The Gauntlet of Links

Vacation week in Maine has been hectic to say the least. When you work at a ski mountain, the action is non-stop all week. Every morning I was fitting rental skis to guest. In the after noon I would take the guest on the ziplines. Finally at night, I sold tickets. 12 hour days all week.

Today is my day of rest so I caught up on all my favorite blogs and I am going to share the best with you.

Kuwait Karate Journal wants you to know how fit you really are. Take the US Army fitness test twice a year to gauge your fitness.

Over at ExploringKarate, Steve will take you through his planned workout with a free standing bag. He says, "You can feel and see when a technique connects well and work to improve it."

At the Knockdown Fighter board, join the discussion of you most favorite and least favorite techniques. My most favorite (today) is inside leg kick, my most hated, spinning hook kick. I just can't seem to get it.

Want a new workout gadget but don't want to spend the cash? How about a new TRX suspension trainer? the guys at Homemade Gym Stuff will show you how.

My favorite topic, food. So how does a fighter gain weight and build muscle? Mark Sisson will tell you how without all the white carbs that does your body no good.

Natural Homemade Energry Bars: Make Your Own ~ Fighter Fuel

Have you ever had a Larabar? It is the most simple but delicious snack bar out there. Just look at the side of any Larabar.  Ingredients: Nuts and fruit. Which ever bar you choose, those are the ingredients to greatness. No sweeteners, fillers, supplements, flavorings or preservatives. How good is that? Just real food, nothing more. (at the bottom of this post I have a list of homemade Larabars)


The sugar in the dried fruits are concentrated and hit the system fast. An athlete needs sugar, well we need carbs. See the glucose in the blood are like pack mules. They carry the proteins, vitamins, electrolytes and whatever else your body needs to the places they need to go. When your muscles are properly fueled, you will have better stamina.

"This is Why You're Fat" ~ Jackie Warner Review

Jackie Warner's This is Why You're Fat (and How You can get Thin Forever)

I got this book while looking for a new healthy cookbook. I got drawn away from the soups and cakes to the fitness shelf, like I always do. I usually flip through the pages of diet and workout books first. I can usually tell if it is a book for me or not, by the equipment that they use and their ingredients. I really don't like to use much equipment or search some specialty store for ingredients I never heard of. Jackie's book only had free weights, so I gave it a chance.

A Visit from Reliv - Fat Analysis

Fat Analysis

Last week, Wednesday. after kata class and during the beginning of full contact, Shihan had some people from the Reliv company come and do body fat measurements. I went first so I could get back to training. I stood on a scale with a metal plate and held these handles that came up from the scale. They input my age and height and the machine spit out a bunch of numbers. 

Funny thing, when I told the lady my age, Jared says, "you are not 39, Patty. cut it out!" I looked at him and could tell he really thought I was messing around. So I didn't say anything, and neither did anyone else, but I did smile.

Ginger Sea Scallops ~ Fighter Fuel

Tis the season for Sea Scallops. Yeah really, there is a season. It runs from October till March, of course you can get them anytime frozen. They are very quick to cook. 2 minutes per side if you are searing them in a fry pan over high heat.

Scallops are a great food for fighters. Why? To build muscles, Scallops have a whopping 19 grams of protein in every 4 ounce serving. To help the cardio, they contain 33.3% of the daily value for vitamin B12 as well as being a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and potassium. To improve your mood, scallops have 81% of your daily tryptophan levels. You get all this good stuff while only consuming 100 calories.

The End Of Overeating by Dr Kessler

The End of Overeating by Dr David Kessler

I thought that today I would write about a book that changed my eating habits. It is one of my  favorite books when it comes to nutrition. I picked it up at the library. I opened it thinking it was a diet book. I was very wrong.


The End of Overeating has more to do with how our food is processed and how the processing effects our bodies. Knowing how certain food can effect your desire to eat too much is very powerful to learn how to stop overeating.


Dr Davis Kessler is Harvard-trained doctor, lawyer, medical school dean and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. That is a lot of credentials. Even armed with all that knowledge, he was overweight man and a yo-yo dieter since college.

Settling In

Life
So the Husband was deployed last week. It is taking a lot to get used to. His job, when working for the guard required that he work on weekends, helping the soon to be deploying soldiers make arrangements for when they were to leave. So two weekends a month he was gone. Other than that, he was home everyday for the last six months.

It is so strange not to have him here. I am trying to get used to it, but things seem so empty. It is hard to get into the routine that I had, before my injuries. I used to wake up and do an exercise routine. weights, running, videos, I would do something. Very much struggling to get out of the rut. Al least I have been eating right.