As you age, are you becoming less active? Are you genuinely happy? Things at rest tend to stay at rest. Comfort is killer. Coming home after a long day at work, financial or personal stresses, taking the kids to practice, grocery shopping, performing lawn care, or cleaning up the house can be exhausting. There’s “no time” for the gym and besides that, it is sooo boring. So what happens next? We reward ourselves with overeating and/or a poor diet, watching TV on the couch, or “relaxing” because we “earned it” that day. This is the recipe for low mobility, low energy, zero motivation, and ZERO PROGRESS. And you wonder why your joints ache, your back hurts, and you’re tired all the time. It’s because you are giving your respect to everything else except to yourself.
To lead a happy and fulfilling life, there are several factors, but treating yourself with respect, dignity, and care are amongst the highest priorities. “But Sensei, my kids are my happiness, my career is first, I have two jobs, you don’t understand”. We all must prioritize our time to do what’s necessary and what is necessary is taking care of yourself so that you can be mentally and physically capable to do the necessary! There are many ways to do this including proper nutrition, exercise, community involvement, spending time with friends and family, etc. So we need to take action, ESPECIALLY when you don’t feel like it, and get moving with Martial Arts.
There are many excellent benefits to the martial arts as they are wonderfully scripted here on the Benefits of Martial Arts BLOG. Combining martial arts or physical activity with a proper diet, you will gain energy, increase mobility, better balance, and become more focused.
We are not “young bucks” anymore, so the the question remains, “how do I start martial arts safely?”. The answer is “gradually”. A 20 year old can come in on day 1 and do flips, spins, and take high break-falls with little effort or effect on their health or well-being. We cannot say the same. We do not recover as quickly as we once did. We do not heal the same. It’s easier to become injured. And with all the information flowing through our noggins, we do not learn or retain information as easily. So now that your also suddenly depressed, there’s a solution. Low-Impact, High-Quality martial arts training.
Assessment
We must first assess any and all ailments, injuries, limitations, or safety concerns you may have. History of surgeries and/or health conditions is important. Once identified, we can create a specialized plan of action for you to begin immediately. Follow the guidelines your instructor has in place for you.
SLOW is FAST!
Ever hear about the turtle beating the hare in a race? In a long race to the finish line, it’s practical to sprint closer to the end than right out of the gate. We must PACE OURSELVES. There is absolutely no need to rush and please remember, bodybuilders don’t get huge overnight! They started at a measly 50 lbs bench press and advanced, over time, to 350 lbs. Taking your time is key to success. Enjoy the journey! Go to fast or hard too early and get injured, guess who is NOT finishing the race at all! The turtle is less likely to over-stress themselves, get injured, and will more than likely learn more than the hare who is just running to the finish line, just to get there. The hare never had the time to take in the views because they were so worried about winning the short-term instead of the long-term. So RELAX, take your time, and enjoy!
Low-Impact
The ground is not forgiving. Simple every day activities such as jumping, twisting, turning, or running to actually falling down to the ground has an impact. Some, obviously, more than others. As an instructor, I never expect a 40 year old person to take break falls early on. I don’t even expect it for a while. Because it can hurt and do damage if not performed correctly. As with any exercise regiment, we must build up endurance and conditioning to handle advanced forms of practice. We never go to the gym and hit the 50 lbs dumbbells right away, even if you can lift them. Start small, start light, and build your foundation right before building the house. A house built on a poor foundation is doomed to collapse. While we don’t want to avoid certain exercises, we do want to adapt them to suite your needs.
All of the martial arts we offer at Impulse come with “Low-Impact” training opportunities. No matter the exercise or drills assigned, they can all be modified to accommodate your individual needs. Aikido, for example, is a martial arts that specializes in total body movement and coordination but it also comes with joint manipulation techniques and throws. Exercises in this art focus on hip mobility, shoulder range of motion, and overall joint flexibility. All joint manipulations can be done very slowly with zero pain. Throws can “set-up” or simulated so that you never have to fall to the mat. Over time, with utilization of proper warm-up exercises, joint conditioning, and body conditioning, we will slowly introduce more and more impact as allowed.
Kempo Karate is all about blocking and striking. It can be painful to block a punch with your forearm or take a kick to the abdomen. It can also be tough hitting a punching bag forcefully with your fist. Again, we will build you up, not break you down. Will begin with good form and technique, proper striking etiquette to allow your body time to acclimate to these new stresses. We can focus on building speed, endurance, and power. Falling is minimalized in this class.
Samurai Sword affords you the least amount of impact. We learn how to draw the katana and strike down our enemies. The sword is our tool. It takes the impact. Falling is minimalized in this class as well. Movements and range of motion for joints are emphasized. Also, you’ll be the only person you know who has the privilege of being hailed a true “swordsman”.
Jiu Jitsu and Judo can be rough… but they don’t have to be! Ground grappling is only rough when you go 100%. Again, you want to build up to that, not go all in immediately. You can learn so much in Jiu Jitsu even by just drilling and going slow with little to no resistance. You will gain so much mobility and flexibility with this art. As for the throwing aspect, there is a specific formula of body movements to follow in order to achieve safe and effective success. We guide you every step of the way so you don’t throw your back out along with your partner. A small person can throw a six foot tall, 240 lbs. man with ease in Judo.
High-Quality Training
Quality begins with instruction and ends with you! You can have the best instructor in the world but if you can’t manage to put proper effort, energy, tenacity, or enthusiasm behind your training, it’s all for not. Make effort to create perfect posture, stance, form, and technique. Increase the energy output of your actions. Have fun with it and don’t make it a chore! Be in the present and focus on perfection. You could walk into class being tired and rather unenergetic but once you start moving and getting the endorphins flowing, you will wake up quickly and feel great!
Diet
It’s no secret that what you eat or drink has an effect on your bodily functions. This will be not be a blurb about losing weight, instead it will be about putting forth an effort to treat your body with respect. Don’t expect your body to age well or run properly if you’re ingesting the wrong foods on a regular basis such as highly processed foods, sugary food or drink, alcohol, grease, or just basic junk. For some basic, common sense advice, grab foods that are grown in the earth or raised on the farmlands such as vegetables or meats. If if comes in a can, box, or sealed bag, it won’t be the best for you, although there are exceptions such as frozen vegetables. Do not over-eat. Take supplements as needed and always consult with a physician prior to starting any supplement regiment as everything should be done in moderation.
Stretching and Warm-ups
Aim to stretch 5-10 minutes before and after your workout. Warm-up before every workout.
Before the workout, stretch lightly to loosen muscles. This means you do NOT want a lot of tension for long periods of time. You can over-exert your muscles and actually pre-dispose yourself to having an injury. Save the lengthening and tenuous stretching for afterward.
Warm-ups should include general movements to loosen the joints and literally “warm-up” the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. You can achieve this by bouncing up and down, a light job, range-of-motion exercises such as shoulder, arms, and hip circles, wrist rotations, neck bends, squats, lunges, push-ups, jumping jacks, etc.
Rest
Lastly, do not be afraid to take a day off or at least perform minimally. We must take the time to rest our bodies and minds. Meditate and relax. Do not over exert yourself all day, every day. Aim for 6-7 hours of sleep per evening and look into how to get a good night’s sleep for a good recovery.
No matter how over-weight, lazy, time-restricted, or unhappy you may be, give martial arts a try and it’s sure to change your life.
