Michael

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. - Plato

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states. - Carol Welch

I started a new exercise program on June 30th. I’m not sure what has been harder; the actual 6-day a week program or getting started. I believe that getting started has the edge on being the hardest as it took many months to get to this point.

I know myself well enough that when I’m heavily resisting something, it almost always means that I really need to do it. In psychological terms, it’s the ego that begins to lose control when you start to do things that benefit yourself or give one confidence. The Buddhists call it the monkey mind. The ego or monkey mind uses the subtle techniques of fear, lack of confidence, judgment and etc. to prevent us from being who we truly are. The ego wrongly believes it will die if it loses control.

For sometime my ego has worked overtime to make sure I don’t exercise. I have a clever technique in the fact that I have always had a “good reason” why I can’t exercise at any particular moment. Granted some of the excuses are lame, but they’ve been working quite well up until June 30th.

I’m getting through this one exercise session at a time. If I start to think ahead too much, my ego kicks in and I start thinking about how much work I have to do and how far away I am from my ultimate goal of finishing this 90 day program. So, my one goal is to complete today’s program. That’s all. I find it much easier.

This week, I’m starting to feel better as I’ve gotten over the hump of very sore muscles and feeling tired. Each day, I make a small amount of progress over the day before. It feels really good. I’m striving to build a good habit in 90 days, but I suspect I will have to watch my thoughts for quite some time.

Sometimes all it takes is to take one step forward. The inertia of that action will help to carry you forward and generate another step.

Michael

A photographer gets people to pose for him. A yoga instructor gets people to pose for themselves. - T. Guillemets

I went to a yoga class tonight. I was very resistant to go. My mind was working overtime trying to find the perfect excuse for me not to go. Here are some of the excuses. Most of them are quite lame.

1. The class is at 7:15. When I’m a going to eat dinner?
2. It’s too late. I’ll be tired.
3. Do I really need to take yoga?
4. Is it really going to help me feel better physically?
5. I’m not that flexible.
6. The class is located in an area that is hard to find parking.
7. I should do some other exercises first before starting something like this.
8. I’ve lost the directions. (This qualifies for the lamest excuse of the bunch.)
9. Do I really want to commit to a weekly class with everything I have going on right now?
10. Is a one hour a week class really going to do that much for me?

As you can see, the excuses were not that creative. I’ve also realized over the years that if you are that resistant to doing something, then you must do it. Something is going on or you wouldn’t be so insanely resistant. This type of resistance usually happens when you are about to break through old habits and paradigms. It’s also common when you are approaching a new understanding about yourself.

There is always a part of you (your ego) that does not want you to be knowledgeable. Your ego knows that knowledge is power and more importantly knowledge about yourself is freedom. Freedom from fears. Freedom from repressing your true desire. Freedom to create the life that you really want.

So, next time you are feeling resistant about doing something, make it a point to go and do it. Get a friend to push you there if you need, but go and do the thing that you don’t want to do. You’ll grow by leaps and bounds.

Have a great day!

Michael

Two and a half weeks after my surgery and I’m still working on getting my stamina back. When I’m in London, I typically walk a lot. I tried that today and realized I’m still not all the way back to my normal self yet even though I feel really good.

I walked a total of about an hour today. I didn’t walk it all at once but the cumulative effect was that I got tired very early. I could easily get frustrated about this, but what would that do, except to make me feel even worse.

So, I’m learning to take it one day at a time. I’ll do a little more each day. Before I know it, I’ll be back to hiking miles and miles. Patience and acceptance are the keys. As long as I don’t get down on myself, I’ll continue to heal at exactly the rate my body needs.

It’s amazing what you can teach yourself when you just listen.

Have a great day!

Michael

It is in moments of illness that we are compelled to recognize that we live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom, whole worlds apart, who has no knowledge of us and by whom it is impossible to make ourselves understood: our body. - Marcel Proust

Illness has always brought me nearer to a state of grace. - Abbe Pierre

If we are suffering illness, poverty, or misfortune, we think we shall be satisfied on the day it ceases. But there too, we know it is false; so soon as one has got used to not suffering one wants something else. - Simone Weil

Nothing like getting an illness to make you think about health and how much better that state of being can be. I always saw illness as something that “attacked” me from the outside. I had no control over it so it produced hefty amounts of fear.

Much of that has changed for me now, but I usually need to be conscious about it when I’m sick. I really work on relaxing and try to learn something from the illness. Maybe I need to get some rest. Maybe I need a dose of patience. Maybe I need to reflect on my life or let someone take care of me for a change. It could be anything, but there is always a lesson.

One thing I really work hard on is too keep my attitude up even when I’m completely laid out with a flu, appendicitis or etc. This is a great secret weapon to make yourself feel better, quicker or at the very minimum help to make your time of sickness more pleasant than it could have been.

Use the contrast that illness brings to clearly know how you want to feel. Focusing on that instead of being sick will keep your mind in a better place. Keeping your mind in a better place can actually reduce the length and intensity of the illness you may be experiencing.

ss

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. - World Health Organization, 1948

The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they’ll ease
Your will they’ll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
- Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990

He who takes medicine and neglects to diet wastes the skill of his doctors. - Chinese Proverb

If you have health, you probably will be happy, and if you have health and happiness, you have all the wealth you need, even if it is not all you want. - Elbert Hubbard

I’ve been thinking a lot about health and it’s connection to happiness. Many of us take our health for granted. I believe that we truly underestimate its effect on our happiness. Its easier to not think about it if things are working okay.

True health comes from more than regular exercise and good diet. It really starts with a positive attitude and emotional state. That’s the secret foundation to good health and another tool to manage your level of overall happiness. Think about it, when you feel good you want to go and do something physical. You want to move around, get out of the house or enjoy nature. When you feel bad, you tend to eat poorly and lay on the couch. Your attitude is not positive and your energy level decreases.

You can exercise all you want but if you haven’t built the foundation with an inner positive outlook on yourself, your health and therefore your happiness will never be quite as good as it could be. But saying that, exercise (even small amounts) can have an incredibly positive effect on your mood. There have been many studies on this. Think about how well you feel after taking a brisk walk through your neighborhood or local park. Your body releases endorphins. Your blood flows more. Your body and mind have received a healthy dose of extra oxygen.

So, work on both. Cultivate a positive attitude and emotional outlook. Take periodic walks or some other form of regular (that’s the key) exercise. Together they will synergistically work to help increase your level of happiness.

Tomorrow I’ll touch on illness and its effect on happiness.

Have a great day!

Michael

I never thought I would say this, but hospital beds are comfortable. I only realized this after trying to get comfortable in a normal bed shortly after abdominal surgery.

I had to laugh at myself last night as I keep reaching over for the bed controls. Alas, they didn’t exist. I had to make a raised bed by using multiple pillows. It was not as flexible nor did it work as well as the hospital bed.

One great thing is that I’m in a hotel room and not a hospital room, though I obviously miss the bed. It definitely means I’m improving and quickly at that. Of course, that feels great.

Also, I have a lovely view from my hotel window of the Brussels Stock Exchange (BSE) called the Bourse. Beautiful building! Very impressive.
Have a great day!

Michael

It’s been several days since I’ve written here. I’ve been in a hospital in Brussels, Belgium with acute appendicitis. I had no access to the internet and for at least a couple of days would not have been able to post anyway.

This has been quite an extraordinary adventure (yes, an adventure) for me; not the least of which was being in a foreign country with a potentially serious diagnoses and with very limited skill in speaking French. Okay, I can say hello, goodbye, good evening, your welcome, please, thank you very much and no.

I’m doing quite well now and was released from the hospital early this afternoon. Over the next several days, I’ll be posting some of my experiences during my hospital stay. The last few days have been difficult but also blessed in many ways.

Time for some rest. Apparently getting dressed, walking to the cab and then getting settled in my hotel room in Brussels took a lot of energy.

Michael

Today, Nat talked about appreciating the small blessings in that come our way. It’s really a fantastic skill to learn and then use constantly. I like using this technique because it is a great way to get through tough days. It helps to bring your focus back to things that are more important and can very quickly lift your attitude.

I got to practice appreciating the small things over the last seven days as I dealt with the flu virus.  Here are 20 things I appreciated during my illness:

1. Calls from my parents.
2. Calls from Erica.
3. Calls from my daughter.
4. Realizing I hadn’t coughed for about 15 minutes straight.
5. Watching Seinfeld.
6. Catching up on some reading.
7. That really great cup of tea.
8. Not having a fever when I checked it.
9. The neighbors bringing me homemade chicken soup.
10. The positive mood of the nurse at the hospital.
11. Falling snow on my second worst flu day.
12. Oranges. (Not sure why. They just tasted really good.)
13. Catching up on some To-Do items.
14. Playing with my new iPhone.
15. A hot shower.
16. Sleeping for six hours straight.
17. Chatting with my friends in London.
18. Erica cleaning the snow off my car.
19. Not having to go to work.
20. Kleenex.

What are some small things that you appreciate?

Have a great day!

Michael

Between periods of coughing today, I decided to try and catch up on some outstanding To-Do items I’ve had for quite some time. I know I should be completely resting, but I get antsy after awhile and have to do something.

So, I decided to be productive while recuperating. I picked things that I could do from the couch. It worked. I got a number of things accomplished and was able to check them off my enormous list. It helped me focus on positive things today. I felt much better because of it.

There was one other bright moment. Erica brought me a bunch of food, so I wouldn’t have to get out. I was in dire need. Thanks Erica!

Michael

I can definitely feel that I’m on the way to getting over this flu. Today was much better than the very low point that yesterday ended up being. I took it easy all day, which was quite easy to do. No real work required.

A nice bonus for the day was that it snowed almost the entire time. For me, there’s nothing like freshly falling snow to make me feel better. It definitely kept my attitude up and combined with actually feeling better my hope was at an all time high.

I look forward to tomorrow and how much better I’ll be.

Hope your day is going even better!

Michael