A Blog About Being Old!

This post if for anyone who thinks they are too old to start.  Anyone who thinks that they just can't do it.

My name is Jackie Kohut and I am one of the handful of second degree brown belts that are in our 50s.  We might be in our early 50s but still in our 50s.  They say with age comes wisdom but for us age brings awareness of our limitations.  I have been dealing with a chronic shoulder injury for many years.  I finally took action to find out that I have some degeneration in the shoulder joint, a small tear at the scapular muscle, a small calcification in the AC joint and inflammation of the bicep tendon.  Nothing major by itself but together they have been quite troublesome.  

This could be a good reason to stop, couldn't it?  Actually, it's a better reason to continue on. If I stop, my shoulder won't get better but doing the physio will.  If you look at the "adult" students in Kung Fu, most of us were not the kids that were in lots of sports or the ones that excelled at gym.  If you ask any of us if we find Kung Fu easy, the answer is "NO".  Did I want to quit?  It crossed my mind once or twice but I didn't.  So why are we doing it?

All of us have said that it this has made us a better person.  It makes us mindful, it keeps us active, you become a better leader, you become part of a group that has similar values.  During this year it has been how many of us retained normalcy in our lives.   

So if you are sitting there wondering how to start, what to start with, just pick something and stick with it.  Try Tai Chi, try Kung Fu, just try something and stick with it.  Don't let the pandemic or any other excuse stop you.  You are never to old to start something.  We have knee injuries, shoulder injuries, bad backs and other things.  These were not the result of  doing Kung Fu, they are the result of our bodies deteriorating and wearing out.  We might not be young but we are persistent. We are not only on the path to get our shingles vaccine, we are on the path to get our black belts.  Come join us!