Limits

[Xue Sheng]

Unfortunately, we do not live in a world of people who say "I like to sit on the couch and you should to." We live in a world of people who say they hiked a bajillion miles at age 83 with twelve homeless people in their backpack and you should too. If they want to do that, yay them. I shall sit on the couch and observe their progress.

want to impress me...show me a person that is a bajillion years old hiking 83 miles carrying a couch with 12 homeless people on it - anything else.... pales by comparison

 

[Appledog]

I am starting to get an idea of the way I would like my training to go over the next 3 years, until retirement..... more on that as it happens..... if it happens how I would like it to....also assuming I can physically handle it at my age with my infirmity ....

But thinking about this quote from Bruce Lee on limits

“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” - Bruce Lee

Now being almost twice the age of Bruce Lee when he died, I also realize that was said by a man in his early 30s or younger, in top physical condition with no arthritis and no bad knees...... but he does have a point and I do think it is applicable, to a point...... but your body can enforce limits upon you that you have to accept and then work to move beyond, or around..... but they are still limits.

There are various levels of 'intensity' and 'strenuousness'. A sifu will show you a set of daoyin or qigong and another sifu will show you a different set. They are the same essential routines but at a different level of sensitivity. It is easy to see once you look past the physical form. So, the slow and gentle way, to slowly gently extend your range of motion, is the best way for older people. It is just as important and valid as other ways. And, since you are older, and presumably have more time, you will be able to invest the time it takes versus a more strenuous 'faster' method.

Faster methods can be dangerous. I pulled a meridian once because I decided I was going to push myself an extra inch in pu bu. and snap, there it goes, now it takes six months to heal. You don't want to pull a meridian. Its the worst kind of sprain.

My sifu tells very similar stories. Another kind of story is, doing x+1 reps. Once I did 300 kicks, decided to do a few hundred more, and pop, there it goes, out of commission for five months. Or there was a time that I blew out my ankles and couldn't walk because I decided to push myself and do over 80,000 steps in a day. I still have ankle problems from that, but they're getting much better now.

Plantar fasciitis is a big one too. Has knocked me down three times in the past. Each time for almost an entire year.

Sometimes you can not know or respect your limits until you find them in the wrong way, but if you have a good Sifu they can help warn you where they might be.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

do over 80,000 steps in a day.

2,000 steps = 1 miles, 80,000 steps = 40 miles. That's a lot of mileage.

To me, to maintain my comfortable zone is more important than to break my limitation. When I do something, I don't think about whether I can do it today or not. I think about whether or not I can still do it when I'm 80 years old.

When I'm 80,

- What ability do I want to maintain?
- What do I need to do today in order to maintain it?

 

[isshinryuronin]

When I'm 80,

- What ability do I want to maintain?
- What do I need to do today in order to maintain it?

This is my mindset as well - to be physically independent for as long as possible

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

This is my mindset as well - to be physically independent for as long as possible

My wife is 9 years young than me. I promise her that I'll outlive her. It's not an easy task for me.

I'm glad that at the end of last year, I could still do what I did a year before. I just hope at the end of this year, I can still do what I did at the end of last year.

 

[gyoja]

My wife is 9 years young than me. I promise her that I'll outlive her. It's not an easy task for me.

Same here, but I promise mine that I will probably not.

 

[Appledog]

2,000 steps = 1 miles, 80,000 steps = 40 miles. That's a lot of mileage.

To me, to maintain my comfortable zone is more important than to break my limitation. When I do something, I don't think about whether I can do it today or not. I think about whether or not I can still do it when I'm 80 years old.

When I'm 80,

- What ability do I want to maintain?
- What do I need to do today in order to maintain it?

When I am 80 I want to be able to pick somebody up and throw them over a car.

 

[gyoja]

When I am 80 I want to be able to pick somebody up and throw them over a car.

When I’m 80 I’ll die of shock if I’m still breathing.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

When I am 80 I want to be able to pick somebody up and throw them over a car.

If that's my goal, I will try to pick up object from the ground daily.

My wife just said that I look 20 years younger than my age about few minutes ago. That make me feel good.

 

[Steve]

When I’m 80 I’ll die of shock if I’m still breathing.

When I’m 80, I hope I will finally know my limitations. Probably not.

 

[Darren]

When I was younger I was told I could never do martial arts, I’m now 59 years old and take two martial arts.

 

[Appledog]

2,000 steps = 1 miles, 80,000 steps = 40 miles. That's a lot of mileage.

There seems to be an idea which has come to me recently, on walking a lot of steps and climing a lot of stairs.
I may also have to carry some weights up the stairs. Luckily there is a mountain nearby and it takes about an hour to walk up. Perfect.

I will post some more results later.

By the way it seems to me that if you were on an incline, then standing straight up would be like leaning forward.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

When I was younger I was told I could never do martial arts, I’m now 59 years old and take two martial arts.

It's so funny that when you

- were young, you want to break this limit and break that limit.
- are older, you will be happy if you can just repeat the same training as you did the day before.

 

[gyoja]

It's so funny that when you

- were young, you want to break this limit and break that limit.
- are older, you will be happy if you can just repeat the same training as you did the day before.

Funny how that happens with age.