Plea To The Middle-Aged Athlete

I have a forty-something year old

friend in Park City named Harold.

He is a great ski racer, and a total

maniac when it comes to training

and staying active. A couple years

ago, I saw him at a party. He couldn't

stop bouncing his leg around, so

I asked what was up. He said he

had developed tendonitis around

one knee, and that it bugged him

all the time.

My biological father was a track-star,
a champion, a phenom. In his 20s and
30s, he kept running: 10k races and
everyday training. At age 42, he had
surgery on both knees, and never ran
again. I was a 22-year old athlete at
the time, and this scared the hell out
of me.

You know what I'm getting at.
If you're over age 40, but still train
like you're 20, you've got mounting
physical issues that you believe will
get better if you just stay active. You
might see a sports medicine doctor,
or you might just pop your Motrin
from a Pez dispenser & ignore the issues.
But deep down, you know you're doing
the wrong thing because you've watched
your older friends dropping out, one by
one, for years and years.

(The United Health Care commercial
where the lady reluctantly admits she's
"a runner," and continues to run despite
her failing knees DRIVES ME CRAZY!)

The Chinese say that if you practice
the proper methods, you will be healthy
and live a long life; but if you practice
improper methods, sickness will enter.

Why is it that no one sees Lance Armstrong's
testicular cancer as a result of improper
training ? Why don't people equate the
thousands of hours he spent with his nuts
squished between his legs, and the tiny
bike seat up his DMZ as the CAUSE ?
Bicycling is fun in small doses, but it's
absolutely devastating to a man's health
if he does it too much.

Salt Lake Magazine recently ran a story
about a local runner who ran and ran and
ran; opened a running store; then found
out he had cancer ! The article put him
on a pedestal with Lance Armstrong,
instead of saying the truth--
"He ran so much he got cancer."

Why do people worship the physicality
of Bruce Lee ? THE GUY IS DEAD !
Do you have any clue that Bruce Lee's
insane training regimen gave him the brain
aneurysm ? Look at his posture in the
photo above. Does that look healthy
to you ? Dead, dead, DEAD !

Wake up ! Stop beating on yourself !
Start taking care of yourself !
I beg you !
If you train hard, you know lots of
people who used to train hard but
simply can't any more. Do you really
believe it won't happen to you ?

Talk Radio w/ Glenda the Good Nurse

On November 10th, I went on air
with Glenda the Good Nurse on
K-Star Radio 1400 AM. We had
a great conversation about Healing
Exercise, and I believe I introduced
a number of concepts that seem
like common sense all twisted up
in fitness buzzwords.

Please click the links to listen:

How To Pick A Tai Chi Teacher

What Is Tai Chi ?

Tommy's Bio and About His Famous Dog

What Is Healing Exercise ?

What Is QiGong (chee-gong) ?

What Are The Benefits of Tai Chi ?

Fitness Is A Dirty Word...

On Preventive Care

On Breathing

On Sitting Exercise

Closing Segment

The Funny Bone of Health Care

You don't want to pay your taxes.

But you do anyway, because the

penalties for not are pretty stiff.

Begrudgingly, you "allow" the

I.R.S. to take a sizable chunk of

every dollar you earn.

Your government collects your

tax money, and divides it up for

expenditure, based on priority.

Safety comes first.

Yup, a whole bunch of the $$ goes to

the military. Think about it. Without

the impenetrable bubble the military

creates over our country, you would

be focused on your family's survival

every day of the week. You wouldn't

be whining about many of the things

that bug you right now.

So after your government pays for your

safety, it spends a big chunk of dough

on health care. $2.2 trillion dollars a year,

or $8000 per person so says the Whitehouse.

Now, the government's job is to use its

best efforts and brightest people to keep

the country in good health.  But U.S.

citizens don't take good care of themselves.

This raises the price of health care, which

comes from your taxes, which you didn't

want to pay in the first place.

So, every citizen's healthcare costs the

government a certain amount of money.

And the longer we live, the more we

cost. So with better health care, we will

live longer, and cost the country more

money, which comes out of the taxes

that we don't want to pay.
You follow me ?

At some point, your government has to
make tough decisions on how to pay for
everyone's health, even though folks won't
take care of themselves and they're living
longer and longer. Believe it or not,
the government does a better job taking
care of people's health than most people
do for themselves.

So what do U.S. citizens expect ? Evidently,

they expect to sit on the couch and watch

TV in a completely safe country where they

shouldn't have to vote or pay taxes. They expect

to live a long time-- despising the thought

of exercise-- but when their bodies do

break down and get sick, the good citizens
of the United States expect the government to

assure their health by paying the medical costs,

even though they poison themselves with sodas

and alcohol and foods full of MSG. They expect

the U.S. of A to try and wipe their asses while

they picket and chant and point their fingers at

the U.S. of A for doing a terrible job.

So what do I need to do ?

I feel like I should be banging pots and pans

in the street to get people to wake up ! We

are living in a fantasyland, where most will not

take any responsibility for their own health.

Worse yet, everyone wants the U.S. government

to simply handle it. But they don't want to vote,

pay for it, or do anything to help.

HealthCare in Austria, China & The U.S.

My wife sent me this article about
a high school football team bowing out
of a game because of the risks:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130511940

I have thought for a while that
football contributes in part to the
health problems in the U.S. Think
about how many boys play football
through the high school level, and
how many males get injured in their
football "career." It's a lot. Also consider
that our national sport of football has
very few people "doing" it; generally,
we sit on the couch and "watch it."

This got me thinking about the national
sports of Austria and China. In Austria,
skiing is the national sport; just about
everyone skis. In China, it's martial arts;
most people practice them, but especially
Tai Chi.

There are lots of factors to a nation's health
care profile: wealth of the nation, number
of doctors, lifestyle, sanitation, etc. But when
you look at some statistics, you might be surprised
about the place you live in.

According to NationMaster.com, reviewing
the top obesity countries, you might not be
surprised that the U.S. is number one in the world.
Austria is #24 and China's not on the list.

But you might be surprised that in the category
of "probability of not reaching age 60," you have
lots of the Kyrgyzstans, Uzbekistans; Georgia,
Bulgaria, Latvia, Russia--
and then at #24 is the United States !
Austria is #31; China's not on the list !

In the category of "per capita government
expenditure on health," the U.S. was number
five with $2,368 spent per person per year.
Austria was number 20 at $1,551 p.p.p.y.
And China was #121, at a whopping $88.00
p.p.p.y.

Conversely, in the "private expenditure on health
as a percentage of total expenditure on health,"
(meaning percent you pay for your own healthcare...),
China ranked #26 at 66.3% (meaning they pay
this percentage of their own costs). The U.S.
ranks 51st with 55% out-of-pocket. And Austria
ranks #116 at 30.1%.

In the category of "total population life expectancy,"
Austria is #15 with 79 years. The U.S. is #28
with 77 years. And China ties (for an adjusted spot)
with 71 years.

In the category of
"percentage of life lived in ill-health: female,"
The U.S. is #6.
Austria is #27.
And China is not on the list !

It can be said that the U.S. is the wealthiest
of the three, but the most sedentary. Overall,
we can live a long time, but not in the best
of health. Likely, it can be said that we are
at least as unhealthy as China, even though
we're richer and have better healthcare.

It can be said that Austria is a fairly wealthy
country, and that it's citizens, though they
eat plenty of pastries and cheese, stay pretty
active, live healthy lives, and live a long time.
And Austria picks up most of the bill.

China may have wealth, but its money doesn't
make it into the healthcare system. People
have to take care of themselves. Adjusted to
the fact that they have such a huge population,
and fairly poor sanitation, it can be said that
the Chinese do a much better job taking care
of themselves than most countries. They have
a much higher probability of reaching age 60
than we do; have far fewer females with ill health--
and that's on $88 government dollars per year !

Get Young, Stay Young

Western health science is based
on matter, its makeup, and
its functions-- and watching
the body run until it breaks.
Then it tries to fix it.

Eastern health science is based
on energy, and how to use it for
longevity, vitality, (power,) and
for healing. It empowers the body,
therefore warding-off sickness,
disease and injury--
all preemptive efforts to keep the
body from breaking.

If you're reading this, chances
are you understand only the
former, and very little of Eastern
health science. So I'll illustrate
for you.

Westerners don't think about
things in terms of energy; although
you know right away when you've
run out of it. Right ?

Consider the energy of conception.
Westerners don't think about sperm
and an ovum as having much energy.
But in fact, the energy of a single sperm
and a single ovum is so great and
powerful that it can CREATE a new
life, a new being. Where else can
you find that kind of energy ?

While you ponder the theory, I'll
let you in on a little secret. You still
have that kind of energy in your body.
The Taoists call it "pre-natal energy"
or "original energy." This is the same
energy that made you and keeps you
alive.

But year after year, you have less of it.
You probably sit too much. You're diet
might not be the greatest. You don't
exercise properly. So your hips are
getting stiffer, your breaths are getting
shorter, and your skin is wrinkling.
These are indicators that your original
energy is slipping away from you.

There is good news ! The Taoists have
developed ways to stop the clock, and
actually turn the hands backward. You
can rebuild your pre-natal energy with
special breathing, relaxation, posture
and movement.

Not only can you get it back, but you
can cultivate it to very high levels.
The best tool I know of is the internal
martial arts: Tai Chi, BaGua and
Xing-Yi Boxing. Collectively, these
are called "Wudang." (the rap band
Wu-Tang Clan named themselves
after these most-powerful of martial
arts).

What I like to say is this: the proof
is in the pudding. Check out this
video. First, guess how old this
guy is. Then guess again. He's no
spring chicken, probably about 70.
But watch how he moves. Watch
how flexible he is. See how powerful
he is. This is proof that Wudang is
the fountain of youth !


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq62_IIkK8g

Defining "Spirituality"

World Religions Ranked By Adherents:
Christianity: 2.1 Billion
Islam: 1.5 Billion
Hinduism: 900 Million
Buddhism: 400 M to 1.5 Billion
Chinese Folk: ~400 Million
Sikhism: 23 Million
Judaism: 14 Million

When a baby becomes baptized
under a single faith, the baby's
spirit is no more developed than
it was before the baptism. However,
that baby was born with an innate
responsibility for and to its parents, and
likely, it's family. The manifestation
of that responsibility is an indicator
of spirit.

When a child attends church, week
after week, the teachings are a system
to cultivate the child's spirituality.
Along with family prayer and
ceremonial rites, the child strengthens
the bond with his family, develops
personal values, and cultivates his or her
spirit on these levels. Thus, religion
is a set of tools to develop the spirit.

The spirit is far more important than
the religion. But what is the spirit ?
Many believe it is different than the soul
or the psyche, and should not be used
interchangeably with either. Interestingly,
the word spirit comes from the Latin,
spiritus, which means "breath."


According to Dr. Steven T. Chang, M.D.,
(who is also a Chinese doctor, holds two
law degrees and a doctorate in both
theology and philosophy):


Where there is spirit, there is hope and
creativity. Because the spirit is not limited
by space or time and the body IS, a sense
of incompleteness arises, as well as a desire
to excel beyond the present physical
condition. Hopes that are beyond space
and time imbue man with the urge and
ability to create. Hoping his creations will
somehow make his physical presence last
as long as his spiritual presence, man creates
religion, science, music and art, erects
monuments of many materials and even
builds empires. But his accomplishments
never give him enough satisfaction: at the
root of all his travails,
man desires to be immortal.
(religions partially satisfy the need for
immortality, but they focus on life after death)
There are lots of ways to develop the
spirit complimentary to religion, and without
it altogether. Many people have felt
spiritually uplifted by books such as
The Celestine Prophecy, The Secret,
and Eat, Pray, Love. Taoists develop
the spirit through movement, breathing,
diet and healthy living.

What's the point of spirituality ?
Consider the difference between
"The Standard of Life"
and
"The Quality of Life."
Spirituality raises the index of both.

Touch Yourself

Whether or not you believe in "chi,"
your body generates and circulates
measurable electromagnetic energy.

Some of the hottest "emerging"
technology is based on touch to
focus that energy on points or areas
of the body for health and healing.

Master Fu once told me,
"Don't ever do massage with clothes
on. The hands must touch skin--
then your power goes into the patient.
Strong Chinese doctors send their
power down through the needle when
they do acupuncture."

Entire systems of healing are based
on touch, like Reiki, Quantum Touch,
Touch for Health and Healing Touch.
New chiropractic methods involve
direct touch. I even had a treatment
one time called Bio Energetic
Synchronization Technique (B.E.S.T.),
where a lady found a painful point
on one part of my body, and then
on another point of my body; pushed
a finger into each point; had me
breath in and out; and both pain
points vanished. It was pretty cool.

I recommend touching yourself.
Find the places that hurt and work
your fingers into them for at least
20 minutes. Or, if you have problems
with no pain-- such as cysts, tumors,
internal problems, etc-- place your
palms on the skin over those areas
and concentrate on relieving the issue.
This is one form of meditation.

If you are trying to lose weight,
touch could be one of the best
methods you try. Grab your belly
fat and work it. Knead it with your
fingers, roll it around aggressively,
and own that shit ! Work all the
places where you're not happy with
the fat, and you might just surprise
yourself at how it melts away.

Last, did you ever stop to think about
why it feels so good to take your
shoes off and stand barefoot on the
ground, or in the grass, or in the sand ?
Probably not, but it feels great. In fact,
when we build a house, we have to
"ground" the electrical system by
planting a metal rod deep in the earth
and linking it to the house. When
you stand barefoot on the ground,
you are also grounding your body,
stabilizing your internal energy and
re-supplying it with all the electrons
it needs.

I recommend simultaneously pulling
down your pants, spreading your butt
cheeks with your hands, and getting direct
sunlight on your anus--
but this is a more advanced technique...