Signs of "Dis-Ease"

Note: This post is not purposed as medical advice. Please consult a health practitioner if you are concerned about your health.

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Health is something we emphasise at the Soo Shim Kwan. I believe that the martial arts could be an excellent contributor to one's health as it is an excellent form of exercise. The first point in our charter states that we aim at developing “the whole person--physically, mentally and morally: stressing a healthy lifestyle by means of certain 'Health Principles' and encouraging the virtues reflected in the 'Moral Culture', the 'Student Oath' and 'Tenets of Taekwon-Do'.” We also “encourage responsible training that will ensure active involvement in Taekwon-Do into old age.”

Ultimately, martial arts is about preserving your life; not only from an assailant, but also from the stress of life, including the stress of an unhealthy lifestyle. As [martial] artists our art medium is the human body. It is therefore important to be intimately familiar with the human body in general, but especially with our own bodies. One's body often presents clear signs, indicating its state of health. Becoming familiar with such signs is an important part of being a martial artist.

Following are some signs that can warn you if your body is in a state of “dis-ease”:

Pulse

Make a habit of taking your pulse. A healthy martial artist's pulse would be below 70 beats per minute when at rest. If you are fit your heart will beat slower, but stronger. A well conditioned athlete may have a pulse rate of around 40-60 beats per minute. A high pulse rate when at rest or an irregular heart beat are not good signs.

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(Note that infants and children have a faster pulse rate than adults and does not necessarily indicate an unhealthy condition.)

Blood Pressure

Healthy blood pressure has a systolic pressure under 120 and diastolic blood pressure under 80. If you follow the health recommendations advised in our Health Principles, your blood pressure will generally be well under 120/80, especially if you follow a balanced primarily plant based diet. (Some sources suggest the optimal blood pressure to be 115/76). Too low blood pressure, however, is also not a good sign. If you regularly want to faint when standing up from a reclining or sitting position, you may have too low blood pressure.

Body Odour

Unless you experienced an adrenalin rush or do not wash regularly, you ought not to have a strong body odour. Our skin is one of the main organs for ridding the body of toxins, so if  you have smelly body odour it is likely a sign of a body burdened with toxins. During hard exercise, your sweat ought not to smell too strong or offensive. If your sweat is generally smelly during or after exercise you should seriously consider a detox program.

(Remember also to wash your training uniform regularly, especially after sweating as the moisture could encourage mould and unpleasant odours. While not strictly a health hazard, it does make the training environment quite unpleasant!)

Urine Colour and Smell

When you are healthy your urine will be a pale tan colour. If your urine is a dark colour it usually indicates a system burdened with toxins. You may be dehydrated or your system is fighting off an infection. (Note that some foods and supplements like a Vitamin B-Complex may colour your urine.) When your body is healthy and well hydrated your urine will not have a strong smell. If your urine has a distinctly noticeably and unusually strong smell it is an indication that your kidneys are burdened to rid toxins from your body, that your urine is highly concentrated. Make sure to always drink enough water.

Mucous

Your body generally use mucous to flush things out of it. Clear mucous could indicate outside stressors like pollen which your body cannot combat because of a weak immune system. Yellow or coloured mucous may indicate that you already have an infection. If you have a mucous discharge, know that your body feels under attack and is trying to rid itself of foreign entities through this emergency avenue. The presence of mucous usually indicates your immune system struggling, so take measures to enhance your immune system. At least increase your consumption of Vitamin C and alkalise your diet.

Tongue

When your tongue is white and furry, it could indicate that your digestive system is clogged or burdened under unhealthy foods, particularly foods that are too rich or contains too many empty carbs. A clear, pink tongue tends to indicate a healthy digestive system. Read more about "What Your Tongue Is Telling You About Your Health."

Regularity

If your diet is healthy and your digestive system working properly you ought to go regularly—a meal should pass the body within 24 hours of consumption. The stool should leave the body with not much effort. If this is not the case, it usually indicates a struggling digestive system because of an unhealthy diet. The stool should be an elongated S-shape that slips effortlessly into the water, not hard pellets popping into the water. Help keep your digestive tract healthy by including enough fiber in your diet. You could also add flax seed to your diet. When in moisture, flax seeds produce a gel coating that can lubricate the digestive track.

Sleep

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If you do not sleep well, it is clear that something is wrong. This could either be from psychological stress or physiological unease. If you do not rest well, your whole system will be affected, so it is paramount that you find the cause of your restlessness. About seven hours of sleep is usually considered healthy.

Eyes

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. They can also be windows to your body's state of well being. Bloodshot eyes, puffy eyes, the white of the eyes appearing yellow, and dark circles around the eyes are all possible signs of an unhealthy or stressed system. You might not be getting enough rest, your body may be burdened with toxins, your liver or kidneys may not be functioning at optimum, you may have too salty a diet. Clear, bright eyes are considered attractive, in part because they reflect a healthy constitution.

Swelling

Any swelling in your body is a sign of something being wrong, generally inflammation of some sort.

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Joint Aches

Aching joints tend to signal inflammation. There could be many causes; one thing it might indicate is an overly acidic system. Achy joints are a martial artists enemy. Make sure to drink enough water, and try to alkalise your body through a diet rich in leafy greens vegetables and low acid-forming foods.

...ooOoo...

If you notice any of these signs, know that your body is not at ease—literally or figuratively under attack. Look at your life style and see what could be the probable causes and visit a health practitioner if any symptoms persist.

A healthy life style is part of the discipline of a true martial artist.

An Alkaline pH for Improved Performance

Last night during Taekwon-Do training I could feel my body complaining. I felt some tender joints, sensitive tendons and sore muscles. There is nothing strange about some aches and pains, especially considering some strenuous training I did days before. I've been working on my calve muscles, and on Tuesday I did a very deep leg muscle stretching routine. However, the aches I felt last night felt different than the normal pains. I could feel that my tendons around my calves were more inflamed than they ought to be, and my joints were also not too happy.

One obvious culprit is the very cold weather. Even though this is my fourth Korean winter, my body is still not used to this cold. So granted, I do think the weather contributed to some bodily unease.

However, I could immediately relate my body's discomfort to what I had for lunch the day before. On Wednesday I had to go to COSTCO to have a batch of photos printed and decided, since I was there already, to have lunch there. COTSCO has some of the best pizza in Korea, which thankfully does not include such odd Korean pizza toppings as corn and sweet potato paste. With the pizza came a cup of soda. This big lunch of pizza and Fanta is an acidic disaster.

When food are digested they leave behind an “ash” in your body which has a certain pH. Cheese is a prime acid-forming food. Soda, also, contains acid-forming ingredients, such as refined sugar and phosphoric acid.

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It is well established that our bodies function optimally with food that leaves an alkaline ash, rather than an acid ash. An acidic system causes inflammation, reduces healing speed and therefore hinders quick recovery. Acid-forming foods also creates little crystals in the joints that is associated with inflamed joints – we usually refer to this as gout. Cancer cells tend to flourish in a more acid environment and the immune system is also weaker in an acidic system. An alkaline system, on the other hand, improves energy transferral (i.e. the body's use of ATP) and so helps with endurance and strength. Recovery time with an alkaline system is also significantly shorter over an acidic system.

My unusual joint pains and overly sensitive tendons, I believe, was caused by a diet of acid-forming foods the day before.

More and more professional and Olympic athletes opt for diets that leans towards alkaline body pH. So what should you do to have a more alkaline body pH? The answer is quite simple. Follow the Health Principles, particularly the dietary points, prescribed by the Soo Shim Kwan.

Drink lots of water. The more toxins we have in our body, the more acidic our body will be. Our body use water to basically dilute its toxin levels, which can then be filtered by the filter organs and eventually excreted as sweat, urine, and even through the lungs. Water is a key instrument in this process and cannot be replaced with other liquids like coffee, sodas, or even juices. In fact, alcohol, coffee, sodas, some tees and some fruit juices are actually acid-forming. (There are some herbal teas that are alkalising, for instance stinging nettle, as well as some juices, like lemon water.)

Regarding food, the most alkalising foods are leafy green vegetables. As a matter of fact, most vegetables leave an alkaline ash. So do some fruits, particularly figs and lemons; however, green (i.e. unripe) fruits, as well as overly ripe fruits, including fermented fruits, tend to cause acid build-up (that's the reason why wine is a chief culprit for causing gout). Oranges, tomatoes and olives are also often found on lists of acid-forming fruits. Some berries, like blueberries, cranberries and prunes, are also acid-forming; however, berries are very high in nutrition and listed as super foods, so it's much better to include them in your diet than worry about how they effect your body's pH.

Foods that tend to cause acid-forming are mainly animal products, particularly meat and hard cheeses. It's much better to get your protein intake from nuts, seeds, certain grains, plain yoghurt and soft cheeses (i.e. cottage cheese). Also avoid refined and processed foods as they are almost all acid-forming; for instance, bread made with white flour (white flour is processed), sugar, corn syrup, glazed foods, tinned foods, etc.

You can see different Alkaline/Acid-food charts here. 

Mineral supplements that include Cesium, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium will also improve alkalinity.

In short, a primarily plant-based diet is most beneficial for optimal health. It is for this reason that many top athletes, including such legends as ten time Olympic medallist (eight gold medals) Carl Lewis, are vegan/vegetarian.



Some martial artists, including MMA fighters, have also began to adopt vegan/vegetarian diets, for instance a King of the Cage Lightweight World Champion and Ultimate Fighter 6 (UFC) Champion, Mac Danzi:



I'm not necessarily advocating that you should become completely vegan/vegetarian; however, I am suggesting that a diet with primary emphasis on plant-based foods is most beneficial. A plant-based diet will improve your endurance, strength, recovery time, energy levels, and general health. Few people explain the value in a "green diet" better than Tony Robbins:



One thing I do advocate is to enjoy green smoothies. Green smoothies are a brilliant way to get healthy, alkaline-forming nutrition in your daily diet. I have a green smoothie as part of my breakfast. As a bachelor, I don't always sit down to a well planned balanced meal, so green smoothies are an important part of my health routine.

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Making a green smoothie is really simple. Throw a bunch of leafy green vegetables, like spinach, mustard greens, kale, parsley, and the like in a blender. Add a banana or two to sweeten the smoothie. It will also also help the consistency. Also add some liquid: water, juice, plain drinkable yoghurt or soy milk -- I prefer the latter. Be nutritionally creative by adding other super foods to your smoothie; for instance, I frequently add Brussels sprouts to my smoothie or barley green. Other greatly nutritious things you could add, although not alkaline, are blueberries or cranberries (which will make you smoothie brown in colour!) and wheat germ.