Warning: Undefined array key "inject_bottom_color" in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 143

Warning: Undefined array key "inject_bottom_color" in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 159

Warning: Undefined array key "" in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 159

Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 160

Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 161

Dear Reader,

Today’s post might appear to be off topic. Not about fitness – or anything in particular for that matter.

But it is, my friend. It is. In fact, read carefully enough – and you might find a lesson or two – or several embedded somewhere deep inside this “stream of consciousness” email I’m sending you right now.

Flash back – – Around 3:00 P.M. on a Saturday evening in 2004. ‘Twas the first time I had been introduced to this park – by a then girl friend of mine, and funnily enough that was the first time I had ever noticed it – let alone BEEN there – despite living but a stone’s throw away from the place.

‘Tis funny but true. Often times the most valuable resources – or people – are right there in front of us staring us in the eye – and we blithely ignore ’em. It’s human nature to ignore – or take for granted – until it either gets taken away or otherwise “lost”.

Anyway, that was the first time I clambered up the mighty Qi Feng hill – a climb that kicked me in the can not just for that day – but for at least two days after. I’ve written in the past that it felt like a Mack Truck ran over me that first evening – but wrecking machine would probably be a more apt descriptor, hehe.

–> 2005 –> October 11 or so I think it was, when this foreign devil was all alone in the park on a Thursday (I believe) morning.

‘Twas a blistering hot and humid day – so hot that each breath felt like I was breathing in FIRE into my lungs. Granted, part of this was that I wasn’t anywhere near in the shape I am NOW – the same climbs and sprints in the same temperatures don’t feel near as tough – but still, it was a hot, hot day – so hot that even the birds seemed to have stopped chirping in the trees and taken a siesta.

I stood at the gateway of that park and bade it goodbye as I prepared to walk away to “new lands” – – but something stopped me.

SOMETHING struck deep, deep at my heart. And I paused, taking a look back, and the words just came out.

“I’ll be back. I promise”.

Years later, this same foreign devil was back at that SAME place – and even more years later, 2013 to be exact, he was back YET again in a far “bigger” avatar if you get my drift.

We are who we are, my friend. Try as we might, we cannot outrun two things – 1) our self image and 2) our deepest desires.

I had NO inkling – or even plans of returning to China in 2005, and yet here I am, all these years later  …. through certain “twists” and turns that took place in my life WITHOUT me consciously trying to make said twists happen.

–> 2018, May 14, 2:00 P.M. or so. This same foreign devil bade goodbye to the park yet again – and yet again, the same words came out – with two additional words – or four, to be precise, I think.

“I’ll be back, I promise – but with my daughter. Thank you, Qi Feng. Thank you!”.

And being my daughter climbed her first real hill at the age of 3 – – that too in the mighty Himalayas, I doubt this one would pose any “troubles” for her. More on that in the next email tho!

You might be wondering why I “thank” this place?

Well, its HERE that the fitness bug really struck me, my friend – way, way back in 2004.

Though I swam and played tennis ever since I was young (two activities I haven’t been doing much of as of late) – – I was never really a fitness buff until I was introduced to this hill.

ALL my products have been created after super workouts either here or in my living room – – but believe it or not, I’ve done plenty of living room 0 Excuses Workouts right out there in the park as well.

There are few places in the world other than the Indian Himalayas (look for more on this in the next post) which have provided me with as much peace of mind and equanimity – – not to mention AWESOME workouts – – than this park, my friend.

And it is with a great sense of gratitude that I utter the words – thank you, Qi Feng.

Thank you for being there for me, and putting me through ball busters daily. Thank you for being ONE of the VERY few places in the world where I can relax – workout – and LET IT ALL GO.

Thank you for – well … Thank you for “materializing” into my life way back in 2004!

And this rather lengthy dispatch wouldn’t be complete without a few special mentions. Here, in no particular order they are – –

The old man in China I met here who climbs this hill on a daily basis. I’ve mentioned him before, and I’ll say it again – – he is indeed an inspiration, and I think of him many a times when putting myself through what might seem like “torturous” routines.

The guys who workout with me – even the pumpers and toners, hehe. Though my Chinese is rusty at best, and their English about at the same level, language often isn’t required. Workouts can and do often form bonds that last a lifetime WITHOUT uttering a single full sentence.

The security at the park – specifically, the one guy who does dips in a rather “interesting” manner, and one whom I’ve mentioned before on the old site as well.  And those that so kindly took the pictures for Advanced Hill Training – – a product created right in the “mayhem” of the 2018 Lunar New Year holidays as it were.

And so forth.

Today’s workout was a  great, great one – and I almost had to drag myself away from the scorching heat and humidity when it was all over. Might sound strange, but the heat didn’t even bother me today.

As I proceeded through my workouts, certain Chinese songs came on on the public announcement systems in the park, and each of them seemed to mirror my emotions at that point EXACTLY.

I cruised through my workout – – yet I did so in “super slow” motion, taking in every detail around me. Every noise. The birds singing. The kids playing behind me. The moms spraying anti mosquito repellant on said toddler’s legs. And so forth …

I didn’t see the old man today, but he’s soldiering up that hill right now, my friend – as I write this to you. ‘Tis about 2:30 P.M. , and the sun is blazing out full force, but he’s a tough dude – and lets nothing come in between him and his daily climb!

Thank you to all these people – and you, Qi Feng San (mountain) once again for making all this possible.

Thank you for being there “in spirit” for yet another most interesting, REWARDING, and yet tumultuous period in my life.

And thank you for the workout today – as I head on to what promises to be an even more rewarding phase in my life, I’ll have you in mind – and I’ll do so all my life – and so will my little girl when she visits for the first time.

I don’t know when – – but it’ll happen.

Last, but not least, a HUGE thank YOU to all of YOU reading this, my friends. My apologies again for the extra long “outburst” here, but it is what it is, and sometimes you just gotta say things for what they are (as if I don’t already, hehe).

Zai Jian (Goodbye) for now,

“Mou Hua The” a.k.a Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – I mention some of the EXACT same workouts I did on that hill – and that whopped my butt into super duper shape ultra quick at the end of the book, and you owe it to yourself to take a look at it, my friend. Truly inspiring, even if I say so myself! Here is the entire System for your perusal – – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

P.S. #2 – – Be on the outlook for several new products coming out shortly. The first in line is a handstand pushup video which I SHOULD (touchwood) have done by next week and will put it online shortly thereafter. Be on the outlook for it!