Bikini Bodies with Kayla Harrison!

A throwback from the Princes Fuji Cruise. Doing a flex off the with incredible Kayla Harrison who is a multiple time Judo Olympian Gold Medalist! and a UFC Champion.

I do a ton of teaching and traveling as a head professor but one of the best things about what I do is the people I met and the places I go. Here on the cruise, we had the chance to enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in St Thomas, Ive ever seen.

Our hard training and healthy lifestyle is what gets us these muscles. This is the result of doing what we love, day in day out. As a 4th degree Black Back in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I’ve put in many years into the sport and lots of blood, seat and tears. Kayla has spend decades perfecting the art in Judo and MMA.

She- Ra in Boots or Better in a Gi?

Teaching in my Fuji Gi at Princess Cruises

In my mind I am She-re. But in reality, as much as I'd love to be training in high heel boots, a mini skirt and a crown, I can see that it could be a tad impractical. lol 😂

So this is my Warrior Outfit. lol. I rock it with pride. 💪Back in the beginning wearing a gi was super uncomfortable since I was used to wearing gymnastics training gear (aka not much). But I love the gi now and wear these gi daily around my Lethal Ladies crew, to my seminars and my training. 🤩

If anyone is wondering about the gis I wear they are @Fujisportsus. And they make the BEST GIS for women!

Badass Babes doing some Badass training!

Here training with my Lethal Ladies who are also rocking these awesome Fuji Sports gis!

Womens seminars in North Park Jiu Jitsu, San Diego May for

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For all the ladies in San Diego, California, come join me for this Women’s seminar Sunday May 29. I will be showing several women specific techniques that will improve your BJJ and make a big difference. Click the join me button to book your spot Numbers are limited!

Seminars at Summit Martial Arts in Ohio, May 21 & 22

I'll be heading to Delaware Ohio and teaching at Summit Martial Arts Academy May 21 & 22 . I'll be teaching a co ed seminar and a women's workshop. For those in other parts of Ohio, Delaware is quite central so a road trip for a BJJ packed weekend sounds like a great idea!!! I'll be teaching new techniques and as a female heald professor in this sport I'll be sharing things from a different perspective. My focus is on teaching the little details that make a big difference.Book your spot here: https://summitmartialarts.sites.zenplanner.com/sign-up-now.cfm

Fuji Sports amazing rash guard set

If you are looking for some amazing BJJ training gear, look no further that Fuji Sports. There designs and fits are amazing and perfect for women’s bodies. The no gi set is a lot of fun and fits just right. True to size. Give it a try. Check out Fuji Sports sets here:

You can also check out there entire range for gals and guys here: https://fujisports.com

My interview with ‘Beyond the Strip’ with the lovely Nerissa Sam :)

To watch on youtube here.

To hear on Spotify here.

‘How are you showing up in your life -- as your authentic self, or as a person the world has trained you to be? Sophia McDermott was at the height of her career and a mother to two young children when she realized she needed to change women's perception of themselves and what it means to be a world champion in the male-dominated world of Jiu Jitsu.  

Her new Live Interactive Training Sessions at girls-ontop.com will help show you exactly How To stay in tip-top shape -- and how to honor and trust your inner self above all else.  If your goals in life don't match what people expect of you, this interview is a must-watch.  You'll learn how to stop trying to fit in and be the person you were meant to be.

What is the truest most amazing vision that you have for your future self?’

@sophiamcdermottbjj via @beyondthestriptv

It’s official. Girls On Top is here!!!

A safe space for women to learn virtual BJJ techniques, that work better for women. This is an interactive platform that is everything about women's BJJ including, live BJJ sessions and BJJ based workouts. There is also a Q&A session where any member can tune in and share their thoughts to the discussion and a video breakdown featuring two amazing ladies every week who submit their footage to me to view and share.

And even better still everyone who joins gets a free drilling dummy so we can all learn together in the comfort of our own homes while gyms are still shut. If gyms are opening up for you this is still a great opportunity for supplemental training and learning techniques that are better suited for women and taught by a woman. 

Officially launching Monday, Memorial Day!!! 

This monthly membership price is only available for this weekend so don't miss this launch special. 

Feel free to email me at girlsontop.bjj@gmail.com if you have any questions.

What lowers your Immune System and how to avoid them!!

In my previous blog post (here), I discussed foods and methods that boost your immune system. So in this blog, I would like to talk about things that can lower your immune system. So if any of these ring true for you, make the changes to ensure better health.

Highly Inflammatory Foods

When you eat food that creates an inflammatory effect in your body it puts your body in a stressed state that lowers your immune system. Foods that create an inflammatory affecting your body are:

• Refined white flour such as white bread

• Cheese and other processed dairy products  

• Fatty red meat like burger meat and processed luncheon meats 

• Spreads made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils

• Foods deep-fried in processed refined vegetable oils that are high in omega 6 fats

• Sugary foods such as sodas and foods sweetened with high fructose corn syrup…

So I’m guessing you can deduce that a burger and fries and a soda is a horrible combination for health and keeping your immune system strong.

Basically the inflammation in your gut caused by these foods affects your internal flora, the good gut bugs, the ones that fight off infection. So to keep your gut bugs healthy and ready to fight off external things like viruses, make sure that your internal environment is on point. Avoid the inflammatory foods full of chemicals and trans fats and opt for whole fruits, veggies and healthy proteins. 

Lack of Vitamin D

It is super important that we get a quota of all our vitamins, but if there is one vitamin that acts as a super vitamin (which actually is more like a hormone) that helps to create other components in the body such as minerals and hormones) is vitamin D.  Studies have shown links between vitamin D deficiency and bone loss, disease, mental health issues and immune system function. In an article recently written by Natalie O’Neil for the New York Times, May 1 2020, Researchers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation Trust and the University of East Anglia in England compared the average vitamin D levels of 20 European countries with COVID-19 mortality rates — and found “significant relationships” between vitamin D levels and the number of deaths caused by this infection. 

More and more evidence is coming up about the overall importance of vitamin D and health. 

Vitamin D can be found in our food and through sunlight exposure. So even though we have all been told to stay indoors, for your own health you must be getting outside and getting some sunlight on a daily basis. 

Lack of Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important things for our health. It is a time where our bodies and our minds are regenerating and repairing. If we don’t get enough sleep then our bodies aren’t healed from the day’s stresses so that when we are awake we are running on empty which compromises our immune systems.

Lack of Movement

I know that we have all been ordered to stay inside for the safety of ourselves and others but there are ways we can work around it so our own health doesn’t suffer in other ways, ie by working out at home or at the park.

Lack of movement affects our circulation and other systems such as our lymph system that uses movement from the body like a pump to move fluids and remove waste from the body. We also miss out on the amazing endorphins that are our body’s ‘feel good’ hormones that positively affect our mood and reduce pain. Many cells in the immune system have receptors for endorphins, and some studies show  that increasing your endorphin levels is a great way to increase your body's immune function.

Negative Emotions

Now this might be a left-field for some but our emotions and our mind set do have an effect on our health and our immune system. Basically being unhappy makes you more susceptible to getting sick etc. Going back to Richard J Davidson PhD, Author on The Emotional Life of Your Brain, he shares results for a test he performed whereby groups received the flu shot and those who reported they were happy and who performed specific stress-reducing practices to keep their mindset’s positive such as focused meditation produced higher antibodies from the flu shot than those who did not practice stress-reducing activities.

Some of these things may be more obvious than others to keep your immune system strong. But the whole body works together as one unit. If there are imbalances or deficiencies in one area then the whole unit suffers which compromises the immune system. In order to stay truly healthy and to be able to fight off any infections, paying attention to all the factors such as healthy eating, moving your body, getting outdoors to get vitamin D, sleeping well and happy thoughts are essential.