zeloschick

Don't give up. Even if you only workout once a week, while definitely not optimal you're still lapping everyone sitting on the couch. And, the exercise will probably help your mood and stress levels. Have you ever thought of finding a boxing workout on youtube and using that to workout? Even if you're just punching the air it can be a great stress reliever.

The running thing annoys me too. My brother (also parents and friends I've discussed fitness with fall in this category) constantly harps that I should go running more if I want to lose weight, that's what he does when he's trying to drop a few pounds. Why would I run when I find it boring? I'd much rather strength train, or do a cardio kickboxing tape, or bike, or swim. If you like to run, great, but don't keep insisting that I do an exercise I dislike. Exercising is hard enough as it is.

So... challenge over! (If I did my math right. But I have been known to miscount things, so we may have another week.) I did not accomplish the 'lose a pant size' thing *Sad panda face* Some of my more generously cut size 16 shorts/capris fit, but I still can't fit into the jeans I wanted to. I can pull them the whole way up but I cannot zip them. BUT! I think about half way through the challenge, I stopped caring about my size. I'm more worried about "can I do today what I couldn't do yesterday?" And I think I came out of this challenge stronger than when I went in, so I accomplished that goal. My teacher at the Saturday BJJ class told me last week my hip action is getting a lot better, which meant more to me than I can possibly explain. I still feel like the deadweight in class, but I've taken a Rock Lee (if you're familiar with the Naruto series) mind set towards it; gonna become a genius of hard work, even if I still suck. Also, I've been working on my inverted rows as the pre-requisite to doing pull ups - I've gone from barely being able to do 8 reps with my feet practically shoved under my butt to being strong enough to do 3x8 reps with my legs working towards straight. (One inch at a time!) Plus, I've had a couple of coworkers (who I did not tell my new workout/diet plans to) ask if I've lost weight. Well yes, yes I have If I keep working at it, I'll be able to fit into those pants probably within the next month. Really focusing on my diet this challenge helped too - I've become more aware of how much my body needs to function happily, and I realize that I was swinging between eating too much or not enough, and I think I've found a happy medium (at least until the tummy adjusts again and I have to start over). Thanks to all who supported me! There were times I wanted to quit... but because I figured one of you all would ask me how the challenge was going I kept going

I'm sorry to hear about your dog, and everything that's been going on. I hope you finish the challenge though. Life can be hard sometimes.

Just to be clear - when I say "crash course", my partner (and the sensei) spent ten minutes showing me how to fall backwards so that I could be thrown safely. Even then, my more experienced partner did not throw me hard - very gentle and slow so I had plenty of time to break fall. It was the first, and only time I have been thrown standing up in BJJ class, and it was followed up by another (longer) lesson on break falling at a later date as my teacher realized I needed more help with it. I was exaggerating a bit about the bruised ribs; I landed hard on my side (I hadn't quite got the hang of break falling yet),and was a bit sore but I was fine after a day or two. I was trying not to land on my elbow. I do appreciate the time you took to write the long response, I can see you are very passionate about your art, and your knowledge is much more vast than mine about my own. I also apologize if I offended, it was not my intention. I don't think I'm the best at describing what we do in class; there is still so much I just don't know, and I have huge gaps in my knowledge as I've only been going for about two months. I do know I'm going to keep going because I generally have fun, I get a good workout, and I like the learning environment. I'm slowly filling the gaps in, but its taking time for me to make the connections between what my eyes see sensei doing, and making my body mimic the movements. I'll just have to keep looking for another style that compliments my BJJ and I like performing, regardless of whether it ends up being another grappling art like Judo or a striking art like karate. I appreciate everyone's input, and I know I've gotten a lot of good advice so I'll just have to see where I end up.

Cr33g, thanks for your post! I would like to study a striking art, if only for the fact that I'm already studying a grappling art. My second reason is the striking arts can be practiced at home (yes, a sparring partner would be nice, but that is a luxury I haven't managed to find yet). But, on the other hand I'm not ruling anything out at this point. I had looked at Judo and probably will try it down the road if I can find a school with a good instructor. We learned a couple of Judo throws in BJJ class a few weeks ago (I have the bruises on my ribs to prove it, my partner quickly surmised I hadn't been taught how to properly fall and gave me a crash course). I absolutely loved it (though my form sucked and definitely needs work). There was something incredibly elegant about sweeping my partner off their feet with minimal effort on my part... And when you describe your classes, it sounds a lot like the set up of the BJJ school that I go to, which makes sense since our styles are in the same family tree. We also have free-sparring. I dislike the free-sparring at the end of class because I feel like a turtle on my back that continues to flail while getting armbarred... I'm a bit of an academic, have a bit of a passive personality, so not being given space to think of my next move is a real challenge for me. Thinking on my feet has always been a weakness, but hopefully with practice I'll get better.

I'll be right there with you, Phytomancer. My younger brother (who has about 8 inches on me) likes to come up behind me and put his chin on the top of my head. BECAUSE HE CAN.

I guess we're in the home stretch now! Diet - A Exercise - A BJJ - B Life Quest - FINISHED Overall a very good week. Cheers!

Ah yes, the threat of a Super-saiyan attack... somehow I don't think I'll have to worry about that one much I kind of lost track of DBZ after high school but it was still awesome. Kung Fu Girl - Thanks for the input. I definitely don't want to study Wushu at this point. It looks like a total blast and someday I may try it, but right now its not really not the best style for my goals. Derek P - Thank you so much for your post. You're spot on - I've run into a lot of "Ours is the best and only way to total self-defense!" type claims in my search, which is kind of annoying but I understand they're trying to drum up business. What really sold me on BJJ when I started was that they let me take the class with the other students so I could get the full experience; the Kung Fu place gave me two private lessons. Private lessons are great, but two in a row? I want to see the class that I'm going to be taking to see if I like it! That was possibly my biggest turn off for there because it makes me feel like I'm buying a car unseen, and will get stuck paying for a lemon. I live near Pittsburgh, PA so I don't have as many options as I would if I lived near a bigger city (though granted I don't know if I've necessarily found all the places nearby). I looked at Muy Thai, and the only place that offers it is on the opposite side of the city, and with my schedule I don't think I'd be able to make any of their beginner classes with driving time added in. I'll check around for some mixed martial arts gyms (I know there's one over by the airport, which isn't too far of a hike). I never considered taking MMA, but I'd be willing to give it a shot. There are a couple of boxing clubs nearby as well that I'll look into.

My new pet peeve - every time a man (not a single woman has said this) finds out I take martial arts, this comes out of their mouth. "Oh, you take martial arts? I bet you could beat me up." Uh... why would I want to? I didn't start doing it so I could beat people up.

Thank you for your response, Hong WeiLoh. Eagle Claw (according to wikipedia and about.com, so I can't vouch for legitimacy of the information) is supposed to be a Northern Shaolin style of kung fu, the Chinese (western alphabet) Ying Jow Pai. It is also supposed to be rare, and not a lot of places teach it. But considering the sources, I'll take the info with a grain of salt, and I'm not 100% sure that's what the place is teaching. I'll check out the taijutsu information, thank you very much for pointing that out. Like I said, newbie, and what I know about martial arts could fill a very small booklet with lots of large pictures. As much as I would like to study Eagle Claw, I will probably end up going with the taijutsu (or keep looking at other places) simply because I had a bit of sticker shock when we discussed pricing at the kung fu place. I understand martial arts studios can't run on hopes and dreams, but I'm not willing to pay as much as they're asking.

Hello all, I'll try to keep this from getting too long winded. I recently started taking BJJ for a variety of reasons, a big one being self-defense as a woman. I love it, I love my dojo, and I have no plans to stop going anytime soon (finances permitting). As much as I like BJJ, its lacking in certain areas, and I wanted to study a style that fights off the ground (for self defense purposes and fitness, I don't really care for competition). I managed to narrow my choices down to two, but seeing as how I'm a total newbie, I was hoping you all would help me out with some info. My dojo offers classes in 'tai-jutsu karate', which I guess is some form of mixed martial art. From the website - "Tai-Jitsu Karate blends traditional “stand up†punch and kick techniques with ground fighting and self-defense skills to form a single, holistic fighting system. Our students are as proficient using a counter punch to defend against a kick, as using a drop shoulder throw to defend against a rear naked choke. As such, Tai-Jitsu is a traditional “mixed martial art†allowing our students to defend themselves at any time, in any place. We do not train katas or forms in Tai-Jitsu. Rather, we focus on a series of realistic techniques, drills, and sequences that evolve as the student’s knowledge and skills improve." I was also looking at Eagle Claw Kung Fu. Does anyone practice/know anything about either of these two styles? Thanks for your help guys!

My apologies. Boxing is on my bucket list but l haven't actively started looking for a gym to train at. BJJ is enough for now lol. I'll definitely stop by and introduce myself at the Courtyard. It sounds like a fun place to go

Hi Joedog! Thanks for stopping by! BJJ is easier now that I've been doing it for about a month, but walking into the dojo was one of the hardest things I've done in my adult life. I'm pretty shy and quiet, and I hate going places where I don't know anyone. Plus I didn't know what I was doing at first, which made it even scarier because I was afraid everyone would laugh at me. But I decided that if 80 year old me could have a conversation with my present self, 80 year old me would whack present self a couple of times with a cane for not going sooner, and 80 year old me scares me more than an uncomfortable situation lol. I have to activate my beast mode every time to walk through the door... but its getting easier each time I do. I hope you get to try a martial art (kickboxing or otherwise) someday when you feel ready

Hi Ominay! I'm one of the people running around the forum with a little more baggage. I gained a lot of weight in middle school, and have hovered around 220 for most of my adult life. Part of my problem was my skewed vision of nutrition and lack of exercise. My hobbies mostly revolved around me sitting on my butt in front of a television screen, which didn't help my weight at all. For years I would try to starve myself for a few weeks, only to gain it all back and then some. I stumbled across Nerd Fitness around February of last year and devoured everything I could get my hands on. I'm at roughly 210 now, but everyday I get a little bit stronger even if I'm not dropping the weight as fast as I want. I always told myself in high school I would train for a black belt in a martial art when I got older and became more fit, and last month I decided I didn't give a crap about how big I was, I was going to the dojo to live my dream. It was one of the best decisions I have made (though it was incredibly scary, and I still get nervous when I have to walk through the door). Sometimes my teachers have to modify stuff for me because of my size, but no one has ever made fun of me for the extra poundage I carry. If you can, join the kickboxing class sooner rather than later - nothing gets you in better shape for doing kickboxing than kickboxing Feel free to pm me if you ever need some extra encouragement!

Thanks Moralitea! Its been an uphill battle, but it feels pretty good to throw stuff out and make room for something new. Not necessarily more stuff, but perhaps adding an open mat area where I can workout at home... With mom and dad's stamp of approval, of course. The diet is going much better, but I'm trying to tweak it a bit this week. Eating five or six times a day is getting old, cause I feel like all I do at night is make my meals for the next day. Cheers!

Diet - B Exercise - A BJJ - A Life Quest - B I totally crashed and burned on my diet over the three day weekend... nothing to do about it but get back on the horse. I take comfort in the fact that most sources I've read about diet breaking say its good for you once in a while, just not every week. Nothing much to report for exercise/BJJ except I'm having difficulty transitioning from pushups at a knee height to on the ground. I actually think I'm reaching the end of the road with my life quest, as I don't have much more in my parents' basement to toss or take to my apartment. Yes, I do have more stuff down there, but I don't have room for it all, as the basement is bigger than my apartment by far... Thankfully my parents are willing to store some of the stuff until I have the space for it. Cheers!

Apparently I broke some rules then... started my first martial art last month at the advanced, senior age of 26. My one classmate began at age 47.

OK, that makes sense. I have the same problem sometimes (remember the dread part of my personality?). I try to set up a routine before I go to bed, and start prepping about 15 minutes before I hit the sack. If I'm feeling particularly anxious, I try to stretch and do some very gentle yoga, plus some breathing exercises. If that doesn't work a small glass of milk generally knocks me right out. If yoga or the milk aren't really your thing, I'd at least try the breathing exercises. Simply - breath in for two counts, then out for two counts, working your way up to four counts, while letting your mind stay blank (or as blank as you can). Play relaxing music if you need something to set the mood. As a side note, I'd stop drinking super caffeinated beverages at least four hours before you plan on going to sleep. I don't know how sensitive you are to caffeine (or if you drink coffee at all) but it might be contributing to your insomnia. I hope that helps, and good luck!

From what I understand, its not that great for you but a couple of days won't hurt as most Americans are generally sleep deprived. May I ask why you seem to be having trouble sleeping?

Yin yoga is a good suggestion, and I would also offer up hatha yoga (focuses a lot on the physicality of yoga and less on meditation, but its not quite as intense as ashtanga yoga) or iyengar yoga (tends to use props like blocks and straps to help inflexible people get into poses). I would also recommend checking out Esther Ekhart's youtube channel, especially if you're looking for free stuff. There are a ton of yogis on youtube, but she tends to have a lot more beginner-friendly videos, especially for those with limited flexibility, and she's very good about showing the use of props in her videos to make poses easier (namely blocks and straps which can easily be substituted with a stack sturdy books and a towel).

Lol thanks Moralitea! It was very difficult to stick to it when I saw all the yummy foods everyone had... I had food envy of your burrito Someday I will be able to eat a maintenance diet! Diet - A Exercise - A BJJ - A Life Quest - F Everything went well this week except for the life quest. I had other chores that preoccupied me (aka laundry, grocery shopping and other things I can't do during the week), but seeing as how I have a three day weekend this week, I should be able to get in some cleaning time.

Yes, it definitely was! We need to do it again soon

Challenge Week 2 Diet - B (I cheated more than I should have) Exercise - A BJJ - B Life Quest - D Well, this week I dipped a bit on my diet (and quite a bit with the life quest). Having an unexpected graduate party (where the healthiest option was the fruit salad) threw my plans through a loop, but I only skipped my meal plan 3x, so this week I'll just get back on track. Exercise-wise? My hamstring has healed (yay! and thanks for asking Xanjra ) but I got a new injury at BJJ. I hurt my right shoulder doing something. I'm not quite sure what because it didn't start hurting till I was driving home. I still managed to get in my 3 days of exercise as by Wednesday it responded well to stretching and a targeted warm up sequence. In fact, my shoulder would probably be better at this point if I didn't accidentally keep sleeping on my right side... And speaking of... BJJ - Its getting a lot better. I don't feel like I'm drowning anymore, but its still difficult. The best way to describe it is that I'm taking swimming lessons again, but my instructor only speaks French (which I don't speak). I asked my teacher if there were some things I could work on at home to help improve, and she showed me a couple of solo drills that I have tacked on to the beginning of my workout as part of my warm up (we use them as warm ups in class). I'm really starting to enjoy the experience and after I have a good grasp on BJJ I may seek out a different martial art to continue my fitness journey. But we'll see Life Quest - Bleh. I was barely home this weekend so I didn't have much time for cleaning.

Yes... On vs Kun >.< The bane of my Japanese study. I constantly mix up which one I should be using (I'm getting better, but I haven't quite mastered it yet). I have a Kanji study book (it uses manga to teach the characters) and there is an alien who is in the same boat as me... instead of reading Mars (the planet) as "kansei" (the correct On reading according to the book) he read it as "hiboshi" (incorrect Kun reading). Makes me giggle every time. Hitlionsoul, thank you for sharing all your wisdom I have difficulty choosing between "wa" and "ga" but I never thought about ga being used for things other than myself, but that makes sense.