Train for your Old Person Body

Last December, I sheepishly admitted that there was a big gap in my nerd credibility.

I grew up drawing cartoons, took AP Art in high school, and have always been fascinated by hand-drawn animation…

But I had ​I’ve never seen a single second of a Studio Ghibli cartoon​!

Studio Ghibli is the Japanese equivalent of Disney, with Hayao Miyazaki as the Japanese Walt: The studio has won multiple Oscars for its beautifully hand-drawn animated films, and Miyazaki has achieved legendary status for producing these films over the last 40-plus years.

Luckily, Threads’ amazing community gave me hundreds of supportive comments and helped me decide which movie to start with!

Ever since I made that announcement, I’ve been watching ​all over 20 Studio Ghibli films​, ​fell in love with Japan​and was endlessly fascinated by Hayao Miyazaki.

(My favorites are Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Whisper of the Heart and The Wind Rises.)

After watching each film, I watched documentaries about Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli because I wanted to know more.

Thanks to these documentaries, I got a fascinating insight into Miyazaki’s creative style and his experiences making these films alongside his colleagues.

The common joke was that Miyazaki was the “man without end” and couldn’t seem to retire.

Something I noticed in every documentary:

In The kingdom of dreams and madness, At some point, everyone at Studio Ghibli stood up and completed a series of mobility exercises and gymnastics exercises, including Miyazaki.

Later in the document I noticed ​Miyazaki demonstrates a very deep squat​ with perfect form and without help. How many people do you know in their mid to late 70s who can do deep squats without assistance?

In The Man Without End: Hayao Miyazaki, Miyazaki is ​filmed several times while chopping wood​ with an ax in the backyard of his studio.

And clean Hayao Miyazaki and The HeronMiya-san (his nickname), now in his 80s, is still out chopping wood, walking in the forest, climbing over fallen trees, doing his office exercises, and working hard on the film that will be his life’s work should crown.

(Yes, I know. Miyazaki also has a cigarette in his mouth almost every minute of every documentary! He’s lucky he hasn’t developed lung cancer yet, and I remind myself he’s not in perfect health!).

I bring this up because I think it shows a different side of training than we usually think.

Train for your Old Person Body

I’m watching this documentary where Hayao Miyazaki stays active into his 80s and keeps his brain sharp…

I was reminded of that ​great post from Elizabeth​ (@ThisGirlLifts on Instagram):

As we age, it becomes easier for us to move less, which gives us less energy and makes it harder to find the momentum and flexibility to keep moving. This could prevent us from spending time with our family or friends because we are unable to muster the necessary energy.

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Let us rather risk wearing out than rusting.”

In other words, use it or lose it, buddy.

For me, it’s no exaggeration to imagine that Miyazaki’s ability to be an “infinite man” is due not only to good genetics (and luck), but also to the fact that he actively chose to wear out rather than wear out to rust.

When he reflected on why he had decided to complete another animated film in his eighth decade on the planet, he simply replied that it was all he could do: “I’d rather die doing it than die when I do nothing.”

Fitness is more than weight loss

At Nerd Fitness, we encourage all rebels to think about their Big Why:

Why bother exercising, developing new habits, and pushing yourself to take your life to the next level when the couch beckons?

What’s the point of trying hard and learning to deal with discomfort when it’s easier and damn tempting to retreat into comfort?

A really strong Big Why can help us stay on target, especially when life becomes a dumpster fire or we feel like giving up.

For Miyazaki, he has decided that a wise use of his time is to “bring out what’s inside of me.” He found peace and fulfillment by creating things rather than consuming them. This means he has to take enough care of his body to stay alive long enough to do these things!

For my grandma (who ​I was in the hospital last month​), her goal is to support her community and help those around her. By staying active, she was able to do this well into her 90s!

If you’re having trouble finding a reason why you should do something…

You can do worse than “training for my old body.” This is the only body you get and the only life you get. That’s why today is as good a day as any to start treating your body with a little more respect.

It doesn’t have to be dramatic either. We can start very simply:

• We can take a short walk every day.
• We can stand and perform mobility exercises such as squats and arm swings throughout the day.
• We can ​Start with strength training​ to build strong bones and go without help for as long as possible.

It’s up to us to keep our bodies active, and wear and tear is better than rusting from lack of use.

As a chaotic creator who spends a lot of time in my own head, Hayao Miyazaki has given me a lot to think about:

I hope that in my 80s I’m still writing this newsletter and helping people, chopping wood, going for walks and spending time with my loved ones.

I know that I can’t control what happens and what accidents happen and that so much in life is out of my control, but I will do my best to give myself the best chance to keep creating and wearing myself out rather than to rust!

I leave you with the last dour quote from Miyazaki that concludes the documentary “Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron”:

“Stop whining and move.”

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to train for my old man body!

-Steve

PS: The original Japanese title for The Boy and the Heron Is How do you live?. This is a far more interesting (and appropriate) title for the film; It is truly the summary of his life’s work, those who influenced him, and his deepest thoughts about the meaning of life.

PPS: Do you need guidance and accountability to achieve your fitness goals? Nerd Fitness has helped more than 10,000 people with 1-on-1 online fitness coaching over the last 8 years. ​Click here for more details​.