Live with Passion and Ignore the Critics

The dojo kun is a set of five principles that guide the practice of karate. The first of the dojo kun's precepts is to "seek perfection of character." While this precept has many and deep meanings, one of the ways I've adopted to improve my character is to try to

• live with passion and to inspire it in others.

When I come across items that particularly relate to this topic, I will blog about them here. One writer to whom I regularly turn is Seth Godin, somewhat of a marketing guru, but who believes in excellence. He has written a book called "The Dip" that is a NY Times bestseller on persevering through adversity and also knowing when to try something else. In his blog dedicated to the book, he has a entry that is remarkable for its ability to touch one's heart and inspire us to follow our passions.

More energy, more brain cells, more life (I hope)

In the last blog, I wrote about using calorie restriction (dieting) and increased exercise to rejuvenate my cells, and ideally, live a happier longer life. This time, I'm writing about another part of my program to feel better, live longer, and, now, ta da, be smarter, too. I'll also give an update on my progress (or lack of it).

Again, from Science News, comes a report on how your brain cells actually regenerate (or not) depending on how you live. See Brain Gain: Constant sprouting of neurons attracts scientists, drugmakers, by Brian Vastag, and published in Science News, Week of June 16, 2007; Vol. 171, No. 24 , p. 376.

In the article, brain cells growth responds to certain conditions and is repressed by others. From the article: "Exercise, estrogen, antidepressants, marijuana-like compounds, stimulating environments, and high social status, along with strokes and other injuries, all rev up production of new brain cells. Aging, stress, sleep deprivation, barren environments, and methylphenidate (Ritalin) damp it down."

So, I like my program of 12.5% less calories, 12.5% more exercise (measured as calories burned), with the addition of sleep, stress reduction, and interesting environments. I'll pass on the marijuana, estrogen, Ritalin, and strokes, thank you. Aging, too, please. Karate should help with the stress, as should more sleep.

Disclaimer. I'm choosing to do things that are moderate changes and that I feel are safe. I don't have any real evidence that I'll get the effect I want, particularly that I'll live longer or be smarter. Still, since I don't think it can hurt, I'm trying it. Follow at your own risk.

Update on my plan. So far, the days start well and end poorly. By the afternoon, I'm scrounging for food. Thursday, it was chocolate. Yesterday a bagel. I'm going to start bringing some good snacks to work to counter the afternoon lows. I've got to stay away from the big carbohydrate loads that I think after an initial sugar spike, drop my blood sugar even lower and send me into a downward death-by-sugar spiral.

The good news is I have upped the exercise. I'm adding hiking about 2 miles to the daily routine and I got in my first weight lifting in a long while. The shoulder's sore, but I'll do some light work on the weekend. Also, I'll put in more miles hiking, along with karate. The goal is to go just over the comfort line, but not so far as to be demotivating.

Calorie Restriction for Karate Training?

I recently read an article from Science News titled Living Long on Less? Mouse and Human Cells Respond to Slim Diet (Week of March 10, 2007; Vol. 171, No. 10 , p. 147). The article explains that it's unknown if calorie restriction actually leads to longer human life, but that a person's cells do show the same change as those seen in mice who have been shown to have longer lives as a result of calorie restriction.

What are some of those changes and how do they relate to Karate? Most important from my point of view was the observed rejuvenation of mitochondrial cells, the energy producers. I'm older and starting to feel my age. I've put on a little weight and don't have the pep. What if I could restrict some calories and get the boost in energy from my mitochondria? How much would I have to do?

Here's the really great news from the article. Human studies show that whether you restrict calories 25% or only 12.5% plus increase your exercise to expend 12.5% more calories, you get the same effect. I'm a little leary from a health perspective to restrict calories 25% and it's absolutely important to get complete nutrition as part of the approach. However, I think I can restrict 12.5% and increase my exercise enough to meet the study limits and also get a nutritionally complete diet. Normally, its very dangerous to take a research study out of context and apply it to life. In this case, I've done this before and I felt great (at age 32). Now I'm age 47, and ready to try it again. My other stats are 255 pounds and the scale showing 28% body fat.

For another connection to Karate, the Okinawans, who eat 8/10 full, invented Karate, also are renown as the longest lived of human societies (see The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--And How You Can Too by Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, and Makoto Suzuki (Paperback - Mar 12, 2002).

I'll let you know how it goes, but without the ability to test my cells!

Karate, youtube.com, and MABOK

Youtube.com has been a boon to the internet world, but if you've spent any time on it, you know there's a problem: anybody can post anything.

How do you sort the good from the bad? User ratings may help, but it'd be even more helpful to have discussion pages, surrounding text, explanations, and the like.

In learning or training anything, and for the purposes of this blog, karate in particular, it's very important to train properly from the begining since it's harder to shed bad habits than to learn them.

At karateforge.com, where I do most of my web editing, we're building a website that expands on the good of youtube (widely available user-generated videos), and adds to it. Through wiki pages, forums we select the best videos, and add to them the context and discussion needed to understand the proper execution of karate techniques as well as injury prevention and discussion of application. This website is called MABOK, the martial arts book of knowledge, and we invite knowledgeable contributors.

Another weakness of videos in general is the problem of individual authorship or single point of view. This problem is that a single individual often does not have the same experience as a group of authors. A video is also difficult to contribute to without surrounding tools like forums, so collective authorship is not possible on youtube.com.

A social collaboration site, like Karateforge, addresses the single point of view problem by integrating multiple viewpoints with a higher probability of correctness in the result.

Improtant note: in any training, videos and even collective how-to, may be insufficient to guarantee safety. Quality innformation coupled with proper instruction is the best approach to learning without wasting time or risking injury.

Out of Shape? Try Karate!

The first time I did karate was at the invitation of my children's Sensei (teacher). I had been watching my kids do it, and thought, "why not?"

She showed me kihon or basics to perform, such as stepping down block. I was so out of shape, and so tense in my movements that I became winded in just a minute of anaerobic moves. I had not realized just how out-of-shape I had become: my kids were able to do it all morning long, and I could only go a minute.

I vowed in that moment to do something about my life. I joined up and began working out 3 times a week. Not only was it hard for me to keep up, I was also tight and could not stretch beyond finding my shins with my hands.

After a few months, my flexibility improved, and my lungs were transformed. It didn't hurt that I learned to relax during the movements, either. I began to look less ridiculous and to feel comfortable.

I found karate to be an excellent activity for getting from completely out of shape into fighting shape. I attribute that to

• Karate is an activity that allows for a gradual increase in intensity and flexibility; I could do as little or as much as was comfortable without hurting myself or holding others back;
• I could feel and measure the change;
• My kids were doing it;
• I always wanted to be assault proof (more on that in a future blog)
• The training environment can be a great social support; in my situation, several experienced students and sensei took an interest in me (thank you Sensei John Reed, Sempai Nancy Alexander, and Sempai Janet Wade);
• and because my life had to change (more on the needed changes in a future blog).

The hardest part is the first step.

PS: If you're interested, find a comfortable feeling dojo in your area. Beware of long-term contracts, and dojos that seem overly formal. Our dojo, Palmer Lake Shotokan Karate has been ideal for me.