Donna Phelan
I’ve trained with a 6th degree black belt and former international karate competitor for some time now. Prior to that, I trained for several years at a local martial arts school. While I liked the owners and students at the local school, and the workout was challenging, it didn’t take more than a few weeks of training with my current instructor to realize I was dealing with a totally different standard. He is an “old school” instructor – training is as much about skill, discipline, and proper technique as it is about learning the simple mechanics.
When you visit a karate class, you will find the instructor addressing rows of students all dressed in their “gis” or traditional karate uniform. At a glance, the students all look the same. Soon you notice the pecking order. The black, brown and higher belt ranks stand in the front row; the newest students, white belts, stand in the back. Intermediate belts line up in-between. This arrangement is as true in the old standard, as it is in the new standard. The difference with the old standard was that a black belt actually meant something. It signified an elite level of skill, training, and discipline that was earned and worn with pride. Nowadays, a black belt indicates nothing more than a student who has memorized enough techniques and paid enough money. To be certain, there are schools which still operate under the old standard, as there are still students in new standard schools who set their own bar and strive for a higher level of skill. But, it is fairly easy nowadays for a karate black belt to masquerade as an expert – there are just too many schools which allow it.
This is simply not true with weight loss and fitness. When the topic of my occupation comes up in social situations, I’m amazed by the number of fat, out of shape people who launch into a litany of how healthy they eat and how much they work out. I simply nod politely and interject the occasional “is that so?” After all, if an individual is perfectly content with herself, it doesn’t bother or concern me in the least. Just like today’s karate black belt, however, she is masquerading as an expert. Unlike today’s karate black belt, she can’t hide the deception by dressing a certain way or by standing in the front row.
If you are on a weight loss and fitness program it is easy to become discouraged when the fat does not drop off and the muscles don’t bulge as quickly as you would like. The day will come, however, when you receive your first unsolicited compliment: “Hey, you’ve lost weight! Looking good!” Smile and enjoy it. It means you are at the front of the class achieving an A+ in your new field of study. You are recognized as an expert at being thin by actually being thin. There is no way to deceive anyone on this. Stop Being Fat!
