Derbalife: My Success Story

I never thought I'd do a before & after picture thingy!

I know I will be accused of tricking this image. Myself I look at it and think it totally looks like I pushed my belly out on the left and sucked it in on the right. And I wouldn't blame anybody for thinking it.

But where would that take me? I pushed myself so much during this challenge... My goal was not weight loss. It was simply to increase my strength. I'm 45. Getting older by the second. I woke up one day a little over a month before my birthday and for the first time in my life: I felt old. I couldn't bare to look at myself in the mirror. I was in a transition from working 80 hours per week, living on the road, touring with a racecar team, signing autographs simply because I was the only female "wrench" at my level of competition to ... nothing. Unemployed, suddenly moved to San Diego, and living on a boat. The word transition does not do justice to all the changes I was going through so of course that evil old MIDLIFE crisis was bitch slapping me on a regular basis.

I needed to do something, and fast. So I did what any crazy 45 year old French Canadian would do and joined roller derby. Assuming 3 derby practices per week would be enough to whip me back into shape I quickly realized I needed more. I was no longer a 20-yr old bouncing back without effort.

Then Angela Bergman (cue angelic sounds and bright lights) asked all her Facebook friends to support her and vote for her. She had just completed the Derbalife Challenge. Her results were absolutely stunning! She inspired me to do more...

Like I said, weight loss was not my goal, as you can see from the pictures above... But what have I accomplished? I started this challenge on September 19 and it has just ended. Six consecutive weeks of:

• daily tracking my calories;
• reducing certain "toxins" like coffee - now down to 2 cups per week rather than one a day and an average of one or two cocktails per night max rather than... (the past is the past right?);
• daily routine of crunches, squats and lunges;
• with the help of a heart monitor I started tracking my calorie losses, and in doing so I turned everyday task into a work out from doing the laundry to taking the trash out - I strapped on the monitor and performed my chore with an increased speed and being aware of how I did everything trying to make every action count;
• I rode my bike 2 or 3 times a week, etc.

I look back and see 42 consecutive days at maintaining a healthy routine. They say all it takes to create a new habit is to perform it for 21 days... Well, I've doubled that time during this challenge so my Derbalife Routine is now MY routine.

I feel so much more confident and happy about myself. My track speed may have only increased a slight bit, but at least its better! The buddy system and the coaching support is a definite plus. And of course, I recommend the Derbalife Challenge to anybody who seeks any kind of self improvement.

I still have some of that "bag of jell-o" hanging out around my core area, actually 2 inches less than 6 weeks ago so just imagine where I'll be 6 weeks from now! 

Can't Help But Wondering...

www.fredfabulous.co.uk

Now that I've been enjoying derby 7 months of rough-grueling-crunching-slamming-growling pleasure I really wonder why every single woman does not give this sport a try? Except for the catty ones. Maybe.

I also wonder how could I turn Marr Bulls into my real name? Like on my driver's license and passport and stuff. You  know, make it official. This name suits me, it just does. A league girl told me last week "That name really suits you." and then added "I hope it doesn't insult you that I just said that!"

At first I felt pride, then I felt quizzical as to if I should feel shame since she politely pointed out that there was a hint of an insult in calling me Marr Bulls.

*hangs head in shame*

NO WAY! I love my name! It's goofy with hints of craziness! Like the label says: You can play with me! Collect me! Swap me! Heck, I'll even let you whip me!

Marr's Golden Rules to Derby Bootcamp

In celebration of my first 6 months of derby, I've come up with (cue for the trumpets: ta-ta-ta-taaaaa!) MY very own RULES to derby bootcamp! Tighten those skates, strap on your (no, not the strap-on bleeeeep! but the pads) cover your head with your helmet and sit back AND READ. Then follow the rules. I beg of you to:

-1-

STAY LOW

God gave you knees that bend, use them wisely and often. Stay low, bend down, and if your back doesn't hurt (that lower portion?) then chances are you're just not bent down low enough. And when in doubt for why a skill is just not working out for you: chances are, it's because you just aren't assuming the derby stance.

-2-

LOOK

Look behind you, around you, not just ahead of you. The action is behind you. Its all about what's coming up - the jammer passing you, the blocker getting ready to catch up and *ouch* slam into you. Use that neck of yours and turn around. Practice doing laps where you are constantly looking behind you. And, then look behind you from the other side. Get used to it - the more you practice looking behind you the more you'll actually enlarge your perception width.

-3-

SHARE

Come on, share with Sugar Bear! And I'm not talking about your candy bar or your Pacifico, although THAT would actually be nice... Share the info. Tell your teammates what's going on. Even if you are looking behind you, there are things you may not notice, "Jammer - coming up!" "On your inside!" You get the drill, don't ever assume others know what you know. And it'll make you a better teammate - others will know they can rely on you and they'll (hopefully) want to play with you more.

-4-

GET UP!

We all fall down. All of us. It's not if you fall that matters, its what you do after you fall. Your team relies on you and needs you. Every player on the track is actually indispensable to each other. If you fall and stay down, then you are letting your team down. And every time you let your team down, they slowly learn to not count on you. And that sucks. You may still be in bootcamp (like me) so now is the time to make it a habit. Get the fuck up. Fast. Quick. If you're hurt, then get off the track - the least you can do is not become an obstacle.

-5-

HURRY!

Derby is a sport. And most sports involve speed. Hurrying isn't solely about how fast you can skate but how fast you react. And as long as you're still in bootcamp, this often means how quickly you respond to your coaches commands. I know, "command" sounds harsh and military'ish. But, it is called bootcamp for a reason after all. Practice time is so limited, add up those wasted minutes it takes everybody to get on track and in a pace line when asked, and those minutes quickly build up to hours. Hours of wasted time waiting... Again. Take everything you do in bootcamp to build positive habits. A positive habit is easier to keep up than to undo a bad one. (Yeah, trust me, I've got the flailing arms to prove you I am so friggin right here!)

-6-

OWN IT

I so wanted to stick to a pretty number like 5 or 3. But I could NOT end this without talking about the primary rule to learning anything in life. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for what YOU learn. And that - is golden enough, I don't need to explain it.

Simple enough? These are my rules and I'll see you at the track!

Focus On The Journey: And All That Jazz...

www.ryanscottlum.tumblr.com

For 4 years I worked in the career management industry in Canada. Oh those were the days... I gots to travel alls over the country meeting nice ladies and gentlemans even going aaaaaallll the ways up to Inuit Nirvana aka Nunavut (pronounced: So Friggin Cold) and hads me a doggy sled ride in the snowy blizzardy desert... yes them was the days indeed!

And during these glorious days I repeated clichés such as:

• Follow Your Heart
• Focus on the Journey
• If You Build it They Will Come

OK, so the last one is from a movie, only because this sweet life is so far away I can't remember all the wunderbar stuff I told people repeatedly. That and a new thing I've developed recently called "forgetting". Joys. Of. Aging.

Even if focus on the journey was a principle I believed in, practicing it was a whole nuther matter. Do as I say, not as I do. But recently I've come to the realization that (cue bright lights and angelic voices coming from the heavens, yes HEAVENS in plural one heaven for each religion) for once in my life I've engaged myself in something that is really about the journey.

I know you're all expecting me to reveal something deep such as re-kindling with religion, or taking on a new career, or whatever... but it isn't. What has finally made me shift into this new paradigm is roller derby.

I know. I'm sounding like a cheap late night infomercial as I'm dangling on some weird new exercise machine screaming "YOU CAN DO IT!" And I apologize for that.

But roller derby is what did it for me. Lot's of ladies join derby hoping to rush through bootcamp and quickly become league members competing in bouts. Not this little freshmeat bootcamper. I'm enjoying the challenges as I go through them one by one. OK, well, as I repeat them over and over and over until I kinda meet them is how I should put it. But still.

Whether it takes me 6 months, a year or if I never even graduate from bootcamp: just being there, doing the drills, meeting the challenges, and facing new ones regularly is my thrill. My new nirvana. Its the here and now no matter where it takes me simply because where I'm at is beyond my wildest imagination.

This is my journey...

Lean On Me

www.ozguru.mu.nu

I was a race car mechanic prior to moving out here. The entire time I was working on the car I was fully aware I had the driver's life in my hands. One bolt left unchecked could easily leave my guy sitting on a different pair of wheels... This outlook totally changed how I viewed teamwork.

And now? Roller derby is bringing a whole new perspective to what I thought I mastered. In derby you depend so much on your team. Constant communication is a must. It's not about yelling "She's comiiiiiiing!" but about sending a clear message "Jammer on the inside!"

And its about trusting your teammates. Trust when they tell you to slow down, speed up, go to the inside or the outside, etc. It's not like you have time to debate and second guess because by the time you come to say "Well, I thought we'd be better off if" and boom you got slammed by a she-truck or passed by a speedy jammer. Or worst, you let your jammer get slammed. And game over.

Imagine how bad you'd feel if that slam cost your jammer a major injury... Now you know how I felt as a race car mechanic!

This level of teamwork goes beyond Oprah's "You go girl" attitude. It's about knowing your team trusts you because you will not let them down. It's about knowing if your pivot tells you to move forward it's for a sound reason. And then it's tasting the glory of watching your jammer clear the pack because you know you did the right move.

Teamwork. It's much more than those silly black motivational posters. But you'll never really know what it is until somebody you barely know trusts you with their life...

Injuries = Trophies

My gang got to play for realz last night for the first time. We scrimmaged.

How cool is that?

As we split up into two teams, the coach tossed us the caps and I was handed the Pivot beanie. I accepted the challenge with an eager smile. "I get to yell and encourage my teammates? Sweet!" But I knew I was in trouble when the most experienced player, also wearing a Pivot cap told me "Watch out, you'll be the first person I'll want to take out!" Gulps. 

She wasn't shtting me. She took me out. Coming around at half a lap, the last thing I saw was a helmet coming for my face and BAM! Shocked, I noticed blood on my hands. Blood! As I kept skating to catch up with the pack I'm scooping up as much blood with my hands as I could. 

This is how I saw myself

Needless to say I was so friggin proud. And I immediately pictured this image in my mind. I was thrilled because to me, in my weird whacked out head this made me officially a derby chick. I get hit, hard enough to cut skin and I'm still in there skating and pushing myself.

Of course I was no where near this image. But I sensed her energy and her guts. I was her. I was the chick who's not afraid of pain. I was the chick who looks straight out and asks "Is that all you've got?" 

I was also the 5yr old playing with boys. "My Barbie can SO keep up with your GI Joe!" You know what I mean? Maybe I was too giddy to be the actual tough chick (heck, I was wearing a pink skirt à-la cheerleader style) so, maybe not that tough after all.

But we all survived our first scrimmage. We've discovered who's got top potential as future Jammers and Slammers. I don't know where I'll fit in yet, but who cares? I'm having the time of my life and will continue to show off my injuries.

They are my trophies. Trophies that say: 

1. I ain't afraid of no wolf!
2. I've got guts.
3. No pain - no gain.
4. Watch me go.
5. Go ahead hit me. I'll keep skating!

No Matter the Question: Derby is the Answer!

I must admit, I love seeing my derby friends progress and move forward.

Even if their progress is faster than mine. I love witnessing these girls improve. It's an inspiration. It truly is. Among my gang of boot-campers (which was HUGE) there are a few that are amazing. OK, so more than a few, but some really stand out. And last week, 2 girls were invited to stick around after practice to skate with the big girls...

Being invited to join league practice is a big deal. And the fact that some of the girls that started in February, like me, are already invited to step it up is wicked!

It's cool to feel sheer joy for them. We're all in this together, and I love feeling part of a team. Your success is my success, and mine is yours as well.

One night I stuck around after practice to video-tape a scrimmage. Waiting around until it was time to stand behind the camera, the recruiter was talking with 2 new girls from orientation. She asked me if I had any suggestions to give them. And we talked about how nice everybody is. And how cool all the girls were. My reply was: no room for catty girls here! They're staying at home so they can make other people miserable.

So that's that. If you're wondering what to do with your spare time and looking for a new social activity that will not only get your ass in shape but hook you up with amazing new friends: DERBY is the answer!

FAQ's

www.bytelove.com

Q: Is roller derby all staged like wrestling?
A: NO! Roller derby is a real actual sport, just like basketball, hockey and football. Its fast-paced, it has contact, it requires skills and endurance. It's way too fast to fake (that's what she said), there is no way they could do that and stage the entire thing!

(It's incredible when you think about how often this question is asked. AND even more incredible then that is the look of disbelief in the person's eyes when you answer...)

Q: Why do they dress that way? Do they HAVE to look like strippers on wheels?
A: Well, that's all part of the fun... have you been out on Halloween in the recent years? PLUS, it's a derby tradition to wear funky socks and outfits. It's part of the culture. AND, the short skirts or shorts make it more comfortable to move and stretch in all directions. Its a highly active sport, we need to move and we can't do that in restrictive clothing. What we wear is like a second skin and does not limit motion. Plus every girl wants to be sexy...

(This is an aspect that makes it sometimes hard to sell roller derby as a real sport. Men want to watch bouts because it's exciting - in more ways than one. But the clothing is (in all honesty) a big part of derby. We love hitting local bars on Taco Tuesdays after practice and strut in there in our derby finest! It's a hoot!)

*******

What questions have YOU been asked as a derby girl? AND how have YOU dealt with these particular questions? I'd love to know so I can improve my answers. As derby queens, we all bare the weight of being proper ambassadors to the sport.

Things That Go BUMP!

I may not be filled with air, but I kinda look like this dude when I'm skating!

Holy Toledo! As usual, last night we divided our group into 2. Level ones were to go to the banked track, whereas level 2s and 3s stayed on the flat track. As I picked up my water bottle and started heading towards the banked track Kiki (the coach) asked me where I was going. "Uh, banked with the other level one girls" ??? Duh, right?

"No MarrBulls, you're a level 2 now!" ??? "No I'm not, I'm still a one!" ??? "No! You're a 2" ??? "Since when?" ??? "Just stay here on the flat track, you're a level 2."

And that's how I found out I was once again to be thrown outside my comfort zone. But you know what they say: "To be a top skater, you need to skate among top skaters." that and "Pass the butter" but the second saying is irrelevant. Here that is. It's so relevant when you're eating BBQ corn on the cob.

Mmmmm... barbecue... corn... on... the... cob...

WHAT A NIGHT! We skated in a pace line, pretty close to the inside line and each had to make our way up the pace line as the other skaters tried to bump us outta zone. It was SO hard! We each got to do it twice. My second time around, thanks to my nano speed and cat-like reflexes I managed to avoid some of the hard hitters, and I even slammed before getting slammed so I could avert the hits.

This is where I take a little pause to apologize to those I may have hit with illegal body parts (i.e. elbows and possibly hands or even fists - oopsssie!). Yeah. I'm a flailer. My arms are still acting on their own will and I may or may not look like Phoebe from Friends when she went for a run in Grand Central Park with Rachel.

Oh yeah, and on my 2nd time around I pushed myself so hard I actually thought I was going to throw up. Honest to god I did. That was a first for me. And at the end of the night I was thrilled by my results. OK, so I'm not about to be seen in an actual bout but I totally dabbled with that comfort zone and moved beyond its limits.

Stoked is the key word here.

See you at the track!

Hit That Pavement!

Thought roller derby could replace your work-out regime? Or that going to practice could count as working out?

Think again!

You want to be a derby girl? Then start building your endurance now! And the best way to do that is to go out and hit that pavement! You can start by running. You don't need to run a marathon, but just go outside and run. Go easy at first, like a mild jog around your block. But sooner or later you will have to increase your endurance and longer runs is the only way to build that.

OR, better yet: GO OUT AND SKATE! Skating on a nice smooth surface where you practice is one thing, but skating outside on uneven terrain (like going over those ba-bump lines on the sidewalk) with occasional inclines and wind will add to that oh je-ne-sais-quoi degree of difficulty the French judges love slamming athletes in the Olympics with!

And modify your pace, skate or run at 70% of your speed capacity for 5 minutes then insert a death defying 100% capacity sprint for 15-20 seconds where you're teasing that line of in-control-and-outta-control. Keep alternating between both paces until you are blue in the face!

Go home. Shower. Rest. And repeat.

Again and again. Think about the nice lean hard body you'll get! ツ

A Change of Pace

Last night's practice was handled by superstar Crushin Cuban.

The practice was amazing. Our group was at it's smallest in numbers: only 8 Level 1's showed up. This gave us an amazing opportunity to get one on one coaching tips from Cuban. And she upped the ante by pushing us in giving it our all. One by one we had to sprint around the track then had about 15 feet to stop before slamming into our peeps standing in a line across the track.

We had to do this over and over again. I'm loving the over and over learning strategy... And if she felt we weren't giving it our all she'd yell at us. It was amazing! I crossed the line between comfort zone and slightly out-of-control zone and even in the way-beyond-control-zone. Have I mentioned it was amazing?

Also, last night was orientation night at the Dollhouse. Once a month (the third Monday) the Dolls have an orientation night to initiate new recruits. This is the 2nd New Meat Night since I joined. Just like in the movies, military boot-campers stand and watch the new recruits running and smile thinking "Aaaah, welcome to my life and finally somebody new to replace me in the role of worst dude out there".

The March recruits disappointed me. These new girls were all instantly better than me. I was still on the bottom of the totem pole. I'm hoping April will bring in a new wave of freshness where I may start feeling better than average!

OK, so I'm joking. Totally. I'm a better person than that. I think. Maybe. No seriously, I really am just kidding as I'm sitting here sipping my morning latte madly typing away on my little laptop (I thought you needed visuals, you did didn't you?)

AND LASTLY... Monday is also the weekly night for scrimmage! I stuck around and volunteered to be the videoWOMAN and tape the entire bout. YAY me! It was such fun and excitement. I'm a tekkie geeky kinda person, and when there's buttons and technology involved I'm in heaven...

That's all for now... See y'a at the track peeps!

It's All In Your Head!

Last night we focused on a specific skill: turn around toe stops. This video demonstrates exactly what I'm talking about, minus the mach 5 speed caused by cliff diving off the banked track.

Sounds easy?

We started at the upper point of the banked track, rolled straight down, dropped off the 2.5" ledge then had 10' to stop. On my first attempt I tried my most successful stop: T-stop. I was thrilled I didn't slam down on my butt with the cliff dive when I dropped off the track, but my stop only got me a little past the 10' line.

Not good enough. As I stoically skate back up the track at the end of the line I can't stop from shaking. I was frightened! And I had to do it again. And again. And again. Etc.

Noticing only 2-3 girls mastered the toe stop within the 10' limit, the coaches lowered their expectations. We skated to the other end of the track, lined up at the top, but this time we rolled down to the side of the track rather than directly down the steepest line. With this new approach our success rate now hit over 10 girls.

I cheated. Before dropping off the ledge I'd slow myself with a mild T-stop. And I got yelled at... Why am I so scared? These coaches see everything. Everything... Do you think they made it there by letting sly details slip by? No way!

Why did I cheat? I've got some un-rational fear of pain. Totally not rational. I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of NOT dying after going through extreme pain. True story, word yo. So, now I need to work on my head to rid it of stupid fears so I can do a quick turn around then apply pressure on my toes.

p.s. Ever since I started stuffing my shorts with homemade butt pads, I haven't slammed down on my butt once, coincidence? I'm ready to make it a science project and see how long I go with the pads as some kind of placebo effect... Worth a try.

It's ALL About Attitude!

www.shorpy.com

Like anything you do in life: it's all about the 'tude, man! As in A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E!

Be gutsy. Be daring. Be "all that you can be". Show you care, show you're trying, show you WANT it. A derby girl chose the sport for one very specific reason: she wanted to shine and have her peeps shine as well. The audience will gobble you up if you've got that killer attitude.

And your team will have faith in you knowing you're giving it your best, knowing you won't let them down. It's a TEAM sport. There's nothing worse than feeling like your team mate didn't put forth her best effort. To fail after trying so hard you puked up a lung is one thing, but to fail because you just gave up is a whole other ball game. Seeing a team mate do this will make you want to rip her eyes out.

I know I don't want my team ripping my eyes out so I give and I give and I yell, and I scream, and I do all I can to remember names so I can cheer them on when they're on the spot. And then I yell some more.

If I fail because I basically slammed down on my butt because I was a spaz, well - that sucks. But, it's not about the fall - it's about what comes after the fall. I scoot my ass back up and jump back in the game. And then I go home and cry on my husband's shoulders because I'm all bruised up! And then I get ready for the next practice and psych myself to do even better.