"Working Out Is Too Expensive"
Just as you don't need to run marathons to benefit from exercise, you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on clothes, equipment, and gym memberships to get the exercise you need. When it comes down to it, the only thing you really, really need is a good pair of walking or running shoes.
Consider these ways to work around this barrier: - EXPLORE THE YMCA OR COMMUNITY CENTERS. Although you don't need a health-club membership to get the exercise you need, it can be nice to have access to workout equipment, classes, and trainers. Some clubs can be incredibly expensive, but there are a lot of them that aren't. YMCAs are generally very reasonably priced, as are community-center gyms, and often these facilities offer a sliding pay scale depending on how much people can afford.
- INVEST IN YOUR SHOES. You can spend thousands of dollars on exercise clothes and equipment, but really, you don't need them. Comfortable, sweat-wicking clothes can be nice, but these don't have to be expensive, and you don't need a different outfit for every day of the month. What you really can't skimp on are walking/running shoes. They support your feet and help keep your joints happy. Check with your network of friends or colleagues at work to figure out which ones will give you the best value for the support you need for your exercise routine.
"There's No Place to Exercise in My Neighborhood"
This is a problem we have all dealt with at some point in our lives, maybe for all of our lives: lack of sidewalks or open spaces; no health clubs close enough to home. It's hard to get a good workout if there's simply no place nearby to exercise. Yet there are ways to overcome this barrier.
Consider these suggestions: - WORK OUT AT HOME. It may not be your first choice, but working out in your living room or bedroom can be just as good as doing it outside. It just takes a bit more planning and the right type of equipment-whether it's an exercise bike, treadmill, or good step-aerobics video. In fact, research has shown that having access to home exercise equipment can actually help boost the amount of exercise we get.32 - PLAN WORKOUTS AWAY. If there are good places to exercise away from your neighborhood-whether at work, school, or a friend's place-plan a little extra time and get in a walk or jog early in the day or before you head home.
- WORK WITH YOUR COMMUNITY TO GET TRAILS AND PATHS BUILT. This is a long-term process, not a quick fix to your problem of finding a place to be physically active. But we can all work to make our communities healthier. It can be as easy as sending an e-mail or talking to your local legislator, or as involved as organizing a presentation to the city council. Whatever you can do, it's a great move that will benefit not only you but also your loved ones and everyone else in the community.
"My Neighborhood's Just Not Safe"
The unfortunate reality is that we sometimes live in neighborhoods that just aren't that safe, and this can be a big barrier to getting the exercise we need. Not only does it cut down on our opportunities to be active; it also saps our energy as we try to figure out ways around it, all the while thinking about our safety and the safety of our loved ones.
Consider these ways to work around this barrier: - FIND A SAFE INDOOR AREA TO EXERCISE. This can be your home, a community center, or a local YMCA. Just find which one, or which combination, works best for you. Videos or TV fitness shows can get you moving at home, and community centers, YMCAs, and other types of gyms can offer access to exercise equipment and regular exercise classes.
- EXERCISE WITH A GROUP. There actually is safety in numbers. Find some folks with goals similar to yours, and get outside for walks or jogs together a few days a week. Not only will you feel safer; you'll be more motivated to get out there, since your group will be depending on you. You can make a commitment to others to exercise regularly with them. Join a dance, aerobics, or martial-arts class. It may be easier to stay motivated and interested in our exercise if we do it in a group setting.
- GO WHERE YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE. If you can, try to go to areas where you feel more comfortable to get your exercise. Maybe this is during lunch at school or work, using the stairways or the grounds nearby. Or you can make a special trip to somewhere beautiful just for a healthy change of pace.
"My Body Has Aches and Pains"
People who have chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, or type 2 diabetes may worry that physical activity would make their condition worse. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends regular physical activity to promote quality of life and reduce the risk of developing other new chronic conditions such as heart disease. recommends regular physical activity to promote quality of life and reduce the risk of developing other new chronic conditions such as heart disease.33 It is essential, however, that people with chronic conditions consult their health-care providers about the type and amounts of activity that they should routinely engage in, and get monitored by them regularly. It is essential, however, that people with chronic conditions consult their health-care providers about the type and amounts of activity that they should routinely engage in, and get monitored by them regularly.
The Mindfulness Connection Now that we have discussed the science behind the link between exercise and health, and some of the nuts and bolts of fitting exercise into your life, it's time to connect activity with the practice of mindfulness-something that will make integrating activity into your life that much easier and that much more meaningful.
The journey toward weight loss is a journey of mind and body, and in no place is this union more clear than in the act of exercise and moving-mindful moving. When we are active-whether we're walking, climbing a mountain, or working in a garden-we are bound to the moment, which is the essence of mindfulness. If we weren't really in the moment, we'd stumble, we'd lose our footing, or we'd dig up the wrong plant. And by being in the moment we connect more closely to our senses, to our meditative breathing, to our bodies in general.
All these connections ground us and help us transcend the daily stresses, the daily barrage of commercials and other hurtful stimuli, giving us the peace of mind and body that helps us lose the weight we want, achieve the healthy life we need, and touch peace.
There is no better demonstration of the power of mindfulness than the walking meditation. Walking meditation is one of the ways to contemplate peace. Walking generates the energy of peace, solidity, and freedom.
Walking Meditation Take two or three steps for each in-breath and each out-breath.Breathing in, say, "I have arrived"; breathing out, say, "I am home."Breathing in, say, "In the here"; breathing out, say, "In the now."Breathing in, say, "I am solid"; breathing out, say, "I am free." Breathing in, say, "In the ultimate"; breathing out, say, "I dwell."
To start, when you breathe in slowly, take two or three steps. Bring your attention to the soles of your feet, and become aware of the contact between your feet and the ground. Bring all your attention down to the soles of your feet.
Breathing in, take two or three steps, and say with each step, "I have arrived."
Breathing out, take another two or three steps, remaining mindful of the contact between your feet and the ground, and say, with each step, "I'm home."
But, arrived where? And where is home? you may ask.
According to the teachings and practice of the Buddha, life is available only in the present moment, in the here and now. And when you go back to the present moment, you have a chance to touch life, to encounter life, to become fully alive and fully present. That is why every step brings us back to the present moment-so that we can touch the wonders of life that are available. Therefore, when you say, "I have arrived," you're saying, "I have arrived in the here and now-the only place, the only time when life is available, and this is my true home." "I have arrived" means, "I don't want to be distracted and lost anymore, because I know that conditions for my happiness are already here in the present moment." Sometimes we believe that happiness is not possible in the here and now, that we need a few more conditions to be happy. So we run toward the future to get the conditions we think are missing. But by doing so we sacrifice the present moment; we sacrifice true life.
In our daily life, we have a tendency to think about the past, to get caught in sorrow and regret concerning the past, and to get caught in fear and uncertainty about the future, so our mind is not in the present moment. That is why it is very important to learn how to go back to the present moment in order to become fully alive, fully present. Walking meditation helps us do that easily.
WE NEED TO LEARN to walk in such a way that every step brings us stability, freedom, healing, and transformation. In order for each step to be solid, to be free, to be healing, to be nourishing, we need the energy of mindfulness and concentration, which is obtained by mindful breathing and mindful walking. "I have arrived. I am home." have arrived. I am home." That is not a statement. That is a practice, and only you can know whether you have arrived in the here and now; no one else can tell you. If you are truly established in the here and now, you feel free, light, and peaceful, and you can get in touch with all the wonders of life that are available. That is not a statement. That is a practice, and only you can know whether you have arrived in the here and now; no one else can tell you. If you are truly established in the here and now, you feel free, light, and peaceful, and you can get in touch with all the wonders of life that are available.
Walk in such a way that peace becomes a reality in every cell of your body, in every cell of your consciousness. When we breathe peacefully, the peace of our breath penetrates into our body and mind. Then very soon, in no time at all, body, mind, and breath become one in concentration, and we get the energy of stability, solidity, and freedom generated by every step we make.
After a few minutes, you may move to the third line of the meditation: "In the here. In the now." "In the here. In the now." It means I am at home in the here and now. The address of the kingdom of God, the address of peace and togetherness is the here and now, not in the past, not in the future, and not in any other location in space. It means I am at home in the here and now. The address of the kingdom of God, the address of peace and togetherness is the here and now, not in the past, not in the future, and not in any other location in space.
After some time, you might like to move to the fourth line: "I am solid. I am free." am solid. I am free." Solidity and freedom are the most important aspects of happiness. Without some solidity, without some freedom, true happiness is not possible; therefore, every step should be able to generate more solidity and freedom. And again, this is not a wish or a declaration. It is a practice. Solidity and freedom are the most important aspects of happiness. Without some solidity, without some freedom, true happiness is not possible; therefore, every step should be able to generate more solidity and freedom. And again, this is not a wish or a declaration. It is a practice.
So, "I am solid, I am free" am solid, I am free" means I notice that now I am more solid, I am freer. That makes the practice much more pleasant. You walk with dignity, like a king or queen. You walk like a lion, because you are truly yourself, with all your serenity and strength. means I notice that now I am more solid, I am freer. That makes the practice much more pleasant. You walk with dignity, like a king or queen. You walk like a lion, because you are truly yourself, with all your serenity and strength.
Every step becomes a delight. Every step has the power to heal, to transform. Not only can we heal ourselves with our steps, but we can help heal our loved ones, friends, the earth, and the environment. As we walk with mindfulness, we become calmer. Our brain becomes clearer and more lucid, allowing solutions to emerge to whatever pressing challenges we ourselves, our loved ones, our friends, or our world face.
The last line of the meditation is "In the ultimate I dwell." the ultimate I dwell." There are two dimensions to reality. The first is the historical dimension, and the second is the ultimate dimension. We have an ultimate dimension-the ground of our being-and if we know how to live deeply every moment of our historical dimension, we can touch our ultimate dimension. There are two dimensions to reality. The first is the historical dimension, and the second is the ultimate dimension. We have an ultimate dimension-the ground of our being-and if we know how to live deeply every moment of our historical dimension, we can touch our ultimate dimension.
The historical dimension can be likened to a wave. And the ultimate dimension is like the water in a wave. A wave may seem to have a beginning and an ending. A wave may be seen as high or low, big or small, different from or similar to other waves.
But the appearance of beginning and ending, high and low, more or less beautiful, belongs only to the historical dimension. Because the wave is at the same time the water. Water transcends the form of the wave, and the idea of beginning and ending, high or low, this wave or that wave. These notions apply to the wave but not to the water. The moment when the wave realizes that she is water, she loses all her fear and she enjoys much more being a wave. She is free from birth and death, being and nonbeing, high or low, because when we are able to touch our ultimate dimension, we are no longer subjected to fear-fear of being less than or more than other waves; fear of birth; fear of death.
This is a very deep practice. When you touch your true foundation, your true nature-the nature of no birth and no death-then nonfear arises. And with nonfear, true happiness becomes possible.
It is possible to live each moment of our daily life in a way that helps us touch our ultimate dimension. In fact, it is only only through living our daily life in the historical dimension deeply that we can dwell in the ultimate. through living our daily life in the historical dimension deeply that we can dwell in the ultimate.
Touching the Sky and the Earth To develop concentration, physical stability, strength, and flexibility, Thay regularly practices Ten Mindful Movements as described in the book Mindful Movements: Ten Exercises for Well-Being. Mindful Movements: Ten Exercises for Well-Being. They are simple movements based in yoga and tai chi. One of them is called Touching the Sky and the Earth. They are simple movements based in yoga and tai chi. One of them is called Touching the Sky and the Earth.
Your feet are hip-width apart with knees slightly bent. Breathing in, bring your arms up above your head, palms forward. Stretch all the way up, and look up as if you are trying to touch the sky. Breathing out, bend at the waist as you bring your arms down to touch the earth, or as far as you can comfortably reach. If your hands can touch the ground, feel your hands planted into the earth. Release your neck. From this position, breathe in, and keep your back relaxed as you come all the way back up and touch the sky. Touch the earth and sky three more times.34 Mindful Stretching and Fidgeting Fidgeting is a good way to burn off excess calories throughout our waking hours. Research has shown that we can burn calories outside formal physical activity regimens. Fidgeting-the little movements that we make such as pacing as we talk, gesturing with our hands, standing instead of sitting-can burn as much as a few hundred calories a day.35 Instead of sitting down on a chair while you are talking on the phone or talking to someone, try pacing around instead. While waiting in line at the bank or grocery store, while waiting for the bus or sitting at a red light, you can mindfully stretch, pointing and flexing your feet or flexing and relaxing your legs and arms. Or you can mindfully fidget by jiggling your limbs as you stay with your conscious breathing. Instead of sitting down on a chair while you are talking on the phone or talking to someone, try pacing around instead. While waiting in line at the bank or grocery store, while waiting for the bus or sitting at a red light, you can mindfully stretch, pointing and flexing your feet or flexing and relaxing your legs and arms. Or you can mindfully fidget by jiggling your limbs as you stay with your conscious breathing.
Increasingly, we are spending more hours sitting in front of a computer screen. We communicate with others via e-mail and blogs; we search the Web, watch movies, work on our assignments; and so forth. Try setting your computer screen higher so that you can stand up while using the computer. This way, you can take regular breaks to stretch and use more of your muscles, burning more calories. As you stretch and move around, you can also prevent back pain and shoulder aches caused by sitting and typing for extended periods.
Breathing in, I fidget and pace around.
Breathing out, I prevent my body from stiffening/tensing up.
Mindful Moving with Other Activities While mindful walking is the perfect way to begin the practice of mindful moving, you certainly don't need to limit yourself to walking if you like other activities just as much, if not more. Whether it's cycling, dancing, running, gardening, or doing yoga, you can apply the same meditative practice used in mindful walking.
If you're riding your bike, every ten pedal strokes use a line from the meditation along with your in and out breath: "I have arrived. I am home."
If you're working in a garden, every other time you dig with your spade or pull a weed, breathe in and practice: "I am solid." Breathe out and practice: "I am free."
It may seem a bit forced and odd at first, since most of us have never approached activity with meditation in mind. But as you practice, it will become an integral part of your activity, not only helping you ground yourself in the present moment but making exercise an experience you'll enjoy like you never have before. It will become a focal point of your day, when you'll be able to connect with the moment and connect with yourself, and it is through this connection, and the dynamic nature of exercise and movement, that you will be able to lose the weight you want to lose and become the healthy person you want to be.
Mindful Arm Swing A Movement to Help Untie Your External and Internal Knots This movement comes from the traditional Chinese chi qong chi qong practice. It is both releasing and invigorating. It can be done wherever you are. It does not require any equipment; your own body is the instrument. It is convenient, since you can do it anywhere, at any time, and it takes only five minutes. practice. It is both releasing and invigorating. It can be done wherever you are. It does not require any equipment; your own body is the instrument. It is convenient, since you can do it anywhere, at any time, and it takes only five minutes.
1. Stand with your feet at shoulder width; relax the body with the knees slightly bent.
2. Have your eyes focused on an object or scenery in front of you.
3. Swing your arms up straight in front of you toward the sky or ceiling, as you inhale deeply.
4. Drop and swing your arms back down all the way and behind you, as you exhale completely.
5. Repeat this up-and-down movement continually.
6. Increase the speed of the up-and-down movement gradually throughout the exercise for five minutes.
When doing this exercise, try to feel that you are "swimming" in air. You are one with the air, and you exchange energy with air. When you move the arms up and inhale, you are taking in fresh energy from all that is around you, and when you swing your arms down on the exhale, you expel all the burdensome energy. Every move is a mindful move, and every move is actively engaging with the air and your breath. You will instantly feel different after doing the arm swing for five minutes continually. Your heart is pumping, and you feel happier. The tensions in your head and around your shoulders and back muscles start to release and relax. The movement together with the breathing will take you back to yourself, uniting body and mind. If you have back problems or other physical concerns, please consult your health-care provider before starting this exercise.
Putting It All Together We have covered a lot of ground in this chapter: the health and weight-loss benefits of exercise; the amount of exercise needed to lose weight and keep it off; the important connection between mindfulness and activity; and the common barriers to getting the exercise we need. Now it is time to put it all together and create a plan for our active selves. Let's call it your inMoving Plan-where in in conveys being in the present moment. With your inMoving Plan, you will be able to set your goals, figure out ways around any issues that might keep you from reaching your goals, and plan the activities you want to do to reach your goals. conveys being in the present moment. With your inMoving Plan, you will be able to set your goals, figure out ways around any issues that might keep you from reaching your goals, and plan the activities you want to do to reach your goals.
Your in in Moving Plan Moving Plan Here are the key elements to your successful plan for increasing the amount of activity in your daily life. Go through these elements here, and then make your own action plan, following the example at the end of this section.
Like all action plans, your goals are not meant to be a static document. As you gain experience and work through barriers, your goals and tips for overcoming barriers may change. Don't be afraid to adjust things as long as you make sure you stay committed to living mindfully, staying active, and working toward your ultimate goal of losing weight and keeping it off.
Why do you want to be more physically active?
Think about the reasons you want to be more active. They can cut across all parts of your life.
Examples: I want to feel better about myself. I want to lose weight. I want to feel more energized. I want to feel better about myself. I want to lose weight. I want to feel more energized.
What's bad about being sedentary?
Think about the downsides of remaining inactive or not getting enough activity. Again, they can cut across all parts of your life.
Examples: I'll stay heavy. I won't feel good about myself. I'll feel down and sad. I'll stay heavy. I won't feel good about myself. I'll feel down and sad.
What activities do you like to do?
Think about activities that give you joy. A lot of different things can count toward your exercise time. Be sure to choose activities that you love and have fun doing. If you feel as though you don't enjoy doing anything active right now, pick the least objectionable activity, or pick one for which you have a lot of social support, such as walking with a close friend.
Examples: walking, biking, gardening, golfing, dancing, yoga, hiking walking, biking, gardening, golfing, dancing, yoga, hiking, basketball, tennis, martial arts, bowling, skating, active play with your children or grandchildren, skiing, swimming basketball, tennis, martial arts, bowling, skating, active play with your children or grandchildren, skiing, swimming What are your time goals for being active each day?
Ultimately, you want to get about thirty to eighty minutes of moderate activity (or up to about ten thousand steps) every day. Unless you're close to that right now, though, you don't want to start with that goal. It's best to build up to it, starting with one or two easier goals that you can use to step up to your overall goal. Maybe you want to start with twenty minutes a day (or twenty-five hundred steps) to start. Once you have done that for four weeks, you can move the goal to forty minutes a day (or five thousand steps). Then after another successful four weeks, you can work toward sixty minutes a day (or seventy-five hundred steps).
Example:Goal 1: 2,500 steps/day (20 minutes/day)Goal 2: 5,000 steps/day (40 minutes/day)Goal 3: 7,500 steps/day (60 minutes/day) What are two or three obstacles that can make it hard for you to be active? What are a couple ways around each of these?
Finding your way around obstacles that get in the way of being active is a necessary part of the process, and this is so for the Olympic marathoner as well as for the person just starting out. Think about some of the key things that keep you from getting out the door to get the exercise you need. They may be part of the list of barriers we went over earlier in this chapter, or they may be something else entirely. Once you have the top two or three, write them down and then come up with ways you can get around them. This will be your go-to list when things get tough and you are looking for reasons to not get out the door.
Example:Obstacle: I don't have enough time.My tips: I'll lay my clothes out the night before and get up early before the rest of the family.I'll bring a sack lunch to work and go for a walk after I eat.
What are your mindful moving words?
Choose a line or two (or all the lines) from the walking meditation (see p. 170) to focus on while you are doing your exercise of choice.
Example: "I have arrived. I am home." "I have arrived. I am home."
Mindful Moving: An Opportunity to Help Our Planet Stay Green As we consciously use our body more and come to depend less on gadgets and automobiles for our chores and getting around, we not only burn more calories but also contribute to reducing our ecological footprint. There are many ways that you can move more in your daily life. Use the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators. Bike to work. Walk or bike to places within five miles. Use a push mower to cut your lawn and a rake to gather leaves. Hang some of your laundry out to dry.
In the book The World We Have The World We Have, Thich Nhat Hanh talks about the practice of a No-Car Day once a week in his monasteries and practice centers as a way to reduce carbon emissions and gas consumption.36 Practicing No-Car Days can give us much joy. We can each do something concretely on a regular basis to protect the planet and reduce global warming. Spread the joy and encourage your family, friends, and colleagues to pledge themselves to a No-Car Day once a month or once a week to start. (For more information, visit www.carfreedays.org.) Practicing No-Car Days can give us much joy. We can each do something concretely on a regular basis to protect the planet and reduce global warming. Spread the joy and encourage your family, friends, and colleagues to pledge themselves to a No-Car Day once a month or once a week to start. (For more information, visit www.carfreedays.org.) The Bottom Line For many of us, exercise is really challenging. It's not easy to find the time. It can be unpleasant, especially early on. And there are a lot of competing activities that may be less taxing and seemingly more appealing. But our bodies and minds truly crave activity. For thousands and thousands of years, humans have been active beings, and this has been hardwired into our genes, our cells, our minds. The fact that today's modern life has stifled this side of us doesn't mean it has faded away. To truly become ourselves, to truly realize who we are, and to appreciate the physical capacity that we have been uniquely endowed with requires us to reconnect with our active selves, however out of touch with them we may be.
This doesn't mean you need to scale mountains or run marathons. It's much simpler than that. It simply means you need to spend some time most days of the week doing physical activities you like. It's a practice in mindful moving that will help you transcend the daily grind, connect with yourself, and reach your healthy weight while contributing to the well-being of our world.
CHAPTER 7.
Mindful Living Plan.
NOW THAT WE'VE TALKED about the roles that food and physical activity can play in our mindfulness practice and our journey toward a healthy weight, it's time to take a step back and take a broader view of how we can incorporate mindfulness into our lives.
Mindfulness practice touches the stillness in ourselves. It allows us to calm down and reflect so that we can reconnect with our true self. Our true self has been camouflaged by our numbed, autopilot way of life, our days overloaded with countless daily demands and by the never-ending stimuli from our high-tech, advertising-driven consumer society. When we are free from our automatic responses, we can see more clearly things as they are, from moment to moment, without judgment, preconceived notions, or bias. We get to know ourselves better. We become much more in tune with our own feelings, actions, and thoughts as well as with the feelings, actions, and thoughts of others. As we live in each moment fully, we learn to love ourselves and to make peace with all that is around us. In sum, we simply savor savor life. life.
Most people can't practice healthy living even though they know they should. There are innumerable inner and outer barriers we can name. To transcend these, you need to ask yourself what it is that you really want. really want. Often our habit energy and fear prevent us from identifying what we want and from living healthily. Habit energy keeps us going, but we may not know where we are heading. We struggle even during our sleep. We need to practice mindfulness in our daily lives to check and transform the destructive habit energies that are taking our lives in the wrong direction. Often our habit energy and fear prevent us from identifying what we want and from living healthily. Habit energy keeps us going, but we may not know where we are heading. We struggle even during our sleep. We need to practice mindfulness in our daily lives to check and transform the destructive habit energies that are taking our lives in the wrong direction.
With the creation of your healthy-weight mission statement, as described in chapter 1, you have already taken the first step on the mindful journey to improving your health. As you practice with the intention to improve your eating habits, you will find that the same mindful eating practices can change your perception of everything else that you do and experience. Similarly, if you learn to approach other aspects of your life with mindfulness, you will find that these good habits can in turn enhance your efforts to eat more healthily.
Practice focusing on the now and immersing yourself entirely in the task at hand, whatever it may be. You will find that you can complete the task with less effort. The way you engage in the task will completely determine the quality of the future. How the future unfolds depends on the way we handle each present moment. Being mindful from moment to moment gives us the greatest opportunity to create a successful and beautiful future.
Chapters 5 and 6 covered how to shine the light of mindfulness on the everyday activities of eating and moving, and guided you through the creation of the in Eating and in Moving strategies to help you chart your mindfulness course. To jump-start you in your mindfulness journey, we suggest a mindfulness practice plan to help put together some of the exercises and recommendations that we have talked about throughout the book and integrate them into your daily routines. The proposed plan includes practices not only in eating and moving for weight control, but also in transforming and enjoying life. We call it the Mindful Living Plan. It has three main components: inEating, inMoving, and inBreathing. As we discussed, in in denotes "in the moment." These denotes "in the moment." These in in strategies can be personalized and integrated seamlessly into virtually every act of your daily living, becoming the pillars for helping you build a mindful life. strategies can be personalized and integrated seamlessly into virtually every act of your daily living, becoming the pillars for helping you build a mindful life.
While inEating and inMoving specifically address food and physical activity for health, the in inBreathing strategy addresses all other aspects of what we do and helps us transform our habits and afflictions. The in-Breathing strategy helps awaken all our senses and helps us be fully present to understand and skillfully handle our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions.
When we eat, we eat mindfully. When we exercise, we exercise mindfully. We also look, listen, talk, touch, feel, think, and perceive mindfully. We are breathing all the time, and being aware of our breathing is the easiest and the most effective practice to get us focused on the present moment. Breathing is a core complement to both eating and moving mindfully as well as to practicing mindfulness throughout the day.
When we live with awareness, we will gain insight and understanding, diminish ignorance, and bring about love, compassion, and joy. Understanding the interdependent and impermanent nature of all things is the key to transformation, and mindfulness energy is the source of power to fuel the transformation process in every moment.
Just as sunlight provides the energy for a seed to grow into a plant, mindfulness provides the energy to transform all mental formations-our mind states, which are expressions of seed energies manifested in our mind. Mindfulness energy is like the sun: it has only to radiate its energy to do its work naturally. The essential point is that we do not try to repress our afflictions, our negative energies, because the more we resist or fight them, the stronger they will grow in us. We need only learn to recognize them, embrace them, and bathe them in the energy of mindfulness. When there is an abundance of mindfulness energy in us, it can transmute and dilute the effects of the negative seed energies in us. Cultivating mindfulness energy will soothe and calm our negative emotions. The Mindful Living Plan provides a practical framework to build up such mindfulness energy.
When we feel stuck and immobilized, we are in our own way. Our ego is obstructing us. We are anxious, limited in our thinking, reactive, doubtful, and always thinking and worrying about the future or regretting the past rather than being with what's now. We become our worst enemy as we are overwhelmed by our fears, our anger, and our despair. These fears, anger, and despair are illusions. They are not real, but we believe they are real and let them dominate us. Take a few in-breaths and out-breaths so that your mind and your body are united again, allowing you to be fully in the present. Once you can be in the present, you will recognize that your fears, anger, and despair are all projections from the past. They are not the present reality.
This practice plan is only a guide to help you improve your well-being. These practices are not rigid formulas but are simply exercises to help you take the first steps to get a taste of mindfulness practice, to gain better insight, and to remove the clouds that cover our clear vision. As we learn and put these concepts into practice, it is important that we are not limited by them but learn to use them to gain greater understanding. Certainly, you can come up with your own practices by simply applying mindfulness principles in ways that are relevant and appropriate to your own life. The important thing is that you start taking the first few simple steps and see for yourself their effect. Continual daily practice will certainly build up your mindfulness energy. In the following sections we describe the three main components of the Mindful Living Plan: in Eating, in Moving, and in Breathing.
InEating In chapter 5, we discussed the key components of a mindful, nutritious eating plan, one that is good for you as well as our planet, paying attention to not only what you eat but how you eat. As you gradually increase your practice of mindful eating, you may find that you will be more in tune with your hunger and fullness cues. You may find that you will eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. You may find that you will make nutritious, wise, and green food choices that are satisfying to you and good for our planet. You may find that you will eat with more awareness and deeply enjoy the choices you make.
At least once a day, eat one snack or one meal without any sensory stimulus other than focusing on the food and drink you are consuming. This means no television, no newspaper, no book, no radio, no iPod, no mobile phone, no thinking or worries. Eat slowly, really enjoy the food, and chew well to savor the taste of the food and help with digestion.
Take time to review the key nutrition principles in chapter 5 as well as the seven habits of mindful eaters, and check which ones you already have in place and which ones you need to change and improve. As we discussed in chapter 5, identify those that are most important to you so that you can come up with a list of food goals and mindful-habit goals. Focus on a new food goal and a new mindful eating practice every one or two weeks, and consciously adhere to them on a daily basis. Take note of the challenges and obstacles that prevent you from reaching your intended goals, and plan strategies to overcome them.
For example, if your food goal is to eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages, be aware of your habit energy leading you to reach out for a soda throughout the day. As you go toward a sugar-sweetened soda, stop yourself, pause, take one in-breath and out-breath, and say silently to yourself, "I made a commitment to eliminate sugar-sweetened soda. I am going to have lime-flavored sparkling water instead." If your mindful eating goal is to choose smaller portions, use smaller utensils to serve yourself, and use a smaller plate. As you adopt a new healthy eating habit and a new mindful eating habit every week or two, over the course of four, eight, or twelve weeks you will find your daily eating practice to be much more healthful and in line with your healthy-weight goals. Since you are the one who decides which healthier choice you will incorporate into your own daily eating plan, the likelihood of you sticking with your choice is much greater than if the incentive for change were to come from someone else.
InMoving Even if we may no longer work in the fields like our ancestors, there are many opportunities for us to move our bodies every day. As we discussed in chapter 6, physical activity is one of the best means of practicing mindfulness, because it is so connected with body, mind, and the here and now. Our bodies (and our minds) yearn to be active. The key is finding routines that you love and that can be integrated into your everyday living.
At least every day, find a route or hallway you can walk mindfully. It can be in your home, at work, in a park, or somewhere around town where you walk often. As you walk, put your full attention on your feet and their contact with the ground. You walk for the sake of walking, not to reach any destination. You walk without any "to do" list, regrets of the past, or worries about the future. You breathe as you walk. For a slow pace, take two steps for each in-breath and out-breath. For a brisker pace when you need to reach your appointment on time, take three steps or more for each in-breath and out-breath.
To gain the physical, emotional, and weight-loss benefits of increased activity, review your in Moving plan from chapter 6. What goals did you set for mindfully increasing your activity, and what strategies did you develop for overcoming your barriers to being more active? Use the goals you set to fill in the in Moving section of your Mindful Living Plan.