Adult Student’s Corner
by Sifu D’arcy Langois
Every year, when the snow starts to fall, many mammals across the world share a certain behaviour; hibernation. Now, some animals enter a full state of hibernation, dropping their heart rates by ~90% and sleeping through the coldest season of the year (incredibly bears are not one of these, but that’s a discussion for a different day). For others, hibernation is not the classic sleeping for 4 months, but is simply slowing down during the colder months. For us humans, we feel the pressure in different ways, and you guessed it, it can have an effect on our day-to-day life, which includes our Kung Fu training.
It’s common to see a marked drop-off in training once the snow sets in, and there’s a number of reasons. Snow makes travel tricky, the cold makes being outside unpleasant (for some, definitely not all), shorter periods of sun makes us sleepy, and the list goes on. So yes, slowing down your training is natural, and likely will happen, but you certainly shouldn’t stop altogether. Here’s some ideas to help keep you moving through the winter months!
- Plan your week ahead to attend a minimum of one class per week. This might mean planning some extra time to travel to the Kwoon on snowy days or use our wonderful and ever-so-convenient Zoom classes!
- You can also find some time to train around your home. Everything we do in Kung Fu can fit into a small space; practice your forms like you are in a phone booth; you’ll still get the work out, and you’ll stay current with your forms!
- Find some complimentary workouts to help keep you moving. The range of things you can find on YouTube is frankly incredible. Everything from Yoga to weight training modules is easily accessible with the click of a button. Find something that interests you and give it a shot! If you’re having a hard time finding something, ask me! I’ve been adding a wide range of workouts throughout the pandemic to keep my mind and body active.
The winter blues can drag you down, but they don’t have to. Your body will naturally want to hibernate, even just a little, and that’s okay. Find what motivates you to keep moving, even in small ways, and go have a great winter. Happy training!
