Curious of your age? I'm 48. My wife and I are testing tomorrow for our green belt first stripe.

Jim

I have to be a bit careful with the cardio (hereditary heart condition) but found Jujitsu to fit in fine with that. I stopped about a year ago though due to a shoulder injury (bursitis) after a bad break fall (was supposed to go into a roll, but when from standing straight down on to my shoulder instead).

I am considering doing rolfing or deep tissue massage to break up the bursitis, because I do want to return to the dojo. While learning self defense is a benefit, for me the primary benefit was in learning to relax, and learning to move in new ways. The discipline (of the training exercises) was also good for a calmer, more clutter free mind, perhaps because I had to be fully present - so it was grounding in that respect.

When I do eventually make it back to the dojo, I'll be curious to see what effect being more relaxed will have. I used to carry a massive amount of tension in my body, but have been finding ways to either counteract it, or dispel it. At the least, I'll give my sensei's voice a rest. The word I most often heard was, "Relax!"

I'm 40, 5'9" and about 180 lbs. Last year at this time I had myself down to 14 percent body fat, but I've gotten off track during my recovery. My whole approach to fitness and martial arts has changed because I see now that I developed perfectionist tendencies in order to hide my csa memories and feelings. It's going to take some patience.

Shiatsu may help, since you're already rooted in the Japanese arts. My Goju Ryu Sensei taught shiatsu massage as well as reiki healing. I'm currently level 2 with the option of moving to master whenever I feel ready. Shiatsu has really come in handy with my wife's aches and pains, I highly recommend it.