Living (Dealing) With Scoliosis

Physical Conditioning

And back I go to the same dojo as before, where I sign up for some serious abuse.  Also known as Kyokushinkai Karate.  Where I learn the fine – and not-so-delicate aspects of this martial art + a few more.  This is where I learn that arthritis is not something I have to succumb to.  This is where I learn to take control of my health and my world.  Where I learn how not to be a victim in more ways than one.  For ten years I learn – and teach several martial arts, from Karate to Kung Fu, Judo, Tai Chi and  a few more.  For the entire Summer of 1976, I rode my bike 8 miles to the dojo every day, worked out for 8 hours, biked back 8 miles and did 300 sit-ups plus 300 pushups (every single day).  At one point I had an 18″ neck, 17″ biceps and 14″ forearms – and a Black Belt.  I ran 5 miles eery day before dawn and ran a 10k every Saturday up an 1800 foot mountain.  Great view of the entire Bay Area from the top of Mount Burdell.

Skiing was something I took up in my 30s, so that our kids could have the opportunity I never had.  I became a Black Diamond skier in short order and loved tearing down the steepest slopes (also with amazing views – of Lake Tahoe) and kept my arthritis in check – rather than it keeping me in check.

SCUBA diving was another activity I’d wanted to try for my entire life and in 1997 I made it another  achievement realized.  I found I loved diving and we took advantage of numerous opportunities to dive Tahiti, Monterey and Cozumel.  Again, keeping my arthritis in check, rather that vice versa. Among my many certifications are Certified Rescue Diver and Master SCUBA Diver (a pretty handy guy to have around in an emergency…)

Skydiving at the age of 50 was a lot of fun, but with my spine in such delicate condition, continuing to jump out of perfectly good planes seemed like a less-than brilliant idea. (dammit)  The view from 14,000 feet is pretty amazing though.  Unfortunately, there is no sensation of falling when jumping from a moving platform (plane).  It feels a lot like flying and it’s fun, but I’m sure I’d enjoy BASE Jumping a LOT more.  If my back didn’t look like a pretzel…  If you’re in the North Texas area, SkyDiveDallas in Whitewright is a great place to get this out of your system, or discover a new expensive hobby.