Working that top game...

So this week is all about working the mount.

Our brown belt instructor got sick earlier in the week but another brown belt stepped up to teach.

As, I get into the curriculum in SBG the more I am liking it. For the longest i was used to maintaining mount by swimming arms and balancing myself with my hands on the mat about the guys head, which makes sense because I come from a Gracie background. The main points that I think will help my game that I leard at SBG is to squeeze your legs together when you are on top mount position and to not look to balance your hands on the mat as much.

So, lets address the first point. People differ on how to maintain mount. Some say to keep your legs wide when mounting someone which I understand that it gives you good balance but if someone starts bridging you then you have your hands to help balance you and maintain your balance. One glaring problem I feel about keeping your legs wide is that it creates space where a guy can move his hips and arms and possiblly escape out the back door on you. If you squeeze your legs together and tuck your feet in then you really limit the mobility of that person, finally a position where my weight comes in handy :).

Now the other point that I really like is that you don't look to balance using your hands out front above the guy's head as much. The point being that you immediately look to cross face or gain an underhook somehow. What I mean by crossface; imagine you are on top mount you slide your left arm under the guys head and drive your shoulder into the side of his face. When someone has you crossfaced it's hard to think of what to do and if you have their face forced that other way it's nearly impossible for them to move back into you all they can think is to go the direction their head is pointing. I started going directly into crossface on full mount with a similarly big guy and I was really able to control him a lot more.

For your viewing pleasure here are some videos of the head of SBGI and a quick highlight vid of one of his BB.

So I got my wish...

Well the last few weeks have been pretty normal. Getting some jiu jitsu in 3x a week and some extra workouts here and there.

We have been working top control the last few weeks. Working from half guard, full mount and side control. I'm not sure what this week will bring but it's supposed to be different. Just like most sports the offensive stuff is what is flashy and what gets the most highlights but we all know that defense is absolutely essential. So, I have a feeling this week may be back to defending. I have heard people say that Jiu jitsu is a game of inches which is absolutely true and it makes more and more sense to me. I always think about this when someone is controlling my movements and I'm trying to escape or I rushed a submission and end up in a bad spot. Sometimes you work your ass off just to get your hips away from a person inch-by-inch just to start over and repeat but eventually the hard work gets you in a position to take advantage of a window of opportunity. Every time I don't work for a position and just try to muscle my way out of a bad position I usually end up back where i started. So, maybe what I'm saying is technique and position means everything just like they tell you from the moment you start training BJJ. It's these little revelations, that you know are true but don't really take hold until you actually see them for yourself, that keep you going.

Ok, I'll move on from mindless wandering. So, my gym just added a competition conditioning class. Anytime I hear conditioning in the name of a class I think, yeah i probably better go to that and looks like good 'ol pukie the clown will show up for this one. Which brings me to talking about crossfit. A few years ago when I was going through this fight of losing major weight and getting back into shape and beginning BJJ, damn I can't believe I lost sight of that struggle and gave up, I started incorporating some crossfit workouts into my training and found them incredibly challenging and beneficial. I encourage you to check out that site and delve into what crossfit has to offer. And you may even want to see if there are local gyms in your area, they are getting more and more popular. I like it because most of the workouts are really intense but don't take all day to do. You can scale the workouts to your fitness level and you will still feel like puking at some point (always a sign of a good workout). The workouts are always changing and they are composed of compound and functional movements, lots of Olympic lifts, calisthenic work, plyometrics and good 'ol cardio. Damn, I'm rambling for a Monday. This all ties back into the conditioning class at my gym because it is described as being "like" crossfit workouts. Look for updates from me whining about how I'm sore and how I puked at this conditioning class.

Oh, yeah so that picture at top is Pukie the clown. If you read the crossfit message boards you will see where people talk about meeting pukie the clown which means, of course, they puked during the workout. Pukie is kind of a mascot for crossfit because the intense workouts lead to meeting this unfortunate character from time-to-time.

As, always I'll try to be more frequent with the updates!

Just want a normal schedule.

Work has been crazy this summer. We are 24x7 and usually have two "floater" positions who cover for people when they need time off. Well I have been the only floater all summer so I have been covering for people's vacations and random needs to have time off. My normal schedule is Mon-Tues and Thurs-Fri 6am-430pm, which works really well from me because most of the Jiu Jitsu classes are in the evening. Well, finally starting next week there will be a second floater again! As for this week I have been covering for a co-worker who went to Disney World at the end of the fiscal year, which is a busy time for us. So, I have been off my usual routine and have not been at Jiu Jitsu all week!! Which just blows. But, luckily next Monday I will be back on the mats. I have managed to get in three workouts this week, two Jump Rope and calestinics workout and on running workout. So, hopefully I have been able to somewhat maintain cardio. I prefer to get in 5-6 workouts a week, especially if I'm trying to get back in shape and lose weight like I am right now. I'm going to get a fourth workout in tomorrow. Here's to keeping your head down and getting some work in and BOO to one day weekends!! Back to work....

-Luke

More Side control Escaping...

Made it to the afternoon class today. We continued working on sidecontrol escapes. Maybe it's because I'm a big guy but it seems the guys at this gym like to put a knee on your head to control you in side control. I must say it works well but damn if it doesn't grind the hell out of your ears. It was hard to wash my hair afterwards because my left ear is mangled. Time to get some wrestling head gear to avoid the dreaded cauliflower ear.

I'm starting to get to know some people at the gym which is making it more comfortable. I really miss the comraderie I experienced at my old gym in Mobile. I did get a little time to talk to our black belt Matt, the owner of the gym, and he was telling me how his Dad and Grandpa both died of heart attacks in their 50's and how he has high colesterol. So, of course I talked about my family history. We both agreed I was in the right place for losing weight and getting back in shape. Which by the way my pants are getting loser which is a good thing!

A quick and healthy recipe I tried this week was getting some prepacked asian veggies in the frozen section and some deveined shrimp and threw together a quick meal sauteed in canola oil added a little garlic powder and a pinch of sea salt. It was quite satisfying!

So, In class today we warmed up by rolling. My stamina is getting better to where I can stay competetive a little longer. I held my own and did not get submitted by two blue belts and got a cross choke on another white belt. It's defnitely not all about submissions but it's nice get one from time-to-time. After warming up we drilled escaping from side control which wore me out pretty good. And then we did some 6 minute matchs from the standing position! That was pretty fun although i was pretty tired by then and didn't have as much to give as i would have liked. Although i did nail a seoi nage judo throw. It wasn't real pretty but it worked! Here's a video of some people that can do it way better then myself. I wish I could do it that well! I apologize for the rockin' music that accompanies this video.



Anyhow after a couple rounds of standing to submission sparring I was done. All-in-all it was a good class and another step in the right direction.

Jumping Rope

I got out an old favorite of mine this week for a couple workouts, the jump rope. I discovered the benefits of jumping rope way back when I used to play basketball. I remember reading an article about Clyde Drexler, coincidentally, of the Portland Trailblazers and how he would jump rope to improve his jumping ability, quickness and first-step explosiveness. So, to the garage I went to jump rope. I also remember my Dad telling me that my uncle David recommended jumping rope, he was kind of the sports advisor for me because he was a high school football coach and always in killer shape. It doesn't take long to realize the benefits of jumping rope because after a few minutes you will really start to feel it. Jumping rope will improve your foot work, your coordination and will really blast your calfs and shoulders. Plus, a jump rope is cheap and portable and just a good way to put some variation in your workouts.

I like to switch up my foot patterns when jumping. I usually start off jumping with both feet then move to a running in place type pattern. I also like jumping twice on one foot then alternate. It's up to you and what comes natural.

I have a couple different workouts I do with the jump rope.

This week I did one where I:

Jump Rope 1 minute
1x10 pushups
1x15 squats
jump rope 1 minute
1x10 pushups
1x15 lunges (on each leg so actually 30)
Repeat until you get 10 minutes of jumping rope in. I'm not in very good shape at the moment so this was plenty challenging for me adjust it to fit your fitness level.

Another one I did was:

Jump rope 5 minutes
1x12 curls (25lb. dumbbells)
1x15 kick backs
1x12 lateral raises for shoulders (25lb. dumbbells)
1x12 front raises for shoulders (25lb. dumbbells)
1x20 crunches (I use a camping sleeping pad because we have hardwood floors and it can be rough on the back)
1x20 leg lifts
Repeat the sets 4 times
Finish with 5 minutes of jumping rope.

Also, I have found that a jump rope with plastic beads or 1.5" sections (whatever you want to refer to them as) to work best for me rather then just a rope.

So, get on it!

P.s.- Jumping rope is also good because you can stay in if you just don't feel like going outside to work out and you can watch TV to distract from the pain.

Side Control Escape Week

Yeah, it's been forever but I have been training at least twice a week... But, I have finally come to a place where nothing will stop me from training to get better and to lose weight and get back in shape. It was really hard to get to that place and actually humble myself. It almost like starting over. I can't believe how much I let life affect me after Dad died and I moved to Portland. I really just tried to stay numb and seek comforting things. I have given up the majority of impurities in my life like soda, alcohol (sans wine and the occasional micro brew) and green. First time I have sought a pure life style in quite awhile. Enough rambling.

This week is side control escapes at SBG. Here's a link on Wikipedia that explains side control. Cane was teaching the class, one of my favorite coaches and brown belt, he is really good at breaking down the positions so you can understand them. He started by showing us the basic position you want to assume when you are caught in side control. If someone is on your right side you want to put your left arm across your stomach with your hand on your right hip and pin your right elbow on your side with your arm bent defending the cross face and blocking your opponents hips. He then moved on to showing how to get that basic position back when someone your arms are caught outside the basic position by utilizing the umpa aka bridging and driving your right elbow into the space you create when you umpa then you bridge again and thrust your left arm up over your right shoulder driving your elbow back down across your body to get your basic position back.

I came home and weighed after class and was down 7lbs. that's a lot of sweat! I consider that a good class.

Internet

So, we have been without the internet for a few weeks and just got it back a couple days ago. I should be able to update my blogs on a more regular basis. I hope all of you are doing well out there.

I'm including a few videos with Jon Stewart interviewing Betsy McCaughey about Healthcare. Betsy told some pretty good lies about Clinton's health care reform attempt back in the 90's. I know that not all of you are liberal like myself but, maybe it would be good to see some of these "claims" by conservatives about the proposed healthcare bill at least challenged.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Betsy McCaughey Pt. 1
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 1
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 2
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Here we go again...

So, I only managed to make it to one class last week!

But returning tonight for some abuse.

Yesterday 7/19/09- Ran 1.5 miles of sprints

Last night Kayla made some tasty pesto Salmon. We cheated and just bought some pesto in the jar (I never really realized it but pesto isn't really that bad for you as long as you don't go crazy with it). It came out really tasty, you just put a pretty heatlhy layer of pesto on the top and then put some sliced tomatos on top of that and bake it that way in some tin foil. Kayla was hesitant about putting the tomato on top but it really came out good with it on top. We also cut up a bunch of yellow squash, zuccini, celery and garlic and steamed that in the oven too. And for dessert we had a fruit plate of banana, kiwi and nectarine. It is hard transitioning away from sugar being involved in my dessert, damn luxury crops!

7/13

Kayla is getting in on the whole cleaning up the diet and working out plan so that should be good for her and me. Planning on pain via BJJ later today.

If you have not been to Dickipedia then you are missing out. The latest "Dick" they have profiled is good 'ol Mark Sanford, check it out yo! No matter your political leaning, you are a Dick if you leave your family during Father's Day to go hang out with your Argentinian girlfriend!

Bjj 5,6,7, 8

Ok, so it's been awhile posting. Main reason being that internet has been down at the house and i keep forgetting to update the blog.

A summary: 5 and 6 were spent working passing the guard. We worked passing closed and open guard.

7 and 8 were spent working closed guard defense. Mainly worked basics.

Should be good on internet by Monday so I can post more often and more detailed.

7/3/09

Man, my posting has been sporadic lately. I'll try to do better. I'm probably going to mainly post BJJ and training stuff. I'll do checks on my diet periodically to have a good idea how many calories i'm taking in.

I've found it hard to dedicate to training like I was in Mobile. But, I guess training is always hard to start not maintain. I really need to push through to a break-through that will keep me going.

Send all your motivational vibes my way.

6/25/09

BJJ#4 Not near as dramatic this time. Just rolled for 30minutes with multiple breaks got a good sweat going and that was it. Met another IT guy named Antonio, he seemed pretty cool. So far that is 3 other IT guys.


meals:
1. almonds/apple 7a.m.
2. orange/yougurt
3.Thai food for dinner, which was mainly rice noodle but still not extremely healthy.

It was pay day today so there are few groceries in the house making it hard to eat totally clean. Kayla and I did enjoy some good Thai for dinner. To the grocery store tomorrow to get some good food.

6/24/09

Didn't do anything this day. Had some pizza though...

6/23/09

BJJ#3
Last night was a gi class. Well, part of the class was gi the other part was no gi. Anyhow, it was all about take down defense.

We started by practicing the grip game. If you have ever watched a judo match they always start off trying to grab each others sleeve, lapel, shoulder anything they can latch onto and then throw the guy. Well, in Jiu Jitsu competitions you will either have a guy trying to take you down like a wrestler (i.e. shoot in for a single, clinch) or like a judo guy. Well, takedowns are no friends of mine. I have studied some judo throws in a traditional ju jitsu I used to study but the thing about judo throws is that you have to really practice them a lot to become proficient with them.

So, the instructor was teaching the class from the perspective that you want to pull guard (get the fight to the ground without really throwing them or using wrestling technique). After going over gripping and breaking your opponents grip we moved on to a few techniques to get the opponent to the mat. We start by securing the opponents sleeve and lapel and then circling to the left or right to break their balance. So, once we got the circling down and breaking their balance the instructor added placing your foot in the guys hip that link is shows a throw but just picture it without actually throwing the guy. Instead you sit down with the grips on the guys gi and foot in the hip which causes the guy to go with you from the momentum you generate and then you dump the guy to the side and usually end up in an advantagous position. From there we went over a couple variations which are too hard to explain here and then we started drilling more live, or with resistance. This is where it got bad for me. My heart rate was already up from just doing the simple practicing but then we started really working. Well, I made it almost the whole class but with about 15minutes to go I had to scamper off the mats and pray to the porcelin gods!! Talk about humbling. But, I just keep telling myself to push through this and I will eventually get stronger and have more endurance. I did make it back onto the mat after my little trip the boys room and rolled with a blue belt. I couldn't end the night like a chump. The guy I sparred with was cool about it and told me that he had been there before and to just keep after it.

Gina Carano is one bad chick!




Meals:
1. almonds/yogurt 7a.m.
2. peach 10a.m.
3. turkey, salad, yogurt 1p.m.
4. apple/almonds 3p.m.
5.

6/22/09

The internet was down most of the weekend.

I ate good and bad, pretty much stayed on course but ate out a few times...

I'll update Jiu Jitsu when i have more time.

Training Jiu Jitsu tonight.




Meals:
1. almonds/yogurt 6:45a.m.
2. almonds/apple 9:30
3. turkey/salad/yogurt 12:30p.m.
4. almonds/apple 3:30p.m.
5. Got off course some and had some tortilla chips and dip. chips and salsa are probably one of my favorite snacks and oh so hard resist at times.9p.m.

6/19/09

Running tonight when i get home.




Meals:
1. yogurt/almonds 6:30a.m.
2. Apple 9a.m.
3. Ground turkey/salad/yogurt 12:20p.m.
4. almonds/apple 3:20p.m.
5.

6/18/09

Meals:
1. almonds/yogurt 6:30a.m.
2. almonds/ apple 9:30
3. Ground Turkey , salad and yogurt 12:30pm.
4. apple/almonds 4p.m.
5. Shirmp and whole wheat pasta 9p.m.

6/16/09 BJJ#2

Cheat day was yesterday. It was nice.

Started my new early shift today.

Back to Jiu Jitsu tonight. Class was good although i was disappointed to see everyone dressed in no gi gear. I prefer gi training for several reasons. I believe it makes you more technical because there are so many "handles" to grab onto when both people are training a gi. Wearing a gi also slows down the game which is what I like since i'm out of shape it puts the sparring at a level I can kind of keep up with. We worked knee on belly which is not a fun position to be in if you are the guy on bottom.




Meals:
1. Almonds, 1 Banana, 1 Nectarine. 6a.m.
2. Almonds, 1 apple 10:00a.m.
3. Chicken Breast/ Salad, yogurt 2p.m.
4.
5.

6/14/09

Didn't exercise today, allowing the body to heal some. Going for a good walk tonight with Kayla tonight when I get off work. Back at training tomorrow.

Picked Kayla up from the airport and we stopped and had Vietnamese noodle soup called Pho. I got a small bowl with lean cuts of beef. It was tasty. I'm pretty sure the broth had plenty of sodium in it so I'm drinking a lot of water this afternoon trying to flush the body some.

Meals:
1. Egg white omelet, whole wheat toast 9a.m.
2. Pho 12:30p.m.
3. Nectarine and raw almonds 3:30p.m.
4. Yogurt, low fat string cheese 6:30pm
5. Yogurt, apple 9:15pm.


Notes: It's hard to be perfect with the diet all the time but you just gotta get back to healthy stuff asap.

I'm looking forward to cheat day tomorrow.

6/13/09 BJJ#1

BJJ was the exercise today. Our black belt was out of town so Chris, one of our blue belts, taught class. Each week we work on a particular position, this week was mount top. We started class by warming up with rolling (rolling is just sparring or grappling) we would roll with one guy for about 5minutes and then switch partners so we got to go with a few different people. My training partner today was a guy named Ben who used to be wrestler in high school, some things you can always count on from wrestlers is that they have good top side control and balance, they are strong and hate to be on their backs. This guy was more my size so he was definitely strong and had good balance.

So, after warming up we got into technique.

Here's a picture of the mount position. yeah, yeah looks pretty gay, right? Well, believe me when someone is sitting on top of you trying to choke you that's the last thing on your mind. So, we started out drilling maintaining the mount. Picture it with a gi on but the guy on the bottom, if he knew bjj, will try to push on one of your knees and get to his side. The guy on top will grab the sleeve pull up and take up the space by moving his knees up.

Next, was armbar from the mount. Watch that video to see it in action. We worked this and drilled this live for one minute at a time. I actually got this submission in our warm-up roll today on a guy that i wasn't even close to getting this on several weeks ago!

Last we worked arm triangle from the mount. You will see this submission from time-to-time in the ufc because it's a good one to get without a gi on. Here's a good video of this particular sub. We drilled this back and forth for awhile and about that time our hour and a half was up, time to go.

It was a pretty good class today. I'm noticing I'm slowing gaining more endurance, little by little. I'm still pretty far out of shape though and one thing i have noticed since training again is how narrow minded i become when i'm tired. It's almost like having tunnel vision where you don't see what the other guy is going to do or don't see a move or two ahead you could be making. I know it's just a matter of time that I'll gain some endurance and won't gas as fast hence allowing me to thing clearly. I was really trying to push myself to think technique today when i was really tired, it didn't really work but it will come in time.


Meals: I don't like eating very close to Jiu Jitsu class so I didn't eat this morning because I have already made the mistake of eating a little too close to class time only to be running to the bathroom once we really started training hard.

1. Had the good 'ol Beast sandwich with lots of tomato and lettuce. 3p.m.
2. Apple 4:30p.m.
3. 1 banana, red grapes 7p.m
4. Turkey burger, baked sweet potato fries, mustard. 10p.m.
5.


Notes: Kayla comes home tomorrow! I'm pretty pumped about that! I'm covering a shift for a guy at work tomorrow and will have Monday off to hang out with Kayla. Monday will also be my cheat day so I'm planning what I want to indulge in for the day. The key with cheat days is not just stuffing yourself and not allowing one cheat day turn into two, three etc...

6/12/09

I had to really fight cravings last night. Lucky and unlucky for me there is an awesome little Mexican food place that i walk by on my way home. Portland is totally lacking when it comes to Mexican food options so it doesn't help having one a few blocks away. Plus they are open virtually all night. So, I was really wanting one of their awesome and humongous burritos on my way home last night but somehow I resisted and just went home. I tell you the cravings can be intense sometimes but every time i stick to my guns in hardens my resolve. Thank god i give myself one cheat day a week.

Exercise:

Ran 2miles this morning by walking for 30sec and sprinting for 30sec and repeat.

I'm looking forward to Jiu Jitsu tomorrow considering I haven't been all week. Should be hard but that's what I need to be pushed and to burn significant amounts of calories.

Meals:
1. Weight Control Oatmeal and SuperGreens supplement 1100a.m.
2. Ate the "beast" sandwich. 1:20p.m.
3. Almonds, 1 orange. 4:30p.m.
4. Chicken Breast, Salad, yogurt 7:30p.m.
5. Apple 9:30p.m.

Notes: If you have not watched The Revenge of the Robots on Pitchfork on their pitchfork.tv section then you definitely should. If you like hip hop that is...

6/11/09

Got to bed kind of late last night because I was watching season 2 Battlestar Galactica, which totally ruled by the way. So, as a consequence I didn't workout before work this morning, I'm going to run when i get home tonight.

Exercise:



Meals:
1. 1 apple 11a.m.
2. Half of a "Beast" vege sandwich (It has avocado, red onion, tomato, lettuce, mustard, horseradish, and garlic powder) it's named the beast when Mark was reffering to the effects it would have on one's breath. I brought extra breath mints to work! 1 p.m.
3. Almonds and an apple. 3p.m.
4. Ground Turkey, Salad, lite and fit yogurt 6p.m.
5. Baked Salmon and oddly a few dill pickle spears. 11p.m.

6/10/09

BJJ was canceled due tonight.


Meals:
1. Scrambled egg whites and 1 piece of whole wheat toast. *how i usually do my egg whites is drizzle about half a yoke for every three egg whites i cook. I also recommend tabasco sauce to make them taste a little more interesting. 11:30 a.m.
2. 4p.m. apple
3. Avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce sandwich. Sweet potato baked fries 10p.m.
4.
5.

Today was not good nor totally bad. I did go see Star Trek which was cool and managed to only have a diet coke and no awesome buttery popcorn ( I miss you sweet goodness!) But, JJ got cancelled so I didn't end up exercising at all today and I didn't eat a the proper times. But, back on track tomorrow!

6/9/09

Sore today. I am always so much more tired in the morning when i'm sore. Tomorrow is Jiu Jitsu so I'll talk about that then, I'm also going to number my jiu jitsu classes and will start with one tomorrow since i'm not quite sure how many i have done up to this point.

Exercise: Forced my ass out of bed and ran almost two miles today 1.9 according to google maps. Also did 300 ab exercises crunches, leg lifts, oblique crunches and atomic situps. Jiu jitsu relies so much on a strong core and with all my extra weight it makes for quite the challenge.

Meals:
1. Weight Control Oatmeal not a bad oatmeal if you are watching sugar and calories and Supergreens supplement. 10:45 a.m.
2. Low-Fat String Cheese, Almonds, Apple 2:00 p.m.
3. Low-Fat String Cheese, Almonds, Orange 4:15p.m.
4. Chicken breast and Salad 7p.m.
5. Baked cajun halibut fillet and green beans 1100pm

Looks like I will be moving to a day shift before too long! 6a.m.-4:30! This is great because I can have dinners and evenings to hang out with Kayla. Also, the majority of the JJ classes i want to take happen at night during the week.

6/8/09

Yeah, yeah I know it's been too long on here. I had two bad days over the weekend where I didn't do anything. I'm working on it. But, back in the saddle today. I am now carrying a notebook in my Jiu Jitsu bag so I can take notes right after practice so it will be fresh in my head and i can detail it here.

So, today got off to a good start...

Exercise: 1.5 miles of alternating blocks of walking and sprints. Also threw in some walking lunges and agility drills which seemed to keep my heart rate up.

Walked to work.

Meals:
1. Weight Control Oatmeal 11am
2. Almonds and a nectarine. 2:30 (went a little longer then 3hrs. which i try to avoid but I got busy at work)
3. Almonds and an orange. 5p.m.
4. Ground Turkey and Salad. 7:30p.m.
5. Pan seared shrimp, Salad, small handful of broccoli. 11p.m.

So, I really need to get some pics on here and customize some. I've been working on the site that I will eventually move this to, damn my programming is rusty!

On another note the 2009 Jiu Jitsu Mundials was this past weekend! That's the world championship of Jiu Jitsu. I'll talk about it more as I hear more.

I have started delving into the raw food diet some. By no means am i strictly raw food but here is a sandwich that is pretty good: Avocado, tomato, red onion, lettuce, sea salt, garlic powder.

I have a friend who is strictly on the raw food diet, intense, too intense for me. He has got me drinking SuperGreens supplement that is supposed to help balance the alkalinity in your body as you can imagine it's not the best tasting thing, it tastes like an unsweetened green tea. I'm going to give it a shot for a bit and see if i can tell a difference.

6/3/09

Finding it hard to not eat something tasty out of boredom today. Guess, it's hard to change bad habits. We push on...


Meals:
1: Egg White Omelet, 1 piece of whole wheat toast. 10:30 a.m.
2. Apple 1 p.m.
3. Ground Turkey (seasoned w/taco seasoning) and Green Leaf lettuce salad. 3:50p.m.
4. Almonds and Apple 6p.m.
5.

6/2/09

RIP - Mike Klein. That last beer was a good one, a Pabst but still good!

They are doing construction on our apartment building so i was rudely awakened at 7a.m. this morning. This may not sound too early to you but since i work second shift and don't usually get home until 11 p.m. i tend to be up a little later and sleep in a little later the most.

On to the logs:

Exercise: I ran 1.2 mile today but I did it where i would walk a block then sprint a block. Boy, I'm outta shape... Persistence is key.

Meals:
1: Protein Plus cereal and lite soy milk. 11:25 a.m.
2: 15 raw almonds, 1 apple 1:40 p.m.
3: 10 raw almonds, 1 nectarine 4:00 p.m.
4: Ground turkey, salad, dannon lite and fit yogurt. 6:25 p.m.
5: 1 apple 9p.m.
2:

In the beginning...

So, momentum in diet, excercise, training etc... is everything in my opinion. Whatever it is that you are trying to get into the habit of takes that momentum. Once you get that momentum headed in the right direction it is much easier to maintain. I wish I would have really thought this back when I achieved my weight loss goals a couple of years ago.

Today is the beginning of new habits of a renewed dedication to BJJ, My diet and in a broader spectrum, life. I have checked out of some of the things in my life that I have worked hard at in the past and what brought me so much joy. But, no more! Now, I work towards the goals I want.

I'm sure this blog will evolve as I go and figure out what works best for me.

But, as for right now I'm going to put my diet on here, my training and whatever else happens to appear on here.

So, today is the first day forward I wholeheartedly dedicate to getting better.

Food:

Meal 1: 10 Almonds and 1 apple 12:45 PT.
2: 10 whole raw almonds and 1 apple 3:45Pt.
3: Ground lean turkey, salad, asian light dressing, dannon lite and fit yougurt 7pt.
4: Salmon and Salad 11:30ish
5:

Notes: So fell short with the diet today. My intention is to eat 5-6 small meals a day going 2-3 hrs between meals.