Irene Jerke

Well tonight is my last night of physio for my shoulder. I don't think it will totally get rid of the pain but it has definitely helped my back, shoulder and neck.  The biggest difference I found was that my neck doesn't grind nearly as much as it used to.  Too bad physio isn't free.

Just wanted to say that last friday's I Ho Chuan class was an excellent class.   When Sifu Brinker corrected me in my stance to engage my hip, things took on a whole new light. Also, went to physio yesterday and found out that my shoulder and back are in worse shape than I thought. And that is from neglecting myself. I am so bound up that it put my neck out as well. I had the electrodes on, then ultrasound and then traction. I felt like I had a bobble head after that. I get two more sessions. I will have to get regular massages after this. At least my health benefits covers it. I have always put myself last and that has got to change, especially now.

I am in day 4 of a cleanse and so far so good.  Besides being realllllly bloated, I am starting to feel like I have more energy and I don't have brain fog. On a different note, I can only do wall pushups right now.  I have bercitis in my shoulder from all the pushups. I have to go to physio and have this taken care of before jumping back into full pushups.

I got a burst of excitement and enthusiasm about my artwork. I am currently working on two different pencil sketches. They are very detailed and take on average 30 hours each. An associate of mine through work bought one of my prints and informed me  that she wants to buy two originals now so that she can have three for her office. So I have a short term goal of finishing these two sketches by the end of May.  This sale would help my finances at a time that I need it. Oh, and besides that, I have to look for another place to rent as soon as possible because my daughter and her two cats are moving in with me by the end of the month. I will have all three kids with me and only two bedrooms.  It's a good thing I have two really comfy sofas.

I haven't blogged for a little while because my blogspot site is challenging my computer skills. I signed in one day and all of a suddent, it says this site is no longer something, something this server. I feel so stupid. Finally, with some help and me poking around, I think I have it figured out. Sooo I am back online.  I am feeling pretty good about my training right now. On mondays and wednesdays, as long as I don't go home and leave for kung fu straight from work, I have been successful with keeping up my attendance. I really like going to those classes because it helps me keep up with my situps and pushups, it gives extra opportunity to excersize and I get to learn from a few different Sifus. I am finding, however that I don't get home til 9:00 and haven't eaten and I need to wind down before being able to sleep. So I am not getting as much sleep as I would like at this rate. But pros definitely outweigh the cons. On my off days, I stop off at the gym after work and put some kilometres on either the bike or treadmill. So far, so good.

Before 8:00 this morning I drove my son to school, worked with free weights for 40 minutes and did 150 situps and 80 of my pushups. It's my day off today. Am thinking if I get up a little earlier every workday, I could keep this up. Also, last Wednesday i went to 2 evening classes and loved it. I am definitely going to go to as many as I can.

I'm having a good day, I think I have figured out a workout routine for myself that will work for me. I started getting up earlier in the morning to do my situps and pushups to get them over for the day and found I had time left and some energy so I did my weight resistance training routing which I used to do for 20 years. It was like riding a bike and it felt so good. And when I have been stopping off at the gym right after work cause it is on my way home and I have been doing 5 miles on the bike, great for my knees. So I am feeling way better about my workout routine. I just have to make sure that I am eating right and getting enough sleep to keep this up.

Got myself a pedometer and am lovin it. It helps me track of distance, goals, stopwatch and other neat things. Isn't technology amazing!

Going to gym after work to go on the bike and put some kilometres under my belt. Looking forward to better weather so that I can do some outside.

I have been so busy lately, with appointments after work and seminars that I haven't been able to do what I have wanted to do. I have been doing my situps and pushups but haven't been getting in enough cardio. Although, I did walk about 5 kilometres yesterday. Wanted to go to training this Thursday and then it snowed so much that the roads are in terrible shape. I will finish setting up my heavy bag at home tonight and get some bag work in. Having the bag set up, I think, will help me with my practicing. My place is way to small and cluttered to do forms in. Looking forward to nice weather when I can train outside.

Having a good day today. Even though I had to work, every spare minute I got, I did my pushups and situps and managed to get some good time in on my spear (in the warehouse).

I have been in kind of a slump lately, mainly feeling sorry for myself. I goes through these every once in a while when I feeling that life's burdens start feeling heavy. I am out of it now and I am starting to put a plan together for my schedule for Kung Fu, fitness and my artwork. I have had overwelming enthusiasm about my art lately. I have people wanting to buy my work and I don't have inventory right now. So I really need to set a schedule and stick to it.

I have always struggled with this situation on whether or not it is an act of Kindness. When approached by someone that obviously has a drug or alcohol problem, perhaps homeless, that is begging for money, should I give them some money or not? Am I being kind to them when I am almost positive that they will use that money for their addiction? I know, initially, it will relieve their pain but when looking at the overall picture, am I not just adding to their problem? And how do you know for sure that they aren't going to use it for food? I would love to hear someone else's perspective on this.

I am finally healing from my rib injury. Still not taking any chances though because the last time I thought I was healed I re-injured it. Feeling pretty good physically, I have more energy and have lost a few pounds. I need to get more reps in for my forms however.

Well, I'm a stubborn German but I should know better. I should always listen to my doctor. I have some torn cartilage under my ribs which is quite painful. Initially, I gave myself a three day
rest and I thought it was healed. Then when we were doing reno's at the kwoon, I must have tugged one too many times and re-injured it. It kills me that I can't keep up with my situps and pushups. So, I knew situps were too painfull and couldn't do those, so I tried leg raises. They seemed not too bad. I also did some pushups that seemed not too bad. However after two to three days of no improvement, I realized, I am not going to heal unless I do what the doctor told me to and rest. Even though it is bothering the heck out of me that I will have all these situps and pushups to make up eventually, I have resigned to the fact that I have to rest to get better.

I was driving home yesterday and was nearing my turnoff which was a right handed turn. The light was red and there was a car in front of me waiting to go straight. The driver saw my signal light to turn and moved ahead a little so that I could get by and do my turn. I thought, that was nice of you, so when I moved forward, I caught the eye of the driver and waved and smiled as to say thank you. It was an older lady and she smiled and waved back. That made my day! It's all too often that people get in their cars and lose personal contact with others. They think the car is an exstention of themselves and turn into completely different people. I still smile when I think of it.

Overall, I consider myself pretty healthy, however, I seem to be plagued with a few minor setbacks like a sprained ankle and now a pinched nerve. It makes me realize that this UBBT requires full attention to your fitness. This pinched nerve has put my situps and pushups on hold for a day. That's 150 of each that I am going to have to make up somewhere. I do feel better though now that I can do more at one time, so I guess this is the hardest part of the training. I have sore muscles but feel good about myself for the daily accomplishments.

Well my muscles are not hurting anymore and I am starting to be able to do more reps at one time. It's making life much easier. I am so glad that our UBBT will be getting together on Thursday evening because I can never make it for open training on Saturdays. I have also given my family fair warning that I will not be around as much for the next year. They are fine with that, they are old enough now to take care of themselves. So everything is good.

I decided to join the Gym that is on my way home and I am really enjoying it. I stop in right after work and I don't have the temptation of relaxing on the couch or grabbing a bite to eat or watching T.V. I go there to workout and I usually end up working out more than I had anticipated. Looking forward to the better fitness level

Well, I am sold! In an earlier blog, I mentioned how I seem to be meeting the right people at the right time. Well, I met a lady through work who wanted new flooring for her new business that was about to open soon. I went to her business and gave her a quote. I didn't get the flooring job but I got to talking with her and her business is going to be yoga, meditation, Zoomba dance, Ayurvedic health and so on. If you don't know what Ayurvedic is, it is a 5000 year old way of eating derived from India. It focuses on using all natural foods eaten in the right combination that is customized for your body type and energy for optimum health. I had never heard of this until about 4 months ago, so I am by no means an expert. Anyway, through our conversations, I told her that I was a designer and an artist and she mentioned that she wanted a mural done in her business. So I showed her my portfolio and she hired me to do this mural, however, she asked if I would be interested in bartering services or products in exchange for the mural. I said I was open to it, so she told me about this Ayurvedic product that she has been taking for a while now and was raving about it and how her health has greatly improved. She knew I was in Kung Fu and thought that it would really help me with my training. So, I said I would take some product as part payment. There are three things to this product. One is a whey protein shake that has 100 percent of daily requirements of vitamins and minerals and is a meal substitute if you want to lose weight or maintain weight. The other thing is a drink based on a mix of different fruits, one being the malaki fruit. This drink, you take 3 ounces a day and improves your health, immune system and energy. And lastley, they have these little packets of fruit juice mix that boosts your metabolism and quenches your hunger and I find it really gives me energy. I have been taking these for about 6 weeks and I have noticed a huge difference in my energy level. I started getting a cold last week when everyone else had one and it lasted one day and was done. Another thing I noticed, and that is probably from the whey protein shakes, when I overdo pushups or we have a strenuous class, I recover really fast. I have lost a total of 12 lbs and I feel like the energizer bunny. These products are called Zrii and they are endorsed by Deepak Chopra. I am hooked on being healthy, it feels great.

Well, it is day two of 150 pushups a day and I have a sprained wrist. I managed to figure out a way of doing them at home with my barbell. With weights on it, it lifts it off the ground and I can grip the bar and keep my wrist straight. However, I have nothing at work, so I was looking for something similar to use at work. My warehouse manager joined me in looking for something to solve my problem and he found a metal bar in the back and made two wood brackets to hold it in. Thadha!! problem solved. But what really surprised me is when I jokingly told him that he was my hero for solving this problem, he said "no, you're my hero".

That was a proud moment.

I feel so blessed to be a part of the Silent River Kung Fu family. No where else, that I know of, can you find a group of people who strive to be the best they can be but also truly care about their fellow students and want the best for them as well. Recently, I have not been able to attend classes because I have not had a vehicle and I live in St. Albert. So when the banquet date approached I was desperate to find a ride. A friend of mine was able to drive me there but not home. I was very discouraged and thought that I would have to miss the banquet. So I phoned Master Brinker to inform him that I would not be able to come. He was with a group of Sihings at the time helping get the banquet ready. He asked to put me on hold while he enquired if anyone else was going that way. I was very happy when he got on the phone and replied that there were a number of Sihings that offered to give me a ride home and I don't believe any of them live in St. Albert. Sihing Robinson kindly gave me a ride home that night.

It didn't end there. Sihing Robinson offered to give me a ride to classes whenever he could, so last friday he gave me a ride and then this friday he was unable to because he volunteered with the Kung Fu sleepover (brave man!). However, he did not leave me high and dry (no, that is not the Kung Fu way), he talked to Sihing Janzen and made arrangements with him to pick me up.

All I can say is thank you so very much to Sihing Robinson and Sihing Janzen. It may seem like not a big deal to some but to me it means a lot.

It is Jan. 8 and it has been one week since I started eating better, exercising and getting back to my artwork. I feel really good about my new atitude and have a good outlook. I guess I finally got fed up with the two steps ahead one step back, two steps ahead, three steps back kinda way my life had been going. I've decided to take FULL control and remove any obstacles that are am impeding me from getting what I want out of life and to stop making excuses for not being where I want to be at this time in my life.

I currently don't have a vehicle because I need to get a vehicle inspection done before I can renew registration and insurance, which costs money, so, I can't get to Kung Fu, which is a bummer. But I am not quitting. Even if I miss enough classes that makes me ineligible to test this year, I care but it's not the end of the world. I want to be a student of Kung Fu for the rest of my life so this is a small setback in the grand scheme of things.

I miss the classes and the commeraderie of the students. But I am working on getting back to class as soon as possible and in the meantime I am getting back into shape so that the first set of 50 pushups won't kill me.

It's Dec.14 and with the year coming to an end it makes a person look back on the year behind us. For me, it seemed like another year of struggles following the last 5 year of struggles ( My whole life has been full of struggles, however, the last 5 have been somewhat more than other years). I was once told my life runs in cycles of 5. Important events happen, for example 5 years apart or last for 5 years or in multiples of 5. My father passed away 5 years after my mom. I met my ex-husband 5 years after my father passed away and so on. For the last 6 or so months have really felt that I am on the verge of change in my life. Perhaps because it has been 5 years since my ex and I split. That's just one of the things. The past month especially, even though I haven't been able to attend class as much as I would like to, I like where my life is heading. Things seem to be falling into place and the fog of troubles seems to be lifting. By chance or coincidence, I seem to be meeting people in my life that are helping me be the person I want to be. I feel like I have finally learned the lessons I was supposed to learn from all those years of hardship and now it is time to live life with quality. I am looking forward to 2011 and every year after and I am looking forward to being a martial artist and being the best person I can be. Also, I know for a fact that being a part of Silent River Kung Fu and training to be a martial artist has helped me tremendously learn the lessons I needed to learn to get me where I am today.

Afternote, February of 2011, will mark my 10 year anniversary of starting Kung Fu.

Well, I finally got around to figuring this out. Blogging is totally foreign to me but here I go. I am at the point in my training that I question myself everyday " Am I ready for black belt?" Sometimes when I do something right and it flows so nice and feels good, I think, YAH! Bring it on! and then other times I feel like I'm an imposter pretending that I am anywhere near being a real black belt. My mind is playing a lot of games with me now. But I have to keep on track and focused and remember how much I have learned over the years. Overall, I'm feeling good and feel good about the effort that I am putting into this.

Today's a good day.

June 5, 2010
I have completed my first week of attending Kung Fu classes 4 mornings and friday, (except this monday) and I feel such a relief. The reason I feel such a relief is the fact that I now feel like I am doing everything in my power and potential to practice for my black belt with intensity. I don't have the stress of the deadline. If I can't be ready for black belt by attending 5 classes a week then there is something wrong with me. I am soooo glad I am doing this because I also have a wealth of wisdom that I am drawing from 5 days a week. All I have to do is show up and because of that, I am starting to get into the shape that I want to be in and I am already seeing improvement in different areas. I am excited about the improvement not only with my forms and technique but also how physically fit I will be. This is like being used to eating sirlion and then trying filet mignon. Once you've had the best that's all you want. I'm hooked because I am feeling like I did when I was a lower belt, when I was progressing every week. I'm progressing at a faster rate again and am getting my enthusiasm back. This was the best move that I could have made and urge other students to attend as many classes as possible.