Tae Kwon Do

Dave came up with a great idea about a week or so ago. We've been spending way too much time behind a desk, staring at a computer, and tied to the phone all day. There are days when we work 8 - 10 hours straight... and then wonder why our legs feel numb. It just comes with the territory and how we setup our business. But, it doesn't mean that we like it. Having grown up as super active kids, this idea of working and sitting for hours on end, is hard to endure.

But to counter these long stretches of sitting and working, we've tried several things. Tennis. This has been a lot of fun. During the summer we were attempting to get out about twice a week after work and hit the ball around. However, there were definitely times when we lacked consistency IE: Not getting out as often as we should. So.. we decided to take it one step further.

Around August time frame we went out and purchased mountain bikes. And we went all out... helmets, camel water packs, puncture kits and padded gloves. We took the tennis routine and took it up one notch. So the idea behind the mountain bikes (since McKinney is as flat as a pancake - although the natives think this place is hilly.. Yeah right!); we decided to get up early in the morning, around 8am and cycle 4 miles to the tennis courts. After the cycle to the courts, we'd play for about an hour and then head back to our separate homes; and get ready for the days work. This was awesome... and we were doing really well - in terms of consistency. That is, until Lily was born - and that all went by the wayside.

It's been a struggle trying to get back into the cycle/tennis routine. Besides... Lily was born in October, and the weather here in Texas started to get colder than I had anticipated. So.. the excitement of cycling in 40 - 50 degree weather, lost its appeal. We quickly lost our routine, and haven't been very active since late October.

Now that you have that history and background, I bring you back to David's great idea. He had been researching the idea of engaging in some form of Martial Arts. I wasn't too keen on the idea at first.. thinking back to the days when I took Karate lessons for 4 years. I was punched in the face, kicked in the legs and stomach.. and those painful memories of a 12 year old in pain are still there. But, not wanting to be left out of anything, I told Dave that I thought it was a great idea, and that I'd be happy to join him.

Tonight we went to Vu's Dojo. Master Vu wasn't there (at some Ninja conference, we were told).. instead we were trained by one of his apprentice's - Sebastian.. or Mr Sebastian, or Sir as everyone else referred to him. The style of Martial arts that we trained in tonight, was Tae Kwon Do.. similar, but also quite different from Karate. It was incredibly fun. I cannot believe how much flexibility I've lost.. but then again, I'm 30 and the last time I was doing side and front splits was 15 years or more ago. Hopefully, some of that flexibility will come back as we continue training. My inner thighs are still stinging..

Tomorrow we go back for another hour training session. So this is our new exercise routine. I think this is going to work out though. For a few reasons. First one being that there is a fixed schedule, second, the fact that we are having to pay to go, and third - Dave and I like the idea of becoming lethal ninjas. This is what we hope to accomplish. I'll let you know how we do...