being mindful

As I was doing my cardio this morning I was thinking about something that I think a lot of people forget when they are on the treadmill.. or the elliptical.. or the stairmaster. Be mindful of what your body is doing. These cardio exercises can require very little of our attention and often people (including me) read magazines or are glued to the closed captioning on the TVs in front of them. I used to always, always have a magazine with me to get through my cardio and when I didn’t have it I was so bored I would usually quit early.

Then one day I forgot my magazine and decided to try what I had read about a few times in different magazines. Be mindful of what your body is doing. The first time I really tried this I was on the stairmaster, with no magazine, and the TV was too far away. So, to get through the next 30 minutes I focused on what I was actually doing. I squeezed my glutes, made sure my heels were down, paid attention to my posture, kept my core tight, and you know what? I was dying in about 10 minutes. Who knew?? When you focus on the little things your different muscles are doing – they work harder. The New York Times did an article on this and Tosca Reno did an interview on it as well. There are dozens of studies, articles, etc. out there about it if you want to read. But I would recommend to just try it.

The next time you are going to do cardio, don’t bring a magazine and don’t hang on the TV for every word. Instead, focus on what you are doing: take longer strides, don’t hold on to the the hand rails (unless you need to), squeeze your glutes and engage your core. For me the first thing to go when I am not paying attention is my core. The second I don’t focus on it, it is no longer engaged. I try to keep my abs pulled in and up the entire time I do cardio, with a few short breaks here and there. This means I am getting a core workout for 20-45 minutes - with no crunches!

I personally am a convert, a magazine will never go with me again. Let me know how you like it if you try it out!Breakfast this morning:
Four scrambled egg whites with:
1/2 bell pepper and Arizona Gunslinger Hot Sauce.

Oatmeal cooked with water on the stove:
Blueberries mixed in (I read if you mix them into the oatmeal so they warm up they release more antioxidants..who knows if that’s correct but I do it.)
Topped with:
1 scoop of protein powder and 1/4 cup of almond milk whisked together. I got this idea from the Eat Clean Diet Recharged book.
1 tbsp flaxseed
Sprinkle of cinnamon