8 days in and things are going about as well as planned. Exercise has been nearly non-existent because the holidays are still messing with my schedule. Bailey and I went for a 3 mile run last Saturday and are planning on doing it again today. I did about 10 minutes of weights, which was more of a test of the temperature of my garage in the early morning than about lifting weights. The temperature wasn't bad at all as far as the air in the room goes. The weights, on the other hand, felt like blocks of ice. Might have to go heavy for low reps so that I don't have to hold them for very long.
I've been good about tracking my food intake with FitDay. My target was 2,500 calories a day. So far, my daily average is 2,057 calories. I just haven't been very hungry and I'm not going to complain about that. The next step is to boost up my metabolism with exercise. That starts for real on Monday (because, you know, I like to start on Mondays). In this case, I couldn't truly start until after the New Year's weekend was over.
I actually had to wrestle a couple of drunks to the ground this weekend. The cops here went from casino to casino dealing with all of the people that were getting arrested. Crazy.
Things should be quiet by tomorrow night and Trey will be back in school on Monday and things will go back to normal. Normal will include going back to my killer Success Warrior morning workouts. The next couple of weeks are very likely going to be filled with pain. I'm just going to jump back in where I left off and that's going to mean some very sore muscles for a while.
One other practice that I have done a couple of times this week and that will go back to being part of my daily routine is meditation. I believe this is a key aspect to any training program and it gets left out of most training programs. Stress is incredibly bad for the immune system, health, and weight loss. On top of everything else in this life that is stressful, for many people, the goal of trying to lose weight adds even more stress. Stressing about losing weight is incredibly counterproductive.
Many people probably rationalize to themselves that they don't have time to meditate or that it seems like a waste of time. Just sitting there for 15 minutes "doing nothing" takes away time that could be better spent "doing something productive" (or watching TV).
Did you know that watching TV burns less calories than sitting quietly with the TV off? Watching TV seriously dumbs down your whole being. Mind, body, and soul, become more sluggish as energy is siphoned off.
Some people might be put off because of some mystique that has been built up around meditation. Like there is some supernatural power to it or they just won't be able to do it "right".
The truth of it is that there is not a whole lot to meditation other than breathing and quieting down the nearly ceaseless inner dialog of the mind. There isn't a whole lot to get "wrong". The chatter is probably the hardest part. Our minds seem to continually run around in circles and chatter constantly. Slowing or stopping that is where many people stumble but there are plenty of tricks around it that can help you get started. Eckhart Tolle said something interesting about the chatter. He said that when we see people talking or mumbling to themselves non-stop, we think they are crazy but the only difference between them and us is that we don't say the stuff out loud. We have constant discussions going on in our heads. Once, he said, out loud, "I'm glad I'm not like that." Then it occurred to him that he had just done it. He wasn't talking to anyone. He had let his inner dialog come out. If talking to ourselves is crazy, we are all crazy. Meditation can give us sane moments.
I use all kinds of different techniques to help quiet the chatter. Last night at work, I did the easiest (and hardest for me) technique. I sat down and just focused on my breath. Feel the air go in, feel the air go out. All thought goes to the air moving in and out, getting to the point where it feels like the Universe is actually breathing me. I usually only do this for a few minutes because my chattering brain will usually cut in after a while but it's a great little pick me up.
I will confess that I do a lot of guided meditation because it really helps me focus my mind. Most of my morning meditations are of this type. I have a library of different types of meditations and I pick the one I'm in the mood for and meditate to that. Focusing on one thing that is guiding you deeper is better than the chattering.
There are plenty of other options available too. Try several different ways and find one that fits your style and go for it. Meditation should be part of everyone's daily practice and can be particularly helpful to people who are trying to lose weight. It brings control over the mind and body, and the chemicals that get released in stressful situations.
If you already meditate, please leave a comment telling us how you do it. If you don't meditate, try it for a week or two and send me an email (or comment here) and let me know how it went.
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