Longevity and Immortality

It surprises me that most everyone wants
to live forever-- or at least until they're 100--
and yet almost no one does what it takes to
live that long. Most folks eat too much, drink
too much, neglect their bodies, and continue
stupid habits like smoking, watching too
much TV, and improper sexual practices.

When it comes to longevity, Okinawans
wear the crown. You can go out and read
a bunch stuff on the internet as to why.
You'll find snippets like the fact that they
only eat until they're 80 percent full; and
they eat a wide variety of vegetables and
soy products.

I went to Okinawa in 1999. When I was
there, I was a little obsessed with why they
live so long. I had a number of translators,
so I could ask lots of them why. Most of
them told me it was dietary. They all said
that seaweed is a big reason, and that it's
imperative to eat small amounts of pork.

What may be imperceptible to them is the
fact that their lifestyle is so relaxed. Okinawa
is like a Japanese version of Hawaii, so you
can imagine it's very beautiful and cushy.
The Okinawans don't have words for lying,
cheating, stealing and rape; and they certainly
do not do those things. By the time I left
and landed in Taiwan, white people freaked
me out.

The longevity reign of Okinawans is only
questionable in my mind because we can't
research the Chinese in the same way.
China is closed-off, enormous, and lots of
its people live high in the mountains or way
out in BFE.

The Chinese use the word "immortality"
to mean "live longer than yer sposta, and
live well in your old age."

Behold, Li Ching-Yuen !
He is known as "the 250-year old man."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Ching-Yuen
Li was an herbalist and a martial artist.
There are records in China from 1827
congratulating Li on his 150th birthday.
In 1927, General Yang Sen was said to be
impressed with Li's youthfulness, strength
and prowess. Li died May 6, 1933--
immortal.

In my experience, I've learned there are
three real keys to longevity:

1. Diet
Don't eat too much. Live with hunger,
it's good for you. Be sure to eat
Onion, Garlic, Ginger, & Cilantro
as often as you can. These things are

very good for your health. Also, eat

Greens, Small Amounts of Pork,

Fish Oil and Green Tea. I highly

recommend you take vitamins; and

when you feel your energy running

low, read up on the different kinds

of Ginseng.

2. Healing Exercise

Li Ching-Yuen was a Chinese martial

artist. If you don't believe me, believe

him-- practice of proper martial arts

will extend the usable life of your

body well into your golden years.

Fu Tai Chi is the best exercise there is.

3. Relaxation

Li's secret of long life was:

• Tranquil mind
• Sit like a tortoise
• Walk sprightly like a pigeon
• Sleep like a dog

All four of these points mean to say,

"relax, loose the tension." This echoes

what I know of Okinawans, and also

exemplifies an important principle of

Fu Tai Chi.

Live long and prosper.

Why We Love Dogs

Dogs are lovable and playful.

And they way they express their love to us
is through their play.

In their youth, dogs are super-flexible. We love
to watch them stretch when they wake up, and
fold their bodies in half when they lick their own
butts. A dog can scratch his ear with his hind
leg with no trouble at all.

Dogs are super-powerful. Although they lack
the ball-like rotations of our shoulders and hips,
dogs have amazing range of motion, superb
tendons, and muscles that explode like dynamite.
This allows them to do things like jump fences,
run 40 mph, grab frisbees out of the air, and
fight with other dogs.

The physicality of a dog is no more and no less
than the rest of the animal kingdom. The difference
is that we get to house, keep and interact with
these awesome creatures. Until they grow old,
dogs are a personal circus right in your living
room or your backyard. We live vicariously
through them, wishing we could move, stretch,
jump and run they way they can.

If we learn the magic practice of Fu Tai Chi,
we can be much more like them: moving
effortlessly and freely. If we practice weight
lifting and jogging, and the other forms of
hard exercise-- or if we do nothing at all--
we will get old and stiff, and break down
just the way a dog does.

In Chinese martial arts, we say,
"Like dogs, karate masters get old."
But if you practice Fu Tai Chi, you
will remain vibrant and youthful,
like a dog jumping a high fence.

My New Big Toe

In ninth grade, I took typing class.

with Mrs. Corp. On the first day,

she taught us to keep our wrists up

so that our fingers hung down onto

the keys. When we got lazy and let

our wrists drop, she would remind us.

In college, I enrolled in the first

volleyball class and learned the

proper way to pass the ball, set

and spike. I also took swimming

and learned the proper form for

all the major strokes. Then I took

kinesiology and learned the

mechanics of the human body.

All developed forms of physical

activity have proper form. Running

form; climbing form; swimming form--

even throwing a frisbee has form.

But what do they all have in common ?

Breathing is an obvious answer; and

using the bones and joints for leverage.

And how about the fact that skill comes

from practicing proper form and developing

good habits ?

There are also many commonalities between

sport-specific forms, like the way running

and boxing both keep the chin down; and

the way skiing and swimming both elongate

the arms; the way a baseball pitch and

a golf swing both create rotational speed

from the trunk; and the way bowling and

surfing require whole-body coordination.

And almost every high-level athlete uses

relaxation and skeletal stacking for balance,

speed, stability and power issuance.

But little is it known which form supersedes

all individual athletic forms. You might be

surprised to learn how all of the form

commonalities I just mentioned are proper

to Fu Tai Chi practice. However, Fu Tai Chi is
far more developed than any of those forms.

Check out this photo:

This is what a chiropractor will tell you is "normal,
healthy posture."

But when I practice my Fu Tai Chi posture, my back

looks like this:

See how straight and flat it is ?

After seven years of practicing Fu Tai Chi posture,

and Tai Chi principles, my whole body has

changed.

The most surprising and recent change is that

of my big toe on my right foot. As of April 2010,

my right big toe had gotten so much stronger

that it started developing new calluses. By

May, it started wearing holes through socks and

slippers. By June, I had to start taping it with

athletic tape because it was wearing the skin

off itself. This toe has literally reorganized itself

to be reborn as a much, much stronger asset to

my balance, speed and coordination.

Since I began Fu Tai Chi, I have found it to boost

and accelerate all of my other athletics. I have

better balance, more efficiency, I can run faster--

I'm even better at putting the dishes away.

I challenge you to practice Fu Tai Chi for six

weeks and see how you feel. I bet you'll

feel the changes too.

Brush your teeth; practice your energy

I bet you brush your teeth.
But why ?

Is it to make them look good ?
Or is it to avoid having them
rot away ?

People brush their teeth to prevent
problems in the future. It takes years to
get a child to understand that if he or she
doesn't take care of his teeth, they're
going to rot and fall out.

So why don't you have the same relationship
with your body ? People exercise to look good,
not for future health. You can look around
and know that as you age, your body
will begin to break down. First you lose
the ability to jump and run. Then your
balance gets weaker. Then you become
prone to injuries.

Young adults have a "normal" posture,
and "normal" walking gait. But middle-aged
people begin to show a "side to side,"
penguin waddle. Seniors are more bent
over, and take smaller steps.
Like oral hygiene, the body can be cared-for
in a way that makes it useful for a lifetime.

Back to TommyTheory:
"You can only exercise to the level you
understand."
So for many, jogging and weight-lifting are
what they understand. This kind of exercise
is beneficial when you're 25, not when
you're 45.
Others find out for themselves that
energy practice is a boon to the body,
and for sooth--
The Fountain of Youth.
Fu Tai Chi and QiGong are special exercise
that will keep you healthy and mobile
your whole life.

Brushing your teeth is like a health bank;
every day you contribute a few minutes
of time so that when you're old, you still
have your natural teeth.
Fu Tai Chi is exactly the same; 20 minutes
each day will extend your mobility much
longer than if you don't exercise or if you
jog, lift weights, or do most other forms
of exercise.

The next time you brush you teeth, take
a good look at your body and ask yourself,
"Why don't I take better care of my body ?"

The Mysteries of Kung Fu

There is an old Shaolin story that goes
like this:
A young man was accepted into the
Shaolin school. He showed up to his
first lesson excited to learn.

The old monk led the young man to
a raised pool and told him to slap the
water.

When the young man came back to
class the next day, the monk told him
to go to the pool and slap the water.
Day after day, this was the only task
he was given.

After 12 months, the young man became
so frustrated that he broke his instruction
and went to the monk who was eating
breakfast. The young man demanded
a lesson, slamming his hand down on the
heavy wooden breakfast table, which
immediately broke in half.

The monk looked up at the young man
and said, "you're ready for your next lesson."

-------------------------------------------------------

Sun Lu Tang is perhaps the most famous
XingYi Boxer in history. It is said that his
first teacher taught him how to stand for
his first lesson, and did not check on him
for one year. When he returned, he struck
Sun in the back and was surprised that
Sun did not lose his balance.

It is said that Sun's best student practiced
the stance for three years before he learned
anything else.

------------------------------------------------------

In the beginning of June, a young man came
to me asking for private lessons. In the very
first lesson, I saw just how clumsy and stiff
he was. But he practiced hard, and made
amazing progress. Two days ago, he came
for a lesson. I asked him how much he was
practicing. He said, "two hours a day, but
I would practice more if I was learning anything."
He had not noticed how his clumsiness had
waned, and how much stronger his stance
and balance had gotten.

Gentle Exercise

My father was a track star in high
school, and continued jogging
almost every day. In his 30's, he
was still a fantastic distance runner,
placing well in running competitions.
By age 42, his knees were done
and he had to stop running completely.

A female friend from high school
was also a track star. She, too, kept
running afterward, staying very "fit"
in her 30's, but suffering multiple
health problems she considered
"unrelated." To this day, she denies
she has any health problems, but
continues going to the doctor for
all sorts of issues.

At age 38, I can tell story after story
about "fitness" fanatics who felt they
needed their hard exercise-- running,
biking, weight-lifting, etc-- in order
to stay healthy and look good. But
the reality is hard exercise isn't that
good for you after age 30. Sure, you
can still do it in your 30's, but you're
causing yourself problems. And in
your 40's, the pain you feel from
hard exercise is your body telling
you "hard exercise is wrong for you."

Most generally, people exercise to
look good. But if you've read my blog
or listened to other health professionals,
trimming body fat is a dietary function.

So if you want to be healthy, and exercise
in a suitable, sustainable manner, you need
to exercise gently. Chinese calisthenics like
tai chi and QiGong gently work the entire
body, including the cardiovascular system
because they include super-special breathing
practices. They also strengthen the trunk
(build so-called "core strength") because
they include postural practice. Your hard
exercise has neither postural training or
breathing training.

If you're over age 35, you need to take a
good look around and see who USED TO
exercise hard, but can't anymore. You need
to look into the crystal ball and understand
in earnest that hard exercise is not sustainable.
In fact, it's not even what's keeping you looking
good.

Keep exercising hard, and you will plague
yourself with pain, health problems and
deteriorating joints.

If you don't exercise at all, you need to start.

Exercise gently, and you will live longer
and healthier. I beg you to listen to me,
and act now.

Your Feet Are Weak

When I graduated from high school,
I began pushing the limits of my
physical stamina. I jogged almost
every day, gradually increasing the
distance until I hit the six mile mark.

Then after my freshman year of college,
I started triathlon training. After one
month, my typical workout was a fast
20-mile bike followed by a perpetually
faster 10-mile run. This typically lasted
around three hours, which left me pretty
useless to do much else. When I rode or
ran with anyone else, I would leave them
in the dust. The catabolism ate down my
body weight to a mere 163 pounds.

In my sophomore year, I started lifting
weights and put on more than 30 pounds
of muscle. By the end of college, I had
gotten pretty big, but so was my appetite.
I continued lifting for 10 years, and did
some cross-training as well. In general,
my body was been equal to many world-
class athletes.

Then at age 31, I started Fu Tai Chi with
Grandmaster Victor ShengLong Fu.
I had to let go of most of my experience,
and my education, such as the university-
level kinesiology and the weight-training
techniques I learned from the early-ninety's
Mr. Michigan. Everything was just so
different.

Now I've been studying and practicing hard
with Fu for seven straight years. My balance
has increased so much that I can't even explain
it, other than to say my feet have reorganized
themselves.

My right foot, which has always been a little
weaker than the left, has gotten bigger, stronger,
and now the ball and big toe hurt all the time.
They have new calluses and ache from the new
way I walk, stand and move. This is not the
kind of ache you get from wearing fancy shoes
with heels; this kind of ache tells me that the
way I used to walk was babying my feet,
instead of strengthening them.

The age-old tenets of tai chi say,
"the root is in the feet." When you begin to
practice the slow twisting movements of
tai chi, your ankles will twist and your feet
will begin to clutch the earth in the same
way a tree does, or the way an eagle grasps
a tree branch. Your feet will get amazingly
stronger.