Page 36 - Demo

36 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || JANUARY 2016 academy where we train. Our Sifu encouraged me to try it, too, and being a dancer, the martial arts felt familiar in my body, so I did. And I have been hooked ever since! I do it for the all- encompassing aspects of the system. In my opinion, if you want to just work on the physical, then you could just go to the gym and run on a treadmill, but the martial arts are special. There is a reason they have been around for hundreds of years. I feel you miss out on what I call the Tootsie Roll center of the Tootsie Pop if you just focus on whether your biceps are getting bigger when you step onto the dojo training floor. Sure, your body will change for the better; that is a given, but there is so much more to gain! MFM: What was the most challenging role you have ever had and why? SO: One of my most challenging roles was also one of my most rewarding (funny how those two concepts are inextricably linked at times, eh?). A role I played on the show %u2018Touch%u2019 where I was a Jamaican transgender woman. Talk about some