I haven’t been getting enough sleep and I am afraid that I am getting dumber because of it.
I am sure you know about my fear of Winter darkness. Well, I don’t exactly fear the lack of light, I fear the short days and the being inside way too much for months on end. I fear it so much that my better half got me one of those “Happy Lights” to help me snap out of it. I’ll tell you, I think it may work.
I thought I would try something different this year. Since the sun is up when I roll out of bed, I thought that I would try getting up at the super duper early time of 7AM to get a jump on the day. I figured that if I can get going earlier than I normally do, the day will seem longer. I even have my own alarm clock on my side of the bed to help me. This has been going on now since the change in daylight saving time. Honestly, it’s been working. Getting up at 7AM makes the day seem a heck of a lot longer. We eat dinner earlier and sometimes, when I look at the clock and think it’s around 10PM, it’s really only 6PM. That’s a little treat.
There’s only one problem. I’m a night owl. I do most of my work at night. I get all of my good ideas at night. I usually roll into bed between 1AM – 2AM. This little habit of mine hasn’t changed. What does this mean? Well, it means that I haven’t been getting enough sleep.
I feel fine. I think things go smoothly throughout the day, but I have noticed strange things happening. For one, I haven’t written here as much as I normally do. I have had so many ideas, but right after I get the idea, I say to myself, “Ah hell, I don’t feel like writing. Let all those other champion bloggers take over for a day or two. They know I’ll be back.” Then, a few days go by and then another few…
I don’t think I have ever forgotten to bring my wallet with me to a store in my life. I just don’t do it. The other day, I had to go to Home Depot and then Wal-Mart for some stuff. I got to Home Depot and had all the items I needed in my hand when I was on my way to the register to check out. All of the sudden, a wave of heat came over me…where was my wallet? It wasn’t on me. I left it at the house. First time in my life. I felt so stupid and I was so mad. While I was in the car, I cursed something awful. My muscles flexed and people feared me. No seriously, I was so upset, not because I didn’t bring my wallet with me, but because I actually let myself forget it. It just wasn’t like me to do something like that.
I have also been forgetting people’s names like crazy. I just did that today twice. It’s getting really annoying and I think all this has to do with a lack of sleep.
We talked about it this evening and decided that we need to be in bed and under the covers by 11PM. Sure, I’ll do my usual reading, but that doesn’t usually last for long before I konk out.
Well folks, that’s what I am going to do. I have two minutes to brush my teeth, wash my hands and comb my hair. Then, off to bed it is. All so I can write more for you. By the way, that little saying is something I got from something my mother crocheted when I was younger. I don’t really comb my hair before bed.
So, I am a few days shy of my four month mark in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Can you believe it?
I remember a little over four months ago. I was driving around going nuts trying to find some sort of martial art to keep me physically fit and to maintain my body’s lethal-ness. Okay, well maybe I wasn’t lethal before…oh hell, I’m still not lethal, but at least I am a bit more physically fit.
A few weeks into Jiu Jitsu training, I got a few back spasms. That really stunk. They were from using muscles that I have probably never used. I was just telling Laura today how good my back has been feeling lately. At my age, it’s important to keep the body doing all sorts of moves and exercises and I seriously can’t think of anything better for that than Jiu Jitsu. One of the stretching exercises I do every time we have class is to lay on my back and lift my legs all the way over my head until my feet are touching the floor. I never used to be able to do that. It’s a great stretch by the way.
For the past few weeks, I have been working out with two guys – one is my fellow classmate and the other is my instructor. They are both much better than me and really great to train with for this stuff. Since I am the newest, my instructor has his work cut out for him. Every so often, my classmate chimes in with some good advice. It’s like I am getting private lessons. Hey, not a bad deal.
I have been getting better. I can feel it. I am not getting my butt kicked as bad as I used to and I am starting to implement some submissions as opposed to just playing defense the whole time. I am also getting better at keeping pressure on my opponent (physical pressure by using the weight of my body) and I have gotten MUCH better at not getting completely exhausted every time I go out there with someone. That was a huge obstacle when I first started. I didn’t like the feeling of losing, so I used all my strength to stop what was happening. I would tire myself out to the point of being useless.
From what I have gathered, Jiu Jitsu requires some degree of intelligence to progress at. It’s not walking out on the mat to randomly see what happens. You need to have a plan and to be able to moderate yourself. You need to find your opponent’s weaknesses and exploit them. It’s a tricky thing and it’s as much in the head as it is in the body. Maybe that’s why I like it so much.
Today was a great day. After about 45 minutes of getting a great workout, my instructor walked over to me and put another blue stripe on my white belt. He said that I was getting much better and then offered some advice on the day’s matches. Always good advice, I just wish that I was able to use more of it. It’s not the easiest thing to try to submit guys who have years of experience at this stuff.
I will say this – there is a real benefit of working out with guys who have so much more experience than I have. While I do play defense, I am learning what types of moves to defend against. For example, back in the beginning, I would just stick my arms up in the air to stop whatever was coming at me. Now, let’s just say my arms don’t go up in the air nearly as much as they used to and I use many alternative strategies to defend myself. Every so often, I actually get in top position to see where I can go from there. It’s fun. Hey, only eight more months of doing what I’m doing and I might be close to my blue belt. I am looking forward to that challenge.
Here is a pic of my belt and a nice motivational video. By the way, stop by to say hi and you might want to give Jiu Jitsu a try yourself – Jiu Jitsu near Hartford, CT (located in Glastonbury).
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu white belt with two blue stripes
Okay, so now that I have been doing this for about a month and a half, I figured I really should start writing about it. It’s just been burning me up inside.
Remember that post a while back where I said that I had found a nice “exercise” class up in Glastonbury (or I was looking for one anyway)? Well, that exercise class is actually Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. If you aren’t familiar with what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is, you can do a quick read-up over here on Wikipedia.
Also, if you forgot what got me all motivated about this in the first place, you can re-read my “How To Develop Stamina” post. That will refresh your memory with how frustrated I get with myself.
Anyway, as I mentioned in that earlier post, I have this never ending quest to get in shape. One of the major problems with this quest is that I am getting older and my body is slowly falling apart. Don’t laugh, you are in the same boat. Ha. The rule book my parents gave me when I was born didn’t mention anything about how I was going to have to work harder and harder at getting fit as I get older and older. I am thinking they decided to keep that one to themselves and are now getting a little chuckle out of it.
Now, let me tell you that by no means am I out of shape. I am actually feeling pretty good. I just want to be able to run a marathon tomorrow and not feel it. Yeah right. Laura keeps reminding me that people actually train for that kind of stuff. Either way, continuing to think that I am out of shape keeps me motivated.
At the time I was writing that “Stamina” post, I was actually looking for a martial arts class to join in on. I had always wanted to learn martial arts and even gave it a try when I was a kid. I think I’ll save that story for another post, because I took my one free class with three of my friends and things didn’t turn out too well. That’s what happens when you put four giggly idiots in a class with a bunch of guys who could damage us. It was actually really funny…to us. Anyway…
I first sat in on a Taekwondo class here in town. It looked really good, but I just didn’t get the vibe I was looking for in it. One of the main factors that dissuaded me was the fact that there were kids in the class. I was looking for something more mature. It looked like everyone in the class was learning a lot, but I just didn’t think I would fit in.
Next, I went up to visit a Karate school in Glastonbury. I had watched a bunch of videos from this school on the internet and was pretty excited. When I got to the school, no one was there. I actually stood in the lobby and called the place on my cell phone. I heard the office phone ringing and I hung up. I took a quick look around and noticed that this school also really targeted kids. I guess this martial arts thing is really popular with the youngsters. Oh well. I left.
To make a long story short, I started looking into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and started liking what I was learning about it. If you look at the Wikipedia page I linked to above and have watched any of the videos that I have posted, I think you’ll know why. To me, it’s challenging, smart, fun, great exercise and a very handy tool to have in your back pocket.
I found a nice school that teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu up in Glastonbury. I called the owner and was invited up to sit in on a class. Now, mind you I have never really been to a Jiu-Jitsu class before, so I didn’t know what to expect. He mentioned that I could wear sweats or something to move around in, but I opted to wear jeans because I didn’t even know if I was going to be interested in what they offered. I just sat on the side and observed.
The night I sat in on the class, I learned that this was actually something I was really eager to get involved with. If you took a really quick glace at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), you might think it looks like high school wrestling. The difference between BJJ and wrestling is that in wrestling, you try to pin your opponent and in BJJ, you go for a submission, such as an arm bar, leg lock or a choke. Also, BJJ has a more practical side and can be used as self defense.
After a month and a half of pretty fast paced training, I would say that I have been bitten by the bug. My instructor actually was laughing about that this morning. As I was laying on the mat sweating, I reminded him that I didn’t even know what BJJ was two months ago.
The school I train at offers three classes a week. I haven’t missed any yet. My instructor and another guy also like to train one to two extra days per week. I go with them any time they ask me. I usually end up going in four times a week and sometimes five, like I did last week. It’s really, really good exercise, but I will admit, my body gets tired. I just need to get used to it.
For the first two weeks, I gotta tell you, I was kind of in pain. I had a few back spasms and my muscles wanted to strangle me for what I was doing to them. I thought I was down and out for a few classes when I had the spasms, but I still went in and worked it out. Believe it or not, practicing BJJ is sort of like going to the chiropractor. You go in with a back problem and come out cured. It’s amazing what someone stacking you will do for your back muscles.
Since then, things have been going rather smoothly. I purchased a new gi, a mouth guard and some knee pads. These things have come in really handy, especially the knee pads and mouth guard. I was watching a video a few weeks ago and the trainer was attempting to express how important mouth guards are. He then pulled out his front teeth to let the point sink in. He told the class that he lost all of his front teeth the very first time he went to train. I bought the mouth guard after I saw that video.
During the month and a half that I have been learning Jiu Jitsu, I have noticed some pretty nice changes. Firstly, I look a bit better muscle-wise. Things look more toned. Also, I can see my abs again. I never thought that would happen. I’m not sure if my stomach muscles have been built up more or if I lost weight. Either way, my good ol’ college six-pack is starting to show again. I think the real secret lies behind the creatine and soy protein though. Those supplements helped a lot in college and continue to help tremendously now.
I really wish you could see me spar with the guys in the class. You would probably get a kick out of it. It’s amazing how much I have learned in just a month and a half, but it definitely shows how much I have to learn. But, like anything else I get myself into, it’s pretty much a life long trip.
I had considered writing all about the different moves I learn here on this blog, but then thought better of it. I can well imagine that most of my readers really don’t know or care what a “Scissor Sweep” is. Well, if you do care what it is, check out this video for a demonstration.
You know, now that I put that video up, I am realizing how I can actually post a video for every move I learn. If I put a video up with some text, you guys won’t get bored and I will be learning something too. Hmmm.
Okay, I am outty. I just thought I would share the reason I haven’t been writing all that much lately. I have been so busy with this and work. Till next time.
I think I have been doing pretty well. For a few weeks now, I have been exercising like crazy. I like to do some sort of strength training along with cardio every day. It’s funny, because when I sit around and don’t exercise, I feel guilty. I remember that from way back when I was in shape a little more than I am now.
Just to start things off, I want to tell you that I did find a school where I could get more exercise. It’s three times a week and it’s really, really cool. I’ll talk more about that later.
So basically I am doing just a combination of things to keep me entertained. I do the workout DVDs, I use the Bowflex, I play tennis, I now go to the exercise school and I ride my bike. Oh yeah, I also jump rope. Believe it or not, I actually got up to 150 jumped ropes today and could have gone for more. I assume at some point, I will stop counting and just keep going. That’s going to be a rush.
I wanted to tell you about this really awesome workout DVD I got called “The Pit Workout.” It’s serious business for serious people and that’s what I am…serious. It’s a mixed martial arts full body workout taught by trainer John Hackleman (Chuck Liddell’s trainer). I did it for about 15 minutes yesterday when I realized that I had to get some sort of rug for downstairs. My feet were absolutely killing me from the burpies. Tile isn’t any good for the toes. I had to stop and hop on the Bowflex instead.
Here is a video of how to do burpies…
and here is a video of the Pit workout…
I do feel good because my stomach muscles have been hurting for two days. That means I gotta be doing something.
Sticking with the strategy of doing at least one cardio and one strength training activity per day, I decided to go for a bike ride this morning. Well, I decided this last night after one of those beautiful warm spring days. Unfortunately, this morning is a bit chilly and windy. It’s supposed to rain over an inch tonight. That’s okay, because I aerated the lawn again yesterday and the rain will wash all those little dirt plugs back into the ground.
Back to the bike ride. Since one of the areas I really have to work on is my legs, I thought a bike ride would fit in nicely. The legs have some large muscles in them that, if toned, can really help with overall fitness. I absolutely hate working on legs and pretty much avoid it if possible. Doing that doesn’t do me any favors though, so I try to at least do something that I don’t hate too much. That’s bike riding.
The ride I took covered about five miles. There were a good amount of uphills and downhills. Remarkably, I plowed right through all of them. The first big hill is usually the one I have to stop and walk a little on, but this time I just rode right up it. I wasn’t even that tired. I think it might have something to do with the weather though. It’s a heck of a lot easier to breath in cool weather than it is in hot, humid weather…and that was the type of weather I had to put up with the last time I tried to climb this hill.
Today’s ride was really good. I actually focused on my breathing, which helped. One of the things I always get yelled at during a tennis lesson is to “BREATH!!!” Umm, yeah, I guess oxygen would help.
The first 4 7/8 miles were on pavement and the last 1/8 of a mile was through the woods. I had to be a little careful while riding through the woods because there are those round rocks hidden under the leaves. If you go too fast, whoops.
Overall, the ride felt great. I am probably going to mix riding in with all the other cardio activities I have thought of over the past week. By the way, if you want to learn a little more about why cardio exercise is important, just click here.
Riding my Mongoose mountain bike in the middle of the road
Preparing to ride my mountain bike through a wooded trail
Today was a great first day to try out an exercise DVD. We have a pretty well stocked library of them, so I thought it might benefit me to get going. I knew I was going to play tennis in the afternoon, so a morning workout would be nice. I had to do it. If there is nothing I hate more, it’s sitting around at night time wondering why I didn’t do what I had set out to do that day.
Let me tell you, the biggest challenge with getting more “fit” is motivation. I mean, what in the world is going to stop me from sitting around and being comfortable when being comfortable feels so damn good? Yeah, I really want to get up and jump around into an ugly sweat. I guess I just have to get past that. I do that with other stuff I do already, such as mowing the lawn. How is exercising any different?
I pulled out the Budokon DVD because it’s pretty well rounded. I am really going for flexibility, stamina and strength. As we get older, each one of those areas fade. I have never admired muscle heads or people who do yoga all day long. Or, those who just run on the treadmill for that matter. A nice combination of the three is nice.
The instructor, Cameron Shayne, is pretty awesome. He isn’t just some guy who can’t do what he is telling you to do; he can really move.
Take a look at some of his stuff. He’s the one with no shirt on.
As I got into the program, I quickly realized that the yoga section was first. I also quickly realized that yoga is really difficult. I think it will just take some practice, but those moves are pretty straining. I liked the cardio section more than the yoga. Partially because I was in the mood for some aerobic exercise and partially because there was less burning of the muscles. Take a look at some of the exercises.
Proudly enough, I completed the whole workout. I sweat like a pig, but I did it. My heart was pumping for a full half hour which felt really good. Later on, I met a friend up at the high school for a quick tennis set and now I’m back. Strangely enough, I feel full of energy.
I can’t wait to move on to more DVDs. I ordered one from Amazon the other day and after I complete it, I’ll let you know about it. This one is totally different and I bet will be more humorous for you to read about. I’m not sure I’m going to get through this next one.
I know, I know, you have been getting “Jay’s Blog withdrawal.” I haven’t written in a few days. It’s not because I don’t love all of you, it’s just because I have been a little tired.
Ever since we got this Bowflex and I started playing tennis again, it seems as though I am constantly sore. I mean, my muscles are always in recovery. My shoulder hurts, my back hurts and I think I pulled a butt muscle.
The muscle injury in my shoulder is from twelve years ago when I “over served” a few days in a row. I was so thrilled that I could actually serve, that I went to the club day after day to practice. Well, lets just say that I must have served about a thousand balls. I am not sure I even got any better. If today’s playing is any indication, I didn’t. Oh well, it’s working itself out, with the help of some Motrin and ice.
I remember when I could do a good workout and then go back and hit the gym the next day. I am trying that now, but unfortunately, it’s not the same. Apparently, it now takes two and a half weeks to recover. Maybe that is exaggerating a little bit, but for any of you over 30 years old, go out and get drunk. Then, come back here and tell me how long it took you to recover from that. My point is that we are falling apart. That is why I am trying to stay in shape as best I can.
I have now been to two tennis clinics and have had two private lessons. I learned a lot in yesterday’s lesson, only to apply none of it in today’s clinic. I don’t know what happened. I guess I am going to have these kinds of days. Tomorrow, I am going to hit with a youngster from the club. He is a really cool kid (17 years old) and is going to kick my butt. He has been playing since he was four years old. His father is the pro that gave me yesterday’s lesson. I think he is pretty lucky to get free lessons for life. I told him that today. Tomorrow, we are just going to hit back and forth, with no games. He is great at giving advice too, which I appreciate.
At least I am now learning the proper way to hit a tennis ball. After all these years of playing tennis, I never actually had a real lesson. I mean, I guess I had a few lessons over at the town beach when I was like five, but those don’t count. These are real, hour long tennis lessons. I walk away actually thinking I might get better.
Now to the point of this blog post. I have been using the same tennis racquet since I was 21. It’s one of those cheap ones from some store like Jamesway or Caldor. I am not even sure where I got it. I have been using it with some success, but thought that since I am going to need to get it restrung soon, I may as well get a high quality racquet to play with. I tried a few different racquets at the club and there is a huge difference in quality and playability.
A few days ago, I ordered a new Prince O3 Speedport Black Team tennis racquet and received it today. It’s the latest from Prince. I did a lot of research on different racquets and am hoping this is the one.
Prince O3 Speedport Black Team Tennis Racquet
Prince O3 Speedport Black Team Tennis Racquet
Prince O3 Speedport Black Team Tennis Racquet
Here are the specs:
- Length: 27.0”
- Headsize: 100 sq in
- Cross Section: 23-24-22mm
- Weight: 9.9 oz/280g unstrung
- Balance: 13.6 in/34.5 cm, 1 pt. Head Heavy
- Grip: DuraPro+
- Rec. Strings: Syn Gut w/ Duraflex 16
- Power Level: 975
- Swing Weight: 295
- String Pattern: 16 x 19
If you notice in the photos above, the great feature of this racquet is the “Os” on the sides, where the strings go through. These “Os” are supposed to make the racquet more aerodynamic. When I read that, I said, “Yeah right.” Well, as is turns out, you can actually hear the wind whistle through the racquet when you swing. It cuts through the air much easier than my other one.
I had this racquet strung at 57lbs, which is too loose. The recommended stringing tension is 58lbs, plus or minus 5. 57lbs is too loose for me and I may play with it for a while and then cut the strings out to get it strung tighter. We’ll see. I can always wait for them to break too.
I am going to give this racquet a try tomorrow and let you know how it plays.
