Deborah's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Arnis-Eskrima Training

Many moons ago I started down this path of practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which led to an adjacent road of practicing Arnis de Mano, which led to superhighways of competition, belt promotions, seminars, and then I stayed put for a spell.  I remember my first promotion, that tiny piece of tape on the black end of a very very white belt. I had started with low expectations for myself and after my first few classes, reaffirmed those low expectations but decided I was going to keep training anyway. That tape gave me hope. I can do this, I realized, and maybe it was time to readjust my personal expectations.  Perhaps, I am improving. I was. Improvement in jiu jitsu is a slithery creature. You won't see it, but it's there, lurking in the tall trees.   "Are you ever going to teach?"  hmmmm....I wasn't sure....it was trail I was not sure if I wanted to follow. Years ago, my tattoo artist suggested a trade, jiu jitsu lessons for work. How could I say no? Gemma Pariente w...

Recently I read a clip on Threads (I think it was on Threads) challenging the notion that "jiu jitsu is for everyone," which is thing many of us offer to our non-practicing friends and family (whether they asked about BJJ or not),  as a salve for everything from life dramas to frustrations in fitness goals. I'm guilty of this and if my husband is within earshot, he will warn the poor involuntary listener; "run! save yourself!" Back to my point, the author of the clip stated jiu jitsu requires $150-$200 of disposable income per month, several hours of free time each week, and the ability to handle injuries, physically and financially. The author was not wrong. That $150-$200 does not include the cost of purchasing a gi, sign up fees at an academy, or extra gear like spats, rash guards, grapplers tape, and extra laundry detergent. If you are training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,  are considering it, or can only devote one day per week to a class, there are ways to expa...

 Let's talk meal prep.  I think many people start down the path of meal prep with excellent intentions of eating wildly healthy and saving bucketfuls of money. Unfortunately, the path of health is often laden with our good intentions that turn into our own worst enemy. To be blunt, if you go out of your way to shop, prepare a healthy meal, and take it to work, only to have it pushed aside because the steamed broccoli and skinless chicken you prepared is not appetizing so you run out and buy a hamburger, you are losing the battle and the war. I've successfully been doing meal prep for a few years now. Here are the secrets of my success in this venture: 1. Know what you like, prepare what you like, make it healthy.  Prepare food that you enjoy, that you know you will want to eat, even if it's "not healthy." A home-cooked meal with always be healthier than eating out, and anything can be made to have some nutritional qualities. Casseroles are a great meal prep item....

 It's raining in Alpine, CA.  Again. The back yard is starting to flood. Again. Dave and I are fortunate to live in an area that is well designed and near Cleveland National Forest. It means homes are not stacked like bricks upon one another and despite some minor flooding, we do not need to visit the sandbag store every 5 minutes. So, the rain means I am staring into space, watching the weather with a quiet, pondering mind...And considering writing about jiu jitsu again. I am officially INTO my 5th decade of living, I have obtained a 2nd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the rank of Maestra in Babao Arnis, and am a newly minted black belt in Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima. (The Arnis and the Eskrima are both Filipino martial arts.  I was questioning whether to stay here on Blogger, or do I go with the cool kids to Substack or Patreon?  Or Word Press? Medium? I've decided to stay here for now. At the end of the day, I can write, I can share the link, and interested...

  https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-arnis-a-filipino-martial-art-keeps-a-cop-strong-11629540000

So, here's a thought..... (begat from a personal family story) I was talking to my husband tonight about family. I observed my older female relatives did not have the opportunities I have been given. When women were barely starting to be hired by police departments in the early 70's, my dad was telling a 5 year old Deborah "You could be a policewoman when you grow up!" I probably laughed as I pranced off to my dance class. The dance class I thrived in, because I was blessed with a flexible, able, strong body.  Many years after I left dance behind, I decided to take up dad's suggestion and I eventually became a policewoman. A process which revealed that dance ability did not translate to fighting ability, and thus the universe opened a door to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And yet another door opened to Arnis-Eskrima (Filipino stick fighting). Over the years, several doors have flung open, hiking, running, jump roping, all things physical laying down before my fee...

I thought a good follow-up post to my last one about cutting weight would be to go through my meal preparation.  A meme came across my FB feed a few weeks back, something like "Athletes train and eat, they don't diet and exercise..."  Good Lord YES.  Healthy eating should be satisfying and delicious and fuel for the ride, not a drudgery of steamed boredom. I have travelled through a few phases of meal prep styles, and I've boiled down my system to something that I know (nutritionally) works for me, is something I can afford, and is satisfying. #1. The Nutrition.  I'm not gluten intolerant and I don't have food allergies, but I know I function best when I restrict my carbohydrate intake to what is absolutely necessary, and consume copious amounts of greens.  For example, if I eat a full serving of hash browns and toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and pasta for dinner, on a regular basis, I know (based on experience) I'll become bloated, gain w...