I read an upsetting, but not surprising article this morning in The Washington Post.
It discussed the dire and shocking differences in American life expectancy, based upon race/class/neighborhood, and it’s something I’ve heard about before.
This journalism, though, also looked at the larger context of the decline in American life span, and the massive uptick in premature death during middle age.
(Like, 60% increase in death b/c of poverty, and 45% increase in rural areas.)
Diseases of despair, more than anything, are killing people off like flies.
(For the record, I’ve killed A LOT of flies lately. My hands are quick!)
I know I just tried to inject a little levity, but this is serious shit.
The biggest problem: an overall lack of emphasis on being healthy in the first place.
America tries to solve the problem with tech and money, once people are already sick. And it’s a colossal failure, given our massive expenditures and minimal results.
What to do?
Seems to me like the only way is to start teaching people how to be healthy, on a societal level.
I’m here to help.
Though I didn’t exactly intend to, over the last 10 months, I’ve dropped nearly 40 lbs.
I’m fitter, and more balanced, than I’ve been as an adult.
Having just done it, of course now I’m trying to inspire others, in particular by teaching my own MMA/Qi Gong/Yoga hybrid here in Taos.
In a previous blog, I told you I was training for my Jeet Kune Do instructor certificate, and it was awarded by my Sifu, Lawrence Martinez, back in August.
Jessie and I also joined the Yoga Teacher Certification program at UNM-Taos, as I’d been using Yoga so heavily to support my regular Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practice.
How I went from chronically stressed and overweight to fit, happy and healthy is a long story.
For today, though, I’ll give you at least some food for thought.
My biggest move, in the second half of 2022, was to try to extricate myself from toxic relationships.
With the help of my (then) psychotherapist, I had faith that getting all the cortisol out of my system, from people who didn’t treat me with appropriate respect, would eventually pay dividends.
The idea was, when we are in conflict, it’s super energy inefficient, because we spend so much of our Chi on digging out from trauma, and rebuilding.
Remove the trauma-causing relationships, (if possible,) and we can think about building anew, instead of always bailing water out of the boat.
The second easy tip is the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which Sifu Lawrence insisted I practice, in order to qualify as a JKD teacher.
It melts weight, if you can hack it.
Most people can’t, though, as it is an admittedly grueling and brutal sport.
In my own teaching practice, I’m trying to bring parts of what I’m learning, mashed together with so many other arts.
But if you do think you can handle BJJ, (the first class in all dojos is always free,) and you want to get tougher, stronger, smarter, fitter, and drop mad weight, I’d recommend it.
Plus, it counters loneliness, a topic I covered extensively here back in Winter.
Jessie Jacquez BJJ in Taos and Santa Fe is legit, for you Northern New Mexicans.
We’ll end here, but big shout out to Professor Jesse, who was in a horrific car accident the other night.
He’s OK, but I’m told it was bad.
Catch you next time!
Sunshine and Olly 
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