Best thing I did for myself in 2018 besides quit my job: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Field Assembly Training Facility. ❤︎ I’ve been waxing lyrical about this so much to everyone I meet, I should stop before it gets annoying––probably already is––so I’ll put it all in a couple posts and stfu irl hahaha
So here goes 👉🏽
I’m only so mind-blown about this because... being a slob has always been a big part of my identity. I hate working out. I hate running. I hate doing reps of anything. For 8 whole years I could never bring myself to exercise proper. I rolled my eyes at #fitspo gym rats and their #fitstagram bullshit. 😷
Work made me stress-eat. I ballooned in those years; most of my wardrobe grew irrelevant. I tried evening jogs, swimming, weird classes... but nothing lasted. I brought salad lunches to work, cut carbs, everything. Nothing worked. I was grumpy / hangry all the time.
So… when Elias first suggested BJJ I laughed in his face. The idea of getting my ass routinely whooped by fit people was the furthest thing from enjoyment I could fathom.
But Nurudin wanted to go. So I gave it a shot, last December. Then one sad day at Basketball (another thing I’m really pleased has lasted), I tore my MCL just as 2017 ended. Was out of action for ages. It wasn’t until July this year that I picked up BJJ proper… and man. It’s been such a euphoric ride. 🌸
The thing is, every moment is so intellectually engaging you don’t even notice you're exercising. They call it human chess because it’s an elaborate puzzle –– less about brute force and more about clever use of angles, leverage, strategy, problem solving. You get so caught up figuring shit out, you completely forget that you’re exhausted. Every little muscle on your person is going into overdrive, but you're too busy analysing the physics of everything in your head. Then, after awhile… your body starts being able to do these wild, miraculous things you never thought it could do.
I don’t even need to motivate myself to work out anymore. It’s so addictive I spend whole days looking forward to training. We’ve started to go 3, 4, even 5 times a week. It’s just stupidly bizarre that a potato like me could crave exercise, and so intensely. And for those few hours, everything––crippling self-doubt, existential crises, creative ruts / blocks, ennui, restlessness––fades away. Your entire mind and body focuses on just one thing. And by the end, such a visceral joy.
At the bottom of it all, it’s just really empowering to know that, as a tiny chick 🐧, I can use wit against strength and actually overcome much bigger guys. (Well… occasionally. On a good day la hahaha.) But, still –– as a fumbling flailing white belt I can barely believe it, each time. I still suck and it’s rare, but so rewarding.
So... here I am!!! All of a sudden I can fit into old jeans from 2008. I haven't been pinching flabs in the mirror, stepping on the scale everyday like I used to... It just sort of happened. Din, too, dropped 9 pant-sizes without even noticing within 4-5 months. NINE 👖 Honestly, I feel like anyone and everyone can and should try #BJJ at least once. Anthony Bourdain started at age 59 and became obsessed.
Guys and girls of all shapes and sizes train at Field Assembly Training Facility, where Gene and Elias have created a safe space totally free of judgement and pressure. 🙌🏽 Everybody learns at their own pace so it's as chill or challenging as you want it to be! Our coaches Harold Ko Royal Chang Tan Xing Hua are mad knowledgeable and detailed but also damn full of shit hahaha so classes are super fun 💯 –– filled with laughter and great company and brain games. The actual workout is *so* secondary, I barely even notice I'm gassed out or sweating buckets.
To anybody out there with a #2019 #health-ish resolution –– come join me!!! You get to do a free trial as my buddy with no strings attached, so you are free to ditch it if you hate it. Fo real. x
(Ok my royal ramble is done! Sry I laid it on so thick, I'm just... very... expressive. And a bit extra)
