What are the Best Exercises for Heart Health? 

What are the best exercises for heart health?  My best guess would tell me that the best exercises for a healthy heart would be cardiovascular in nature.  Though I have to wonder if anything overly-strenuous on the heart muscle could lead to damage, but most people know their limits and know to seek the advice of a competent physician before starting any exercise program.  It is a matter of balancing between pushing ourselves a bit past our comfort zone in order to improve our stamina, and not ignoring the cries of our body, thus possibly leading to some cardiac damage, however minor.

To balance the yang of cardio exercise, some gentle stretching and or movement exercise like Yoga, Chi Kung, and/or Tai Chi would help reduce stress and alleviate the pressure on the heart due to emotional causes, such as anxiety and worry, and the general stresses of life.  The calming effects of these types of exercises can also lead to a more positive outlook after making them a regular part of one’s life.

Resistance exercise also has a part to play in maintaining a healthy heart.  Resistance exercise can increase the flow of blood to muscles which also exercises the heart.

Take heart you can improve the functioning of this very important involuntary muscle.

The Value of Ground-Fighting 

The value of ground-fighting is in never having to use it.  Let me clarify.  In a street altercation, where your opponent is some bad-ass out to prove how tough he is by beating you to a pulp, immediately resorting to ground-fighting will leave you badly beaten or dead.  This is the reality because two scenarios are highly possible: 1. your assailant has a concealed weapon (often a knife) that will be used on you in a pinch and/ or 2. Your nemesis has friends waiting in the shadows anxious to use your head as a football while you are triangle-choking their comrade.

Though I don’t advocate ignoring the importance of knowing how to handle yourself on the ground in a fight, such skills are best used when you have been brought to the ground and need to get yourself into a position to get up and get out.  In tournament and submission fights, ground-fighting is the best, but in a situation where your life is possible at stake, or you could be seriously hurt or maimed, then the first choice is to de-escalate the confrontation with words, and then depart.  If that fails, then just flee.  If this too doesn’t work, best to hit the opponent hard or knock the person to the ground (on their head if necessary, to slow them down), and then run.  Only in the direst situations should you break out the ground-fighting skills, but only in order to put yourself in a position to get back to your feet, and find the opportunity to flee.  Your pride isn’t worth you losing your life, or any other negative outcome which could be inevitable when confronted with someone who means to harm you, maybe even kill you.

Your continued health and long-life (one not spent behind bars), are the most important things to guard, not your pride, or macho posturing.  Live long and prosper.

Nature as a balm for the soul 

Raking the multi-coloured leaves, the earthen scents, the cool caress of the wind, all the world illuminated by the sun’s light - my focus upon the task at hand.  Being in nature, even one’s own backyard, soothes one’s soul, and lifts one’s spirits. 

Perhaps it is the unseen energies emitted by the trees, grasses and other plant and animal life. It could be a feeling of returning home to the bosom of one’s mother that comforts the jaded heart of the “civilized”?  Maybe being in the presence of something greater and much more ancient, and imbued with an inherent mystery such as which lies at the core of nature’s beingness, leaves us feeling awestruck.  Perhaps we can touch the silent spaces within us as they are a reflection of the deep silence and mystery of nature, and for a moment know that we are as vast in our internal spaciousness, and as deep in the calming ocean of our souls as a Great Lake, no matter what the mad rants of our monkey mind would have us believe otherwise.

It is this deepening of Presence, I believe that instills a calming within us and clears our minds of its often useless, repetitive chatter. 

Why do I love comic books?  There are so many reasons why. 

1.       Firstly, I feel as though I am visiting my old friends from childhood, especially when I’m reading comics with some of favorite childhood heroes, namely the X-men.  When I was a child I felt very close to the X-men of the Chris Claremont days.  I was privy to some of their most intimate secrets; I could share in their joys and their sorrows, the comical experiences of their lives as well as the tragic.

2.       I can be introduced to new characters that I can relate to as an adult. Mature themes have a more personal relevance to me as an adult, than as a pubescent adolescent. Some examples of this are Kabuki by David Mack, American Vampire, and The Unwritten.

3.       We can all appreciate the art found within the pages of some comic books and graphic novels.  The beauty of Alex Ross’s paintings or David Mack’s mixed media creations is astounding.

4.       The stories themselves can be of surreal beauty, especially in the hands of a master for example, Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey.  Stories, in any form have the ability to teach us, activate our empathy, send us on a roller coaster ride of emotions, stimulate the bubbling of ideas within us, and inspire us.  What a wondrous thing.

5.       Some comic books are rare collector’s items that increase in monetary value.  This shouldn’t be the main reason to purchase them, but when one discovers a comic book of high resale value; it can put a smile on one’s face, even if you never intend to sell that particular comic book. 

These are some of the main reasons that I love comic books.  If I think of any more, I’ll post them in another blog.