Frank Hofer 1st Degree Black Belt

Eight years ago, almost to the day I sat on my couch and decided that I needed to do something about my general health. I like hiking, but most of all I like eating. I consider myself fortunate that I live in a part of the country where people from all over the world move to, and in coming here bring the food they grew up with and love for the rest of us to enjoy.

The downside of course is that eating fabulous food, sitting at a desk, then collapsing in front of the TV has an adverse effect on your health. Weekend hikes just weren’t going to cut it for exercise and even those were going to become increasingly difficult if my weight didn’t come down, if my flexibility didn’t increase, if my balance didn’t improve, and my stamina worsened. I looked at the future when I would finally retire and I wanted to be in better health.

Eight years ago, plus one week I walked through those doors for the first time. It wasn’t easy. Not only was I far and away the oldest student in the class, but I have also never been especially athletic, and I’ve never stuck with an exercise program for more than a year.

The eight years here at SKZ is a record for me. My stamina started improving almost immediately. So much so, that after just over one year of training in Kung Fu, I added the Sanda class. That improved my overall conditioning and cardio health.

My balance and coordination also improved, much of that through increased strength and fitness. My weight also went down some. Not as much as I would have liked but that’s my own fault.

I retired 2 years ago and both my physical and mental health improvements I derived from Kung Fu and Sanda have helped me to enjoy my new free time. There is plenty of cuisine from around the world around here, and the local area has some fantastic wineries. I can enjoy these things because SKZ has improved both my physical and mental health.

I want to thank both the instructors as well as my fellow students in helping make me successful.