Abilio Diniz is a sports aficionado.

To entrepreneur Abilio Diniz, 81, “aging is a certainty; aging with quality is a choice” — a project that demands strategy and discipline in order for the person not to get screwed in later years. In an interview with Cláudia Collucci of newspaper Folha de São Paulo, Diniz said that by 29 he was a successful guy, but still a stressed-out one for no reason. That was when he realized that there is no quality of life without physical exercise, good nutrition, good nights of sleep, goals to strive for and a happy mind.

“I have six pillars that I rest on: physical activity, nutrition, self-knowledge, stress control, spirituality and love,” he explained before adding: “For longevity with quality, it’s fundamental to do strengthening exercises, especially of the leg muscles.”

That’s right, reader — hang on to that closed guard, because you’ll be needing those leg muscles in a few decades.

In the following paragraphs, we list eight tips to help you add years without subtracting power or will to live.

* “The mouth is a human being’s first weapon. Eating wrong is the worst poison of all.” — Carlos Gracie (1902–1994)

* “There’s something called sarcopenia, which is the death of the cells that make up the muscles. That is as certain as death and taxes. Therefore, it’s vital that we find an exercise that motivates and recreates us. I take a walk, run on the treadmill or, if I’m in some pain, take a swim. I play squash twice a week and I box once a week. It’s not enough to have strong bones and muscles; it’s necessary to have a neural system capable of activating them swiftly.” — Abilio Diniz

* “Quality of life is doing the same activities at 60 that you enjoyed doing at 30.” — Alvaro Romano, creator of Ginástica Natural

* “Don’t abandon BJJ when the pain comes, for it is in your old age that training will be more useful against bad physical shape, addictions and depression. Don’t be afraid to get hurt; look for an academy with more drills and reps, and fewer hard rolls with younger students.” — Sergio Malibu, coral-belt

* “Don’t wait to stuff yourself when your hunger becomes overwhelming. Eat something between meals — a banana, for example.” — Abilio Diniz

* “Disease is your body protesting; if a person responds promptly, they can free themselves.” — Carlos Gracie

* “The biggest secret is to not get stressed out for being unable to achieve your goals in 15 minutes. Plan ahead and patiently pursue your objectives. It took me a long, long time to understand this. The question, deep down, is liking yourself. It’s looking in the mirror and saying, ‘I like this guy; I’m gonna do what’s best for him.'” — Abilio Diniz

* “It’s useless to fight against the passage of time. Our body realizes the limitations of age and tells us what it’s able or unable to do. It’s up to the person to have the sensibility to assimilate these messages. The important thing is to not stop, to never submit to a static, immobile existence. That, only in death.” — Carlos Gracie Jr.

Gracie Diet? Not before celebrating a little.

Months of physical and mental preparation lead up to the big day for jiu-jitsu’s elite competitors. And after such a momentous event as the IBJJF Worlds, it’s time for these athletes to reward themselves.

We talked to a few of this year’s world champions to find out what they put on their plates to let loose after a long period of discipline. Here’s what they said:

Bia Mesquita (lightweight world champion):

“After the Worlds, my favorite plate is a deep one! There comes that urge to eat a lot… But generally, my first meal after securing the gold is pasta. My favorite is cheese ravioli with white sauce.”

Lucas Hulk (medium heavyweight world champion):

“It’s important for the first morning meal to be nutritious, so I start the day with some secret porridge! It’s oatmeal cooked in milk and with cinnamon, banana, peanut butter and some cereals. It’s rich in fiber and offers the energy I need for training.”

Claudia do Val (medium heavyweight world champion):

“I think I have to reveal my secret: I love ice cream! After the Worlds, my ‘prize’ is Ben & Jerry’s brownie.”

Mahamed Aly (super-heavyweight world champion):

“I’m always training, so the menu doesn’t change. I eat everything, but I really like pizza, especially since I’m living here in the U.S.”

Mikey Musumeci (light featherweight world champion):

“My favorite dish is very creamy penne, especially if prepared with tomato sauce, milk cream and garlic, among other ingredients.”

Leandro Lo (absolute world champion):

“Man, what I like is some barbecue.”

Dieta Gracie? Só depois de celebrar o ouro mundial. Foto: Divulgação

Meses de preparação física e mental antecedem o grande dia para os maiores competidores do Jiu-Jitsu. Marcado com uma estrela no calendário dos cascas-grossas, o Mundial da IBJJF marca o ápice dos atletas de competição. Depois do torneio, porém, é a hora da recompensa.

Quem é competidor, ou conhece algum de perto, sabe que boa parte do pecado deles está na comida. Depois do período da dieta, com  alimentação regrada e quase nenhum exagero, chega a hora na qual as feras se presenteiam.

Conversamos com alguns dos campeões mundiais de 2018 e estes revelaram o que eles (realmente) gostam de comer após uma grande competição. Confira!

Bia Mesquita (campeã mundial peso leve):

“Depois do Mundial meu prato favorito é o fundo! Bate aquela vontade de comer muito… Mas geralmente minha primeira refeição depois de garantir o ouro é uma massa. Minha favorita é o ravióli, de queijo e molho branco.”

Lucas Hulk (campeão mundial meio-pesado):

“O importante é a primeira refeição matinal ser nutritiva, então eu começo o dia com um mingau secreto! É um mingau de aveia, cozinhado em leite e com canela, banana, pasta de amendoim e alguns cereais. É rico em fibra e oferece a energia que eu preciso para os treinos.”

Claudia Do Val (campeã mundial meio-pesado):

“Acho que vou ter de revelar meu segredo: eu amo sorvete! Depois do Mundial meu ‘prêmio’ é o brownie da Ben & Jerry’s.”

Mahamed Aly (campeão mundial superpesado):

“Eu estou sempre treinando, então o cardápio não muda. Como de tudo, mas gosto mesmo é de pizza, ainda mais morando aqui nos EUA.”

Mikey Musumeci (campeão mundial peso-pluma):

“Meu prato favorito é um penne bem cremoso, em especial preparado com molho de tomate, creme de leite e alho, entre outros ingredientes.”

Leandro Lo (campeão mundial absoluto):

“Pô, eu gosto é de um churrasco.”

Mas e você, amigo leitor e atleta do Jiu-Jitsu? Gosta de se presentear com qual guloseima após atuar num grande torneio? Comente conosco!

Bruno Malfacine at the Worlds. Gallerr

At least once a year, California turns into the international capital of Brazilian jiu-jitsu with the hosting of the IBJJF World Championship. In 2018, a huge number of great athletes showed up at the Walter Pyramid looking for gold — but lots more happened among friends and colleagues before the Worlds proper. Some fighters almost lost their tournaments before stepping on the mat.

With a great selection of delicious meals and snacks, the shops and restaurants of California can pose an additional threat to the athletes that need to face the scale before they compete, and Bruno Malfacine was among those put at risk.

A ten-time world champion who recently retired, Malfacine nearly couldn’t represent Alliance this year — all because of an unplanned meal.

“The diet cheat that makes me happiest is the traditional rice, beans, meat and eggs,” he told us, “but if we’re talking quantity, it’s Japanese food. One week before the tournament, some friends had the idea to go to an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. I tried to resist and said it wasn’t a good idea, until they convinced me saying we were going to control ourselves and eat just a little.

“It got to a point where I had to leave money on the table to let them pay my share, and leave, because I could no longer control myself. To sum up, I got to the hotel and when I went to weigh myself, I was four kilos above the limit — which is not normal for me a week before the event.”

“Thank God everything worked out,” the roosterweight champion added. “I managed to lose the excess and fight.”

No vídeo a seguir, o faixa-preta Jason Scully demonstra 30 exercícios para melhorar sua movimentação, agilidade, coordenação, equilíbrio e condicionamento.

Aproveite para queimar as calorias adquiridas no Natal.

Inácio Neto treinando com Flávio Almeida. Foto: Arquivo Pessoal

Além de treinos duros e dedicação, o aluno depende de outro fator para manter o equilíbrio no Jiu-Jitsu: a alimentação. Comer bem é essencial para manter o corpo ativo e imune a diversas doenças.

No site oficial da Gracie Barra, o campeão de Jiu-Jitsu Inácio Neto aproveitou o início da temporada para dar sua dica de como turbinar seu rango após o treino.

“Gosto de fazer esta refeição após meu treino da manhã. Eu preparo um almoço com macarrão integral, atum e camarão. É uma refeição com carboidrato e proteína que me fornece energia e força para um dia daqueles de muita aula e treino”, ensina o faixa-marrom.

Aprenda a receita e comente: qual sua refeição favorita pós treinos?

*Modo de preparo do almoço

– Faça a porção de macarrão desejada “ao dente”.

– Refogue o atum no óleo de coco com um pouco de alho.

– Acrescente o camarão já cozido na massa e ponha molho de tomate a gosto.

Bom apetite e bons treinos!