Karate as a beneficial exercise to take you through to your latter years

Dear Sensei Warren:
I was a keen sportsman in my youth and still relatively fit. I am in my 60’s.  Am I too old to join your karate class?

Reply :

No, not at all, it is never too late and it can only be beneficial to you.  How we continue to age is related to the healthy choices we make each day in our life and martial arts can play a beneficial role in keeping you healthy and agile as you age as well as keeping your brain alive.

Our modern lifestyle differs from that of our ancestors in that it is faster, louder and there is a surplus of information coming at us from all angles.  This often results in us being burdened by excess overload which causes us to lose clarity and to find ourselves becoming forgetful. As we get older, we often unnecessarily accept this as part of the normal aging process.

Martial Arts is one of the oldest forms of movement and is an excellent modality to ensure that we maintain agility in later years and preserve mental focus, clarity and memory.

Each movement requires:

concentration = clarity of thought

reasoning = of the movement (eg whether you are attacking of defending)

exactness = correlation between mind and movement

perfection = engaging the mind to control the body

health =  your whole system (organs, muscles, sinews, joints) benefits by each karate movement which also aids circulation and digestion

body alignment = consciousness of mind & body

This connection between the mind and the body keeps the body agile and the brain active, stimulated and alive.

(P.S.  60’s is the new 40’s: I hope to see you training in our dojo soon and karate chopping your way to health and vitality!).

Warren Levi holds a 6th degree black belt in Shotokan Karate. He has a Bachelors degree in Physical Education/Exercise Physiology. He has won numerous World titles. Shihan(Master) Warren can be contacted at Warenlevikarate@gmail.com or 516-569-0808.