Why Did You Start Your Sport?

My martial arts coach Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles who also happens to be a 4 time world champion in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu made a great point to his athletes today. He talked about how athletes after an event will pig out and eat poorly, maybe drink, party, or any other series of unhealthy activities. And then he asked, why did you start the martial arts? I thought it was to become a winner, a better person, a stronger person, a healthier person? So why aren't you living your life like that? You dieted and got as healthy as possible, as soon as the event why would you start eating poorly now? Because you think you can? That's not how a champion thinks.

Same could be said for any athlete, runners, tennis players, basketball players, etc. Or maybe your friend who is an avid runner, trains and does marathons, yet eats poorly all the other times. Why did they get into their sport? Wasn't it to become healthy and active and do something else in their life other than being sedentary? Does this describe you? Weekend warrior, weekday health nut?

Not many of us can call ourselves a world champion, especially something as competitive as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I guess it's why many of us will never be a champion or a winner, because we only live healthy part time, or for an event. We aren't living healthy, we just try to live healthy enough. The thing I always hear from my people, "well you should see how my friends eat?"

I don't care how your friends eat. They aren't my clients.