This page describes my vision and path I'm taking for my personal sports.
First things first,
I come from a culture in which food needs to be fast,
and usually isn't a social gathering.
When you're reading this from a Latin American background,
this is important to keep in mind.
Another thing to consider,
I was raised with the beauty ideal for a man to be something like a gymnast,
"los gordo son felices, los flacos son triste"
does not apply to the western culture I grew up in.
For me, a good physical health consist of four parts;
flexibility, strength, stamina/endurance and balance.
And for others it maybe less or even more
(endurance-stamina-strength-flexibility-power-speed-coordination-agility-balance-accuracy).
For some, sports are the goal itself,
for me it's just a hobby/tool, keeping me feeling good about myself.
Muscles
For me, muscles should be in proportion,
I prefer a calisthenics trained body over a weight lifted trained body,
since the first will automatic train multiple muscle groups, keeping it in balance.
It comes down to Jason Statham vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Also skill is important to me,
being able to do something useful (job related)
or something cool with that extra bulk is a requirement I force upon myself,
otherwise it feels useless.
Stamina: endurance
Having said that, lets start my personal story.
I grew up in a small country, famous for its bikes.
I did a lot of large distance biking in my youth,
which resulted in bulky leg muscle (hard to find jeans).
I would go on holiday by bike with friends
and also biked 300km/w for a couple of years.
When my legs became too large, I decided to try running,
which I still enjoy.
Of course the biking stayed, doing my daily commute (total of around 80km/w).
Marathon
I did some half marathons and a duo (biking and running) marathon.
When I was training for the whole distance,
one training of 33km triggered a 6y old knee injury (snowboard),
which forced be to stop, even biking was out of the question.
Extreme Sports
From biking 60+km/h downhill on a regular bike (brakes aren't made for that),
or 70+ with a snowboard (while a rookie),
to back flips in the backyard or with a snowboard,
adrenaline was my thrill.
But, "With age comes Wisdom."
Snowboarding I abandoned for my own safety,
my last crash was with a skier, hitting me from behind,
which resulted in me flipping over 5 times.
But all serious hurts were self-inflicted,
with one remaining injury (twisted knee when going off-piste).
I'll prefer surfing I guess,
the likelihood of a shark is way less then injure by a human on a ski slope,
and no trees to hit.
New extreme
But like with all in life, you miss something you liked.
For me this meant that I needed to find something that would also satisfy
and fits my lifestyle.
My new extreme was found in ultimate balance,
way less dangerous, but also a thrill.
It's a mix between gymnastics and (power) yoga.
A guru on this topic is Dylan Werner.
This sport is all about control, which is way more safe then snowboarding etc.
Does this make me boring?
Maybe, for some it does; I do got my motor cycle license ;)
But protecting my most vital organ, my brain, is worth it to me.
