Fitness with a Purpose!

Purpose – “the reason for which something exists
or is done, made, used, etc.

“Fitness with a Purpose”…..This is one of the many catch phrases I use in my Academy’s marketing. I came up with this because I used to do Triathlons, which was a fun and challenging sport, but also a sport that really doesn’t have a purpose. Yeah, I know what you Tri-athletes will say, “The purpose is in challenging yourself!” Well I’ve never viewed this as a “true” challenge. Don’t get me wrong, it is very hard, but all you are really competing against is a clock.
I used to love Triathlons, and it was basically my job in the Marines. How I got involved was a complete accident because I was never really into endurance sports. I had no idea what a Triathlon was but knew I could swim, bike and run so when a fellow Marine who had signed up for the event got injured, my unit looked for a replacement. I decided to do it.
As it turned out, I was pretty good at it. I ended up winning that first race, which kicked off a new chapter in my life. I wasn’t the best at any one event but I was good at all the events which put me way ahead of a lot of the other athletes. The world of Triathlons took over my life! I worked out on the weekdays and raced on the weekends. All I was focused on was how to beat my times and I trained about 6 hours a day with that goal in mind. But was this purposeful to me?
I was stationed on a Navy Base and we were the only Marines on the base. The base was made up of about 25 different Commands and each of those commands had over a couple hundred sailors. The MWR (Morale Welfare Recreation) set up competitions in everything from football, softball, bowling, racquetball, darts, golf, horseshoes, etc. The points were tallied up and at the end of the year, the command with the most points was awarded the “Capt’s Cup”. The competition was fierce because whoever won the cup would have the bragging rights for a year. This was a huge thing for the Company Commanders of each command and especially big for a little unit made up of Marines winning against a bunch of sailors.
Our Command had about 25 guys and a lot of those guys were not very athletic. The great thing about the way the points was set up was that even a small command like ours could compete with the big ones because they gave the same amount of points for all the events. We couldn’t field a great football team because we just didn’t have enough to men to choose from, but we had a bunch of drinkers that could bowl and throw darts. We were also pretty good at softball, but the majority of the points came from the events that I did (5k, 10k, Swimming Competitions, and (2) Triathlons). In fact, I scored so many points that the cup was kept on my CO’s desk! Now there was a purpose….to win the cup. But was it my purpose?
I was really lucky that I excelled at these things because I ended up getting to stay at that command for 8 years strait, which is unheard of for most Marines. It opened up other doors for me as well. I got the opportunity to go to almost any Military school I asked for (Combat Swimming, Rappel Master, Primary Marksmanship Instructor, etc.), which was a benefit not enjoyed by most other Marines. I was given the nickname “The Golden Child”, because of the way I was treated.
It is funny how life is. You never know where it is going to take you. I really didn’t care which way I was going in life as long as it was fun. That is basically how I have lived the majority of my life. I was never concerned about a higher purpose. I just wanted to live for the moment and enjoy what I was doing. I had no purpose. Then Mixed Martial Arts came along…..
When I started training in martial arts again, my love for it really showed through. I didn’t have as much time to train for the Triathlons and it was apparent during the races. The thrill of having someone actually trying to punch kick you while you were doing the same was so much more exciting than sitting on my bike for 3 hours going nowhere. I would leave the gym exhausted which didn’t help my motivation towards training for my races. I started placing in the top 10 and was no longer in the top 3. I didn’t care because I realized that the only reason I was doing triathlons was for the CO’s cup. I was trying to live up to the expectations of the other guys in my Command, but I was not doing what I loved. To me, running Triathlons had no real purpose.
I actually got out of the Marines because my luck had run out and I was going to get transferred to another unit. I told my martial arts instructor at the time, and he said that I could come work for him and train to fight. It was a dream come true! My mother thought I was crazy and I could see the disappointment in her. I had a great future in the Corps but my dream bug had bitten me and I didn’t care….I was jumping ship! Even though I was going to take a drastic pay cut and walk away from 10 years of Military service, I finally had a purpose!
I went off topic a little but want to give the reader a brief look into my background. So why isn’t everyone training in Mixed Martial Arts? I am not sure if I am a special kind of person because I enjoy the primal thrill of punching, kicking or choking another person. I have always felt like Mixed Martial Arts is so much more of a challenge to me than any other sport I have ever done. It is also one of the best full body workouts that you can do. It works every muscle in your body, including your brain. It’s like playing 3D Chess. Training in Mixed Martial Arts is a physically challenging workout that also requires the use of mental calculation, cognitive reasoning and problem solving skills.
The name “Mixed Martial Arts” can be very intimidating. This is what makes my job so hard. I have to continually think of new ways to get the message out there – that this is for everyone and anyone who wants an incredible workout. I know that once they start, they won’t quit because they will have discovered what I discovered. And the best part about it is that you actually get to workout for a purpose –Self Defense. Sure, the chances that anyone will end up in a violent confrontation are pretty slim. Of course, the chances that your house will burn down are also pretty slim, yet you still spend money on Homeowners Insurance, right? I like to think of Mixed Martial Arts training as insurance for your body. Now who wouldn’t invest in that?