A few months ago, when I was in China, a friend of mine called to say he was unwell. I asked him to come and visit me so I could teach him Qigong, he told me he didn't have time, I said, but when you are sick you will have time to go to hospital because you have no choice. The next day he came and studied with me for seven days.
The best way to stay healthy and fit both internally and externally is through the practice of Shaolin Qigong and Kung Fu. It includes all we need for mind body health in one fully integrated unit. This doesn't mean we have to become a shaven headed monk flying through the air, this simply means, we optimize our mind and body to suit our life according to what we need. Here I share with you 5 Steps to becoming a healthier person and a better martial artist.
- Make A Goal - My friend's goal was to get better and feel strong again. The best way forward for him was to focus on internal training and not do any external training until he had regained his health. What is your goal? Do you want to be a martial artist? Or do you want to get fit? Or do you need to focus on your health? Or you looking for a spiritual path and want to become a disciple of the Damo?
- Ask Yourself Why - Knowing the why of your goal keeps you motivated on the days that you don't feel like training. It also solidifies the goal and makes it something personal to you.
- Move From Willpower To Habit - I can't emphasise it enough. Willpower runs out. You need willpower to start with but afterwards your training needs to become a habit like brushing your teeth and then it becomes impossible not to stick with it.
- Practice The Crucial Percentage Factor - Heart Rate Variability is used by professional athletes to measure how hard they can train each day. As a martial artist, you will be in tune with your body so shouldn't need this. Adapting Shaolin to suit your daily energy is crucial. Our bodies are not machines, some days they are stressed or tired, other days you wake up full of energy. Tune into your body to find out how much internal and external training you need to do that day.
- Make Your Health A Priority - Without good health, we can't have a good life. Research has shown that people who take time to exercise, are more focused at work. This has been shown to be true for school children as well. So if you have kids, take them to the park after school, run around and do a little kung fu. Don't kid yourself that you're new healthy life will start tomorrow. Start today.
If you don't have access to a teacher near you, you can join thousands of online students who have learned authentic Qigong and Kung Fu from me with my DVDs, Books and Downloads.