Category: Sifu Oscar’s Blog

That Class Was Easy?

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

One of the most frustrating things an intermediate or advanced student can say at the end of a class is, “That class was easy!”

An advanced student understands positioning, leverage, tension, and intention.

They can make a beginner or basic class very challenging, or they can make a very challenging class manageable, based on what they’re feeling that day.

Advanced (or challenging) doesn’t have to mean advanced material. It can simply mean making a particular exercise more difficult.

Learning to manage inner tension, intensity, and intention is a master skill that will serve you well in your martial arts journey.

Realize that those skills are in your hands, but you don’t and shouldn’t work maximally every time you train.

Sometimes your body is going to need a class that just makes you feel good.

This is okay!

In fact, I think it’s good to train this way regularly and consistently. But don’t expect drastic body changes that way.

You are going to have to push yourself sometimes.

Intensity drives adaptation. Intensity is your choice, and difficulty is scalable to your skill level.

If you leave class bragging that it was too easy, just realize that you haven’t built the skills yet to make it challenging.

End rant!

I do love hearing from you, so let me know about the last class you did that was challenging!

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Off The Wagon Real Talk

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

What if we treated “off the wagon” periods as a natural and normal part of the entire experience of change and growth? 

When speaking to potential students, few things motivate healthier choices better than waking up with meat sweats, heartburn, a hangover, or general discomfort when moving around….

If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that our health is one of our most prized possessions. 

But that doesn’t mean that getting or staying healthy is easy. 

The good news? 

Reaching your pressure point can sometimes be what you need to get started… again. 

People always think that I spend most days working out, but as of today, I’ve gone almost 2 weeks without deliberate Kung Fu practice or a strength training session. 

And that’s ok. This is just the natural and normal part of my health journey. As soon as I hit send, I’m going to get a 15-minute session of mindful movement practice in. 

If you get a chance, reply with what made you decide to join Wah Lum. 

My mom made me do it is a valid answer. 

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

7 Ways To Know If Your Nutrition Plan Is Working

Oscar AgramonteNutrition

Sometimes, it can be tough to tell if you’re making progress on your journey to become the fittest, strongest, healthiest version of yourself.

Because many of the common ways to measure progress — body composition, blood work, and the scale — are prone to false negatives.

They can make it seem as if nothing’s happening when, in fact, you’re making great progress.

That’s why it’s important to use other progress indicators as well. So, before you give up on a nutrition plan, consider whether…

You feel satisfied after meals.

That might be because you’re eating slowly, choosing fresh foods, and leaving less room in your diet for processed foods reviving the appetite and never seeming to fill you up.

You have more energy. 

One day, you wake up one minute before your alarm. Your eyes are open. Do you even feel… kind of… happy?

You’re sleeping better.

All of a sudden, you seem to wind down an hour before bedtime without a problem. You follow your sleep ritual and conk out easier than ever. 

You feel great.

And you’re making friends with your body shape and size.

You’re in a better mood.

More confident, like change is possible.

You’re stronger and have more endurance.

Maybe you start to notice your muscles aren’t as sore, you can do more work overall, and you’re fresher and recover better.

It feels more like a lifestyle.

You’re just… living. You’re in a nice, natural normal-day rhythm that doesn’t feel like being “on” or “off” anything.

Each of these progress indicators can show you real, meaningful change.

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

What Training Should Do

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Quick message for you today on the Control Your Health Strength Training Philosophy. 

Here are the ABCs of strength training as I see it. 

A: Prevent injury through awareness and safety. 

Kind of a no brainer, but just because something looks cool doesn’t mean it’s what is good for you. The right fitness program should not cause injury and should make you resilient to injury in your sport. 

Do no harm. 

B: Improve your quality of Life.

Do you feel better after training? Your program should give more than it takes out of you. 

C: Improve Performance. 

Training should help you: Get stronger. Get Faster. Move Better. Look Better. 

Pretty basic stuff, I know. But it’s the experts who do the basics best. 

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Tip of The Week: Slow Eating

Oscar AgramonteNutrition

I’m a big believer that slow and mindful eating is one of the MASTER SKILLS for fat loss.

Because the goal is to eat a sufficient amount to be reasonably comfortable, but not more than that.

This week I wanted to share some recent research published in Appetite on how what you hear while you eat can impact how fast you eat.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

The scientists report that:

  • People ate faster when they listened to music with a fast tempo (145 bpm). (Example: “Born to Run”—Bruce Springsteen)
  • People ate slower when they listened to music with a slow tempo (45 bpm). (Example: “Call Out My Name”—The Weekend)
  • When people listened to any kind of music—even the up-tempo stuff—they ate slower compared to when they ate in silence.

The researchers hypothesized that faster music makes people feel more aroused or excited, stimulating their senses and making them eat faster. 

Slower music, on the other hand, may help people feel calmer and more relaxed, which could lead to more mindful eating.  

The study’s findings also affirm something bigger: What people feel while they eat is important.

Folks who struggle to eat slowly and mindfully may be more likely to succeed if they take steps to feel more relaxed during meal times.

And if slow music—or tunes of any tempo helps—you do that, then it could be worth trying. Think of it as “setting the mood.” (But please: No Muzak.)

PMID: 32682852

Mathiesen SL, Mielby LA, Byrne DV, Wang QJ. Music to eat by: A systematic investigation of the relative importance of tempo and articulation on eating time. Appetite. 2020 Dec 1;155:104801.

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Can I Get A Spell Check Please?

Oscar AgramonteNutrition

Seriously!? Again!?

That is my internal response when my wife finds grammatical errors in my weekly emails. Comments usually (and maybe too often) go something like this…. 

“Oh… oops! You wrote there instead of there are. Huh?”

I proceed to take a deep breath and forgive myself. 

Because it’s ok to make mis-steaks (that was intentional). 

Especially when it comes to health, nutrition, and fitness. Most of us have failed in a particular goal because we expected perfection. 

Fear of failure can be motivating for some things, but when it comes to something like dieting and fat loss, it is almost impossible. 

For example, the best meat you can have is grass-fed beef. 

Great, but was it ethically slaughtered? 

Was it ethically slaughtered by a Tibetan Warrior monk? 

By a monk with one arm? 

Right arm or left arm missing? 

This is pretty ridiculous, and not only because everyone knows it has to be the left arm. 

But our nervous system has a funny way of working, “Oh, I was going to do this but I went to a party and I wasn’t perfect, so… Ben and Jerry’s.”

Disregard perfection as a goal, and it will be an act of compassion and kindness towards yourself. 

Forgive yourself, move on, and decide to do something that will get you closer to your goals. 

That’s why we tell our students at Wah Lum that we can always make an adjustment to a particular exercise or move. 

Or if you were stuck in traffic, just drive safely and get into class a little bit late. (if possible just leave earlier… you know who you are)

Coming in and doing something is better than nothing!

With nutrition, don’t think about what you need to stop doing, but what you can add to make your meal more nutritious. 

That’s all for know, I have to help my almost perfect wife with something. (see what I did there?)

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Sloth and Gluttony

Oscar AgramonteNutrition

I’m going to “attempt” to summarize a message from a mentor (and frequent Sifu Mimi Chan Show Podcast Guest) Coach Dan John about sloth and gluttony. 

It appealed to my Catholic childhood. 

It goes like this… sort of:

We get fat (insert: “out of shape” because I know some are sensitive to the F word) with sloth and gluttony so to undo this we must punish ourselves with sweat and starvation for a few weeks, days, or minutes and reverse the issues gathered around the waistline for the past four decades.

It’s an interesting thought that a few days fixes a few decades. And why does focusing on our health have to involve punishment?

Why do we talk about food, and exercise as being good or bad? 

Coffee is good. Coffee is bad. 

Squats are good. Squats are bad.

Grains are good. Grains are bad. 

As a trainer, coach, and fit-pro I get put in a position to then answer questions about fitness and performance. My go-to answer is to start with the basics… and then I get that eyes glazed-over look. 

Here they are if you are still reading. 

  • Sleep (7-9 hours).
  • Move (consistently throughout the day, week, month, year, and life. I like Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and Strength Training).
  • Eat like an adult (don’t eat too many things that come in a box).
  • Drink mostly water (most of us don’t need Gatorade).
  • Spend time with people you enjoy (wife, Wah Lum Family). 

Do these things well most of the time (not even all of the time!) and you will be in the best shape of your life.  

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Tip of the Week: You Are the Solution

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Anyone else get a ton of email marketing ads?

As I was thinking about my shortcomings, I realized there is no shortage of information bombarding me!

So the most appealing services, methods, and products are the ones that promise a specific solution.

This service provides comfort and makes us believe that whoever is providing the solution is competent and has the solution. For the record, most coaches, Sifus, and teachers struggle with impostor syndrome (ahem…as I raise my hand).

But I do believe we need to be wary about the fact that a specific solution implies that you have a specific problem.

If I were to sum up all the solutions/problems that have been offered to me, I would probably be convinced to enter the fetal position, never to act or move with any kind of confidence again.

If you want to practice Kung Fu or Tai Chi and move with comfort, ease, and fluidity, you need to believe in yourself, and your body.

I know it’s cliché, but you need to be the solution.

There is a story we all tell ourselves. How are you going to rewrite your story this week?

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  The first step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

The Simplest Way to Eat Better

Oscar AgramonteNutrition

Hello Friend,

I get a lot of questions about nutrition and notice that most people worry about the little details:

  • “Are potatoes fattening?”
  • “If I don’t drink a protein shake after my workout, is it even worth exercising?”
  • “Is keto really the best way to lose weight? Or should I be doing Paleo? Or what about the alkaline diet?!”

Yet they eat over the kitchen sink. Or in their car. Or in a daze while in front of the TV. (ME INCLUDED!)

I don’t blame you! We’ve been taught to think about WHAT we eat, not HOW we eat.

That’s too bad since…

Eating slowly and mindfully can actually be an incredibly powerful habit for driving major transformation.

Instead of having to figure out which foods to eat, in what frequency, and in what portions—all important factors, of course—eating slowly is the simplest way anyone can start eating and feeling better, immediately. 

Why? 

Two reasons:

  1. It takes about 20 minutes for your body’s satiety signals to kick in. Slow eating gives the system time to work, allowing you to better sense when you’ve had enough.
  2. When you slow down, and really try to savor your meal, you tend to feel satisfied with less, and feel less “deprived.”

But… 

People struggle with this habit.

 (Oh, do they struggle.)

 What to do? 

Practice at slow eating and know you won’t be perfect. That’s okay. 

It’s also why it’s not a bad idea to spend a whole month on just this one habit. 

To help you, try one of these tips. You can experiment with them for just one meal, or take on a full “30-day slow-eating challenge,” if you feel up to it.

Take a breath.

Before you eat, pause. Take one breath. Take one bite. Then take another breath. Go one bite and one breath at a time. That’s it.

Add one minute per meal.

At the beginning of a meal, start a clock and see if you can make each meal one minute longer than the meal before.

Do something between bites.

Besides taking a breath (or three), try:

  • setting down your utensils
  • taking a sip of water
  • asking someone at the table a question

Savor your food.

When you eat… eat. Enjoy it. Really taste it. Is it salty? Sweet? Does it coat the roof of your mouth? What’s the texture like? Think about these questions with each bite.

Notice what affects eating speed. 

Even something as subtle as silence or background music can trigger you to speed up or slow down, which is why some folks have found success with listening to a 20-minute “slow eating” playlist.

And finally…

Try to remember: Don’t put food on your fork… if there’s food in your mouth!

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  The first step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Break Through Plateaus In Your Martial Arts Journey

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Hey there,

Do you ever feel that an invisible ceiling is inhibiting your progress?

As a martial artist, (or aspiring martial artist) we love mastering new movements, pushing ourselves, and getting those incremental improvements, right?

But life gets busy and we find ourselves wrestling with time. Endless commitments, demanding schedules…

The big thing that holds many students back from progressing is being able to get into certain positions. Low stances, high kicks…

But it doesn’t end there!

Once you can get into a certain position, you also want to feel strong there.

I’ve been working on some mobility training that has been helping and I am looking to start a project soon that’ll take a handful of students through a targeted mobility program.

Reply if you want to hear more about it.

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  The first step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.