TED Three Points I found interesting

Exercise: They don’t exercise they take part in activities they enjoy.
After reading the book Born to Run by Chris McDougall, I had an epiphany. Originally, I started running because of the social aspect and realized that I really loved it but the past 3-4 years I’ve been running to make my ass smaller, which takes all of the fun out of it. The book reminded me why I run–to be part of something special. Club membership includes chafed nipples, lost toenails, and a variety of consequences of pushing your body to the max. If we don’t enjoy the activity, chances are the resistance to it is doing more damage than good. This requires a shift in perspective more than anything else.

At the time that I was running to lose weight I remember fighting through 7-8 kilometers wondering when it would end so I could move on with my day. Then one morning, while running, something happened–I thought to myself ‘I use to love this feeling’. As I was pulling my feet out of the imaginary muck I’d made for myself, I went through the list. Why was it fun? I was in mountain trails, the scenery was great. I felt like I was part of a special club. The group I ran with were all marathoners (I was the slowest), but I was pushing myself to be better–eustress.

Eustress was the answer. Even Aikido provids eustress. ‘So, how do I find flow again?’ I thought to myself, and it hit me–small achievable goals with consistent feedback. I chose time. I decided on the amount of time I’d run for each day and base my pace internally on that rather than trying to maintain a consistent speed with my chrono. At my age I won’t be running in the Olympics so I’ll just have to have a good time with it and now I do. Am I fast? Not like my upstairs neighbor/coach (www.princepari.com) who runs marathons as an elite class runner, but I have fun. And he still supports my training and offers constant, and appreciated, advice.

Time out: Meditation, prayer, or silent time
If you read the FOol at all you know this is what I’m about. The days that I skip this time I really feel it. Ask my family, I’m probably more grumpy and a lot less fun to be around. I don’t think it matters what you do as long as it’s something that brings peace. I use to feel that in order to progress one had to sit lotus and stare at a wall. Then I had children. Music, or river, stream, ocean noises make sitting so much easier to do when there is a cacophony of singing screaming and toys bouncing off the walls in the next room (I don’t think I’ve ever heard toys bounce off the walls in the other room, but I do imagine it when the noise level is cranked up to 11).

Some recommendations for meditation music–Kelley Howell http://www.brainsync.com/ She has a voice like butter. I also own a nice selection of water noises and the Monroe Institute http://www.monroeinstitute.org/ also has some good stuff. Water works like white noise and helps block out noise. The master meditator would say that if I was really good I wouldn’t need the crutches and would use the external noise as part of my path to enlightenment. Well, I’m not that good yet. But when I am I’ll be the first to be dancing around like a crazed monkey. Or not.

Eating 80% of Fill
Consciously eating and eating only 80% of my fill is tough when my wife does that amazing culinary thing she does. Her Midas hands touch food and it immediately melts in my mouth. Luckily she’s seen what happens when I start to put on weight and she doesn’t like the Fat FOol so she makes less in the way of portions and in the Japanese tradition serves food just like the man said–individual plates. Awareness while eating, walking, and washing dishes can be a great vehicle toward better concentration. Try it sometime, chew each bite at least fifty times, breath, and give your food the attention it deserves.

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