I think its fair to say that martial arts and MMA don't really appeal to women very much. I have talked with girls who say they find it intimidating, which I umderstand.  A girl walks into a MMA gym and sees a bunch of guys punching heavy bags, sweating, grunting, wrestling.  They see guys being slammed to the ground and being choked out and getting slapped in an arm bar; its not always a pretty sight! I've said before that most people consider these sports to be a "mans" sport.  I disagree!  If you turn on the TV and watch the sports channel or Google UFC, the first fighters to be talked about are women! Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Cristiane Cyborg, are all over the news on a daily basis and taking over the main event lists.  Its safe to say that girls are taking over what was formerly known as a "mans sport", and I couldn't be happier about it! I firmly believe that women have a place in this sport, and why not? Women are usually more flexible, compac...

Growing up I was always a pretty healthy eater.  We were raised on a farm so a lot of the foods we ate were usually home grown.  We butchered our own beef and chickens for the most part, drank milk straight out of the tank, veggies and of course potatoes from our garden.  My family is big and we are big eaters too; in our house if you didn't eat quick, you probably didn't eat much! Therefore I have always had a big appetite for as long as I can remember. When I moved out on my own I had basic cooking skills and I decided that I did not want to eat Mr. Noodles all the time so I taught myself how to cook.  It was a lot of trial and error and Ernie being my guinea pig of course.  I ate a lot of pasta and rice and chicken.  As I said, we ate a lot of beef growing up so chicken was a novelty for me! I at least made sure that most of my pasta and rice was whole wheat for the fiber and nutrition content.  I also ate a lot of granola bars and of course splurg...

Over the last few years I have been doing more grappling then I ever have in my life.  It has me thinking about how I want to improve as a fighter.  I have been doing this for a long time, but I am far from being the best, but I always strive to do the best that I can.  I want to always be able to improve so I can be better.  I never want to walk around saying "I'm the best" because in martial arts you must have humility.  To me, saying "I am the best" means that I have reached the top of the mountain, but there is no top of the mountain, it only continues going up. I thought of a list tonight while I was grappling Ernie about things I want to improve on.  A lot of these things happened tonight while we were fighting, which is why I thought of them! 1.  I want to do more throws and work on my throwing skills.  In the past when I fought, if my opponent went for a throw or a take down I would go with it and start my plan on the ground.  In t...

The next part of my fitness journey is going to be an exciting one.  I'll give a bit of a background for my next chapter. Lately I have been thinking about the inspirational fitness women that I follow on Facebook, for example Pauline Nordin and Nicole Wilkins. I want to do more with the fitness and bring my message to more people. The message that I want to get across is that girls and women can do anything they want, especially in fitness. Writing this blog has me reflecting a lot lately and makes me think about the future of my journey. My goal for the future is to hopefully motivate others to find their own fitness and not be afraid to do "manly" things.  I was thinking about how many women and girls are told they shouldn't do stuff just because it's not feminine.  Women who weight lift are told they are manly; women who fight in MMA are told they are scary and not feminine. Even women  who are dancers or gymnists are told they are weak and "girly"...

In my years of Ju Jitsu thus far, I have seen a lot of people come and go.  A lot people who come into the sport for the wrong reasons and find out that its not all what they expected it to be.  To be honest, most of those people are men.  I'm not saying that women don't join and stick around, they are a small minority. The people who tend to not stick around are the ones who have the wrong attitude before they even get to the front door of the gym or dojo.  They come and are all excited because all they want to do is hit people or choke them out and are unwilling to start with basics.  These type of people watch the UFC and think, "I can do that, I've been in a fight before"; but they do not consider the amount of work, blood, sweat and tears it takes to get there.  They do not see the endless hours of training, hurting joints, and the lessons learned.  They just see people getting their heads bashed in and arms broken and think, "Awesome! I could do...

Yesterday and today were my early days for getting up and working out in the morning.  I slept in a little bit today till 5:30 am, I didn't have to work till 8:30 so I had some time. I did my workout and got a coffee and headed to work feeling great!  For most of the day, I actually felt pretty good, a little tired but not too bad, that is until 5 pm. It was like Cinderella at midnight, I may as well have turned into a pumpkin (like the carriage).  My brain became foggy, I couldn't concentrate, and my contacts started bothering me. Thank god I thought to bring my glasses; so I took out my contacts and put my glasses on. On the way home from work, I was so tired.  I knew it wasn't because I was hungry or anything like that because I just ate a bunch of food at 4:30pm.  I didn't want to have a coffee because I can be sensitive to coffee and it would keep me up all night.  On the other hand, I knew that I couldn't just go home and take a nap, otherwise I woul...

When I first started working out, I discovered I had very little time after work for workouts.  Between teaching Ju Jitsu/life commitments, I found it was nearly impossible to get in gym time after work.  After a bit of struggling, I finally caved and started the morning workout routine and I've never looked back! I will start by saying I am not the rise and shine, life is roses and butterflies type person in the morning.  I'm more of do not provoke, stand back and throw caffeine at her before 9am type. Over time, I learned to love the morning workouts.  I can get my workout done and over with and I don't have to think about it for the rest of the day.  It's not easy, but most people find that they struggle with motivation after work, so mornings are a great option.  It requires some prep work but it's worth it for a slow riser like me who already has a difficult time getting up in the morning. I've compiled a little list of tips to help with morning...

When I started my new fitness lifestyle, I had a few goals in mind.  I want to change my lifestyle for the better and keep it for life.  I am pushing myself to be stronger, healthier and better.  For me, its not about being skinny, nor is it because I hate my body and want a new one.  I love my body and what it can do.  I am constantly surprised at what I have been able to push myself to do so far, and I live for the challenge of where I want to go from here.  I want to be stronger, faster and better.  I want to be a better fighter; I want to lift more weight; I want more muscle.  I do not want people to see me and think, "wow she is skinny!" I want them to think "she looks strong and athletic!".  I personally do not want to be a body builder, its not my personal goal, I do want to be healthy and strong for life.   I also have some smaller, more short term goals that will help lead me to where I want to be. 1.  I want...

I've been reflecting a lot about my start in Ju Jitsu and how it led me to where I am today and where I want to go from here.  I teach and train with my husband practically every day, so you could say its what consumes most of my time next to my full time job.   I started Ju Jitsu about 12 years ago starting about 3 years after my younger brother.  I would go to class and watch and soak up all the information the Sensei (instructor) Joseph gave, and eventually I decided I wanted to join as well.  I loved the chance to learn martial arts and marveled at being able to fight with my brothers and not get in trouble from my mom! I also enjoyed being a part of a sport that not a lot of women participate in.  I felt like an anomaly; a girl that knew how to fight and most of the boys were scared of!   In the style of Ju Jitsu I am in, which is a traditional Japanese style, it takes a long time to work through the ranks; you cannot become a black belt i...

We are on our way home from Jasper and were discussing our Ju Jitsu class we are teaching later on today. It got me thinking about all the new kids we have coming into our class and some new adults we will be seeing in our adult classes.  I've decided to write a list of Do's and Don'ts of Joining a Martial Art class. Now it can be any Martial art so this is a general list. 1. DO some research into the styles you are interested in and compare to your personal capabilities. For example if you are out of shape and have little experience then maybe join a beginner kickboxing class that will give you a good fitness base. Or if you know you have a bad back, then Judo may not be the best option at first because it involves throws and falling on your back.  1. DON'T assume all martial arts are the same. There are many different styles out there that include different ways of fighting. Some focus on stand up, throws, striking or grappling. Each that are originated in diffe...

Recipe is super simple.  Great when warmed up on the fire! Ingredients: 1 lb extra lean hamburger  4-6 eggs  6 Tortilla wraps  1 red pepper diced 1 small tomato cut up 1/2 onion diced 1  Clove of garlic minced Salsa Taco seasoning- either packaged (get low sodium) or homemade  Steps: 1.   Cook hamburger with garlic and onion.  A trick that I use is when the hamburger is 90% cooked I put it into a strainer and pour hot water on it and I helps rid of a lot of the fat! Then for flavour add 1/2 of taco seasoning and peppers then cook for a couple more mins 2. Scramble eggs in a pan 3.  Mix together in a bowl the hamburger and egg mixture. Add tomatoes and rest of taco seasoning  4.  Scoop into tortillas add salsa on top and fold. Wrap in tin foil and freeze if desired  5. Can warm up in oven or on fire when camping