http://www.alasdairstuart.com/?p=450 Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:57:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 http://www.alasdairstuart.com/?p=450#comment-2949 Sharon Chisholm Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:16:35 +0000 http://www.alasdairstuart.com/?p=450#comment-2949 I had to laugh when I came across your blog today as you appear to be the male version of me. I am a 41 year old, overweight, unfit, mum of 2,a Pommie living in Australia, who thought it would be a good idea to take my kids to Judo, never imagining for one minute that I would enjoy it myself. I've now been going for six months and love it. I get injured every week without fail. Four weeks in, I tore my internal oblique muscle during warm-up doing "the wheelbarrow", not even some hard-core ninja Judo move and was out of action for 4 weeks. I've injured my shoulders, thumbs, jaw, toes, head and almost every place in between. I've spent a fortune on physio and my knees are stuffed. We just had a big training session at the week-end with our other clubs and I came away with a semi-black eye, a bruised and cut top and bottom lip and every muscle in my body feeling like I'd had an argument with a baseball bat. But there is nothing on earth that would stop me going. There are a small number of other adults at our class, but it's mostly kids. The other adults are all strong, fit, well-built guys, apart from one girl who is half my age, half my size (ie. she's slim and I'm not), she's super-fast, very strong and always wins when we do randori. I go twice a week and also have a one-on-one lesson which has done wonders for my ability. My harshest critic is, like you, myself and I am always questioning my skill and ability. My instructor says that both me and the other girl can go for our orange belts as we know enough to skip yellow, but of course my inner critic tells me that he's only saying this to keep me interested in going and so I don't feel demotivated if the other girl progresses faster than me. Why do we talk to ourselves this way?? But, regardless of how far I go in Judo, I'm proud of the fact that I put myself out there when very few people like me do. I show up even when I don't feel like it, I pay attention, I try hard, I push myself to learn and do better. I'm fitter, stronger and I've lost weight and above all else, I'm living!! Good on you for putting yourself out there!!! I had to laugh when I came across your blog today as you appear to be the male version of me. I am a 41 year old, overweight, unfit, mum of 2,a Pommie living in Australia, who thought it would be a good idea to take my kids to Judo, never imagining for one minute that I would enjoy it myself. I’ve now been going for six months and love it. I get injured every week without fail. Four weeks in, I tore my internal oblique muscle during warm-up doing “the wheelbarrow”, not even some hard-core ninja Judo move and was out of action for 4 weeks. I’ve injured my shoulders, thumbs, jaw, toes, head and almost every place in between. I’ve spent a fortune on physio and my knees are stuffed. We just had a big training session at the week-end with our other clubs and I came away with a semi-black eye, a bruised and cut top and bottom lip and every muscle in my body feeling like I’d had an argument with a baseball bat. But there is nothing on earth that would stop me going. There are a small number of other adults at our class, but it’s mostly kids. The other adults are all strong, fit, well-built guys, apart from one girl who is half my age, half my size (ie. she’s slim and I’m not), she’s super-fast, very strong and always wins when we do randori. I go twice a week and also have a one-on-one lesson which has done wonders for my ability. My harshest critic is, like you, myself and I am always questioning my skill and ability. My instructor says that both me and the other girl can go for our orange belts as we know enough to skip yellow, but of course my inner critic tells me that he’s only saying this to keep me interested in going and so I don’t feel demotivated if the other girl progresses faster than me. Why do we talk to ourselves this way?? But, regardless of how far I go in Judo, I’m proud of the fact that I put myself out there when very few people like me do. I show up even when I don’t feel like it, I pay attention, I try hard, I push myself to learn and do better. I’m fitter, stronger and I’ve lost weight and above all else, I’m living!! Good on you for putting yourself out there!!!

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