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Reviews

Val Worthington’s Holiday Wish List

Val gets bonus points for having one of the most thorough holiday wish lists this year - transporting us from home to gym, handling our equipment at the gym, and taking us home to relaxation.

val worthington, valerie worthington, bjj, mma, brazilian jiu jitsu, grappling

Written by Valerie Worthington Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

We receive free products and receive commissions through our links. See disclosures page.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We know how hard it is to gift shop, so we thought we would help you out with ideas. Coach Val, who coaches and competes in BJJ, knows how to take care of herself. Look for some great way to spoil yourself this holiday on this list.

Val’s Holiday Wish List

After last year, I thought I would have difficulty coming up with ten more things I would like for the holidays this time around. How silly I was. Here’s my latest and greatest list:

EDITOR’S NOTE: We know how hard it is to gift shop, so we thought we would help you out with ideas. Coach Val, who coaches and competes in BJJ, knows how to take care of herself. Look for some great way to spoil yourself this holiday on this list.

Val’s Holiday Wish List

After last year, I thought I would have difficulty coming up with ten more things I would like for the holidays this time around. How silly I was. Here’s my latest and greatest list:

1. Yamaha Drive Golf Cart – $5,000.00

In the community in central Florida where my parents live, a golf cart is de rigeur. Of course, this could have something to do with the fact it is a golf community, and yet I can’t help but think it’d come in handy for me in my little corner of the world as well. My commutes to the gym, to the library, to the coffee shop are short enough that a quick trip by golf cart would be scenic, economical, and just big pimpin’, as I think the kids were saying back in aught five. For now, I’ll go with just the regulation size, as I don’t think my neighborhood can handle the awesome of the stretch limo version.

2. Massage Envy Gift Card – $69.00/month 

massage envy, massage therapy, massage gift cardI should get massages far more frequently than I do. If I had a pre-paid membership to a massage company like Massage Envy, I’d be far more likely to go on a regular basis. There’s nothing like rolling off the table after an exquisitely painful massage, when you feel like all of you is made of water, including your brain.

3. PaleoKits – 25 for $146.25

I’m still a big fan of these shrink-wrapped packages of beef jerky, nuts, and dried fruit. I’ve tried to make them myself, but they just taste better when Steve does it.

4. Koral Backpack/Gym Bag – $49.90

koral gear, koral, koral bag, koral backpack, koral gi bagAfter five years of using it virtually daily, I’ve decided it’s time to retire my Koral gi bag (both in the sense that I pack gis in it and in the sense that it is made of gi material), as it is coming apart at the seams. That bag has been across the country and around the world with me, and I think it’s time to retire it, in favor of another bag that can withstand affectionate but rough treatment. I’m leaning toward a backpack like this one, which will be sturdy and also distribute the weight of sweaty grappling clothes evenly across my back.

5. Trip to the Iditarod – $2,200.00

The Iditarod is a dogsled race across Alaska held in early spring, though I guess “spring” is relative when you’re in Alaska. The Iditarod trail was historically used by Native Americans and miners, and the 2013 race marks the event’s 40th anniversary in its current incarnation. Alaska Iditarod Tours offers a package that includes room and board, as well as tickets to the Musher’s Banquet, VIP dog handler privileges, and skiing, in addition to attendance at the race. I’ve visited Alaska twice, but twice is never enough.

6. Trip to New Zealand – $4,200

I don’t know much about New Zealand, other than that I’ve wanted to go there for a while, particularly since friends of mine went and had an amazing time. New Zealand has mountains, beaches, wildlife, and thermal mud pools, among many other things, to recommend it. It’s clear on the other side of the world. It would represent a fun set of challenges for a reasonably fit, reasonably adventurous person such as myself. And I would understand the language, theoretically.

7. Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer Sunglasses – $150.00

wayfarer, tom cruise sunglasses, ray-ban, ray-ban wayfarer, ray ban glassesI need sunglasses. I have no idea what the popular or high quality brands are. I remember Tom Cruise wore Wayfarers in Risky Business and Don Henley sang about Wayfarers in The Boys of Summer, but that was back in the 1980s. So, Wayfarers are either classic or outdated. I’ll hope they are the former but assume, given my fashion sense, that they are the latter. Either way, they will keep the sun out of my eyes.

8. Clinchgear Champion Tech Zip Hoody – $56.00

clinch gear, clinch gear hoodie, clinch gear hoodyI’m trying to lady up my wardrobe and my habits a little bit, but I’ll always wear hoodies. Can’t help it. They’re so comfortable it should be illegal. Maybe someday some gear company will come up with a formalwear hoodie. I’ll buy a lot of them, for all the awards ceremonies and ship christenings I attend. Until then, I’ll go minimalist, with this one.

9. Thera Cane – $39.95

thera cane, therapy cane, theracane, massage caneWhen you engage in physical activities that leave you feeling achy and sore, it pays to hang out with other people who feel achy and sore. Then you learn about products like the Thera Cane. As its name implies, the Thera Cane is a cane, but it’s so much more. It’s a plastic contraption that helps the user reach sore muscles, on the back, shoulders, everywhere, and facilitates the application of therapeutic pressure. In other words, it hurts so good.

10. La-Z-Boy Recliner – $499.00

lazy boy, reclinerNeed I say more, about how great it would be to come home to this after a long day of <insert physical activity here>? (And no, you can’t sit in it when I’m not using it.)

Keep an eye out for our other holiday wish lists:

  • Sally’s MMA Holiday Wish List
  • Chris Duffin’s Powerlifting Holiday Wish List
  • Eric Stevens’s Holiday Wish List
  • Becca’s Healthy Eating Holiday Wish List
  • Sally’s BJJ Holiday Wish List
  • Nicole’s Fit Mom Holiday Wish List
  • Hannah’s Holiday Wish List
  • Danette’s Athlete-Foodie-Mom Wish List
  • Andrew’s Hardstyle Holiday Wish List
  • Nick Horton’s Weightlifting Is Fun Holiday Wish List
  • Mindith’s Strong Mom Holiday Wish List
  • Greg Everett Needs Your Help Holiday Wish List
val worthington, valerie worthington, bjj, mma, brazilian jiu jitsu, grappling

About Valerie Worthington

Valerie Worthington has been moving her body since before she was born, for many reasons and with many outcomes. She really started to pay attention to how, when, and why her body moves when she began training in Brazilian jiu jitsu in 1998. From then on, she became hugely invested in educating herself about how to optimize her body movement for BJJ and how to support it in doing so. She has observed that these endeavors require her to invest herself not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and psychologically, fueling a particular interest in the influence on her life of these dimensions of athletic activity.

Valerie has developed as a BJJ practitioner via her own training and competition preparation, teaching and coaching other practitioners, and writing about her life as a jiu jitsu devotee through the lens of her education, personal experiences, and professional background. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and a doctorate in educational psychology from Michigan State University. She is a first-degree black belt in BJJ, as well as co-founder and proprietor of Groundswell Grappling Concepts. She trains at Princeton Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Princeton, New Jersey.

Most recently, Valerie is the author of How to Love a Grappler: A Guide for People Who Love People Who Love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

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