Jiu-Jitsu saved my life

At 37 I was 5’9" 205lbs, working 80-90hrs a week as an executive at my company and a part time real estate investor. I was so stressed that I had a shingles outbreak on my face. Which not only hurts like hell but looks really gross.

Then, shortly after my daughter’s 3^rd birthday my wife said “I’m going to take Brin to a Jiu-Jitsu class at that place across the street”. In my mind I was thinking “great, I’d love for her to be able to protect herself”. 

“That Place across the street" was a Gracie Barra school. Professor Luis, Aso, Josie and Lucas welcomed them with open arms and immediately became part of their family. I immediately began to see a change in my daughter Brin. She became much more focused and even more confident. 

A few weeks later my wife told me that they do a Parents & Kids class and suggested that I go with Brin. After a bit of grumbling and hesitation I went too. These guys were amazing with the way they managed the kids, I was totally impressed however after the class I was physically drained. 

That sounds good but if you’ve ever been to a parents and kids class you know that there’s nothing physically challenging about the class. But there I was, out of breath from playing bulldog. 

Fast forward a few weeks and I went to another parents and kids class. Still out of breath but I saw how much my daughter enjoyed sharing that class and doing BJJ with me. Every time we went to class together her face lit up with Joy, Pride and Excitement. I loved the way she looked at me when we went to class together. 

Fast forward another few weeks and my amazing wife Erica began suggesting that I do Jiu-Jitsu as well. While she never said it directly she already knew what I later came to realize; I was on the fast track to having a heart attack at my desk before the age of 45. 

We talked about it a few more times but Erica knew that if she pushed too hard I would do the opposite and continue doing nothing about my health. Then I had a few really frustrating days at work in a row and one morning I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Not a great picture, double chin, puffy cheeks and a gut hanging over my boxers. Awful…

So, I finally decided to get off of my ass. After work I drove to GB and signed up for Jiu-Jitsu. Going to my first grown-ups class I was definitely nervous but I already told my daughter that I was going and I refused to let her down. 

During my first class I became winded during the warmup, thought I was going to have a heart attack on the mats, got choked and tapped too many times to count but I couldn’t remember a time when I felt more alive. Even though I was still sore I went to my next class 2 or 3 days later. I then spent the next month in perpetual soreness but I started to feel the stress lifting of my shoulders and the pounds coming off the scale. I was hooked. 

It’s now 10 months later, I love BJJ even more than I did when I started, my weight has gone from 205 to 160 and I’m in better shape now than I was as a college baseball player at 22. 

So to Professor Luis, Aso, Josie, Gracie Barra, Jiu-Jitsu, my wife Erica and my daughter Brin: Thank you for not just changing my life but for saving my life.