Hey guys! I’m back. I think I’m just gonna combine the content of the two holiday weeks into one article. So Happy New Year in advance! And this article is going to be about getting enough exercise… no, not just that physical exercise but a more holistic one! Curious?
Well, without further ado, let’s get started!
Physical – Hardware
The first domain is physical and hardware. Basically, think about it as function over form. Looks aside, how is your strength and mobility for example? Can you totally wield your body as you would will it? And that! is the theme of this domain. And yep, I’ve just decided that I’ll probably use some examples of my own too, because this is my article after all. Hah.
So before I only did walking. You know, counting my steps? But recently I realised that that has limited use. Because it’s only cardio, and it excludes strength! I’ll define strength as giving all the overall muscles a steady!! workout and therein toning them and allowing them to perform and function well.
Walking is technically exercise, well especially brisk walking, but regardless. You hit a wall when it comes to improving the function of your body. And that, once I realised, I settled into something on top of that… Well I’ll not!! gatekeep because I don’t believe in that. So basically, what I do is this app called Dancefitme and I do daily maybe 15 mins workout with it…
The app keeps me moving. Thus not only is the strength of my muscles maintained and boosted even, well, I’d say that it helps with the amount exercised weekly for me too. And yeah, this overall duration is a good guideline to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I mean I don’t know about Singapore, but I read that almost 20% of 2-19-year-olds in the US are… well, obese.
Sad. You’d think that a first world country would have a good steady and developed culture, but welp. Let’s not talk about that and criticise. I don’t do politics. So anyway. Yeah. This domain of physical, in the hardware department is correlated to keeping your body well functioning yo.
Instinctual – Software
Basically, the instinctual and software domain relates to what you actually do with that functional physical body of yours! It’s nice to get that exercise in too. Well actually to be honest, this instinctual isn’t completely about this physical body. Because technically, I’m kind of just referring to you know, like reflexes and all in general. So technically that can overlap into also, games!
So in a sense, I might refer to this domain with the alternative name ‘sparring’. For instance, when I play badminton, I like to spar with the opponent just based on pure reaction speed and straight shots, ya know rather than just pure high ball lobbing? Um anyways. Yeah. This is nice to exercise as well because they say that if you don’t use it, you lose it. Lol.
So primarily, I think that the best way I can do this is just by having a game or two of Beat Saber daily. You know, the VR game that is about pure reaction time and armwork execution? I usually play Expert+?
And ok, this is not exactly totally set in stone into my routine yet because I honestly only had the inspiration for this article yesterday yeah. And I did play and win 2 games of it yesterday after a long time of not having played whew. So anyways. Yeah, technically you could say that in an uh practical! sense it’s better to do ones that do actually work you out physically and burn calories?
However! I totally understand how it can be done with games too. I mean, more so of the games that challenge your reflexes and hand-eye coordination, like games with gunfights or skill usage.
I mean, when you fight against all those big bosses with party members or the opposing team, you’ve totally got to coordinate and exert maximum instinctual power yo! Which, if you don’t use, is just gonna stagnate.
Processing speed – hardware
Um technically this is kinda mental exercise really. But, as opposed to mental exercise where you’ve got to wrap your head around and actually deduce the puzzling through different angles – which I’ll get to in the next! section – this is totally straightforward and is more about pure execution only as really it’s as easy as pressing a directional button in an RPG…
Or playing like Temple Run, Flappy Bird or Angry Birds? …I mean basically like the actual thinking is minimal. There’s just a constant repetitive pattern that you’ve gotta execute over and over till stage complete! In that sense your mind doesn’t have to wander a maze exploring different options. It’s just a straightfoward task like press button A to do or press button B to undo!
Gameboy lol. Anyway. Basically I call this hardware because it’s totally about the processing speed alone. Besides that, the path to the end goal is just evident with utmost clarity and it’s only about how fast you can get there and performing well enough to do so.
Anyways, I have 2 ways I do this. One is typing. I use typing.com. A somewhat insane record I have iirc is 98 wpm, but usually I get more like 91, 92 I think. The other is Crossmath. You just gotta make sure all the numbers are placed in the correct boxes where they add up, subtract, multiply or divide to one another. I’m at um level 120 or something in endless there? Anyway yeah it’s good brain exercise. Perfect for old people who don’t use their brains… ahem.
Learning/reasoning – software
Okay, maybe I’d divide this into two sub-domains then. One is learning. The other is through what I mentioned earlier where you really gotta wrap your mind around stuff. The former is what I lean towards whereas I don’t really do the latter per se. In the sense that I learn stuff, but I don’t!, you know, play chess and all that. As in, I have zero ambition in that regard when it comes to growing and exceeding and excelling and all that…
However, it’s a whole new ball game for learning. For instance, I’m currently learning Korean on Duolingo though Japanese will always be my fav and homie. I do one unit per day. And so it’s like we have these weekly leagues kind of thing, and I’m always ranked first… You know not to brag, but yesterday was the first day and I was at 10 times more than the second ranked 100+xp guy at 1000+xp. And today, lol. I’m only 9 times more than the second ranked 170+xp guy at 1500+xp.
But anyways! I learnt about CEFR levels, and the most basic 2 out of 6 levels are A1 and A2 and I need to hit level 30 to reach A2 and I’m hitting level 13 tomorrow. So there. Been on a 33 day streak already. Wow literally what a coincidence lolz. All the threes are saying hi for real.
Anyways, returning to the topic. Learning is a good way to give this part of the brain its mental exercise. As opposed to pure processing speed alone which, in executing, is also kinda akin to just ah! Having a good meal itadakimasu! This is where you actual do the real hard rigorous exercise for your brain yo. As I see it it’s the meat, whereas the previous is much less rigorous and done much more for comfort. As well as keeping the brain alive and preventing dementia. Ahem.
Inner child – hardware
Then we come to the domain of the inner child. This! is where you learn how to have fun and play again, productivity and results be damned… ahem. Well basically think back on your childhood days, before you grew up. Isn’t there like a vast difference? Well, good for you if there isn’t though!
For instance, I remember the days when I was on my PSP all the time. Now… console, computer games? …Sigh, almost never. Well, Beat Saber aside yeah. Ya know, there’s this cool VR game called Crashland that I did buy on my Quest 1. It was fun and yabai, insane. But I haven’t played it in forever, also due to how it doesn’t contain physical exercise whatsoever… Yeah anyways that’s on a might-revisit list for me atm so. Moving on!!!
Many people go about life stressed, with their brains crammed with intrusive thoughts. As I see it, it would be so much better if they could truly relax and have fun! Just as though they were in their childhood days again…
Why do I call this hardware? Well because it’s kind of a transformative phase. It’s like an awakening of sorts! Like, many people are stuck on the hamster wheel so to speak and plagued by anxiety and commitments all the time! They can’t truly enjoy themselves!
Maybe even when they do, it’s totally fomulaic and in that sense a bit dead too. Where is the imagination? Where is the spark and the joy? So… really the ideal state, I suppose, would be one where we find the passion and excitement that we had falsely believed to have long ceased to be part of our being… but truly, they are still there, only waiting to be summoned again…
It’s sad to see people all hardened and dull and just going about the motions. How alive are they truly, making use of existence really?
Creative – software
I think maybe everybody should have at least one or two of these. Like, with the inner child in place, this is how they can truly live and have fun. True, part of their time and hobbies can totally be devoted to consuming media, be it watching anime or Korean dramas or whatever. But at the same time, hmm. Perhaps we could branch out a little to play too.
For instance, something that I do is play the piano a bit for fun. I declare that I have forsaken the scores and just play intuitively now, the songs so well memorised in my head that I at least know the first melody+chorus by! heart! Yeah maybe I don’t see myself ever getting anywhere with it! I don’t care!!! Lol! It’s totally for me, myself! and just having fun like a kid playing yo!
And in terms of being creative, for instance, yesterday was super duper amazing for me because I had inspiration for today’s article (And post which will summarise it), as well as tomorrow’s NYE’s post! Like yo, being creative is fun folks! And of course, I’m not saying that it’s more fun than other things. For instance, I also talked about games earlier…
Well basically, you can be creative in any number of ways! Basically, let’s return to the theme of exercise. Now, having secured the baseline foundation of being able to have fun, which is the hardware, let’s actually go have fun, which is the software! Okay, I’m renaming this domain from artistic/creative to just creative alone. And I’m defining creative here as ya actually being the agent in doing + navigating stuff, not just living through in consuming media.
Btw as I see it, one really good time to consume media is where you’re so spent! Don’t do anything then. That’s the perfect reminder for your body to recharge yo. Anyway, concluding this section…
One reminder yeah. For stuff, it’s good to revisit it on a consistent enough basis so you don’t lose all your skills there! That would be sad. I also want to again emphasis the word play. If some of the other domains are more related to doing, let this domain be more related to playing. If you spend everything on doing and work too hard, you’ll grow old fast yo lolz!!! orz
Intrapersonal – hardware
And this is where I talk about mindfulness and deep thinking. Now, what do you think intrapersonal means? Well, basically it means inner mastery I would say. So I’ll just do a quick few paragraphs about this. But first, why is it important? Well, because self-mastery allows you to lead a better life. Full stop.
Mindfulness. Some people do it through meditation and such. I don’t do it. But yeah, there is this alternative method I spy which is fully concentrating on one task only and not multitasking at all. Kinda flow state too. You can just allot some time to it regularly if it doesn’t come so naturally to you! Anyway, back to mindfulness. So how can I describe this, hmm… It actually!! all boils down to awareness I would think.
Are you aware of how you are perceived by others? Are you aware of how you react to people? Is it mere reaction or is it a mindful response, with you actually being conscious of it? Is there intentionality in it really?
What lessons is the universe trying to teach you? What does it keep bringing back to you in recurring patterns, similar yet with different people/groups?
Basically, it’s about awareness. And I won’t say that you’ve got to be super committed to becoming the best version of yourself, but at the very least, do gain at least a bit of the ability to do deep thinking. Deep thinking is really as such.
Some things, you’ve never questioned. You just automatically assume without thinking. Yet is that truly the way things are? Or have you merely been conditioned to think that way? Truly test the ground on which your beliefs stem. You don’t have to go full Socrates and question all!! but.
Dude was executed wasn’t he oops.
Yeah, going deep? Not being only surface and accepting cheap?
Deep thinking yeah. Critical thinking some might say.
…Ok, I’ll exit Sage mode. Wow Naruto lol.
Spiritual – software
Anyways, with regard to um… spiritual awakenings and such, they say that seeking is not the end goal! …What you currently seek, you already are! Enlightenment is our true nature, we just didn’t know it! Hold up.
Let’s forget about all that hard stuff yeah. At the end of the day, we just gotta live. We can’t always be in a state of seeking! So let’s just timeskip. Head to a consistent, sustainable, spiritual, awake way of being thanks.
By the way, y’all can already be like this even now yo.
So anyway. Two things. And yes, I assure that this will lead to a better happier life.
One is appreciation. Gratitude for all you already have. Enjoy even the little things. Relish in being. Don’t moan at lack. Don’t always be stuck chasing the next thing and the next thing but in the end?? What?!! You still!! feel empty inside! For alas! That you chased was but a shiny mirage. Aka know that even money is supposed to just be an enabling tool which allows you to do what you want to do as opposed to containing happiness in and of itself!
Finally, I’ll end off with intentionality. And I’ll link it back to exercise yeah. Because… anyway, I’ll end off then link it back later. So. Okay, intentionality is where you do things as a conscious choice instead of acting purely on autopilot, based off conditioning. In a sense one might call it true! choice. Aka free will and all that!
Some aspects of your conditioning are but your false self and ego. They are not who you’d truly want to be. You only entertain them because you gave them a free pass, never ever imagining that hey! Maybe you can graduate! from these things that were instilled within you amidst your growth in life, that you never asked for.
Basically just know this. It goes back to the reaction vs response thing. Are you doing it because you are controlled by conditioning patterns in your mind, that veil you from seeing how that takes away your freedom?? Intentionality is where what you do, you do with intention, with knowledge of what you are doing and insofar as you’re aware gracefully, freely!! identifying with it. In that sense you are the captain at your ship’s helm…
Conclusion
Um… so I seemed to have strayed into deep stuff again. How shall I link it back to the main topic and matomeru or sort it all out and conclude it? So.
First of all we have physical and mental exercise. That’s pretty straightforward. Then we have inner child exercise. That’s about learning how to have fun again. Happiness is the utmost in life we all seek for.
As for spiritual exercise, intrapersonal is where we gain mastery over ourselves. The more we gain mastery over ourselves, the more we learn to transcend suffering. Really. And from a frenzied state, our mind also slows down and we get to attain inner peace and calmness and not give our energy to what is robbing us of it. Our very own energy!!!
For instance, an example would be that someone cannot get over their ex and thus suffers!!! a lot because of it. In that sense, their energy is being given away to that ex even though that ex is toxic and truly does not deserve it? Stuff like that. Basically if we go deep into metaphysics that’s karma due to attachment, but let me not be too hard to understand here.
Finally for spiritual, yeah, let’s go back to the hardware-software thing. So the hardware thing is intrapersonal because we gain a better understanding of ourselves. Thereafter we take back our energy and not give it to where we don’t want to give it. Meanwhile as for the software thing, that’s where we actually decide where we do want to give it! Yep! 4 a good, pleasant life.
And there! That was it! I’m satisfied with this article. And it’s so totally lunchtime already so I’m gonna go have it now, then delay my pre-lunch Dancefitme to some time after lunch instead because that still aligns with me. The next article will be next year, and thus, in advance, Happy New Year! Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu in advance! Chug Ha Hae Yo! 。。。新年快乐！I can sense something brewing on the horizon. Hm. Whatever. I’ll just go enjoy my day first. Lolz. 🙂
Ps. Kinda feel like spiritual level too high. Hmm. No better rescind that.
PPS. And yeah, it’s better to exercise everything lest it gets rusty yo. Live!