Train Your Old Body

Last December, I sheepishly admitted that there was a big hole in my Nerd cred.

I grew up drawing, took AP art in high school, and have always been interested in animation…

But I did onI have never seen a single minute of Studio Ghibli’s cartoonson!

Studio Ghibli is the equivalent of Japan’s Disney, while Hayao Miyazaki is Japan’s Walt: the studio has won several Academy Awards for its animation, and Miyazaki has risen to fame as an animator over the past 40+ years.

Luckily, the amazing community at Threads gave me hundreds of reviews and helped me decide which movie to start with!

Ever since that announcement, I’ve been watching onall 20+ Studio Ghibli filmson, onfell in love with Japanonand was greatly impressed by Hayao Miyazaki.

(My favorites are Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Whisper of the Heart, and The Wind Rises.).

After watching each movie, I went to watch Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli documentaries because I needed to know more.

Thanks to these articles, I got to see Miyazaki’s creative process and his experiences in making these movies together with his collaborators.

A running joke has been that Miyazaki is “The Eternal Man” and can’t seem to catch a break.

There was something that stood out to me in each scene:

In Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, at one point the entire Studio Ghibli staff stood up and went through the walking holes and calisthenics, including Miyazaki.

After the doctor, I saw onMiyazaki demonstrates a very deep squaton with good shape and no support. How many people in their mid 70s do you know who can exercise without assistance!?

In The Eternal Man: Hayao Miyazaki, Miyazaki on onhe was photographed several times chopping woodon and an ax behind his studio.

And in Hayao Miyazaki and The HeronMiya-san (her nickname), who is now in her 80s, still goes to chop wood, go for walks in the forest, climb fallen trees, do her office exercises, and work hard on a film she is finishing up. of his life. .

(Yes, I know. Miyazaki also has a cigarette in his mouth almost every minute of the entire documentary! He’s lucky he never had lung cancer, and I’m reminded that’s not a good picture of health!).

I say this because I think it shows a different side of fitness than we might think.

Train Your Old Body

Seeing this Hayao Miyazaki doctor still working and keeping his brain well into his 80s…

I was reminded of this ona surprise from Elizabethon (@ThisGirlLifts on Instagram):

As we grow older, it becomes easier for us to move less, which gives us less energy, and it is harder to find the strength and mobility to keep moving. This can prevent us from spending time with our family or friends because we cannot gather energy.

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “let’s stop risking being tired rather than being tired.”

In other words: use it or lose it, bub.

It is not an exaggeration to consider Miyazaki’s ability to be a “permanent man” not because of good instincts (and luck), but because he has quickly chosen to tire rather than rust.

Reflecting on why he decided to force himself to finish another cartoon in his 8 years on this earth, he simply replied: “I’d rather die doing this than die doing nothing.”

Fitness is more than weight loss

At Nerd Fitness, we encourage all Rebels to think about “Her Biggest Reason:”

Why are you struggling to exercise and create new habits and push yourself to improve your lifestyle when the couch is calling?

What tip to persevere and learn to overcome discomfort when you return to comfort is the easiest and most appealing?

A powerful “Big Why” can help us stay on target especially when life turns into a dumpster fire or when we want to give up.

For Miyazaki, he decided that “bringing out what’s inside of me” is a worthy use of his time. He has found peace and contentment in creating things instead of consuming them, which means he needs to take care of his body enough to live long enough to do this!

For my grammar (who onI went to the hospital last monthon), his aim is to help the people of his community and to help those around him. Staying active allowed him to do this well into his 90s!

If you’re struggling to find a reason to do something…

You could do worse than “Training my old body.” This is the only body you get, it’s the only life you get, so today is a good day if everyone starts treating your body with more respect.

It doesn’t even have to be spectacular. We can start simply:

• We can go for a short walk every day.
• We can stand all day and do movement exercises like squats and arm swings.
• We can onstart strength trainingon have strong bones and avoid seeking treatment for a long time.

It is up to us to keep our bodies active, and fatigue is better than rotting from disuse.

As a chaotic creator who spends a lot of time in my head, Hayao Miyazaki has given me a lot to think about:

I believe I am in my 80s, still writing this letter and helping people, chopping wood, going for walks and spending time with loved ones.

I know I can’t control what happens and accidents happen and a lot of life is out of my control, but I’ll try to give myself the best chance to keep creating and getting tired instead of getting rusty!

I leave you with Miyazaki’s final words that close Hayao Miyazaki and Heron’s writings:

“Stop humming and moving.”

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to train my old body!

-Steve

PS: Original Japanese title for The boy is a Heron and How Do You Live?. This is a very interesting (and appropriate) title for the film; it is indeed the placement of his life’s work, what has affected him, and his deep thoughts on the meaning of life.

PS: Need guidance and feedback to help you achieve your fitness goals? Nerd Fitness has helped 10,000+ people over the past 8 years with 1-on-1 online fitness training. onClick here for more informationon.