#BeRealCheckIn Challenge [Podcast]

Today’s episode is about something we can all take part in. Removing the stigma around depression. We can do that by honestly and openly connecting to our emotions. Now it’s not necessary to do so in a public forum, but that is one way to be the example and show that permission is not required for this act of vulnerability and self reflection.

This is a movement put on by a non-profit known as Depression2Extinction.

d2e social media:

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

The following excerpt is from their website - https://www.depression2extinction.org/

Depression2Extinction is dedicated to erasing the stigma surrounding depression and anxiety disorders. Together, we can create a light in the darkness. Our goal is to change the way people around the world face their depression and anxiety, offering programs that focus on Movement, Mindfulness, and Human Connection.

I was introduced to this challenge by Luke Frazier. The co-founder of d2e and the brains behind The Why Blog, a podcast I was recently a guest on. I’d highly recommend subscribing to this podcast to stay up to date with new episodes.

The Why Blog social Media-

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Check that episode out here: The Opportunity In Suffering

I recorded this episode while actually partaking in this very challenge during a Facebook live video. I explain all the details of the challenge in the podcast.

This challenge is a powerful one that can really impact the world in a positive way and hopefully help people feel like it's okay to talk about their emotions to someone when they need help. Dive in and see what this is all about!

Top 4 Beginner Training Mistakes

1.   Skimping the Warm Up

Too many people develop tight musculature from hard training, reduced range of motion, and generally end up moving like a 2x4.

I see so many people walk in, swing their arms around wildly in semi circles, bend over and attempt to touch their toes twice and dive right in to their workout. Now, a warm up should not become an exhausting experience the lasts 30 minutes, but arm swings and a bend doesn’t cut it.                                                 

The warm up is an opportunity to prepare the body AND the mind for the training you’re about to do. You should prepare the tissues of the body, increase mobility, and raise your body temperature by warming up. There’s another aspect to a proper warm up though. You can work on incorporating neurological training (balance, agility, coordination), and technique review which increase your overall results.

At my gym, Enlightened Athlete, the coaches take all members through directed warm ups, priming the body AND the nervous system for training with a purpose.

2.   Too much, Too Fast

Here’s a common scenario: Bob is a sedentary individual. Maybe he walks around the block once in awhile with the family. Bob decides he is going to get in shape. Bob is going to go to the nines and take on a brutal workout he saw on facebook. Halfway through, his legs are jello, lungs are burning, and he might puke.

For the next three days Bob is so sore that he can’t make it up or down stairs and needs handrails to sit down on the toilet. Bob stops working out due to the fear of that pain again. Thus, Bob’s workout career is over. Not great.

It’s ok to start small and build. If you’re doing nothing, anything will be better than that. You don’t need to go out and try to run marathons or crush an Olympic athlete’s workout. Start with a 30 minute walk and some bodyweight movements. 

This is where having a qualified coach or trainer comes in very handy. They will be able to evaluate where you are now, and provide the proper amount of intensity. They will build you up over time and viola! You start seeing results!

3.   Not Fueling Exercise

Nutrition is key to success when beginning a workout regimen. I’ve heard it time and time again that your body composition, what you’re made of (muscle vs. fat), can be influenced up to 80% by what you put in your mouth. Stated differently, what you eat largely determines the results you’ll see from ANY exercise program. You can’t out work poor nutrition.

Maybe it’s the fact that you are eating a steady diet of frozen burritos and fast food. For some it will need to be a reduction in calories (weight loss). For others it will need to be a surplus (muscle gain). You need to figure out your goals and have a professional help you decide where you can improve.

4.   Not Prioritizing Recovery

“You need to help your body build back up after breaking it down.”

One of the biggest mistakes for a newbie gym-goer is under recovery. Not enough sleep, not planning meals, no static stretching or yoga. They don’t prioritize recovery methods. Getting to bed at the same time every night and getting 6 hours of sleep minimum. Foam rolling, banded distractions for joint health, and supplementation. These are all common methods that make you feel better and bring you more results.

You come into the gym, crush a workout, and do it again tomorrow. You need to help your body build back up after breaking it down. It can be confusing and difficult to start. This is where the theory of start small and build comes into play. Google workout recovery, ask for help from a pro, or grab some books. Just start somewhere.

What to Do Now?!

If you identified any of these 4 mistakes or have had trouble in the past, please feel free to reach out to me, Shae, at Enlightened Athlete with questions you may have. I'm happy to help!

If you've been putting off getting in shape due to the fear of injury or feeling lost; Schedule a FREE trial workout today to see what having a qualified coach who cares about your results can do for the improvement of your entire life.

Schedule Your Free Trial Workout

Enlightened Athlete's Guide to Meditation [PODCAST]

Today's Episode is about one of my favorite activities. Meditation. There's a lot of preconceptions surrounding this practice and some people are too unsure how to begin. My hope with this podcast episode is to introduce you to the practice of meditation by bringing it to the light and demystifying this SUPER beneficial activity of self care.

Topics covered:
-What meditation actually is. (In my experience)
-Different methods, variations, and practices
-Results from scientific research of physical, cognitive, and emotional improvements from regular meditation
-Apps, teachers, books, youtube videos, audio programs, and practices to help get you started
-All about our 21 day challenge and how you can join in at home!

Apps referred to:-Calm, Headspace, Insight Timer, Oak meditation App

Planner I'm using to track experience: The Madness Planner

Jon Kabat-Zinn MBSR Program: The program I started with

Cory Allen- Binaural Beats

Dr. Joe Dispenza Interview on Impact Theory- How to Unlock the Full Potential of Your Mind

How to Change Your State, Mental Adaptation & Books I'm Reading. [Podcast]

Why you should not let your emotions dictate your productivity, how to change your state to prevent this from happening, and why I view fitness as a means to an end, not an end itself.

Also covered: books I'm reading, how to start acting like a professional in whatever your field is, and much more.

https://www.facebook.com/OneWayVisual/k- One Way Visual Facebook

Link to our Amazon banner - Bookmark this page, and a small portion of Amazon’s profits from every purchase you make gets sent our way.

Links to the books mentioned in episode( Fun fact, if you but these books, through our amazon banner, you’ll be helping us out!)

The War of Art

The Primal Blueprint

Mindset

Find More Flow

My challenge to you is to find and incorporate more activity that induces flow in your life. You'll be happier, more productive, and have more energy. By the end of this post, you will learn what flow is, and how you can get into it.

I am a firm believer of pushing your limits. Broadening your horizons, failing at the margins of your own experience. One of the most satisfying feelings in the world is reaching a higher level of awareness or capability. Achieving something you felt was previously impossible gives me a real kick in the ass and actually helps me to work harder. If we don't venture to the outer limits of our abilities we never really know where our greatest potential lies. 

“If we don’t venture to the outer limits of our abilities we never really know where our greatest potential lies.”

I feel like I am always looking for the next new thing I can take on or learn about. Maybe it's fishing or hunting, maybe it's starting a business, maybe raising chickens. Whatever it is, I just know that I love doing new shit. I feel like I'm cooped up and dying a slow death if I'm not engaging in some novel activity or experience. 

Other than keeping me sane, there is a myriad of additional benefits to constantly pushing my limits, learning new skills, and taking on new challenges. Out of those benefits I'd like to focus on the topic of the day: FLOW.

What is flow?

A flow state is an optimal state of consciousness where we feel and perform our best. It's also called being in "the zone". It's where you are totally and utterly focused on the task at hand and are not distracted by the ever-present voice of your ego or other environmental distractions. So what does a flow state look or feel like?

“A flow state is an optimal state of consciousness where we feel and perform our best.”

University of Chicago Psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, outlined the 8 characteristics of the flow state in his book, “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.”

• Complete concentration on a task
• Clarity of goals, immediate feedback, and a reward in mind
• Transformation of time (speeding up or slowing down of time)
• Intrinsically rewarding experience – an end in-and-of itself
• Effortlessness and ease
• Balance between challenge and skills
• Actions merge with awareness — a loss of self-conscious rumination
• Feelings of control over the task

So those are the defining characteristics of a flow state. Loss of self conscious rumination is an interesting one. This is due to a physiological reaction called transient hypofrontality. When your prefrontal cortex dials back it's activity you get transient hypofrontality. The prefrontal cortex is where our ego lives, the part of your brain that judges and evaluates everything you're doing. This process allows you to experiment and discover new ways of accomplishing tasks without the inner critic passing judgement, pulling you out of the zone.

How do you reach a flow state?

A flow state can be reached when presented with a situation or activity that provides the right amount of challenge for the persons ability. Snowboarding too difficult of a run for a beginner will leave the boarder frustrated and possibly frightened, not allowing the right mix of neurochemicals to be released. The flow state appears in the not too much, or too little range of difficulty.

Here are some "side-effects" of flow:

• Increased creativity (reports of 500-700% increases)
• Increased productivity
• Transformation of time (sped up or slowed down)
• Accelerated learning (Military snipers in flow state learned 200-500% faster while in flow)
• Better sleep
• Increased happiness

I would have to say that these seem to be almost unbelievable increases. The crazy thing is, it's a real state we can all tap into. It's just finding the activity that allows you to drop into flow. 

Personally I've used multiple different activities to engage a flow state. Something as simple as learning how to juggle triggered a flow state for me. I was intensely focused on learning the proper timing and movement patterns and it led me right into flow. I wasn't worried about what I looked like or judging myself, just focused on learning.

I've used snowboarding, wakeboarding, longboarding, exercise, slack lining, and my personal favorite, trail running in rough terrain to get into flow.

Find some activities you find intrinsically rewarding that challenge your current ability and it's fairly likely you'll drop you into a flow state. There are so many ways to do it, you just have to find the right mix of challenge and ability.

My challenge to you is to find and incorporate more activity that induces flow in your life. You'll be happier, more productive, and have more energy.