[Homework Notebook (Self-Study)] Trying to Relearn "Health and Physical Education"

The tenth subject for an adult review is Health and Physical Education.

Oh, health and physical education, huh.

Rather than deciding which one to start with, I'm struggling with how to even go about relearning them ^^;

[Physical Education Section]

I touched on it a little in 'The Playfulness of the Japanese,' but I will consider from a different angle why the Japanese have become bad at playing.

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The Playfulness of the Japanese
https://note.com/bax36410/n/ne0bb47d75937

Ever since the 'imayo' song 'Born to play...' included in the 'Ryojin Hisho' compiled by Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa was sung, I think the Japanese were likely the first people in the world, not just the nobility but the common people as well, to awaken to the concept of play.

'Ryojin Hisho' (Chikuma Gakugei Bunko) Asako Ueki (Ed.)

As a result, they created wonderful play cultures such as Noh, Kyogen, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, Kabuki, Ukiyo-e, reading books, Sumo, Yoshiwara, and Shimabara.

Nevertheless, the Japanese, who were astonished by the arrival of the Black Ships and became desperate to catch up with and surpass Western civilization in the Meiji era, somehow became a people bad at playing, and even turned sports imported from the West—that is, entertainment culture using the body—into an education called 'Physical Education' ^^;

Furthermore, it is a fact that they linked the booming popularity of baseball to 'Bushido,' and today, in a society that prioritizes the economy, they have come to use sports, including baseball, for corporate promotion.

When you think about it, the modern era is one where a drastic transformation of modern Japan is required in every genre.

If so, perhaps now is the time to read the 'classics,' I think, trying to be a bit noble about it (^^)

Yes!

Shouldn't we be engaging with the ideas of pre-modern Japanese people?

Come to think of it, classical Japanese education must also be one of the misaligned buttons of modern Japan, right? d(^.^) Isn't that so?

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https://note.com/bax36410/n/n3d5358bc5654

I've digressed, but I will think about what it means to have 'good athletic nerves,' which applies to physical education in general, and put it into practice.

I used to understand athletic nerves as trained muscles, but in a word, it is about how to use the body.

Herein lies the secret that leads to improvement in all sports.

Regarding this point, I would like to introduce what Tatsuru Uchida said as follows.

"I teach martial arts, but that is to teach the children of today that 'there are ways of using the body other than the ones you think are natural.'"

The way the body is used is structured just like language.

Just as children are bound by the rules of modern language usage, they are bound by the rules of modern physical usage, living their lives thinking that it is natural.

They naively believe that all human beings perceive the outside world and move their bodies in the same way they do.

They are fully convinced that the human body is 'the same thing' everywhere in the world, from ancient times to the present day.

But their physical usage is precisely a 'strange' way of using the body that has been selectively forced upon children living in the modern city of 2018.

It is a single ethnographic oddity.

The way they walk, the way they sit, the way they make facial expressions, and the way they project their voices are all collectively regulated.

I teach through martial arts that there are different ways of using the body, for example, the way Japanese people used their bodies in the Middle Ages or the Sengoku period.

I am teaching martial arts to liberate children from that cultural closed domain.

If you learn, you will be able to use your body in ways that are different from your usual way of using it.

The scenery of the world seen from that 'different body' will be completely different from what they are usually accustomed to seeing.

That is deeply connected to the experience of learning a foreign language, segmenting the world in that foreign language, and expressing one's own emotions and thoughts in that foreign language.

Children should know that they have the freedom to experience various worlds in various ways.

In the end, I think that people involved in education, no matter what subject they are teaching, are probably doing that kind of work unconsciously.

Taking children out of the cramped 'cage' they are trapped in, the confined space they are convinced is 'the whole world,' and teaching them that 'the world is much wider and more diverse'—I think this is the most important thing in education." (Quoted from "On English Education")

[Reference Article]

This perspective is very important, and it makes it possible to improve 'physical carriage' and 'body operability,' transforming physical clumsiness into physical dexterity.

For example, it is said that people who cannot do even a single sit-up often do so because they do not know where their abdominal muscles are or how to engage them.

It is said that if you clarify the concept (image) of the movement in your brain, you will be able to do it.

Exercise is something that is established by receiving commands from the brain.

However, conversely, it also has the function of cultivating new brain functions by forming the new motor nerve circuits necessary for that movement through imagery and movement training.

It has become common knowledge that doing a little rational scientific training can produce better athletes than piling up recklessly hard practice through sheer willpower like in a sports club.

That said, it is said that it is best to develop motor nerves during childhood (from 2 or 3 years old).

Having good motor nerves is equivalent to being able to apply memories of similar past movements, so it has nothing to do with talent; it is something given only to those who have made the effort—that is what is known as motor nerves!

Without forgetting the following [8 Ways to Overcome 'Excuses' for Lack of Exercise], I must continue to repeat 'successful experiences' and 'repetitive practice' so as not to let my exercise performance decline ^^;

[8 Ways to Overcome 'Excuses' for Lack of Exercise]

1. I don't have time

Try exercising for 10 minutes every day.

Before you know it, you should start thinking, 'I want to increase my exercise time.'

2. It's hard to exercise after being tired from work

Exercise before work in the morning or during your lunch break.

3. I don't have exercise clothes

There is no need to buy a full set of training wear.

Just wear clothes that are easy to move in and shoes that fit your feet, and that's OK.

4. I'm embarrassed to be seen by others

There is no need to exercise with others.

You can go for a walk or hike alone, or exercise while watching exercise videos on a video site.

5. Afraid of muscle soreness

Exercise little by little to get your body used to it.

Also, don't forget to stretch, warm up, and cool down after exercising (such as stretching after exercise, which has the effect of suppressing post-exercise fatigue).

6. Cannot exercise due to bad weather

You can exercise indoors, such as at a shopping mall.

7. Get bored doing the same thing

Mix in various exercises to avoid getting bored from repeating the same thing.

8. No money

Running and walking don't cost money.

Also, you can do weight training using canned goods (*in Japan, plastic bottles, etc., are more common).

The American Diabetes Association discusses solutions to numerous "excuses for not exercising" in "HealthDay," and this is a quote from there.

[Health Section]

The 6 "true life hacks" derived from 300,000 clinical cases are as follows.

1. Is that health method optimized for the whole?

2. Do you understand the risks of that medicine?

3. Are you chewing each bite more than 30 times?

4. Are you drinking water one hour before meals?

5. Are you taking frequent 5-minute naps?

6. Can you continue that exercise while enjoying it?

Assuming you put this into practice, from my own experience, even in a life where you are bedridden with illness and things don't go as planned, there should still be things you can do.

Dr. Hisao Nakai is a psychiatrist known for numerous masterpieces, including the renowned 'Schizophrenia and Humanity'.

'New Edition: Schizophrenia and Humanity' (UP Collection) by Hisao Nakai

Here, I would like to introduce the [Criteria for Mental Health] devised by Dr. Hisao Nakai for your reference.

[Criteria for Mental Health]

・The ability to quit work or pursuits halfway through

・The ability to naturally put off unpleasant things

・The ability to want to stop if possible

・The ability to be alone, and the ability to be with two people is also necessary.

・The ability to protect oneself

・The ability to compromise halfway

・The ability to resist the feeling that one must do something

As long as you have a goal of how you should be, as long as you have an ideal self, it might be said that it is a symptom of not accepting yourself as you are.

And, rigid goals sometimes do not allow for dawdling or detours.

So, why not try moving according to your curiosity sometimes?

Even if it is a dawdle or a detour from your goal, (while listening to music like this) take it easy! That kind of feeling, you know (^^)

JING TENG 'TAKE IT EASY'

Now, this book 'Clinical Fragments' is not about psychiatry, but rather contains stories experienced through clinical practice.

In this book, things outside of psychiatry, as well as experiences as a patient, or as a patient's family or friend, are recorded. It discusses things that patients who have been told their diagnosis can effectively do, such as hospital-acquired infections, falling into a coma, advice for friends and acquaintances with cancer, and personal views on the Maruyama vaccine.

'Clinical Fragments' by Hisao Nakai

'Clinical Fragments: Sequel' by Hisao Nakai

For example, if we say "to put it bluntly, the human mortality rate is one hundred percent," then what can we do in a place where defeat is inevitable?

Also, regarding "maximizing the integral value of QOL (Quality of Life)," how could one possibly achieve such a thing, and so on.

It has also been expressed like this.

Medical practice has even less of a "royal road" than geometry.

Unforeseeable accidents, trivial special circumstances, errors in seemingly correct interpretations--

These are the things that influence it.

It is the same as war in that victory is not guaranteed.

If, by any chance, you were to become ill, I feel that if you could say "this is fine" just as Fujio Akatsuka said, your recovery might be faster.

Lévi-Strauss criticized the traditional idea of rationally enlightening "primitive" peoples from a Eurocentric perspective, and thoroughly adopted the concept of cultural relativism, which does not rank cultures as superior or inferior.

Regarding the origin of any custom or habit, he states, "As long as one wishes to trace it back to its cause, it remains unsolvable.

If another set is discovered somewhere, and the set one is trying to understand can be mapped onto that set in the same way on a model, the problem of origin ceases to be raised.

There is no longer any need to ask how it came to exist there.

Because it was already there."

"The Savage Mind" by Claude Lévi-Strauss, translated by Yasuo Ohashi

Humans are such social creatures, aren't they?

As Hegel says, humans can only become human by receiving social recognition.

Therefore, I believe the most important thing in a person's life is the smile that a neighbor directs toward you.

And perhaps that is what it means to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

By you loving your neighbor, your neighbor survives, and thanks to your neighbor loving you, you are barely able to live.

Perhaps humans can only obtain what they desire by having it given to them by others.

In particular, when one is bedridden with illness, this can be understood deeply.

This book contains many things that are also interesting for cancer patients, and for reference, I would like to introduce the following:

"It might be better not to use the term 'fighting the disease.' This is because the consciousness of fighting cancer stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and lowers immune strength."

"I saw under a microscope that adrenocortical hormones destroy lymphocytes. That is why lymphocytes are extremely vulnerable to stress."

"People with large lung capacity seem to have a higher cancer survival rate. It seems that a large supply of oxygen to nutrition and blood leads to the activation of lymphocytes."

Such points have something in common with the views of Lévi-Strauss and Hegel, and even for a layperson, the content is somehow convincing.

It introduces an example of a 70-year-old man (with a lung capacity of 8,000) whose stomach cancer metastasized flatly along his spine, yet he has survived for many years and is still socially active.

Dr. Weil also answers the question, 'If you could recommend only one thing to improve healing power, what would it be?' by saying, 'Breathing techniques,' so there seems to be a common thread.

The author himself has also experienced prostate cancer.

The state of mind of a doctor who has been diagnosed with cancer is also written honestly, and it is surprising and confusing that there is no difference between them and us, but I think you can empathize with it, as it lacks the double standard thinking of doctors that is still a common phenomenon today.

Based on his experience as a psychiatrist, I think it can be read from the fact that he writes about what a diagnosed patient can effectively do now that we are in an era of disclosing diagnoses.

It is advice given with the thought, 'The doctor who just disclosed the diagnosis also needs to be prepared, and the patient who has been told also likely wants to do something actively rather than being a dazed bystander.'

It comes with the condition: 'Since a psychiatrist is writing about things other than psychiatry, there may be many mistakes and misunderstandings. There may be things that differ from established theories. I think that may be the case, but on the other hand, I am a medical student from the era of the old internship system (practical training related to medicine).'

The first half can be read as humility that just because one is a doctor does not mean they are absolute, and the second half as an expression of confidence that they have received proper education.

This humility and confidence are exactly what is required of an expert, and behind these words, including the aforementioned double standard thinking of doctors, one can glimpse questions about recent medical education and the state of doctors.

The words of the author, a doctor who became a cancer patient, carry weight, and there are three pieces of advice from Dr. Hisao Nakai to cancer patients.

The first is to get enough sleep.

The goal is for normal cells to reach their most dangerous period when they divide during the time zone of around 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM.

In other words, in order to prevent cells from becoming cancerous, it is important to sleep soundly during this time to recover physical strength.

Advice on things like sleeping pills is also useful.

The second point is to eat delicious food.

This is about getting proper nutrition, and the idea that hospital food and the like can be stressful and have a negative impact on healing.

It does not forget familiar issues, such as "Constipation is common upon hospitalization. Grated apple with a little sugar added can help."

It even lists herbal medicines that are effective for post-operative recovery.

The third point is to laugh.

Taking Norman Cousins' "Anatomy of an Illness" as an example, laughter boosts immune function.

"Anatomy of an Illness" (Iwanami Gendai Bunko), by Norman Cousins, translated by Sen Matsuda.

I realize there are times when you cannot laugh, but it suggests "tricking your brain" by making a smiling face even if you have to force it, stating that there is an effect if you keep smiling even if you are just tricking your brain.

It is advice that feels both surprising and perhaps too obvious, but I think this is fine.

Also, reducing stress is important.

Since cancer varies and people are all different, there is likely no single answer, but it provides examples of people who have managed it through immunity and sometimes lived well while carrying it, which I think is encouraging.

In short, it says, "Cancer cells are weak and confused cells. They are simply cells that should have died but haven't. Cancer cells are also weak against heat and are easily defeated by attacks from lymphocytes." The Simonton therapy CD contains this same line, and it instructs you to visualize white blood cells confronting cancer cells.

It is said that in the human body, 5,000, or according to some theories, tens of thousands of cancer cells are born every day, but most people are unaware of the fact that they are defeated by our own immune system.

Even cancer cells that manage to survive by dodging those attacks are usually blocked at the lymph nodes and do not easily metastasize.

Lymph node metastasis also means that the cancer cells are being blocked at the lymph nodes.

The act of treatment is always inevitably imperfect, and it seems it is often met with many difficulties.

But perhaps that is precisely why the inner depths of each person involved begin to shine faintly, breathing soul into the medical arts.

I feel that this is where the mysterious charm that humans display lies, not just in the world of medicine.

Without over-relying on modern medicine, yet without becoming overly sentimental, there must be many things we can do.

For the time being, even for those who are neither doctors nor patients, a sentence like, "If sleepiness comes and then leaves, don't panic and try to force yourself to sleep; the tide of sleep will turn from ebb to flow in forty-five minutes, so just wait for the next 'sleep bus' until then," seems like it would be effective, doesn't it? (^^)

Indeed, the philosopher Herbert Spencer also warned us that "The preservation of health is a duty. Few seem to be conscious that there is such a thing as physical morality." Since it may be too late for your health if you only realize its importance after you have lost it, let us be grateful for being healthy—the source of everything—and work to maintain it.

With just a little bit of daily mindfulness, you can maintain your most precious health (^^)

To that end, I believe that if you listen to what your body is telling you, you can become even healthier.

If you are a hard worker, I think you might sometimes fall into the overconfidence of thinking you are fine, so please be careful not to work too hard and end up neglecting your health management.

Do not take signs of changes in your physical condition lightly, and make sure to pay attention to your health!

When it is time to rest, make sure to rest properly, and let us maintain our health from a long-term perspective (^^)

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