I take sixteen credit hours at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I have two jobs; I am a waitress and I provide security at a club on weekends. I am also a member of the United States Armed Forces and I am a WMMA fighter training full time.
With everything going on, it can be difficult simply remembering everything that needs to be done. I need time to study, work, train, relax and if time permits, have a social life. I’m busy for about eighteen hours out of my day with all of it. It takes perfection when planning to make everything fit together. It’s like putting together an intricate puzzle. But once you get a system down, it really just all clicks. I would like to explain a few of my favorite points: school, relationships, working, eating, and training.
School: As an amateur, school comes first and foremost. This is what I could be doing for the rest of my life and I want to be able to be the best at it. There are only a few select individuals in the world who are able to fight for a living. I need a backup plan in case that doesn’t happen for me.
Relationships: Ugh, I don’t even know why I wanted to talk about this, but I feel like it matters. Since I’ve been fighting, I have not been in a relationship because it’s just too hard. I already have so much going on, I don’t know how it would be possible for me to even fathom being with another person. However, I think I’m just looking for that one who can help balance me out. Whenever that may happen ;).
Working: well, this is pretty essential. If you don’t have enough sponsors, or wealthy enough sponsors, or your parents still take care of you, you will need to work to afford your gym fees. My advice? Find something that you’re good at, or that’s really easy and pays enough for you to live on and get by at the gym.
Eating: I LOVE FOOD. No doubt about it. In the last year, my weight has gone from 170-148-180-170. All because of food and cutting. However, you can make healthy food choices that are just as tasty as the horrible food is for you. Watch what you eat, because it will bite you in the ass in the end, literally.
Training: Training is key. I lost my last fight because I was working three jobs and trying to go to school full time and i was not able to make it into the gym to train. But no worries, I’ve got my life figured out so that WILL NOT happen again. People have to remember that you are going to have bad days in training as well as good days. But that doesn’t mean you should quit. There’s something to be learned with each time you go in… You’re never going to be the best, but you can keep getting closer to that if you keep trying.