I used to train Brazilian jiu-jitsu alongside a nutritionist—someone who prided himself on his own fitness. Our instructor was a tough man—but famously uninterested in conventional exercise. One day, the nutritionist challenged him. “Let’s do a decathlon to prove who’s fittest. We’ll do a bunch of events. We can bike, run, swim, and climb…” And then, in a fit of hubris, he added, “We can even have a jiu-jitsu event!” The instructor paused for a… Continue reading Training for the long haul

My fitness career began at the end of a tai chi class. Not because I had committed to fighting (very slowly) for martial supremacy on a secret island. That would come much later. The real beginning arrived by a question ringing in my head: how am I going to be able to keep doing this stuff? The stuff was not any one thing. Not tai chi. Not biking or hiking or any other rec sport in particular. I… Continue reading Check yourself before you rec yourself