What does Ikue Teshigawara mean by "Active Healthy"?

This interview column features Ikue Teshigawara, a three-time Olympian in short track speed skating, speaking on the theme of "Active Health." While everyone vaguely thinks "Health is important," when asked what you actually do or are doing for that health, people tend to imagine negative things like "I shouldn't do this" or "I shouldn't do that." Instead, why not think about health more actively?
Ms. Teshigawara's perspective is consistently positive.

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──Today, we'd like to talk under the title "Active Healthy." We've worked together with you on the "Athlete Brains" project, which aims to share athletes' knowledge with everyone. First, could you share your thoughts on vitality and health?

Teshigawara: Well, I believe the essentials for staying healthy are, quite simply, "diet, exercise, and sleep." I have two children myself, and I find that providing these basics consistently is actually incredibly important—yet also incredibly difficult.

──And you actually run a "classroom" dedicated to making those basics happen, right?

Teshigawara: That's right. I founded the Natural Body Balance Association to support the healthy development of infants' minds and bodies. The reason is that I believe parent-child communication is incredibly important for living healthily. It's not just about physical contact. It's about how to create spaces where parents and children can learn together. How to provide opportunities for them to encounter authentic experiences. How to help them develop a discerning palate. How to help them acquire the ability to engage with nature. Because all of that connects to what we mean by "health."

──So that's how it connects to the "classroom"?

Teshigawara: When people hear "classroom," they might imagine something formal like a seminar. But what I wanted to offer was another home-like space for children. What is "home-like"? I believe it means fulfilling all interactions with "exercise, food, education, and nature," which in turn builds character.

──Is that based on your experience as an athlete?

Teshigawara: Yes, it is. More than my time as an athlete, I think my experiences after retiring were significant. My first job after retiring was for a program themed "Walking the Five Highways," where I covered the Nakasendo and Koshu Kaido routes. It was just walking, endlessly. During that time, I realized something obvious: you can't walk like that without being healthy. And I discovered how deeply enriching it is to connect with local people and nature. I thought, "I want more people to experience this feeling."

──Teshigawara-san, you hold 22 certifications in the health field, right? Did this experience also lead to pursuing those qualifications? (laughs)

Teshigawara: That's right. I can't recall them all off the top of my head, but starting with walking, I challenged myself to get every possible qualification related to "health" – things like sports shoes, baby yoga, vegetable sommelier, sleep improvement master... I think there was even a hot spring master.

Reference:
"Health Walking Instructor"
"Walking Advisor"
"Posture Advisor"
"Nordic Walking Basic Instructor"
"Sports Shoe Specialist"
"Junior Vegetable & Fruit Meister"
"Vegetable & Fruit Beauty Self-Advisor"
"Food Analyst"
"Natural Food Coordinator"
"Whole Grain Master"
"Decorative Sushi Roll Instructor"
"Food Education Instructor"
"Sleep Improvement Instructor"
"Hot Spring Sommelier"
"Climatotherapist"

 

──What lies at the root of this vitality that drives you to pursue the ultimate in health?

Teshigawara: I think it's probably a sense of mission, this feeling that "I have to do it!" I started short track and became Japan's top at age 14. I competed in the Olympics three times. I achieved decent results. But short track is a sport that's, well, less glamorous and more niche compared to something like figure skating. How could I make it more mainstream? Who would do it? I'm not bragging or anything, but I thought, "As the top athlete, I'm the only one who can do it."

──So that was the catalyst for becoming a "health evangelist"? The pressure of carrying Japan's hopes from age 14 must have been immense, right?

Teshigawara: My parents were always my emotional anchor. From a young age, they let me try anything I wanted. That sense of security, knowing I could always return to them. Ah, I realized when I had my own child—that's the true source of health. It's not just about training harder or building muscle.

──When we think of an athlete's training, "physical training, starting with building muscle" is what immediately comes to mind.

Teshigawara: That's actually not the case. Speaking of muscles, there was a period when I felt off and thought I needed to build muscle, so I trained intensely. I did gain muscle. But as a result, my body felt heavier, and I couldn't skate the way I wanted to. To put it simply, I built unnecessary muscle that wasn't required for skating.

──I see.

Teshigawara: That's when I realized that to improve performance, being healthy is crucial, and for that, "dialoguing with myself" is essential. Push hard when you need to push. Rest when you need to rest. I also came to believe that the training methods considered standard practice in my skating world weren't necessarily the ones that would help me grow. That belief hasn't changed even after retirement. And here's the important part: to "dialogue with myself," "talking with others" is the most effective way.

──What do you mean?

Teshigawara: Even during my active career, I made a point to connect with people from various sports outside of skating. Keeping my antenna up, I guess you could say. I just wanted to know about everything. Doing that sparked my interest in bigger things beyond just improving skating technique – things like "health" or "life." Of course, I still want short track to become more mainstream. But somehow, my focus shifted to things like, "What do I need to laugh and live vibrantly every day?"

──Does having children play a big role in this?

Teshigawara: Yes, that's part of it. Right now, during this pandemic, my biggest worry is the children's health—especially their mental health. Adults can access information and interpret it to act rationally. But children don't understand why they can't go outside and play. I think the stress they feel is immense. That's why I started doing exercises at home, which I named the "Adult-Child Exercise."

──That's quite an athlete's way of thinking.

Teshigawara: Maybe so. Anyway, I kept thinking: What can I do with my kids? What can make them smile? And naturally, it came down to exercise! Now, the kids even ask me, "Mom, how about this exercise?" That makes me really happy.

──So that mindset connects to your work with Athlete Brains?

Teshigawara: Exactly. Thoughts like "What I believed wasn't wrong!" or "There are so many people who share this feeling!" or "I want more people to know about this feeling!" are my driving force. I'm not a scientist or a doctor, but as an athlete and a parent, I have this kind of "secret to health." I want to share that with more people. I don't think health is just about the body. If your mind isn't fulfilled, you can never truly be healthy.

──Thank you. I look forward to continuing our collaboration on projects at Athlete Brains as health professionals!

Interviewer: Akimichi Hibi (Dentsu Inc. 3CRP Bureau)

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From Akira Hibi, Athlete Brains Production Team
 

Listening to Mr. Teshigawara always energizes me. He once gave a lecture at Dentsu Inc. on the secrets to boosting vitality, and even then, I felt the participants left smiling and energized.

With 22 health-related certifications and an active mind and body, Mr. Teshigawara is someone who genuinely loves "health" from the bottom of his heart. He radiates a health aura. Although this interview was conducted remotely, he still managed to send us his energy. We've also had the opportunity to work together on client projects. As both an athlete and a health professional, the persuasiveness of Mr. Teshigawara's words is immeasurable. Why? Because he embodies it. Through the "Athlete Brains" project, I felt renewed determination to co-create solutions for society's challenges in the active health domain alongside Ms. Teshigawara, who embodies health in mind, skill, and body.

Ms. Ikue Teshigawara is also participating in "Athlete Brains." For details about this team, which leverages knowledge cultivated by athletes to solve societal challenges (for businesses and society), please see here.