FitMonkey

Sunday, I was honored to participate in a demo of Filipino martial arts organized by Guro Burton Richardson at the Ganbatte Japan Fundraiser to raise money for victims of the recent disasters. Here are some pictures (I’m the tall guy in the olive shirt)… http://fitmonkeyhawaii.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/stickshield2.jpg http://fitmonkeyhawaii.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/stickshield.jpg http://fitmonkeyhawaii.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/knifevsstick.jpg http://fitmonkeyhawaii.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/knifesparring.jpg

Thanks 2097! It's funny you should mention looking happy. Quite a few people told me that after going veg and getting fit I looked happier and less grouchy. One friend even says I had something of a glow. And in the picture where I'm wearing a gi I am indeed quite happy: I had just earned my Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

I just posted an article on my blog about how I dropped over 10 percentage points of body fat over 18 months. Essentially, I did it by giving up meat and embracing outdoor fitness training. You can read the article here: http://fitmonkeyhawaii.com/2011/04/27/how-i-nearly-halved-my-body-fat-in-18-months/ To give you an idea of the changes to my body, here's me in my pre-veg days... http://fitmonkeyhawaii.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/bbfat.png?w=150&h=138 And after embracing a plant-based lifestyle... http://fitmonkeyhawaii.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/bb-blue-belt-small.png?w=118&h=150

Atlantic City has embraced the cruel spectacle of rodeos. You can read my article about it here: http://news.change.org/stories/atlantic-city-bucks-compassion-for-new-annual-rodeo There's also a petition calling on officials and corporate sponsors of the new rodeo to stop holding the event in the future: http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-atlantic-city-no-more-rodeos

Greeting from Honolulu! I’m a Certified Natural Trainer II, trained by Jon Hinds at Monkey Bar Gym, and an instructor in both Burton Richardson’s JKDU/MMA for Street Self Defense as well as Battlefield Kali. I'm also a freelance writer and editor, and blog about animal rights issues at Change.org. A longtime animal lover, I half-heartedly experimented with vegetarianism a few times over the years before finally committing myself in January, 2007. I still ate eggs for a while, but gave those up fairly quickly. Dairy was a little harder, but so far this year I haven't had any dairy products, nor do I intend to! Though I went veg purely for ethical reasons, the effects on my health were profound. Within 18 months my body fat had dropped nearly 50 percent. My energy and strength levels vastly improved. I look forward to posting here and interacting with everybody. If you want to know more about me and my training, please check out my Fit Monkey Hawaii website. Aloha!