Back in the Gym Today

Today was finally the day I got back to the gym to resume workouts. I intended to go easy my first time back, although once I got moving, I'm not so sure how easy I kept things. I guess I'll be able to tell by any soreness I feel tomorrow.

It was great to be back. We're getting a lot of snow here today, so that made traveling to and from my gym a bit slower than usual, but it wasn't all that bad. Rob, Chad, and Ricky really made me feel welcomed on my first day back and I appreciate that very much. Thanks, gentlemen!

Here's the breakdown of today's work.

• 30 minutes roadwork
• 3 rounds shadowboxing
• 4 rounds double-end bag
• 4 rounds speed bag
• 1 round heavy bag
• 1 round sit-ups and crunches
• 8 rounds stretching/flexibility

I spent a lot of time working on flexibility. I've learned multiple times that one doesn't take a fairly long break from exercise and then jump right back into it without being respectful to one's body. If I honor flexibility and give it the attention and respect it deserves, I will be fine. I don't care to have any injuries in general, and it certainly doesn't make any sense to have my return to training stopped by injuries resulting from being a bit too eager to resume the exercise routine.

Today's return was something of a homecoming for me. Now, the challenge will be to arrange my time skillfully so that I will be able to fit in a lot of workouts and use the one-hour trip each way as working time. I am blessed to have some projects now that ought to fit into that kind of arrangement. Ah, so good to be back!

(Almost) Spring Roadwork

Life has been occupied with a variety of things, few of them involving training. Yesterday, I got out for 39 minutes of roadwork, and that's how it has been going. Happily, the weather is getting warmer, so it's more pleasant to be outdoors.

Business at my law firm has been far too slow for my taste, so I've been hustling on the marketing efforts. They will bear fruit, it will just take a while. In addition to the regular quarterly updates I write for my book, Internet Law: The Complete Guide, I have picked up a few good writing projects that will help to pay the bills and are already proving to be enjoyable work.

Additionally, my mother has been hospitalized since mid-December, but she will go home a week from today. That's a huge relief, even though she has been staying at a very good facility where the staff treats the patients and residents really well. Having her there has put my mind at ease.

As for me, I'm heading out to absorb some of that famous Cornbelt sunshine and get the vitamin D levels cranking up. Be well.

Working Hard to Get Caught Up

Hey, what's going on here? Is this becoming a blog updated once a month? No, that's not the plan--not the long-term, visionary plan, anyway.

I do have lots of things to post here; I just need to manage my time well enough to do it. Since this blog is about the practice of law and my life, in addition to boxing, let me tell you that the law and life parts have been kind of insane lately. My mother was hospitalized for a few weeks and now she is in a rehabilitation and therapy facility. She's doing much better, and hopefully she'll be able to get home soon. I'm trying to be a good son and support both my mom and my dad (who is on his own with their little dog), but sometimes I really wonder. I wonder if I am offering much of value, despite my efforts. I'm also wondering about my ability to overwhelm myself with activity. I got up very early today to get a head start on the day and it's now 11:30 am, and I'm still scrambling and only about 10% done with my to-do list for today.

Anyway, that's the quick update. I'm needing to bring more hustle to bear on my end-of-January marketing effort for my law firm. Hopefully, that will yield a considerable harvest of lucrative projects. In the short term, the effects of the recession have been dragging me down, like they are doing to everyone else (except the super-fat-cats who seem always to land on their feet, despite the chaos they introduce into the economy and the harm they do to many people and businesses--but that's a separate rant). It's amazing how hard a man can work and not be making any money, at least not at the moment.

I need to stop now and get back to work. I'm hoping to get more substantive content posted later today. It's good stuff. For the moment, let remember what my meditation practice has taught me.

Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out.

Breathing in, I know that I am experiencing a lot of stress now.
Breathing in, I smile at my stress.

OK, that's best effort. The smile is only about a one-quarter smile--no Cheshire-cat-grin on this handsome mug yet!--but I'm working on it.

Autumnal Renewal

It's the middle of October, and a time of renewal for me. I'm working on a number of projects, including marketing efforts, and staying focused on my work. Indeed, I'm renewing my commitment to making my law firm and my writing career successful. I have no lack of dedication, but the situation is frustrating because it is taking very long to generate new opportunities and cultivate them to the point where they develop some sweet fruit that can nourish me, both metaphorically and literally.

I'm not complaining; indeed, I consider myself blessed. I am taking a dream I developed over 16 years ago and I'm making it reality. That dream is to be self-employed, running my own law firm and earning a significant portion of my income from my writing. The flexibility and range of opportunities are unmatched and suit my personality very well.

I am a little disappointed that I am behind schedule on several things, including:

• my marketing efforts (with the law firm marketing consultants I have hired);
• completion of my minimum continuing legal education (MCLE) requirements, which are now overdue;
• pursuit of several additional writing and blogging opportunities that seem like they'd be great for me;
• completion of my currently quarterly update to my book, Internet Law, and writing the update that must immediately follow it; and
• of course, my boxing training.

I know things will soon get back to a more manageable routine and something that seems like order emerging from the chaos. It won't take long to get there, and I'm determined to enjoy the experiences I have along the way.

A Brief, and Far Too Tardy, Update

I'm a guy who often says that blogs should be updated frequently and regularly, if they are to be effective. During the last month--really, the last few months if I want to be candid about it--I haven't updated this blog frequently or regularly, so I have been violating my own rules.

It's the summer, usually the most productive and enthusiastic time of the year for me. My plan is to do more blogging during these summer months.

Training is going along reasonably well, though not optimally. I don't want to turn this blog entry into a complaint-fest, so I'll wrap it up by remembering the words concerning improvement that my grandfather, John Sebastian Imparl, often told me when I was a little boy. There is indeed much room for improvement, and I intend to use every cubic nanometer of it!

Simple Training Update

I've just been doing some roadwork over the last week or so.  Boxing-specific training hasn't happened a lot.  I know that's a temporary situation.  If things go well, I'll be able to get back to the gym tomorrow.  Work has been nuts lately; I've been working hard to get new clients and that is starting to bear some fruit.  I am determined to maintain a positive attitude.

Staying Positive in the Winter

Training has been sporadic for the last week or so. A combination of snow, work, and a lot of sinus congestion and sinus headache has slowed things down a bit. Nevertheless, I am remaining optimistic. I'm doing some mental training (affirmations and visualization) and working to maintain an optimistic attitude. Very soon, I'll be back to training at full speed. I hope you're all doing well!