Author Archives: Cindy Diehl

Reflections on my first BJJ competition

I am not the same person I was a year ago. BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) has changed me in so many ways. Here I am, a woman who was too self-conscious about her body growing up, who wouldn’t participate in group exercise or play sports because I felt too uncoordinated and didn’t want all eyes onContinue reading “Reflections on my first BJJ competition”

Momentum in Midlife: How a doctor’s visit gave me more energy

I have been really tired recently, taking long afternoon naps and falling asleep in our family room before making it upstairs to bed in the evenings. I chalked it up to getting older and adding jiu-jitsu into my workout mix. That makes sense, although working out has always given me more energy, not less. MyContinue reading “Momentum in Midlife: How a doctor’s visit gave me more energy”

How Intermittent Fasting Changed My Relationship With Food

I’m down about 5 pounds since the start of the new year, and it’s due in large part to two factors: sticking pretty closely to the macros my trainer has set for me AND returning to intermittent fasting. I’m hoping to continue that downward trend you see in the graph to the left. I jumped intoContinue reading “How Intermittent Fasting Changed My Relationship With Food”

How Jiu-Jitsu Is Revealing My True Colors

I cried after my jiu-jitsu class the other night. It was so hard, and I felt defeated. I thought I was getting better. With each class recently, I am starting to see how much I still have to learn. It’s been almost five months since I started training in jiu-jitsu. Looking at it from aContinue reading “How Jiu-Jitsu Is Revealing My True Colors”

The Mindset Shift: How My Attitude on Exercise Has Changed (And Advice I Would Give The Younger Me)

I remember walking into a gym for the first time and feeling intimidated by everything and everyone there. There I was, in my baggy t-shirt and shorts, feeling out of place and unsure what to do. Why had I ventured into a gym anyway? Probably for the same reasons so many others do… because IContinue reading “The Mindset Shift: How My Attitude on Exercise Has Changed (And Advice I Would Give The Younger Me)”

Finding Joy Without Making New Year’s Resolutions

It’s the time in January when New Year’s Resolutions are being left by the wayside and all your plans for bettering yourself may have been forgotten. But I didn’t set a New Year’s Resolution. It’s not that I don’t have goals. I have lots of goals. I just don’t like the pressure of New Year’sContinue reading “Finding Joy Without Making New Year’s Resolutions”

Submitted but not surrendering: failing in jiu-jitsu

My 6-week intro session of Brazilian jiu-jitsu wrapped up a few weeks ago … and I’m still going! I’m still a bit overwhelmed with all I’m learning, asking lots of questions, and finding myself caught in tough spots more often than I can count. Failure on my part is almost guaranteed every time I roll.Continue reading “Submitted but not surrendering: failing in jiu-jitsu”

My reasons *not* to take jiu-jitsu…

I’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching my son’s jiu-jitsu classes for months. At one of his first classes, his coach asked me when I was going to try jiu jitsu. Uh. I can’t remember how I responded, but it wasn’t high on my list. Here’s what I was thinking…  All great reasons, right? IContinue reading “My reasons *not* to take jiu-jitsu…”