I finally made it to four hours of karate class last week! Yay me! I know my instructor was happy to see me. I was sore after the first day back, especially around my arms and shoulders. I must have spent an hour just working on one kata alone, and it was one that involved a lot of punching, so I’m not too surprised by the soreness. But by Thursday I was feeling pretty good.
I need to get back to regular practice as well as regular class attendance. That’s something that’s always been a problem for me during cold weather. I will freely admit that I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather. I do not like to get outside and freeze my butt off, so I tend to look for ways to workout inside all winter long. That’s hard to do with karate. I need room to move about, otherwise I might kick a hole in the wall or knock over the furniture. And I can forget doing weapons katas inside. One wrong move and I might shove a bo straight through the TV screen.
I had thought about trying to practice outside, and just layer silk long johns underneath my gi. But if the weather’s been wet and nasty, that makes things difficult. Oh sure, I could tough it out and do kata in the mud, but that’s the point at which I have to ask, is that really the sane thing to do?
The best option I have during the winter is to visit the Y and practice in the inside basketball court. Lots of open space there and a nice clean floor to work on. I suppose I will have to get back to doing that again for at least a few more weeks until it warms up some more.
Here’s the current planned workout schedule:
- Monday – karate practice at the Y
- Tuesday – kobudo and karate classes
- Wednesday – workout at home, elliptical machine and Wii
- Thursday – black belt and regular karate classes
- Friday – swimming and water aerobics
- Saturday – off
- Sunday – workout at home, elliptical machine and Wii
I’m also trying to add in 20 minutes on the elliptical machine in the early mornings, Monday through Friday. It’s not much, but it does make a difference in my endurance and in my weight. I’m getting older, metabolism is slowing down, and I have to work just a bit harder to keep from getting pudgy.
Plus it’s a great excuse to watch FarScape in the mornings…
We’ll see how I do with the schedule this week. See you later!
