Category: Personal Growth

Personal growth, parenting, more

Ban math phobia and math anxiety!

Morning,

I’ll be the first to admit it – I love math. Don’t have a natural knack for it, mind you, as a matter of fact, I’m not gifted in it whatsoever….but wow, I do adore math. Loved it so much I majored in it in college and founded the first Math Club there as well. Ah, those were the days.

Now, you might be wondering – gee Barbara, if you’re so totally an idjut in the subject, why do you love it so much? And that’s a very legit question. You see, when in grammar school and the like, I never pushed myself to learn math…and so never could do the subject adequately. But upon graduating from college, I learned that math is the foundation for just about any and all technical endeavors. My math degree got me interviews that a comp sci degree would not!

One of my favorite sayings I learned from college is the following:

  • Where am I now?
  • To where do I want to go?
  • How do I get there from here?

Apply the logical deductions of mathematics to questions like the above….and you uncover your answer far sooner than if you flailed around like a fish out of water.

So! One of the promises I made myself was that when I raised my kids, they wouldn’t have the same problems I myself possess with math. I made darned sure that my kids learned to love the subject and the beauty the numbers showcase – to this day, they’re all straight A students in the subject.

Which brings me to math resources online! Here are some of the super sites I’ve used myself to teach me kids – enjoy!

Want some resources for dealing with current math phobia? Consider:

As a parent, you owe it to your children to give them the gift of mathematics competency. Math is the king of subjects – it will help your children immensely as they grow. Make certain they benefit from it.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – need help with math?

2 chinups, 1 mile walk and weak thighs – oh my!

Morning,

Well, I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I can now do 2 (count ’em, two!) unassisted chinups! This is 1/2 more than my last record of 3 days ago. Yay!

My right thigh muscles are still somewhat weak from the surgery. So I’ve been spending some time stretching and today, decided to try a small walk. Instead of my beloved 2.4 mile circle walk, I simply walked one mile up and down my town’s sidewalks…and managed to complete that with no problem at all. Yay! It does look like I’m on schedule for my healing, although I will admit, I really wish I could participate in my karate and kendo again. Wah. Oh well, that will happen, some day….

In other news, I’ve come to realize that exercise becomes a “need” instead of a “have to do” after awhile. I just don’t feel right when I neglect my exercise – my body tells me, ahem, you’re stalling! Do something, anything, just get up off of your rear and make things happen.

So I did. :)

In 10 days, I will have been on my get-healthy plan for officially one year! I will certainly look forward to posting about my accomplishments – it’s been a great ride that will continue in 2008.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want a pedometer?

Hot baths, chinups, 100 pushups and more!

Morning,

Well, I’m a happy little earlobe, let me tell you! Yesterday I visited my surgeon (’twas 9 days after I was sliced and diced), and had my big huge honking bandage removed. My gosh, the man should be a master tailor – the incision healed beautifully and I was cleared for physical therapy and stretching.

This is excellent news for several reasons – one, I can participate with my karate classes in the pre-workout stretches. While I’m no where near able to join active karate sessions, mind you, just being able to get back on the floor with the other students is ‘way neat.

And about the pushups – during class yesterday, I snuck to the woman’s room 3 times and did 30 pushups each time. I’m ‘way out of condition, compared to earlier, but hey, these things happen. The 10 pushups completed in the advanced class made for a nice 100.

Pullups, I hear you ask? Today, I decided to amuse myself by trying my chinup bar again – I’ve been doing 1.5 unassisted chinups every 15 minutes or so. The last time I did this, my arms were shot for 24 hours afterwards…we’ll see how things go tomorrow.

And by far the most important! Today I was able to take my first hot bath since prior to surgery! Oh it was heaven. The dried blood from my bandages had soaked off as well, and I can see all that’s left is a nice neat 5 inch line down my thigh.

Recovery-wise, I still have a dull ache when walking up or down stairs; I figure that’s because my muscles are still quite weak. So hopefully with time I’ll be back to my usual vibrant self.

And that’s me update for today,

Barbara

ps – Some nice bath oils!

Amazing how the muscles need to recover after chinups

Well!

Yesterday saw me having a dandy time trying out my new chinup bar (which I’ll be using for my P90x workouts that will most likely start in Jan 2008).

I probably did at the most, oh, hmmmm, 12….spaced over 3 hours. That’s all, only 12!

And this morning, I can’t even do 1/2. So I’ve taken that wakeup call to say, okay! Time to rest the arms.

But you know, you really wouldn’t think that something soooo simple like 12 chinups over 3 hours would still leave you with effects the next day.

I think my enforced inactivity due to my surgery recovery probably has something to do with this. Ah well, these things happen…I’m sure I’ll recover completely when the time is right.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want pullup bars?

Went back to karate yesterday and…

Morning!

Yes, I have proven it to myself – I am capable of returning to karate and actually NOT doing any of it but simply sitting it out, observing my kids, and enjoying it greatly. My gosh, I didn’t realize quite how much I have missed participating in it these past 8 days!

I watched 2 advanced classes and then my beloved kendo/swords class. It was truly a pleasure simply seeing the other students and senseis go thru the moves and trying to secure them in my mind for when my recovery is complete.

This showed me that even when you are incapable of doing a favored sport or activity, you can still simply witness the class and feel part of it again. It’s a great feeling.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – more karate goodies!

2008 Resolutions – Kids Academics, Karate Improvement, P90x Review

Morning,

It’s getting close to that time of year again – New Year’s Resolutions!

I’m very pleased that my New Year Resolutions of last year (get healthy) have happened most swimmingly. My goal back then was 135 pounds – I’m now bouncing between 131 and 133.

This year, I have the following New Year’s Resolutions.

  • Kids Academics. I want to still keep my kids valuing strong academic performances, and helping them continue to grow. With one child going on 18 (okay, at least it seems that way with said child’s uncanny maturity), two children paralleling my own childhood personality, and one child growing faster than a 747 speeds by, it will truly be a hero’s journey to validate all of their concerns while retaining the “I’m not your friend, I’m your mom” philosophy by which I live.
  • Karate/Kendo Improvement. I am woman, hear me roar, and if I’ve learned anything from my surgery and recovery, it’s that I can do ANYTHING I choose. It might take time, it might take practice, but I WILL prevail. In this case, I want to take my karate skills to the next level and beyond, and really improve on my balance, relaxation and coordination.
  • P90x. Yes! I admit it! I succumbed to the utter delight of imagining conquering P90x and got meself a bargain from eBay! True…I’m not yet healed enough to tackle it…but soon, soon, perhaps in January I can do so. I’ve found some great resources for P90x including:

I’ll admit it – I’m pretty psyched about trying it out (when I’m totally healed, of course!). In the meanwhile, the husband installed the chinup bar in our guest room, and I’ve been having a blast doing unassisted chinups every half hour or so.

And people think I don’t have a life. Hah! :-)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – P90x goodies include:

Your mindset is the biggest barrier (and benefit!) to achieving success

Morning,

Well! Today is Day 8 after my surgery, and yesterday I found out something sooo startling to me, it really just got me sitting and thinking and realizing some important truths about my own abilities.

Along with those lovely bone tumors on my femur, I also have a shortened fibula on my left leg. This results in my foot seemingly not being attached to the center of my leg; it appears to flop over to the side. With me so far? Okay, great!

Let me backtrack for a moment and talk about my first few weeks of karate (during the early summer of 2007). While I could balance easily on my right foot, I could never hold a position for more than 1.623 seconds while standing on my left. I attributed this towards my physical condition, of course, and just accepted it as, that’s my body, deal with it.

However, there’s this one sensei at my dojo who kinda sorta didn’t accept that a lot…I vividly remember him telling me, I could do better, and me responding, no no no, I could not. He dropped the issue after that, and life went on.

Zoom up to yesterday. After all the self-knowledge I’ve accumulated these past two weeks, I remembered that time…and thought to myself, hmmmm, I wonder….is that really the way I am, or could I choose to break through my perceived physical barriers and determine what really is the reality?

End result – I’m up to 10+ seconds now of balancing on my left leg. The sensei had been right all along; it was me who was preventing my own physical improvement.

I should write a book on everything I’ve been learning these past few weeks, let me tell you.

What an eye-opening experience!! While I’m still no where near completely stable on my (ahem) good leg wrt balancing, that will come with practice; I know that now.

Honestly, it’s truly amazing how your own perceptions of yourself can either limit your achievements or give you the wings to fly. ’tis quite humbling, that.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want some success posters? Lookie here!

The ultimate of Star Wars humor!

Now, as anyone who knows me will testify, I adore Star Wars – I find the whole series to be a marvelous melding of self-knowledge, inner strength and the ultimate fight between good and evil. I even built a sales site for Star Wars long long ago, and came up with a rather nifty color-coded plot description as well, the Evolution of a Jedi.

That being said, I’m a sucker for truly superb Star Wars humor. I managed to inhale my soup a few moments ago when my daughter showed me:

OMIGOSH, it’s hysterical!! I couldn’t believe how hilarious they were. Definitely check them out!

And of course, one cannot forget

Star Wars mythology is an extremely fascinating area to explore. Some of my favorite sites are:

For me, I’ll always remember the time when I was 14 years old and played Luke’s theme virtually perfect in concert band (I, who was shy beyond belief), and then later in college, when I entered a different time-space continuum during our Star Wars marching band performance. I’ve always equated Star Wars with one’s own personal hero’s journey….and the way that brings peace to one’s life.

It’s truly a masterpiece.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want great Star Wars stuff? Consider:

Standing at a crossroads in life

I’ve been learning so much about myself during this past week of recovery that my head is spinning. Some of the knowledge includes:

  • No matter what got thrown at me, I could handle it
  • I’m in better health now than I was in my 20s – my standing heartrate is 65 or so
  • My recovery rate is extraordinary
  • Even when faced with fear, I refused to cower and tackled everything I had to to the best of my abilities

What does this mean for me?

Well, personally, Barbara Ling wise, it means that I can still master physical activities that I had never given myself the permission to succeed in before.

So I’m wondering…on what should I focus?

  • Earning a black belt in karate?
  • Getting skilled in aikido?
  • Mastering kendo?
  • Learning Brazilian Jui-jitsu?

I now know without a shadow of a doubt that I can excel and overcome any physical challenges in any of the above.

Side note here – I’m debating about getting the p90X package. Everyone raves about how difficult it is, and how you need to take their “test” first to see if it’s for you.

I found a copy of that test and while I can’t go thru it now, I asked myself how I would have done before surgery. I can do:

  • 3 pullups (minimum is 1)
  • Vertical leap is 5″ (minimum is 3)
  • Toe touch is 0″ (minimun is -6)
  • Wall squat is 1.5 minutes (minimum is 1 minute)
  • Bicep curls is at least 18 with 25 pounds (min for women is 10 curls with 8 pounds)
  • Abs Ins and outs are 35 (minimum is 25)
  • And I easily did the jumping jacks thingee in karate class awhile back.

So…methinks I could probably handle this program. And that got me thinking about the whole, what art do I want to master?

It’s kinda sorta great to have the confidence to think this way.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – p90x can be found like so:

Pizza Hut, Isometrics, and Stretching, Oh My!

Morning,

Today is Day 7 after my surgery! And my leg seems to be healing quite nicely indeed.

One of the exercises for which I had been given a go-ahead is isometrics (that of tensing and releasing your muscles). Thus, yesterday saw me, and my husband and my kids sitting at Pizza Hut for a treat. The children were having a blast playing with the menus, and I decided to start isometricizing my surgerized leg, contracting and releasing my thigh muscles ( rectus femoris and vastus lateralis and satorius ) for counts of 5 seconds. This worked out rather well.

At home, I practiced balancing and stretching my good leg. Hey, I can’t do my usual gym workouts, so anything that gets me vaguely moving I view to be a good thing!

This goes to show you, even when you’re physically in lousy condition, you can still turn on a dime and find something, anything, that will give you a bare minimum of exercise. I’m pretty pleased with my success.

Time to make the donuts,

Barbara

ps -Want some thigh workouts? Consider: