Fool in the Rain
Posted: March 5, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, exercise, fitness, free range, Giving thanks, gluten free, gratitude, happiness, health, Hesitation, hipster, hope, intensity, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, natural, nebraska, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, running, star wars, technology, trail running, walking, weather, WOD, yoga 10 CommentsThe most wasted of all days is one without laughter-
There is a glitch in the system. Being grateful, humble and full of joy is inherently easy when the sun is shining, when the kids are being good (for once) when our dreams start to come true, when the world seems to be for our taking. There’s always a “but” and today’s but is a biggie, like Sir Mix A-Lot big! But … Gratitude is a glitzy system. Are you grateful when you step on a Lego at 5am? When your perfect treadmill trot goes sideways? When you quite can’t find stillness, awareness and comfort in your daily yoga practice. Every door seems to be slamming us in the face? F! Gratitude!!!
“This is the last time I step on a mother bleeping Lego …” Like any system, the system of gratitude relies on triggers. Sometimes it takes a smack in the head, a Lego, someone saying “Hello and Good Morning” with a genuine smile. Some may find an early morning run a rather pleasant trigger, a cup of coffee or snuggling with a loved one before going to work. Small, grateful triggers to set the tone for the day.
The Workout-
Open the door to happiness in your life, step outside, begin your day with a smile, join a friend for a workout – walk – run – yoga … whatever.
Notes:
What was your grateful trigger this morning? What small moment changed your outlook on the day and brought a smile to your face? For me, I simply stepped on a Star Wars Lego piece, I think it was a Light saber?!?
Fuera de Peligro
Posted: March 1, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: Dreams, exercise, fitness, free range, Freshly Pressed is Overrated, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, kettlebell, life, love, lululemon, motivation, natural, nebraska, Omaha, paleo, passion, pilates, play, playing, recovery, walking, whole foods, WOD, yoga 12 CommentsLast night I dreamt that somebody loved me. No hope, no harm; just another false alarm-
We made it this far into the week in one piece, congrats- job well done! No worry about tips about this or that today, so I decided to share a story with you instead. Pull up a chair, sit still, in comfort. Chill … Dark chocolate and a fresh cup of Earl Grey will make this tale so much more tolerable.
Two vibrant young kids were playing in sandbox not too long ago, I’m guessing they had to be around the age of 9 maybe 10. Pails, shovels matchbox cars the whole shebang. Spoiler Alert: A disagreement turns into a proper ruckus! You know the deal; building tension, pushing and finally one of the kids runs away screaming, “That’s not fair! You totally suck – dude!”
If you took the under of the kids playing again in +/- 10 minutes? You would be correct! In no time at all they were back in the sandbox doing what little dudes do best … Making a proper mess.
So what exactly happened here?
“These little dudes choose happiness over righteousness.”
Each one of us can save ourselves from so much unnecessary suffering, if we simply acted more like kids, playing with matchbox cars in a sandbox. Stepping aside from anger, pain and a bruised ego takes courage and humility. Our constant need to be “right” … All the time, keeps us from walking back, smiling and playing.
Notes:
Dropped actions, walking away … Do not heal, staying silent in anger only adds to the pain. Words heal, a smile, a gentle touch. A wise man once said “Remember the Alamo” … Today I ask of you “Remember the sandbox!”
Artificial Life
Posted: February 27, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, fitness, free range, happiness, health, hipster, jogging, kettlebell, life, love, lululemon, marathon, motivation, natural, pain, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Risk, running, Suffering, trail running, walking, weight loss, whole foods, WOD, yoga, Yoga Goddess 11 CommentsThat’s sad. How plastic and artificial life has become. It gets harder and harder to find something…real.” Nin interlocked his fingers, and stretched out his arms. “Real love, real friends, real body parts…”-
Life, each and every day is a risky undertaking. Each of us have our own choices to make each day, minute-to-minute, conveniently wrapped with the many mysteries of life. The weight loss plan we planned out over a nice Merlot in January may help us reach a goal we value and then again, it very well may not.
What exactly makes sense as we negotiate this perilous journey of life?
The balance between too much risk and too much safety is an altogether different equation for different folks. There is no right answer.
The rule book for our life is written well before we are born and we are taught those rules from the day of our birth. The rules are full of do this and don’t do that and awful consequences (you’ll shoot your eye out kid) and great rewards (a cheap medal for finishing a 5k). No two of you reading today share the same rule book as mine, not even remotely close. This is one of the main reasons why we sometimes become so hostile, so polarized, unwavering in our thoughts when facing off against an opponent who feels equally so. Don’t believe me? Tell the yoga goddess in your 9am class that her breathing and focus, suck. She’s following the rules for herself (matching Lululemon pants with a revealing top).
Living deeply is looking closely at your rule book and deciding, for ourselves, what our true nature is. What exactly is your true nature and how can you live authentically? The answers don’t come as easy as say a one-time blog post or a witty self-help e-book. They come as feelings of intuition and as a sense of purpose, guiding us one way or another. The answers we seek will come as clarity, focus, a genuine sense of purpose. Sometimes the answers are crystal clear, sometimes they are barely discernible nudges; a fleeting thought or feeling; a sweetness on your lips; a resonance in your heart … Do you hear these today?
The Workout-
A simple Walk sprinkled with some Inversions to make life interesting.
Notes:
Step outside the familiar this afternoon, the comfortable, the place where you think you are safe, take a risk (wear jammies to yoga class). Take a risk against the old you … This is a risk worth taking.
Unplugge(d)
Posted: February 26, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, exercise, fitness, free range, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, intensity, jogging, kettlebell, life, love, lululemon, marathon, Minimal, nature, paleo, passion, Personal, perspective, pilates, quiz, running, Socail Media, technology, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, yoga 26 CommentsThere is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature-
It’s been a bit since we last took a quiz (hot-shot):
- Do you check your phone before rolling out of bed in the morning?
- Do you compulsively check your phone each minute during the day?
- Do you stare at a screen more than being in awe of nature?
- Do you send and receive emails, text messages pin stuff … During meals, during each red light or while exercising?
- Do you freak out if you can’t find your gadget? Lost in your picturesque home. Ever use your home phone to call your mobile phone?
- Is some form of technology always within your reach, every moment of the day even while using the restroom?
- Is checking your phone the last thing you do before you turn in at night?
Did you happen to blurt out a few foul-tasting ‘yes(s)’ to these questions? We could talk about addiction to technology … Blah blah. You don’t care and these words will simple fall on deaf ears.
My question to you is (if you stuck around): What the heck are you going to do about your technology addiction? Purge and place it back in the “box” or do your best to minimize the harm it is causing you?
Let’s take a few moments to explore the benefits of unplugging. More free time, yup- more free time not wired to a gadget. This new-found free time parlays nicely into spending more quality time with your family, friends and co-workers. Heck even the local barista is happy to take your order while looking you in the eye rather than from someone staring at a phone. If having more pleasant experiences, experiences that are enriching and dense with plain old fun sounds cool? Ditch the technology.
Disconnecting will not be easy for you. The task of breaking this habit may seem pretty daunting, stupid and idiotic. You know what? Totally cool, we are human after all although if you stay committed, purge and adjust diligently each and every day? You very well may find that the benefits from disconnecting will far outweigh any risks.
Notes:
This post was sent by one of my four iPads.
Minimal
Posted: February 25, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, exercise, fitness, free range, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, kettlebell, life, love, lululemon, marathon, Minimal, motivation, natural, passion, pilates, running, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga 10 CommentsThe real meaning of things lies deep down and the real meaning of things is always beautiful because it is simply love-
Minimalism is not about having just a handful of items to help you make it through the day. Minimalism is about having only what you need, and nothing more. Maybe it’s my blonde hair or maybe it’s my unabashed “dude” attitude towards life? Maybe it’s the handful of Yoga/Spiritual magazines in the corner bookstore that lament, nauseatingly about “How to simplify” your life that brought me to write today?
If you really want to start simplifying your life?
Gather up everything you use on a daily basis and proceed to stack these items somewhere (a box would be ideal although some items may be too large for a simple box). Every time you need something from this “box”, pick it out and find a place for it in your life. A simple toothbrush comes to mind, the bikes to ride around with the kids this coming spring. The TV, iPad, magazines and even this blog-o-post can stay in the box.
After a fair amount of time you will start to take notice of a few things: Your teeth are whiter, your breath is fresher. Listening to all four acts of Carmen by the brilliant french composer Georges Bizet (The only likable French dude the world has known) is infinitely more enjoyable than surfing the webz and watching wretched television programming. Your posture improves as you start to walk with your head held high, with confidence and purpose. A far cry from wandering around aimlessly with your head buried in a gadget.
Take note, I’m not trying to make you a minimalist, for I am far from it. Purging the useless items from our daily lives may very well take the rest of our lives to accomplish. The box … Will always be there to take items from and to place back.
The Workout-
A pleasurable mid-morning Walk followed by a handful of Walking Lunges and just for the fun of it: Cartwheels to reconnect with our inner child, gracefully.
Notes:
CultFit.org in its present state? Is a mess and has been placed back in my “box“. The more you try to simplify “things” the more complicated they become. I suppose the very same logic applies to most of what we do on a daily basis?
CultFit 