The air is crisp, cold, and smells like January at 4 am. Other than a few leftover Christmas lights, there are no signs of life as my feet pound the pavement. Trees rustle, stars boast, and I run, taking each step in stride. I have no music, no podcast, no phone “for emergencies”—nothing to distract from this transcendent sense of harmony.

Weaving through backroads I eventually pour out onto Matlock, my community’s most trafficked street. It’s empty and uncharacteristically beautiful. Overwhelmed by a sense of euphoria, I playfully bounce across the medians that separate lanes of traffic. It is freedom, pure, raw, and rare. I’m all alone and yet I’ve never felt so connected.

“These waters must be troubled before they can exert their virtues.”

Edmund Burke

Connection is absolutely essential to humans. Sebastian Junger’s book, Tribe, contends that we need connection, authenticity, and competence to be fulfilled. We need to feel bonded with people behind a greater purpose.

Today, immersed in such opulence that our collective survival requires no contribution, our world promotes self-absorption, alienation, and impulsivity. Without the survival context, it is far harder to create a transcendent experience and escape from the modern malaise.

Connection Is Essential

Most humans spend their days as passengers, riding along the surface, driven by gossip and unintentional living. I often have trouble relating with the masses, mindlessly consuming as the foremost directive of existence.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy simple interactions and can laugh at silly nonsense with almost anyone. Furthermore, I’m unknowingly duped into thousands of impulses each day, just like everyone else. Still, there seems to be a gulf driven by perception and intent.

I’ve found the concerns of other’s are rarely mine and my passions are typically met with awkward silence. Over time, I have amassed a cadre of philosophical brothers and sisters bonded by far more than proximity and convenience. Yet, the connections I feel go far beyond these treasured friends.

“In Japanese we have a word for those feelings that are too deep for words: yugen. Yugen gives us a profound sense of the beauty and mystery of the universe.”

Dr. Qing Li

There are universal themes of human existence that allow us to commune with a deeper human experience. Last spring I backpacked in the Ozark Mountains and slept next to a stream. The beauty of the experience haunted me for weeks and still does to some degree. The same is true of my first early morning in Kauai, staring up at those stars.

You almost certainly have had a similar experience with a sunrise, a campfire, or a secluded beach that suddenly pierced through the superficial drivel that consumes most of our lives. Every civilization across time has some sort of reference to the sublime sense of connection the outdoors can elicit.

Deeply Connect Through Your Training

I experience the same phenomenon when I tap into my body, whether in meditation or exercise. Communion with nature and our bodies allow us to access timeless experiences that transcend technology and social conditioning.

“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied because there are higher and lower forms of pleasure.”

John Stuart Mill

Training is where I often feel most deeply connected. It is a beautiful melding of nature, physicality, and effort that consistently produces unpredictably pleasant emotions. On a solitary 4 am run through the neighborhood, I feel an overwhelming harmony with all those other souls who are driven by a subconscious yearning to grow—the deranged few who also love the smell of 4 am.

I am brought back into communion with the discipline of a Spartan warrior and the freedom of a Cherokee running through the Appalachian Hills. I am united with all those millions before me who’ve gone on similar runs and all those currently pulled by some internal force to keep striving, whether towards physical mastery or to write that book which burns within. Without ever having spoken a word, I know these people at a depth many contemporaries and acquaintances never could.

We can all access this connection, even though it can’t be forced. Define your purpose. What stirs you to action? It can be as simple as a strong belief in the primacy of health. Craft a plan and then show up. Immerse yourself into the work without expectation for any immediate outcome. Like the canyons carved by water, consistency and time will win.

“Only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness of life.”

Carl Jung

I recommend a weekly workout where you are completely unplugged from the world. Enter the practice without expectation and with loose bounds. It can be a run, a hike, a lift, or a free-flowing compilation of calisthenics and gymnastics.

The idea is to auto-regulate based on your desires. See where the exercise takes you. Dial it up or pull it down to a slow and steady. By disconnecting and entering ourselves, we, paradoxically, gain access to a deeper human connection.

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If adherence is the principal player in the triumph of our goals; temptation is its villain. If fitness programs proceeded unimpeded, “results” would be the norm. New Year’s Resolutions would become successes and new promises would be made the following year. Sadly, they act more like Groundhog’s Day, with the same goals set on repeat.

The seduction of power can crumble a kingdom and the lure of avarice can derail a career. Temptation is not some antiquated, cautionary tale confined to the Garden of Eden in the pages of Genesis, but a tragic fascination that follows us like a shadow; leaving behind broken resolutions and incomplete goals in its destructive path.

Every one of us has fallen to temptations that obstruct our fitness goals. All it takes is for one energetic young server with a killer smile to approach your table after dinner and ask, “Save some room for dessert?” If I had a nickel for every, “I probably shouldn’t but yes,” response, I would be a wealthy man.

Regardless if you spout platitudes like “a lack of discipline” or use complex descriptions of neural circuitry to describe what’s happening, it can be summarized perfectly in the word temptation. The impulsive reaction is to eliminate the sources of temptation entirely; akin to shutting your eyes and hoping the monster underneath the bed disappears.

For most of us, this “cold-turkey” approach has mixed results. The outcomes are terrible when the abolition of such temptations are done from the outside. For example, the Eighteenth Amendment, imposing prohibition, was such a debacle, it was repealed thirteen years later; but not before giving us organized crime in its wake.

Recall the last time you swore-off sweets. What was continually on your mind from that point forward? Sweets, of course. There must be some other way, where we can still savor life but not collapse under intemperance. Temptation is a part of the human condition, but its power needs reduction to allow our goals to flourish.

A Monumental Restraint

In elementary school, I was told that George Washington was the Father of our Country. I grew up under the impression that he could not tell a lie about the “cherry tree” and had a mouthful of wooden teeth. I cringed at the thought of a thorn stabbing my gums; getting one in my index finger was painful enough as it was.

I come to discover that there was no cherry tree, and though he had lifelong difficulties with his dentition; they were not made of wood. The real George Washington was far more interesting and provides a map of how we can thwart the overwhelming force of temptation. As you’ll see, the moniker of “Father of our Country” is a gross understatement.

At the end of the Revolutionary War, colonial America was far from stable. The government under the Articles of Confederation was feeble and ineffectual. Peace with Britain was documented and ratified, but uncertain.

The Continental Army was fatigued, hungry, and unpaid. Many of the loyal men even went without shirts. Washington wrote in a letter, “The temper of the army is much soured, and has become more irritable than any period since the commencement of the war.”

Despite his prestigious contemporaries, like Jefferson and Franklin, Washington stood alone as the symbol of the Revolution; a revered man, with unparalleled valor. His soldiers, the public, and even some founding fathers urged Washington to march his army directly to Congress’ footsteps; sword drawn, usurp their authority, and declare himself King George I of America.

The timeline of history is punctuated with tyrants and warlords. The idea of a nation conceived in liberty and asserting that “all men are created equal” was a completely foreign idea; it had never been done. Therefore, it was a natural desire for many to bestow absolute power on their hero. We all know what’s like to be tempted by a pastry now and again. Some have known more serious temptations.

Very few of us, likely none of us have ever faced the proposition of complete dominion over a country; for life. We’d like to think altruistically and believe that we would decline the offer. But, let’s not kid ourselves. I would say “spoiler alert,” but I imagine you know how things turned out, and if, at this moment, you are sitting comfortably; you are a product of that decision.

Two days before Christmas, 1783, Washington indeed marched up to Congress. He appeared before them at the statehouse in Annapolis, bowed, and resigned his commission. John Trumbull, who captured the moment in a painting that now hangs in the Capitol, called it “one of the highest moral lessons ever given to the world.”

It didn’t stop there. He was unanimously elected to be our first President and implored to serve a second term, which he did. There was a tremendous demand that he should run for the third time. Perhaps now that he tasted power, he may not want to relinquish it. In another bold act of Patriotism, Washington voluntarily stepped down in 1797, setting the tradition of a two-term Presidency that would last for 150 years.

When King George III, Washington’s nemesis during the war heard of his opponent’s actions, he asked his painter, “What will he do next?” The painter replied, “He will likely return to his farm.” To which the King responded, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” Seventeen years later, while Napoleon sat exiled on the Island of Elba, he complained, “They wanted me to be another Washington.”

What can we take away from these monumental displays of restraint? Let your mind wander on what life would be like if he took the alternative route. His words to Congress give us a hint into his motivations for relinquishing command, and how we can use it in our daily commitment to adherence.

“Happy in the confirmation of our Independence and Sovereignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded the United States of becoming a respectable Nation, I resign with satisfaction the Appointment I accepted with diffidence.”

In the first portion, he expresses his happiness with the establishment of a sovereign nation. This was the entire point of the Declaration of Independence, the Boston Tea Party and eight years of bloodshed against the World’s greatest army.

After the preamble of the Declaration, is a list of twenty-seven grievances against the British Crown. Washington’s desire to break the political bands from the Monarchy and establish an independent nation was greater than his desire for anything else, including returning to his wife at Mt. Vernon and the temptation of near infinite authority.

It’s in this concept, where we can infer part of the solution. Your desire for the Goal must be greater than the desire for any alluring interference. It may sound obvious, but it’s not that simple. If it were, all you would need is a spike of motivation, and you’re off to the races.

An energy drink or the right Instagram hashtag would suffice, and as I’m sure you’re aware, that doesn’t work. At the end of his message, he refers to his appointment as commander, as something he accepted with “diffidence,” which means humility and modesty. This offers us the second clue, which I’ll discuss later.

Goal Horses and Trojan Horses

Not long ago, I rode a horse for the first time; they are truly majestic. She had more muscle in her neck than I did in my entire body; admittedly not difficult to achieve. She was a gentle soul, taking great care of me, going up and down hills. However, I knew at any moment she could launch into a full gallop, and all I could do was hang on for dear life. If we were on the same page, we were fine.

During the ride, I had plenty of time to think. I thought that perhaps the horse represented our goals, and we should take great care in not allowing our horses to become distracted. I soon realized that it’s not the goal’s fault that we submit to temptation; it’s ours and the decisions we make. Then, I remembered a story from long ago where the wrong horse was embraced, leading to ruin.

We possess “Goal Horses” and we face “Trojan Horses.” For this discussion, Trojan Horses represent immediately gratifying pleasures that delay or even obliterate your goal. I’ve had countless clients tell me that they would pay money for someone to follow them around and slap junk food out of their hands.

This reminds me of the Trojan priest, Laocoon, who, suspicious of the Trojan Horse cried out in vain, “do not trust this horse!” Essentially, clients were asking for someone to yell “do not trust that donut,” as it was swatted it away. Donuts are delicious, that’s not likely to change, and it’s unrealistic to outlaw them or to coerce you into thinking they are repulsive. If you arrive at that conclusion on your own, so be it. But, how do we minimize the power of the Trojan Horses? We do this by increasing the size and strength of our Goal Horse.

Any number of methods can be used to grow the Goal Horse. It is in my experience, that She requires daily feeding. Any lapse in time reduces her size and renders her powerless to compete against Trojan Horses. The first step is writing down your goals.

This may sound elementary; which it is, but that does not diminish its effectiveness. I prefer handwritten with a pen; I endorse this practice because it is therapeutic and stimulates your mind, but I will leave that to personal preference if you wish to type. Create a vision board.

I was previously cynical about this process, but I have seen the results of people who have constructed one. Join a group or connect with an accountability partner; it could be a friend, a family member, or a stranger.

Weight Watchers and CrossFit didn’t rise to prominence through “Points” or “WODs,” as blasphemous as that sounds. They succeeded due to social support and encouragement. Do you remember the second clue about Washington? It was his diffidence; his humility. In this context, humility is understanding that you should not go it alone; we all need help. Even the great General needed his military and assistance from the French Army. We are better in partnerships; make them.

Building a larger and stronger Goal Horse requires actions based upon the decisions that you make; decisions between competing Horses. A single meaningful decision in the right direction is greater than a thousand positive thoughts without effort.

When we say “yes” to one thing, we are saying “no” to all other options. The capacity of being able to say “yes,” is limited by our faculty to say “no.” If our willpower is stuck under the heel of temptation, we must rescue it.

We can’t close our eyes and expect the monster to vanish; we must open them, look it dead-on and defeat it. The oversized beast is not fearsome. It appears to us as gifts, delights and pleasures, like the Trojan Horse that gets wheeled inside the gates, only to sabotage us from within. Trojan horses, shrunken down to fit into our palm, cannot win.

So, mount a colossal Goal Horse, ride courageously into the mouth of temptation and exit, unscathed. Do not remain leashed by your temptations; place them at the end of your rope to enjoy as you wish, and render them incapable of corrupting your journey into the mountains of success.

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Internal sensing is more than just what happens in our muscles. Interoception, a fancy word that means sensing the physiological state of the body, helps us understand when we are feeling fatigued, if our heart rate is elevated unnecessarily, and how we are breathing.¹ It is a term that links our physical selves to our emotional selves, since what we are experience at a physiological level is influenced by what happens on an emotional level.

I was in a fairly serious car accident 2 ½ years ago. As I dialed 911 to report the accident (after I pulled my car over to the side of the freeway), I couldn’t help but notice my breathing was quick and shallow and my heart rate was elevated. My body was responding not to interval training, but to the fear caused by the spinning car that hit me. My emotion had a direct impact on my physiology; my awareness of my physiology enabled me to focus on breathing slower and more deeply. Awareness gave me the opportunity to tap into what I could control in that moment.

Increasing awareness both of how it feels when the muscles are supporting our structure and tapping into our physiological markers, such as breath and heart rate, can improve our workouts and our general sense of self during everyday life.

How Muscles Work

Muscles have specialized cells embedded in the muscles called proprioceptors that send information to the brain about all things movement related, including position in space and force production or muscular contraction.² Muscles allow joints to move by working together with other muscles.

Many muscles are always working a little bit to keep us upright. When someone says, “my glutes don’t fire,” or “my physical therapist told me my TrA isn’t working,” this isn’t entirely accurate. If your glutes weren’t working and your transverse abdominis wasn’t firing, you wouldn’t be standing. Muscles support the skeletal structure to keep us upright, but also generate force to enable dynamic, athletic movement. The force created by the muscles allows load to be transmitted from one joint to another in an efficient way.³

Try this:

• Let your arms hang by your side. Imagine someone is taking hold of your right hand, pulling the hand down a little bit.
• Imagine that same person is reaching your arm forward, gently guiding it up overhead and then slowly lowering it back down to its starting position. How does that feel?
• Next, imagine there someone is pushing your arm down. As you raise your arm up, you are resisting the person that is pushing your arm down, and then you try to overcome him. How does that feel?

In which situation does your arm feel lighter? Hopefully, the one where the person is lifting your arm for you. In the second scenario, you are increasing internal force to overcome the imaginary person. Simply by changing your perspective of what was happening to your arm, you changed what you experienced.

When I reach my arm overhead to grab a towel off the top shelf, which strategy is more effective? What about if I am pushing a kettlebell overhead?

The amount of internal force we create with our muscles should adequately meet the demands of the task. The ability to feel both what it’s like when our body feels light and what it’s like when our body feels tense or engaged enables us to better channel the right response at the right time.

Movement Habits

We all have movement habits. These habits are created by our natural tendencies, by what we’ve been taught, and what feels easiest to us most of the time. It’s the way our body and brain have decided is the most efficient way to perform a task.

Those of us who spend a lot of time thinking about movement have created a diverse portfolio of responses. While we have default patterns when we are tired, our movements are often varied. We consciously don’t sit down in the chair the same way because we have lots of ways to sit. We feel when we are arching our back to lift our arms or gripping our hands when we are trying to balance because we have devoted a chunk of our lives to deliberately practicing the skill of movement.

The rest of us don’t give our movement a whole lot of thought. We go through the day, performing our chores, getting up and down from chairs, and getting done what needs to be done using the motor patterns that are most efficient. These patterns are often learned from the people we imitate, like teachers, coaches, or parents. Sometimes, they are a default setting we picked up along the way. Just because the pattern exists doesn’t always mean it’s useful. In fact, often times our movement patterns inhibit us from fully experiencing work in other parts of our bodies.

You can’t change what you can’t feel, and often our habits become so entrenched over time that unless someone that isn’t your spouse or parent points it out to you, it will be difficult to begin exploring other ways of moving and physically responding to various tasks. Once you are aware of your tendency, it will be glaring. You will notice the frequency with which you engage in a specific way of moving or holding yourself.

How to Integrate Awareness

There are a few easy ways to integrate awareness into your movement practice. Let’s start with understanding tension.

Say you carry a lot of tension in your hands. What I mean by this that is you unnecessarily grip your hands throughout the day and habitually tighten your fingers when you are doing things that are challenging for you or that require a lot of concentration, like balancing. Consciously contracting the hands will send information up to brain about what that sensation feels like.

Try this:

• Notice your hands. Let them rest by your side. Observe the sense of your fingers and how your hands are resting.
• Make really strong fists with your hands. I mean, really strong, so strong that you start shaking. Hold that for a breath.
• Open your fingers and imagine you are spewing energy from your fingertips. This should feel like work. Hold here for a breath.
• Go back and forth between making a fist and opening your hands for three rounds.
• Rest your hands by your sides again. Sense your hands and your fingers. Are you holding your hands in a more relaxed manner? Do your fingers feel different?

The tricky part about learning to create tension in a specific area is that it requires an understanding about how the body part works. Sometimes it is necessary to do a little bit of isolated joint mobility work at low tension so you can have a strong connection with the area you want to focus on before generating a strong muscular contraction.

You can also use external load, like weights, to create muscular tension. In the example of the hands, picking up heavy kettlebells and engaging your fingers around the handles will create a strong contraction. Make sure you actually feel the muscles of your hands working to overcome the load so then you can feel the contrast of what you experience in your hands when you are resting.

Another way to do this with load is to use a lighter weight and slow things down significantly. If you’ve spent time in the gym, you understand intuitively that moving slowly through an exercise is harder. If you don’t believe me, perform 20 quick, push ups. Then, after a short rest of 1-2 minutes, perform another round of push ups. Except this time, lower down for a low count of six and press up for a slow count of six. During which scenario do you feel more work? Slow, controlled exercise can be a powerful tool for increasing your ability to sense what’s happening in a muscle.

The opposite of feeling contraction is feeling ease. Our tendency, in general, is to want to effort through things, so this can be a little bit trickier. A simple technique to create a sense of ease is to breathe into the area you want to relax. Let’s imagine you want your upper traps to relax.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Observe the sense of your body against the floor. Which parts of you rest against the floor? Which parts pull away from the floor? Are there any body parts that demand your attention?
• Inhale through your nose, directing your attention and breath towards your upper traps. Exhale slowly through your mouth and feel your shoulder blades sink into the floor. Let your exhale be twice as long as your inhale (I commonly teach inhale for a count of four, then exhale for a count of eight). Breathe here for four breaths.
• After you have focused your attention and breath on your upper traps, shift your awareness to your ribs. Notice how they expand with your inhale and contract in on the exhale. Keep the same breathing pattern, and inhale for a count of four through the nose. Then exhale for a count of eight from your mouth. With each exhale, feel your ribs sink closer to the floor. Breathe here for four breaths.
• Finally, change your focus to your head. Feel the weight of your head on the floor as you inhale. As you exhale, imagine your jaw is relaxing and your head is sinking into the ground. Breathe here for four breaths.

Once you are finished, observe how you feel. Is your sense of which areas press into the floor (and which don’t) different than it was when you first laid down?

A big part of understanding what your body is experiencing involves taking the time to check in with yourself and by noticing when things feel different. By using body scans and simple breathing, you can enhance your awareness.

By connecting to what you sense and how you feel during and after your physical activity, you can learn how to self-regulate and encourage a mind-body connection. This awareness will seep into your everyday life as you become more aware of what you are feeling—both physically and emotionally. Awareness gives you the ability to choose between continuing to move in the same way or to try something different. And choice is powerful.

References:

1. Ceunen, E., Vlaeyen, J.W.S., & Van Diest, I., (2016). “On the origin of interoception“, Frontiers in Psychology, 2016.

2. Dover, G., & Powers, M.E., (2003). “Reliability of joint position sense and force-reproduction during internal and external rotation of the shoulder“, Journal of Athletic Training, 38(4), 304-310.

3. Abernathy, B., Hanrahan, S., & Kippers, V., Pandy, M., McManus, A., & Mackinnon, L., (2013). Biophysical Foundations of Human Movement, 3rd Edition. Human Kinetics.

The post Embrace Interoception Through Body Awareness appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

One of the challenges and ironies in sports and fitness is that the desire to arrive at a future destination and goal requires the ability to fully access the present moment. But when it comes to defining success, many fall into the trap of living for the future. They tell themselves “I’ll be happy when…” Conversely, some avoid the present by living in fear and anxiety rooted in past trauma.

Beyond our own thoughts, the reality of modern life also adds complexity and challenges to staying present: the increasing speed and pace of life, the impact of technology, and the constant competition for our eyeballs, attention, and thoughts. In sport and fitness, you’re hard-pressed to see a facility without bells and whistles, screens, and distractions everywhere. Ultimately, the reality is that exorcising past demons and arriving at your future goals has everything to do with finding the present. While navigating through the hectic landscape of distractions and finding a state of mindfulness is challenging, it’s also doable. Here’s how.

1. Get There Early

One of my high school teachers used to say “better never than late,” every time someone would saunter in tardy to class. He was being cheeky, but when it comes to training, he was right. Nothing throws off your sports and fitness performance like rushing into it. Everyone can agree that a proper warm up is essential to prevent injury and achieve optimal results, but the mind needs a proper warm up, too. Warming up your mind means mentally preparing by finding your own mantra for the day, setting expectations, and establishing your plan of action. Taking even just a few moments to ponder what you want to accomplish that day can help immensely.

Find stillness in your mind. Visualize your whole routine (start, middle, and end), not just the finish line.

2. How You Breathe Matters

I’ll never forget my first class in martial arts. Not because of the colorful kicks or powerful punches I learned, but because of something my sifu said. We were watching two classmates spar and he turned to me and said, “I can tell how well someone fights by one simple thing: how well they breathe.” Though breathing is the most natural and vital thing all human beings do, breathing well is not as easy as it sounds. Add in vigorous exercise, or the adrenaline and fear of an activity like fighting, and breathing effectively or efficiently can be a downright formidable task

be present with your breath before you train. Inhale for a five count and exhale for a five count, for 5 breaths.

Begin your practice with intentional breathing, and you will find it easier to do during the movements. [Photo credit: J Perez Imagery]

3. Let Your Body Be Your Teacher

An indispensible step in your mindful preparation for movement is to take an inventory of your body. Combined with your breathing practice, scanning your body with each inhale and exhale is a good habit prior to training. Think of the body as a metaphor to help bring you into a mindful state. If your shoulder is sore, ask where you’re shouldering a load. If your hamstring hurts, ask yourself where you are hamstrung in life. Think of the analogy of car and driver—your body is the car, and your mind is the driver. Doing that once-over before starting the engine and racing off can make a huge difference.

Your body is constantly talking. Ask it what you need to know before training.

4. Put the Phone Down

Years before smart phones existed, I trained with a weekly powerlifting group. As a sports junky, I used to frequently head over to the TV between sets to check on the scores of the latest game. One day, the coach of our group asked me to stop, suggesting the sports scores can wait, but if I wanted to pull a PR off the ground for a deadlift, it needed my full attention, before, during and after the lift. He was right. Look, I get it. Smartphones are here to stay, and have become ingrained into every facet of our lives in less than 10 years. We all use them all the time. But heavy smart phone use is also linked to both depression and anxiety, not to mention negative traits like narcissism. Increasingly finding places to unplug is an imperative mindfulness practice. The gym is one such place.

Take a break from media for the one hour you train. Give your training the full attention it deserves.

5. Take a Practice Shot

Perhaps the most mindful practice athletes do with regularity is the practice shot. The world of sports is full of such movements: the basketball player at the free throw line, the fighter shadow boxing, or the golfer taking her practice swing. But such movements are more than just physical: they are mindful moments as well. We’ve all heard the aphorism that practice makes perfect, but practice is also as critical in slowing down your mind. There is a reason that every spiritual faith on the planet uses ritual of some sort. A ritual is both ceremony and a way of observance. Said another way, a practice shot, or ritual, is the practice of dedicating your entire focus to performing with purpose, intention, and mindfulness.

Attach a mental picture or word to your movement, WHETHER IT’S CALM, FOCUS, OR BREATHE. Use it before you shoot that ball or throw that punch.

6. Be Your Own Hero

Joseph Campbell famously stated, “You are the hero of your own story.” I recently stayed with my best friend for a week and played basketball with his kids every day. The big brother emulated the mannerisms his hero, Steph Curry. The younger siblings emulated their hero, their big brother. In sport and fitness, we follow the examples of our heroes, trainers, and coaches. But mindfulness occurs when we follow our own example. It’s easier said than done. Life’s escapisms like reality TV, spectator sports, and pop culture all encourage us to live vicariously through our heroes. But being mindful means becoming your own beloved, admired, and illustrious self.

When you practice and perform, see yourself as the hero—good enough, worthy enough, and loved enough to stand tall.

7. Don’t Take Anything Personally

If you’re fortunate enough to come across a great coach in sport and fitness, you’ll learn that great coaches do one thing really well: They tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear. This runs counter to a world where we choose the friends we have, filter the type of news we read, and customize the media we consume. Human nature is to surround ourselves with like-minded people who make us feel good, instead of those who tell us our shortcomings. While the ego doesn’t like to feel less than worthy, the mindful individual seeks feedback. Mindful people use feedback as data, motivation, and useful information in perfecting their craft.

Seek opportunities for feedback. Listen and learn.

8. Offer Humility in All Surroundings

I recently started a new job where I felt like the dumbest guy in the room on my first day of work. After telling this to a close confidant, she offered, “Courage is walking into a room full of intimidating people with humility, ready to contribute with what you have to offer.” Our defense mechanism in a new environment is to put on masks. We either puff out our chest or shrivel down, feeling less than worthy. Neither scenario serves us. Rather, we must all realize that everyone is worthy and has something of value to offer.

Watch for false pride. Instead offer humility, be willing to learn, and display your unique talents.

9. Face Your Setbacks

Ryan Holiday’s recent book, The Obstacle Is the Way, has been embraced by several great coaches including Joe Maddon, Pete Carroll, and Bill Belichick. Those great coaches understand that being mindful means that when you face an obstacle, you face it head on. Holiday’s book is based on the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, who said, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Turning a trial into triumph has everything to do with being mindful and accepting the present moment.

When you get to that fork in the road, take it.

10. Express Gratitude

Studies show that those who express gratitude feel better and are more optimistic than those who dwell on the negative. Furthermore, those who regularly give thanks exercise more and have fewer visits to the doctor. One of the biggest tools in finding gratitude is the power of perspective. Ego says someone always has it better than you. Perspective tells quite the opposite story. Perspective is the realization that while your set back is real, it could be much worse. Perspective is the realization that while your goal is important, it’s not nearly as important as giving back, making a difference, or expressing purpose in life. While your desire to compete, lose weight, and rehab your injury is noble, your insistence on perfection and negative comparisons to others is simply ego. Gratitude is the great equalizer in the equation.

Close your practice with a ritual of gratitude for the opportunity to demonstrate your physicality and express your unique gifts.

Mindfulness Is for Every Athlete

As any martial artist knows, the external is most effective with connecting to the internal. It’s baked into the system. In yoga, a mindful practice is has everything to do with the successful expression of physicality. But mindfulness isn’t just for yogis and kung fu fighters. Mindfulness is a way to train whether you crush weights, run distance, or play sports. In the end, being mindful is not only a way to better training, it’s your path to a better life.

You don’t have to hold still to meditate:

The Art of Mindful Movement

The post 10 Lessons in Mindfulness appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you’re trying everything but the basics in your quest for fitness, that could be just where you’re going wrong.

[Photo credit: RXd Photography]

Another alarming trend is for these so-called professionals to focus on the minutiae, where everyday gym people are being instructed to follow complex periodised training and nutrition plans as if they’re Olympic athletes competing for a world record. Whilst this type of approach works for a small percentage of the population, more often than not, it fails to be effective for the masses.

Here’s why: Overcomplicating training and nutrition leads to a lack of adherence. If the regime is too complex or too hard to follow, then it will end up in the ‘too hard’ basket. And if it lands into the ‘too hard’ basket than that person can say goodbye to achieving their goal.

The reason for this is simple. Consistency of action is the linchpin of all results. If there is no consistent progress towards a goal, then there can be no growth and therefore, no achievement of that goal. And one of the major contributors to inconsistent action is complexity – after all, once it’s in the ‘too hard’ basket it will most likely be forgotten and never looked at again.

So how can this be avoided? It’s easier than you may think. Establishing a solid workout regime does not need to be tricky; just as creating a healthy eating habits does not need to be complicated.

Often, the simplest approach is the way to obtain the greatest results. Let’s look at four ways you can simplify your approach to amplify your results.

Base Your Training Program Around Big Lifts

Get back to the basics. The bulk of your program should consist of compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats, lunges, and push and pull exercises. Consider these like the exercise equivalent of a macronutrient; meaning, these movements will provide your body with the most benefits.

You probably already know, they are named ‘compound’ exercises because they work many muscle groups simultaneously. So including them in your program you will put you at an advantage, as you will save time by working a large number of muscles at the same time, whilst teaching your body how to move in a coordinated fashion. Compound exercises also have a high transfer of skill to other areas of life.

For years, athletic coaches have been using basic lifts to enhance athletic performance; in fact, the majority of their programming is based on this principle. Therefore, if athletes rely on simple exercises to perform at an optimal level then so can you.

Now, before you protest about your need for variety in your programming, consider the following: exercise selection is just one variable that you can manipulate. To get variety you can change many other variables, such as rest, load, tempo and volume.

To achieve your goals faster and more effectively, focus on executing the basics really well. The more variety and changing there is in a program, the less likely your body will be able to adapt. And besides if you’re looking for entertainment value, maybe you should go to the movies instead.

Avoid Exercising For The Sake Of Burning Calories

‘Burning calories’ – or a calorie deficit – has long been touted as the most effective way to strip body fat. But, that does not mean the goal of exercising should only be to get a sweat and burn calories. Especially considering that for many, ‘burning calories’ is often achieved solely through ‘cardio’ sessions.

This is an outdated and dangerous mindset to have because when your focus is ‘how many calories am I burning?’ you lose sight of the big picture. The key is to remember this: any goal – and that includes fat loss – requires some form of strength training to be undertaken. Of course, lifting weights doesn’t necessarily burn a heap of calories in itself; but what it lacks in ‘burn,’ it makes up for in other ways.

Resistance training will increase muscle strength and size, which improves your metabolism. As a result of gaining more muscle, the body will become more sensitive to hormonal shifts and better equipped to burn fat as a fuel source. So not only will strength training enhance the way someone looks but it will help them function better as well. It is these types of benefits that are missed when the focus is on burning calories.

Keep Your Nutrition Plan Achievable And Enjoyable

If there is one area where people are most commonly misguided it is here. Many people make the mistake of focusing on the one per cent; meaning, they focus on the one per cent of their nutritional habits that actually don’t have much of an impact on their overall results. Honestly, it doesn’t matter if Cacao powder or Chia seeds are added to a smoothie. Nor does it really matter whether the chicken is weighed or not. It is not good practice to spend a lot of time making decisions that do not offer a big return.

What is more important is placing your attention on the ‘big rocks’ of nutrition; those that will offer the greatest benefit. When you focus on the 80 per cent of daily habits that have the biggest influence on your health, performance, and aesthetics you will really start to see a difference. For example, fresh vegetables and fruits, high quality protein, fats, and some grains should be the staples in your diet. The other 19 per cent can be for whatever food or drink you like.

Whatever your goal, the result will depend on your ability to nourish your body with the appropriate fuel. And this process also relies on the consistency of your eating, as well as ensuring it is enjoyable so you stick with it. Success lies in eating in a way that is intuitive for you, and in a way that can done with ease for the rest of your life. Restrictive, complicated or calorie-sparse diets will not be sustainable for the long term.

Manage Stress And Recover Well

Have you ever stopped to consider the impact that stress has on your ability to get results? If not, you are not alone! The dots between stress, recovery and results are rarely connected. Stress management skills and building in recovery time are often dismissed as being indulgent, yet they are the basis on which most training outcomes rely upon.

The quality of your workouts are directly related to how well-nourished and how well-rested your body is. With inadequate sleep or insufficient recovery, your body simply can’t cope with demands of training. This is because, in these states, the body’s hormonal system will respond as if it is being threatened, which leads to consequences such as illness, injury, fatigue, foggy brain, fat gain and an inability to achieve results.

You cannot expect gains when the body is trying to deal with a stressed out or fatigued system. Create dedicated recovery time in your day. This could be a time when you undertake activities such as journalling, meditating, going for a walk, napping, stretching, reading, or just hanging out with friends or family.

There you have it: Four simple ways to amplify your results. Never underestimate the power of simplicity, as success often lies in keeping things simple.

Training hard and hitting a plateau? Take a step back, then check out:

7 Ways to Break Out of a Training Rut

The post Simplify Your Approach to Amplify Your Results appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Is it possible you would benefit from a new perspective? This week’s theme is that of belief, dogma, and perspective. If you don’t think you fall into the trap of assumptions and dogma, then read these pieces and consider how you’re training.

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Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Are You a Follower of Fitness Dogma or Your Own Perspective? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.