Life Changer
Page 8
I challenge you to test this for yourself. Try not to think about it too hard. Just observe yourself brushing your teeth tomorrow morning. It's fascinating to watch. This may not happen for you while brushing your teeth but several other tasks seem to happen for me almost instantaneously with minimal effort or thought. I could be mowing grass, washing dishes, eating, or even driving! Have you ever noticed that? You arrive somewhere in your car only to realize you barely remember the journey. It may be weird, but it happens to me a lot! I’m not saying that I arrive at random places and don’t remember how I got there. What I’m talking about is when I know where I’m going and it is somewhere familiar that I have been to numerous times. When that is the case, it seems to happen in almost the same manner as when I brush my teeth. I decide what I want to do and then it just, sort of, happens with the decision to act being the hardest part of the endeavor.
Have you ever trained a dog? Sit, stay, fetch, roll over, or heel? I want you to think about that process. Think of all the repetition, the system of rewards, the failed attempts, and the eventual achievement of your goal. It takes a lot of conscious mental effort on our part if we want our dog to do something it has never done before, on command. Training the dog can be hard work, but as it becomes more skilled because of our repetitious training, the amount of effort required on our part consistently decreases. We not only have to work less but we also become more proficient at teaching. As our relationship with our pet improves it makes achieving our goals much easier to accomplish. I want you to realize that it's not your body that trains the dog. It's your mind! Your mind learns and develops strategies that allow you to manipulate the dog to the extent which eventually allows you to have a much higher degree of control over it with considerably less effort. The dog’s responses, if properly trained, become almost instantaneous to your desire. Here comes the trippy part. This process happens in virtually the same way that your teeth become brushed with the slightest thought towards the action. Now think about that for a moment.
Everyone that has pets, and good sense, will tell you that having a good pet is all about how much time you spend with them. Time spent nurturing and training them to understand your needs and wants. If this technique is adhered to then most of the time a delightful, obedient, and trustworthy friendship will be created. If the appropriate method is not used, then people usually find themselves scooping poop, picking up shredded household items, and struggling desperately to find a way to communicate with the animal.
Now let's talk about the human body. We're talking about one just like the one that you have! For the purposes of this chapter, we are going to call it "Body," kind of in the same way you may call your dog "Lady" or "Max." We are going to talk about Body a lot like we are discussing a pet. The only difference between Body and Max is that Max walks beside you and Body is what allows you to walk in the first place. It carries you through space and time. If properly trained, it will be a constant source of joy. Not only that, but it will also help you to achieve your goals in life. If not properly trained, Body can become a consistent source of pain, dysfunction, and dissatisfaction. Much like your buddy Max, it's all about the time you spend consciously training it.
I, like most people, have been in and out of different physical exercise routines and regiments for most of my life. The consistency with which I can perform my routine has usually been limited to a time span of about 3 to 6 months. You know what I mean? You see fast results early on within the first couple of months, and then they start to plateau a little. Eventually, whatever you were getting in shape for in the first place has passed, and inevitably something happens that causes you to miss a week or two, and then it's over! I’ve seen this many times! Right when Body was becoming used to the routine, we lose our motivation, and without the mental commands, Body becomes lazy again. Body begins to adapt to our once again sedentary lifestyle. And so, Body sits and waits for us to find the next big motivating factor. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
I once had an older patient that everyone was always so surprised to find out his age. The man was in his 70s but looked more like a 50-year-old who took good care of himself. As I got to know him, he opened up to me about his routine and why he felt he was so successful at staying healthy. He told me diet was important but that it did not matter what was going on in his life, he was going to exercise. He said that no matter what, almost without exception, when the clock hits a particular time, he knows he should be in the gym. He said he did not need to be doing anything spectacular or continually seeking gains of some sort, but that every day he knows he needs to be devoting some regular time to his health and well-being. He told me this routine would eventually become easy to maintain for anyone who stuck with it consistently. I took this advice to heart. I began to apply it about five or six days a week. I started to train Body, and I did it consistently. As time has passed, what I have noticed is that when my mind tells Body it's time to exercise, there isn't such a sluggish, begrudging feeling that comes over me from Body. Instead, I have started to notice an increase in what feels like participation. It has just become easier to do what I want to do without also having to exert the extra mental energy that used to always be required to talk Body into doing it. Things have become much easier.
The reason we're talking about my exercise habits is that you and I are very much alike. For the most part, we all are. Our perceived differences can usually be traced back to our unique perspectives, but basically, we are all pretty much the same. What I want you to understand is that you are the conscious living thing that resides within Body. Your Body. You must learn to look at your Body almost like a pet. Your Body is a pet that can and must be trained if you wish for it to respond to your commands more efficiently. As I have stated earlier, you must put forth the effort on a consistent basis if you want to train Body to perform in the manner you desire.
In the same way that we have discussed training our Body to learn good practices and become more responsive when we want positive things from them, we must also be aware of the destructive power that Body can have on our existence when we allow for the formation of harmful habits and desires. If Body has an addiction, it is because you have allowed it to be exposed to what it is addicted to on a regular enough basis, with enough consistency, that the addiction has been formed. It does not matter whether we are talking about alcohol, sweets, tobacco, prescription medications, illegal narcotics, sitting down, sleeping, drinking sodas, or even sexual matters. All of these and others can quickly become things that Body will not only come to expect but will demand! If you eat very large meals, then Body will expect very large meals as opposed to if you eat very small meals Body will get used to it and expect very small meals. If you drink lots of alcohol, then Body will come to expect lots of alcohol whereas if you drink very little alcohol, Body will expect very little alcohol. It's very straightforward. If exposure to these harmful actions and substances happens on a consistent enough basis, Body’s need for them can become devastating in many ways. However, remember the opposite is also true. This training will always work both ways. If you read more, Body will get used to reading, but if you read less, Body will have more trouble with it. If you stretch more, Body will become more accustomed to it and start to be more mobile and comfortable, but if you avoid stretching, Body will undoubtedly become more restricted and complain much more when you do attempt to move. When we allow this to happen, it significantly increases the chances of future injury or even disability. If you want Body to be more relaxed during meditation, then you must consistently practice it, because if you don’t, you will always find that you are more concerned with Body’s discomforts instead of acquiring a more peaceful state mentally.
So, I would like for you to try to start developing this new way of thinking that no longer sees you and your physical body as one unit. Instead, you must learn to see yourself for what you truly are. You are the homeostatic relationship between two separate entities. Both have the potential to develop significan
t amounts of control over the other. Only their power comes through different methods. The mind can establish great control over Body through consistent conscious effort and purposeful action. But for Body to gain control over our mind, it only needs for us to not be purposeful or consistent with positive action. That's all it takes! Allowing your body to go unchecked will lead you to mental devastation and a feeling of helplessness. I guarantee it! Just like our buddy Max, if not trained properly and with the right amount of care and attention your Body will become a menace to your existence. One that without change on your part, will not only be with you until the end of your days, but may very well bring about that end much more quickly than you may have ever anticipated.
Start today! Take your rightful seat at the head of the table and become the leader of this partnership that you were born into. You now have the knowledge. The question is “Are you strong enough to take control?” You have at your disposal the most fantastic and amazing tool that has ever existed. You have your very own "Body." Train it well!
Chapter 14
Movement
P robably one of the greatest definers of life itself, movement is what allows for progress and change. Life is a continuous state of change, and there is almost nothing more essential to our existence. Our ability to manipulate our environment and move through space and time requires movement of one type or another. Without it, life becomes barely recognizable. Without it, there is only immobility. Fluids cease to pump, joints cease to move, and the heart ceases to beat. The time of movement and change comes to an end. As inevitable as that end may be, it is probably not going to be today. Today, you still have life, and you can still move and pursue change. That’s more amazing than most of us can ever realize. I have touched on this concept in several chapters of this book, but we will focus on it here. I really can’t overemphasize the paramount importance of understanding and maintaining your body's precious and ever fleeting movement.
The discussion of movement must begin at the beginning of life just as the discussion of it must conclude at the end of life. We are born in our most mobile state. Many joints have not yet formed, and we are mostly held together with extraordinarily lax ligaments and tendons. If you have ever played with a baby you probably already know just how mobile the young body can be. Our bodies at this stage have minimal limitation. This is when we have ample movement but have not yet learned how to use it. This surplus in movement is necessary for us to have at this stage of life, but it does not last forever. Over the next several years we slowly become more acquainted with what our bodies are capable of while also developing skill within those movements. At this stage, most of what our bodies are capable of is still available to us. We bend, we stretch, we play, and we grow. As time goes on, patterns begin to develop in our lives, and as they do, they subtly start to define our ability to move. As this happens, what we are capable of slowly becomes more limited within those patterns. This process accurately describes how our ability to move is defined as humans and it remains constant throughout the rest of our lives. What we are capable of becomes more and more defined by what we actually do on a consistent basis. This is also true with our limitations. What we can’t do is also influenced by what we don’t regularly do. For the majority of people, this leads to a consistent increase in limitation as life goes on.
We have all watched gymnast perform mind-blowing routines. These individuals are majestic, strong, and agile. They seem to have an unnatural ability to move their bodies in ways that most of us can’t even imagine being able to do. What gives these athletes the ability to contort their bodies in such ways? How are they able to perform movements that make most of us hurt to watch? The answer is simple. Most of them started practicing controlled movement through advanced ranges of motion at very young ages. They began when a more advanced degree of motion was still available to them and they just never stopped using it! They developed movement patterns in their lives that far exceed social norms. Because of repetitious use of their available ranges, they never developed the same limitations that most of us, unfortunately, do. There is nothing special about these high-level athletes other than their practices. That’s what is so important here; the proper practice. We must employ habitual stretching and use of certain motions that life does not regularly require of us. We must do this if we are to slow the progression of limitation so commonly found as part of the human condition.
Many factors can lead to the exacerbation of limitations with our personal ability to move. While the movement patterns found at our jobs and in our daily lives seem to have the most effect; diet, age, and even genetics can also have a significant influence on our ability to move. Some things such as age and genetics cannot be changed. However, you should try to keep in mind that although we cannot change them, we can always optimize them. We can get the most out of what we have available to us. This way of thinking is imperative to improving the quality of your life. Here we are talking about your movement. Which is a commodity of almost immeasurable value, but the idea of optimization should be carried throughout all areas of your life. Don’t make the foolish mistake of letting the factors that increase your limitation be the very reason why you do not seek optimization. Here we are talking about something that takes place way too often in almost all of our lives. We are talking about excuses! So often people let these factors transform into iron-clad reasons against pursuing improvement. That is strong anti-progressive logic and should be avoided at all cost. Tight muscles in your back may be part of your genetic makeup but not stretching and using them could cripple you. When you encounter the inevitable hardships that come with a lack of movement, you should devote much of your focus and energy towards improving your situation. If you can make the decision to pursue improved mobility then you can ensure fewer struggles as you carry on with your life. This logic is progressive and will never be something you regret.
On a daily basis, I have people tell me the things that they can’t do. Many times it’s something as simple as lying on their stomach. Sometimes, they are telling me the truth, but most of the time it’s not that they can’t, it’s that they haven’t done it in a long time and they just don’t want to. I try to explain to them that this simple avoidance of struggle has the potential to escalate to debilitating levels of immobility if they continue along their current path. Actions which were once viewed as a mild annoyance can quickly become a treacherous foe. If enough time goes by, these actions they don’t want to do can become movements they literally can’t do! They will no longer have the ability. They will have entered into a stage of life with disability. On the contrary, if the proper perspective is attained and they make the decision to devote effort towards optimization, then it will be discovered that the tasks they once believed were no longer possible are well within their grasp. This type of restorative change is not something usually accomplished in a short period of time, but with consistency, their situation can be improved.
This world is full of people that want to help you move. There are countless classes, DVDs, online videos, blogs, vlogs, and books that all offer insights towards increasing and optimizing your ability to move. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. All we have to do is type “How to” into one of our devices and then finish with whatever we are curious about, and the answers will appear. But somehow, people still cite ignorance as a plausible reason for personal neglect. There are at least two common types of excuses that typically stop individuals from pursuing this information. One is hopeless optimism, and the other is debilitating pessimism. Many optimists believe that for some reason everything will be okay and their participation is not required for the proper maintenance of their physical forms. I am a fan of optimism, but this is a little bit of madness. There is nothing wrong with the belief that good things are coming and that everything is going to be ok. But if that faith is not backed up by educated and decisive action, then it will lead to a steady decline in physical health. On the other hand, some pessimists are so tragically lo
st in the idea that their chance has been missed or improvement is out of their reach that they do not even pursue the possibility of more. These pessimistic individuals expect a steady decline in all aspects of their life, and usually, that becomes the reality they are witness to. You must make sure that you do not fall into either one of these categories. You must take the mental stance of a realist. Just remember that as long as you’re alive, you have life left to live. Whether you are 20 or 100 years of age, you can always decide to change. You can always seek out knowledge, and you can always use that knowledge to guide your actions. I have explained to you here how your body's motion works and why it is so important to seek ever-increasing movement out of it. The failure to act on this information will merely result in a life that is more confined, more quickly than it has to be as time goes on. This rate of decline will continue until the end of your days when you eventually reach the point when all movement stops. How often you move and the diversity of movements you perform will have enormous effects on when that day comes.
I need you to keep in mind that I’m not just talking about the ability to touch your toes or sit with your legs crossed. Your joint's ability to move affects every system you have. Studies have shown that increased flexibility and exercise leads to improved cardiovascular, lymphatic, neurological, and vestibular function. Stiffness at the joints almost always has tragic effects on our posture. Poor posture leads to pain and pain leads to further immobility. This, unfortunately, leads to increased stiffness and a continued spiral into a state of ever declining health and decreased quality of life. Regular exercise and maintenance of the body’s ability to move have also been proven to have positive effects on our cognition. That’s our ability to learn and retain new and more advanced information. These are all of great importance, and they are all connected to the movement we, all too often, take for granted. Our ability to move takes on a whole new level of importance when viewed from this perspective. Hopefully, it is a perspective you will adopt and use as a motivating force to help you change the course of your life.