes of actual workout and it takes the full hour to accomplish. When I explained to my out of breath clients that they had rested for 18+ minutes in their workout they didn’t believe me, but you can’t argue with the simple math.
Another training tool I use is Tabata. Tabata workouts are becoming more and more popular and I like them for bootcamp classes where everyone is at a different level. Tabata allows everyone to stay together, but work at their own pace. It’s great for that reason. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the design of a Tabata workout, it is simply four minutes of one exercise, let’s say push ups. Do 20 seconds of push ups as intensely as you can, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. When teaching this in my one hour bootcamp I plan to do 12 exercises and almost always run out of time. When you break it down, every four minute round (240 seconds) you are working for 160 seconds which is less than 3 minutes! So out of an hour of Tabata you’re working for approximately 1920 seconds which totals up to 32 minutes. You’re resting for 28 minutes out of your workout and that’s jumping from one exercise to the next with minimal transition time. When my class is finishing their round of push ups, I’m telling them, "Next is lunges. Get ready to go right into it." I couldn’t believe this when I did the math.
The last bit of math I’m going to ask you to do is how many exercises you’re getting into a normal workout. If you’re doing a traditional gym workout you might do an average of 12 exercises, 15 - 20 reps and 3 sets. So in that hour you’ll do 540 - 720 reps total. Let’s give an average number of 630 reps.
The 1555 eliminates your rest time (if you’re doing it right) and multiplies your productivity by 247% (1555/630) and that’s if it takes you the full hour to complete. Some of these workouts can be done in 30 minutes, thereby doubling your productivity once again.
No it’s not crazy and yes it can be done, by anyone, specifically by you. All you have to do is get up and do it and don’t give up! I’ve been 3 minutes into some of these workouts with the list in my hand wondering how I’m going to make it, but if you keep pushing forward and believe in yourself you will slowly start to see things getting crossed off and at the end it is always worth it."
From my book "The 1555: No It's Not Crazy and Yes It Can Be Done"
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
Thursday, December 29, 2011
New Years Optimism
We all need a refreshment sometime... No I don't mean a drink, though over Christmas I'm sure I wasn't the only one having a few with my family and friends. My refreshment came from being home. Whether I want to admit it or not, my life in Edmonton is very different from my life in Vancouver. I used to feel like I was a different person in the two places, but now I am starting to see that I am the same, that only the people around me are different.
A brand new year, going back to what seems like a new place again after 2 weeks, is refreshing. It's not so much about New Years Resolutions, but setting goals, like I want to be more patient with bad drivers, or make some good habits. I never set my goal to be lose 10 pounds, because what do you do after you lose 10 pounds? Go back to what you were doing before? I want to create good habits and inspire others to do the same. Eat well, workout, and be happy. Seems simple enough. We'll see how we do. And as for the bad drivers out there... maybe some upbeat music will keep my mind off it. I'm approaching the new year with optimism and hopefully that will help others around me deal with the gray skies and rainy season ahead.
Happy New Year and all the best in the coming year!
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
A brand new year, going back to what seems like a new place again after 2 weeks, is refreshing. It's not so much about New Years Resolutions, but setting goals, like I want to be more patient with bad drivers, or make some good habits. I never set my goal to be lose 10 pounds, because what do you do after you lose 10 pounds? Go back to what you were doing before? I want to create good habits and inspire others to do the same. Eat well, workout, and be happy. Seems simple enough. We'll see how we do. And as for the bad drivers out there... maybe some upbeat music will keep my mind off it. I'm approaching the new year with optimism and hopefully that will help others around me deal with the gray skies and rainy season ahead.
Happy New Year and all the best in the coming year!
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Get Out of Your Head
"Get out of your head and let your body do the work."
This is something I've noticed Sheldon saying to our students very often in the past month, so much so that it stops me everytime I hear it to think about what it means. In fitness and conditioning you always hear coaches/trainers using phrases like "dig deep" or "push through the pain" etc. What do these phrases really mean?
I like the idea of turning your head off and just making your body do the work. Isn't our workout the time to turn off our brain for a bit and just work as hard as we can? I did "The Original" 1555 this past Thursday night and beat my first time by about 10 minutes. I've done so many of them in the past month that I know I'm getting stronger, but I've also figured out the whole turning off your head thing.
The first time I did the 1555 I pushed out what most people were doing in an hour in just over 40 minutes. I remember the last few exercises being the hardest thing I'd ever done. My head was telling me my legs hurt and that I was dizzy and that I should stop or take a break to allow myself to rest. I pushed through it, but it was a mental struggle. My second time around, I had a better strategy, but the end is still hard. Anytime I found myself taking a break or telling myself that I'm tired and needed to stop for a second, I'd turn off and suddenly my legs are doing switch lunges. 20 Switch Lunges and counting, when my head was saying do 10 and then you should take a break.
Finding that separation is key. Your mind stops you from pushing to your full potential sometimes. To let your body just do the work, I feel a little bit lighter, and like I can go above and beyond what I'm supposed to be capable of. Too often we decide ahead of time what we're going to be capable of, instead of finding out when the time comes. We limit ourselves in this way.
As I watch other people trying to get through their 1555's I can see when people are having doubts about finishing, about beating the clock, about whether their legs will hold them or not. I can see the wheels turning. I can also see those who have placed with the best times elliminate those seconds of doubts by having a strategy, sticking to it, and continuously moving, whether they hurt or not, because it is only about their body.
In the same way meditation or tai chi removes all thoughts from your mind, a good workout, a 1555 - which is the most intense way to be in control of your own workout - should do the exact same thing. Try turning off and see how much more you are capable of!
Danielle Edge
The Vancouver Acting Kwoon
www.tvak.ca
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