What is better health?

[fiercest tiger]

Hi Yall,

Questions im alittle confused with anyone that would like to answer please feel free to offer your views.

As im getting older im more aware of energy levels and aging, although i dont understand a few things or im confused would be better to say.

Would a better healthy life style be chi kung, ball training, good food compared to chi kung ball training good food and cardio like running. I get shin splints and i really hate running!

What does chi kung do on a cellular level like free radicals and antioxidants compared to running and its level of aging?

I dont know if im making sense but feel that can you still be really healthy without the running type cardio and just chi kung, ball and good food or does running better then all the above?

Garry

[Dale Dugas]

Brother,

I gave up running for walking quickly and jumping rope for short intervals. Running for us big guys is rather detrimental as I do not have a runners body.

Better health is eating right, drinking right(too many people overdrink many things...), sleeping right, shagging right(haha)...

Health to me is also about mental health and stress levels and being able to handle them.

Hope all is well Brother G, and the babe is not keeping you up too much.

Be well,

[fiercest tiger]

Hi Dale,

Whassup Big fella, thanks i think i will take the walking instead of running advice, yeah i think maybe its better for the body.

Shagging right, well you end up with a bun in the oven....and you guessed it NO SLEEP!

Hope all is well mate see you on MSN..

Gaz

[Ray Pina]

Train right, eat right, get rest, swim, swim, swim.

[imperialtaichi]

Hello Gary,

I do not believe in running long distance. Look at all the long distance animal runners in nature, they have pretty different anatomy to us. I mean, have you ever see a monkey running a marathon? (I suppose I've never seen a monkey doing Qigong either.... )

I believe a bit of Qigong/TaiChi, bit of cardio, bit of balance. Life weight is good (like a long spear) but not dead weights (like machines and dumb-bells). And of course, live healthy. But don't believe in being too disciplined, a man got to enjoy his life. No point living forever if it means having to eat sawdust everyday.

Kind of a Yin/Yang thing.

Cheers,
John

[Ray Pina]

I like the way you think Imperial. Everytime you say something I think, "This guy sounds like he has a good teacher." Lot's of things you say are things I've come to learn training internal.

[fiercest tiger]

Thanks guys,

Good answers John, my training for weight is a heavy ball done using YKM ways, its alive and not so much dead as you call weightlifting. What is you belief on dead weightlifting for internal players?

Many old masters also did weight training, shaolin too?

Any comments?

Garry

[imperialtaichi]

What is you belief on dead weightlifting for internal players?

Many old masters also did weight training, shaolin too?

Hello Gary,

Dead weight lifting will develope muscular power, but not the integrated, aligned, opponent orientated power. It's like wacking a V8 engine in a car without changing the tyres/suspensions/exhaust etc, the car is still useless. Plus, if you believe in channels/meridians etc, the over developed "dead" muscles restrict the flow, decrease sensitivities etc. so it is a big no no.

I believe that if one has no intention to develope his/her Tai Chi for fighting, weight training is NOT neccessary. However, real fights are very different from pushing hands in a competition so "live weight" is important.

The old Yang masters trained with very long, very heavy spears. My spear that I play with sometimes (but not often enough) is 4m long 5cm thick, my wife couldn't even lift it up. The old masters would use 5-6m long springy spears with 1kg metal spear head, and that's a lot of weight! But would use them so "light" that they could flick up a coin on the ground. CMC also used to do calligraphy with rocks attached to his wrist.

In my opinion, these weight training methods simulates an opponent applying a "live" weight/force on yourself. It is not so much to train to build up the muscles to lift the weight, but how to manipulate and play with such weight/forces/momentum. If it is not useful the old masters would not be training it.

Cheers,
John

[fiercest tiger]

Hi John,

Thanks, is there any scientific proof that weightlifting with do what you said as well live weight type trainingw ill do what you said?

As for fighting i think Today has evolved much better and effective, not that i was alive but i think professional fighters these days as very strong and flexable, using weight training and plyometrics, medicine ball, kettle bells etc.

Is there any Taiji fighters using all these methods and today fighting in competition, using traditional taiji strength training etc?

I would love to see the level of this compared to todays athletes!!

comments?.
Garry

[TonyM.]

Do everything. Total fitness is what we're after .
I am starting to believe that distance running uses too much original essence. I only walk and run wind sprints now. I've only experienced possitive results from weight lifting. I don't do alot, but I keep them task specific. In keeping my soft and hard practices separate in training I've found it easier to integrate them and that hard training compliments my soft training with no interferance.
Small and large circulation as well as Buddist and Taoist breathing will accomplish all the cleansing you need as well as recharging you.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

As much as i hesitate, here goes.. i really like the "Total Gym" that Chuch Norris promotes.. it covers so many ranges of motion, it's cheap, and it works with your own body weight.. i swim, surf, ride my bike, walk, spar and grapple.. grappling is a great indicator of endurance.. at 55, i tend to be more careful than my earlier years, it takes a bit longer to heal..

Diet is a huge component of good health.. Taiji and QiGong are far and away my preferred disciplines.. and, as Dr. Fung points out, we are here to "live".. asceticism is basically a slap in the face to Life.. as far as we "know", we get one shot at this thing called life.. do it with gusto, unconditional sincerity, and "on the edge".. so you can take the "big sleep" with no regrets..

Be well...

[fiercest tiger]

Kool,

I think, as long as you are getting your workout and feeling good doesnt really matter at the end. There is no guarentee that live strength vs dead strength (weights) will make you live longer or happier right?!

Regards
Garry