It has been a beautiful summer and I hope you all had a chance to enjoy yourselves and play some really good Capoeira. With the change of the seasons come a time to refocus your energies, rethink and restart. You want to create good habits for the holiday season and the upcoming winter months. What can you do to improve your skills as a Capoeirista and to grow as an individual? I may sound like a broken record but there is always room for improvement. The actions you take upon yourself to continue your learning and growth in life will lead you to become a wiser and better Capoeirista in the long run.
Fall is a great season to get rid of bad habits and set some new goals for yourself. Here are 7 ways to make the most out of this season.
1. Rejuvenate Yourself.
Fall is the time to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit. Have you been going into Capoeira overdrive doing nothing but eating, sleeping and breathing Capoeira? This often tends to be the case especially with all the batizados during the summertime. It's good to take a break every now and then so you can come back refreshed. Treat yourself with other forms of activities that promote wellness, ie: swimming, biking, running, tennis, soccer,etc. so you can feel good mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Or you can learn to meditate or finally get that massage your body has been aching for.
2. Travel
If you didn't get a chance to travel the last few months, plan a trip to your heart's desires. If you are not able to take a long trip, even a day or a weekend getaway out of your normal environment can be a great stress reliever. Sometimes we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of every day life that we get easily get swallowed in it. Eventually you can get worn out and even lose motivation or concentration. I am a firm believer of traveling to revive necessary energies in order to maintain balance and happiness. Everyone needs a mental break and traveling is great for your soul.
3. Change Up/Incorporate a Good Cross Training Program
Good Capoeiristas know you must incorporate a good cross training program in order to improve your skills and to prevent injuries. If you were not already doing this, now is a good time to start. Please see previous article on Capoeira and The Importance of Cross Training. If you have been cross training, it is important to evaluate your program every month in order to make improvements. What is it that you are lacking in your game? Is your inflexibility getting in your way? Do you need to work on your strength, speed, balance or timing? We all have our weaknesses. In order not to plateau, you must always analyze your strengths and weaknesses and work on balancing them out.
4. Implement the 3 C's: Commitment, Consistency, Convenience
All three factors will lead to a successful training program. Perhaps you were a bit lax during the summer. I'll admit the same happened to myself between work and play. During the colder months, many of us work very hard to maintain our commitment to Capoeira but you also need to find the time to relax especially when the weather is nice. Now you can get back to business with the busy fall season and plan ahead for consistency. Time is always an issue. There is never enough of it but you can make it work to your advantage. What is it that you need to cut back on? Throw those excuses out the door and refocus on what was lacking.
5. Improve Your Nutrition
Soon those meals will start to get heavier as daylight fades. Many of you are leaner during the summertime as you are more motivated to get into better shape and have less of an appetite than you do in the wintertime. On the flipside, the rest of you have been drinking, partying and eating too much with all those never ending functions and weddings. Food also changes with the season and you may start to crave heartier meals. Cut down on the alcohol and the junk food and incorporate more vegetables, lean protein and complex carbs. Eat more wholesome foods, organic if possible and detox your body by starting fresh. Smaller consistent meals throughout the day will keep your energy levels up. Hydration is extremely important as well. Try to scale back on the overdose of caffeine, soda and juice and drink more water and coconut water. Please see previous article A Capoeirista's Guide to Energy and Nutrition.
6. Think Outside the Box and Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
How you play in the roda often depicts how you live life. If you are always in your comfort zone, you will never grow! You need to put yourself in uncomfortable situations so you can continue your growth. Take a dance class, boxing or do something completely random which you would never do. Place yourself in situations where you will constantly be challenged so you don't get "stuck" in life whether it's work, personal or social. Fall is a great time to learn something new and what you learn in one area, you can always apply it to other areas. Challenging yourself mentally as well as physically will also build up your self-esteem and confidence, both of which are important elements in playing a good game.
7. Find Your Motivation
Different people are motivated by different things. What are your individual goals? Do you want to lose weight, increase muscle mass, rehabilitate that injury, strengthen your moves, sharpen up your skills or prepare for another batizado? These are all valid reasons to improve your training. Once you have identified your motivation, set short term goals to accomplish them. If your goals are too extreme and difficult to achieve, you will only end in setting yourself up for failure. Smaller goals along the way are much more reasonable to a successful training program.
The new season can become very fruitful when you apply a refreshed and new attitude towards capoeira and life. It is time to get rid of the negativity and bad habits and give yourself a clean slate to start with. Balance is what you need to become a better individual and a wiser Capoeirista. Take the time you need to reset yourself and evaluate what exactly you need to accomplish. Relaxa, respira...so many of you have forgotten how to do just that which makes all the difference in the world. Move forward with your new mentality and prepare yourself for some very positive changes. Axe!
Previously:
How TRX Training Can Strengthen Your Capoeira Training
Capoeira and the Importance of Back Strength
How Plyometrics Improve Your Capoeira Fitness
Eating Right for an Excellent Batizado Season
Poor Posture and Its Affects On Your Capoeira Game
10 Reasons A Capoeirista Should Use Kettlebells
A Capoeirista's Guide to Energy and Nutrition
Overtraining - Symptoms, Dangers, and Remedies
Core Strength
Why You Should Warm Up (Especially Now)
A Happy Holiday Survival Guide
Issues Facing Active Females
The Importance of Stretching and Flexibility
Joint Pain & Common Capoeira Injuries (Part 2)
Sprains, Strains & Common Capoeira Injuries (Part 1)
Capoeira Nutrition (Part 2)
Capoeira Nutrition (Part 1)
Capoeira and the Importance of Cross Training
Cindy Lai is a NASM certified Personal Trainer and runs Cindy Lai Fitness Bootcamp, a bootcamp in Central Park that incorporates all the above elements, a kettlebell bootcamp on the West Side Highway for non-traditional strength training, and a seasonal kettlebell conditioning and strengthening class for Capoeiristas. She has been certified by Kettlebell Concepts for the past several years and continuously attends workshops and conferences dedicated to this unique training method of kettlebells. Check out her site for more details.
Photos by Leonardo Ré Jorge, tombothetominator, and familymwr via CC BY-SA 2.0
This lively film goes behind the scenes of the samba and carnival world in Rio de Janeiro to reveal how the cultural clash of the African/Black and European/White cultures gave birth to a new tradition. The historian Haroldo Costa, an expert in carioca folklore, explains how African slaves' beliefs, gods and music mixed with Spanish Catholic and Indian influences centuries ago to create the remarkable fusion that is Brazilian culture. The historian Haroldo Costa, an expert in carioca folklore, explains how African slaves' beliefs, gods and music mixed with Spanish Catholic centuries ago to create the remarkable fusion that is Brazilian culture. The film includes interviews with many active performers and writers of samba such as the composer and singer Xango da Mangueira. He recalls the first days of carnival in Rio de Janeiro when he and his fellow performers sang and danced in the streets but were treated like vagrants and harassed by the police. Mae Helena D'Oxosse, a priestess in the umbanda tradition, incorporates samba in her religious practices and carries on a tradition among her working-class followers that is five hundred years old.