Something
that I've always known, but kind of forgot, was that fitness is
something you constantly have to sustain. Unless you're 18 years old
you can't retain a six pack stomach and big pecs unless you strive
for them.
Recently I
spent a month in Crete. I drank heavily, partied regularly and ate
lots of saturated fat, red meat and generally unhealthy but delicious
stuff. I also drank at least 5 pints of lager a day (and usually
more) and did a ridiculous amount of shots.
I'm not
boasting about any of this but getting back into Krav Maga has been
tortuous to say the very least. I deliberately left it for nearly a
week before I went back and felt like shit all through my first
session.
The
following night I went to a seminar my club was holding and felt a
bit better, although my concentration was wavering. Last night I went
again and while I managed to get stuck in, my breathing felt like
acid coming up through my oesophagus and when I tried an abdominal
exercise I found my core stability had been shot to shit by the lack
of exercise in the previous weeks.
Someone
told me that if you are at a reasonable or high level of fitness it
will take ONE MONTH of training to regain every WEEK that you didn't
train.
Before I
went away there were several lovely moments of Kravdom that made me
feel like a warrior king.
For
example...
At the
Solihull class the instructor Al, got us to do a cardio based warm up
exercise where one bit was inclined push ups. I did more and finished
faster than ANYONE else on my group of 5, even though every other lad
in the team was at least 20 years younger than me.
Another
time a young bloke turned up for an induction and had to leave to
throw up halfway through due to being unfit. I asked him his age and
smiled to myself when he said he was 25, eighteen years my junior.
So...all
that wonderful fitness and cardio based badassery has now gone for a
holiday of its own. While I can still fight I tire much quicker,
sweat much more profusely and my chest burns with a Sahara like
intensity once heavy moving and striking gets going.
Something
I took for granted (without even meaning to) was my fitness and now
I'm paying for it big time.
Knowing
you are strong and fit is a wonderful feeling. Wanting to power
vomit due to running for 5 minutes is totally shit.
Bring on
the rocket and baby leaf salads and my trusty bicycle.
