So, I Joined a Gym

It's getting to be that time in my life where I can't drink all night, snap back the next day and still keep a flat stomach. So, it was time to start an exercise / training program. Back in 2000 - 2001, I was studying Tae Kwon Do in Chicago. I was in the best shape of my life at that time.

Since then, I turned 30, then 35, etc. Not quite the same perspective on health and fitness now in my "mid" 30's. If I was from Okinawa and could reasonably predict living to be 100, that would be one thing. However, I'm probably further along the life scale than your average Okinawan, so now I gotta work to stay fit. Woe is me.

Every day on the way home from the train station, I would pass this kick boxing gym where you could see in the window and watch guys punching and kicking. It looked like a lot of fun, so we finally stopped in to check it out. I went to a trial lesson and it was a blast. I got a great workout, the other students are nice people, and the instructor even speaks pretty good English so he can help me understand why I am such an inadequate grasshopper on a regular basis.

Actually, he's taking good care of me and I'm learning a lot. It's a heck of a stress release. After a trip there, I'm too tired to feel stress or much of anything. Today, my left wrist is killing me from hook punches I did incorrectly and my left shoulder is "dead" from the wrestling portion of last night's class. It turns out the gym isn't just kick boxing, but also mixed martial arts. We study some MMA moves in addition to standard kick boxing punching and kicking. It's a bit different than Tae Kwon Do was, but extremely satisfying in much the same way.