It produces calmness, it teaches you self discipline, it soothes your soul, it give you focus, it puts things into perspective. Most of you have heard of the benefits of meditating. Many of you have tried the practice of meditating. Many of you have mastered the art of meditating. If you are in the later category you have my extreme admiration!!! No matter how many times I have tried I can’t quite seem to get the hang of it. My mind goes everywhere and the more I try to calm it the more “everywhere” it goes. But there is still hope. I recently read a magazine article and the author was looking at it from a totally different perspective than what most of us have probably heard about, and I think for those of us that have yet to master the art there might just be a way yet.
The author of the article, Amy Gross, attended a weekend retreat with Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg, who brought mindfulness meditation home from India. The idea is to pay attention each moment to your senses, emotions and thoughts, without resistance or judgment and to follow your breathing “in” and “out”. Contrary to what we’ve all read about meditating, it does not require that you sit in a certain position, facing the sun with eyes closed and finger tips touching for hours. Goldstein and Salzberg teach to find a comfortable position using good posture when you have the least amount of interruptions and sit for as little as five minutes to start. Sometimes it helps to close your eyes as it will help you focus on your other senses. Strive to understand your other feelings and senses with total focus. How does your skin feel? What does your breath sound like as the air goes through your nostrils and into your lungs? Listen to your heart beat. What are the smells around you? Goldstein and Salzberg teach not to resist your thoughts as they come to your mind but to think through them, one at a time. This is a totally different concept than what we’ve learned before. They teach to finish one thought and begin another, don’t rush through them, don’t stress over them, don’t “dwell” on them, think through them and move on to the next thought—totally relaxed and at peace. In doing this you will find it creates a mindset that allows you to deal with life on an everyday basis in a more relaxed way. Even if the thoughts are painful ones, don’t resist, explore your feelings, experience your feelings, and accept your feelings. Goldstein says “Acceptance is the key. Resistance locks in the feeling. Meditation offers infinite opportunities to open our grip. We see that we don’t lose anything by letting go-we’ve just quit an exercise in futility. Peace, according to the Buddha is the greatest happiness. And isn’t that what you said you wanted?”
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Friends
Friends
It has been said that if you have one true friend during your lifetime that you are truly blessed. Friends come and go during our lives but true friends are one of a kind. When you are in high school you will form friendships that could last well into your adult years. You will have your BFF that you will share everything with. They will know you at your best, your worst, all of your fears and secrets. You will be in daily contact with each other via phone, text, email or in person. You will be inseparable. You will promise each other that no matter what happens, you will always be BFF’s. Then you graduate and go to separate colleges. New people will come into your life and the contact that you have with you BFF will go from daily, to weekly, to whenever the two of you come back home. You still talk to each other about important issues but your time is now consumed with your new friends and activities. Then, you graduate from college and go on to grad school, then from grad school to marriage, then from marriage to a new job and soon the contact that you have with your BFF might only be a Christmas Card.
My definition of a true friend is someone that is ALWAYS there. Not someone who is there for the high points in life but someone who is there for the low ones and all the others in between. You don’t have to speak to each other daily or even monthly. People have lives and life gets in the way, but a true friend is one that you can call and no matter how long it has been the conversation picks up as if you had just spoken yesterday. There is no hesitation, there is no uneasiness everything just flows and seems natural. And there is no score keeping. It doesn’t matter who called who last, what matters is that one of you reaches out to the other and keeps the bond strong. Friendship is like any other relationship, it takes some effort to keep it alive. Part of having a true friend is knowing how to be a true friend.
I have been fortunate during my life to have had several true friends along the way. They may not have stayed in my life forever, but I still consider them true friends. My BFF and I met each other through work. We immediately found we had so many things in common and our friendship began almost immediately. We went shopping together, we shared our dreams and goals, we laughed together, we cried together, we worked out together, and we celebrated together. Eventually we both left that job and went to work for different companies. We still stayed in touch, even though new people came into our lives, we still shared those experiences with each other. Years went by and I allowed a relationship I was in put distance between she and I and for about two years we lost contact. During that time she developed cancer. The first I heard of it she was already in the hospital receiving treatments. I showed up at the hospital feeling guilty about not staying in contact with her and for not being there when she got the news. Because her immune system was so low, before you could enter her hospital room you had to “scrub up” and put on a gown and mask to minimize the germs that were introduced into her environment. I honestly worried that she wouldn’t recognize me. I walked into the room and there she lay on the hospital bed with a huge smile on her face and her arms extended to me in a hug. From that day forward we were once again inseparable. I lay with her on her bed and we went shopping through catalogs for wigs that she would need when her hair fell out. I cried with her when she began to loose her hair and I shaved her head when she was ready. The treatment was successful and the cancer went into remission for about a year. When it came back it came back with a vengeance. She was admitted to MD Anderson for treatments and I made the trip several times to stay with her on the weekends and on days I could take off. When she felt good we would dress up in her wigs and go to the video store around the corner and rent movies, then go back to her room and have popcorn and watch movies and just enjoy the time together. Her family was so considerate. If they knew I was coming they would all go home and give us the time to spend together. We talked about our goals and dreams and everything in between. She had been the picture health, she had always eaten right and exercised, taken care of herself and done everything right. I asked her if she was angry because she was sick or didn’t she ever wonder “why me?” She said that she trusted that God knew what he was doing with her life and she was at peace with that. I told her how much I admired her attitude but I would have to ask God what he was thinking. She laughed at me like she always did and just shook her head. We were so different, yet so much the same. When it was obvious that she wasn’t going to survive, we planned her funeral. The last time I saw her she was asleep in a hospital bed heavily medicated for the pain. Her mom said she had been awake all day excited to see me, but she just couldn’t stay awake any longer. I still talked to her and she would answer by grunting. Everyone in the room was amazed by the bond we had and that even though she was “somewhere else” she still responded to my being there. She died in January 2001—she was 28years old. It has been almost ten years since I last saw her physical body. She still comes to me sometimes in my dreams. We have been shopping, we have been out to lunch or dinner or we have just been for walks. She has asked about the living and I have asked about the dead. I still miss her and there will never be another true friend like her. I was angry that she was taken from me so soon but as I grew older and wiser I realized how incredibly lucky I was to have had her in my life.
So, if you are fortunate enough to have any true friends, don’t take them for granted. Don’t just assume they will be there when you get ready to pick up the phone, because we aren’t promised tomorrow and death doesn’t care how old you are or if you have accomplished everything you set out to. Life is so short and we never know if today is our last day.
It has been said that if you have one true friend during your lifetime that you are truly blessed. Friends come and go during our lives but true friends are one of a kind. When you are in high school you will form friendships that could last well into your adult years. You will have your BFF that you will share everything with. They will know you at your best, your worst, all of your fears and secrets. You will be in daily contact with each other via phone, text, email or in person. You will be inseparable. You will promise each other that no matter what happens, you will always be BFF’s. Then you graduate and go to separate colleges. New people will come into your life and the contact that you have with you BFF will go from daily, to weekly, to whenever the two of you come back home. You still talk to each other about important issues but your time is now consumed with your new friends and activities. Then, you graduate from college and go on to grad school, then from grad school to marriage, then from marriage to a new job and soon the contact that you have with your BFF might only be a Christmas Card.
My definition of a true friend is someone that is ALWAYS there. Not someone who is there for the high points in life but someone who is there for the low ones and all the others in between. You don’t have to speak to each other daily or even monthly. People have lives and life gets in the way, but a true friend is one that you can call and no matter how long it has been the conversation picks up as if you had just spoken yesterday. There is no hesitation, there is no uneasiness everything just flows and seems natural. And there is no score keeping. It doesn’t matter who called who last, what matters is that one of you reaches out to the other and keeps the bond strong. Friendship is like any other relationship, it takes some effort to keep it alive. Part of having a true friend is knowing how to be a true friend.
I have been fortunate during my life to have had several true friends along the way. They may not have stayed in my life forever, but I still consider them true friends. My BFF and I met each other through work. We immediately found we had so many things in common and our friendship began almost immediately. We went shopping together, we shared our dreams and goals, we laughed together, we cried together, we worked out together, and we celebrated together. Eventually we both left that job and went to work for different companies. We still stayed in touch, even though new people came into our lives, we still shared those experiences with each other. Years went by and I allowed a relationship I was in put distance between she and I and for about two years we lost contact. During that time she developed cancer. The first I heard of it she was already in the hospital receiving treatments. I showed up at the hospital feeling guilty about not staying in contact with her and for not being there when she got the news. Because her immune system was so low, before you could enter her hospital room you had to “scrub up” and put on a gown and mask to minimize the germs that were introduced into her environment. I honestly worried that she wouldn’t recognize me. I walked into the room and there she lay on the hospital bed with a huge smile on her face and her arms extended to me in a hug. From that day forward we were once again inseparable. I lay with her on her bed and we went shopping through catalogs for wigs that she would need when her hair fell out. I cried with her when she began to loose her hair and I shaved her head when she was ready. The treatment was successful and the cancer went into remission for about a year. When it came back it came back with a vengeance. She was admitted to MD Anderson for treatments and I made the trip several times to stay with her on the weekends and on days I could take off. When she felt good we would dress up in her wigs and go to the video store around the corner and rent movies, then go back to her room and have popcorn and watch movies and just enjoy the time together. Her family was so considerate. If they knew I was coming they would all go home and give us the time to spend together. We talked about our goals and dreams and everything in between. She had been the picture health, she had always eaten right and exercised, taken care of herself and done everything right. I asked her if she was angry because she was sick or didn’t she ever wonder “why me?” She said that she trusted that God knew what he was doing with her life and she was at peace with that. I told her how much I admired her attitude but I would have to ask God what he was thinking. She laughed at me like she always did and just shook her head. We were so different, yet so much the same. When it was obvious that she wasn’t going to survive, we planned her funeral. The last time I saw her she was asleep in a hospital bed heavily medicated for the pain. Her mom said she had been awake all day excited to see me, but she just couldn’t stay awake any longer. I still talked to her and she would answer by grunting. Everyone in the room was amazed by the bond we had and that even though she was “somewhere else” she still responded to my being there. She died in January 2001—she was 28years old. It has been almost ten years since I last saw her physical body. She still comes to me sometimes in my dreams. We have been shopping, we have been out to lunch or dinner or we have just been for walks. She has asked about the living and I have asked about the dead. I still miss her and there will never be another true friend like her. I was angry that she was taken from me so soon but as I grew older and wiser I realized how incredibly lucky I was to have had her in my life.
So, if you are fortunate enough to have any true friends, don’t take them for granted. Don’t just assume they will be there when you get ready to pick up the phone, because we aren’t promised tomorrow and death doesn’t care how old you are or if you have accomplished everything you set out to. Life is so short and we never know if today is our last day.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Art of Goal Setting
The dictionary defines the word “goal” as: the result or achievement toward which effort is directed. Studies show that only 3% of adults have written goals and plans and those 3% earn more than the other 97% put together. Why? Because if you have a clear goal and a plan to achieve it and you stick to the plan, you are less likely to get sidetracked by distractions. “But I have goals” you say. Do you really? Or do you just have dreams and wishes? A goal is not a goal until it is written down and a plan is made to reach it. Until this happens, it remains a dream and a wish. Let’s get to the art of goal setting.
First, you must realize there are different types of goals; long range (five years or more), short range, weekly, and daily. Let’s break it down and start with long range goals. Write down what you want to achieve within the next five years and BE SPECIFIC. Don’t just write down that you want to live in a bigger house. Write down “I want to live in a 3000 square foot house in the country on three acres of land”. The more specific your goal, the easier it is to visualize and the better you visualize it the more desirable it becomes. This is only an example of a long range goal. Create your own and create as many as you want, keeping in mind the time span you have given yourself to achieve it.
Next, write down your short range goals. These can be anything you want to achieve in a shorter period of time. But keep in mind they should move toward your longer range goals. Using the house example a short range goal might be; “Have an income stream that allows me to save $xxxxxx every month.” How will you make that happen? Depending on how you answer this question will depend on if you need to set additional short range goals. You might need to seek a promotion at your current job by studying for and obtaining a certain certification. Or you might need an additional job. Or you might need to payoff current debt so that you can begin saving for your house. All of these would be short range goals with the direct result being to achieve your long range goal.
Then there are weekly goals. These are very short term and should be written out at the beginning of every week. These will also become your to-do list. They will include things that have to be done, like going to the grocery store, paying bills, etc. But they should also include steps that will bring you closer to your short and long range goals. Example: If you need a certification for your current job in order to qualify for that higher paying job and allowing you to save money for your house, then one of the items on your weekly goals/to-do’s should be “study 8 hours for certification” (or however many hours you realistically believe your schedule will allow).
And finally we are down to our daily goals. This list is everything you need to accomplish in a day’s time. It could be “pick up dry cleaning”, or “go to the bank”, “take kids to soccer practice” etc. It should also include steps to reach all of the other goals we have mentioned. Let’s go back to the job certification. If your goal is to study 8 hours that week, decide how many days a week you can study (realistically) and divide by that number. If your goal is to study five days a week then you should add “study for 1.5 hours” to your daily to do’s for five days.
A few other pointers:
1. Always be specific, set time lines, give yourself numbers to follow (I am going to lose 10 pounds this month)
2. Don’t be afraid to add to your goals or to modify them. Life will ALWAYS get in the way and you will always have set backs. Expect them but don’t throw the list out, just modify it so that is achievable but not impossible.
3. Be realistic. You will never lose 50 pounds in one month. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
4. Keep your goals visible. Some people make a “dream board” by cutting out pictures from magazines of house, cars or vacation spots and putting them on their board.
5. Refer back to your to-do list often. It does you no good to write it down if you never refer back to it.
6. Mark through your goals as you achieve them. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and you will be able to visually see how you are getting closer to your long range goals.
7. Celebrate your successes. When you lose 40 pounds, not only mark it off your list but reward yourself by buying a new outfit or splurging on a manicure, pedicure or spa day.
8. No matter which goal you are working towards, always include steps every day, week, month etc that will bring you closer to realizing that goal.
9. Tell people what your goals are. It helps to keep you accountable if you know someone else is watching to see if you will make it and they can help support you in your efforts.
10. Talk to yourself as if your goal has already happened; “I am going home to my 3,000 square foot house in the country”.
11. As you accomplish your goals, set new ones. A successful life is a fulfilled life, and a fulfilled life is one in which your goals have been met.
I hope this has helped you in learning how to set your goals. It will seem awkward at first but remember that only three percent of adults have written goals, and everyone else works for them.
First, you must realize there are different types of goals; long range (five years or more), short range, weekly, and daily. Let’s break it down and start with long range goals. Write down what you want to achieve within the next five years and BE SPECIFIC. Don’t just write down that you want to live in a bigger house. Write down “I want to live in a 3000 square foot house in the country on three acres of land”. The more specific your goal, the easier it is to visualize and the better you visualize it the more desirable it becomes. This is only an example of a long range goal. Create your own and create as many as you want, keeping in mind the time span you have given yourself to achieve it.
Next, write down your short range goals. These can be anything you want to achieve in a shorter period of time. But keep in mind they should move toward your longer range goals. Using the house example a short range goal might be; “Have an income stream that allows me to save $xxxxxx every month.” How will you make that happen? Depending on how you answer this question will depend on if you need to set additional short range goals. You might need to seek a promotion at your current job by studying for and obtaining a certain certification. Or you might need an additional job. Or you might need to payoff current debt so that you can begin saving for your house. All of these would be short range goals with the direct result being to achieve your long range goal.
Then there are weekly goals. These are very short term and should be written out at the beginning of every week. These will also become your to-do list. They will include things that have to be done, like going to the grocery store, paying bills, etc. But they should also include steps that will bring you closer to your short and long range goals. Example: If you need a certification for your current job in order to qualify for that higher paying job and allowing you to save money for your house, then one of the items on your weekly goals/to-do’s should be “study 8 hours for certification” (or however many hours you realistically believe your schedule will allow).
And finally we are down to our daily goals. This list is everything you need to accomplish in a day’s time. It could be “pick up dry cleaning”, or “go to the bank”, “take kids to soccer practice” etc. It should also include steps to reach all of the other goals we have mentioned. Let’s go back to the job certification. If your goal is to study 8 hours that week, decide how many days a week you can study (realistically) and divide by that number. If your goal is to study five days a week then you should add “study for 1.5 hours” to your daily to do’s for five days.
A few other pointers:
1. Always be specific, set time lines, give yourself numbers to follow (I am going to lose 10 pounds this month)
2. Don’t be afraid to add to your goals or to modify them. Life will ALWAYS get in the way and you will always have set backs. Expect them but don’t throw the list out, just modify it so that is achievable but not impossible.
3. Be realistic. You will never lose 50 pounds in one month. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
4. Keep your goals visible. Some people make a “dream board” by cutting out pictures from magazines of house, cars or vacation spots and putting them on their board.
5. Refer back to your to-do list often. It does you no good to write it down if you never refer back to it.
6. Mark through your goals as you achieve them. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and you will be able to visually see how you are getting closer to your long range goals.
7. Celebrate your successes. When you lose 40 pounds, not only mark it off your list but reward yourself by buying a new outfit or splurging on a manicure, pedicure or spa day.
8. No matter which goal you are working towards, always include steps every day, week, month etc that will bring you closer to realizing that goal.
9. Tell people what your goals are. It helps to keep you accountable if you know someone else is watching to see if you will make it and they can help support you in your efforts.
10. Talk to yourself as if your goal has already happened; “I am going home to my 3,000 square foot house in the country”.
11. As you accomplish your goals, set new ones. A successful life is a fulfilled life, and a fulfilled life is one in which your goals have been met.
I hope this has helped you in learning how to set your goals. It will seem awkward at first but remember that only three percent of adults have written goals, and everyone else works for them.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Dear Lisa
We all have things in our life that we wished we would have done differently. There is always at least one turning point that we look back on and think “I wish I would have made better decisions during that time”. With that in mind I write this letter to my 14 year old self right after my father retired and we moved from where I was raised in Louisiana to Alabama.
Dear Lisa
You don’t have to be so angry and selfish. It’s not that your parents don’t understand you, it’s that they are having a difficult time themselves and it’s not always all about you. You see you are not the only one that had to move away from friends you had for many years. And you are not the only one that has to adjust to a new neighborhood and school. Because of your Dad’s retirement from the Air Force and the lack of jobs in the area you were in, your parents moved the family back to the place they were raised. They made a financial investment in a new home in a nice neighborhood that had kids that were yours and your sister’s age. The job your Dad thought he had there fell through and there were no other prospects on the horizon. But you were too selfish to realize the dire financial situation they were in. You were only focused on YOUR feelings-those years were all about YOU. So instead of helping emotionally and being a good example for your ten year old sister, you started skipping school, smoking cigarettes, drinking and lying to your parents. Not long after the move, you Dad had a heart attack, if it weren’t stress related the stress certainly didn’t help (and neither did you). He would not be released from the Doctor for any activity for many months. The stress level at home was very high. And how did you handle that? You became more withdrawn and felt sorrier for yourself. When your Dad was released from the Doctor your family moved back to Louisiana, your Dad he found a job and everything worked out. But how much better could you have handled that situation? Perhaps if you would have grown up a little during those years and communicated your thoughts and feelings, instead of being so rebellious and selfish, you could have grown closer to your parents when they needed your love and support at one of the lowest points in their life. Perhaps it would not have taken you so long to reach a positive place in your life if you would have acknowledged that others to through hard times and it can’t always be about you. Your parents didn’t understand you because you never gave them the opportunity to. You never allowed them in. You were too proud and independent. Those traits are very admirable; however, you need to learn to temper them. You had the opportunity to learn compassion and empathy at a young age- but you blew it, and had to wait many more years to learn that lesson and in a much more difficult situation.
I write you this letter because I am sad for you. I know your struggles and my heart aches for the pain that you will put yourself through. You are a beautiful person but you cover that up in layers of anger and rebellion towards any kind of authority. So, lay down your anger and the injustice you feel has been done to you. Lay down your pride and begin communicating your feelings (this will save you a lot of misunderstandings in the future). Lay down your selfishness, your family needs you now, they need to be united and strong and you are not allowing that to happen. This situation you find yourself in now is a BIG life lesson. If you don’t learn it now, it will be many years before you finally “get it”. Your life will be fulfilling and you will accomplish many things. But just think how much more you could achieve with your life if you learn the lessons earlier and can get on with making the world a better place.
Love,
Lisa
Dear Lisa
You don’t have to be so angry and selfish. It’s not that your parents don’t understand you, it’s that they are having a difficult time themselves and it’s not always all about you. You see you are not the only one that had to move away from friends you had for many years. And you are not the only one that has to adjust to a new neighborhood and school. Because of your Dad’s retirement from the Air Force and the lack of jobs in the area you were in, your parents moved the family back to the place they were raised. They made a financial investment in a new home in a nice neighborhood that had kids that were yours and your sister’s age. The job your Dad thought he had there fell through and there were no other prospects on the horizon. But you were too selfish to realize the dire financial situation they were in. You were only focused on YOUR feelings-those years were all about YOU. So instead of helping emotionally and being a good example for your ten year old sister, you started skipping school, smoking cigarettes, drinking and lying to your parents. Not long after the move, you Dad had a heart attack, if it weren’t stress related the stress certainly didn’t help (and neither did you). He would not be released from the Doctor for any activity for many months. The stress level at home was very high. And how did you handle that? You became more withdrawn and felt sorrier for yourself. When your Dad was released from the Doctor your family moved back to Louisiana, your Dad he found a job and everything worked out. But how much better could you have handled that situation? Perhaps if you would have grown up a little during those years and communicated your thoughts and feelings, instead of being so rebellious and selfish, you could have grown closer to your parents when they needed your love and support at one of the lowest points in their life. Perhaps it would not have taken you so long to reach a positive place in your life if you would have acknowledged that others to through hard times and it can’t always be about you. Your parents didn’t understand you because you never gave them the opportunity to. You never allowed them in. You were too proud and independent. Those traits are very admirable; however, you need to learn to temper them. You had the opportunity to learn compassion and empathy at a young age- but you blew it, and had to wait many more years to learn that lesson and in a much more difficult situation.
I write you this letter because I am sad for you. I know your struggles and my heart aches for the pain that you will put yourself through. You are a beautiful person but you cover that up in layers of anger and rebellion towards any kind of authority. So, lay down your anger and the injustice you feel has been done to you. Lay down your pride and begin communicating your feelings (this will save you a lot of misunderstandings in the future). Lay down your selfishness, your family needs you now, they need to be united and strong and you are not allowing that to happen. This situation you find yourself in now is a BIG life lesson. If you don’t learn it now, it will be many years before you finally “get it”. Your life will be fulfilling and you will accomplish many things. But just think how much more you could achieve with your life if you learn the lessons earlier and can get on with making the world a better place.
Love,
Lisa
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Fountain of Youth Part 2--Bustin Plateaus!!
I appreciate the input I received on the Fountain of Youth part 1 blog. I also appreciate that ya’ll took it as it was meant to be. Yes, it was “in your face” but in a tough love kind of way. So, if your mind is still right and you would like to learn more, please continue. If you are still in denial and one of those saying “One day I’ll make that change” or “When the kids are in school I’ll go back to the gym” or “That will be my New Year’s Resolution (AGAIN!)”—then you probably shouldn’t read any further. This blog will be entirely about plateaus which will apply to those that are putting forth the effort to be healthier NOW and with no excuses. So, here goes.
Let’s say you have been diligently working out and eating healthy- Congratulations to you. You should be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. You have been in the trenches and realize that it’s all about a lifestyle change, not just a temporary fix. In the heat of the battle you pushed forward with determination to meet your goals. You were well on your way and thought you had it all figured out, the scales were going lower and lower, the clothes sizes were smaller and smaller, the inches were falling off. Then all of sudden you hit a wall. You were expending the same amount of effort but no or very movement on the scales or tape measure. So, now you are frustrated, depressed and probably thinking “Why bother?”. Well the good news is you have not hit a permanent wall, you have hit a plateau. A plateau is defined as “a period or state of little or no growth or a decline”. And with the right tools a plateau doesn’t have to be permanent. Have you ever been driving home from your daily routine and needed to stop by the store? As you drove, your mind drifted or you were talking to your kids or spouse or jamming to the song on the radio and before you knew it you were driving your same little pig trail that brought you home every day and completely failed to make the turn that would take you to the store? That’s because even though you were distracted your mind knew where it was going because it went there everyday and it didn’t take any effort on your part to make it happen, it was all subconscious because it was a memory . Just like your mind, your muscles have memory. After you have been working out and doing the same thing over and over (because you were successful at it right?) your muscles have formed a memory of what you are expecting them to do. At first they struggled with it but after repeated efforts they start saying “Yeah, whatever, we got this” and it doesn’t take as much effort for them which means you are burning fewer calories doing the same thing that you were so successful at in the beginning.
So, what do you do? Research has shown that to keep our minds sharp it is recommended we work crossword puzzles or take a class in something because it makes us reach for things previously unknown to us, and that can be a little confusing at times. We do the same thing with our muscles, and it is called muscle confusion. We want to “shock” our muscles by doing something totally different from what we have done in the past. Here we go again, getting out of our comfort zones!!! For example, your exercise of choice has been to walk three miles a day. I’ll bet you are walking the same route. Change it! Find a route that has hills or a trail in the woods where the terrain is different. Or add some jogging into your walking routine. Wear a stop watch and walk for 3 minutes and jog for a minute. If you enjoy the jogging (and it doesn’t cause any joint pain) begin increasing your jog time until your jog time is equal to your walk time (walk 3 minutes, jog 3 minutes, etc). Or you can change your exercise of choice altogether and start riding a bike or taking an aerobics class or swimming. Whatever YOU enjoy doing, just make it different from what you were doing previously. After about a week or two you will notice everything will start moving again. Ta-Dah!! End of plateau. But beware, you will hit it again. That’s why you have to keep mixing your workouts up.
The same applies for lifting weights. If you can do 1,000 pull ups a day , guess what? You are maintaining but probably not progressing—muscle memory. Change it up! For example, many gyms have “circuit” machines, where you go from machine to machine working different muscle groups. A lot of times these machines are recommended for beginners because they are extremely effective and will help with form. However, after a time BAM there’s the wall!!! Then you have to learn something new because the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Learn how to use free weights or use your own body weight to create resistance. You will be working the same muscle groups but in a different manner and it will confuse them and they will start firing right up again burning up those calories.
Something relatively new in research is that we are learning that eating the same foods day in and day out will cause the same plateau effect. Change up what you put in your mouth. Keep it healthy but maybe not eat that apple and peanut butter EVERYDAY for breakfast. Maybe have a bowl of high fiber cereal or a protein shake. DRINK WATER!!! LOTS OF WATER!!! You can’t drink too much. You may have to move your office into the bathroom but water benefits us in more ways than we know. It helps our digestive system, it hydrates, it keeps our skin looking younger and it has NO CALORIES or sugars or additives or fillers. Water is as natural as nature can get.
To summarize: The thing to remember about plateaus is they are temporary IF you change your routine AND don’t give up. Remember the definition of insanity. Don’t be afraid of change. You have already made huge lifestyle changes, don’t let the plateaus in life stop you from moving forward and reaching your goals. Learn something different. Do something different. In addition to busting plateaus “change” and “different” are confidence builders. Don’t be afraid to confuse ‘em and shake things up a bit. As always, if I can help you, please let me know.
“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better”- Jim Rohn.
Let’s say you have been diligently working out and eating healthy- Congratulations to you. You should be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. You have been in the trenches and realize that it’s all about a lifestyle change, not just a temporary fix. In the heat of the battle you pushed forward with determination to meet your goals. You were well on your way and thought you had it all figured out, the scales were going lower and lower, the clothes sizes were smaller and smaller, the inches were falling off. Then all of sudden you hit a wall. You were expending the same amount of effort but no or very movement on the scales or tape measure. So, now you are frustrated, depressed and probably thinking “Why bother?”. Well the good news is you have not hit a permanent wall, you have hit a plateau. A plateau is defined as “a period or state of little or no growth or a decline”. And with the right tools a plateau doesn’t have to be permanent. Have you ever been driving home from your daily routine and needed to stop by the store? As you drove, your mind drifted or you were talking to your kids or spouse or jamming to the song on the radio and before you knew it you were driving your same little pig trail that brought you home every day and completely failed to make the turn that would take you to the store? That’s because even though you were distracted your mind knew where it was going because it went there everyday and it didn’t take any effort on your part to make it happen, it was all subconscious because it was a memory . Just like your mind, your muscles have memory. After you have been working out and doing the same thing over and over (because you were successful at it right?) your muscles have formed a memory of what you are expecting them to do. At first they struggled with it but after repeated efforts they start saying “Yeah, whatever, we got this” and it doesn’t take as much effort for them which means you are burning fewer calories doing the same thing that you were so successful at in the beginning.
So, what do you do? Research has shown that to keep our minds sharp it is recommended we work crossword puzzles or take a class in something because it makes us reach for things previously unknown to us, and that can be a little confusing at times. We do the same thing with our muscles, and it is called muscle confusion. We want to “shock” our muscles by doing something totally different from what we have done in the past. Here we go again, getting out of our comfort zones!!! For example, your exercise of choice has been to walk three miles a day. I’ll bet you are walking the same route. Change it! Find a route that has hills or a trail in the woods where the terrain is different. Or add some jogging into your walking routine. Wear a stop watch and walk for 3 minutes and jog for a minute. If you enjoy the jogging (and it doesn’t cause any joint pain) begin increasing your jog time until your jog time is equal to your walk time (walk 3 minutes, jog 3 minutes, etc). Or you can change your exercise of choice altogether and start riding a bike or taking an aerobics class or swimming. Whatever YOU enjoy doing, just make it different from what you were doing previously. After about a week or two you will notice everything will start moving again. Ta-Dah!! End of plateau. But beware, you will hit it again. That’s why you have to keep mixing your workouts up.
The same applies for lifting weights. If you can do 1,000 pull ups a day , guess what? You are maintaining but probably not progressing—muscle memory. Change it up! For example, many gyms have “circuit” machines, where you go from machine to machine working different muscle groups. A lot of times these machines are recommended for beginners because they are extremely effective and will help with form. However, after a time BAM there’s the wall!!! Then you have to learn something new because the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Learn how to use free weights or use your own body weight to create resistance. You will be working the same muscle groups but in a different manner and it will confuse them and they will start firing right up again burning up those calories.
Something relatively new in research is that we are learning that eating the same foods day in and day out will cause the same plateau effect. Change up what you put in your mouth. Keep it healthy but maybe not eat that apple and peanut butter EVERYDAY for breakfast. Maybe have a bowl of high fiber cereal or a protein shake. DRINK WATER!!! LOTS OF WATER!!! You can’t drink too much. You may have to move your office into the bathroom but water benefits us in more ways than we know. It helps our digestive system, it hydrates, it keeps our skin looking younger and it has NO CALORIES or sugars or additives or fillers. Water is as natural as nature can get.
To summarize: The thing to remember about plateaus is they are temporary IF you change your routine AND don’t give up. Remember the definition of insanity. Don’t be afraid of change. You have already made huge lifestyle changes, don’t let the plateaus in life stop you from moving forward and reaching your goals. Learn something different. Do something different. In addition to busting plateaus “change” and “different” are confidence builders. Don’t be afraid to confuse ‘em and shake things up a bit. As always, if I can help you, please let me know.
“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better”- Jim Rohn.
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