Rolling her eyes when she saw the dozens of cuts and bruises on my body, my daughter said, “Why can’t you be a normal mom and hang out at the mall with your friends and collect purses instead of bruises?” Laughing I said, “How you train is how you fight, literally and metaphorically. Even with your health, you can’t start training on fight day thinking you’ll win. It’s a lifestyle. You have to build consistent strength, skill and reserve.”
Let me back up so you don’t think I’ve lost my mind… I’ve practiced martial arts for over a decade now. Last weekend I attended one of the toughest self-defense training courses of my life. It was humbling and validating pressure test designed for police officers, to expose strengths and weaknesses. It was 36 hours in triple digit heat, wearing sweatshirts and rolling in the dirt. Frankly, I got my rear end kicked.
However, the years of training I’ve done in martial arts served me very well in showing up with the mental strength, and physical stamina I needed to endure. No matter how bad it got, there was NO WAY I was giving up! I have no real training in ground fighting, and the drills are intended to expose points of failure. I was outmatched by age, size and strength, and I wouldn’t have gotten through it without the consistent effort I’ve put in every day, for years. The same goes for building health reserve! You have to be a warrior everyday, not just on fight day!
I’m passionate about women’s self defense and about being a warrior for your health. After having my own battle with multiple health challenges, and after being assaulted when I was fifteen, I came to realize that being a “warrior” is a mindset you apply to everything in your life. You’re preparing, building strength and developing stamina, or you are getting ready to take a fall. I’d rather have a few bruises from training than a closet full of bags. And fortunately, none of my friends hang out at the mall, they’re all training.
