Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, My Guest Posts, Self-Development and Leadership, Training Tips

Guest Post: 4 Tips to Becoming a Better Martial Artist in the New Year

This article was originally a guest post on the website BookMartialArts.com.

I’m not into New Year’s resolutions, but I am all about self-awareness and continuous self improvement, which can happen at any time of the year. Start out 2017 right with a renewed commitment to your practice. Even if you don’t do martial arts these tips can help you set and achieve goals in any area.

2017

 

It’s a new year and a time of hope, renewal, and fresh starts. It’s also a time for our good intentions and best-laid plans to run head on into reality. Statistics for failed New Year’s resolutions run anywhere between 45-80%. That can be disheartening to the martial artist who wants to kick start his or her practice at the beginning of a new year. There are ways, however, to make your short-term and long-term goals stick. Focusing on small milestones, following your motivation, challenging yourself, and finding what inspires you can help you make improvements throughout the year and meet or even surpass your goals.

Continue reading “Guest Post: 4 Tips to Becoming a Better Martial Artist in the New Year” →

Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts

Are You Driven By the Process or the Project?

success road.jpg

My mom is a prolific knitter. She always sewed, crocheted, did needlepoint, but ever since she retired she really took off with knitting. Mom loves it, and I have drawers full of pretty scarves, shawls, and gloves as a side benefit.

Recently she told me about the concept of being a “process knitter” versus a “project knitter” and determined that she is most definitely a process knitter. She likes choosing a new pattern (the more challenging, the better), hunting down the right yarn, selecting the needles, and working through the mathematical process of following the pattern and watching it gradually transform into a finished product. I suppose there’s a meditative aspect to it too. Once she finishes a project she’s ready to move on to the next one and begin the process again.
Continue reading “Are You Driven By the Process or the Project?” →

Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Self-Development and Leadership, Training Tips

You Can Rest on Your Laurels, But Don’t Stay There Too Long

apollo
“I’m just resting my eyes for two seconds!”

“I believe in my own skills. I just always try to look forward to what they can be rather than to always look back on what they used to be.”

This was my brother’s response to a friend complimenting him on his musical talent. My brother is a musician (primarily piano and keyboards), and has been able to support himself with his talent since graduating college. He’s proud of that fact, as is the rest of his family. His passion isn’t just his hobby; it also happens to be his paycheck. If only we could all be so lucky.
Continue reading “You Can Rest on Your Laurels, But Don’t Stay There Too Long” →

Melanie Gibson Self-Development and Leadership

Spring Has Sprung

flower boxing gloves
April showers bring flowers in yo face!

“Whew, that was a good workout! I needed that,” I said to my chief instructor as I sipped water and leaned against the back of a chair in the dojang waiting room. It was Monday night, the first night back after an “off week” due to an abbreviated workout schedule and a little bit of Spring Break indulgence (okay, more than a little bit). That night’s class had a simpler structure than our usual classes: foundational kicks and a little bit of partner work with blocking and striking. That was it.
Continue reading “Spring Has Sprung” →

Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, Training Tips

The Best Remedy for the Inevitable Emotional Denouement: Crazy Cardio!

exercise t rex

There are two things I love about this time of year: the extra hour of sleep and Thanksgiving. That’s about it.

Sure, I love my scarves and knee-high boots, but I mostly love the idea of them, not the fact that I actually have to start wearing them to stay warm. We do really have four seasons in Texas. They just happen to be ice, tornadoes, a really long summer, and rain. Now we’re in that period of a few nice days that are ruined by torrential downpours and dangerous flooding. Thanks to the rain and the fact that, uh, it’s November it’s started to get a little cool. It’s also the time of year when I begin to get grumpy until about…oh…May.
Continue reading “The Best Remedy for the Inevitable Emotional Denouement: Crazy Cardio!” →

Melanie Gibson Uncategorized

Trying to Stay “Fun Size”: One More Week of Tough Training

im_not_short_im_fun_size_bumper_sticker-ra3766e82e59b4acdaf913c55b4b0b5bd_v9wht_8byvr_324

Here are some stats on my next-to-last week of training for my black belt test:

Days until Black Belt Test: 6
Weight: 116 pounds
Taekwondo classes: 5
Morning swimming workouts: 1 (I was shooting for 3, but wouldn’t you know, my bed is REALLY comfortable at 4:30 AM)
Yoga classes: 2
Physical Therapy/Personal Training/Butt-Kicking sessions: 2
Pain Scale of My Hamstring: 1.5-3 depending on how much kicking I do (YAY!!)
Pain Scale of My “Impinged” Anterior Hip: 0-0.5 (YAAAAAYYY!!!)
Number of sweaty sports bras drying out on a door knob somewhere in my house: at least 1 at all times
How much I want a cheeseburger and fries right now: 5,000,000
Productive things I’m going to do immediately after the test: 0

Continue reading “Trying to Stay “Fun Size”: One More Week of Tough Training” →

Melanie Gibson Training Tips

Week Two of Black Belt Training – Rolos, Man…Rolos

rolo-feat
Oh you won’t stay unwrapped for long, my friend. Enjoy your last moments on earth, Rolos.

Okay so I had a pack of Rolos Tuesday night. And Indian food for lunch on Wednesday.

I told y’all I was going to need some sweets during the next couple of months of amping up my training! Read the post! On the plus side I’d had a very healthy vegetarian lunch that day and a very light dinner. I had gone out to gas up my car and well…somehow I ended up inside the convenience store handing over some change for candy because…Rolos, man…Rolos. What child of the 1980s doesn’t enjoy a pack of Rolos now and then?
Continue reading “Week Two of Black Belt Training – Rolos, Man…Rolos” →

Melanie Gibson Class Diaries

Little Black Belt is ONE! A Year in Review…

first-birthday-party-cake-eating-by-cute-baby-boy
Eating cake like a BOSS.

If you’ve completed filing your income tax returns then I’d like to invite you on a retrospective journey through the evolution of this blog—the discoveries, the triumphs, the tears, the deep questions, and most importantly, the jokes. If you haven’t completed filing your income tax returns….what the hell is wrong with you?? Get back to work!!
Continue reading “Little Black Belt is ONE! A Year in Review…” →

Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, Training Tips

Body of Work

Tickets-Gun-Show
Alright, alright, alriiiiiiiight

This week’s lessons seemed to be much more intense, as if I’d been gone for several weeks and then rejoined slower and out of shape. In reality I was in the dojang four consecutive days last week (including my bo dan test) plus watched a black belt test on Saturday. By the end of this week I have taken five classes, two Epsom salt baths, many alternating cold and hot showers, twelve ibuprofen, used one big soft cloth ice pack, one heating pad, polished off the last of the prescription naproxen I had been hoarding, have a big ugly strawberry mark on my forearm, and a much-needed massage is scheduled for Saturday.
Continue reading “Body of Work” →

Melanie Gibson Class Diaries

South American Headache Remedy

headache

Wednesdays are my long days and usually leave me exhausted, drenched in sweat, and mentally a little out of it by the time I get home. Seeing as it was my first week back after way too many schedule interruptions I was determined to go to class whether my body could keep up or not.
Continue reading “South American Headache Remedy” →