Black Belt Fitness for Life. Grandmaster Tae Sun Kang
Changes to the body have to be done progressively so the internal organs can adjust to the physiological changes.
You know the story of the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race. Gradual progress is the key to losing weight, becoming healthier, and maintaining fitness. Can you picture yourself following one of these intense diets or workout programs for the rest of your life? Even the greatest athletes don’t have that kind of discipline. Think of some of your favorite athletes who are now retired. How many of them have been able to maintain the weight they were at when they were active, or even just stay slim? A very small percentage. These athletes have to consume an enormous amount of food daily because they’re working out multiple hours a day. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps reportedly ate 10,000 calories a day while training! That may be an extreme example, but the fact of the matter is once an athlete stops training, the number of calories they burn reduces but their appetite doesn’t. The only way they can keep the weight off is if they continue to train like they did during their professional careers. That’s a very tough thing to do. That’s why my system will work. It’s not designed just for people in their prime, it’s designed for any age group—and it’s something you can do your whole life.
In my 40-plus years of working in the fitness industry and teaching students, I’ve found that one of the problems with exercise is that people dread it. If most people have a choice whether to exercise or not, most will not. It’s not until something happens—like not being able to fit into an old pair of jeans or being told by your doctor that you have high blood pressure or even worse, having a stroke—that they realize exercise is the only option. And by then, exercise becomes a chore. I’ve been exercising all my life, not because I was forced to but because I enjoy it. It’s something I look forward to every day. I can help you feel the same way. It’s never too late. You might think you have a long road ahead but the sooner you get on that road, the shorter it will seem.
The first thing you have to do is be selfish. Now I don’t mean drop everything and do whatever you want and go on a wild shopping spree. I mean be selfish when it comes to exercising and taking care of yourself. Some of you might be thinking, “but I have no time!” Do you really have no time? If the only things you’re doing are working, sleeping, eating and nothing else, seven days a week, then yes, I believe you when you say you have no time. But usually, you can squeeze in the time. It won’t be easy. You might have to make some sacrifices. Maybe you might have to miss some TV time or not go out and socialize one night, or wake up a little earlier or go to sleep later; but I’m certain you can find the time. If you met the person of your dreams and he or she asked you out on a date, would you say you have no time? You’d find a way to make time! You can always make time for something if you really want to. And think about this: the healthier you are, the longer you will live. This is even more of a reason why you should exercise. By finding time to exercise, you’ll create more time to enjoy life.
Another problem people have with exercising is that they’re too self-conscious about other people’s opinions. Or they feel exercising is too difficult. These are great excuses, but if you’re not exercising and keeping healthy, who’s going to do it for you? I tell my students that their safety is their own personal responsibility. It’s the same with your health. If you want to be there for your children, you’re going to have to save yourself first, you have to be selfish. If you’re on an airplane and there’s a sudden loss of cabin pressure, your first instinct might be to put the oxygen masks on your loved ones so you can save them. But how can you help anyone else if you’re starving for oxygen? You have to help yourself first in order to help others. Be selfish.
If you have children, by exercising, you’ll set a good example. Obesity rates are increasing at an alarming rate for kids in America. I’m sure you care tremendously for your children’s health and well-being. And even if you don’t exercise, you will still push your child to exercise and eat right. But you have to look at things from their perspective. Your kids are probably wondering why they should exercise if they don’t see you exercising? If all you did was sit around the house and play video games, but you told your child not to do the same, they’d think you’re a hypocrite. But if you exercise and tell your kids to exercise, they won’t question you. We may not be their heroes, but we are their role models. We have a huge influence on our kids, whether they’d like to admit it or not. And that can go both ways. We can be good role models, or bad ones.
My students tell me one of the biggest factors that stop them from going to the gym is feeling unfit and overweight when everyone else is in great shape. If that’s the case, don’t go to the gym! Maybe the gym is not for you. You have to be able to feel comfortable where you’re exercising. Maybe you’ll feel more comfortable in the privacy of your home. If you’re feeling too self-conscious about what other people think when you’re exercising, just remember what Dr. Seuss said: “Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
If you’re reading this and you don’t have any disabilities, you have to realize how fortunate you are. I’ve discovered something rather interesting in all my years of teaching. The students with the most injuries, the ones who’ve had knee replacements, hip replacements, back pain, arthritis, you name it—these are the students that train the hardest. My teenage students, on the other hand, sometimes display the least effort in their training. I have to remind them over and over how lucky they are. Not only do they have two arms and two legs, but they have their health. I have to tell them there are people out there whose only wish is to be able to participate in the activities that they take for granted. Think about how badly you would want to just go for a walk if you were paralyzed. The desire to walk in that situation would be overwhelming. Think about that the next time you feel like skipping a workout.
Speaking of teenagers, some of you reading this may be well beyond your teenage years. You might even have children who are in their teens! When you see young people in their prime working out, it can be intimidating. You might think that compared to these fit people, you’re at a disadvantage. But you have to remember life is a balance. Everything adds up to a whole. The age of my students range from 3 to 60 plus. Compared to a 5-year-old, the 40-year-old student won’t be nearly as flexible. But compared to the 40-year-old, the 5-year-old’s focus and concentration will only be a fraction of that of the older student. Everything is a balance. What you might lack in physical strength will be compensated for in mental strength.
I’ve seen students in their twenties and in great shape who have never had to deal with any adversities, like a major injury. So when they get injured, they don’t know how to cope. Often they lose their discipline and gain a ton of weight. They might be strong physically, but weak mentally. However, many of my students in their forties and fifties have had knee surgeries or hip surgeries, so they can’t train as intensely as a 20-year-old student. But their determination is so strong. Their bodies might be weak from injuries, but as a consequence their minds become so much stronger. If they’re nursing an injury, instead of training harder, they’ll train smarter.
I also see a lot of my younger students give up very easily. For them, things come easily—especially fitness—so when they hit a roadblock, they want to quit. With my older students, they have a lot more life experience, so they’re more patient and have more perseverance. Never think you’re at a disadvantage just because you start late. The majority of my adult students start in their forties and for a lot of them, it’s their first time exercising seriously. Everything adds up to a whole.
You also have to remember that getting into shape is not a competition. Well, let me clarify. The only competition you’re in is the one with yourself. This is something I tell my students all the time, especially the ones who start Taekwondo later in life. They come in and sometimes see younger beginners who are more flexible than they are. They see these younger students being able to touch their toes in a stretch, or kick higher than them, or punch stronger. They see this and become discouraged. But I tell them that some people, especially the younger ones, are just naturally more flexible. After a year, maybe the younger student’s stretch will improve only by a little. But my older students, when they first joined, maybe they couldn’t even touch their toes without bending their knees. But after a year, they can reach beyond their toes. So even though the younger student might still be more flexible, the older student has made a greater improvement