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Originally Posted by Gem
Yes indeed that core strength is the essense of everything else. In my younger years I worked in horticulture, shovel and barrow, lifting heavy stuff and crawling around weeding and laying turf and so on. It's all 'backbreaking' work. The usual way of it was the lighter tasks were given to female workers ad the boys did the heavy loads. Most people in the industry has some problem with their back, but I went til the age of 37 without even a tweek because my history in martial arts brings all strength back to the core. After that I was full time musician and then I went back to study, so I haven't been moving much for well over a decade now, and am really unfit and weak. That decline accelerates as I approach the age of 50, so it is necessary now to either restore my health or become progressively older and weaker. The other aspect is I don't like the way I look, and also training for aesthetic reasons.
I'm not really a chakra oriented person, but more realistic in pushing movement through the core, which I think is lower down below the belly button. You can compress into that and explode from there, but still need abs, sides, lower back and glute muscles for it to mean anything... I guess that's part of why it's holistic.
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Gem - You talking about the horticulture work reminded me why I came in the house and nearly collapsed with exhaustion, with hands and back pain from yard work. It surprised me because I ellipitical 50 minutes 4 days a week and weight train 3 days a week. I also do over 100 different types of sit ups and legs lifts every day. I thought I was in good conditioning, but every time I do that darn yard work - whoa I'm sore for days.
The thing driving myself to keep exercising is probably somewhat vanity. I don't want to get obese like my sedentary parents, just because another birthday has gone by. I used to be a gymnast way back in high school and after that got into running and step aerobics. I read a great quote about exercising: "If you think exercising isn't doing anything for you, just stop and see what happens." I love that quote. It's what motivates me to keep moving. Plus I think the older one gets the more important it is to keep ones heart strong through some form of cardio and bones strong to prevent osteoporosis through some form of strength training.
I would like to get into martial arts though I no longer like working out outside of my home with others and would have to take a class, I think. Either that or get a video I can try at home. I've grown more reclusive through the years.