Immortal martial artists

[f.Channell]

One aspect of martial arts training that is constantly overlooked is it’s health benefits.
We fear car jackings, robberies, home invasions and lots of other things but we overlook the fact that we are going to die. This is what we should worry about and try to counteract.
Choices that we make during our lifetime certainly have an effect on our longevity.
One doesn’t have to look far to see evidence of martial artists that lived into their ripe old age.
Shoshin Nagamine sensei lived to be 90 and it would seem he remained physically active during this time.
I have trained with Phil Porter Sensei who travels the country and rolls around on the mat doing Judo and Jujitsu over the age of 80.
Folks like Van and George Mattson although still young have physical abilities that others their age lost years ago.
In the readings I’ve done of the Uechi family it seems they avoided alcohol, didn’t smoke (I have heard Kanei smoked, it may be hearsay) and they obviously exercised.
Martial arts develop flexibility, give a cardio vascular workout, surround you with a group of friends and keep you learning new things. All these have been shown to be habits of older people.

Martial arts can also have a negative effect on the body. I have seen people who overdid it, competitions, reality training etc… who suffer from joint problems and arthritis. And the politics can be quite aggravating as well.
I suppose one could ask the question would you rather be able to fight off 10 men and die at 40, or use your art for health and live to be 90. What’s the focus or goal of your training?

Genetics play a part but I have family that lived to 107 and others who died in their 40’s. So which gene do I have, or did choices they made effect their longevity?

Setting a goal of having a long healthy, active life can go hand in hand with your training, and shouldn’t be one which is overlooked.

He who dies last wins.

F.

[-Metablade-]

... other things but we overlook the fact that we are going to die.
F.

Well said, but I plan on living forever, or die trying...


In fact my own Sensei is 85 years old, and he can still go avidly toe to toe with the younguns. (or anyone else for that matter,.) I still have yet to see anyone get inside his defense. He practices 4 days a week, for 4 hours a day, for the last 75 years. I hope to be half his shape now, let alone when I'm 85.
An interesting side note, I am 36, and have been practicing MA since childhood. I recently went for a checkup, and the Doctor had to check my heart rate and blood pressure twice. He said he I had the cardio stats of a teenager.
Good news to hear, since I've been battling with the cancer sticks for 20 years.
On the bad side..I've developed a new pain. I think it might be a bit of Bursitis in the arms...argg..didn't see that coming.
Speaking of which, I'm launching another campaign to quit (for the zillionth time) tonight. Wish me luck.

[f.Channell]

Good luck on quitting.

An old friend from kidnergarden who smokes just got the cancer word at 42.

I can't think of too many 80+ year olds that smoke. Drop that habit fast.

I think the key to quitting smoking is to avoid the triggering things that accompany it. Coffee and beer usually set my friend off.
Also switching brands and timing the amount of time in between helped my father in law to quit.

He told me the best thing that ever kept him from smoking before quitting was Korea at night.
They aimed at the light.

F.

[MikeK]

Wow, so all karate masters live to ripe old ages?

[f.Channell]

No Mike.

I have heard of masters with drinking and other problems.

But I do think a healthy lifestyle and proper training may extend life and failing that, at least improve the quality of your later years.

This has long been a claim of tai chi but I don't see why other arts can't claim the same benefits.

F.

[Bill Glasheen]

The "health benefits" is one path in martial arts. It intersects with other paths, but isn't necessarily the same.

For instance... A soldier who learns martial arts may not live to a ripe old age. A LEO who sees lots of active duty may live a very hard, stressful life.

Some people want to practice hard, and don't care about the health. Gary Khoury was telling me about being in Okinawa, and talking to a few martial artists who smoked. They rationalized that they wanted to live hard, and the body was just a casualty of their particular goal. It's one way... or at least that's how they rationalized their smoking at the time.

On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with evolving in your training over time. As a young lad or lassie, you can go out and challenge the world. But if you're smart, you'll learn to ease into something that is sustainable. Otherwise the transition from fit to the couch can be pretty ugly.

I can't think of too many 80+ year olds that smoke.

My mother-in-law chain-smokes, and is 84 years old. She looks, smells, and sounds like someone who has chain-smoked that long. But it seems that unique specimen isn't going into the grave without some major intervention. She's the exception to the rule; she has rare genes.

Her husband is already dead - probably from the second-hand smoke.

As for quitting... You have a tough row to hoe, Meta. If you start before age 19, nicotene wires your brain in a way that makes it very difficult to undo.

My advice is to reach down inside that martial discipline and cut it out cold turkey. As a younger lad I smoked Marlboro. I quit cold turkey on a dare.

You can do it.

- Bill

[-Metablade-]

As for quitting... You have a tough row to hoe, Meta. If you start before age 19, nicotene wires your brain in a way that makes it very difficult to undo.

My advice is to reach down inside that martial discipline and cut it out cold turkey. As a younger lad I smoked Marlboro. I quit cold turkey on a dare.

You can do it.

- Bill

Thanks for the words of encouragement, Bill.


I started at 17, ironically also on a dare.
It's never really affected my training so far as I can tell, until recently. Kendo is an art which is highly aerobic, and is compounded by the fact that one is swinging around a 3 ft stick or hours on end. I find that my age, combined with the smoking, put me at a certain threshold which is now become unacceptable. So besides the billions of other reasons not to smoke, The fact that it is the only thing hampering my progression in this art has been a major impetus.
(Oh yeah, that, and the fact that I'm slowly killing myself and others around me.)

Luckily, I have a very supportive family to aid me, and a backyard filled with equipment I can smack around when the withdrawal kicks in.

[f.Channell]

Bill,
I knew an alcoholic who lived to be in his eighties in spite of his mass quantities of vodka. The same killed my aunt in her 40's. But the quality of life has to be the pits.

An example of someone who survives somehow?
If I had half his lifestyle I'd already be dead.

[IJ]

Keep your eyes peeled for varenicline, a new medication covered in last weeks JAMA in several articles. It was substantially better than zyban at helping people quit smoking. But the majority of smokers still failed, and its new, so we won't know what problems it rarely causes till people have tried it. The simplest method is not. To. Smoke. Anymore.

As for karate masters and longevity I'm sure there are problems with recall bias. The interesting cases get discussed and the rest are not and we rarely know. Maybe the good genes people are drawn to karate, as well...

[Aaaargh]

I suppose one could ask the question would you rather be able to fight off 10 men and die at 40, or use your art for health and live to be 90.

Exactly.

[AAAhmed46]

Dont forget psychological benefits.

[benzocaine]

Throw away all ashtrays Meta.

If you slip.. it was just that.. a slip. Don't go out and buy a pack of smokes becuase you had a moment of weakness.

Welbutrin seems to help people, I think the dose is 100 mg every day. I've heard it makes the cigarettes taste bad.

My inLaws quit using hypnosis. But then again it could be their georgeous grandchild making them realize the have a few years to go.

Oh and Thomas.. yes YOU can develop emphysema and live a miserable existance of never quite bing able to catch your breath, frequent pneumonias, and oxygen dependancy

[f.Channell]

Another big lie is that people are living longer today than they once did.

People think they can live as they want and someone will give them a pill or procedure that will give them 20 years of life extension. I think the figures are based upon those who died from things which we can now cure or control.
Granted if hit by a car or shot, doctors come in handy.

Being a family history buff I can rattle off 200+ years of my fathers and grandfathers.

Starting with my father-78
his father 63
his father 75
his father 80
his father unknown (can't find a death record)
his father 96 his brother 94
his father 107 (fought in the Revolution)

So what does this tell you about living longer? The first 3-4 lived on a farm in Quebec after the Revolution and I'm sure had little access to healthcare.

What it tells me is good healthy organic food, (they lived on a farm) and exercise is good for you. Also where you choose to live or your environment is important also.

It said in an old newspaper article that the one who lived to 107 didn't smoke or drink.

F.

[Mary Chant]

Meta,

I wish you the best. I smoked for twenty-some years before quitting over 4 years ago at 35. Every person I know who has quit succesfully has done it differently, but all have one commonality; we set ourselves up for success and closed all the back doors. I used the 3 step patch for 7 weeks (3-2-2) and chain-chewed gum. I knew that after a short time the patch was taking care of my "need" for nicotine, so I knew that if I was craving, it was mental and not physical. Somehow knowing that made it easier. Mind game? Absolutely, but I haven't smoked or had any nicotene in my body in over 4 years, so it was a good trade-off for me. The ritual of opening the pack of gum, unwrapping the pieces, etc., replaced the packing, foil removing, tapping rituals of smoking. Mind game? Absolutely, but again...

Anyway, I am NOT in any way promoting a specific method or product, but I will suggest that when you decide you are ready that you put everything into it you can and not take any shortcuts. What this means to you will be different than what it meant to me or someone else, but I personally believe it's important to make quitting at least as important as I made smoking. I always made time for a smoke, always had money for a pack or a carton....

And, lastly, and maybe most importantly, when it comes to things like this, you don't get any points for style, only results. There's no quitting ugly or quitting pretty, just quitting.

I hope I didn't come across like I'm lecturing; I just know how much of a b---- it can be to quit, and wanted to share what helped me. Again, best of luck.

Mary

[Bill Glasheen]

Nicely stated, Mary. I know we always can count on a classy post from you.

Give the little one a hug for me!

As Mary stated, we each are unique and must find a solution that fits. In the end, results matter. For me, I can be both extremely disciplined and extremely lax. It depends upon how important something is to me.

Obviously this is important to you, Meta.

The ritual of...

Since we are sharing things... I knew I would succeed, so I did. That's me. But now decades later, there are a few things I remember.

• Yes, rituals. More than half of what smoking is about is the rituals that exist about it. If you've never tried to quit for very long, you won't realize they are there. In my case, the toughest thing the quitting process revealed is how many of my personal friends smoked. That's partially because nonsmokers don't like being around smokers, so they cluster in kind. What this means is that you may need - at least temporarily - to avoid some old friends and develop new ones. It means you will need to be careful when you drink, when you want a break, when you want to talk to a friend, when you want to ponder world peace, etc. To this day, Meta, I still find myself "French smoking" air in certain circumstances.
• The first year was the toughest. In the first year, I still craved a cigarette. I liked the smell of the smoke when someone was smoking near me. Go figure... Once that first year was over, the craving was gone.
• Then an interesting thing happened. After about five years, the smell of cigarette smoke became vile to me. All my olfactory senses came back, and I realized how nasty it all was. I hated the smell and the look of ashtrays. I hated the smell of second-hand smoke. I hated kissing a woman who smoked - and I like to kiss. I hated the smell of cigarette smoke on a smoker, on their clothes, on their hair, etc. I hated the smell of a car, a hotel room, or any other closed area where someone had smoked in the last month. I began to get ticked off at seeing smokers on the highway use the outdoors instead of their own bloody car ashtrays to dispose of their waste. I began to notice people clustering outside of buildings feeding their addiction - even in the worst of weather. THEN I realized how ugly the habit was, and knew I'd never smoke again.

- Bill