Last December, I sheepishly admitted that there was a huge hole in my nerd cred.
I grew up drawing cartoons, took AP art in high school, and have always been fascinated by hand-drawn animation…
But I did I've never seen a single second of any Studio Ghibli cartoon!
Studio Ghibli is the Japanese equivalent of Disney, with Hayao Miyazaki as the Japanese Walt: the studio has won numerous Oscars for its beautifully hand-drawn animated films, and Miyazaki has achieved legendary status for making these films over the last 40 years.
Luckily, the amazing community at Threads gave me hundreds of supportive comments and helped me decide which video I should start with!
I've been following since this was announced all 20+ Studio Ghibli films, he fell in love with Japanand became 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 moved on to watching documentaries about Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli because I wanted to learn more.
These documentaries gave me a fascinating look into Miyazaki's creative style and his experiences making these films with his collaborators.
A common joke was that Miyazaki was a "never-ending man" and didn't seem likely to retire.
There was something in each document that stood out to me:
IN Kingdom of dreams and madness, at one point, all of the Studio Ghibli employees stood up and performed a series of mobility and gymnastics exercises, including Miyazaki.
Later in the document I observed Miyazaki demonstrates a very deep squat with perfect form and no help. How many people do you know over the age of 70 who can perform a deep squat on their own?
IN The Neverending Man: Hayao Miyazaki Miyazaki is filmed repeatedly chopping wood with an ax in the yard of his studio.
and Hayao Miyazaki and HeronMiya-san (his nickname), now in his 80s, still chops wood, walks in the forest, climbs fallen trees, does office exercises and works hard on the film that will be the culmination of his life's work.
(Yes, I know. Miyazaki also has a cigarette in his mouth for almost every minute of every documentary! He's lucky he hasn't gotten lung cancer yet, and let me remind you, he's not the picture of perfect health!).
I bring this up because I think it shows a different side of exercise than we usually consider.
Train for an older person's body
Watching a documentary of Hayao Miyazaki staying active and keeping his mind sharp even into his 80s…
It reminded me of this amazing post from Elizabeth (@ThisGirlLifts on Instagram):
As we get older, it becomes easier for us to move less, which gives us less energy and makes it harder for us to find the momentum and mobility to keep moving. This can stop us from spending time with family or friends because we are unable to muster the energy.
Teddy Roosevelt once said, "let us expose ourselves to wear and tear rather than rust."
In other words: use it or lose it, bub.
It's not hard for me to imagine that Miyazaki could be an "endless man" not only because of good genetics (and luck), but also because he actively chose to wear out rather than rust away.
When wondering why he decided to squeeze another animated film into his eighth decade on the planet, he simply replied that it was all he could do: "I'd rather die doing this than doing nothing."
Fitness is more than just losing weight
At Nerd Fitness we encourage all Rebels to think about their "Big Why":
Why bother exercising, building new habits, and pushing yourself to improve your life when the couch beckons?
What's the point of putting in the effort and learning to cope with discomfort when returning to comfort is easier and so damn appealing?
A really strong “Big Why” can help us stay on target, especially when life turns into a dumpster fire or we feel like giving up.
For Miyazaki, he decided that "bringing out what's inside me" was a worthy use of his time. He found peace and fulfillment by creating things rather than consuming them, which means he must take care of his body enough to survive long enough to be able to do so!
For my grandmother (who I visited the hospital last month), her goal is to support her community and help those around her. Being active allowed her to do it well even after the age of 90!
If you're having trouble finding a reason to do something...
You could do worse than "Workout for My Old Body." It's the only body you can get and the only life you can get, so 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 simple:
- We can go for a short daily walk.
- We can stand all day and do mobility exercises such as squats and arm swings.
- We can start strength training to build strong bones and stave off the need for help 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 his own head, Hayao Miyazaki gave me a lot to think about:
I hope that when I am in my 80s I will still be writing this newsletter and helping people, chopping wood, going for walks and spending time with my loved ones.
I know I can't control what happens and accidents happen, and most of life is out of my control, but I will do everything I can to give myself as many chances as possible to continue to build and wear out rather than rust away!
I'll leave you with one last, grumpy quote from Miyazaki that closes 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 body!
-Steve
PS: Original Japanese title Boy and heron Is How do you live?. This is a much more interesting (and more accurate) title for the film; it is truly a summary of his life's work, those that influenced him, and his deepest thoughts on the meaning of life.
PPS: Need guidance and accountability to achieve your fitness goals? Over the last 8 years, Nerd Fitness has helped over 10,000 people with 1-on-1 online fitness coaching. Click here for more details.
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