Finite and Infinite Games – Review

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Josh

Just finished reading James Carse’s book “Finite and Infinite Games.”

Finite and Infinite Games

I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s incredibly dense for such a short paperback book (177 pages). It might take a while to get through, but it’s worth the consideration and effort!

The book isn’t strictly about “games” in the sense that we usually consider them, but applies the concept of play to human life in general – one of the things I like most about it!

Regarding fitness and health, here’s a nice quote for you:

Physicians who cure must abstract persons into functions. They treat the illness, not the person. And persons willfully present themselves as functions. Indeed, what sustains the enormous size and cost of the curing professions is the widespread desire to see oneself as a function, or a collection of functions. To be ill is to be dysfunctional; to be dysfunctional is to be unable to compete in one’s preferred contests. It is a kind of death, an inability to acquire titles. The ill become invisible. Illness always has the smell of death about it: Either it may lead to death, or it leads to the death of a person as competitor. The dread of illness is the dread of losing.
One is never ill in general. One is always ill with relation to some bounded activity. It is not cancer that makes me ill. It is because I cannot work, or run, or swallow that I am ill with cancer. The loss of function, the obstruction of an activity, cannot in itself destroy my health. I am too heavy to fly by flapping my arms, but I do not for that reason complain of being sick with weight. However if I desired to be a fashion model, a dancer, or a jockey, I would consider excessive weight to be a kind of disease and would be likely to consult a doctor, a nutritionist, or another specialist to be cured of it.
When I am healed I am restored to my center in a way that my freedom as a person is not compromised by my loss of functions. This means that the illness need not be eliminated before I can be healed. I am not free to the degree that I can overcome my infirmities, but only to the degree that I can put my infirmities into play. I am cured of my illness; I am healed with my illness.

(pp. 91-92)

The crux of this book is critical for those of us who want to change the way fitness is approached – by ourselves or by the “industry.” “Functional” fitness, all the rage nowadays, is part of a larger outlook on life that confines individuals to boundaries, and attempts to confine Nature similarly.

In order to create change, we have to change the way we speak about things. We need perspective. This book will help. Get it!

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A New Way to Play…

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Josh

I went to the field where I lead a play-based fitness group the other day, and saw this at the baseball diamond:

HOME! NO! BACK! NO! WAIT! RUN!

If you can see it, someone got creative with the chalk lines the day before, and basically scribbled all over the field!

Immediately I imagined two teams coming to the field that day, ready for battle, finding the rules slightly changed…

Then I thought of how much fun it would be to play on a field like this, especially after weeks or years of the same old straight lines connecting first, second, third, and home.

My friend Charlie Reid was at this park with me a few days prior to the development of the new baseball rules, and we watched a little league team playing.

“How boring,” I said. All of the kids stood in the outfield and waited in line for their coach to pop fly balls out to them. I presume it was for practice, but it could’ve been some kind of weeding process as well.

“Yeah,” Charlie said. “It would be so much better if you rotated positions every play, like you do in volleyball in high school. If no one had a set position, everyone would have to adapt to the demands of new positions. No one would get stuck in the outfield, or on the bench.”

“Wow! That’s a great idea!” I said.

We watched the kids in the outfield, standing in line, waiting for fly-balls…

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Razor blades in the grass…

Posted on July 16, 2009 by Josh

I’m a big fan of barefooting whenever possible. However, in the city, I almost always wear either my Vibram’s, my Vivo Barefoots, or my Brooks Cross Country Flats.

A recent news piece by the San Diego News Network explains why – some asshole(s) buried razor blades in the ground in a children’s park. Not only that, but it’s happened before.

I’m always very cautious in the parks around SF, and try to be very cautious when I’m in the streets as well. As the old saying goes – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

That goes for things like – using good form when lifting weights; making overt agreements with play partners when you’re playing games; going slowly at first, then speeding things up; warming up; and now – playing in the park!

Scout your area first, look around for broken glass or other hazards. Wear shoes. If you’ve looked around, and feel safe, you can go barefoot, but I guess you do so at your own risk.

Oh yeah, and if you see or hear of some idiot planting razor blades in a public space – call the police and report them.

Gym of the stupid

Posted on July 16, 2009 by Josh

Neala Schwartzberg’s recent article on Examiner.com details the new “outdoor gym” in Albuquerque NM.

The fitness area consists of a walking course, with stations along the way where you can enjoy some reps on HealthBeat fitness equipment.

Funny, but this seems like something I remember from long ago…

Oh yes! Parcourse trails!

We used to have those in Virginia when I was growing up. But they disappeared by the time I left. I think there are one or two still standing, neglected, soon to be replaced by “HealthBeat” courses.

Sleeping

Awake

Imagine the difference in caloric expenditure between sitting in a chair and pushing some levers (like pushing yourself away from your desk all day…”office fitness?”), versus hanging from a rope with your feet on a piece of log and having to traverse a line of similar dangling targets.

Imagine the difference in attentive demand. Sitting (zzzzzz) versus stabilizing yourself while moving and holding on for dear life.

Granted, the “awake” picture above is from the Pilatus Seilpark in Switzerland (where they like nature, like to be in it, like to exert themselves, and drink a lot of beer), and the “asleep” picture is from Albuquerque NM…

A more realistic comparison might be to the original signs from Parcourse or Fit Trail courses that used to be scattered across the country. Like this one:

Moving a lot!

Overhead ladder?!! When’s the last time you got a chance to brachiate as an adult? I’m in the fitness industry. I look for opportunities to do this, and haven’t had a chance since the last time I was on a kid’s playground…about three or four months ago (adults aren’t allowed to be on kid’s playgrounds unsupervised by children in San Francisco…).

Again, the difference is palpable, even through the images.

Awake or asleep.

Living or dead.

You choose.

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Progressing back to barefoot

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Josh

I recently read Damien’s entry on his blog at AdventureinProgress called “The Case For Minimalist Footwear.”

Damien shares his own personal journey with becoming more barefoot oriented, and the benefits its given him.

I wrote a document after the last Exuberant Animal conference called Progressing Back to Barefoot. After reading Damien’s article, I figured I’d just put the document on my blog for everyone to read.

Progressing Back to Barefoot

Let me know what you think! I hope it’s helpful!

Thanks!

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Anatomy 1 – Basic Structure

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Josh

Anatomy means “to cut apart” or “to separate by cutting.” That’s how you figure out what’s inside the body, so it makes sense to name it that way!

Anatomy refers to the structure of the organism – compared with physiology, which refers to the function of that structure. Anatomy talks about the same structures as physiology, but only in terms of the way those structures are built. In another analogy, anatomy is to architecture, as physiology is to engineering. The architect designs the building, the structure. The engineer designs the function of the building.

You should have a good understanding of the basic anatomy of your body. At a minimum, know where the following muscles are, and what their actions are:
The Muscles of the Calf – Gastrocnemius, Soleus, and Tibialis.
The Muscles of the Thigh – Quadriceps and Hamstrings.
The Muscles of the Hip – Iliacus and Psoas, TFL, Gluteals, Hip Rotators, and Quadratus Lumborum.
The Muscles of the Abdomen – Rectus Abdominus, Obliques, TVA, Multifidi, and Spinal Erectors.
The Muscles of the Back – Latissimus Dorsi, Spinal Erectors.
The Muscles of the Shoulder Girdle – Rhomboids, Trapezius, Deltoids, Pectorals.
The Muscles of the Rotator Cuff – Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor, Subscapularis.
The Muscles of the Arm – Biceps, Triceps, Wrist Flexors and Extensors.
The Muscles of the Neck – Levator Scapulae, Cervical Extensors.

Perform a Google image search for “human anatomy,” print out the picture, and review it on a regular basis. Name the muscles when you see them or use them. This will not only help you to understand the things we’ll discuss in future posts better, but it will also make you more informed generally, and better able to communicate with people like trainers, doctors, and physical therapists should you ever need to consult with one.

Most of all, the names of body parts are just words. They’re like the words “blue,” “skinny,” “jump,” or any other words. Because they aren’t commonly used, they seem very strange, but don’t let that strangeness put you off!

How does this relate to health? Well, the better you know your body, the better you’ll be able to identify the source of any issues you might experience with it. Being able to use specific names is a first step in that process. Remember learning how to read and write? First you had to learn the alphabet. The words above, and the other new words you’ll learn on this journey, are the alphabet for your language of your body. This way, we’ll all share a common language, and be able to understand one another when we talk about our bodies.

The Dunsmuir Games

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Josh

I placed third at the Dunsmuir Games in the C class last weekend! Good stuff.

If you haven’t tried the ‘Games, you should. Google “Highland Games” and your state’s name. There are bound to be some nearby. At the very least, go watch. They’re a blast!

Here are a couple of pics of yours truly on his worst event, the Heavy Weight For Distance (56lbs):

And one of the crew, C’s and Master’s:

Trying to catch up with the past…

Posted on July 12, 2009 by Josh

My client said this to me the other day.

Josh, he said, “I realized that I’ve been trying to catch up with the past.”

Wow, I thought. That’s deep.

The more I think about it, the deeper it gets.

How far down does the rabbit hole go?

First, I guess, you need to decide what this means for you. For me, it means that there are places and things that I keep trying to get to that are based on ideas I had in the past. They aren’t current. It’s like trying to go someplace with a map of a different area. Some of the streets have the same names. You might get somewhere. But you won’t get where you want to be, because you aren’t admitting where you really are.

Where in your life are you trying to catch up with the past? Where are you doing things based on old ideas of yourself, or hopes or dreams you had years ago, instead of dealing with yourself in the present moment?

Once I started to think about it this way, a lot of things came up for me. I’m still trying to learn this lesson – to drop old ideas and start from right here, right now.

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Live Free, as an Integral Part of Your World

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Josh

Two recent comments/commentaries struck a deep chord with me.

The first was in an email from Tony at TrackersBay, a local group devoted to primitive survival skills.

Tony’s email had a very salient point. To provide my own interpretation of his message, his point was that we’re only truly part of an environment that we actually take part in.

Most of us take a very limited part in our local environment (aside from leaving waste in it). As Tony points out in his email, even if we’re very active in our environment, and taking part in community supported agriculture, or growing our own “victory gardens,” we’re still not participating in the environment-at-large.

For those of us in cities, the type and extent of participation we can get is limited. However, that doesn’t reduce its importance. Many of us can still get into contact with our local environment with a little effort. Find a local tracker organization in your area, or a local hiking and hunting group, and go on a few trecks. Start making dandelion wine, hunting for mushrooms, and fishing in your local streams (provided they aren’t polluted) for food.

The second message came to me from Erwan Le Corre’s most recent blog post. Erwan asks the question – “Fit for what?”

That is, what is it we’re getting fit for? Erwan says that we should be getting fit “to be strong, healthy, happy and free,” and that our ultimate goal should be to “explore our inner nature.”

I couldn’t agree more. So many of the messages we receive from the world of fitness are related to fitness as “fitting” a certain image, or expectation, of being “fit” to perform (what? our desk-jobs?), or of being “free” from fear of death from all of the dangers out in the world.

No messages of joy, exuberance, or the exploration of the miracle that is our own unique life as part of the Whole (well…there are a couple I can think of, but none that are “popular”).

Go read Erwan’s blog. Hook up with an Exuberant Animal trainer. Play with kids at the playground and forget about rules. Read Eckhart Tolle’s book “The Power of Now.” Explore your world and yourself, through movement, through communication with the world around you.

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The Barefoot Sensei’s Thousand Mile Walk!

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Josh

My good friend, brother, mentor, and fellow Exuberant Animal, Mick Dodge (a.k.a., The Barefoot Sensei) has begun his thousand mile trek across the state of Washington, delivering the Exuberant Animal “antidote” to everyone he meets.

Mick Sets Off!

Check out Mick’s progress and photos on the EA blog – here.

Yoish Mick!!!

Mick, trying out huaraches

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