Almost daily I spend at least 10 minutes reinforcing my emotional and mental sanity. And, really, that’s all it takes. Just 10 minutes. What is this miracle cure, you ask? Meditation.
Yep, that’s it. No miracle pill or the latest herb from the Amazon.
I just sit quietly for 10 minutes. It never ceases to amaze me how much this simple practice helps. I feel more calm, more in control, and more open to possibilities and challenges.
I highly recommend meditation to anyone. Personally, I do a form of meditation taught by Pema Chodron in her many wonderful books about the Buddhist way. However, there are many forms of meditation, some more formal than others, and you should find out what works for you.
If you want to check out Pema’s book that I first taught me about meditation, go here:
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Shambhala Library)
Otherwise, I encourage you to do some research and find your own path to serenity.
Don’t be. Check out this article on the New York Times website that cites two studies advocating heavier weights and fewer repetitions for those wanting to slim down.
According to the article, in order to get bulky muscles, you need to not only train, but eat a lot to support all the muscle synthesis. Women trying to lose body fat don’t eat enough calories to support that kind of muscle gain.
Go here to check out the article in full.
[NY Times]
A study done at the University of Essex found that spending 5 minutes outside can boost mood and self-esteem. Any “green activity” will do to get the benefits. This can include walking, gardening, boating and cycling. Researchers even included farming in the study. According to the study, it doesn’t really seem to matter which activity you do, as long as it’s outside and at least 5 minutes in length. As an added boost, areas with water seemed to have even more of a positive effect.
Five Minutes in the Green Can Boost Self Esteem [Reuters]
I was watching this movie the other night. Actually it was the second movie in the series. Not that great of a movie, but my girlfriend was gone for the weekend, so I was flying solo, and was a little bored. What can I say… 
Although I like the first Back to the Future a lot better than the second one, and the series itself is silly…time travel, really?…I realized that the movies do convey a good lesson.
In the movie, various choices the characters make lead to the changing of the time continuum. The future or past is effected, usually negatively. This results in Doc and Marty then zooming off to another time to fix the messes.
The lesson I took away from this? Well, we can’t do that. Going back (or forward) in time to fix our mistakes or smooth out our regrets isn’t an option. The choices we make have consequences…some good, some bad, some indifferent. But maybe even more important, the choices we don’t make also have consequences. The things you don’t do affect your future tomorrow.
For good or bad, you don’t usually know the result of your choice beforehand. Decide not to go to the gym today? Maybe today was the day you finally chest pressed that weight you’ve been struggling with for a month. The motivation from this victory kicks your routine into high gear for the next 4 weeks, including 5 lbs down on the scale. Decide you’re too tired to hang out with your kids tonight? Maybe that would have been the night you were out in the yard with your daughter showing her the Big Dipper when she decides she’s going to be an astronaut.
The point is, you never know what you might have missed if you don’t do something. So why not do what you can while you can? You just might change the future.
“Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.”
From The Prince, Nicolo Machiavelli
