been busy being busy...

Haven't had any time to update this blog, and I have so much to write. Will update this later tonight...

Create something beautiful...

Believe in yourself when in doubt, and create something beautiful.

workout for the day

So even if its +30 degrees outside I felt that I owed it to my body to at least give it a solid workout. So here was my outside/backyard workout for today.

The reps were 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. A decline in amount of reps per set of the workout.
The workouts were in circuit form with the following exercises.
-burpees
-deep squat to overhead press
-box jump
-suspended leg raises
-push ups
-1-2 punches

I completed the workout in a time span of 22:00 flat. I'll make sure to bring that time down for the next time fo sho'! lol Overall it was a solid workout that targeted a lot of muscles in the body and the heat outside definately played a factor. No pain no gain.

its that easy...

nutrition.

so far i've been staying in fit physically, but tmrw is a new day and i'm going to be putting my body into a more nutritious and efficient diet. paleo looks like the direction i'm gonna go towards, but i'm just gonna do my best to eat a lot cleaner and cut out some bad habits i've developed throughout my life. here's the first step to a better nutrition.

closer to the goal...

Another great opportunity was given to me in the past few weeks that I could not turn down. I can't really say too much right now since it's still in the preliminary stages of development, but all I can say is that in the next few months I will be taking a major step closer to the goal.

the body knows how to take care of that pain...

for the past few weeks i've decided to really test my own limit and to take myself outside my comfort zone. Bikram Yoga Beaches located at Queen St. East and Woodbine offers hot yoga classes. At first I was a bit skeptical behind the whole idea of hot yoga since I usually practiced yoga to clear my mind and free my thoughts, but to do so in a 100 degrees hot box seems to put more thoughts in my head rather than freeing them. But boy was I wrong! Bikram yoga's heat helps induce the muscle to become more loose and relaxed. The experience was more of a body experience than a mind experience for me. I still practice Hatha Yoga to clear my mind, but there is nothing more relaxing for my muscles after a hard week of workouts than Bikram yoga. One very important thing I learned from my class was that when the body is in pain, you have to trust and relax the body, because the body knows how to take care of that pain.

with the right program...

great video of a different approach for training in muay thai. the sport is forever evolving and the physical adaptations and potentials the human body can reach is increasing. find better ways of complete physical conditioning to improve in-ring performance. anything is achievable with the right program...

inspirational...

http://youtu.be/lLFunBPgPOo

AH! And now we can continue to blog...

School took over me for a while and also I had a problem with my account, but now I can continue to blog again! I'll post something worth the read in a bit, gotta do some work right now, but ahhh im so relieved. And now we can continue to blog...

words of wisdom...

so here's the story. on my second week of teaching at venice fitness a man in his 60's watched as a friend and I did some light technical sparring in the ring. he approached me afterwards and said that he was interested in martial arts and he was very intrigued by our display. I then told him that if he was interested in hitting some mitts at the end of my classes on wednesdays that I would be more than willing to work with him, and he said yes. a couple of weeks go by and we begin to learn more about each other. I learned that he is a retired lawyer, had a stroke 2 years ago and joined the gym in fear of what he went through. he's a very quiet man and very shy at times. every week we would meet up after my class and go through 5 rounds of mitts, mainly for his hand eye co-ordination and reaction timing. we never really get intense with our pad holding, i sense that he wants to do this as more of a social thing and to keep active. we work on timing and reaction and we also slowly work into learning combos. after we hit mitts we usually talk. we talk about business, past experiences, religion and life. yesterday he brought me a book that he talked about the previous week. the book is called "the book of five rings" by miyamoto musashi. he said that it's a good read that compares martial arts to the philosophy of life. i have read the first 40 pages of the book today and couldn't put it down. so far so good! i think it's great how a lawyer used this to help himself mentally prepare himself during his career and has now continued to pass down some words of wisdom...

pho...

I forgot how much i actually like pho! I went twice in 2 weeks lol http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/134259/restaurant/Scarborough/Pho-Saigon-Toronto

Surround yourself with positivity...

I forgot the importance of this message and experienced a great reminder of it today. The past few weeks have been very busy and stressful for me and I almost felt like I was on a steady downfall from how I felt before starting this blog. When I first started writing on this blog I was full of energy, confidence and I felt balanced both mentally and physically. As the weeks progressed I started to lose sight of my goal. I started to decrease my physical activity, started partying more, started eating unhealthy foods and started thinking about myself less, which slowly started to bring on stress, lack of proper sleep and started draining my energy.

Today in the other hand, I decided to start reading on my commute to school again. I like to read the books of Robin Sharma (who I was introduced to by a college friend of mine who I felt was personally balanced both physically and mentally). The current book that I am in the middle of reading again is The Saint, The Surfer and the CEO. The message in most of Robin Sharma's books are mainly to improve not only yourself, but also your surroundings. I was reminded today of the importance to start your day off on a positive note and to keep a positive outlook towards the rest of your day.

This morning for me was pretty stressful. I woke up extra early today for school so that I can be early for class instead of always being late. My plan was to be early, but TTC's plan was to have a delay on the subway line. It set me back 30 mins, which made me late for school. But before the delay happened, I was already deep into the pages of my book and have already read the message "Always start your day on a positive state." When the delay occured, I was very frustrated because recently it seems that no matter how I plan out my day, there's always some sort of delay! I just decided to take on the message of the book and see things in a more positive way.

I figured that the delay gave me an opportunity to slow my rush-rush day and give me some time to think. I thought about what I wanted to accomplish by the end of the week, and what I wanted to do for myself by the end of the week. If the delay never happened, I would have still been in a continuous "rushed" state and just carried on with my busy day.

Having that positive outlook on my day rewarded me with my instructor not being mad at me for being late, in fact, we had a great talk afterwards on how I can boost up some of my marks! Having a positive outlook on my day also gave me the energy to stay awake and give my full attention to my other professor during class, when usually I would be too tired to even stay awake lol.

When I woke up this morning, I also told myself that "Today's turn out is whatever I make it to be." And I decided to make it a positive one...

Protect Your Dreams...

Always a great reminder with a great message. I like to watch it every now and then to give me a boost in pursuing my happYness...

patience is a very important lesson in life...

i'm a very stubborn and impatient person. when i want something done or want something in general, i don't want it now, i want it yesterday. but the older i get the more i realize that life doesn't work like that. i'd like to think that life is a canvas and to live it you have to create it. we learn through our experiences and we tell ourselves to avoid the negative and try to repeat the positive. but just like everything in life, nothing is bound to happen in that very same moment you think of it. you have to start with a solid foundation to build a house, and the same goes to your life. what i have learned is that if you don't build a solid foundation with an idea, as in, creation of a step by step layout to track it's progression, you are heading nowhere. patience is a very important lesson in life. if you are patient and accept life as it is, everything will fall into plan. just because something isn't happening for you right now doesn't mean that it will never happen. just enjoy life as it is. think positively about how you are living because no matter how bad it gets it could always be worst...

got that itch!...the good kind...

The past few days mother nature has been teasing us down here in Toronto. We get almost a full week of beautiful (+) weather, only to be brought back to this crappy in between weather..you know...warm enough that the roads are semi cleared of snow, but cold enough that you would have to wear a jacket outside! Rough times up here in hollywood north. Recently, I have been getting that serious itch for running. I'm not much of a sidewalk runner, more of a "take a scenic park route down to the beaches area" type of runner lol. The idea of running besides cars on the street and inhaling their fumes just never thrills me. I don't care what anyone says, running on a treadmill to me is like a hamster in a wheel, all that energy and no destination to reach. I am not a fan. Well, maybe that wombat/prairie dog/hamster/groundhog is right and spring is just right around the corner...

welcome to the home of Fighting Fit...

Finally, I'm legit in the fitness field! A lot of planning and perseverance has gotten me this far and I don't think I've ever been this nervous/excited/happy about anything! Come join me at Venice Fitness and try out Fighting Fit! Fighting Fit is a cardiovascular group exercise class that involves the philosophy and movements of muay thai incorporated into a challenging and fun circuit atmosphere! All ages are welcome and all fitness levels! Step one into my plan is accomplished! Hope to see you guys there! ...

always...

I feel like the days are always just too short. I find myself looking forward on getting on the 2 hr bus/subway ride home from school to catch up on sleep, only to wake up and move onto another venture and eventually be home when everyone is sleeping. I take the days I am home with my family as a gift from the busy life I live. I guess this is what happens when you work hard to accomplish something out of life. Days get shorter, work gets longer and you lose touch. You lose not only with other people, but sometimes with yourself. I like to think that the time I am home with my family is time well spent, and the times when I am not home that I should be finding out more about myself. I don't lose touch with people on purpose, it just so happens that sometimes you really have to prioritize in life. I don't feel any regrets with how life is right now, because as much as I am tired (very) I have never been more determined and happy with the outcomes of my life. I guess this really is what life as adult comes out to be...

great experience...

So for the past 4 weeks I have been doing my off-campus internship at Birchmount Park C.I. B.E.A.P. program and I am truly enjoying it down there! The staff is great, the students are energetic and driven and the school offers a lot of opportunities ranging from working with special populations, working with athletes, bootcamps for athletes, bootcamps for general public, working with dragon boat competitors, teaching health class and working as an assistant coach to a sport team! This place is amazing! I have learned so much in the past few weeks and I am truly grateful for this opportunity. I have networked with people for every type of training equipment available in the industry and learned so much from the entrepeneurial side of business since the organizers of this program also have their own business on the side. I'm really just trying to absorb as much as I can to incorporate and benefit my goal in life and continue my education in the fitness field. Hopefully something great will come out of me finishing this internship and I'll eventually be one step closer to my goal...

it's happening...

I have been given a great opportunity last week that I couldn't refuse to take on. I don't want to say much about it right now since it's still in the process of creating, but I am very excited about this! I feel that this is a major step in my life, and it's that much closer to my life plan. I believe that if you believe in yourself and your abilities, the world will find a way to direct you to your path. I'm excited...

how it all began...

I know that this is a pretty old vid, but I feel that muay thai was the stepping stone which directed me towards my interest in the fitness field. Muay thai played a crucial part into who I am now as a person and my philosophy and understanding of life. It all began as the usual "i broke up with my girlfriend, and all I want to do is hit things now" excuse lol. At first I was hesitant about joining a gym since all my life I just played team sports like basketball, soccer and etc. Joining Southside Muay Thai and Submissions was probably the greatest thing to happen to me. Muay thai helped me get into the greatest shape in my life, increased my confidence, and helped me perceive life in a different light. It helped me grow physically and also mentally. I learned through muay thai that fighting in the ring and living life is like a giant chess game. Every move you make sets up your next move, and to be successful you have to plan that move 2 steps ahead. Having a chess board in that gym makes sense to me now. Not only did they teach me how to act inside the ring, but they also nurtured my mind outside it while playing chess. I feel that I did a lot of growing for myself in that gym and I am grateful to carry what I've learned so far into my everyday life and also affect other peoples life around me. Thank you again Kru Pete and Kru Mikey. I only hope to influence people in my life as passionately and positively as you have affected mine.

www.southsidemuaythai.ca

cutting the habit...

so tomorrow is monday. with it being the first day of the week, I feel that this is an appropriate time to start this. i noticed that every time I want to try something out I always do it on monday to somewhat lead the week to a positive start. well I feel that coffee has a solid grip on my mornings and has become such a routine for me that I even anticipate the crash and am fully equipped at that time with a nice hot brewed black coffee. I personally do not like the feeling of the dependancy on coffee to "energize" me during the mornings and on that note, I'm cutting that habit loose. from now on, I'm switching it up to green tea as my morning brew, and to keep me warm on those 6am morning bus rides...

excellent training mentality...

Although I'd admit that I'm not a huge ufc fan, I remember a time when me and my cousin's would hit up a hooter's and catch some ppv events. And that's when I was introduced to the Bj Penn. I always took a liking to him not because of his ufc appearances, but to his training. Bj always has a new and innovative way to train for his sport. Whether it was his training with a surfer in Hawaii or training his nervous system, he always thinks outside of the box to challenge his body. We have to understand that the body is a very versatile machine and although isolation workouts may be great, when's a situation in the real world in which you would have to consistently do the movements of a bicep curl? I'd like to think that I train my body to be strong and athletic...not to just look good in a V-cut shirt. lol.

great video!...

nobody is going to hit you harder than life...but it's not about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward...that's how winning is done.

the first step...

Ok, a little introduction as to who I am and why I am doing this...


My name is Jevon Ivan Relova. I am a 24 year old college student living in Toronto. I decided to create this blog to track and observe my lifestyle and attitude towards my future career in the fitness field. Feel free to read my blogs, write comments and ask questions. I feel that there is always something new to learn from others and that you should never stop learning.

All my life I have been active. I have played and joined numerous sports teams and has also trained and competed in Muay Thai. To me, living life means just that...living. To live is to breath, experience and learn from everything around you. I choose to live my life by challenging myself whenever I can and to push myself "outside the comfort zone", whether it's physically or mentally. And that brings me here to my blog...

I am not a huge blogging type of person and stepping out of my comfort zone with this, but I do enjoy the fact that I can post my ideas and observe my lifestyle that I live. I'm taking this as a first step to my transition as a student to the "real world" where I will eventually be doing what I plan to do with this blog in my everyday life as my career.

So here goes...the first step.