Reflections on practice by Shane Lear

Shane Lear holds a black in 5 martial arts systems. I met him a couple of years ago at Dillman Camp in Pennsylvania. There were a lot of male egos at that camp - guys were knocked out repeatedly over the course of the weekend - but Shane Lear stood apart from everyone else as a modest, introspective man, a consummate student of the martials arts. I sensed there was little delineation between his martial arts practice and his daily life. The paragraph below was copied from his web page.

This weeks reflection is on practice. I have heard my karate instructor George Dillman say many times that you get good at what you practice. It also is well known in many sports that you perform the way you practice. Practice hard and the battles are easy, practice soft and it will be a struggle. There is always a consequence for how and what we practice as well. We become what we practice. Life works the same way. If you practice spending more money than you make you will end up broke. Practice saving and you won't. Practice being negative or positive and you will become that person (with the same like minded people and situations surrounding you). Approach situations with a level head and your decisions will reflect it. Feed your emotions and you will become a "drama king, or queen". Again, you become what you practice. Set your goals to start moving toward the person you want to be today. Practice daily and it will become a way of life! Thanks for reading.

If you want to become more skilled - whether in martial arts, other physical skills, or in life - aim to  practice perfectly and with intent, and watch yourself improve. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Thanks to Shane Lear for his words of wisdom.

[Note: Pictured are: Master Gaby Roloff, Shane Lear, Renshi Janet, and me. Master Gaby is kind, generous and never egotistical. In fact, others need to sing her praises, since she never does so herself. And Renshi Janet, a natural leader, centers on other people's strengths and provides the proper environment for success.]

The Interview

My friend and fellow blogger Vicki Thomas suggested the questions below might make an interesting blog topic. The questions she came up with are interesting, the answers, I’m not so sure. Anyway, here is the interview.

Were you always active growing up?

Mm, active yes, sporty, athletic no. I didn’t do many sports, mainly softball in the summer as a kid and in the winter I went cross-country skiing at Cedarhill before all the houses were built. I was always outside though, winter and summer.

I always rode my bike as kid all over Barrhaven and down Strandherd which was a dirt road back then. In my teens I didn’t have my own bike for a long time but I always wanted one. When I was around 10 years old somebody told me that ten-speeds could go as fast cars. That left an impression on me. They left out the part about needing to be a pro elite racer to go such speeds. I remember riding to Parliament Hill one hot day with my sister and best friend. That was a big accomplishment for me at the time. I must have borrowed a bike from one of my sisters. I bought a new bike with my first paycheque working at the bookstore at age 20.

How did you get involved with martial arts? 

I don’t know where the idea came from but I always wanted to learn martial arts. Probably got it from TV and movies. I was always fascinated by Bruce Lee. After University, I got a job working for the National Library and decided to upgrade my skills by taking Computer courses at Algonquin. It took 5 years of night school to finish the program. When I was finished night school, I took a speed skating course for three months in the fall of 1997. Then in January 1998 I enrolled at Greco Martial Arts. The school was above the TD Bank on Greenbank, a 10 minute walk from my house. I loved it from the first class and knew I would stick with it and get my black belt.

What drew you to strength training?

I was attracted to muscular physiques. I used to draw muscle men a lot. I thought it was the best look, whether male or female and something you could create yourself: a muscular physique. So initially, strength training was synonymous with weight lifting in the bodybuilding sense. I was small and skinny and I wanted to big and strong. When I got into martial arts it became more functionally motivated. Fifteen years of strength training gave me a good foundation for martial arts. Once I started to teach classes, my interest grew from there, exploring new and different ways to build the body.

Do you do any other sports besides martial arts and strength training?

About the same time as I started going to the gym to lift weights, I started riding a bike. I tried running with my Irish setter, Bender, but after a few months that got boring. So I bought myself a bike. Bender got a better workout. I rode to school and work and went out on weekends for ever-increasing distances. Long distances were my thing. My husband Paul and I used to ride to Pembroke for the weekend and we’d take trips to Golden Lake, Barry’s Bay and Algonquin Park for summer vacation. We weren’t your typical tourists though because we just had a small bag with a change of clothes and a toothbrush. In 1996, after many years of riding just the two of us and a friend, we joined the Ottawa Bicycle Club.

What motivates you to train and be active every day?

Health is number one. My mother died of cancer when I was nine; she was 39. I think that subconsciously motivated me to get fit, stay in shape and eat well. Now I think it is more about enjoying life. Being healthy and fit is more fun than the alternative. It opens up possibilities.

What have you learned about yourself while pursuing your passions?

I learned that I am more capable than I thought. But I think this is true of most people. We limit ourselves by our thoughts. I think I learned mental toughness from cycling. The ultimate test for me was doing the Animalathon, which was 332 km, also known as a double century (200+ miles). When doing a ride that long it helps to think about the old Chinese adage, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Breaking the distance into manageable chunks makes it easier to handle.

This mental toughness came in handy when I was training for my black belt grading, which is an intense physical and mental challenge.

There are also some super challenging climbs in the Catskills it easy to get freaked out about. This is when you need to be totally in the moment. I like climbing because it’s just me and the mountain (everybody is else is up ahead!).

What about in the kitchen - any favourite foods or ingredients?

Yes, my favourite thing is to have a big salad for lunch or dinner. I cook out of necessity but it is not my favourite thing to do. A salad is less work and it’s always enjoyable. I like eating raw vegetables. I use dark leafy greens as the base, add some colourful like red peppers, carrots, or radishes, celery, cucumber, some kind of sprouts (high energy food), and avocado, nuts like pecans or sliced almonds and pumpkin seeds for magnesium. And I make my own dressing.

Another favourite is oatmeal. I add hemp seeds to salads and oatmeal because it’s high in protein and I am not a big meat eater. I also add walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax meal, and cranberries. Those are my go-to meals. When I cook, I like to cook with curry, usually something you can make in one pot.

Do you ever "go crazy" and eat a big bag of chips or some chocolate? 

Oh yeah! On UFC fight nights, we have friends over and everyone brings their favourite or our favourite junk. There is no shortage of chips and sour candy and sometimes chocolate. I figure it’s okay to indulge once in a while. I choose Saturday nights to “cheat”.

If you could give people one piece of advice that would help them stay motivated - what would it be?

Hm, well, ask yourself why you want to train in the first place? Is it for better health, longevity, feeling better, increasing strength and other attributes. And keep that purpose in mind. How badly do you want it? Also, keep your training fun. There are many skills I want to learn and improve upon and that is what keeps me motivated in the area of functional fitness.

I’m not super excited about winter training on the bike, but I do intervals at least once a week and one “long” ride because I want to stay in shape for the summer. Our whole vacation is centered around cycling in the mountains and it is so much more enjoyable if I’m riding well. In fact, we try and crush our personal bests, which is getting increasingly more difficult, but it gives you something to shoot for!

Delicious salad dressing recipes

If you are health conscious, you are probably already making your own salad dressings. Store bought salad dressings are usually high in sugar and fat and artificial ingredients. Home-made is the way to go. Here are my three favourite recipes for healthy salad dressings that are quick and easy to make! A salad dressing bottle makes it easy to measure and mix. Measurements are indicated on the bottle.

Balsamic vinaigrette

In a salad dressing bottle, mix together

·         Equal parts plain yogurt, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup.

Dijon Oil and Vinegar

·         Two tablespoons olive oil

·         One tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I use a bit more)

·         One teaspoon Dijon mustard

·         One teaspoon maple syrup (optional)

Makes enough for one salad.

Yogurt Garlic Dressing

·         1 cup plain yogurt

·         1-2 cloves crushed garlic

·         1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

·         Dash of sea salt

·         Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix together. Do not blend. Chill before serving.

I have found other recipes that look good but involve too many ingredients for my liking. Three main ingredients that I usually have on hand are my go to’s. Let me know if you like these and share some of your own favourites below or on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/fitforeverottawa

Supplements or food: the great debate

The question of supplementation keeps popping up and it’s time to add my two cents to the discussion. I listened to a radio talk show the other day that had a doctor on as the guest. The subject was mainly supplements versus food. This doctor, who was a family physician – I couldn’t find any credentials pertaining to nutrition – was anti-supplement. He believes that we should get our nutrients from food and supplements are a scam. He says many studies have shown that vitamins are not effective. He says there is no evidence that taking vitamins does any good for healthy people. 

The doctor was talking about the general population. He says “if you are not deficient, there is no need to take vitamins”. Fair enough. But how do you know if you deficient? Most people don’t know. The only way to know for sure is to have a blood test. When callers would ask “If I am eating right, do I need to take supplements?”the doctor would answer, no. I can tell you most people I talk to about nutrition, think they are eating well, and most people are not. Eating right is a pretty broad and subjective statement. They say they feel fine. It is worth remembering that most diseases present themselves once they are in the advanced stages.

On the other side of the debate, there are those who say that you can’t get all your nutrients from food; you would have to eat too much to get the requirements. They see supplements as their insurance that they are getting all the nutrients their body needs. In more extreme cases, eating whatever you want and then taking multivitamins with the idea that they are keeping you balanced, is a mistaken notion. It is true that your body processes whole foods with complete vitamins and enzymes contained in the food intact much better than it can process vitamins removed from their original source. But it is not the whole story.

 

The problem is that even when you do eat properly – that is, you consume plenty of vegetables and fruit every day, you may still be deficient in certain nutrients because of the degradation of the food supply. In the old days, cows grazed on grass, chickens were free to roam and lived outdoors, and vegetables were grown in pesticide-free, nutrient-rich soils. Today’s food supply is devoid of the adequate nutrients required to replenish our body’s depleted cells. In addition, every human being is exposed to radiation from cell phones, WiFi, computers and x-rays. Add to that the environmental chemicals from plastics, phthalates, pesticides, herbicides, GMOs and additives, and you have toxic overload.

Unless someone is growing their own vegetables in a nutrient-rich garden, has their own farm with grass-fed cows and free-range chickens and a toxic-free fish pond, it is impossible to obtain all of the required nutrients from food. 
 
I can tell you from personal experience, it is possible to manipulate your blood levels of certain nutrients by taking supplements. I have altered my vitamin D, B12, and iron by altering my intake of vitamins. I know this because my blood tests reveal the levels change as I increase or decrease my vitamin intake. For example, I went from a ferritin level of 28 to 547 by taking 300 mg iron pills with vitamin C (to increase absorption). I stopped taking iron until it came back down to 300. I can’t tell any difference in the way I feel. The way you feel is not a reliable indicator of deficiency or sufficiency. You need to have your blood tested. I felt the same at 28 as I did at 547.

By now you might have guessed where I stand on this issue. I believe we should all do our best to eat a balanced diet of whole foods. And take a vitamin and mineral supplement to address deficiencies. If you don’t know your deficiencies, take a good quality multi-vitamin. The definition of the word supplement is enough to make you realize it’s not either or: “Something added to complete a thing, make up for a deficiency, or extend or strengthen the whole.”