Lifelong Learning

"The world is my training hall, and my time to train is now."

--The Art of Peace

If you embrace the idea that fitness can be achieved through many different ways, you are down with the process of constant evolution, then the only danger is becoming intimidated by the sheer number of seemingly endless endeavors to pursue, accompanied by the silly notion that one has to master any of them. The irony is that a love for lifelong learning will probably keep you alive, whether its content comes in the form of intellectual or physical activity.

"Studies have shown" (I use quotations because I don't have these studies handy) that practicing new physical skills, regardless of the outcome, can have a positive transfer towards mental activity, even in elderly individuals. For example, if a right-handed person were to attempt 40 layups left-handed, then read several paragraphs 30 minutes later, they would probably recall more words than if they performed the layups with their right-hand, and especially if they performed no layups at all. This positive transfer happens regardless of the amount of layups that went in the hoop--it is the attempt that matters most.

Personally, I don't really need to see brain-scans that depict neurons firing in the brain to be sold on the value of trying new physical things. I just know my own feeling of accomplishment, or dissatisfaction that comes when I don't "get it" (which is the majority of the time). This is also works well if you get bored easily (which also describes me a majority of the time).

The opportunities expand even more when we abandon ideas that fitness has to happen at a particular place, under pre-arranged conditions, or with specified equipment. About a week ago, while traveling on vacation, I decided my new goal is to perform a human flag. It will probably take me a year to do, but why not? The neat thing is that one can do it many places: from a pole, a deck, a tree, a ladder, you name it:

(No, this is not me).

And of course there's all sorts of other cool stuff out there. I don't really get into watching organized sports, but I could watch "Ninja Warrior" for hours on end. The athletes are really incredible. The obstacles are simply insane. For example, "The Curtain Climb" requires competitors to traverse a 15 foot curtain that has no handholds. Ouch! In search of a Ninja Warrior sort of thing I could get going in the garage, I found pegboard climbing. This looks pretty rough as well. Probably easier to implement is slacklining--the art of balancing on a line 3 feet from the ground. NDSU offers free classes each Thursday, so Jennifer & I will head there for a date sometime in the future.

The possibilities are endless, as are the opportunities for us to experiment with these possibilities. We are only limited by our imagination and discipline to keep on experimenting.