Stamina

There are different kinds of stamina. I’ve never had stamina of any kind, so who am I to talk? I have had times in my life when my fitness peaked and stamina was better, but I can’t say I ever had the mental ability to keep going past the physical pain and burning in the muscles. If I was going to continue for any length of time, that was always something I had to work up to. Then diabetes made my body stop automatically regulating energy & fuel, like a control system oscillating out of control. That went to “manual control.” When the blood sugar hits bottom, it’s like hitting “the wall” in marathon running, worse maybe because it’s not as easy as prepping with a carb load (which makes the blood sugar spike and consequent drop that much more steep.) Now the thyroid is losing its ability to regulate--whatever it regulates—it affects energy level, too. Getting old and gaining weight isn’t helping and a recent change in blood pressure meds make my heart race.  Iron deficiency & Yin deficiency on top of that...it’s anything but mental, I tell ya!

The first kind of stamina that comes to mind is like a marathon runner or long distance swimmer. I liken this to Judo stamina. OMG, these guys are like Energizer Bunnies. Even the fat, old experienced judoka keep going strong with all their muscles for the 2 to 6 hours they’re on the mat. Tae Kwon Do & kick boxing is more like sprinter, tennis or basketball stamina. They have bursts of intense exertion over the length of their workout. Whether upper body or lower body, it’s not like judo that works the whole body strength almost evenly at the same time. Oh, but to watch a skilled lightweight against someone tree times his weight & strength—the finesse is beautiful to watch.

Then there’s Tai Chi stamina. I don’t know what sport or style to compare this to, a long hike maybe? Sloth imitation? The tai chi practitioner is always in motion, albeit slow motion, never frozen in one position unless teacher is correcting their posture or they’ve chosen a position for mindful meditation. The stances, the stances, I tell ya! Just like karate or judo, the power is in the stances. The fact that my legs are always sore for two days after I attempt the form is a sign that I’m doing something right at this point in my practice. No pain, no gain.  Don't believe it!  But it was a popular saying in the 70’s from Jane Fonda aerobics videos. I say it depends on the pain. If I had sharp pain in my knee, that is bad pain and means I’m doing something wrong. Oddly my back doesn’t hurt right now, one of the reasons I returned to tai chi practice. It’s just in the leg muscles. That’s good pain.

Even in the 10-12 years I practiced at UTA, I don't think I ever actually finished the whole form with the low stances as Mr. Ho or Mr. Deng shows in video. Even at the peaks of my fitness, I could start out strong but I faded in the Third Section. I’d end with “old man” stances, narrow, almost standing upright, smaller gestures. I also used to have a problem with my arms falling down (strength failure) as I tired in Third Section. That’s not happening any more, so either I’m stronger in upper body or I’m not holding extra tension that I used to. I doubt it’s the former. It doesn’t take long to get benefit from Tai Chi just by being on the path, you don’t even have to “be there” yet.  You do have to practice somewhat regularly.