Coaching – Page 2

Or, How To Slow Down To Get Where You’re Going

https://www.doyou.com/how-to-do-warrior-iii-pose/

Yoga is not what I would call my natural habitat. Or it didn’t used to be. Like any good, middle-class, city-dwelling woman in the 90s and Aughts, I did it. I had the Rodney Yee videos (why couldn’t he wear normal shorts?). I went to the occasional class. I listened and rolled my (closed) eyes when the instructor said, “Imagine a lotus blooming at the crown of your head.” Sure, lady. Totally imagining that very thing right now.

About 4 years ago, however, some knee issues from running put me in PT, and I had to find something I could do in the meantime. As luck would have it, a yoga studio opened not far from my house, and off I went to try to make the best of the crap sandwich my IT band had handed me. It turns out that, as we get older, the brief 5-minute (or no-minute) post-workout stretch just doesn’t cut it. If I wanted to keep running, then my IT band (and hamstrings and quads) were going to demand more attention than simply miles and miles of getting pounded to a shortened length each week. Also, my glutes were non-existent. But that’s a post for another day.

What’s great about my yoga studio is that they turn the lights off. I don’t have to look at anyone, and they don’t have to look at me. Even though they sometimes encourage introducing yourself to your neighbor (note to the yoga studio: I am there to relax and renew, not to ramp up my social anxiety), you’re generally left alone if you want to be.

As I started to go consistently, 1-2 times a week, I realized I was using my breath to de-stress, even “off the mat,” as they say. I also realized that really difficult poses, like Warrior 3, were going to be impossible if I didn’t slow down and make my progress gradual.

And you know what? That helped me reconcile my own recovery and comeback from the IT band/knee pain. Slow and steady, as Marge Simpson once said, really does win the race. You can go careening, headlong in to things you want, or want to make happen. More often than not, though, the best things in life don’t happen immediately. They come from a place of cultivation. Yoga may not be for everyone in the moment, but it becomes something for anyone, if you’re willing to slow down and let it become you.

Serene depiction that will lull you into believing my truth.

It’s the first day of a new year, so there’s no time like the present to start a new eating plan. This time, for real, it’s totally going to stick and I will be the best person in the world as a result. I know this because I am 16 pages into the book, and I have seen testimonials from others who lost 400 lbs in two weeks, had more energy, quit lying to their spouse, found $10,000 in an old shoe, and now smile more than people in air freshener ads, all as a result of using the plan. Which plan? The one that everyone is doing right now. I know I can stick to this plan for about a month. And it wasn’t because the program itself magically changed my life. First, I had to learn how to change habits. Other things I have done for a month:

Didn’t eat added sugar: This one was tough, but I renewed my affinity for Triscuits and cream cheese. Did you know sugar is added to everything? Even sushi?
Ate a high fat diet with no/low carbs: This is why I now put heavy cream in my coffee and have become addicted to salami. This one did me no favors. Thanks a lot, didactic science man.
20 or more burpees a day: I got to keep a spreadsheet about it, that’s why.
Trained for a race: Running is the one thing I have actually stuck with month over month.
Went to a yoga class every day: Ok, I didn’t really do this one, but I thought about it. The studio had a punch card, so you can see the appeal.
All the stupid exercises for physical therapy: Borrrrrinnnngg, but it worked. I can now engage my glutes together or separately. Trust me. I am doing it right now.
Avoided alcohol: I did this one for 9 months. Twice. Si, se puede.

There are probably more, but I can’t think of them all right now. The part that matters is the part where anyone can do anything for 30 days.

I like spreadsheets to track things, or punch cards, or crossing things off a list. That keeps me on course and successful. Some people like to do things with friends. Some people like to do things for others. Some people like to receive praise from others. So basically, you can do anything for 30 days if you can figure out what it is that makes the things you currently do more appealing. Having a battle every day with your brain about what you should do is unlikely to be the solution.

Here’s the other thing: the best resources for this effort to break cycles are not the books that tell you how to eat better. That’s like telling you to start a DIY home-repair project by explaining which paint colors will best suit the living room without telling you how to actually prime and paint your walls. Or, depending on your house, how to remove the wallpaper that’s already there. Word to the wise: do not paint over wallpaper. Likewise, do not begin a new eating plan without first battling your eating demons.

Here are two really great books to check out on the topic of figuring out how to succeed at an eating plan that aren’t actually eating plans:

The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg has a really accessible non-fiction writing style. He gives all kinds of examples about how we humans get stuck in habits, good and bad.

The Four Tendencies, by Gretchen Rubin Are you a Questioner? A Rebel? An Obliger? Or an Upholder? Find out how you approach expectations, your own and others, to learn what tips work best for you to stay on track.

Check out Half Price Books to find your copies today!