Reality Check

Knowing is different from actually feeling and experiencing what you know. For the longest time now, I've always known that I'm slipping farther and farther down the wellness and fitness scale but I've been too lazy to actually do something about it. I've satisfied myself with short bursts of speed and power that got me through those once a week Futsal games and managed to convinced myself for a year that it was enough.

But lately, there's this growing restlessness in me. I feel that I've not been replenishing my energy as much as I should and been wasting myself slowly for nothing. I guess I'm slowly beginning to accept that I've made choices that got me stuck somehow. Although nothing is really a bad thing especially if I somehow pick up something from it, there is still a need to re-evaluate and make some changes, beginning with the simplest ones.

I started with the most basic one for me, my health and fitness. Despite my love for Futsal I decided to take a break from it for a while because it's not giving me what I need. I want more serious play time and the challenge to stretch myself to the limits. I need to feel that level of exhaustion and see if I can summon enough willpower to hold on regardless of all the pain and aches I feel. I want to feel I've improved somehow. But these are personal expectations and sometimes there are games we need to play just for the fun of playing it. I guess that was what Futsal was to me.

Yesterday, I began training in boxing. Boxing is one of the core skills in Wushu-Sanshou so I've a fair enough idea of some of the basic moves. I consider this as an opportunity to hone my skills in Sanshou. As my Sanshou coach often told me before, it's critical to master the basics of the sport if you want to excel in it. He said that most times, it gets frustrating for athletes to keep doing the simplest routines over and over and over again but that's the foundation. To have a solid foundation is a key to optimizing the skills, determination, and willpower. Talent is good. No, talent is important. But talent without mastery of the basics is wasted talent.

First training day of boxing was a pleasant surprise. I can now say I've made the right decision because I've found what I've been looking for. The trainer was good because he spent time teaching us. He also didn't treat us like fragile creatures and gave each of us a training that matched our current skills (or lack thereof). All in all, it was a truly tiring yet exhilirating 1 1/2 hours. I felt my muscles complaining barely two hours after the session and this morning, I literally peeled myself off from bed because I was sore all over. Aches and pains aside though, I've never felt better.

If there's one true lesson I've learned in moments like this when every muscle in my body seems to be in terrible agony, it is that the only way to end the pain is to endure more until such time I become stronger and better.