The Masters Division

There's a war in your stomach!

Or...  Eating Bugs - Probiotics and you!

Before I start, let me do the usual disclaimers: I'm not a health professional, just some guy on the internets.  Anything described on the site is stuff I'm willing to do to myself.  Ask your mother or doctor for permission before playing along.  Oh... and a lot of this is reposted from wikipedia... but at least you don't have to go find it on your own.

Maybe I need a disclaimer page.

Probiotics (affectionately referred to as "bugs" in my household) have a long history in the way of health benefits, which according to current research, is just beginning.

(Pro)biotics differ from (Anti)biotics in that instead of killing off stuff, they actually add healthy bacteria to your system.  Your gut (that's a complex medical term) is responsible for more than just digestion.  Research is constantly finding new roles your gut plays in things like, immunology and the prevention of cancer.

Portions of your digestive tract are essentially a giant ecosystem for bacteria and other microorganisms.  The healthy bacteria help with digestion (thus the poop yogurt commercials), assist in breaking down nutrients (so you get the most from your food / supplements), and even clear out some of the bad stuff that tries to get into your system.  Unhealthy bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and parasites have the opposite effect on your system.

The American Society for Microbiology convened a study with National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and discussed that these bugs can also help with:

• Treating Diarrhea
• IBS
• Lactose Intolerance
• Lowering Cholesterol
• Lowering Blood Pressure
• Managing and Treating Eczema in kids

Check the wiki entry for which strains do what.

Probiotics can be found in the following foods from around the world:

• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Miso
• Soy Sauce
• Kimchi
• Yakult
• Dahi
• Mother's Milk

You can also find probiotics in Pill and Capsule form at most major grocery stores.  While you're shopping, check out some digestive enzymes.  They help keep you from getting gassy with meals, since they assist with breaking down food in the stomach.

That's pretty much it for bugs.  I'll update the post if I think of anything else.  Probiotics do require that you regularly consume them to maintain the bacterial colonies (Kefir requires less maintenance) and they take a little time to kick in (thus Dannon's two week deal).

I found eating a yogurt a day to be less convenient than drinking a DanActive, Yokult, or a kefir drink, but really -- I can think of worse things than eating a yogurt every day.  Plus, the organic food service we use (Greenling) offers kefir from local dairies.

If you're looking to get the most out of your diet and body, give probiotics a try for a month and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Learn more about probiotics' history here:

• History of Probiotics - 4500 years and counting
• Ilya Ilyich Mechikov - Father of immunology; theorized about toxic bacteria in the gut
• Minoru Shirota - Researched intestinal health; created Yokult

 

Help Jessica Bednark (updated: 6/28)

On Saturday, MMA fighter Jessica Bednark was taken to the hospital with a severe head injury. 

The following is taken directly from another source (wfighter.com).  I'm sure they'll understand:

"Jessica Bednark collapsed during training and was rushed to the emergency room yesterday with a bleed to her brain. The doctors preformed emergency surgery to remove the pressure on her brain. They had to remove a small area of her skull as well. Jessica remains in a medically induced coma right now. She is in ICU and can not have any visitors until Tuesday or Wednesday.

Jessica is a professional female fighter, with a record of 5-2-0 at 135lbs. She was scheduled to fight June 12th against AJ Jenkins and was training when this happened.

I was informed by her camp that she does NOT have medical insurance and depended on her job for her training and bills. We need to come together right now and help Jessica. Her family was extremely grateful that we have posted bulletins, but now as a fighter community, we need to extend a helping hand. Hit your sponsors as well.......

PLEASE SEND ALL DONATIONS and cards to:
Derek Gould
15824 Neon St NW
Ramsey MN
55303

Jessica you are a fighter with heart and courage, you will pull out of this. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers please."

Taken from MMAOpinion.com:

Update: Jessica’s boyfriend Jay Gould reports that “everything is going as well as planned, so far.” Jessica had a catscan this morning, and her brain was where doctors hoped it would be. She is scheduled to have the piece of her skill put back in at 10:30 tomorrow morning, after which the doctors will try to wake her up.

Update (5/28/09): Jessica is now moving. She can sit up and open her eyes, respond to her name, etc. She knows who everyone is, remembers birthdates and other relevant information. Her breathing tube and pressure monitor to her brain have been removed. The doctors are waiting until she is awake for 48 hours for her to gain full consciousness before putting the piece of her skull back in.

Update: (6/28/09) Here's an update from Jessica (taken from her Myspace page)

Hey Guys Here's whats new. As some of you may know I've been in the hospital for a couple weeks. I was sparring with some friends a few weeks ago and somehow when I was done sparring I was all wobbly and got tired and fell asleep. Nothing to blame on the guys I was sparring with, they're great and they know I like it rough.

I really have no memory of that day or the week after it. But anyhow, it must have been some kind of fluke incident. I've been sparring for the last 9 years taking all kinds of heavy blows to the head and now this- ok here it goes.

So what happened is my brain started bleeding. My pupils got all huge and my brain stem was getting all crowded with blood. They said I almost died but the did emergency surgery and drained all that extra blood out of my skull. A few days later they did another surgery and patched my skull back up. So now my head is all shaven and I've got a whole bunch of staples in my head.

My memory was pretty much wiped starting on saturday and going till a week after my surgery. Jay just brought me up to speed a few days ago. He told me how I almost died and how he was really scared and then he told me the doctor said no more fighting. I've never been heart broken before but this must be what it feels like. I still can't even think about it without crying. If they told me I could never compete again maybe I could deal with that, but they don't want me getting hit in the head. No more sparring. This is what I've loved doing more than anything else for the past 9 years. I don"t even know what I'm gonna do with myself when I get out of this hospital.

Jay suggested I take up jujitsu hardcore, which I suppose I will do, but you don't get to punch anybody in the face in jujitsu. I've always loved sparring, just goin at it hard. I don't know what I'm gonna do.

---------------------

Loss.
Not being able to train is one of those fears that lingers on the periphery.  It would be, without any risk of overstatement, as Jessica said, "heartbreaking."  I'm sure you can empathize. 

It's easy to miss a day or take a lazy week or two when you know you have the ability to go back to it.  It's easy to take things, like training, that are such an important part of our lives for granted.  Things that are such a feature of our lives or that are the basis of our lifestyle are assumed to be something we have control over.  The thought of losing that control is terrifying.

I hope Jessica finds an outlet in Jiu-Jitsu and it gives her peace and a new passion moving forward.

Help.
It's my understanding that this type of injury is not very common, but unfortunately the lack of good medical coverage is less of a rarity.  I've recently checked into non-profits and other organizations that assist with medical coverage for other professions (HAAM in Austin for example).  It's a topic for us to discuss in the near future, but for now please see if there's anything you can do to get the word out and help Jessica. 

There's a Paypal set-up in her name: helpforjessica@twincities.mn - It only takes a minute to send her a little assistance and anything you can send will help. 

Coverage can be found at:

• Wfighter.com
• MMAOpinion.com
• the Minneapolis / St. Paul City Pages

Intermission: 7 minutes of Marcelo

After a night of shameful inactivity, this clip always gets me excited to do a little more tomorrow.

Getting started - BJJ

If you're not a natural athlete, or outgoing, or much of a risk taker... I can see how starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) can feel like a near Herculean task.  You're expected to walk into an environment where people you don't know, who very likely have superhuman abilities, are going to judge you and then pounce on you... and then choke you / crush you / pull your arms off.

Fortunately, that's not what you're likely to find (if you do, run home, email me, and I'll try to help you find a better school in your area). 

What you're likely to find is a group of people that are serious about their training, but welcoming of newcomers.  If they're sizing you up when you walk in, it may be because they're curious about your background and attitude.  Are you a former all-American wrestling champ?  Are you a loon that's just looking to pull someone's arms off?

Your first experience on the mats will be tiring and come with a few bruises.  It's a physical sport.  But it's a game that people of all sizes can learn and excel at.  My training partners have included 130lb folks with amazing skill and 230lb giants that've shown excellent restraint and concern for others.

Yes, you may run into the occasional "future Xtreme champ of the RAWR!"  Realize that those people are the exceptions.  If you find that they're not - it may be time to find a new place to train.

Always realize that you do have options.  Find a school you feel comfortable with.  When you begin training, remember that you don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable doing physically.  Your instructor (coach) and training partners are going to push you.  That's a good thing.  But if you run into something you really don't feel comfortable with - don't do it.

Remember, if something hurts.  Tap the mat with your hand or feet.  Say, "Tap" loud enough for your partner or others to hear.  Hell, snap your fingers on the arm closest to the person's head (though I suck at snapping my fingers).

If you panic or feel smothered - try calm down or breathe in a controlled manner (try counting to 3 or 4 mentally for each breath).  Talk to yourself.  It'll help you breathe.  If you can't - tap.  Don't be embarrassed to tell people what happened.  They'll teach you how do deal with it.  It happens.

People are allowed to take a break and catch their breath; work within the limits imposed by an injury; elect to not spar in favor of watching or drilling technique.  Don't feel that you can't speak up about what's right for you.

The people you meet during your journey - a phrase describing the path from White Belt to Black, Brown, or where ever you end up - these people will become friends and family. 

The journey is challenging and exciting.  You're going to learn things about yourself and when you look back a year or even 6 months from now, you'll be amazed.  All you need to do is step through the threshold and be open to learning.

As will be the standard on this site, I'm not going to get into all of the details of what you'll need to wear or what you'll experience, etc.  There are plenty of excellent write-ups with that information already in existence (written by people a lot more experienced than me).  I'll point you to them.

• Here's an excellent post from David Thomas on what to bring / wear.  The only thing I'd add is that buying a gi (a sturdy sport specific top and pants) can be an investment.  I think most places will let you show up without a gi (nogi or no-gi) to check out even a gi-specific class.

• There's also a link on that page to a background on BJJ.

• Slidey has a wonderfully detailed FAQ for Beginners.
• • Also, the rest of his site is the best example of a training log I've seen

• Check out Aesopian's quick tips for White Belts and nuggets of advice.

• Stephan Kesting's website has good tips for people of all skill levels and he's published an ebook specifically for beginners.

• On the Mat has a wiki that includes a glossary of terms and other fun facts.

• And dig around on this site to see what it has to offer (especially if you're an older grappler)

• Check the forums links to the right (Bullshido, BJJ Board, Jiu-Jitsu Forum, etc) and join an online community

That's it for now.  I'll update this post when I find some more info or if someone submits a helpful link.

Remember: you just have to step through a door and say, "hi."  A few months later, you'll be glad you did.

Intermission: BJ Penn hits the Rings

I was catching up on some reading, listening to some BJJ Radio, and working on a new post (yeah, multi-tasking) when I saw this video.  BJ Penn doing muscle-ups on a set of rings. 

I've been fixated on getting a set of rings lately, so maybe my fetish is going to leave you saying, "wtf dude, this is all you got for my Sunday morning?"  Then again, this site is for a "more mature crowd," so maybe you've outgrown both "wtf" and the word "dude" - though I never will.  Either way, Training for Warriors is a site worth checking out.

(P)hysical (T)raining

I don't work out enough, so I'm constantly looking for new routines to help in that area.  When I was in the Army we had PT daily and when I owned the skatepark, I skateboarded for hours each day.  In both of those situations I was less interested in fitness and competition than I am now, but doing more exercise.  Go figure...

BJJ is a good workout and I'm happy with the shape I'm in, but there always room to improve - especially if I'm going to compete.  Here are some of the things I've been checking out lately:

• Most recently, Georgette's blog led me to Elements Fitness.  It's got some wonderful advice and routines.  I especially liked this post, but look around the site for others.  They're there.

• I've added 2-3 sessions of Kettlebell training to my week.  It's been a hell of a lot more entertaining than running and I feel like the weight training aspect is also helping. 

• Here are a few different routines - KB Meltdown - Crossfit style - Pavel's DVD

• Scott Sonnon always has interesting excercises.   And there's this fun german workout.

• Plus, there's always Body Weight exercises and circut training.

The idea isn't to do all or even any one of those routines.  If you're looking for ideas, it's rad if even one piece from one of those routines stands out as something you'd like to try.   I know it's hard to know where to start sometimes, so hopefully that gives you a few ideas.  Mix and match - poke around for more.

Or if you're already hard at it, I'd love to learn what's been working for you.

Texas Open is Coming

The Fight to Win guys are hosting another competition.  The last one was pretty well organized and turned out to be a fun day (despite the fact that I didn't win anything but a sore arm).

The masters divisions were a little light that day, so I'm hoping for a better turn out.

I'd love to see more of you this time... even if you turn out to be the reason I leave with another sore arm.

Ginger: Calms stomach, tastes good

No, not that Ginger ------------->

Root Ginger.  Less red, just as spicy.

Before I start, I have to say: I'm not a doctor.  Just a guy that eats the hell out of some ginger.

My wife first recommend eating ginger when I was on some medication that was making me nauseous.  I called BS, as I do with all of her "snake oils."  She persisted; I tried it; it worked.  Most of her recommendations tend to.

I've been taking ginger in one form or another for years now.  In capsule form, it's a great accompaniment for medicines or supplements.  The Ginger People make some excellent candy-style chews.  Also, you can find crystallized ginger next to the nuts and dried fruit at most grocery stores that have a bulk foods aisle.  It's $3.89 a pound at my local HEB and 1/2 a pound will last awhile.  It's tasty, but strong!

I like to have some pre-workout (if I had a meal that's sticking with me), if I'm nauseous for some reason, or before and during a competition.  In the case of the latter, it not only makes a nice snack, but calms your stomach. 

Wikipedia mentions the following regarding ginger:

"In laboratory animals, the gingerols increase the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic and antibacterial properties."

"Ginger may also decrease joint pain from arthritis, though studies on this have been inconsistent, and may have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties that may make it useful for treating heart disease"

"Ginger has been found effective in multiple studies for treating nausea caused by seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy,^[8] though ginger was not found superior over a placebo for post-operative nausea."

I don't know how legit all of those claims are, but can say that it helped me with nausea and consistently works well for me in the situations I mentioned above.   When my father-in-law was going through chemotherapy, everything they prescribed for the nausea wasn't working.  The ginger my wife brought him did.

Give it a try.  It's tasty.

Garbage in / Garbage out

Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to put together some information on the various food, supplements, and habits I've been playing with the last couple of years.  Not because I feel that I'm in outstanding shape, but because I know how hard it is to get started.

Hopefully if you're looking to improve your diet or lifestyle, but don't know where to start - you can look at that information and begin to form some ideas of your own.

I'll kick out things like:
- why probiotics are so good for you
- what you can eat to calm your stomach before a competition
- the joys (and convenience) of shopping for local produce
- supplements that I feel have worked and others that were... ugh.

By the time you read this I'm hoping to have some more stuff up.  If you're getting here before then, thanks for being an early adopter - come back often.

Thanks! (now go eat some yogurt) 

the Setup

Just setting things up tonight.  You can find the site via the domain name now.  Plenty of poking at Typepad's software.  Tomorrow night is Jane's Addiction, but maybe I can hit a session at noon if I get to work early enough.

Managing work, BJJ, and the rare evening away from either is always interesting.  What happened to all of that extra free time I had when I was a kid?  No wonder those guys rip so hard.

Side note: I think I'm going to be looking for writers and photographers to contribute once the site is up and running.  If you're either, leave a comment. 

Thanks!

Kicking it off

Yesterday was the Texas NAGA competition in Dallas.  That was my second comp - and the first to actually have a decent Masters showing.

It was nice to see other players of my age, weight, and skill.  I finally felt like I could focus on testing my current skill and fitness in a fair setting.

This was my second competition - the first being Fight to Win, held here in Austin last month.

Fight to Win had Masters divisions listed, but not enough people showed so they folded many us into the Men's divisions.

After seeing the difference in the two competitions, I decided that maybe a website was in order.  Some way for Masters division competitors to start getting the word that it's not only okay to show up and compete - but helpful to the larger community.  There is no Masters Division if you don't show up.

So here's the beginnings of that site.