Exercising for Health and Performance

by Hoa Newens

We exercise for various reasons, e.g. to gain health, to recover from an injury, to sculpt our physique, to hone sports or martial skills, to get peace of mind, etc. The forms and contents of exercises depend on the end-goals. Walking for physical therapy is different from walking to reach a destination. Not all exercises are conducive to health, many exercises present health risks. In this essay I share my personal experience related to recovering from injury, and regaining health and performance.

First, I’ll clarify what I mean by health. In my view, health is the ability to live life fully. This succinct definition belies the complexity of the state of health and its three aspects (physical, mental and spiritual), though it is sufficient for the purpose of this essay. Living life fully does not refer to just the engagement in physical activities of life but rather the total experience of life circumstances by our consciousness. It is a holistic view of health which includes things not commonly regarded as conducive to health, such as physical handicap, illness, mental hardship, etc. to my mind, living a full life does not necessarily imply longevity or happiness. In what follows, readers will note that I see injuries and other life grievances as opportunities for understanding health and living a full life, and other similar contradictions. As such, another definition might be, health is the ability to accept life as it is and remain fully engaged in it.

During my seven decades, I have had my fair share of illnesses and injuries, from navigating the bumpy roads of life as well as martial arts training. Given my single-minded pursuit of the martial arts, the recovery time from these incidents represented setbacks at the time of occurrence. I often attempted to get promptly back on my feet, with self-care and minimal reliance on drugs and medical intervention. As a result, many earlier attempts of recovery turned out to be failures, causing more hurt. However, I persevered in my search for an optimal path to health.

I had a deep belief that, if God gave us a body and a mind as sophisticated as the human mind-body, there ought to be maintenance and repair instructions that are accessible to us somewhere. I persisted in self-healing effort, observing and searching Nature and ancient traditions, and occasionally stumbled on the path to health on my own. I recorded these successes in notes.

Over the long run, despite the arduous switchbacks, I am indebted to these trials and tribulations for my discovery of principles of exercising for health. I share them here in the hope that they might be useful to other seekers of health. The following information is derived from my personal notes on various injuries and recovery therefrom. The principles that I describe are not scientific propositions but are merely discoveries resulting from my heuristic approach to health. I am the only one who can attest to them; therefore, readers should view this information with a healthy dose of skepticism.
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Principles of Exercises for Health and Performance

Whether recovering from injuries or exercising for health or to improve performance, my personal experience and observations of the past five decades support the following principles.

Principle No. 1 – Move naturally, slowly, and consciously
Each of these four elements deserves our attention: move – naturally – slowly - consciously.

We must keep moving, for movement is life. Even during sleep, the body parts continue ticking. An organism that ceases to move will shrink and die. It is important to remind ourselves to move especially in those times when we would rather not. Inertia is essentially resistance to change, and change is life. If we want to be fully alive, we must keep moving.

We should move according to the way the body is designed, that is, naturally. For example, we should use the joints in accordance with their natural articulation; use the large muscles for stances, and the smaller muscles for outreach; use the knees as transfer joints, not weight-bearing, etc. If a movement hurts or does not feel right, we should not engage in it.

When we move slowly, we are more aware of the motion. Specifically, we become aware of the body’s natural warning signs of impending danger: pain; unstable balance; change in pressure or tension. Such awareness allows us to make timely adjustments and reduces the chance of injury.

Furthermore, as we slow down, we engage our consciousness and improve physical performance in three ways. Firstly, we become more aware of the individual muscles, sinews and joints that are involved, and if we repeat the movement sufficiently, these awakened parts of our body increasingly participate in the movement; at the same time, the parts that moved but were not needed will gradually drop off; the combined result renders the movement smoother and more efficient.

Relevant movements include external as well as internal movements, such as the up and down movement of the diaphragm during breathing; or the tension in a muscle being stretched; or the pressure on heels and the balls of the feet during walking. The more we learn to feel these movements the more we can discern the various stages of the movements and have control over them.

Secondly, as we slow down and remain alert, we become more relaxed and give in to the effect of gravity, allowing each part of our body to sink and “hang” from the body core. The result is a feeling of additional resistance that must be overcome to complete each movement. When we “push” against this resistance in the direction of our intended movement, we extend our energy in that direction. For example, when my body is soft and relaxed, body mass sinks and the body feels heavier; to deliver a forward punch I need to overcome this downward pull. This is a form of ki extension practice that helps us to focus and move the ki. In this way we learn how to pack more energy behind each movement.

Thirdly, as a corollary of the ki extension, especially when training with a partner or with other mode of resistance, the slow motion allows us to identify the most effective among the various alignments of body parts and joints. In this way we constantly adjust and realign, and eventually integrate the separate movements. The resulting unity of movement improves effectiveness.

As physical performance improves as a result of the three mechanisms described above, our movement becomes more effective and efficient, and beyond improving our athleticism, the saving in energy adds to our reserve for combatting pathogenic intruders, as noted in Principle No. 6 below.

My experience recovering from various injuries in past years has validated this Principle No. 1 – Move Naturally, Slowly and Consciously. My self-therapy often consisted of repeating slowly and consciously the movements that caused pain, in the natural way that the body moves. It was noteworthy that, as I moved to face the pain in full consciousness it gradually receded and became tolerable. It felt as if the tissues surrounding the injured area were relaxing and the pressure that brought pain was being toned down. The injured tissues were likely jammed together and, in addition to the immediate healing effect of inflammation, my consciousness shining through them had helped them unbind from each other and move freely again.

In the long run, I also found that the continuous slow movement of walking, qigong and tai chi also helped to control and reduce chronic inflammation (which sets in with age).

As I wrote up to here, I noted that this approach is not dissimilar from the homeopathic principle of “like cures like”, in the sense of healing by repeating the movement that originally caused the pain. Furthermore, again borrowing from homeopathic medicine, the curing medicine should be very dilute, in the sense that the healing movement should be substantially toned down.

At the energetic level, when we focus the yi (mind-intent) we give direction to the qi; when the qi moves it pulls along the muscles and tissues, which in turn push the fluids and the dissolved nutrients and healing cells therein. The nutrients and healing cells hasten the healing process.

A movement is the aggregate result of many body-parts breathing and moving in sync, as in a cogwheel system. When paying attention, we focus our consciousness on these parts, and it feels like this beam of conscious energy awakens the latent potential of the body parts and entices them to join the synchrony of the motion. The closer we pay attention to the details of the movement, the more we improve the synchrony, and the more the perceived pain relief.
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Calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh. Illustration by Marisol Ortega

​Principle No. 2 - Get all body parts moving, under the control of a center
The body is composed of hundreds of parts made of tissues and bones that are all connected and are able to support each other through the articulation points. When our intent activates one part it triggers a serial activation that pulls all other connected parts into the action. The increased participation augments concordance and builds synergy.

To get the body more internally connected, we need to rally all moving parts under the direction of a leader, in this case the central axis or the lower dan dien (the energetic center located in the middle of the abdomen that controls energies related to our physical existence).

There are specific practices within qigong and tai chi, and to some extent aikido, which help one achieve such internal connection of the body. The gist of these methods consists of building awareness of the central axis, strengthening the vertical alignment of the body around this axis, achieving softness and looseness of body tissues (state of sung) and propagating movement from and to the axis.

An integrated body is conducive to health in many ways. For example, the therapy to recover from an injury consists of isolated movements to achieve a specific effect. In addition to these isolated movements, I found that when the entire body is brought to bear in the healing of one part it musters up a more formidable arsenal of tools and energies that hasten the healing process without drugs or topical ointment. Another way to enunciate this principle is: “Get the whole to care for the parts”.

In addition, when an integrated body moves, all parts move in sync in accordance with the pre-determined connections; no part is left behind, such as when spinning, the whole leg, including foot, ankle, and knee, moves in one piece, preventing unnecessary sprain. The whole protects the parts.

Principle No. 3 - Work on stability first, then mobility
Most athletic endeavors are built around the premise that the human body was designed to move, that is, cover ground. Hence, many practices are based on horizontal movements. It is a correct premise; however, it stems from a more fundamental premise: the human body was designed to stand erect.

An erect stance optimizes our alignment with the natural energy flows of the universe: gravity which pulls us toward the earth center, and the magnetism of the sun and planets which draws upward in the opposite direction. In the plant kingdom, this is known as geotropism, the phenomenon that tells the plant in which direction to grow: down toward the center of the earth and upward toward the sunlight. Sentient beings generally grow according to this principle.

Therefore, it makes sense for human beings to reinforce our connections to the life-giving energies of the earth and the sun as an assurance for survival and health, before engaging in other activities on the surface of the earth. Vertical grounding first, before horizontal traveling.

For this purpose, stance practice, such as the horse stance should be our daily staple exercise. As well, postural awareness should be our constant companion during the day.

When the roots are deep and the trunk is strong, then we can more effectively launch into movements in the horizontal plane. Stand firm and erect, then move.

Principle No. 4 –Balance work and rest
Work is when our energies are concentrated on a purpose. Rest is when our energies are allowed to disperse unrestrained. Any practice is work; it is a channeling of energies aimed at a target. Play, when unburdened by rules, is an example of rest; it is when our energies are released from any frame or grid and are allowed to roam freely. This is when congestion can be alleviated.

Newton's First Law of Motion states that when an object is in motion it tends to remain in motion until an outside force comes into play and reduces the motion. Conversely, when the object is at rest, it will remain at rest until an imbalance forces it to move (aka Law of Inertia). This is what happens to us when we are either working or resting: we tend to remain too long in a state (work or rest) until an imbalance strikes us. Conscious beings have the ability to overcome these two natural laws, by exercising their yi (intent). Therefore, we should remember to balance work and rest before we reach the point of imbalance.

For example, as we learn of a new exercise during physical therapy, we tend to overdo it with the misplaced belief that more will hasten the healing. Such excess often brings about negative results; we need to stop when it is time to stop. We need to stick to the prescribed and proven measured steps.

An underlying fact is that the object of “work” often needs time to cure, refresh or take roots while we are at “rest”; the visible action triggers a series of sub-processes that may not be tangible but need to play out fully before the desired end-result is achieved. For example, I frequently find that self-massage of a sprained elbow takes time to yield relief, and that once a day treatment works better than two or three times in the same day; the “off” time is as necessary for healing as the “on” time. Similarly, the full benefit of stretching is reaped only when we alternate equally between tensing and relaxing. For example, to do the Kegel exercise correctly, we need to squeeze the pelvic floor for a few seconds then let it relax completely for the same time interval.

Principle No. 5 - Exercise every day
Only when we exercise every day, can we ensure that there is a balance between work and rest as explained above, as well as the effectiveness of the exercise. If we don’t do it every day, we will tend to do too much at one time, with declining marginal effectiveness.

The best way to reap the benefits of exercises is to integrate them into our daily routine, just like brushing teeth or eating meals. Here is a possible schedule: 15 minutes of breathing upon waking up, 15 minutes of walking after lunch and 15 minutes of meditative practice before bedtime. Build this schedule as a habit first then it will turn automatically into a life routine. For further discussion, see my essay on Daily Training. What is important is to establish the daily rhythm, whereas the content of the routine may be modified periodically.

A caution is warranted: as we adopt exercise routines, our mind tends to relax its focus and let go of conscious effort, thus negating the effect of Principle No. 1. All serious athletes and martial artists must beware of this risk of losing the keen beginner’s mind.

Principle No. 6 – Save energy
We exercise because we desire change. Personal change, including healing and performance improvement, is effected by the judicious combination of three ingredients: 1) right amount of energy; 2) an ordering (direction); and 3) a target. Of these, teachers and specialists can help with the ordering and the targeting, but no one can help us with the energy factor. If we cannot muster sufficient energy to undertake an exercise program, no coach, teacher, healer, or medical provider can help us reach our exercise goals.

Therefore, we must be extremely discerning in deciding how to spend our energy and we should be constantly looking for ways to enhance our energetic reserves.

When exercising for health we want to use our energy sparingly, activating only the necessary muscles and leveraging the force of gravity and other forces available to us. This generally means keeping the body relaxed and upright and keeping the movement as vertical as possible. To leverage the forces of others we use the movement principles inherent in such arts as Judo, Aikido and Tai Chi: receive the force into our center then apply it in a new direction.

“A force of four ounces deflects a thousand pounds” (四两拨千斤) is a well-known tai chi adage that refers to the leveraging concept.

The risk of injury and illness increases with age, as our energetic reserves dwindle down. It is crucial that we learn strategies to save and replenish these reserves. These strategies may include dietary awareness and discipline, breathing practices, minding emotions, qigong practices, stretching routine, among many others.

Of these, the strategy of minding emotions is hidden in plain sight and yet the most accessible to everyone and the most powerful. Daily life brings many surprises to us, and it is fine to get excited about them; however, we need to be aware that any excitement or emotion, be it joy, grief, depression, arousal, anger, is an expenditure of precious energy. Let’s get excited about life but let’s also rein in our emotions within reason to prevent overspill of energy.

Along these lines, martial artists need to be aware that kiai (気合), kime (決め) and fajin (發勁) are created by intense tension followed by an explosive release of energy at the decisive moment, and results in a loss of this energy, unless it is transferred to an object or a person. Such techniques should be practiced sparingly and not be used as display of power; they should be reserved for demos and similar events. For example, fajin at the end of a ken/bo/jo strike causes the weapon to vibrate momentarily and reveals the power delivered by the strike. Another example is the kime displayed in a karate kata, especially in a tournament; the power of each strike is revealed by the vibration at the end point of each move. The vibration is a release of energy that goes into the ether. Wise practitioners save these actions for special moments. In addition, certain bodily functions such as sneezing, coughing and sexual ejaculation count among potential energy drains, hence should be controlled to the extent possible.

Five Easy Exercises for Health
Based on my experience these five exercises are safe and salutary and can be effortlessly incorporated into our daily routine:

1.        Standing still (stance practice)
2.        Dissolving energy blockages
3.        Deep breathing
4.        Stretching
5.        Walking
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The six principles described above can be easily applied to these exercises. Exercising for health is not that complicated; beyond self-discipline and keen awareness, it doesn’t take much work to stay healthy. Additionally, these principles are extremely useful for someone who is engaged in the internal martial arts, in which a strong and healthy body is a pre-requisite. As I understand them, these exercise principles are so fundamental to human life, that I can’t imagine being healthy, that is, living life fully, without adhering to them.
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Hoa Newens
June 5, 2024