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I began taking Taekwondo classes with my son in June and some days I wonder what it’s all for. I’m using muscles and joints in ways they’ve never been used before and they’ve definitely let me know. I’ve used more epsom salt in the last few months that I have in the last 44 years. In high school I ran track and belonged to a swim team. As a kid I played a lot of soccer. Since those younger years downhill skiing has been my main “sport”. I put it in quotes because it’s definitely not something I do regularly. In 2014 I began my primal journey so I didn’t feel as if I would struggle to keep up but I knew that I’d have my challenges.
I’ve Watched Taekwondo: It’s Easy
For 2 years I sat on the sideline and watched our son earn his advanced yellow belt. Most classes follow a basic pattern of practicing all of the basic kicks:
- Front Kick (Ap Chagi)
- Round Kick (Dollyo Chagi)
- Side Kick (Yeop Chagi)
- Back Kick (Dwi Chagi)
- Tornado Kick (Dolgae Chagi)
- Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi)
- Spin Hook (Dwi Huryeo Chagi)
Then there are the arm blocks and from the sidelines it looks pretty simple to do. It looks like it’s even easier if you’re flexible. Then I had my first classes on the mat…
First Taekwondo Classes
There were times I thought my brain might implode. Spinning one way to attempt a back kick was doable however spinning the other way…it was as if my mind didn’t even know where to begin. Then walking and blocking with arms. Some blocks go with the same foot and others go with the opposite foot. There were moments where I wondered why my brain wouldn’t work but I hear that struggle is common for beginners. Grand Master Duke assured me that some high level athletes in other sports have struggled with these moves. As he says:
Over the course of the first 6-8 weeks I continued to work out the flexibility and stiffness I’d developed over the last 2 decades without any consistent athletic pursuits. (I refer to it as working out the cobwebs.) Sure I’ll go to the gym here and there, run sprints, and other forms of activities but nothing where I felt like I was training for something. In order to get better at Taekwondo you have to keep doing it. Some classes I have left the mat feeling like maybe this is something I can really do. Of course there have been other days where I feel like I’m never going to get it right.
As I learn more of the nuances of the techniques it gives me something to strive for yet lets me know that I have so much more to learn. My problem is that I want to know everything today and I want to master it tomorrow. That’s simply not possible and for me that’s been my hook. I simply want to keep improving and see where it goes but my ultimate goal is to get my black belt before my 50th birthday. If you would have told me in my 20’s that I’d be doing this at this age I would have thought you were nuts. Mid 40’s are old right?
The Primal Health Difference
Before 2014 I pretty much ate like everyone else. When I say that I ate like everyone else there weren’t any food groups that I excluded other than artificial sweeteners and sketchy chemicals I played with in the lab. I’ve been paleo/primal since 2014 and I’ve followed the primal exercise template ever since.
On average I get to the gym to lift weights once or twice a week. (That’s been reduced lately due to Taekwondo stiffness.) The Primal approach is based on intuition. If you’re not feeling up to it then you don’t do it. It’s better to have a good workout than one where you’re not giving your best effort. Also, when most people think about exercise they think of this pyramid as if it were flipped upside down.
When it comes to body composition efforts exercise is only 10% of the equation. Food on the other hand makes up 80% of the equation.
When you’re eating in a Primal way your body has the ability to remember how to burn stored body fat for fuel. As an athlete look at it this way: “your body can store about 2,000 calories of glucose to fuel your workouts; conversely, even a thin person can store 22,000 calories of fat.” Which fuel tank would you like to be able to draw from during your exercise? I’m currently studying the Primal Endurance Mastery Course and I understand the principles, but the Taekwondo summer camp is where I put them to the test.
Primal Approach To Eating
Since the Primal approach looks at the long term it’s a somewhat flexible program. We believe in allowing for a bit of flexibility here and there. Some of us eat more vegetables and others eat more meat. Basically, you do what makes you feel your best.
For me I have a lot of foods that give me joint pain, headaches, and digestive issues. Part of the Primal flexibility is indulging once in awhile as it fits your goals and lifestyle. Friends have seen me at social events eat non Primal things; mostly because I’m trying to not make them feel bad about their food choices. I don’t want to be the person who turns up at a party and turns my nose up at everything; that’s just rude in my book.
However, now that I’m practicing Taekwondo at least 3 days a week I find that some of the things I may have indulged in before are easier for me to turn away. If I have white potatoes, chocolate, grains, or peppers I know that I’m likely not going to feel like going to Taekwondo class. My joints are going to hurt and/or I’m going to be too tired. Where I feel my best with Rheumatoid is in the Keto/Carnivore spectrum. You can learn more about the science here.
My Korean Martial Arts Summer Camp Experience
Over the course of 3 days I had 19 hours of combined Taekwondo, Judo, and Yongmudo training. I wasn’t sure about how it would go and how my body would hold up. There were a handful of us who were 40 something, most of whom were instructors. The majority of the camp was comprised of teenagers and young kids. I was the only old lady white belt who was there to learn.
What I discovered after the 3 days was that I was able to keep up. While there were moments where I had to breathe hard, my breathing wasn’t slowing me down. Comparing this weekend’s experience to my former carbohydrate days I will say that I definitely felt a difference. In my 20’s I went to a gym 5 nights a week for a kickboxing step class. When I’d return to my apartment, 10 minutes away, I’d have to have a snack so that I could muster up the energy to make dinner for myself. That included a snack just before I went to the gym. I basically ate all of the time; I was heavily dependent on carbohydrates back then.
This weekend, on Friday and Sunday, I had a fat coffee for breakfast. At home I blended coffee with grass fed butter, coconut oil, and collagen peptides. That was my breakfast! On Friday I popped a few fat bombs that I made on Thursday just to be sure I didn’t run out of fuel. (coconut butter, coconut oil, vanilla collagen fuel, and instant coffee) On Sunday I didn’t have anything except my fat coffee and water that I’d added salt to. I didn’t feel tired, I don’t feel like I struggled to keep up with the 20 year old something guy I sparred with, I didn’t lose mental focus, and even though the camp ended before noon I didn’t eat until about 1:30.
I wish I would have tracked my macros those few days. As far as carbs go I had some Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers on Friday and roughly a cup of diced sweet potato on Saturday, primarily with meat. I definitely didn’t throw back gels, Gatorade, or other pure sugar concoctions. Instead I focused on an abundance of quality protein, increased my fats with my fat coffee (not an everyday drink for me), ate a few vegetables that grow above the ground. In the mornings I popped some Ancestral Health supplements as an insurance on available nutrients. Oh, and lots of water.
All I have for comparison is what I remember from my 20’s versus this past weekend. Yeah I took an epsom salt bath each night but I didn’t reach for any pain relievers. I haven’t taken any since 2014 because I already have leaky gut issues. On Saturday I kicked someone exclusively with the tip of my big toe and jammed that toe but I still went back on Sunday for more.
What I’d like to do is be able to compare Taekwondo performance with what people are currently doing and see how it would change for them by building the metabolic machinery to rely on fat. While Taekwondo isn’t an ultra endurance event Zach Bitter shows what can be achieved as an ultra endurance athlete:
Reduced Oxidative Stress
Additional perks of being fat adapted is that fat and ketones burn cleaner in the body than glucose does:
“Compared to glucose metabolism, ketone metabolism produces fewer reactive oxygen species – which are known to contribute to inflammation.” [1]
The guy who runs our Dojang is an 8th degree Grand Master and he’s not getting any younger. I thought, “what a great opportunity to learn from one of the best.” Grand Master Duke will be 65 next year and I hope he isn’t eyeing retirement even though I wouldn’t blame him if he did. For now, I go to class 3 days a week hoping to soak up as much knowledge as he’ll put out.
When I said what’s it all for..
To see what it can be.
[1] Susan A. Masino, Ph.D.* and David N. Ruskin, Ph.D., Ketogenic Diets and Pain, J Child Neurol. 2013 Aug; 28(8): 993–1001. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4124736/
Originally posted on September 25, 2019 @ 10:11
