Its difficult to find good reviews on MMA Gear which sucks because because gear and Gi’s are pretty expensive. Here is a good site for anyone that’s interested :)

This is the sparring gear I am looking at getting when I get back to Canada (I’m in Abu Dhabi, training at ADCC at the moment) I’m not sure if the RXR line from Reevo is officially released yet but there should be a way to get my hands on it early. I need headgear, 16oz Gloves and Shin pads.

Likes

Shin guards - a hybrid between the sock type and the straps. The sock variety are ridiculously difficult to slip on when sweaty. The strap variety aren’t secure and slip often. These have a sock on top and straps at the ankle. Should be perfect!

Left and Right Shin Guards

Made in Toronto!!

Dislikes

Probably going to be expensive. If its too expensive ill probably go for revgear or badboy.

The colour scheme, not a fan of orange but can live with it.

tarastileseats:

Kale quinoa avocado celery pear hummus with fresh lemon

Makes for 2: You’ll need

2 hand fulls of kale

Quinoa: 1 cup

1 avodado

2 heaping table spoons of hummus

1 pear

2 stalks of celery

1 lemon

a dash of olive oil

Now What

massage olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon into kale

chop pear & avocado & celery

combine

add a few table spoons of quinoa

combine

add hummus

combine

enjoy!

most fun to mix with your hands!

My favorite breakfast sandwich. Two of these for breakfast can keep me going an entire day without getting hungry. Truly lives up to its name.

I follow the recipe and technique just like the video except for one thing, the Kale.

I have never seen packaged kale chips in Canada, and even in the states its ridiculously expensive. Thankfully fresh kale is cheap.

You can make kale chips at home in 20 minutes. Just rip it up, wash it dry it, put it on a tray lined with parchment paper, add evoo (extra virgin olive oil) and salt. Oven, 350F for 10 to 12 until krispy :P You can store it in ziplock after it has cooled. You can probably sell it and a make a profit :P

OR

Sautee some canned chopped Kale with the Spinach and add salt. Never eat chopped Kale out of a can, it tastes horrid. Sauteing it makes it taste amazing however…

Total Prep Time: 10 minutes if kale is on hand or skip the Kale

Total Clean Up: 5-10 minutes

My favorite lunch sandwich recipe (slight modification from the Good Eats recipe).

A lot of foodies say brisling is the best tasting fish you can get. The Calcium in the fish blocks fat formation in the body. Brisling has the highest concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids compared to any other fish, great for cardio!

Ingredients

• 1 can Brisling in Olive Oil (Millionaires Club from Sobey’s if you’re in Canada)
• 1 Avocado
• 1 tbs Dried Parsley
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1tsp lemon zest
• 2 Slices Whole Grain Toast or 2 Tortilla Wraps
• Sea Salt
• Fresh ground Black Pepper

Technique

Crack the can open and pour a little of the olive oil onto the toast slices.

Spread the olive oil onto the toast ( you can use the lid from the can if you want to be efficient).

Toast the bread in a toaster or toaster oven until golden brown.

Drain the rest of the olive oil into a bowl and add the brisling to it. 

Add lemon juice, zest, Salt, Pepper and dried parsley.  Gently mix and let it marinate for a few minutes.

Cut the avicado in half and deseed. Use a fork to mash up the avocado in its skin to make guacamole.

Fork half the Guacamole onto each toast slice and and then fork half of the brisling onto each. 

You can use Tortilla bread instead of toast to make amazing fish tacos instead.

Total Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Clean Up Time: 5 minutes 

My coach Jeff Joslin at Joslin’s MMA. Awesome collection of videos that taught me all the basics before even stepping foot into a gym.

They only sell one product a day but easily 20% cheaper than anywhere else. Cheap Shipping to Canada and active community. Can’t complain!! I really like this site and can’t wait to get my sparring gear as soon as I get back to Canada - 7 days and counting :)

Unless you want to be handed a Darwin Award you better learn to fight! Fighting for survival, for reproduction is the hallmark of life on earth. All organisms, from the tiniest microscopic creatures to plants and animals, including humans, fight to survive and carry on. The only reason organisms exist is because their ancestors also fought and succeeded. Plants bend, twist and grow tall to vie for position and out compete their neighbours. Sort of like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Point is, even plants know they need to fight. It is as if they somehow know that if they don’t fight, they will become nothing more than dirt in the ground with their competition looming over them. Ironically, even the dirt they leave behind will be used up by those that out compete them.

Us Humans, just like plants and all other organisms, have to fight to survive. Every day we fight for jobs, for relationships, for resources, for money, for rights, for recognition…The fighting may not be physical but it follows the same principles.The last thing we want to become is dirt for others to use up. Nothing feels worse than the feeling you get when you fail to stand up for yourself or your rights or stand down to an injustice out of fear of conflict. I hate that feeling! Learning to fight inoculates you against it.

Only 3 months in, learning MMA has taught me a lot more than how to defend my self in a sticky situation. Everything in MMA, from struggling out of a rear naked choke to scrambling for a submission to waiting for the perfect striking opportunity has perfect parallels in real life…add that to the 20 kg I lost, that’s pretty good stuff! :)