CHAPTER 6: Mindful Moving

CHAPTER 6
Mindful Moving

BEING ACTIVE IS ONE of life’s miracles. It lets us play with our children, climb a mountain peak, or take a relaxing walk around the neighborhood with our friends and family. It also helps us focus our minds and get in touch with our senses, and it is one of the best and easiest ways to practice mindfulness in our daily lives. The systematic and deliberate nature of exercise—whether it’s walking or running or doing yoga—grounds us in the moment and connects us with our thoughts and what we’re seeing, hearing, and feeling. Physical activity can become an anchor of mindfulness in our day, and it’s also one of best paths toward weight loss.

THAT’S THE GOOD NEWS. The hard news, which we all know, is that it can be di cult to get the exercise we need to keep ourselves healthy and to keep our weight in check. It can be so much easier to stay on the couch than to lace up our shoes and get out the door for a walk. Our minds can easily conjure up excuses, and if this describes you, take heart that you are not alone: over half the adults in the United States don’t get the minimum amount of physical

activity that they should.1

But don’t despair. Our bodies yearn to be active. It’s what they were made for. All we have to do is unleash that natural state of activity that we all have in us and that has been locked away by the

automated, fast-paced, yet sedentary modern world in which we live. For to not be active, to not explore our physical selves and our connection with our senses, is to deny ourselves a treasure of well-being and a chance for personal transcendence.

As we have talked about in previous chapters, we live in a frenzied world that is often so lled with outside stimuli that most of our day is spent disconnected from our inner selves. We get lost in e -mail, the Internet, BlackBerries, television, or jumping from one social occasion to the next. Exercise, especially in mindfulness, gives you a break from all this and puts you back in touch with yourself and your senses. Let’s call it mindful moving.

When we consume food, we are actually taking in energy and storing it in our body physiologically. Much of the energy is to support the essential physiological and chemical processes in the body, but an important part of it is spent on moving our body physically, mostly through the hard work of our muscles. When we breathe, the medium is air; when we eat, the medium is food; and when we move, the medium is energy. When we walk, our muscles burn the stored energy and convert it into kinetic energy for our limbs, allowing us to move. This energy exchange is a miracle of life. When we look deeply into the nature of our physical energy, we can see that its sources are the sun, the rain, the air, the earth, and our food. Like conscious breathing and conscious eating, conscious moving can also lead us to the realization that everything is dependent on everything else.

Mindful moving is not just exercise for the sake of exercise. It’s an expression of our mindfulness practice that helps us touch the peace within, treasure what we have, and take real steps toward improving our health and well-being.

LET’S BEGIN THE MINDFUL-MOVING journey by taking a look at the sound science that backs the links between physical activity, health, and well-being. We will address questions such as: Why do I need to stay active? What are the bene ts? How much physical

activity do I need each day? What are the best types of physical activity for me?

Benefits of Exercise

When it comes to health and well-being, regular exercise is about as close to a magic potion as you can get. In the U .S. 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, the list of the bene ts of exercise

is so lengthy that it takes up an entire page (see table 6.1).2 Evidence shows that regular activity lowers the risk for many chronic conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and unhealthy cholesterol, as well as osteoporosis and certain cancers. It’s been shown to boost mood, improve quality of life, and help people better deal with life’s stresses. It also helps prevent weight gain and obesity and helps people maintain weight loss. To top it all o , it’s also been shown to extend life span. Really, the only thing that boosts health more than exercise is not smoking.

In addition to the many physical bene ts of exercise, studies have shown that exercise has a profound impact on brain functioning, even if the exercise doesn’t begin until later in life. Dr. Kenneth Cooper—the father of aerobics—and his son Dr. Tyler Cooper write in their book Start Strong, Finish Strong: Prescriptions for a Lifetime of Great Health that individuals in their forties who walk briskly for three hours a week can “stop the shrinkage of brain areas that are

related to memory and higher cognition.”3 They also explain that exercise is associated with improvements in verbal memory and attention.

Table       6.1         HEALTH                       BENEFITS  ASSOCIATED     WITH    REGULAR

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Children and Adolescents

Strong evidence

Improved cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness

Improved bone health

Improved cardiovascular and metabolic health biomarkers

Favorable body composition Moderate evidence

Reduced symptoms of depression Adults and Older Adults

Strong evidence

Lower risk of early death

Lower risk of coronary heart disease

Lower risk of stroke

Lower risk of high blood pressure

Lower risk of adverse blood lipid profile

Lower risk of type 2 diabetes

Lower risk of metabolic syndrome

Lower risk of colon cancer

Lower risk of breast cancer

Prevention of weight gain

Weight loss, particularly when combined with reduced calorie intake

Improved cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness

Prevention of falls

Reduced depression

Better cognitive function (for older adults) Moderate to strong evidence

Better functional health (for older adults) Reduced abdominal obesity

Moderate evidence

Lower risk of hip fracture

Lower risk of lung cancer

Lower risk of endometrial cancer

Weight maintenance after weight loss

Increased bone density

Improved sleep quality

Dr. John Ratey, author of the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, also talks about the many

mental and emotional bene ts linked to regular physical activity.4 According to Ratey, exercise is key to enlarging brain cells, fostering learning, and decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression. He also states that exercise can help manage attention de cit disorders and addictive behaviors as well as help women deal with a lot of the unpleasant symptoms of menopause. Neural plasticity is an area of active research focusing on ways to change the neural activities and

promote structural changes in the brain.5 In his book The Mindful Brain, psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Siegel indicates that both aerobic

exercise and mindfulness practice can promote neural plasticity.6

Most important for the topic at hand, regular activity is an essential part of any weight-loss plan. A 2009 scienti c review of over forty weight-loss studies found that regular activity by itself could lead to weight loss if people do not match their energy

expenditure by eating more.7 When combined with less caloric intake, the losses were even greater. And as you might expect, the harder and longer people worked out, the more weight they lost.

So How Active Should I Be?

This is the common and challenging question for most of us with busy schedules and no plans to try out for the Olympic marathon team. Overall, the quick answer is that any activity is better than none; and in general, the more active you are, the better. But you don’t have to quit your day job and devote yourself solely to the gym to see real bene ts. According to Dr. Kenneth Cooper, going

from no regular activity to walking two miles at a brisk pace ve times per week can dramatically lower the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease while helping to improve mental and

emotional health and manage stress.8 Increase the intensity by choosing more vigorous activities, such as jogging, step aerobics, or cycling, and you can get the same bene ts in just twenty minutes of exercise three days a week.

These levels of activity generally align with the U .S. federal

guidelines  for  optimizing  health  bene ts  with  exercise.  It  is

currently recommended that adults get two and a half hours a week

of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking, water

aerobics, or ballroom dancing) or one hour and           fteen minutes of

vigorous physical activity (such as jogging or running, swimming

laps, or jumping rope; see table 6.2) .9 Adding more activity to the daily routine will have bigger health payo s. For those looking for more bene t, the guidelines recommend ve hours per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or two and a half hours per week of vigorous-intensity exercise. Plus, they strongly encourage activities that strengthen our muscles, such as weight training,

pushups, and sit-ups at least two days a week.10

DoModerate Intensity n’t Forget Strength and Flexibility

While the main activities focused on weight control are things like walking and jogging, it’s important not to  forget strength and exibility exercises as well. And this is especially important as we age.  Together,  strength  and  stretching  exercises  build  muscle, improve agility and balance, and help  you avoid injury when you’re doing your aerobic activities. You should do strength and stretching exercises, in addition to aerobic activities (see table 6.3).

Like most types of activities, you can make strength training as complex or as simple as you’d like. At the most basic, you want to do it two or three times per week, with rest days between each session. Ideally, the exercises you do should work all the major parts of your body. And whichever exercises you’re doing, you want

to do several repetitions of each. Typically, trainers recommend eight to twelve repetitions for each exercise, but for some individuals, as few as three repetitions or as many as twenty could be appropriate. Some trainers may recommend doing two or three sets of the exercises, but research suggests you can achieve similar bene ts by doing just a single set of exercises—and you may be

more likely to stick to a shorter, single-set session.11

If you join a gym, a trainer can get you started on an individualized routine. If you work out at home, many books can help you create a routine with items around the house. Or you can buy a resistance band or similar device and follow the simple routines that come with the instructions.

Flexibility training should be done more often than strength training. Do it most days of the week, even every day. And it doesn’t really take too long. Always warm up a bit beforehand; then run through a series of stretches that cover all the major parts of your body. Again, many books or Internet sites can help guide you. Mindful Movements: Ten Exercise for Well-Being, by Thich Nhat Hanh, may be particularly helpful, as it combines activities

that focus on strength, flexibility, agility, and mindfulness.12

If you’re looking for something more formal or something you can do with a group outside the house, tai chi, yoga, Pilates, or an aerobics class that includes stretching as part of the warm-up or

cool-down are good alternatives as well.13

Supershort  bouts  of exercise  done  throughout  the  day—say,
multiple ten-to fteen-minute exercise sessions—can be a good way
to  t exercise into the daily routine, especially when you’re just

starting out. Though combining short bouts together may not be the

best path toward weight loss, it may help prevent weight gain.14 The important thing is simply to get moving regularly. If this means stringing together short bouts of activity throughout the day, then that’s what you should do, and there’s evidence that it has many

benefits.15

Exercise Recommendations for Losing Weight

For people who are overweight, recommended amounts of activity

reach a bit beyond those for people who are just looking to improve their health. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for

Americans suggests that most people who want to lose weight need to get at least five hours of moderate physical activity each week.

This may sound like a lot, especially if you are not currently

getting much exercise. Take heart: these levels don’t need to be

reached overnight. You should build up slowly, starting with an
initial goal of two and a half hours each week and nishing at  ve
hours or more each week. It can seem daunting at rst, but building

up slowly helps you get into a routine, and before you know it you’ll feel like something is missing from your day when you don’t get your exercise in.

Although there’s some debate about whether exercise alone can achieve signi cant weight loss in people—with some researchers

concluding that it can16 and others concluding that it can’t17—one thing is clear: the most e ective way to lose weight is by combining

increased activity with a healthy diet that cuts back on calories. The

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that

people trying to lose weight increase their activity and cut back on calories so that they create an overall calorie de cit of about ve

hundred to one thousand calories a day.18 This would translate to losing one to two pounds a week. What does this mean to real people? It’s really pretty simple. To create an overall calorie de cit of ve hundred calories in a day, you can burn about three hundred calories more than usual by walking about three miles (one mile generally equals one hundred calories) and cut back on what you eat by about two hundred calories by skipping a bag of chips or a bottle of sugar-sweetened soda.

Of course, you can do other combinations. And to get up to one thousand calories a day de cit, you just increase both sides of the equation: get more activity and cut back on more calories. However you do it, it’s important to be sensible. Weight loss isn’t a sprint; it’s

a  continuous  journey. So  while  you  need  to  make  deliberate

changes that make a di erence, you also need make sure they are

changes you can maintain over the long term. You don’t want to start out your rst week by going to the gym for three hours a day

only to get burned out and not go back for two years. Take it slowly. Gradually increase your activity and shave o a few junk-

food calories to achieve your sensible goal of a           ve-hundred-to-one-

thousand-calorie de cit per day, and keep it there.19  Though the
pounds won’t melt o like magic in the  rst few days, you can feel

con dent that they will drop o , and by doing things the right way, they’ll be much more likely to stay off in the long term.

The ACSM guidelines encourage those trying to lose weight to strive for an initial goal of 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity exercise (such as brisk walking, ballroom dancing, bicycling) each week or 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise (such as jogging, aerobic dancing, singles tennis, jumping rope, or swimming laps) three times per week, which is similar to the recommendations of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans for optimizing health bene ts. After reaching and maintaining this amount of exercise, individuals should increase

their energy expenditure to at least 200 to 300 minutes of exercise

per week. This is the equivalent of 40 to 60 minutes a day in one or multiple segments, five days a week.

Keeping It Off

Of course, just as important as taking o               the weight is keeping it

o . And regular physical activity continues to be a key ingredient in

weight maintenance. Both the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines and

the ACSM guidelines recommend two to three hundred minutes of activity per week to keep weight o over the long term. Some

evidence points to even more. Data from the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks nearly four thousand people who have lost signi cant amounts of weight, found that people are most successful at keeping the pounds o if they regularly got sixty to

seventy- ve minutes per day of moderate-intensity activity like brisk walking, or thirty- ve to forty minutes per day of more

vigorous activity such as jogging.20 These are average amounts of activity, and there was quite a bit of variability in the amount of activity required; some people needed more activity to stay at a healthy weight, and some required less. It’s very individualized, and you’ll need to determine this for yourself. If you’re eating the same amount of food and your weight is creeping up, you may need to exercise more.

Table 6.2 EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT AEROBIC PHYSICAL

ACTIVITIES AND INTENSITIES

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008).

Television, Weight, and Health

For many of us, television has become a daily companion. It keeps

us informed about happenings across town and around the globe. It alerts us about severe weather and other breaking events. And it’s generally considered a source of entertainment and relaxation.

Unfortunately, a lot of us have taken TV watching to the extreme, letting it become a huge part of our daily lives. According to Nielsen Media, the average American watched four hours and forty-nine minutes of television each day during the 2008–2009 season, and current trends suggest that this number will continue to rise

each year.21 Kids spend more time watching television and playing on computers each year than they do in school, and the weekly screen time for adults is getting close to the equivalent of a full-time job.

Table 6.3 HOW ACTIVE SHOULD I BE?

 

333333333333

Sources: American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006); J. E. Donnelly et al., American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 41 (2009): 459–71; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008).

It’s understandable how this happens. Companies spend billions of dollars to entice you to watch their shows and their ads so you will buy their products and then come back and watch even more

ads. And they’re all very good at their jobs. But as we let ourselves and our kids get caught up in this vicious cycle of watching and buying, our mental and physical health suffers.

As mentioned in chapter 1, time spent watching television ties directly to rates of obesity. Studies have shown that men who watched three or more hours of television per day, and women who watched four or more hours of television per day, were two times more likely to be obese than those who watched less than

one hour a day.22 The large-scale and long-running Nurses’ Health Study has shown that the risk of obesity in women increased by nearly 25 percent for each two-hour block of time women spent

watching TV each day.23 Even those who were very physically active couldn’t fully escape the obesity risk linked to large amounts of television viewing.

And the downsides of television viewing don’t stop just at weight gain. It’s an equal-opportunity hazard that has also been found to increase the risk of diabetes, as well as heart disease risk factors such as high blood glucose, high blood pressure, high triglycerides,

and low HDL (“good”) blood cholesterol.24

So how is it that television can be so bad for you, even in those who are physically active overall? There are several possible reasons. Time spent watching television is time you’re not spending being active, even if it’s just padding around the house doing various things. This means you burn fewer calories, which can lead to weight gain and a host of unhealthy risk factors. In addition, some researchers posit that television watching is strongly associated with mindless consumption of unhealthy high-calorie snacks and beverages, since many people tend to snack while watching television. A good example is a 2006 study that found that subjects who watched television ate signi cantly more food than

did a similar group who listened to classical music.25 Taking this idea a step further, researchers suspect that the food ads on television increase consumption not only while people are in front of the TV but also throughout the day. And there is some good

evidence to back this up. One study showed that those who watched the most television were more likely to eat dinner at fast-

food restaurants.26 And another study showed that those who watched two or more hours of television per day had the highest intake of calories, while those who watched less than an hour had

the lowest.27

The result of this sedentary lifestyle and an increased intake of often-unhealthy calories is a toxic mix that not only promotes weight gain but also increases risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Because of all this, it’s important to be mindful about how much television you watch. Most recommendations say that adults and children shouldn’t get any more than two hours a day. And the closer you can get this gure to zero, the better. This can be hard to do for many of us, but this is where practicing mindfulness can be helpful in changing our television-viewing habits.

Television-Viewing Meditation

When you nd yourself reaching for the television remote control, stop and take a few in-breaths and out-breaths.

Breathing in, the remote control is in my hand.

Breathing out, why am I watching television?

By pausing and breathing, you are breaking your ingrained autopilot habit of watching television whenever you are tired, bored, feeling restless, or wanting to relax. Breathing in and out mindfully helps you reconnect to your current state of feelings and thoughts. Being mindful helps you be in touch with what is really helpful to cope with the particular physical or emotional state you are in. You may then realize that television is not the antidote for your current state of body or mind. If you are tired, the images and sounds from television stimulate your senses more instead of helping you relax and rest. Just breathing in and out helps you realize that a wiser solution to your tiredness is to lie down in a

comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on your breath to allow your body to calm down and truly rest. Or if you are feeling blue, by being mindful you realize that it is better to call your good friend to chat about what is bothering you than allow the sights and sounds of television to camou age an emotion that needs your care. We invite you to explore appendix D, which o ers more than fty creative alternatives to television watching, many of which involve physical activity.

Barriers and Challenges That Prevent Physical Activity

Now that we have covered some of the bene ts of activity and how much we need it to stay healthy and keep our weight in check, it’s time to gure out how to actually make that happen. For a few people, it’s as easy as deciding to be more active, buying a good pair of walking shoes, and just getting out the door to a new, active life. For most of us, though, it’s a bit harder than that. There are a lot of things in life that can keep us from getting the activity we need. They can be mental barriers, physical barriers, social barriers, or any manner of things that work against our getting out that door for a workout.

For our health and happiness we need to figure out a way around these barriers and carve out a permanent space in our lives for activity. Once you do this, before you know it, activity will become an indispensable part of your daily routine that keeps you on the path of fitness, good health, and mindfulness.

If you asked most people whether being more physically active would be good for their health and mental well-being, almost all would say yes, yet according to the latest data, more than half of all adults in the United States don’t get enough physical activity, and

25 percent don’t exercise at all.28 There are a lot of reasons for this disconnect between knowledge and action, some that exist within ourselves and some that exist outside ourselves. With the rare exception, though, we can navigate around and over most such barriers and find our way to a more active life.

What makes active people active and sedentary people sedentary? Many studies have sought to answer that question, and the ndings may not come as much of a surprise: People are more likely to be active if they believe they’ll be successful at it—that they’ll be able to do it regularly, they won’t be too tired, they’ll be

able to do it without feeling bad or embarrassed.29 People are more likely to be active if they believe they’ll get bene ts from it—that they’ll feel better, they’ll lose weight, they’ll lower their risk of

heart disease.30 People are more likely to be active if their physical and social environment supports an active lifestyle—if they live in safe neighborhoods, have access to parks and walking paths, and

have family and friends who encourage them.31

The ip sides of these positive forces that make it easier for people to be active are the barriers that can keep us from being active. Leading the list for most of us: lack of time. But myriad other obstacles can stand in the way of becoming more active, like fear of not meeting our exercise goals, fear of being injured, fear of being made fun of, not having enough money for the right equipment or gym membership, or simply disliking exercise.

These are all valid concerns. But with a little creativity and forethought, you don’t need to give up on your active-living journey before it starts. How can you overcome these barriers? You simply need to make a plan. Figure out what you want to do and how you are going to get there. Even the person for whom it seems exercise comes as second nature has to work all the time to overcome barriers to staying active.

The cornerstone of any plan is commitment: commitment to being active, commitment to losing weight, and commitment to the plan itself. While this sounds a bit stark, it’s really not. Our lives are dynamic entities: our schedules change, our attitudes change, our relationships develop. So any plan has to be exible enough to work through all of these factors, and more. But your commitment to the goal of being more active—and the goal of nding a way to become more active—is essential. And it’s easier than you think, although it doesn’t happen overnight.

Be warned that whenever you try to adopt a new habit, it is natural to backslide a bit. If you nd that you have fallen away from your exercise plan for a day, a week, even a month, do not judge yourself harshly as a failure. Just start again. Every day is a new day, an opportunity for a new beginning. You can begin anew every moment. Start small, with baby steps, and before you know it activity will be as much a part of your life as sleeping and brushing your teeth.

Now, let’s address some of the more common barriers people have when it comes to being more active, and the steps you can take to overcome them.

“I Just Don’t Have Time”

If there were an award given for the most common issue that keeps people from exercising, the hands-down winner would be: “I just don’t have time.” And it’s certainly a valid issue. People have busy schedules—work, family, household chores, soccer games, school recitals, book clubs, and more. Time is precious and hard to come by. But this doesn’t mean you can’t carve out space for regular activity, especially when you think about the health boost you will get and how it will help you maintain your healthy weight. Try to make exercise as essential a daily routine as eating or sleeping. It may be tough to t it in at rst, but after a while the day just won’t seem complete unless you’ve had your exercise. You’ll miss the renewal and joy you get from exercising.

Consider the following ways to work around this barrier:

WAKE UP EARLY. When the day gets rolling up to full steam, it can be hard to find the time to exercise. Wake up early and do yoga in your living room, head out the door for a brisk walk to enjoy the fresh morning air, or head to the gym before others in the house are up needing your help or company.

ENERGIZE YOUR LUNCH. After mindfully eating your lunch, gather some friends and head for a walk before you have to

head back to work or your chores. Even a fifteen-minute walk after lunch helps reenergize you during midday.

GET YOUR WORKOUT CLOTHES AND SHOES TOGETHER THE NIGHT BEFORE. This way you’ll be packed and ready to go—either in the morning for an early workout or later in the day when a workout window opens.

FIT IN SOME EXERCISE HERE, SOME EXERCISE THERE. If you just can’t fit in one solid block of exercise, try stringing together a few smaller bouts: a twenty-minute walk first thing in the morning; a twenty-five -minute walk at lunch; and a fifteen -minute walk home from the store after work. Together, you’ve reached sixty minutes for the day.

FIND THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES THAT YOU ENJOY. Explore different types of physical activities—bicycling, dancing, Frisbee, hiking, table tennis, swimming, tai chi, rock climbing, golf, yoga, and more. Find what you really enjoy. It’s easier to stick to a physical activity routine when you have fun doing it.

“I’m Too Tired”

Don’t let the “tired” excuse drag you down. It’s an easy one to use, and one we can all relate to. Our lives are  lled with many, many responsibilities that take up a lot of our energy, and when we nally  nd a spare moment to ourselves we often want to put our feet up and relax rather than lace up our shoes and get out the door

for a walk.

And, of course, there are times when we’re just so tired that there’s nothing we can do but crawl into bed when we have the chance. But when you think about it and examine how you are feeling right in the moment, you will come to realize that these times are very rare. In most cases, getting some exercise is just what we need to clear our minds of the day’s problems, make us feel empowered, and give us a boost of energy to get us through the rest of the day.

Consider these ways to work around this barrier:

EXERCISE DURING YOUR MOST ENERGIZED PART OF THE DAY. We all have parts of the day where we feel better than others. Some people are morning people. Some people are evening people. Some people like midday. Whichever you are, try to schedule your workout during that part of the day when you usually feel your best.

TURN OFF THE TELEVISION. Nothing saps one’s energy like television. Whether it’s a good show or bad show, once you sit down in front of the television you are much less likely to get up and go get the exercise you need. So, before you decide to sit down and watch your favorite shows, get out the door for a brisk walk, ride your bike, or shoot a few baskets. Perhaps you will be so invigorated from your workout that you’ll decide to do something else that you really need to do with your time instead of watching television.

SCHEDULE WORKOUTS WITH FRIENDS. Nothing helps keep your workouts on track—even when you’re tired—like support from your peers. Get a group of friends together, and set a regular time to meet them for a trip to the gym or a good jog. They’ll keep you honest—not letting you off too often for being too tired to work out—and you’ll be doing the same for them.

KEEP AN EXERCISE LOG. Whether you do it online or in a notebook, keeping a log of your workouts can be a great way to motivate yourself and get yourself out the door. You’ll be amazed at how easily you’ll wave off your fatigue and just get out of the door when you’re faced with entering zero minutes of workout time for a whole day.

“I Don’t Want to Look Silly”

Almost anyone who’s ever been to a gym has felt awkward compared with the tness bu s at the weight machines, with their toned triceps and lean physiques. It’s only natural, especially for many people who are overweight or don’t feel comfortable with their bodies. But there’s no reason to let these feelings stop you.

Your health and your weight are important priorities, not what people may or may not be thinking about you. This is another opportunity to practice mindfulness by fully immersing yourself in the present moment without judgment. Focus on your body and the workout, the movement of your arms and limbs—not the people around you. And the more you exercise, the more time you spend at the gym or jogging on the bike path, the more comfortable you’ll feel.

Consider these ways to work around this barrier:

WORK OUT AT HOME AT FIRST. If you really feel self-conscious about working out in public, find an exercise video or exercise show that you like, and follow along in the comfort of your own living room. This will help you feel more confident and competent and show you that you deserve to be outside on the paths or in the gyms just like everybody else.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A TRAINER. Most gyms offer free or low-cost sessions with a trainer for those just starting out. A trainer can show you how the machines work and help you create a training plan that is personalized to your own conditions and goals. This will take away some of the mystery and build up your confidence.

If you continue to feel that you have an image problem, you may want to seek the help of a professional psychotherapist or psychologist specializing in body image. The government Web site health nder.gov has links to several Web sites that o er information and professional referrals on body image and eating disorders.

“It’s Too Much; I Don’t Know Where to Start”

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by these negative thoughts: “I have tried so many times in my life to lose weight, eat right, and exercise more, and I am not getting anywhere.” Living with mindfulness

means that you are not dwelling on your past. The past is already gone. You have the power to not repeat the past habits that did not work for you. You have the choice to follow a di erent path, a di erent way of living that is aligned with your intention. By now, chances are that you already have a good picture of why you failed with all your previous attempts. Take a few deep breaths, relax, and know that you don’t have to do everything at once. A small change here and there builds up over time.

Consider this suggestion:

MAKE PROGRESSIVE GOALS, AND KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PROGRESS. You need to start somewhere, so the best thing to do early in your journey is to set an achievable goal and then build from there. If your ultimate goal is to walk ten thousand steps per day, make your first goal three thousand steps per day. Keep track of your progress every day, recording how many steps you’ve taken in your exercise log, and once you have met that goal and maintained it for little while, increase your goal to six thousand steps per day and build up again. You can keep track of your goals and progress by using a notebook and pen, or one of the many online tools— whichever you like best. The important thing is being consistent with your activity and your tracking.

“Working Out Is Too Expensive”

Just as you don’t need to run marathons to bene t 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 gure 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 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.

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 tting 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.” 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.” 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.” 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” 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.” There are two dimensions to reality. The rst 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 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 exibility, Thay regularly practices Ten Mindful Movements as described in the book 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.

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 o 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 exing 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 rst, 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 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.
  1. Have your eyes focused on an object or scenery in front of you.
  1. Swing your arms up straight in front of you toward the sky or ceiling, as you inhale deeply.
  1. Drop and swing your arms back down all the way and behind you, as you exhale completely.
  1. Repeat this up-and-down movement continually.
  2. 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 di erent after doing the arm swing for ve 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 bene ts of exercise; the amount of exercise needed to lose weight and keep it o ; 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 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 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.

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.

What activities do you like to do?

Think about activities that give you joy. A lot of di erent 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, gol ng, dancing, yoga, hiking, 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- ve hundred steps) to start. Once you have done that for four weeks, you can move the goal to forty minutes a day (or ve 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.”

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 ve 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, 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.)

The Bottom Line

For many of us, exercise is really challenging. It’s not easy to nd 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 sti ed 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.

 

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