The number of ways we use the word mind in our everyday language is mind-boggling. Being the inquisitive mind that I am, I decided to look in my Encarta dictionary. Besides, I needed a definition for the word mindful. Sure enough, there were ten definitions EACH of the word mind, both as a noun and a verb. The column containing words with the root word mind spilled onto a second page. My mindset was expanding by the minute. I was really paying attention as my finger traced the black print. My eyes watched as individual letters appeared beneath the tip of my gliding index finger. I could smell the musky scent of the dictionary's cardboard cover. The tissue-thin page corners stuck to the pads of my fingers. This seemingly mindless motion of looking up a word was not lost on me. I was present with all senses turned on. The definition of mindful had already found me.
Sounding more like the word "de jour," mindful, or mindfulness, is popping up in conversations and magazine articles with increasing frequency. I was surprised to discover that both the term and its application have origins in Buddhist tradition. As far back as 1845, the language scholars were translating and interpreting the word and practice of mindfulness.
Today's secular applications can be found in every setting and activity, from breathing to supermarket shopping to the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In a society of one-size-fits-all approaches to life's triumphs and challenges, mindfulness is arguably the undefeated contender.
Wow. That's mind-blowing. Okay, so when applied to exercise and weight management, what's the key? Mindfulness in these two areas makes a profound difference in the effectiveness and long term success of both endeavors. Period. If YOU don't show up and stay 'til curtain call, you might as well stay home. Here's why.
Exercise involves your body as it exists NOW - not the high school version you carry around in your mind's eye (there it is again). Acceptance of your body and all of its imperfections, strengths, and weaknesses is paramount. Go ahead, introduce yourself to YOU and make friends. Only then are you ready to succeed at achieving your exercise goals. Now, during your exercises, feel what muscles you are engaging. If you don't know, ask a professional. Learn what that muscle's function is and then focus on the sensation you feel as it performs for you. If this sounds too New Age or crazy awkward, then ask yourself this question. Would you consider driving a car without being able to feel the accelerator or brake pedal? Not likely. To tune in is to be turned on - the five senses, that is. The next time you perform a dumb bell bicep curl, look at your bicep muscle. Observe and feel the contraction and elongation of the muscle. What does your grip look like on the neck of the dumb bell? Notice how your grip affects your forearm muscles. Understand what function this motion of your arm serves in your life. Imagine trying to lift and lower a grocery bag without flexing and lengthening your bicep muscle.
Weight management - this was a natural process for your body at birth. Then, a disconnect evolved. Numerous factors can contribute to that for each of us, but many of us stopped listening to our body's signals. Remembering how much we just ate or whether we were even hungry when we ate or full when we stopped is a stretch. Again, YOU have to show up - YOU as you are at this moment. Like it or not, a reliable mirror doesn't come with "accept" and "do not accept" buttons. Your body, and thus its reflection, just IS.
Mindfulness demands that you pay attention to what IS during the act of eating. No driving, talking on the phone, watching television, or reading a mystery novel. Distractions disconnect us from US. Most successful losers (weight, that is) - successful in that they have maintained their weight loss - will tell you that minding your body is essential. Long lists of allowed and disallowed foods, meticulously measured portions, and diet logs that rival accounting ledgers don't work without YOU being present. Tuning into the body you have expertly tuned out is the first step to long term weight management success.
Mindfulness - accepting what is, being present without judgment - is as challenging to implement as it is effective. Buddhist teachers affirmed mindfulness as being requisite on the path to liberation and subsequent enlightenment. Applied to exercise and weight management then, imagine the likelihood of success.
So - if you don't mind - show up already!
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