Last August I blogged about wanting to lose enough poundage to fight in a weight class lower than “unlimited”, any weight class lower than unlimited. Well, I am happy to report that I tipped the scales at 175 the other day, down from 200, and am entered to spar in the 2012 USTA National Championships in July.
In what might be my last national tournament- I turn 61 in September and most of the competitors close to my age are now on to golf or Tai Chi- I will not face any 6’5”, 300 pound gorillas. I wanted to go out with at least a chance of winning. And even though I might still face some 51 year-old youngsters, I have greatly improved my odds for gold.
How do you lose 25 pounds in a year? More importantly, how do you continue to set and achieve goals with each of life’s transitions; keep “Choshim”, a Beginners Mind? Because, in my first attempt to seriously lose weight in my life, I could not have done it without a compelling goal.
In my blog a year ago I observed, somewhat glibly, that losing weight was based on a simple equation: burn more calories than you consume. But I quickly found that it was not that simple. It was a daily effort involving a great deal of discipline, both in exercising more and avoiding a lot of the foods that I love. Research told me that I should also mix it up: eat different foods at different times of the day and change some well established habits.
Once again my martial arts training has provided both the goal and the framework to achieve it. “Innae”(patience), looking at the long term benefit, working toward a distant destination with lesser amounts of immediate gratification; “GeungGi”(persistence); “Geukki”(discipline); “JungShinTongIl”(concentration of the mind, body spirit and emotions); and, finally,”YongSa” (forgiveness). It has not been easy for me or others.
I have felt a bit guilty at times, trying so hard not to eat when so many others in the world don’t have enough. But I am growing stronger in my ability to make a difference, to be an example of how to continue to make the most of the life I have been given.
Dennis Schaefer is an Instructor at the Asian arts center taekwondo School in Dayton, Ohio. www.aacdayton.com