Breathing

I believe in multi-tasking.  I’m a parent; it’s a survival thing.  That said, there are limits to its usefulness.

Lately I have been focusing on yoga and swimming as my exercises of choice.  “Choice” in this context, as Lemony Snicket would say, means “It has been pointed out to me that continuing to bike and lift weights with my current physical situation is harmful, so it would be a good idea to do something else.”  Not that I don’t like yoga and swimming.  I love both.  I am also not particularly good at either one.

What happens, as a result, is that I have to focus.  There is no music in swimming, just the rhythm of breathing and splashing.  My brain quiets, eventually, when all there is to do is count the lengths of the pool.  In yoga, the whole point is to connect the mind to the body, to use each to enrich the other.

It’s simple, but it’s profound.  Where else can we find that deep and basic space?

Be helpful...

Yesterday I posted some thoughts on eating less.  Today I have a few on moving more.  And, no, I am not going to make the usual suggestions about parking at the far end of the lot.

• Be helpful.  Be the one who jumps up to refill everyone’s water.  Choose to be the one who takes out the trash or brings in the trash cans.  Go check to see if the mail has come yet.  Offer to watch the neighbors’ dog and walk him or her while they’re gone.

• Make walking the new coffee.  Want to spend time with a friend?  Go walk!  The conversation will be just as lively and you’ll both sleep better.

• Get out from behind the desk.  This is kind of like the last suggestion.  If you need to talk with a coworker, head over to her or his desk instead of texting or calling.  If there are things to discuss that don’t require lots of screens and charts, take it outside around the block; you may find that your ideas are better!

• Drink more water.  If nothing else, adequate hydration means that you have to get up to use the bathroom every hour.

Hungry, or...?

While there are other factors that complicate things, in general, there are two ways to address weight loss:  eat less and move more.  Weight loss occurs at a healthy rate when we average a calorie intake about 500 calories fewer than we expend.  For example, if a person eats 2500 calories per day and uses 3000 due to normal activity and exercise, that person would expect to lose about a pound each week.

Eating less sounds simple enough.  Yeah, right.  Food is not just fuel, but a powerful emotional and cultural signifier—this is why we believe in things like “comfort food.”  There are times when we eat not because we are hungry, but because we think we are hungry.  Here are a few questions we can ask before we choose whether or not to eat the cookies.

• Am I hungry, or am I thirsty?  Sometimes what we actually need is more water.

• Am I hungry, or am I bored?  Maybe we could use a change of scenery, at least for a few minutes.

• Am I hungry, or am I lonely?  Call, text, email, chat, send smoke signals to a friend.  Bonus points for physical contact with another human being.

• Am I hungry, or am I sad?  We can take ourselves for a walk instead to get the benefits of cardio plus the ones from going outside.

Maybe we are hungry.  Maybe it is the right choice to eat the cookies or the celery or the spoonful of almond butter.  If not, let’s choose what actually helps the issue at hand.