I've seen a big gain in cardio since I went vegetarian and even gained a little more going vegan.

I've seen a big gain in cardio since I went vegetarian and even gained a little more going vegan.

As a kid, I loved my Matchbox cars, my Big Wheels, and the race cars on TV. When I laid eyes on my first go-kart when I was just five, it gave my desire for making things with wheels go fast a focus. This combined with the fact that I've been incredibly competitive since a young age made for the proper mix of passion and aggression to become a race car driver.

It was not until months after going vegetarian that I started really learning about all of the health benefits.

Good cardio helps in any athletic practice, but in jujitsu, it has been very helpful late in a sparring session where a long roll starts to take its toll on your cardio.

Going vegan was a little tougher for me. The final push came from watching Gary Yourofsky's lecture at Georgia Tech in person. The video is now on YouTube. I constantly show it to people interested in learning about why I choose to live the way I do.

The choice to become vegetarian was purely for ethical reasons. Like most meat eaters, I was a little concerned with removing meat from my diet. Also, like most meat eaters, I was blind to the horrible ways animals are treated.