Aloha from Hawaii!

[Le Samourai]

I stumbled onto this site while nerdishly researching Bourne-related topics. I was thrilled to see so many other people who aren't afraid to use fantasy and imagination as tools to better themselves.

 

A little personal background: I am by no means a jock or an athlete. During high school, I was quite chubby and unathletic. After graduating, I did lose a bunch of weight, not in a healthy way, and I was still essentially out-of-shape… sort of a "skinny fat" kind of guy. Though I worked out here and there throughout my 20s, I wasn't all that serious about it. Things began to change about 16 years ago. My mother passed away at the age of 48 due to botched gastric bypass surgery. I was always close to my mom, and her death hit me hard. After getting over the initial shock, I began to reevaluate my life. Part of that reevaluation included starting to take my health more seriously. I started  getting more and more consistent about exercise, and began training in martial arts. Now, in my mid 40s, I'm in vastly better shape than at any other time in my life.



 

Everyone who exercises is partly motivated by vanity, including me. But that isn't my primary motivation. I'm not obsessed with having six-pack abs, and I never expect to be on the cover of Men's Health. My goal is to be functionally fit. I want to be in good enough shape to do the things I enjoy doing, and do them well. For example, I'm an instructor in both Jeet Kune Do and Kali. My workouts are in part geared to make me a better martial artist. For me, this means using kettlebells, bodyweight exercises, yoga, and cardio intervals. To become better at these training goals, I studied under Jon Hinds at Monkey Bar Gym, where I became a Certified Natural Trainer II. I really appreciate his approach to fun, practical fitness.

 


I spent several years doing traditional workouts at a traditional gym. I didn't really enjoy it, and I had mixed results. Around 2007, I decided to make a change. I figured I live in Hawaii, so why not enjoy it and train outside? I started doing bodyweight and cardio workouts at the park, and the results were impressive. I burned flab and got stronger. In late 2008, I began to add kettlebells to the mix. Again, I was thrilled with the results. The impact on my overall fitness levels has really impressed me. Some might think of kettlebells as some sort of fad, but trust me, they work! The great thing about the kind of training I do now is it's fun. I love the stuff I do now, and always look forward to my workouts. That wasn't the case back in my gym rat days!

 

Looking to the new year, I plan to continue to focus on the physical side of my training while further exploring the "internal" side via yoga, meditation, etc. I'm also looking to expand my martial repetoire: improving my Jiujitsu game, perhaps returning to my initial art, Wing Chun, for a while, maybe exploring more esoteric traditional arts such as Aikido or something "dancey" like Capoeira. I'm very fortunate to live someplace with a very vibrant martial arts community.

 

I look forward to interacting with everyone here as we all continue on our individual journeys!

[Basement Cat]

Welcome to the rebellion!

 

No worries, Kettlebells are well respected here! You seem to know what you want and how to get it, so I'll just wish you good luck!

 

Keep us posted!