All Journal Entries (393)

First and foremost I'm publicly stating my vow: From here on out... I will brush my teeth with my left hand. So, clearly I'm right handed. My right arm is way stronger and way more coordinated than my left arm. So I did some research and that's how I decided on the tooth brushing thing. It is a great way to increase strength and it's even better for coordination. And it kind of goes along with the UBBT thing, right. Small things that add up to big ones.

Keeping up with the…

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. I have been very busy. Between my continued martial arts training, doing my UBBT necessities weekly, going to school 5 days a week, trying to find a new place that I can afford that is closer to Sacramento I haven't had a lot of time. Add on top of that the fact that I have been sick for a week now and it is quite a load. These are not excuses, just reasons. 

Things have gotten easier in the UBBT front. At the beginning of this challenge I…

Time is going too quickly.

Week 8 and 9 are over. And today marks the end of the second month. That's 62 days in.

That's 9255 Push ups

9300 Sit ups

178 kata repetitions

173.4 miles of my journey

180 acts of kindness

1 book read

I'm a little bit behind on a few things and a little bit ahead on some others. Overall I feel like I'm staying on top of things. I feel pretty good about it all. Things are becoming part of the…

Wow, it's hard to believe the first official month of UBBT is over.  I'm not sure if this went by fast or slow.  Either way, we're 1/12 to the finish!  This process has certainly made me mindful of what I need to do every day and I've learned that it's easier if I keep my schedule consistent day to day in order to make it through the list.

The next thing for me is to complete the weaving project for my green belt.  It's my first time using a loom; I was inspired by one…

There is so much to reflect on in the last two weeks. The tournament was quite an experience. So was the class at the Joslin dojo. There was also my green belt project at Ride To Walk. All this seems hazy though. In the UBBT spirit is perseverance, here is the last two weeks assembled from loosely written reflections after the events and foggy memory.

The tournament was my second ever attended. The first was seven years ago in the bay area. Both felt overwhelming. Where do I…

Seven weeks done and we're just about two months in now. Feels good. 

Still feeling good about the physical demands of the UBBT and still struggling with the mental challenges. In a way it feels good to be confident. I thought it would take a bit longer to get comfortable with knowing that I have to do 150 push ups today. You know? 

Meditation is such a challenge for me. Is there a class I can take??? Haha. I have been trying to do a few minutes after my…

So I know the majority (or all) have already begun their UBBT training. My beginning is...making the commitment. I have committed to joining, journaling, exercising, taking on a community project. I am excited to see my journey unfold throughout the year.

Kaylee is on her path to putting in place her project for community service. Her vision is to create "Get Well" cards where she can distribute them out to hospitals and doctors’ offices. Her cards would be available to be handed out to anyone who needs; some kind words, words of hope, a picture, a child’s thought, a Prayer. That card that lets them know someone is thinking of them.

This gesture is anonymous. It is given at a time when an act of kindness is in…

On Saturday I competed in a Northern California GSKA Tournament. As someone that trains in traditional karate I've often shied away from open tournaments. I've had bad experiences in the past--everything from bad sportsmanship to questionable judging. This year however I've made it a goal to compete at 10 events and decided that I'm going to go in without old negative thoughts. Also competing along side me was one of my junior 11-year old…

Clearly this entry is a bit late, we are half way thru week 7 alreadly! That's okay...

I have something very specific to write about for this entry: Motivation.

I like how I feel more motivated as time goes. It's a different kind of motivated than I feel when I'm training for a race. It's a lot more calm. I've been thinking a lot about that difference lately.

I know my workout habits and thresholds fairly well. In the past when I picked a race to train…

At the end of this week I’m reflecting on and savoring some minor accomplishments, and getting ready for new challenges. I’m proud of what I accomplished for UBBT during the work conference, not as much as during a normal schedule, but much more than I would have ever imagined in those circumstances:  7.55 miles ; 460 crunches and modified pushups; 6 repetitions of basics; 7 acts of kindness (this was really hard because there’s so much self-management). Meditation time was also difficult to…

Saturday, before our dojo kotohajime cleaning, those of us involved with the Ultimate Black Belt Test got together for our first team workout. As the leader of the team and of this particular workout, I knew that I would be expected to bring on a decent challenge. Never one to disappoint, we laid it on thick.

Each us did the following:

• Ran 1 mile
• 480 Kicks
• 240 Push-ups
• 240 Sit-ups
• And about 10 minutes of…