How Japan stayed fit: Radio Taiso

Edited from The Mind Body Moderate Archives, March 10, 2010

Every morning in Japan before heading off to school, sparse piano music would play on the radio. Over the thin piano music, a bold voice would count: "Ich! Ni! San! Shi!" It was odd sounding, as though this program had existed for a hundred years. In fact, it almost has. This is Radio Taiso. The 6:30 am national exercise program of Japan. Radio Taiso is an integral, if not widely known, part of Japanese culture.

             The first American cultural reference to Radio Taiso, that I am aware of, is the 1986 Michael Keaton movie "Gung Ho."  The cringe-worthy title is indicative of another era in American culture, as "Gung Ho" is a Chinese derived phrase and yet, the movie centers on Japanese/American culture clashes at a Midwestern auto plant in the 1980s, but I digress. To express the different work cultures, at one point in the film, we see the Japanese auto executives attempting to lead the American employees in the collective morning exercises. As expected, it doesn't go over so well. 

The irony is, like the automobile industry, the morning radio exercises began in the United States. In the 1920's Met Life Insurance would sponsor a 15-minute radio exercise broadcast in major cities throughout the country, helping people stay fit while promoting health and life insurance. Across the world, during this same time, Japan was struggling with a health crisis. The average lifespan of a Japanese man during the 1920s hovered around 40 years old. The Japanese government decided they had to find ways to help people be healthier and live longer. One thing they determined would help is exercise. Japan took the 15-minute exercise plan from Met Life and made it their own. In 1928 the first Radio Taiso exercise broadcast aired.

After World War II the Allies banned public taiso. The large exercise gatherings appeared militaristic to the Allies, but by the 1950s, after the reverberation of war began its retreat, the exercises reemerged. Seventy years later, they are still going strong. Children and older people alike go to local parks in the summer, office workers gather outside the office, and others turn on the radio at home and go along as they have for decades, starting their day with these exercises, building strength, work ethic, and unity within the community. The average lifespan has jumped from 40 in the 1920s to almost 86 today. Japan, in fact, now has one of the highest populations of seniors in the world. There are two sets of exercises, the second being geared more towards young people. The simple calisthenics promotes increased energy, circulation, and improved flexibility. Here they are, complete with the same piano music. Being stuck at home is the perfect time to try this short little energizing workout.

Maybe now’s a good time for a Radio Taiso revival. A new collective exercise program, helping to build health, well-being, and community across diverse backgrounds and ages. It might be time for a music change though, and perhaps some new leotards. And let's all definitely say “Ganbatte!” rather than “Gung Ho”.

がんばって!!!

Why Pilates leg turnout builds core strength

From the Mind Body Moderate Archives, April 23rd, 2012

Pilates position, Pilates stance, Pilates “V,” – all of these refer to the positioning of the legs in Pilates exercises – a 30-degree turnout of the legs from the hip socket with the heels pinched together and feet turned out – roughly 3-4 fingers apart. The common assumption is that it’s a “dance thing,” and often, students look down, turnout their feet, and move on without knowing why.

The problem is if the feet are only twisting from the ankle or more often, from the knees, without incorporating from the hips, it could lead to knee and leg strain, tightness in the hips, low back, and even neck pain. It is essential to feel the femur bone at the top of the thigh is rotating outward and stretching away from the trunk to create the turnout in the feet. No movement is forced in the knees or ankles. We extend and reach out from the hip joints without gripping in the buttocks, but wrapping and using the muscles underneath the buttocks and at the top of the thighs like you’re pinching a dime between your cheeks. This is how to turn out, the result of which is seen in the feet, but not initiated from them.

Ok. Fine, but why?

This turnout position allows the pelvis to stay neutral and slightly disengages the quadriceps muscles (the front of your thighs), helping lengthen the “zipping up” sensation of the core muscles – from the pelvic floor through the deep belly and psoas, all the way up to the diaphragm and releasing the tension in the neck muscles. Remember, Pilates is never just “abs,” but requires control and understanding of all the muscles and how each affects the other to create overall balance and postural health. Pilates V position is not so much an extreme ballet turnout, as it a military stance. Standing upright with an assertive “chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in,” keeping the heels together, toes apart, with weight balanced forward over the balls of the feet – stable and centered, the body is standing active and ready for action.

A good time to practice your Pilates position is waiting in line at the grocery store, using the cart handle for balance. Draw your thigh bone outward, heels together, and weight over the balls of the feet (but keep your heels on the ground). At the same time, lift through the crown of the head and draw your core in towards the spine (like you are putting on a pair of tight jeans). Your entire body should be in lengthening and working at the same time. Now try to take your hands off the cart handle, just don’t fall into the candy and magazine racks.

Meet Me at Quarantime!

HOW NOT TO GO STIR CRAZY, OR if we must, let’s do it together

Due to the Covid-19 epidemic all fitness studios have been closed in the City of Los Angeles. To help ease a bit of stress during these uncertain times, I will offer a free Pilates and movement class at 12pm on Thursday, March 19th. Subsequently, I’m offering twice-a-day, 30-minute exercise classes at 8:30am and 5:30pm, Monday through Friday. These are donation-based classes, to promote regular movement, community, and sanity. Email me to sign up for the weekly class links and feel free to pass the word along. Maybe we’ll theme classes, but maybe you should do whatever you want, wear your pjs, a dress, request a theme, drink a brandy, let’s just get together and say hi and keep moving forward. Take care of your friends, neighbors and loved ones out there. Hope to see you soon, no matter where on earth you are!

Americans gyms: A brief history

From the Archives of TheMindBodyModerate, August 9, 2011, Edited

Funny how the meaning of words changes over time. For example, the term salon commonly referred to a gathering of intellectuals to discuss issues of the day, and yet most of us now can’t help but think of the place we go for haircuts.

Another word that’s evolved in meaning is gym. From ancient times up until even the past 50 years, gymnasiums were considered higher institutions of training the body, mind, and spirit. Like a Western equivalent of the Shaolin temple, gymnasiums encompassed not only fitness but; philosophy, community, the arts, and social and political change – a bit different than the current health club down the street.

The original Latin gymnos literally means “naked” because what better way to show off athletic prowess in ancient Greece than in the buff? More likely, however, it refers to laying bare the individual spirit in pursuit of excellence in both body and mind. It then stands to reason that the word gymnasium would later refer to public-run high schools in Germany.

Gyms, as we know them in the United States, evolved from Turnvereins. The Turners were a political movement in Germany during the early 1800s. It was their view that a healthy mind and body would instill patriotism, a belief in liberty, and unify Germany into one country. Thanks to the Turners (meaning: one who does gymnastics), we have parallel bars, horizontal bars, and side-horse, and most gymnastic events are still popular in the Olympics.

Large numbers of Germans emigrated to the US in the mid-1800s, including the Turners. They fought with the Union army in the Civil War. But with the end of the war, the Turners’ political edge – their main driving force in Europe- faded in the United States. Their focus shifted to creating and establishing Turnverein, community centres that mixed social consciousness and fitness. In areas of the country with historically sizeable German immigrant populations, you can still find Turnverein in existence today. The Turnverein inspired the creation of organisations such as the YMCA.

World War I and II took a toll on the image of German culture in the US, and most Turnvereins disappeared. Yet, since the Industrial Revolution, Americans have embraced the idea of fitness clubs to occupy expanding free time. Gyms have continued to thrive and evolve through the 20th and 21st centuries, resulting in the spots of today – places lighter on social or political importance, but majoring on the fitness and fashion spectrum.

The Turners inspired not only Olympic sports but components of the popular fitness regime of Pilates, bringing aspects of yoga to the Western World, and yes, to those scarring junior high physical education classes. They were big advocates for physical education in schools.

In the spirit of the modern YMCA, there’s value in adopting a holistic, humanistic approach that integrates creativity, education, and physical health, while also fostering an immediate sense of community in our gyms—or Turnverein. Then again, perhaps it’s time we gave this endeavour a new name.

Sidenote: In St. Louis, MO, there’s a memorial to Frederic Jahn, the Father of the Turner movement, in Forest Park. It features a large bust of Jahn in the centre of an arc of stone, with statues of a male and female gymnast, one on each end of the arc. The monument is on the edge of Art Hill next to the path running north and south along the western edge of Post-Dispatch Lake. It is directly north of the St. Louis Zoo.

Milwaukee Turner Hall in the 1900s (source:Wikipedia)



Falling Forward

“A gesture, be it a leap, turn, run, fall, or walk, is only as beautiful, as powerful, as eloquent as its inner source. .Purify, magnify, and make noble that source. You stand naked and revealed. Who are you? What are you? Who, what do you want to be? What is your spiritual caliber?”
José Limón

January 12th was the 112 anniversary of Jose Limon’s birth. Since the introduction of the Limon technique in college, not only was I taken with the exuberance and playfulness of dancing his movements, but even more with his conceptual philosophy, because it seemed to be an ideal representation of moving forward in most aspects of life. It’s of the stuff of what makes us human, distilled down to a repetitive cycle, carried out in infinite ways, yet remaining as monumental or mundane as need be to the movement and efforts we experience over and over in a single step: We rise (one foot up) We fall (one foot down). We stabilize (standing even). Repeat.

This is what we do. In one way or another, we carry on

Mark Willis and Elise Drew León of the Limón Dance Company performing at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan.Credit...Andrea Mohin/The New York Times

Conceptually the image of life and movement as a fall and recovery - a rhythm, a wave, that single step forward - that has stayed with me throughout my life. Here’s a bit more about Jose Limon’s technique directly from Jose Limon Dance Foundation website.

The Limón technique is based upon the movement style and philosophy of theater developed by modern dance pioneers, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In the early 1930s, both Weidman and Humphrey developed a dance vocabulary that worked in opposition to the strict rules of classical ballet. Their intention was twofold: to demonstrate human emotions in a less stylized manner than ballet; and to incorporate in their work the natural movement patterns of the body and its relation to gravity. Limón further developed their ideas for his own work and technique.

The Limón technique is divided among various physical extremes: fall and recovery, rebound, weight, suspension, succession and isolation. These ideas can be illustrated in the way a dancer uses the floor as a place from which to rise, return to and then rise from again. The way a dancer explores the range of movement between the one extreme of freedom from gravity and the other of falling into it; for example, the moment of suspension just as the body is at the top of a leap, and the moment the body had fallen completely back to the earth. There are many words and ideas that are immediately associated with the Limón technique, i.e. its humanism, its use of breath, musicality, lyricism and its dramatic qualities; however, the overwhelming consensus is that through the movement is always demonstrated some physical expression of the human spirit.

Start Your Own Squad

Inspired by an archival post of The Mind Body Moderate, July 2009 ( you can see it below).

I knew a group of coworkers who would come to my pilates class once in awhile. They developed a plan where every week they took turns choosing an exercise activity. They’d mixed it up between spinning, pilates, yoga, walking, cycling, hiking, dancing, and on and on. Their creative movement opportunities were endless, and most importantly, they had their crew - that group that supports you and holds you accountable when you’d rather hide on the sofa.

It reminds me of the beloved LA Municipal Squad. They are creating inspired workshops and performances that celebrate social dance, new movement rituals and personal empowerment. They warrant their own post, but suffice it to say here, it started as a group of women who enjoyed dancing and each other, and for years they get together every week and work it out.

LA Municipal Dance Squad

Building your own squad is a creative way to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, in more ways than one. Finding your team might be the hardest part, but it’s also a chance to make new friends. If you can’t imagine who would want to join you on your adventures, try asking a co-worker, neighbor, or post a “wanted ad” on social media and see which friends might bite. It’s a little scary to put yourself out there, but you’ll be surprised how many people would be just as excited. A group of anywhere from two to four people would be easiest to manage, unless you have some very organized friends. Having a group means the onus is not always on you. Being a “team player” makes it easier to commit to keeping it up.

The laughter alone in trying new things is certain to put you in a better mood, enhance your creativity, solidify friendships through experiences, and yeah, burn a few extra calories along the way.

Original Post From The Mind Body Moderate is here.