Why is it so hard to find personal time to train on your own?

[Corporal Hicks]

Yo there,
Anybody else have the problem when it seems so hard to get movitated and you keep getting distracted from actually training or finding just say 15 minutes to train each day? Its quite fustrating, not only that, I dont have any equipment so I'm always having to hit the air or jump about in front of a mirror and it doesnt feel like I'm getting anywhere!
How easily does muscle tone dissappear if you dont exercise?

Regards

 

[Mark Weiser]

That is why I have a calender with an hour marked off every day in the evening to practice. I also had to buy some gear say some sheilds and a bag to punch to keep up to speed. Save back about $100 a month if possible and buy equipment every two or three months. Or find a Good Friend that teaches MA and get him or her to sell you at cost of the items.

Yes Muscle tone does decrease without useage.

 

[Gary Crawford]

I sometimes find it difficult to force myself to train.I usually get over it as soon as get into a horse stance start doing some blocking/punching sets.Later,when I get going on my muay tie bag,my 13 yr old son hears it and comes into the room and taunts me until I have to teach him a lesson.He always goes to the ground and is getting to be a handfull for me to beat him there.The groundfighting with him IS a big workout for me.

 

[Lisa]

It is the hardest thing for me to do. Training alone seems boring and I just can't get motivated to do it. Luckily for me my husband works out at home and helps motivate me to get my butt off the couch and exercise, otherwise I would probably become a couch potato with the exception of my MA training twice a week. I am also lucky to have a gym available to me through the university that I work at with very reasonable rates so I try and go work on my cardio twice a week. It easily fits into my schedule because of my part time status so I can go and train after work and still be home for the kids when they get out of school

 

[Vadim]

I can definitely relate in the difficulty of finding personal time to train on my own. I work a swing shift and with family commitments and other happenings it does not leave much time. When I am not training at the dojo I usually go for a nice run and/or do an isometric workout(ie. pushups,situps, pullups) as well as practice my basic techniques to maintain a solid foundation.

As far as losing muscle tone you dont really have to worry about that if you are following a proper nutritional plan and fitting in some type of exercise activity that you enjoy doing.

-Vadim

 

[MA-Caver]

Life does get in the way sometimes. It all depends upon your level of committment to the art. You find the time on your own.
Motivation is also something that comes from within. I have a big issue with self-motivation on a lot of things; yea, even unto Martial Arts and Caving.
You gotta want to.
Turning off the tee-vee helps alot. Turning off the computer helps too. Many things that we spend a lot of time on that really don't benefit us except to help us to unwind. These things can be put aside for what we really want to do for fifteen, thirty or sixty minutes each day. To me it's no great loss to take that time and spend it on personal training.
Since my apartment has a no-smoking rule (Utah okay?) I have to go outside and do my thing. Sooo, I spend the five or ten minutes each time (about every three or four hours) and do that personal training thing for my MA.
That mysterious unseen opponent waits patiently and it's there for me to kick it's **** whenever I want.

Make a list of priorities in your life and apply your personal set of goals and personal set of values to each and then figure out how much time you CAN and WILL set aside for each. Then... easier said than done... DO IT.
:asian:

 

[Raewyn]

I do not train much outside of my MA training at the Dojo, probably due to work committments, or a good programme is on tv that I wanna watch. I may practise with my son a few times when he gets home from his training. I dont know about this but i think for me its good to have a bit of time out from MA and give my body a bit of a rest. Does this make me less dedicated to the art of MA??????? :idunno:

 

[Marginal]

Yo there,
Anybody else have the problem when it seems so hard to get movitated and you keep getting distracted from actually training or finding just say 15 minutes to train each day? Its quite fustrating, not only that, I dont have any equipment so I'm always having to hit the air or jump about in front of a mirror and it doesnt feel like I'm getting anywhere!
How easily does muscle tone dissappear if you dont exercise?

Regards

Make it into a habit and just force yourself to do it when you feel unmotivated, or at least try to pair it up with times you'd otherwise be inactive (like when watching TV) stuff like situps during commericals can go a long way.

 

[Corporal Hicks]

Proper nutritional plan,

I've been looking for one of these specifically for a Martial Artist but I cannot find any, does anybody know of one or where I can find one?

Regards

 

[shesulsa]

Life does get in the way sometimes. It all depends upon your level of committment to the art. You find the time on your own.
Motivation is also something that comes from within. I have a big issue with self-motivation on a lot of things; yea, even unto Martial Arts and Caving.
You gotta want to.
Turning off the tee-vee helps alot. Turning off the computer helps too. Many things that we spend a lot of time on that really don't benefit us except to help us to unwind. These things can be put aside for what we really want to do for fifteen, thirty or sixty minutes each day. To me it's no great loss to take that time and spend it on personal training.
Since my apartment has a no-smoking rule (Utah okay?) I have to go outside and do my thing. Sooo, I spend the five or ten minutes each time (about every three or four hours) and do that personal training thing for my MA.
That mysterious unseen opponent waits patiently and it's there for me to kick it's **** whenever I want.

Make a list of priorities in your life and apply your personal set of goals and personal set of values to each and then figure out how much time you CAN and WILL set aside for each. Then... easier said than done... DO IT.
:asian:

What he said.

 

[The Kai]

Set aside a time every day, even if it onlybe half an hour.

Also, I have found it usefull yo do things in my home training not done during class-
Todd

 

[Bod]

Here's how I make it work for any sort of training:

Do 5 minutes. NO MORE

The next day do 10 minutes. NO MORE

Work up day by day in 5 minutes increments at first, then 10 minute increments until you get to your target time.

If you fail to reach your target time decrease the increments to 2 minutes.

If you miss a scheduled day's practice knock off your last increment (say 5 or 10 minutes) the next time you train or study. Stick with that time for a bit then build up.

Remember you are training discipline first.

This method worked for me. When I first started studying I was appalling, so I did five minutes at first. Over five acedemic years I had worked my way up to 12 hours per day (with five or six 20 minute sleeping breaks), which was for my degree finals.

Also, snatch time where you can, for micro-training sessions.

If the adverts come on when you are watching TV, get up and do 60 seconds of shadow boxing or forms. You will begin to build up a habit. Do a couple of stretches. Keep weights by the TV and do some bicep curls or other exercise that does not require a spotter.

When standing in line in a supermarket expand your peripheral vision.

When bored out of your skull think of the last time you were struck or thrown in sparring, or tried to strike someone and couldn't. What is the one thing that bugs you about it? Were your partners' arms up, was the distancing wrong etc.? Work through the problem in your mind thinking up a few solutions you could try. Practise those solutions 'in the air' next time the ads are on.

Good luck.

 

[jmann06405]

For me, it is a matter of priority. I train two days a week at the school, 4-5 days at a gym, using the aerobics room and the kickboxing bags they have there. My gym routine is done at 6 a.m. for about an hour.

I find it a lot easier, and a lot more motivating to train in the morning. Face it, we are not Shaolin monks who can incorporate talking on the phone or driving to work with ancient chi exercises(most dash boards are not built for that kind of punishment). A morning workout gets it behind you, and usually if you come home from work spent, the last thing you want to do is haul cookies to the gym and struggle through a mentally tired workout.

Also, it is a great way to wake up, an excellent alternative to coffee(bad breath, armpit stains, yellow teeth), and once you get over the first week or so, it is not too difficult to get up a 5:45. It does take a little mental fortitude in the beginning.

I have trained for almost twenty years, and had different schedules through the years. I find the morning works best for me, for those reasons. That way, if I get home and have a little bit of energy, that 'optional' night workout is always there!