I posted my blog’s “Best of 2009” earlier this week and promised to add my new year’s resolutions after I finished partying and eating.
The partying is now officially over, it went on until 4am and I’m slowly recovering from singing badly, dancing relatively well and generally having a good time.
There’s still some REALLY good food left and I’m going to finish off the leftovers later. That means steamed broccoli, chicken in lemon marinade, Japanese rice and a wonderful sour salad. And let’s not forget the pastries, coffee and pralines that go with the coffee for dessert. Life is good…
Which brings me right away to my first resolution:
Lose some weight/get back in fighting shape.
I have a pretty lame body-type: I only have to look at food to gain weight and by that I mean bodyfat. Sure, I add muscle mass pretty easily too but that’s no longer a goal in my life. I’ll be happy to maintain what I have instead of bulking up even more.
Over the years, especially the last three, some of the stupid training I did when I was younger caught up with me in the form of chronic injuries. Last year was the worst because my back started going on strike and let me know it was not amused. As a result, I spent a year not training how I wanted to and had to dial down the intensity big time. I even took an MRI of my spine to see if there was anything structurally wrong. Turns out there isn’t.
Thanks to a different way of stretching and my chiropractor repeatedly twisting me into a pretzel, my back is in better shape now. But because of the previous two factors combined, I gained some additional weight and am not in the shape I like to be.
So, my first resolution is to train much harder than in 2009, get in competition shape again and drop to 10-12% bodyfat.
Before you ask, no I’m not going to do before and after pics. It’s not that kind of blog here…
Keep on blogging
I love writing. It’s as simple as that.
I started my first website over 10 years ago as a place to write articles and reviews. That turned into a writing partnership with Loren and three books to date.
He explained that writing every day is key and blogging is the perfect way for me to do that. What’s even better: this blog is my playground. I can write about whatever I like, in whichever way I see fit. There are no limits and no deadlines, other than those I set for myself. Obviously, I try to add content that is relevant to martial arts and self defense, mixed with some stuff that’s on my mind or as things come up in my life.
For my second resolution: I plan to keep on having fun writing on my blog here.
New projects
That said, there are some factors I have to consider when I spend my time on having fun:
- I’m self-employed, making a living teaching private students. When I don’t work, I don’t earn anything. With only 24h a day, I have to choose wisely how I spend my time.
- Last year’s financial crisis cost me clients and didn’t bring much new ones to compensate. When I talk to colleagues, I hear similar stories. The downside is obviously a lack of income. But the upside is more time available for other projects, provided they bring in some money.
That’s why I was able to self-publish my first set of Practical Tai Chi Chuan Instructional videos last year. The reception was pretty damn good so I’m motivated to release some more products. Here’s what’s in the pipeline:
- Another tai chi chuan video. This one will be on learning the mirror form and high-repetition training.
- A membership site module for the tai chi chuan form. This is aimed at people who want more help than provided in the videos: more instruction, chat-sessions, conference calls, etc.
- The leg kick video. Ever since I wrote my free E-book, I’ve been collecting information and ideas for a video (series) on this technique. Right now, it’s already a pretty big project. It’s come to the point where I’ll have to either make it a multiple disc video (which I don’t like to do) or turn it into another membership module. Time will tell which way it goes.
- Combat Sanshou instructor program. Over the years I’ve had numerous requests for an instructor program for my Combat Sanshou video series. I’ve already done a lot of work on that but due to a number of problems, it never materialized. It’s my goal to finish this project and launch the program in Q4 2010, at the latest.
Those are the main projects I’ll focus on this year. There are a truckload of other ones though. My “ideas” folder is filled to the brim with books, videos and other potential projects. As much work as these things are, I actually enjoy writing and shooting videos a lot. The technical aspects are a drag but the creative process is a blast.
That’s it for my resolutions for 2010. What about yours?
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Danny Young says
Hey Wim,
I am with you when it comes to training. I have allowed myself to gain weight and pretty much become a Blob. I am going to train harder, and get back into fighting shape, no, I won’t post pictures either since it would be scary to see an old pasty looking man with bird legs. And no, I have no intentions on competing again, those days are gone, but I am sick of looking in the mirror and not liking what I see. I know I am capable of way more than this.
All the Best,
Danny
Wim says
Danny: Bird legs, Lol! I have tree trunks, but they don’t look pretty. :-)
Good luck with the training and getting back in shape!
Danny Young says
Hey Wim,
I am with you when it comes to training. I have allowed myself to gain weight and pretty much become a Blob. I am going to train harder, and get back into fighting shape, no, I won’t post pictures either since it would be scary to see an old pasty looking man with bird legs. And no, I have no intentions on competing again, those days are gone, but I am sick of looking in the mirror and not liking what I see. I know I am capable of way more than this.
All the Best,
Danny
Wim says
Danny: Bird legs, Lol! I have tree trunks, but they don’t look pretty. :-)
Good luck with the training and getting back in shape!
MarksTraining.Com says
Happy New Year. Good luck in reaching your goals.
Wim says
Thanks Mark, same to you!
MarksTraining.Com says
Happy New Year. Good luck in reaching your goals.
Wim says
Thanks Mark, same to you!
shugyosha says
Heh, that photo is from a joint Spanish / USAF base.
Take care, happy not-so-new-already year.
Wim says
Same to you Ferran!
shugyosha says
Heh, that photo is from a joint Spanish / USAF base.
Take care, happy not-so-new-already year.
Wim says
Same to you Ferran!
Jagwa says
I Wish you succes!
For me: training, training, training… At least untill I ll be able to push you out of this damn red mat
So… A LOT of training… :-)
Wim says
Anto: Lol! I’ll put some slippery soap on my end of the mat next time.
;-)
jagwa says
Don’t be so nice, I won’t feel so good… Or… Just don’t tell me :-)
Wim says
Hehehehe… :-)
Jagwa says
I Wish you succes!
For me: training, training, training… At least untill I ll be able to push you out of this damn red mat
So… A LOT of training… :-)
Wim says
Anto: Lol! I’ll put some slippery soap on my end of the mat next time.
;-)
jagwa says
Don’t be so nice, I won’t feel so good… Or… Just don’t tell me :-)
Wim says
Hehehehe… :-)