2009 Lenten Challenge

[RickMatz]

Every year, I throw out the Lenten Challenge to my martial arts buddies. It has nothing to do with Christianity or religion. We are simply using this time as a convenient reminder to rededicate ourselves to our training. It’s kind of hard to miss either Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras, the last day before Lent, which is also Paczki Day!) or Easter Sunday (Bunnies, candy, colored eggs; that stuff). Several of us have been doing this for years now.

The challenge is this: from Ash Wednesday (Feb 25) until Easter (April 11 or April 19th for the Eastern Orthodox Church), train every day, without fail, no excuses. Simple enough said.

It's not as easy as it sounds; things come up. Some days, you might only be able to get a few minutes of training in; but the point is to do it everyday, no matter what.

It doesn't have to be martial arts training either. Whatever it is that you need to really rededicate yourself to: studying, practicing an instrument, walking, watching what you eat; anything - do it every day, without fail.

In the past on some forums, people have posted what they’ve done everyday. I think everyone who’s done that has become tired of writing, and the others get tired of reading it. How about you just post if you’ve had some breakthrough, or you’ve had to overcome some unusual circumstance to continue your training? Maybe just check in every once in a while to let everyone know you’re keeping at it, or to encourage everyone else to keep at it.



If you fail, we won’t hate you. If you fall off of the wagon, climb back on board.

For those of you who insist that you really do train everyday anyway, by all means continue and be supportive of the rest of us. For the rest of us who intend to train everyday, but sometimes come up short due to life’s propensity for unraveling even the best laid plans, here is an opportunity to put a stake in the ground and show your resolution.

As a gesture of solidarity with my Orthodox friends, I’m going to keep it up through their Easter celebration.

Won't you join me?

Best Regards

Rick
Http://CookDingsKitchen.blogspot.com

[Mr Punch]

I'm up for it (again)!

Last year I tried, I did OK, and unfortunately it then coincided with tearing and complete collapse of the muscles in my neck and shoulder leading to at least six months off and still pretty much daily pain... LOL.

Still, I'm in rehab now once a week, well into my weights programme, restarted yoga after a nearly twenty year gap, and training kung fu lightly again, so it's all the more reason to be join and be able to do something daily.

I'll keep with my irregular updates on my blog, and chuck a few in here too to encourage (and bully!) others.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

I am in again!

[Exadon]

I am in!

I will do kung fu training / strength training

[Oso]

what about the fish????

[bawang]

hi i take your challenge my brather peace may strength of yahu be with you like a fierse lion in the name of yahushua amnow
but i have a suggestion to take a rest on sabbat day and not eat food and pray

[RickMatz]

hi i take your challenge my brather peace may strength of yahu be with you like a fierse lion in the name of yahushua amnow
but i have a suggestion to take a rest on sabbat day and not eat food and pray

Train every day or we release tye-ga!

[Reverend Tap]

Sure, I'm in. As my cardio sucks, it'll be daily running for me.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i just did this for january. no beer, no coffee, no masturbation. i got two out of three . . . caved half way through on one of them. ill leave which to the imagination.

[Oso]

lol, i'm sure givn up the coffee was a beyotch

[RickMatz]

I just wanted to remind everyone who is going to take part in the Lenten Challenge, that it begins tomorrow. Giddy up!

[Mr Punch]

hi i take your challenge my brather peace may strength of yahu be with you like a fierse lion in the name of yahushua amnow
but i have a suggestion to take a rest on sabbat day and not eat food and pray

I thought you were Chinese? What the hell do you have a sabbath for?! No offense, but over half the Christians I've met have been trying to shake it! lol

Anyway, sabbath is no excuse: make your prayer your meditation and your meditation your training. Seiza, zazen... Vajrasana (Thunderbolt), Virasana (Hero) or Padmasana (Lotus), warrior meditation (sorry - don't know the Chinese variations/terms for any of these) - there's not enough seated meditation around! Or make your 108 punches, each one stripping away your 煩悩... your 108 kicks, each one strengthening your resolve towards correct martial conduct... your 108 breaths, each one expanding your new found strength and benevolence into the universe of compassion, some chi kung... your 108 sutras, each one to your god, yourself, your environment.

Or something.

[Mr Punch]

i just did this for january. no beer, no coffee, no masturbation. i got two out of three . . . caved half way through on one of them. ill leave which to the imagination.

My imagination doesn't go there.

[Mr Punch]

Lent started yesterday for me (25th in Japan).

Was supposed to be a gym day, but family commitments meant I couldn't get any free time till gone 2230. The gym closes at midnight, but I have the slight remainder of a cold so didn't want to lift heavy weights so late when I couldn't eat to recover properly afterwards.

Opted for a seated yoga sequence I found and modified, aimed at people with similar neck problems to me, and people who spend too long in front of PCs: an office yoga set. I'd been researching and designing one for while and went for it last night. Took best part of an hour, though there are shorter variations. Felt good (except it finished at gone 0100 and it was rather too invigorating to allow me to sleep as quickly as I needed!).

Decided this morning that part of my Lenten challenge is to give up non-essential PC use, so I'm not going to be on here for 40 days either... Sorry if that means I'm taking away the teamwork aspect of encouraging others to get on with the challenge, but it's something I need to do.

See you in forty days, when I'll post a bit of a log of my challenge: I'm hoping for some real gains in various aspects of training: kung fu, koryu, weights (start first hypertrophy programme next week - excited about it as it goes!), yoga (especially want to get a handle on breathing and its differences to fu breathing), physio (hopefully a few steps closer to pain-free by the end of Lent).

[RickMatz]

Lent started yesterday for me (25th in Japan).

Was supposed to be a gym day, but family commitments meant I couldn't get any free time till gone 2230. The gym closes at midnight, but I have the slight remainder of a cold so didn't want to lift heavy weights so late when I couldn't eat to recover properly afterwards.

Opted for a seated yoga sequence I found and modified, aimed at people with similar neck problems to me, and people who spend too long in front of PCs: an office yoga set. I'd been researching and designing one for while and went for it last night. Took best part of an hour, though there are shorter variations. Felt good (except it finished at gone 0100 and it was rather too invigorating to allow me to sleep as quickly as I needed!).

Decided this morning that part of my Lenten challenge is to give up non-essential PC use, so I'm not going to be on here for 40 days either... Sorry if that means I'm taking away the teamwork aspect of encouraging others to get on with the challenge, but it's something I need to do.

See you in forty days, when I'll post a bit of a log of my challenge: I'm hoping for some real gains in various aspects of training: kung fu, koryu, weights (start first hypertrophy programme next week - excited about it as it goes!), yoga (especially want to get a handle on breathing and its differences to fu breathing), physio (hopefully a few steps closer to pain-free by the end of Lent).

That's the spirit. Well done.