I knew this one would catch your attention!

Maybe I should clarify.  Martial Arts is my fountain of youth.  At least, that’s how I see it.

Who doesn’t want to look or feel younger?  If you’re twenty years old, you may not care, but you should. Twenties turn to thirties and thirties to forties, and forties into….ugh!  the dreaded fifties, which is where I hover.

I never worried about aging when I was younger.  I felt good.  I was happy.  What more is there?  Years are what more there is!   Years ahead of you when you will want to feel good, be productive, seek challenges and learn new things. None of that is possible if life is cut short because of health issues.

I  joined karate in my twenties figuring it would be a great exercise.  I was right!  I trimmed down a little and really started to feel stronger.  It was a great transformation in my body and my mind.  I never realized all the health benefits I was cultivating; benefits that today I can clearly appreciate.  One workout after another was like putting another credit into my life and health meter.  Flexibility, bone strength, muscular strength, stamina, joint movement, and sweat have given me the health I need to keep a healthy and youthful life.

I attribute my overall health and appearance fully to my martial arts training and lifestyle. Because I’ve practiced and cultivated my karate for so many years, the benefits at my age have really paid off.  Surprisingly, I’m as agile as a lot of people who are younger.  I have muscular definition.  I still have a somewhat youthful appearance (from what others say; I won’t EVER claim this!), and I need absolutely no medications for medical issues.  The doctor calls me his “star patient” and reads my lab work like it’s a poetry because he’s so happy to see someone my age who is not struggling with a myriad of issues.

It’s true there are all different kinds of exercise and sports that can keep you in shape but none has the “fitness with a purpose” theme, like a  martial art.  If you are going to exercise, why not learn something about balance, defense, and tradition?  Think about how many exercises actually produce injuries…tendinitis, ACL tears, knee and hip problems, concussions.  If you are practicing a traditional or blended martial art, and unless you are a an MMA enthusiast or a full contact fighter, you gain more than you lose.  Rarely have I seen a karate related injury in all these years.

The Fountain 

Where is that fountain?  The one that gurgles beautiful purified water with some mysterious vitamins and antioxidants and anti-aging particles?  If you know where it is, I’ll gladly go with you!

Perhaps the fountain is  inside of you waiting for some special attention.

When we think about the fountain of youth, we often think about a physical appearance.  While this is the most outward sign of youth, don’t forget what happens on the inside.  For me, I can attest to the following:

• I don’t wake up in pain every morning.  In fact, I feel little or no aches or pains whatsoever.
• When I stretch, I continue to achieve better flexibility.
• I get a clean bill of health every year, including cholesterol, blood pressure, and all the things about which people my age worry.
• I can participate in any work-outs that I want.
• I have no physical limitations.
• I have a lot of enough energy to accomplish what I need to get done.
• I have a good, balanced, positive way of thinking

It is never too early or too late to start dipping your toes in the fountain.  Kids who take a martial art will grow up with an advantage.  Adults who learn it will see for themselves how karate can actually help them feel better.  I’ve gone to class dead tired, or even with sore muscles from another earlier workout, only to completely forget about any of it during class.  The stretching and performance of all the skills during class actually made me feel better.

Not a Doctor!

I’m no doctor.  I have no medical licenses and I’ve done no research.  But, I can tell you from personal experience that unlike some other 51 year olds, I don’t struggle with weight issues and I’m not worried about trying to  rekindle a vibrance to my appearance.  I’ve got wrinkles, no denying that, but because of my martial arts mindset in constant motion, I still feel youthful inside and out.

I’ve said it before, martial arts is many things to many people.  Along with the list of all the things it is to me – great conditioning, powerful self-defense, a conduit to better health – it most amazingly is…a fountain of youth.

Keep young, friends.  That’s the key to a longer, happier life.

Winning at life is what it’s all about.

Andrea