Taking Back My Body and My Mind

Grain Belt Pictures
Originally uploaded by James Godman

I left work yesterday feeling pretty good. I was motivated, ready to re-ignite the fuel in my tank and get ready for a quick wog (walk/jog) through my neighborhood. And then, during my commute home I suddenly lost the motivation to do anything. Traffic was bumper to bumper, I was getting hungry, and I needed to take a pit stop in the "men's room". At that point all I wanted to do was go home and do nothing.

When I finally pulled up in front of my house, I had to make a decision. Was I in or out. Was I in this for the long run? Was I ready to take my body back? Was I ready to discipline my mind and get myself back out on the "turf" and make moves?

And then I just stopped... I began reflecting on The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. He talks a lot about separating yourself from the mind and connecting with the inner body. More importantly, he talks about being present and in the Now. What can be done at this moment.

"What you think of as the past is a memory trace, stored in the mind, of a former Now." So the traffic, which was the start of my de-motivation was in the past. What could I do Now to take back my mind and body? I immediately rushed into my apartment, grabbed a snack, tossed my work clothes into the dry cleaners' pile, hit the "men's room", threw on my sweats, kissed my wife and daughter and then headed out to the back yard.

It was time. I gave myself ten minutes. I did this for a number of reasons. One, I promised that I was going to train as a working parent with limited time. Although I would like to squeeze in 30 -60 minutes, I can't always do so. Ten minutes gives me the opportunity to give my body a release and it gives me a sense of self-mastery. Why? Because I took control of my mind and body and didn't allow outside distractions to dissuade me.

Secondly, for beginners, I wanted to show that it doesn't take much to jump start an exercise routine. Just ten minutes a day, or every other day or twice a week. Soon you'll be able to do a little more each time. But to start off, you have to go easy on yourself.

Thirdly, I wanted to get some sort of baseline. What can I do that is comfortable, simple, and won't allow me to over exert myself and eventually become discouraged? So on your first time out, if you can only do five minutes comfortably, then you've accomplished something. Applaud yourself. If you have the time and can do an hour... then you've accomplished something. Applaud yourself. The problem is when you over do it in the beginning and it is no longer fun. That's when you lose motivation.

Let me take it a step further. I'm not saying don't push yourself. Eventually you have to. But not to the point of pain! You'll know when you're ready. And if you don't that's when it's important to get some support. A certified personal trainer, or a friend or family member, can provide you with support. But I'll talk about that another day.

Now, back to my WOG. I did a brief warm up. Walking from the front of my house to the back yard, for about two minutes to loosen up my joints. It also gave me time to find some music on my iPod and then to Genius it. I think I started with Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyes Peas. I ended up with 20 songs to WOG to. Isn't technology amazing?!

Next I went to the extras option and then to the stopwatch on my trusty iPod, and then I started my walk. Not just any walk. I power walked. I did this for about four minutes. At that point I started an intense jog for about two minutes. I had to keep an eye on the road as well as the stopwatch. Believe me, for safety reasons, keeping my eyes on the road was most important. At the end of the two minutes, I turned around and power walked back.

When I reached the full ten minutes, I still had a distance to go before I was home because of how I set up my routine. The jog took me further away from home and left me only four minutes to finish my goal for the day. This was done on purpose. After power waling and jogging, my heart rate would need to return to normal. So the remaining minutes, I walked at a normal pace, allowed my heart rate to slow down... and then I was home. Fifteen minutes max.

But that's what I could do. What about you?