First, I'm done with this project 365 business. I just can't manage to take one picture a day every single day. I will however still try to take as many pictures as possibly on what hopefully will be a daily (or close to daily) basis. I only lasted 38 days!

Second . . . why do I try to pack so many things into my weekends? My body feels sore and burnt out. On Saturday I trained for a total of 5 and a half hours. I did a no-gi class and followed it up with mma. Danny stopped by at the end of my class to help me work on my wrestling but by the time he got there, I had been training for 3 hours straight and was completely exhausted. We still managed to work on some things for 20 minutes or so.

I chilled for a few hours after class, until 6pm rolled around and I dropped in on my friend's fledgling boxing/muay thai class. My friend recently started doing a boxing class at his youth club and I thought it'd be a good opportunity to get some more stand-up training in. It was a grueling 2 hours that left me physically defeated by the end of the day.

I was still determined to hit the gym on Monday though, but I did not account for the toll swimming would take on me. I woke up this morning feeling like I was hit by a truck. Now I'm really feeling the combined effects of the activities from this weekend.

Aiming to be back in the gym by Wednesday. One day of rest is just not going to cut it this time. I think somewhere along the line I forgot that weekends were supposed to be relaxing.

I stayed for about half an hour after my lesson was over to practice some of the stuff we went over. I got out at about 1 in the afternoon. As I was walking down 3rd avenue, I happened upon Naruto Ramen.

I ordered the Naruto Ramen lunch special which included a small plate of curry chicken and rice. The noodles were nice and bouncy and the broth was flavorful, but I prefer a heartier type of pork broth. Not a bad spot overall, but definitely not a place to bring a large group. As you can tell from the picture, it's bar seating only. It's also far as hell on the upper east side.

For now though, this looks like my lunch spot after my swimming lessons.

I don’t know anyone who has been training in the sport of grappling for an extensive period of time that hasn’t experienced a slump or been in some sort of rut. When you are in a training slump you may experience the following:

- You don’t feel like your improving and have the feeling that you no longer will.

- You’re starting to feel frustrated.

- You feel unmotivated.

- You feel like you want to quit training all together.

- You feel nothing is going right.

Being able to get through your slump in grappling could be the determining factor of whether you continue in your training or not. If you do continue and get through your first slump, then getting through other slumps will get easier. If you don’t get through your slump, then chances are that you probably won’t be grappling much longer. I’ve seen training slumps make and break many people. 

Continue to the rest of the article here.

While I did not personally find many of the tips useful, it's comforting to know that I'm not alone.

Everyone has their bad days I guess.

What matters more is what we do after those bad days. I really liked this quote at the beginning of the article

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached as by the obstacles that one has overcome while trying to succeed.” ~ Mark Twain

A friend told me to just quit doing what I'm doing. That my body isn't made for physical activity. I'm guessing he was half joking, but it's true. My body seems fragile and does not appear well suited for physical activity. However I highly doubt I'll quit any time soon. Even though I'm getting new injuries seemingly on a regular basis, I feel like I'm in great shape.

I have my weight lifting routine pretty regimented as well and I've been getting decent results. A friend of mine has picked up weight lifting in the past couple of months and I see changes in him as well, both physical and mental. There are so many benefits to working out that go beyond the physical, which makes me wonder why people who are out of shape don't make an attempt to get back in shape.

I think it's safe to say that for most people, part of your self esteem is tied to your image. I don't necessarily believe that it should be the case that your self-esteem should be tied to your body, but you can't deny that if you look better, you feel better. Weight lifting and hitting the gym will get you there, but a more immediate benefit from staying in shape is just the act of staying in shape. Going through a healthy routine on a regular basis is a positive thing, and you can't help but just to feel good about yourself knowing that you are doing something positive for yourself, even if results aren't immediately apparent.