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Weekly Challenge #50

Reverse Planks – This plank variation strengthens the core, but also targets the back and shoulders too. Start by sitting on the ground with your hands below the shoulders and fingers pointing towards your feet, and then lift your chest and body up to a straight line from head to toe and hold this position for 30 seconds. Challenge yourself to do 3 sets of 30 seconds every day this week – you can do it!

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Meaningful Lessons – In the martial arts a belt is a symbol of our hard work and achievements. But are the achievements that we have worked hard for meaningful? Do the lessons we learn in the classroom carry meaning into our lives off the mat? They certainly should! Make a list of some of the meaningful lessons that have affected our lives and the lives of others outside of the classroom. Feel free to share and email any meaningful lessons that stand out for you.

Good luck

Philip Woo

Weekly Challenge #49

Clap Push-Ups – The idea of a clap push up can be intimidating, but the explosive extension of the arms is a fantastic workout for the upper body that is worth working up to. The easiest way to start would be with your knees on the ground and push up fast enough that your hands lift off the ground – and then soften the landing by lowering your body towards the floor to avoid hurting your wrists. Work your way up to single claps, double claps, or jack knife claps (knee tucks while touching your ankles)! This week challenge yourself to try 15 to 20 clap push ups every day – you can do it!

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Both Sides of An Issue – Choose an issue that has caught your attention in some way – perhaps it’s something that directly involves you; maybe it is a topic of interest, or even something that you hear about in the media recently. Once you have chosen an issue, spend 30 minutes this week learning and researching about both sides of the issue. Maybe you’ll change your opinion; perhaps you will bolster your existing opinion; or simply shift your understanding and perspective. You may already have an opinion on the issue but this challenge teaches us to listen for both sides, a skill that makes us better people – students and teachers alike.
 
Good luck

Philip Woo

Weekly Challenge #47

Open Leg Sit Ups – This variation on a basic sit up helps to strengthen hip flexors, as well as your abs! Lie down with your legs extended straight, and spread them comfortably far apart. Anchor them down underneath something – like your sofa. Slowly sit up to about 45 degree angle to the floor, and then relax down. Try this 25 times each day this week!

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Take Control of Your Life – Procrastination is the enemy of accomplishment. We constantly procrastinate and put off things – work, chores, projects, belt exam requirements – only to find that they never get done. When we procrastinate we are putting our goals somewhere else so that we can forget them. List 10 things that you have procrastinated until now; from that list, consider the consequences of never completing any of those tasks. Now narrow that list down to 3 tasks that you can start this week, and hop to it! And write them down now. As in now.

Good luck

Philip Woo

Weekly Challenge #46

Hip Bridges – This exercise helps to strengthen your lower back muscles, abs and your rear. These bridges also can help to reduce lower back pain. Start by lying on your back with your feet flat and knees bent. Tighten your abdominal muscles and pull your hips up until you form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold this position for 10 – 15 seconds, then release – repeat this 10 – 15 times. This is a super simple exercise to do right when you wake up!

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What You Don’t Like – Figure out something that you don’t like. Maybe a particular genre of music, sport, or art – and learn about it. Read a book, watch documentaries, try it out, or however you like. Learning helps us to understand, empathize, and respect. Martial artists and non-martial artists alike strive to live in a world filled with respect and empathy, and this one exercise illustrates how simple it is to be the change.

Good luck

Philip Woo

Weekly Challenge #45

Staying on track with your exercise and fitness goals means that even when on holidays we need to make time for regular activity. Even as little as 15 minutes a day can help you maintain your health and fitness levels. Challenge yourself every day until August to do one of these three tasks: 1) 15 minute walk, jog, or swim; 2) 15 minutes of stretching; 3) 15 minutes of martial arts practice. Regular activity is an investment in your self – stay active and stay healthy!

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Spend time with your family – Find out how they are doing; what their goals and plans are; do things that you all enjoy together! Email, call, visit, lunch – any amount of time you invest in family is time you will benefit from. Let’s not forget that our family almost always has our best interests in mind, so open communication and healthy relationships will help you too.

 Good luck

Philip Woo

Weekly Challenge #44

Outward Arm Rotations – This exercise is a super way to strengthen and tone the upper arm and shoulders! Start with your elbows tucked right to the side of your body, with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle forward. Then, with a comfortable weight in each hand, slowly open your forearms outward and then close. Be sure to keep your back straight and your forearms parallel to the ground for the entire movement. Try 3 sets of 10 reps every day this week!

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Overcoming Failure – We fail as a regular part of achieving and this is what makes us try hard. I’m not trying to console the hearts of failed achievers, but simply to illuminate the path to success. The natural momentum of life feels halted when we fail, and that’s when our ambition and motivation should be kicking in. When we fail we tend to think that we are falling back, but really we are only realizing that we are standing still or not moving at the pace needed. This week, write down something you failed at, and then write out the solution. Trace the steps necessary to complete the solution, and determine if the effort is worth the achievement. If it is, then do it!

 Good luck

Philip Woo

Weekly Challenge #43

Front Arm Raise – This exercise helps to work the shoulder and upper arm, both building strength and toning the area. Start from standing straight with your arms by your sides with comfortable light weights. Alternating arms raise your straightened arm up to your shoulder height and slowly lower it down. Try 3 sets of 10 repetitions (both arms) each day this week!

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Problem Solving, Not Avoiding – In our lives we encounter many problems that we simply avoid. Avoidance is a perfectly passable option for problems that are non-recurring issues that are not problems for others. However, if a problem is recurring, or impacts others negatively, then we should challenge ourselves to fix it. By taking ownership of a problem and fixing it we become problem solvers, and not problem avoiders. It’s an incredibly empowering idea, but one that is often underused. This week look into your own life – home, work, interpersonal – and find problems that you’ve been avoiding and not solving. Maybe it’s a health issue; perhaps it’s a fitness issue, or a personal issue. Once you’ve identified it, fix it! Don’t forget to solve any challenges that come up this week too!

Good luck

Philip Woo

Weekly Challenge #42

1 minute drill – Start from standing straight, raise your left knee to your chest, then your right knee. Follow the knee lifts with a left side kick to the left of you, then a right side kick to the right of you. Squat down for a single push up and then spring back up to your feet. Repeat this drill for 1 solid minute every day this week. How many reps can you do?

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List your top 10 achievements – Write down 10 of your top achievements you have accomplished in your life. It could be familial, social, academic, career-related, or any personal victory. Thinking of and writing down the achievements is the easy part: the deeper value comes in understanding how those victories have shaped us. For better or for worse, our lives have been shaped, in part, by these achievements. Another layer of this challenge is to look at which achievements you chose to consider being your “top achievements” and ruminate on why you value those achievements so highly.

Good luck

Philip Woo

Weekly Challenge #41

Swim for One Hour – Swimming is an excellent form of exercise, both for muscle building as well as cardio vascular health. It can be a great alternative to high impact running, or maybe even just a change from your regular workouts. Taking a swim is a refreshing reminder that working out and staying healthy can be fun too! This week, escape the summer heat by taking a one hour swim and seeing how good it feels.

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Learning about someone helps us to understand them better, and understanding is a precursor to respect. Finding out what your parents were like at your age is an excellent way to learn to relate to your parents, understand them better, and ultimately respect them. Learning about the trials and victories of our parents will help us to appreciate the people they have become, and ultimately we will learn to respect them and their decisions even more. Spend at least 30 minutes this week learning about your parents’ lives when they were your age.

Good luck

Philip Woo

Weekly Challenge #40

Superman Plank Push Ups – Keeping your fitness routine from getting stale means mixing things up a little bit! Even a basic push up and plank can be put together in a way that keeps things fresh. For these push ups, start with a basic push up with your feet shoulder width apart, and at the top of your push up raise an arm and leg up into a Superman position (alternating opposite arm & leg) before returning to the original position. These will target your upper body and core simultaneously. Be sure to take a full breath in and out for both the push up and the Superman. Try 3 sets of 20 seconds each day this week!

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Goal Setting – Setting goals for ourselves helps us to decide what is important to us and can keep us focused and motivated.  We build self confidence when we reach our goals – regardless of whether the goals are fitness, academic, work, or personal. Writing down and reviewing our goals helps us to stay on track with success. This week write down 6 goals for yourself: 2 to be done by next Sunday; 2 by Canada Day; and 2 by Canada Day 2011. Have these 6 goals written down before you go to bed tonight!

Good luck

Philip Woo