Getting Old Sucks

 

This morning I woke, rolled out of bed, and started my daily thing as usual with the respectful bow and homage that I pay to the Keurig gods, and I am very grateful for their delightful and nutritive drink, without which I would still be comatose.

  I began my exercise regime and quickly began realizing something was missing.  I noticed that the pain I usually feel in my deltoids and atop my shoulders is gone-ish.  Now I say ish because I don't want to curse myself with that, "I should have kept my dang mouth shut thing." But hey, the shoulders feel pretty darn good today.  You see, I am and old fellow and usually feel the aches and pains of past owies.  However, one of my students, Adam, is a Master strength trainer and has gifted me with some stretchy power rubber band thingys along with a couple You Tube video suggestions and a short lesson on how to use the darn things.  As a result I feel no Pain in the Neck and Shoulders, life is good. Thank you Adam.

I've added a short strength training routine into the middle of my Qigong and Taiji practice.  It breaks up the breathing and relaxing with some intense holding the pose sort of thing.  The bands give constant resistance without that herky jerky motion that can often come with dumbbells' or a barbell routine.  Which is how I believe I created the original damage a long time ago.

In my youth I was into power lifting as a strength training system to support my athletic endeavors.   It accented my Wrestling, and Judo/Jiujitsu training very well.  Grapplers that have a certain amount of physical strength usually have an extra card in the game.   However, it is important to keep a healthy balance between strength training and flexibility training.  A grappler that is built like a tank, but has no flexibility to use the muscles he's created will just be a big pile on the floor with a better grappler saying nice things to him from the better position as the big bulky guy is forced to  tap out, but I digress.  A rule of thumb: All things being even, the stronger more flexible warrior will win.  

Any who, I noticed no pain!  I am very careful these days about putting myself into situations that create pain, I don't.  I have done things to myself in the past that have left life long scars and owies upon my bod.  The less pain I have from one of these places the better.  I feel like I've stepped over another personal hurdle in my search for immortality.  

So, my advise to any athlete, or non athlete, normal, or non-normal, practitioner of any kind of Kung Fu, take some, "Wise" time and go slow and work on your stuff for the long game, not the short one. When you wake up one day and don't recognize that old fellow looking back at your from the other side of the mirror, you'll remember my advise and thank yourself.

Peace and Balance,

John