3 Days to Change Your Life with Judd Reid

I have spoken about the Budo-life and the art of martial arts before,( Read) but this coming weekend I think India and specifically Bangalore will finally understand what it means to be amongst a legend. (Before I explain who the legend is- have a look at this Video)

Judd’s Reid was one of those lucky stars who started Karate probably before he started walking. He had the vision & dream to go to Japan and train under the Kyokushin Karate founder Shihan Mas Oyama. At 17 he was selected to be part of the “1000 Days Young Lions Training Program” in Japan. The training, fighting and living conditions were extreme, but Judd was one of the first foreigners to graduate and this sealed a bond with the great Mas Omaya forever! His life was dedicated to spreading the Kyokushin philosophies.

 

Judd Reid with Shihan Mas Oyama

The Budo life never ends, you live, breathe and train constantly and for 20 years this journey continued. He was crowned world champion at the age of 39 and completed the incredible feat of completing a 100 man fight in Japan at age 40. (watch this)

 

The life of legends are always dedicated to teaching and training and today Judd at the age of 45 continues his life-long promise. He runs camps inviting people from all over the world to experience what he did in his time in Japan.

We get a chance to walk amongst the great when Judd Reid visits Bangalore 9th to 12th Sept. He conducts a workshop for us and this is what he had to say:

Live & Unedited Message from Judd:

Firstly I’m very excited about coming to India. This will be my first visit and I’m sure many more to come. I’m looking forward to seeing your beautiful country and beautiful people.This workshop/ camp I hope will leave a lasting memory for many years to come. If you are looking to enrich your soul, learn new things, be out of your comfort zone,strengthen your mind and body well this camp is for you. 

I believe in hard work. Nothing can be achieved through laziness and doing things half-hearted.

Fire in the belly and determination bring that with you and the rest will fall into place.  I haven’t met any of you guys yet but I’m sure by the end of the camp we will all be life long friends forever.

This camp is for everyone, Beginners, Advanced, Women, Men and Teenagers.

We will all work hard as a team pushing each other.The most important thing is to develop good character and relationships . This is what Kyokushin, my training is about, a strong body will follow.

We are all.going to learn a lot and walk away a stronger person for it making any challenges we may face in the future not a problem at all.

See you all next week.

Judd

Details: 10th Sept: Bangalore – 3 sessions 6.30 – 830 am;11-1 pm 3-5 pm (at Namma CrossFit Cunningham Road) 11th – 12th Kabini – depart at 5:30am food and accommodation will be provided at Red Earth Luxury Resort. Contact Vinayak:  kvinayakshetty@yahoo.com or click here

Come for The Young Lions  – synopsis – book launch at 7pm 9th sept @ ATTA GALATTA KORAMANGALA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 Training Tips For Your First 21km Run

It is that time of the year again when all the marathoners are on a running high! The hard work and year-round training is about to pay off. Yup Marathon season has kick-started with the Hyderabad marathon last weekend. If you did not make it for the AHM then start your prep for the Bangalore Marathon in Oct, Delhi in Nov and Mumbai in Jan. If this is your first 21km don’t be worried just make sure you train and train some more.

Here are a few tips to make your first half as easy as it can get

1. 

   #runbuddieslikenoother

   Find a run buddy-I say this in every running post and saying it again. It easier to stay motivated and inspired when you have someone to share the burn with!!

2. Get a Plan on speed dial – follow the Nike+ Running App or look for one online, or from your coach at the gym or inbox me. Just get a schedule in place and follow it religiously to make sure your race ready!

3. 

   After my long run for the week

   At least 3 runs a week – non-negotiable! An interval run of 4 to 5km,  1 semi-long runs ( 8km to 10km) and a LOOOONG run. By long run I mean start week 1 at 10km, week 2 at 13km and keep increasing it every week until you get to 21km.

4. Strength Training – I know its a lot with 3 runs a week, but try one day of strength to keep your muscles in place. You don’t want to loose all that mass you worked so hard to build. Strong legs and core muscles will just make your runs a lot easier.
5. Cross-train- This scheduling is starting to sound like a boot camp, but cross-training helps with recovery. An easy swim, yoga or cycling can give you good endurance on your off days.
6. Last, but NOT the least is nutrition. It is critical to eat right during this intense training period. Make sure you have a good split of superfoods, protein and carbs. This is also a good time to take whey protein for muscle recovery considering you are training almost every day. Grab a Zago bottle, which is on-the-go pre-mixed whey protein drink  which can give you that instant recovery post your training sessions.
7. Track your runs-if you love stats and analyzing stuff. Geek out on this. Make a chart and track your progress.

Follow these 7 mantras and you will breeze through your first 21km like a boss. I am training with you so in-box me for help and I hope to finish super strong! Remember there is no finish line, this is only the beginning!

 

Mom, Marathoner & More

Is it possible to manage crazy busy life schedules and daily training programs? Sonali an ace marathon runner tells us how she does it all. And the best part is that she never stops smiling!

‘Who the hell runs 5k?’ I said to myself, running out breath on the pavements of Mumbai while running the majja run in SCMM 2006.

2007, I got married and 2010 I had my baby Sophie. Things were on auto-pilot when I realized that my hubby Sujoy was ballooning out of proportions. His health was  headed South and a friend recommended that he start running to fix his health. We both joined Runner’s high in 2012. He quit after the first day! I kept training and within a month, I placed myself amongst the top 10 runners in Pinkathon. That got me hooked!

My serious running started in March 2013 when I enrolled for TCS 10k. And I have never looked back since.  It’s been three years and I am still in love with running

Super cute family 🙂

Is it possible? Yes, it is. However, it comes with a heavy price-tag. I started running to improve my health and also to set an example for my daughter. Both my husband and I decided that we will not push our daughter to do things. Instead, we will set a baseline of behaviors for our daughter so that it becomes ‘normal’ for her. For example, running and workout will be a baseline for her. She would take it as ‘Normal’. We both eat lots of vegetables, proteins and she loves vegetables and proteins because it is ‘Normal’.

I also wanted to do something for myself. I wanted to do at least 1 marathon. Which I did.

Supermom after the 42km @ SCMM 2016

During the training period, we split roles and responsibilities between me and my hubby. It was difficult, but we fine tuned it and efficiency set in. That way we both did not get overwhelmed. There were and still are a lot of sacrifices. We don’t stay up late in the night for any parties or get together. We both wake up at ungodly hours to train. We eat healthy and desi food which for most people can be quite boring. We may not be the top-notch in parenthood, job and even running. However, we know we are better than what we started off as. We don’t know if our daughter will turn out fine or not. We are focusing on the process and letting the outcome take care of itself. It is simple, but not easy.

Can you share some tips on planning a running schedule? 

1. Join a group. The camaraderie, the help, the push, etc will help you improve.

   

   Sonali’s Running Buddies

2. Understand yourself. Don’t jump into running thinking of doing a 10k in under 60 minutes. You may or may not be able to do it. However, running with an unrealistic goal might lead to injuries. Usually in a running group, a time trial is done to check your current level of running fitness. Data from this time trial will help you plan your major runs.
3. A running plan should have at least 2 of the 3 running types: Speed intervals, Tempo runs and Long endurance runs.
4. Have a strong 10K before you take a serious 21K. Have a strong 21K before you take up 42K. For me, a strong 10K is when your time is sub 60. A strong 21K is sub 2:15.
5. For 10K, the training should be 8 weeks, for 21K the training should be 16 weeks long and for 42K, the training should be 24 weeks long. These are recommendations for newbies. Your coach may have other ideas.
6. Strength train 2 days a week.
7. Recover after each run. Get some tissue work done either using a foam roller or a deep tissue massage. Use the RICE approach – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
8. Enjoy the run.

Sonali Sahoo is a real inspiration. Electronics engineer by education, Wealth manager by profession and Entrepreneur by passion. She runs a company called MyInsight ( FB –https://goo.gl/9rOpyB) that offers nutrition solutions to top level management, housewives and older women who find training centers restrictive to them. Adding to her already busy life she is also studying to be a certified Strength and Conditioning Coach. You can connect with her on myinsightnutrition@gmail.com.

Women On Top

As a believe in gender equality I feel there are many physical activities women shy away from doing due to stereotypes and social conditioning. Let this Women’s Day be about setting yourself free from countless gender biases!

Women should lift as heavy a weight as she wants too!

Weight training is a must for both genders as it helps build muscles, gives you great stamina, reduces body fat and gives you more energy. Read more on it in my previous post so break this fear and walk boldly to the male dominated weights section and pick up a hefty 15kg dumbell and do some bicep curls! Men be less intimidating and happily share your corner near the heavy weights section.

Outdoor Running

This is a tough one in India where women are leched at constantly and for a lady to run on the road makes me cringe too! But giving up in not an option because treadmill running will mess up your knees. Running outdoors reduces stress levels, increases lung capacity and speed due to adaptations on any terrain are few of the wonderful benefits. So brave up, sync in some good music and just run! Make sure you run in a well-lit and populated area and avoid running after 6pm. ( eg: cubbon park, joggers park) ( sorry to say this but safety first)

Martial Arts

Self-defense is only one of the numerous reasons women should learn martial arts. The “Budo” life is for everyone. Martial art teaches you discipline, improves flexibility and coordination and about harnessing internal energy systems. Plus you feel so badass! So join a boxing class, karate or mixed martial arts and let the inner dragon free. ( read more )

Football, Basketball, Cricket, Golf and pretty much every sport!

Life lessons are learnt on the sports-field which no book can teach you. The health benefits are incredible apart from improving muscle memory, making you more agile, better plyo-metrics and overall you’re metabolic rate is higher than non-athletes. Don’t think twice choose a sport you have aspired to play and just start.

Forget about crazy crash diets and looking “Skinny” focus on becoming healthy, fit and live a disease-free happy life. When you are sixty you rather be healthy then a sickly size zero!

HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY! 

 

 

 

 

 

Bringing Sexy Back

So the deal is this, pull ups are one hard F*$#ing movement and even if you do 80kg+ deadlifts and a fully loaded 60kg+ back squats like a boss don’t think the pull up will come right up and present itself.

And while I really hate to get into gender biases – here is one of those situations where men are blessed with better upper body strength and can probably crack a pull up far quicker then women. But ladies let that not stop you remember you are lighter and anything that is lighter can be easily lifted!

Why do pull-ups rock?

Arnold Schwarzenegger bring sexy back

Remember the “V” shaped back muscle contours that Bruce Lee shows-off in all his movies and the rest of us long for, this is how that happened. When it comes to back development, the pull-up is king. It is a functional movement and trains the body to move its own weight. Classified as a “Closed Kinetic Chain” Exercise (CKC)- your effort moves you, rather than an open kinetic chain where your effort moves an object. CKC exercises allow a more natural range of motion and reduce stress on joints.

Why are they so hard?

A mix up of reasons- you maybe heavy, your back and arm muscles are weak (specifically the lats), your form could be wrong, you are too reliant on assisted/ machine pull ups and last,but most important -you need to practice practice and more practice.

Let’s do this

Give yourself a 1-6 month window depending on your current physical levels to nail this bad-ass movement. Remember you have to practice every day.

Here is a 20-30 minute drill that build support muscles to do the pull up

• Bent Over Dumbbell Rows: 3 x 15 – make sure you increase weights week on week
• Body Rows – 3 x 15 sets – increase reps by 5 every week
• Grip Holds – spend time hanging from the bar strengthening your hold. Hold for max time 5 rounds. When you can hold beyond a minute you are ready!
• Bicep curls – 3 x 15 sets  – increase weights every set
• Tricep extensions – 3 x 15 at the bar or with a weight
• Assisted Pull ups – 3 x 15 ( the video shows jumping & with a resistant band, but if your gym has an assisted pull machine that can work too)
• Negative Pull Ups – 3 x 20 jump up to the bar and descend slowly

All good things come to those who wait, work and practice hard. So be patient and focus on training your back muscles. Don’t get frustrated because as soon as you do your first one, you will feel like a king!

I’m getting started on my drill this week, I’m bringing sexy back!

 

How to Get Back to Training

This is probably not the most motivating “Let us Ring in the New Year” type of post but this blog is about sharing REAL issues.

Although I love to train and work out and run and do all the other things I write about. I have my dull days or weeks too. The downtime phrase hits everybody.

Once the festive season ended and the new year started I assumed I would be back to training regularly except instead I felt demotivated and just so lazy.It took me a while to really pull myself out of this rut.

I am sure many of us suffer from this. We have the aspirations but lack the will and discipline. The worst part is you know you were doing really good until an injury, a holiday, sudden work crisis, a festival or a wedding can really shake up the whole regiment.

My gym motivator: Nimisha

This is when you have two ways to fight the battle before you slide all the way to the bottom. A gym buddy, your coach, your crush or just about anyone who you knew from that life has to reach out to you. If they don’t connect with you, send them a message for help. Confess about the downward spiral and you will get a pep talk and even maybe a ride to the gym.

The second option is to fight your own demons. At some level we are committed to exercise daily. It is only a momentary lapse from the routine. Be unkind to yourself and really shake yourself out of it. Be over critical to a point that forces you to get up and get out of that door. Yes, feel bad, guilty, unhealthy and disgusted with your lack of an active lifestyle.

Lastly, I would go back to my favourite recommendation of “put a goal” to it. Work towards something – an event, pull-ups, muscle-ups, handstand and whatever else you are dreaming about.

If you fall into the third “I don’t really care” segment then we have to work a lot harder to convince you and your starting trouble needs to be addressed in a different manner. ( for another post)

Remember when the jeans get tight it is time to get back and in my case throw away the Christmas cake!

 

 

 

 

Count Your Blessings

Here is my last post for 2015 before the dawn of a new year, a new start and exciting months and days ahead! But before I start my year-end revelry I think it is important to pause and be thankful for all 2015 has done for me.

2015 was a year of many “firsts” and trust me that doesn’t happen often when you are my age.

First EVER post

This year I started writing. I was never a writer, and the  grammar police will definitely give my blogs a once over with a disapproving look. But I threw caution to the wind and just went ahead and did it. And sometimes a momentary decision can open your life to a new hobby, to new ideas, a new career, a new capability and even a new passion.

June: Be Supreme, Most Fav Post

I never thought blogging would have a ripple effect that enriched my whole life. Lunchboxlicense was started on the premise of helping people who struggle with body image and fitness issues. While I hope it touched the lives of many and brought changes even in a few of them. It changed my life the most.

 

Handstand @the Great Wall of China, most fun thing i did this year

I don’t want to bore you with the details of how and why. But my last message for the year is this: Count Your Blessings, small or big. Document them somewhere so you don’t forget you did well this year. It is always good to refer back at any point that 2015 wasn’t a total random year in your book of life.

FirstHalf-Marathon

Follow a dream, a hobby, a passion or even just a fleeting interest and you will be shocked at how it can catapult into something you never imagined. Take one tiny little step and in the words of Paulo Coelho, the universe will transpire to make it happen for you. You never really know where it can take you. If it goes nowhere, at least, you had fun trying.

Sept: Girls who lift, most inspirational post

And lastly, anyone can do anything. My story of couch potato & party animal to half marathon runner, fitness enthusiast, CrossFit junkie….. so don’t be afraid to explore and experiment at any age or stage. Reinvention and evolution are part of our nature as human beings.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays!! See you all in 2016… who knows what lies ahead!!! Salut

 

 

Take A Break Today

Thats me & my best buds taking an epic pano @the Great Wall of China, Beijing

I recently returned from an epic vacay. I can tell you while I grudgingly get back to my routine. The trip brought back the sparkle to my everyday life and things are not so boring anymore.  Also now my license to complain is suspended. It is not such a bad way to live!

Yes I did a handstand @ The Great Wall of China

We all carry about quite a bit of unwanted emotional luggage and stress every day. I like to question how important is it to stop, breath and rewind? Why is it a struggle to get time off? Why is it met with a guilt complex to be able to exhaust all the 22-25 days a company gives its employees?

Taking time off allows us to deal with both mental and emotional luggage which is when we suppress our feelings and just move on. The more you pack it all away the more likely a meltdown is around the corner.

Saw a bit of heaven @Yanghso Mountians Guilin with my besties

There is definite merit in turning off life mode and chilling. I believe to be happy we need to get out of our daily routine or we will end up feeling trapped. Time off could be anything from sitting at home, watching  movies, going for a hobby class, travelling or spending time with family.

Trekking in rice paddy fields with this mind numbing view & rain!

Pause life and do something radically off your schedule: to avoid getting burnt-out, miserable and disillusioned with life. Studies prove that taking a break every now and then increases productivity. Many western companies incentivise employees to take a vacation. Breaking away from the clutter we can gain a new perspective and open our mind to fresh ideas and creativity.

 

A break is required for you to remain physically healthy too. Mental stress results in poor quality of sleep, mood swings, fatigue, high blood pressure, risk of cardiovascular diseases, poor eating habits, obesity and malnutrition, panic attacks and tons of other stuff. Your immune system becomes suppressed and you are susceptible to infections. While exercising can release some of this stress it is not

Eating something awesome!

enough to help you combat all of life’s curve-balls. Doing a complete shutdown is  the only way to recharge.

The only way to grow is to evaluate and analyze. How do I want to live my life? Does this life make me happy? How can I make things better? Important questions that pop up, but are left unanswered. When we are most relaxed answers will flow. The healing will happen and you will be able to feel your place in this life.

Lastly while many of us love what we do and maybe happy with how things are going. Time off will push you out of your comfort zone. And, to quote a famous quote “Sometimes everything we want in life lies just beyond our comfort zone”

 

 

 

 

As the holiday season here take some time out to relax, celebrate your 2015 achievements and make a resolutions to chill more next year!

 

 

If you have a fitness story to share or a point of view to be discussed or just good information that has worked or not worked for you, send me an email on lunchboxlicense@gmail.com or a facebook message on the page and I will be happy to feature you. 

 

Have Fun With Home Work Outs

I recently tried a HIIT home workout since I missed my usual session at the gym. It was just as challenging and I felt great! While training at the gym maybe your style it is good to be able to workout on your own anywhere. It helps while travelling or days when you are stuck with commitments

A close buddy Rohini Debroy has gone the home work out way. She says it is most convenient and is now working best for her. I asked her to give us the low down:

My fitness routine and self goals have changed over time. Last year I worked out a lot more intensively than I do today. I was a zumba instructor. I used to do some strength training (crossfit) with cardio (zumba) and general walking(without specific goals).

Now I am very busy with my company and I lose time travelling to gyms and working out. This is when I started my tryst with home workouts as an alternative. I had also developed swollen ankles from the excessive jumping and cardio in zumba primarily. The doctor cautioned me to reduce intensive training like jumping, squatting etc due to impact caused on my feet and knees. 

Walking and home body workouts

 I was low about this not-allowed-to-train advice and for 3 months I could only walk as an exercise. This is when I gave it a positive spin and started to enjoy walking with my dogs. I downloaded the Pacer App on my phone and began to count my steps everyday. This motivated me to walk more. It is addictive and now I do it while travelling too! I love this app because it gave me a checklist for my daily goals.

As my ankles healed, I slowly got back to low intensity body weight exercises at home, at my convenient time. I follow youtube videos/exercises, try http://darebee.com/ (also check out Tabata & Insanity).  I did yoga and added ab workouts with few reps throughout my day. All I need is my mat, a bottle of water, my laptop to follow the workouts and music

 

Goals need to be wholesome: 

 

Eating right,  being positive and meditating are fitness goals for me. Being mean to yourself and your body for not performing as much as you want it too, creates negativity inside. But accepting cheat days once in a while should be tolerated. If 80% of your diet is healthy, that is a good start for most of us. Detoxing is a great way to get a cleanse. I go through periods of no alcohol, no meat etc on my own for 3-4 weeks. Following it through and saying no to friends who call you out during those days helps to build will power. 

 I added ‘eat a salad’ and ‘drink soup everyday’ as a goal. The idea is to not scold myself if I don’t achieve it everyday, as I may want soup tomorrow and not today. They say ‘you are what you eat’ and this is very true with respect to fitness/ health. In the picture I cooked – ratatouille. I try different super foods and veggies and keep my protein intake balanced. 

 

Overall  I would say start to love and appreciate your body first, but after that it is about a wholesome approach for me – workout in nature (walk for 30 mins outdoors with my dogs), healthy eating and complete focus on self workouts(no distractions) – 30 mins of body workouts.

 

I hope this inspires one and all to workout on your own and with apps and youtube videos nowadays, all you just need some self-motivation.

Thanks a lot Rohini for this valuable and insightful post. Rohini Debroy is Partner & Interior Designer at Debroys, Ex- Advertising Professional, Zumba Instructor, ardent Fitness Enthusiast, Dog Lover, Part-time chef and Wanderlust Fan. 

If you would like to contribute or share your stories please mail me on lunchboxlicense@gmail.com

#Be Supreme

One of my favourite parts of the Alpha League Obstacle Race was the #Besupreme battle cry. It automatically made you feel like you have achieved the impossible. To me the Alpha League was just that, the kind of event I would never have been capable to participate in.

But luckily with a little encouragement I got the opportunity to take part in this challenging and exciting event. Before I knew it, I was signed up and had received my confirmation email with my time slot. There was no turning back now!

The Alpha League is a 5km run with 21 obstacles along the way – the obstacles are all tough, dirty, muddy, slushy and super challenging. From 20 feet high rope climbs, to crawling under barbwire they had it all! There were about 1800 registrations and tons of people who came to watch the fun. I hear the best timing was 35 minutes, but for many of us I think it wasn’t so much as a race but to finish every obstacle and see it through.

So how do you know that you are ready for an event like this?

I have said this before an event is always a good time to take stock of your fitness levels and figure out areas you need to work on. Upper body strength, stamina, legs, breathing etc. we all have our trouble areas and when you compete your weakness gets thrown up.

Secondly if you are fairly regular with exercise and have been monitoring your health standards then signing up for an Alpha League will definitely give you an additional push. You will have to go for all the training classes which were held prior to the events. They held classes for nearly four weeks across the entire city which helped participants get a good understanding of what to expect.

If you train at a fitness center that focuses on functional training (e.g. crossfit, boot camps etc.) along with endurance and strength then the event is a breeze… well okay not really! But you will be able to do almost all obstacles and not feel like you went through minor surgery the next day! You are used to many of the movements and obstacles as you would have experienced it during training sessions. e.g. rope climbs, jumping over boxes, bear walks, pull ups and other such movements.
Although I am a strong believer of mind over body and if you genuinely believe you can accomplish an obstacle course you can! BUT it would be a good idea to read up and watch videos that discuss mud races and how to handle them. Arm yourself with the right information and don’t forget to dress the part. Wearing the right clothes will help you avoid injuries and if you get soaked wearing cotton it will weigh you down when you are trying to climb a wall made of tyres.

As feedback for the organizers I think safety norms were not followed for all obstacles especially considering it was an open to all race. Maybe fitness parameters could be checked before signing up. There were no hydration station’s which was quite terrible for the participants who had enough to deal with. I do hope for a safer and better event next year!

I genuinely enjoyed participating in the Alpha League. It was a wonderful combination of challenging and fun. And I feel I am a stronger person to be part of the “be supreme” clan! I am sure they will have one more next year so gear up for it. It is a worthy life experience.

Special Thanks to my friends Karan, Karthik and Rakesh you paced me on the race and made sure I didn’t give up at any point. And Namma Crossfit where I train!

photo credits: flashbulbzzphotography