Last December, I shamefully admitted that there was a gaping hole in my otaku beliefs.
I grew up drawing comics, took AP Art in high school, and was always fascinated by hand-drawn animation…
but i had I’ve never watched a single second of Studio Ghibli’s anime.!
Studio Ghibli is Japan’s equivalent of Disney, with Hayao Miyazaki serving as Japan’s Walt. Studio Ghibli has won multiple Academy Awards for its beautiful, hand-drawn animated films, and director Miyazaki has produced these films over the past 40 years, reaching legendary status.
Luckily, the wonderful community on Threads gave me hundreds of supportive comments that helped me decide which movie to start with.
I’ve been watching it ever since it was announced. All 20+ Studio Ghibli movies, fell in love with japanand I became endlessly fascinated by Hayao Miyazaki.
(My favorites are Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and The Wind Rises.)
After watching all the movies, I wanted to know more and started watching documentaries about Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.
Thanks to these documentaries, I was able to get an interesting look at director Miyazaki’s creative style and his experience making these films together with his colleagues.
There’s a constant joke that Miyazaki is a “man with no end” and can’t seem to retire.
There was something about each documentary that left an impression on me.
in The kingdom of dreams and madness, At one point, all Studio Ghibli employees stood up and performed a series of movement drills and gymnastics, including Mr. Miyazaki.
Later in the documentation, I observed Miyazaki performs a very deep squat With perfect form and without assistance. How many people do you know who are in their mid-late 70s and can do a deep squat without assistance?
in The never-ending man: Hayao Miyazaki Miyazaki is I took many pictures of cutting down trees. With an ax in the backyard of the studio.
and, Hayao Miyazaki and heronNow in her 80s, Miya (nicknamed) still chops wood, walks in the forest, climbs fallen trees, does office gymnastics, and is passionate about producing the film that will be the culmination of her life’s work. I’m working on it. .
(Yes, I know. Also, director Miyazaki has a cigarette in his mouth almost every minute of every documentary. He’s lucky he hasn’t developed lung cancer yet, but I don’t think he’s in perfect health. ).
I bring this up because I think it shows a different side of exercise than we usually think of.
Train the body of the elderly
Watching this documentary shows how Hayao Miyazaki remains active and keeps his mind sharp even at the age of 80…
I remembered this Great post from Elizabeth (@ThisGirlLifts on Instagram):
As we get older, we tend to move less and lose energy, making it harder to find the momentum and mobility to keep moving. This can leave you unable to muster up the energy and spend time with family and friends.
Teddy Roosevelt once said, “I’d rather risk wearing out than rusting out.”
In other words, use it or lose it, bub.
I imagine that director Miyazaki’s ability to be a “endless man” is not only due to good genetics (and luck), but also because he chooses to actively wear out rather than rust. No wonder.
As he approaches his 80th year on earth, he reflects on why he decided to push himself to complete an animated film, and he simply replies: “It’s better to die doing this than to die doing nothing.”
Fitness is more than weight loss
At Nerd Fitness, we encourage all rebels to think about their “big why.”
Why bother exercising, developing new habits, or trying to level up your life when the couch beckons?
What’s the point in pushing yourself to learn how to deal with discomfort when it’s easier and so tempting to retreat into a comfortable environment?
A really powerful “big why” can help you achieve your goals, especially when life becomes a dumpster fire or you want to give up.
For Miyazaki, he decided that “bringing out what’s inside of him” was a valuable way to spend his time. He finds peace and fulfillment in creating things rather than consuming them. That means you need to take care of your body in order to stay alive long enough to accomplish these things.
For grandma (who I went to the hospital last month), her purpose is to support the community and help those around her. By staying active, she was able to continue this into her 90s.
If you’re having trouble finding a reason to do something…
You can do worse than “old man training.” This is the only body you’ll get and the only life you’ll get, so today is the perfect day to start respecting your body a little more.
There’s no need to be dramatic. Let’s start simple:
- You can go for a short walk every day.
- We can stand all day and perform athletic tasks such as squats and arm swings.
- we can start strength training The goal is to build strong bones and avoid needing assistance for as long as possible.
It’s our responsibility to keep our bodies active, and it’s better for them to wear out than to rust through disuse.
As a chaotic creator who spends a lot of time inside his own head, Hayao Miyazaki made me think a lot about what’s next.
Even in my 80s, I still want to write this newsletter, help people, chop wood, go for walks, and spend time with the people I love.
I know that things happen, accidents happen, and that so much of life is outside of your control, but I do my best to give myself the best chance to keep creating and keep wearing out instead of rusting away. I intend to do my best.
Let me leave you with director Miyazaki’s wicked last words at the end of the documentary “Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron.”
“Stop whining and start moving.”
If you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to train my old man’s body!
-Steve
P.S: The original Japanese title is boy and heron teeth How do you live?. This is a much more interesting (and appropriate) title for this film. It is truly a distillation of his life’s work, his influences, and his deepest thoughts about the meaning of life.
PPS: Need guidance and accountability to reach your fitness goals? Nerd Fitness has helped over 10,000 people with 1:1 online fitness coaching over the past 8 years. Click here for more information.
