Friday, January 17, 2025

I wanna look like Bruce

 


Well, unless you're related and have his genes, any resemblance will be difficult, but you could certainly get as ripped as him, or your own version at least, if you follow a similar training program, with the same amount (or more) of time invested, rigorously (or should that be rigorousLEE). 

Bruce Lee wasn't born that way, and he didn't have any kind of special super power, aside from a laser focus and will power. He was relatively sickly as a young child, but that changed when he started to become more active, but for all intends and purpose, he was just like many of his peers. 

Simply said, if you want to be like Bruce Lee, you've got to put in Bruce Lee time.  Which is a lot!! Many of us will have to make do with lesser goals as you may have a full time job (Bruce didn't, for that matter his wife did a lot of jobs on the side in the earlier stages so that he could train and work on his dreams), a family to look after or others.  We also have many more distractions, there's all sorts of media that can keep us of our focus, so discipline is key.  

So first off, develop a realistic training plan, setting aside a realistic amount of time that you could stick to. Set alarms and reminders on your phone etc. to remind you it's time, tell your friends you're going to train , so they will enquire how things are going from time to time, keeping you on your toes, and keep a log of your progress. This will be a good help in seeing where you're going.  

I'm going to asume that you are an absolute beginner for a moment, that needs some direction in your training.  So lets have a look at some fundamentals.  If you want to be 'like Bruce', or just a good allround athlete, you will have to invest time in training strength, cardio, flexibility/mobility and of course in our case, martial arts.  Your training will have to be tailored to your goals. If you want to gain big muscles, your weight training needs to be tailored to acchieve that, but it will not be good for martial arts as having a big (body builder type) physique will limit some of your mobility, and speed.  

But lets forget about specifics for a moment, you first need to start with the foundations, so here are a few links to websites, that have a good program for 'foundational strength',  cardio, and flexibility. 

Note these are not clickable links. Instead copy the yellow text into a new browser tab/window to take you to that page (I did this for security reasons). 

Work on those first for 8-12 weeks, log your progress and after that period, you can start to tailor your training to more specific goals. 

STRENGTH: (you'll need access to a gym, or have some equipment at home) 

For males: https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/gym-workouts-for-beginners#beginner-gym-workout-for-males

For females: https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/gym-workouts-for-beginners#beginner-gym-workout-for-females

A lot of these type of exersizes can also be done with resistance bands etc at home, and can be quite effective, so if you want to test the waters, that's a cheap way to begin. There are plenty of tutorials on Youtube you can follow for a full body workout.  

If you have no equipment, or simply just want to start with bodyweight, then a good calisthenics program is your best bet.  I would highly recommend Al Kavadlo's programs. He's a really nice guy (despite appearances) and has a great little app available on both iPhone and Google Play stores. 

Look for 'We're Working Out' by Al Kavadlo.  Here's the iPhone link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/were-working-out-al-kavadlo/id1067817073

Here the Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=no.agens.workingout

CARDIO: 

Beginner cardio can be done indoors or outdoors. Indoors I'd recommend things like squats, burpees, jumping jacks, jumping ropes (perhaps best in your garden for fear of your furniture...) or if you have access to a gym, use an eliptical. This machine will give you a full body workout that will have you work up a sweat in no time.  A treadmill or stationary bike work too of course!  Bruce Lee had a stationary bicycle, and he regularly went for a jog (but not at a leisurely pace, he'd really be running! Interval runs). 

Outdoors as a beginner, I'd warmly recommend a couch to 5K program. As a martial artist, it is not neccesary to be able to run a marathon, our endurance needs to be focussed on short explosive actions, so a 5K is more than long enough. Once you can comfortably jog for 5K (taking around 30 minutes to acchieve 5km), it's time to introduce intervals, so that every few minutes, there is a sprint for 10-30 seconds involved. You can gradually build this up further to include more / longer sprints and shorter 'rest' period, using the same distance/route. This will challenge your cardiovascular system, and you keep growing/improving. 

Couch to 5K: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/

FLEXIBILITY: For martial artists, this is a nice little warmup beginner routine:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiO3WBOxUsc

Here's another: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R43EfuK59E

And one more:  https://youtu.be/vMMbHjoCgoE?si=I93beQZQCPr2Aut4

MOBILITY: 

Mobility is different from flexibility, although they go hand in hand, but mobility focusses more about range of motion and moving your joints in all directions using muscular strength, wheras flexibility focusses more on the muscle tissues and tedons. 

Here's a nice beginner routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF88MJGikNU

Another no nonsense mobility program is the one developed by Tom Morrison. I can personally recommend his 'Simplistic Mobility Program'. I've been using that myself and has sorted out several issues I didn't even knew I had, plus one I did, occasional lower back aches..

 His website is here: https://tommorrison.uk/

See how all these topics compliment eachother? Funny that, it's how humans move! 

If after 8-12 weeks you feel you're no longer gaining/improving, change things up. In the strength category there are other exersizes that target the same muscle, but at different angles etc, use different equipment (instead of a machine, use free weights (dumbbells / kettlebells)  and vice versa to target all those little stabiliser muscles etc), the sky is the limit!   

Be disciplined, be focussed, set realistic goals, and don't beat yourself up if you miss a session or you don't improve (fast enough).  Depending on your starting position etc. you can't expect to run 5 K in two weeks time, you won't lift big weights. (expect at most about 10% increases in the weights you can lift every other week, with a 2-3 times per week frequency).  And as far as that other issue of losing weight (check out my blog on that here: https://jkdmonologues.blogspot.com/2024/03/i-want-to-lose-weight.html)   expect a healthy rate of about 1-2 pounds per week max! if you lose more, be careful, it won't be sustainable long term. Also don't forget that muscle mass is heavy, so you may not lose weight, but your gaining muscle and losing fat. So use a mirror, measuring tape, and notice a change in clothing sizes over time to judge your results! 

There you go, enough to get on with. So get on with it!

Walk On! 

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

I SAID it before, will SAID it again

 



T
he SAID principle, or Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands, is a fundamental concept in exercise physiology, sports training, and physical therapy.
Explanation of SAID Principle: 
• Specificity: The adaptations that occur in the body are specific to the type of demand placed upon it. For instance, if you train for endurance, your body will adapt to become better at endurance activities. If you focus on strength training, your muscles will adapt to become stronger for those specific movements.
• Adaptation: The body will adapt to the stresses placed upon it. When subjected to a particular type of stress, the body undergoes physiological changes to cope better with that stress in the future. This could mean muscle hypertrophy (growth), cardiovascular changes, or neuromuscular adaptations, among others.
• Imposed Demands: The nature, intensity, duration, and frequency of the training or activity dictate the type of adaptation. The principle suggests that to improve performance in a particular activity, the training should closely mimic the conditions of that activity.
Application:
• Training Programs: Coaches and trainers design workouts that are specific to the sport or activity an individual is involved in. For example, a sprinter would have different training from a marathon runner.
• Rehabilitation: In physical therapy, exercises are chosen based on the specific injuries or weaknesses of the patient to rebuild strength or flexibility precisely where it's needed.
• Skill Acquisition: Even skills like balance, coordination, or specific muscle memory benefit from training that targets those exact skills.
Examples:
• If someone wants to improve their bench press, they would focus on exercises that enhance upper body strength, particularly in the muscles used for bench pressing.
• An endurance cyclist would spend time on long, steady rides at a pace that mimics race conditions rather than just lifting weights.
Considerations:
• Overload: To see continued improvement, the demands must progressively increase. If the body fully adapts to a given load, no further adaptation (improvement) will occur without increasing the stress.
• Reversibility: If the specific demands are removed (e.g., stopping training), the adaptations will eventually diminish, known as the principle of use it or lose it.
• Individual Variation: People adapt differently; what works for one individual might not work the same for another due to genetic factors, current fitness level, or other variables.
Understanding and applying the SAID principle allows for more effective and efficient training or rehabilitation strategies tailored to individual or sport-specific needs.

Here's a video on the topic:  https://youtu.be/w1wTdcwi40M?si=kymCaw7dqweuzPQM

Walk On!

Thursday, January 2, 2025

Happy New Year! Did you set a goal?

 Hi all, hope you all  had a great Christmas and New Year! 

As is often the case many people start the year full of intent to start something new, or make changes in their life one way or other. 

After the initial enthusiasm, several drop out, some after a few weeks, others a few months.

Here's a few simple tips to help to avoid some simple pitfalls that work, no matter what it is you're trying to change/acchieve.

- Tell your friends! By telling them, it will result in them enquiring with you from time to time how things are going, keeping you on your toes.

- Set realistic goals! For example don't expect to lose a lot of weight in an unrealistic time frame, if it's weight loss you want (get leaner), expect about 1pound per week on average with a healthy sustainable program.

- Don't expect results! That's right, if you set expectations you will sooner or later find that you didn't acchieve it , which works as a massive motivation killer! Expect that it doesn't (always) work (as quick) as you'd hoped. However reflect that it is a journey, with many twists and turns, and that being on the journey is what counts, not how quick you get there! 

- Keep a journal! This is important to bring structure in your approach. Write down what you did, how much/how long you spend on it, and track your progress. It will work as a subconsious discipline builder!

- Be prepared to make a few sacrifices: Many goals take up time. If that time was spend watching TV, or watching social media content, then be prepared to watch an hour or so less of TV a couple of times per week. Your favourite social media platform will still be there tomorrow!  So put that phone down for a bit, take a deep breath and do something productive towards your goal.

- Life is for living! Ensure you have time left for life. Don't become obsessive, give yourself some slack, make time for family friends and other duties you may have, don't forget to enjoy life and enjoy yourself, give yourself some rewards.  

Walk On! 

Friday, November 15, 2024

Where did the year go?

 Wow only a few more weeks left in 2024, and it will be Christmas, and 2025 is upon us!


We did a lot this year in terms of Jeet Kune Do training.  We attended 3 seminars, organised one ourselves, visited a Bruce Lee exhibition in Leeds UK, and of course trained every week, even had a few online sessions.

Next year is looking to be another busy JKD year, and there's plenty in the pipeline to look forward to, but I can't reveal yet what this is, that will have to wait for another post.

Meanwhile if I've come across this blog and you want to start training? Get in touch!

Here's a quick promo to wet your appetite.. 



Walk On! 

Monday, June 3, 2024

Supplementary training

 

Bruce Lee was a big fan of supplementary training, and you should be too.  This doesn't mean you have to do as much and as often as him. That depends on the time you are able and willing to devote to your training and as I stated before, for most of us our lives are much different than Bruce Lee's and we often have full time day jobs and our partners do too.  

That said, the small list of exercises on the left here are Bruce Lee's daily routine, he would do them every day, usually in the morning and don't need to take a lot of time. He would do 3 sets each. Whilst he would take more time per round, I recommend 30 seconds work, 15 seconds rest, then move on to the next one. You could be done in 25 minutes that way. 

On top of that he had another sequence he would do later in the day, he had a particular set of 6 exercises, that he'd do 3 times per week, another on alternate days, and sunday was used on power training (Isometrics).  Note that the sequences had 2 variations, he'd do sequence one during one week, and sequence 2 another. The first sequence was a bit more generic, but the second sequence focuses on the Forearm/waist.   So each day there would be a general sequence+forearm/waist sequence.

This is before additional cardio (running or stationary bike), strenght training (weights etc), and lets not forget actual martial arts practice, working on kicks , punches etc.. 


Again, we do most likely not have the same amount of dedicated time available to pull all this off, or perhaps not even have the desire to do so. What is clear is that the only reason that Bruce Lee was so good, is that he put in the time and effort, consistently.  So when you hear someone say I could never be as good as Bruce Lee, remind him that the only way to get Bruce Lee like results, is to put in Bruce Lee like time and effort.   That said, the above schedules could serve as a great bodyweight workout for most to warm up with (just pick any sequence or schedule prior to your home workout (heavy bag, shadow boxing, etc.), to change up your routine.  Regular changes to your routine will help keeping things interesting, and ensure faster results. 


Walk On! 



Tuesday, March 12, 2024

The need for high kicks in JKD

 

Years ago, I was intensively training in Taekwon-Do.  The first thing many people associate with TKD are the spectacular high kicks often seen.  In competitions, scoring with such techniques is rewarded with the highest amount of points. 

There's a reason for that. Scoring with a kick above the waist is difficult, it takes more time to execute a kick and as they are also executed from further away, our opponents can often see them coming, i.e. they are pretty telegraphic. 

It's for that reason that kicking in Jeet Kune Do, tends to target lower parts of the body such as the groin, shin, thighs, knees, and are also often employed as a means to stop the opponents advance (stop kick!).  In addition, with it's focus on street defence/fighting, you will likely not be wearing clothing that allows you to kick as high and as easy as I'm doing on the photo here (taken somewhere around 1988-89).  

Still I'm going to state here that being able to kick high (and fast) is beneficial and should be practiced regularly.  

The reason is simple: If you can kick high, you can kick low. In fact, if you can kick high with ease and speed, you can kick low with even more ease and speed! 

If you only train low, you won't be able to kick high!  Having the option available opens up other ways of landing a hit, from further away too due to the reach of your legs.  Obviously using them depends entirely on the circumstances and your proficiency. In most self defence situations, a high kick may not be the best and simplest solution and deciding to do so despite other better options  can very easily go very wrong, very quick! 

Yet, as I said if you're able to do so, you can integrate kicks and have a greater 'range' , using kicking combo's as part of your attacks, just as you would use your hands.  

So start stretching (if you weren't already doing so) and strengthening those leg muscles, and train your kicks! Oh and another benefit is an increase in general mobility/flexibility, which will help you in your advanced years. Wouldn't it be great if you could still tie your own shoelaces aged 80+ ?! 


Walk On!

Thursday, March 7, 2024

I want to lose weight! (no you don't!)

 

Weightloss is something everyone has probably tried and dealt with, and many of us fail (or put it back on). In the below article I'll delve into some lessons I've learned (and am still learning!)  that I want to share with you.

We're also focussing on the wrong metrics, we focus on weight, and whilst that is just one indicator, most of us just want to look better, go down a few clothing sizes, have a leaner physique, look and feel healthy! So what we largely want is 'fat loss'. 

I won't get too scientific in the below and will try to avoid some of the extra explanation you may want to know , for that I've put some resource links at the end, so you can do your own further research.

Fasting & calorie control:

Calories in - Calories out = bodyfat. 
But Calories IN < Calories Out = weight loss is not accurate! (What? Are you sure, everyone says so?!) 

Yes that’s right! It’s a myth that has been around for many decades!

It MUST be combined with fasting, it's a natural thing to do, and we've forgotten all about it! 

Why? The reason is hormones. (more specifically, Insulin!) 
If you eat, the hormones in your body give it a signal that it is feeding time (insulin levels are high), and it will take nutrients from the food that comes in from that food.

If food comes in, the body will not touch it’s energy reserves stored in the form of fat. If you eat (and snack) too much, some of the food is converted into more fat and stored (= weight/fat gain).

The more you eat, or the longer the period each day that you feed yourself (including in between snacks etc), the less the body will access fat reserves, and that's because the insulin levels haven't dropped sufficiently yet.  

Even if you decide to eat less, if you don’t take long enough breaks between eating, your insulin levels will not change enough to get the signal to look for alternative energy sources (your body fat), and you will maintain weight. In fact, when decreasing your food / calory intake below your basal metabolic rate, but you keep snacking throughout the day your body will respond by lowering your metabolism, as insulin levels are still high (we're still telling our body that there's food on the way!). This, in turn makes you feel tired, restless, low energy levels, sleep bad.  Your body never reaches the ‘fasting’ stage.

However, if you have a long enough break between meals, your body will switch from feeding to fasting mode and start sourcing food from elsewhere as the hormones/insulin activated by eating (however little that was) will now not be as prevalent/subside. Now you will burn these fat reserves.

So the answer to successful weight loss is to eat healthy (real) foods, during a shorter time window, do not snack during the fasting period (as it will activate hormones that stop the fat burning process) or in between meals, and ensure quantity of food is also calory controlled, do not over eat! Water, black coffee/tea (or even a very small amount of cream/milk) is OK during the fast, until you eat the first meal, which for a reason is called ‘break fast’….

Easiest is intermittent Fasting where you prolong the period of not eating in a 24 period. Very popular is 16-8 (16 hours of not eating between dinner and your first meal the following day, and eat properly between that first and last meal (dinner) in an 8 hour window). Eating properly means you won’t feel hungry as quickly and you’ll be able to resist the urge to snack in between, just do not over eat, but eat enough to feed your life style and in a slight deficit to ensure you burn fat and not pile it back on (more on food later).

Fasting will make me feel hungry!

Ride the hunger waves: Feeling a bit hungry is very normal! Even our ancestors did and was a signal to go out on a hunt or forage for food. But have you ever seen a fat caveman? No, due to the periods without food, they were naturally fasting! Yet they were not feeling tired, lethargic etc. In fact, hunger raises your metabolic rate (by taking energy from storage!) to give you the energy to go on and find food! It’s a simple built in mechanism we are not using (enough) in our modern lifestyles. But even a few generations ago, when we didn’t have as much food available all the time (We didn’t have fridges/freezers etc) we did all the time! (look at an older photo, how many overweight or obese people can you identify?).

But dealing with hunger is easy nowadays. In our case we can easily deal with it by spending at least half of our fast period asleep, and drink water/black coffee etc. and keep ourselves busy before it’s time to eat.

Myth: Fasting or diets will make me burn muscle!

Fasting will not burn muscle! Again, think of Mr Caveman, if he were to burn up his own muscle due to not having food, he would not have the strength and energy to go out on a hunt, it would make no sense! Our bodies are not designed like that.

Muscles mostly shrink if you do not use them! Use them and they maintain themselves, and if you want to grow them, then use them more! (and for that you need food too).

Once you get to a situation where you can’t access foods for longer, you start to starve, now your body will go in decline and start to eat itself to sustain life for as long as possible, fasting is not starving!

Quality Foods:

This, is another incredibly important factor, that deserves a good long hard look!

In our modern lives, we are overwhelmed by choices, and many foods we now eat regularly are promoted to us by decades of very clever marketing, but many of these foods are not real! At least in part they are factory processed. I mentioned fridges/freezers earlier, but before these were common place, we used other methods to preserve our foods (think pickling,curing,fermenting etc.) We then started to see if we could do so differently. The common term is ‘ultra processed’ (UPF). They’ve gone through some kind of factory process.

Look at the ingredients. (example butter: If the ‘butter’ you use contains emulsifiers, Xanthem gum, and lots of other exotic ingredients you wouldn’t normally find in your kitchen cupboards, then it’s likely not ‘real’ food . Take Butter: butter should just consist of diary (or plant based) ingredients, nothing more). Your body won’t know what to do with these ‘artificial’ ingredients. It will partly store it as fat, in many cases it will just pass through, make you feel hungry sooner (so you eat more still, there is no real nutritional factor to it).

Although studies are not complete and many researchers are only just in the last decade or so starting to put two and two together, early indications are that our consumption of Ultra Processed foods, appear to go hand in hand with the obesity crisis, and general public health (cancers, diabetics etc.). Many of these are to do with what we (don’t) do and what we eat.

The reason for these UPF ingredients is mostly: It began with a quest to help preserve the food longer, but the industry and economic factors have started to play a bigger role, it had to be cheap to manufacture, and nowadays in some cases make you feel hungry sooner (lower real nutritional content). With a growing population it also helps manage the available food resources. But in our western world : Cheap manufacturing and the hunger factor (= increased consumption) = PROFIT, for the producers, not you! 
 We are a consumer society now, and the producers know this all too well and adjust their products and marketing campaigns accordingly, even labeling some as healthy, low calorie etc. (I challenge you to look at a supermarket health food (protein fruit bar, how much real fruit is in it? I bet it's less than 10%) and see how much 'real' food is in it? what else is in that bar, do you have any of it in your kitchen/fridge/freezer?  Look at 0% greek yogurt, or any 'low calorie' foods, the list goes on...) 

Where you can afford it, eat as much fresh food as part of your diet. Eat real foods may look more expensive and it may be to an extent (in the UK a tub of ‘UPF’ butter is around 2,- or less, real butter at least double that) eat a bit less. So rather than eat (lots of) 'low calorie foods (which is lacking in food and full of substitutes, either to simulate taste or texture, or both etc.) you can eat smaller portions of real food (and thus eat less calories in that manner) and not feel the need to snack in between so there are savings on that side of the coin.  

Exercise:

To exercise / lead a more active lifestyle is to help you offset the calories you eat so more of it is used to feed your activity and less of it is used to go to ‘storage’. 
Exercise for weightloss should not be your only goal. You also do it to improve your cardiovascular health, endurance, strength and flexibility, all functions that help you to maintain your overall health!
Exercising raises your metabolic rate temporarily helping you burn fat, but be aware: don’t think that exercising and eating a calory controlled diet alone is helping you lose weight. It firstly consumes 'energy' you've taken in from foods, not the stored fats as long as your body is not in a fasting state, so for the most part, it slows down the process of storing additional fats for most people.  But once your body is out of energy sources and not in a fasted state yet, it will slow donw your metabolic rate (it's a built in energy preservation system)

Also keep in mind that as you lose weight, your basal metabolic rate will also drop. (It’s easy to see why, if you weigh less, your muscles don’t have to work as hard to keep you functioning compared to when you carry extra weight!) 
So if you find your plateau and if you want to continue lose weight, you also have to keep adjusting your food intake slightly, but also keep exercising to retain an elevated metabolic rate for longer. 
So as you can see, if you exercise in a fasted state, it may be more effective, but that's not always practical for many people (unless you are able to do so first thing in the morning before breakfast (although prolonged exercise on an empty stomach is'nt great either and you won't produce your best efforts, for that some additional fuel is needed!))   which leads me to the following topic, Life style. 

Life style: 
Your lifestyle is largely dictated by your personal circumstances. Your work and work schedule, family etc.etc.
Therefore Fasting, Exercise, Food types you eat are often influenced by these factors.
Weight loss plans often fail because they are not sustainable, by either of these or combination of factors so be realistic.

You may not be able to choose what and when you eat dinner (together as a family) but often the easiest to control are your breakfast/lunch time. You may be able to skip breakfast on work days (but take a bigger lunch to compensate) and have dinner with your family (usually between 6-7pm). 
 You may not be able to exercise as regularly as you’d like. Exercise when you can (maybe just once per week? It’s more than you may currently be doing so it’s a win!) and make other choices. 
Exercise doesn’t mean you have to join a gym! There are other daily changes that may be available to you. Maybe you can walk or cycle more? Use the stairs instead of the lift? Take the dog out for longer walks etc. There are many things you can do very easily that add up.

If you have a very social life that involves (weekend) meetings for drinks / food etc, then so be it, enjoy yourself on the weekend, but get back on track during the week. Diets fail if you can’t enjoy life, if they don’t fit with your life, if you can't enjoy the process, if you fail to see results! 
But on the flip side, if you don’t like the current state of affairs, you need to look long and hard where you can make some sustainable changes, so some sacrifices may be needed (drink a little less, eat smaller meals (not 3 courses all the time when out) and try to eat well when you do so you resist the urge for snacks longer)). 

So while the fitness industry is partly right when they state that weightloss is a combination of exercise and a good diet (what and how much), they don't (yet) focus on when to eat, and largely focus on calorie in = calorie out (or rather calorie in < calorie out= weightloss (which is not entirely accurate)). 

Weight loss is not the same formula for everyone and you may need to experiment for a while to find the best approach for you, but as long as you can commit to regular fasting periods, eat good foods (and not snack!), limit your alcohol intake and exercise a bit more, then long term you’ll start to see changes. Depending on what you are able/willing to do, the weight loss will vary. From just a few pounds per month, to several per week!

Once you hit your desired weight (better term is 'physique' ) , try and find the correct balance to prevent further weight loss or gain. 

So if you are familiar with the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, then the following sentence will make sense.

'The key to a succesful 'dieter' , is not only knowing What to eat, but understand the why and when'!

I hope this article has helped you to gain an understanding of the processes involved, and at least get you start to think about how you will approach your weight loss.

Note: So as the title suggests, it's not weight, realistically it’s fat loss you’re after, weight may not drop if you also engage in strength training as muscle mass is heavier than the same volume of fat. What most are after is a lean physique, look slim, fit, healthy. Therefore, weight alone is not a good indicator. Whilst inaccurate, smart scales can give you a bit of an indication about your body composition, but the mirror, tape measures (and the sizes of clothes you wear)  and how you feel (energetic/lathargic) are your best indicator!

Further reading on the above topics (particularly on fasting and good foods) I recommend the following books:


A short explanation about fasting (and mistakes) can be found here: 

Not in control of your foods:

Walk On! 

And that's a wrap

 Where does the time go?!   Just returned from another great workshop with sifu Richard Torres, ably assisted by one of his senior students,...