At the start of the year I make fitness goals including a competition schedule for myself. I planned on competing in at least 6 jiu jitsu tournaments for the year that were local. Luckily, there were plenty local tournaments to enter that also worked with my schedule. I have competed in 8 this year, surpassing my own quota. Before my last one in August, I had planned on taking September off since my body needed to heal some from minor injuries. I also began to increase my stretching time to improve my flexibility and aid in healing.
Resting has always been challenging for me and I continually reassess to ensure I am functioning as best I can be. I’m not only talking about training, but all parts of my life. I tend to overdo it to a point where it can be unbeneficial in any aspect of my life, just like overtraining can be. Although I planned on not competing in September, there was a part of me that was contemplating a tournament this past weekend. I was undecided and thinking about how life usually works out best when I stick to my original plan, yet the tournament seemed so tempting.
Then my dog, Titan, had some serious health issues earlier that week which confirmed my decision to not compete. I also missed my jiu jitsu classes for those days, since I was at the vet or taking care of his health concerns. In the end, it was best for me to rest and one of those moments when family comes first. It also gave me some extra time to work on my book and continue to update my website, since I was home a little more than usual.
Ideally, I’d like to do two more tournaments before the end of the year as long as they are local. I have a family wedding back east in October and have a vacation in November. I hope that there are tournaments sometime in between both of those and before the holidays, since I’ll be itching to do another one soon. Now is a good time for me to practice incorporating the new moves I learned in jiu jitsu given I don’t have a tournament to be ready for as of now.
This month I had my 40th birthday and realized how age truly is just a number. I am still able to do most of the gymnastics I did as a teen. The only reason I can’t do all of it is because I don’t go to gymnastics practice 5 days a week anymore or I would be able. I continue to keep up with my strength and conditioning and weightlifting. Along with taking care of my body with nutrition I also supplement with BetaTOR, get proper rest/sleep, massage, chiropractic adjustments, and practice meditation. Look out for my favorite training day video and next month’s blog! Happy training!
-Jennifer Dietrick