MAP Check-in for everyone

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by Alansmurf, May 20, 2020.

  1. Alansmurf

    Alansmurf Aspire to Inspire before you Expire Supporter

    Hi Folks

    Just a check-in to make sure you are all doing Ok in these strange times.

    Lack of club training has led to training at home a lot more than we used to.

    MAP is a support network so check-in and let us know you are doing OK.

    Smurf
     
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  2. Aegis

    Aegis River Guardian Admin Supporter

    I'm not doing much in the way of training, but am keeping active by going for a walk every day, long walks at the weekend. I was running, but got a mild case of COVID and haven't got back into that yet.
     
    Alansmurf likes this.
  3. Southpaw535

    Southpaw535 Well-Known Member Moderator Supporter

    Slowly going insane working in retail and dealing with the public, as those of you unfortunate enough to have me on facebook are probably aware with the incessant moaning. Otherwise doing good.

    Weirdly although the lockdown hasn't effected my life at all, it has made me definitely want to go back to bjj once the clubs open up again. Planning to take a look at HEMA as well which I'm looking forward to

    Did pads for the first time in probably three years with a house mate last week and endured days of dom pain after that made me reflect on how out of shape and out of practice (read: chubby) I've got.

    Partner is tying to bully me into using the lockdown time to start Couch to 5k with her and trying to avoid that bullet. Apparently walking to work doesn't count as a 20 minute run which I think is just unfair.

    So yeah, that's an exciting insight into how things are going my end. Hope everyone is keeping safe and is doing okay. My inbox is always open to anyone.
     
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  4. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    I'm walking everyday and stretching to get over my bad back. Going a bit dotty at home all the time, but teaching via zoom is fun, if not the real thing.
     
    Alansmurf likes this.
  5. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    I'm still working!

    I've actually enjoyed it so far, less people about on the roads, less face to face meetings, and the patient contact I have, I feel like I'm doing some actual good!

    Isn't it crazy how many who are still getting paid to stay at home, seem unable to be happy with spending time with family!

    It's very annoying seeing people I used to respect try and spread conspiracy theories and train in secret however.


    Training wise, I'm doing more fitness at home then before, but Its not enough to replace missing class.

    I've also got far more instructionals then I'll ever actually watch now. So no change there.
     
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  6. Flying Crane

    Flying Crane Well-Known Member

    Have been out of work since March, I keep looking for something that wouldn’t require lots of public interaction. I’ve got a couple leads, we’ll see if they go anywhere.

    Keeping busy with home projects. We bought our house last year and some of the rooms badly needed a paint job so now I have the time to get those done.

    I rebuild swords, new hilts and scabbards, and I’ve had a chance to work on a couple of those. It’s nice because I haven’t made anything new in several years so I was happy to get back to it.

    Reading a lot, watching more tv than we ought to.

    Been training a lot. I’ve been leading my household (wife, son, sister-in-law) in strength training three times a week and Kung fu training three times a week, as well as working in a bit of my own training. Mostly fundamentals and forms, a bit of pads and bag work and I’m trying to get them started on some partner drills. My wife is an experienced martial artist, although she is new to White Crane. Sister-in-law is a complete newbie so she struggles more, but we are keeping at it.

    So keeping our sanity but the employment situation is always on my mind. Unemployment benefits won’t last forever.
     
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  7. Anth

    Anth Daft. Supporter

    I moved into my own place a month before COVID took off properly in the UK so for once I had a bit of luck. My plan when I was moving was to let my mental health improve this year and not push things too much and that's working fine. Being able to lounge around reading without my head exploding from other people chewing or smoking is bliss. Still at work though but things have quietened down a lot recently while people eat through everything they stockpiled.

    Training wise, not much is getting done. I try to spend an hour or so a week keeping the aikido syllabus in my muscle memory (and working on my posture) and do odd Beastmaker sessions while walking back to the kitchen for more Doritos. I get a fair workout at work though - dragging one ton pallets around, throwing 7kg up to 500 times, lifting 15kg above head height around a hundred times, walking up to eight miles, all in a five hour shift. I've had a few exploratory bike rides around the new area too but haven't got around to doing any kata yet (my brain has figured out how to apply kata to climbing, somehow).
     
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  8. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    My company have been great to be honest. Set us all up working from home (I'm still trying to do 8 hour a day at a computer), been very understanding with what hours we can actually do and family commitments, set up covid charity donations, weekly zoom yoga and mindfulness sessions.
    I'm much prefer this pace of life. No commute, more time to sit and have meals with family, etc. If it wasn't for all the people dying this'd be great. :(
    I hope we can keep an option to work from home after this has settled down a bit.
    Down sides are falling out with family (well wife really) and trying to keep two primary aged kids entertained and engaged. Everyone's a bit snappy and short with each other.

    Although I'm expanding weight wise (due to snacking all the time) I'm doing a fair bit physically. At least one dog walk every day (we have a new puppy), couch to 5k three times a week (now on week 9!), bagwork sessions, TKD patterns, teaching my kids some stick fighting.
    Every day I'm doing a mobility session I've cobbled together (starting with a video I saw of Ronda Rousey doing a warm up with a stick I thought looked cool) using a jo as a prop. Stretching, trigger point massage, rolling muscles, joint rotations, twirling, shoulder dislocations, 31 jo kata, basic strikes, etc. If the weather's good (which it has been) it's great to do in the garden.

    Hope everyone else is doing OK
     
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  9. ned

    ned Valued Member

    I've been off work since lockdown started, iscolating with the whole familly to shield my wife who has an auto immune condition making her vunerable.
    It's been nice having all my daughters around, usually there'd just be myself,my wife and our youngest who is in 6th form.

    Been spending most of my time in the garden - building a new boundary fence and planting all sorts of veg. I also made a temporary mini greenhouse addition to my shed to raise seedlings so hopefully loads of chillis,tomatoes and courgettes to come.

    Having my own space for weights, hanging bag and dummy means I'm just training solo as before. I recently finished learning Xin jia new frame from my taiji teacher shortly before lockdown so I have plenty to work on. Also have my middle daughter who has also been learning, to train that with.

    Got notification of self employed furlough payments on saturday which relieves a lot of pressure but the decision to go back to work is looming ( as is my middle daughter to return to Uni ) at the moment I'm sitting tight though for at least a couple of weeks to see how things progress now easing of restrictions has started.
     
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  10. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    Great thread idea smurf.

    Trapped in the house until June 30th (at earliest).

    Finding it hard to get as much cardio in, as walking/running and BJJ was my main calories output.

    Getting fatter by the day, getting a bit stronger, having a week off this week as I was feeling fatigued.

    Kids have been hard to getting doing martial arts without their regular club trip; I've found I can do 5-10 minute with them here and there, but it doesn't add up to the 1 hour a week they used to do.

    I'm glad that my BJJ coach is doing daily sessions, either technique discussion or watch fights and discussing.

    I've found myself avoiding all news, and social media more often than I used to.

    Work is busy, glad to have a job, but really could do with a break from the huge amount of work.
     
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  11. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    Boxing gym opened this week, sort of. Partially. It's annoying (but it's not the owner's fault). I gained weight during the closure because if the gym is closed, I'm lazy.
     
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  12. El Medico

    El Medico Valued Member

    Having retired 2 years ago I luckily don't have the employment/non-employment issues and stress the younger folks have-tho' social security payments which are about or below the poverty line ain't that great either,but at least it's steady.Until the system goes broke,anyway.My wife has been able to work from home and her work is tied to state and interstate shipping so unless everything goes to you know where that business should keep on truckin'.(har-dee-har-har).

    Aside from necessary grocery shopping spending most of my time working and staying at my mom's (she's 96)- where there is no room to work out but plenty to do,which is why the last few days I haven't been posting in threads I'm in. Think I'll start taking Kali sticks out in the woods and work some trees over,haven't done that in awhile.Course it done been "rather" rainy here recently.Myself and a couple o' the guys going to go hike and hang out at the creek tomorrow-at a distance of course.First time I'll have seen them in a couple months.

    Minor gripe-for the 1st time in years-that is since I stopped teaching 20 years ago- there was a small group including myself doing push hands for the past several months,and then this happened.

    Best wishes to all.
     
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  13. Alansmurf

    Alansmurf Aspire to Inspire before you Expire Supporter

    Good to hear you are all progressing with life.
    Martial artists are a resilient breed , you have to be to train and learn.

    Stay strong and hopefully MAP 2021 will be a great event .
     
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  14. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    I'm fine. Still poor, now even more bored.

    College is finishing up really soon though and I'm looking at getting a job and pay my way to Thailand. I got in touch with a gym there and they have agreed to have me on a trial period to be a pro fighter there.
     
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  15. Aegis

    Aegis River Guardian Admin Supporter

    That last bit is phenomenal news, huge congratulations!
     
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  16. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Aye it's not bad. I managed to get a sponsor too. I've still got to train my butt off and make it all the way out there and I'm doubting my self before I even started.
     
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  17. Xue Sheng

    Xue Sheng All weight is underside

    Working mostly from home, going into my office occasionally. But generally doing OK, but not training at all as of yesterday, knee surgery, meniscus and a fracture repair. hope to get back to it in a couple of months an and hope to get back to doing more than I was before
     
    Alansmurf likes this.
  18. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    I too have this problem. Since lockdown I've put on 15lbs, which isn't terribly hard to lose (I'm a big tall guy with decent muscle tone so I burn calories in abundance when I am above 150 bpm or so). The trouble is I am feeling sluggish in the head, largely due to lack of goal. I believe that for me at least, it's hard to set mental goals right now with all this uncertainty. It feels like a sort of mental lockdown, like a kind of hibernation.

    Did any of you see the before and after pictures of the guy who was buffed out, got sick, and 6 weeks of ICU later had turned into a twig? I thought to myself hmm did being in great shape (on outside at least) save his life, or was it all for naught and now he has to put all that work in again? I'm sure some of you relate...that fear of working out and seeing your gains float away regardless. I think for that reason, I'm mostly focusing on basic cardio now (to promote vascular health and lung function) rather than strength, speed, timing etc. The former suddenly seem far more important.

    To all you folks who have caught this bug and hammered through, you guys are my heroes. Here's to hoping we all have the same luck and fortitude.
     
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  19. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    Smurf, you know where to find me ;):D
     
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  20. Anth

    Anth Daft. Supporter

    I saw the photos and was reminded of when I was bad with the flu a few years back. I wasn't the heaviest but had decent cardio and was in a good place with my strength for climbing (I think I was doing 6c's and getting close on 7s, for anyone who knows bouldering grades) but a week of flu and migraine saw me lose nearly a stone in weight putting me under 10 stone. Like that guy, I was all muscle and no great amount of fat so as you can guess my body had to resort to burning muscle to fight the bug. It took a good six months for me to get halfway back to where I was before. This time though I'm not concerned at all - I've lost some arm strength but that'll be back straight away - because my big thing the last few years has been getting my mental health right so I want to do things instead of sitting in a stupor and right now my mind is working better than it has for years.

    Oh, and today's check-in - fishing twice this week with it being one of the few activities we can do and one day with my Kindle in my hand. It was good to get out and sit outdoors for a couple of afternoons having a socially distanced laugh with people. Back to work tomorrow evening for the start of my week and all of the newbies we took on at the start of the panic buying are now laid off so it'll be back to running around like an eejit for me.
     
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