Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You Spring 2024

My eldest daughter (and current Fu for You Youth columnist) Chantal, presented me with a challenge: to do 2000 push-ups between Feb 1 and Feb 23. Being a proponent of push-ups (ha ha), I immediately agreed to her challenge.

As February drew closer and I was preparing to start the challenge, I discovered it was actually an initiative promoting mental health (and even administered via an app and website that you could do as a team). The app guides you through a set goal each day with consideration for a gradual build up to more and more daily push-ups and the ever-important rest days. The daily push-up goals were also tied to significant figures pertaining to mental health statistics. For example, on day twelve, we had to do 75 push-ups and we learned that approximately 75% of lives lost to suicide are male.

Around the same time as the challenge, our instructor team recertified with St. John Ambulance (SJA) for Emergency First Aid and CPR. During our years as instructors, many of us have certified many times over (we also require certification as part of the process to earn a Black Sash). This year, the course was offered in-house by one of our very own Red Sashes, who represents SJA. We opted for a blended learning format, whereby half is done in person and half online through eleven different modules. The eleventh module was Mental Health Awareness, which tied in well with the push-up challenge. I think I’ve personally been certified in Emergency First Aid about eight times, but this was the first time I saw this area addressed so specifically,

The module provided some useful guidance on how to be a better communicator. Specifically, it gave tools on how to be a more mindful and empathetic listener. I think this is relevant to the practice of Kung Fu, as we strive to be present in all we do, not to mention respectful – especially of those in our Academy community. While we always aim to improve ourselves each day, I am currently very proud of how the community at the Academy treats ands supports one another.  

I chose to open Chantal’s push-up challenge to the Academy. Several students and instructors leapt aboard and we were off to the races. It was fun to have this daily goal and be accountable to one another. I think this an important aspect of maintaining good mental health (I wrote about Accountability several years ago too).

While engaged in the challenge and course, I reflected and learned more about taking care of yourself as a someone who is regularly around people working through mental health challenges. It is important to self-monitor and to have outlets for maintaining your own well being too, including emotional, spiritual, mental and physical strategies to stay healthy.