I couldn’t sleep well last night but I woke up surprisingly energized, though a bit tight in the hips. The mysterious energy boost made me want to solve the tight shoulders and so I pulled some old 2kg weights from the closet and worked them into some stretches.
I felt an immediate release.
There was a time when such stretches and most yoga would revive some tendinitis or sciatica but over the years I’ve learned to manage such issues and see them before they are coming, mostly thanks to learning how to breath better.
I was already on a role with studying since yesterday so I decided to spend an hour exercising while watching the videos I study from.
It made me realize what a fantastic thing I’d have going if I could do this 30-60 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week. The studying and the workout.
As far as discipline goes, I’m very good when I allow myself some leeway but not too much. If I were to make something on a strict schedule, I’ll quickly lose my streak once a week then twice a week and quickly quit altogether. But with a loose goal, and a set time that is free to change with my schedule, I tend to stick with it.
So on days when I have lots of class or when I am fully invested in music, I will have to pass, but especially on days where I have some time in the afternoon between or before classes, I will try to spend an 30-60 before or after lunch combining Japanese study with workout.
I’ve been using games to study Japanese vocabulary for about 2 years now. This works well because I already had the basics down and am pretty conversation but my vocab is weak.
The games in using now are Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Xenoblade 3. Both work well because I’ve finished Xenoblade 3 already and I know the plot of ff7 because it’s 90% the same as the original I played as a kid. Playing something completely new gets nerve racking because I want to know what happens next and sometimes end up playing without studying seriously.
The night before I’ll watch 10-20 minutes of cut scenes from the game and write down each new word and the definition. Then while exercising I’ll rewatch the video once or twice.
This kind of study is not new for me but combining it with exercise time is. Effectively I’m killing 3 birds with one stone, combining exercise, study and also my desire to immerse myself in fictional worlds, but the third has a time and place.
I found that trying to combine this study with gaming worked well but sometimes I’d get too absorbed in it and backlog anxiety and it would pull me away from music. Other times I’d focus on music and forget about it entirely. Mixing it with exercise puts a literal weight on it to help balance the two.
If I can learn 30-40 words every two days that will be good.
As for exercise I will focus on simple things. Mostly squats and yoga poses plus some calisthenics, sometimes with weights to add resistance. I know this isn’t most people’s recipe for changing their body but considering how much my body needs it, I believe it can help fix my posture which would be noticeable. The biggest goal is to feel better and sleep better and move better though.
While I’m at it, I might aswell try to improve my diet and eat more consciously too. I’m also about achieving the best results with the minimum effort, not cause I’m lazy but because then I can put my effort elsewhere.
I may even start using actfit, although I won’t start calling my posts actfit blah blah blah. Is there any benefit to using actfit app or community?
Speaking Leaves
