A few months of telling clients, fellow coaches, and friends that I’d be leaving the continent for three weeks to embark on a much-desired trip to a faraway land have finally come to fruition. Being fortunate enough to be able to travel and take a hiatus from my normal daily work life has been a plan that’s taken two years to formulate. I finally reached a place I’ve been thinking about visiting since childhood. My voyage to Japan began last week. I’m right in the thick of a fairy tale come to life as I venture through the train systems of Tokyo, where the locals switch trains at breakneck pace, hike through the bamboo forests in Kyoto, and rifle through the ocean of food stalls and iconic restaurants in Osaka.
My experience in Tokyo felt like I was on a roller coaster ride the moment I stepped out of my hotel. The early morning commute consisted of locals in their business attire power walking to one of the subway train entries. I was told the best way to get around and experience Tokyo was to use the innovative and hyper-efficient train system. Being uninformed about the pace at which people engaged in using the train was a shocking experience. The sports blazer-wearing, suitcase-carrying businessman and the well put-together businesswoman in high heels all moved at the pace and mindset of ants in an assembly line, traversing the tunnels of the train station. They all moved in an intensely organized rhythm as if they had a specific task to ensure the integrity of the nest was supported by their mission to get to their job. The organization and efficiency of movement utilizing the train system were impressive. My wife and I could keep up with the intense tempo of hopping on the train, waiting a few stops, and then being transported into a new set of stimulating and exciting environments of the Tokyo neighborhoods.
As surprised as I was by Tokyo’s heart-pounding, adrenaline-inducing train environment, I felt I had a slight advantage due to my adherence and compliance with my fitness routine, which I practiced at home. Without a foundation of fitness and healthy lifestyle habits, I could see how I would have quite a challenge keeping up with the ferocious tempo of movement in the Tokyo train systems. It was also motivating and refreshing to see the advanced age population who appear to have suffered from a form of degenerative disc disease with their back hunched over and using a cane to hold themselves up were able to keep up with the pace of the busy hive of workers needing to get to their location on time. My fear quickly subsided after the shock of entering the train system, making me feel like I was in a mosh pit at a Swedish death metal show. I adapted my mindset to match the pace of movement required to efficiently function in this form of transportation throughout one of the most densely populated metropolises in the world. The last thing I wanted was to have one of the most athletic grannies honed by the school of hard knocks of riding on the Tokyo subway system their entire life run me over from behind and trample me while pushing their cane into my backside while they caught the next train. I was amazed at how people perform their best work when they are kept busy, despite their age and physical limitations.
A theme we discuss regularly with our personal training clients is adopting a form of fitness meant to reinforce our ability to manage the demands of stress and challenges we endure in our everyday lives. Whether it be waking up in the morning, making breakfast, or getting out of the front door to drive across town to work on time, having a suitable form of health and fitness is a pivotal component to supporting such lifestyles.
My three weeks in Japan became a type of lifestyle I needed to learn how to adapt to. Living in four different hotels in three weeks and acclimating to different paces and cultures of other areas was a new type of stress and challenge I was exposed to. Even though I have a relatively solid foundation in maintaining optimal parameters of health and fitness that counteract joint pain, fatigue, and psychological and emotional distress, the new stimulus of being in a foreign land introduced a set of challenges.
There wasn’t any time to get to the hotel fitness center, acquire a temporary gym pass, or attend a small group fitness class. We had things to see and amazing food to eat, and we had to plan for the next few days, all while matching the pace of the Japanese culture of human interaction we weren’t accustomed to. Travelling and being away from home for business or pleasure offers new sources of stress in ways we can’t necessarily prepare for. However, if we consistently practice staying healthy and fit before we venture out on a trip for a while, we’ll have a set of tools in the form of lifetime fitness that offer us invaluable assets to get the most out of travelling successfully.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
