HEALTH AND VIGOUR THROUGH PHYSICAL TRAINING

One morning, I was vigorously doing pushups in an open space. 

A guy who saw me in the middle of it remarked, “wow’’ and  asked, “Do you do this every darn day?”

As much as I wished I could answer him in the affirmative, I couldn’t. I didn’t say anything, I merely continued with my grind.

After I finished my sporadic workout, breathing profusely, I wondered, why? Why should deliberate stress be a regular thing for the human body to be fit and healthy? Why should it be a day by day thing?

Undoubtedly, I was already familiar with the benefits of exercising and the awareness was the reason I forced myself to do it whenever I needed a lift of strength. Nonetheless, every now and then, After going through the rigour of methodical physical movements, I always wondered, why?

Since I believe we can transcend whatever we befriend, I learned to love the boredom of exercise in other to give birth to a brand new me.

And as a result, the practice is now a fixed and immovable part of my daily routine, even if it is just for a little while, before I take my bath. 

If perchance, I now come across the guy who asked if I used to do this every darn day. I will stop, smile and answer him confidently with a resounding, yes.

I may even lecture him on the benefits of making daily exercise a habit and the potential positive impact it will have on him for the rest of his life.

If you are the curious type, you may find yourself asking following questions:

What changed?

What is the reason for my transition from the guy who repeatedly focused on the boring aspect of working out to a guy who is always focused on the overall essence of deliberate practice?

How was I able to make exercise a fixed daily habit?

My answer consists of three words:

Need and study.

I realized the significant boost of my energy level in one of those once-in-a while moments of deliberate movements  and I knew I needed to make myself experience such, more frequently.

Subsequently, I dived in to study exercises, workouts and different forms of generating strength through deliberate and regular physical activities.

With my need for strength and stamina  coupled with additional science-backed knowledge of incredible benefits of exercise, I decided to inculcate this practice in my day — my every darn day. 

And fortunately, now, I do it regularly, sometimes more than once in almost any day.

Mind you, as mentioned earlier, there are various kind of exercises, and the thing is; you need to know and practice the one that is most useful for you.

Just as I started with pushups, you can start with walking, jogging, stretching and even dancing.

Let’s see how some of what I learned can be of value to you as well.

WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE EXERCISE A HABIT?

“It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

You are seeing that question above because I assume a rational person would want to ask that question for himself long before he begins the journey.

And as you now know, that was the question I asked myself, years ago before finally forming this energy-boosting habit. 

The amazing thing about working out is that the benefit is beyond physical strength and vigour, as reflected in the statement of the great Roman orator and prose stylist, Marcus Tullius Cicero quoted above.

The boost of strength from exercise is not only physical; it includes both mental and emotional strength. 

If you think about it, this is powerful for something that costs you no money at all.

If this is not enough to convince you, read the example below from one of the best minds in the field of writing, Kurt Vonnegut, the author of the best-selling novel, Slaughterhouse-Five:

 “I do pushups and sit ups all the time.”

Ask yourself, why would a writer of such prodigious mind power elect to do exercises, all the time? Logically, there must be a link between his exercise habits and his fantastic writing outputs.

WebMD health experts explain that:

“Exercise boosts blood flow to the brain and helps it receive oxygen and nutrients. The better shape you're in, the faster you fire brain waves that are responsible for quick thinking.”

Stanford researchers also agree based on their own independent findings. They discovered that walking boosts creative inspiration. After examining the creativity levels of people while they walked versus while they sat. They concluded that one's creative output increased by an average of 60 percent when walking.

These are all fascinating evidences to get you to leave the laptop and walk, jump, run or as in my case, push. Some of the time, at least.

ONE PUSH AT A TIME

“Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn't formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.” Lee Haney

If you can’t see yourself doing this religiously, then the advice of Lee Haney will be of great value to you:

“Set small goals and build upon them”

Start small and keep going forward, one step at a time. 

However, if you tried small before and you failed to sustain it. That’s okay. I have another idea for you because the key is not on the intensity but on the frequency, I will add this bit to the notion....

Start ridiculously small; one push in a day.

ONE PUSH IN A DAY

This is the main idea that revolutionized the life of Stephen Guise, the author of the book, Mini-Habit. All the great changes he was able to make after many years of chasing strength came about when he committed to doing just one pushup, not at a time, but for a whole day.

Anyone can do that. Even, a kid can.

The caveat is; you have to do it. Even, if it happens you forget to do it in the morning, do it anytime you remember. In the least, you do it before bed. 

Though, it is incredibly small, you must commit nonetheless, you must never neglect. You must do that one push a day. No matter what.

Remember the words of Brian Moran, that, what is easy to do, is even easier not to do.

Personally, I am always excited with daily mini exercise because of many real benefits I derive. It gives me strength. It strengthens my muscles. It keeps my bones strong. It strengthens my immune function, and it makes  me sleep better.

If you think you are too weak to start exercising, don’t forget that former US president Theodore Roosevelt was puny as a kid, but he eventually developed remarkable strength and stamina by starting where he was — one push at a time.

FINALLY

Having written about eating and sleeping in my earlier posts, I am going to close with the words Tom Rath, from his book, Eat, Move and Sleep to illustrate that, for every one of us to enjoy the glow of good health, we must find our way to exercise. And we should try to it regularly. This will always help us eat well and consequently make us sleep better.

“Eating the right foods provides energy for your workout and improves the quality of your sleep. In turn, a sound night of sleep makes you more likely to eat right the next day. This is why the real magic lies at the intersection between eating, moving, and sleeping. If you can do all three well, it will improve your daily energy and your odds of living a long, healthy life.”

With all of these, I hope you have now decided to change from the habit of merely wishing, to the habit of doing, “the exercises” every darn day, as long as you live.

Good luck!

 SLEEPING CONSCIOUSLY: A CERTAIN WAY TO RECHARGE

While in college, the common derisive mantra among freshmen and the sophomores was: “If you sleep eight hours a day, every day, you will be sleeping, one third of your life.”

The idea was that modicum of night sleep signified strength, ambition and vigour.  More so, if you could sustain regular all-nighter, then you were a rare gem.

Not surprisingly, many of us bought the idea, hook, line and sinker. It didn’t even matter, if our body chemistry strongly resisted the stereotyped notion.

We could alter nature easily, with coffee, caffeine and many other stimulants just to be among the best students in college.

Consequently, it took a toll on the system of some students. As the saying goes, “You can’t cheat nature.” Some would collapse during the day, in the classroom, and unfortunately for some, right in the middle of exams. A particular guy didn’t even make it to the exam hall. After many days of sleepless night studies; he slept off. His roommate woke him up after the day’s paper.

Enough of old days, but the obvious point of my preamble is to illustrate the misguided notion held by many in search of greatness; that sleep is not important.

That we can easily cheat our bodies, the naturally required amount of sleep, and at the same time, still find a way to perform at our peak.

Sleep — as I now realize — is right up there with calisthenics and diet in terms of its function for good health, well being, and stamina.

I hope by the end of this article you will totally agree with me.

This week, we will examine the following points:

1. The benefits of sleep

2. Sleep patterns of some greats

3. A certain way to sleep

THE BENEFITS OF SLEEP

“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” -Thomas Dekker

Based on the work of Dr. James B. Maas, a leading authority and international consultant on sleep and performance, and the CEO of Sleep for Success, if you want to maintain your sagacity, creativity, and energy, everyday, for the rest of your days: “You might need to spend one third of your life sleeping.” 

As it turns out, the sensible seeming mantra in college is not all it was held up to mean.

Below is an excerpt from his international bestselling book, Power Sleep:

“Sleep is not a vast wasteland of inactivity. The sleeping brain is highly active at various times during the night, performing numerous physiological, neurological, and biochemical housekeeping tasks.

These are essential for everything from maintaining life itself to reorganizing and enhancing thinking and memory. This enables us to remember the past, organize the present, and anticipate the future. 

The process of sleep, if given adequate time and the proper environment, provides tremendous power. It restores, rejuvenates, and energizes the body and brain. 

The third of your life that you should spend sleeping has profound effects on the other two thirds of your life, in terms of alertness, energy, mood, body weight, perception, memory, thinking, reaction time, productivity, performance, communication skills, creativity, safety, and good health.

If our sleep is limited, our health and daytime potential is significantly reduced, if not destroyed. With adequate sleep and its concomitant brain activity, the world is our oyster ... a pretty good deal for something that is enjoyable to do and doesn't take much, if any, effort!”

THE SLEEP PATTERNS OF SOME GREATS

Please don’t get me wrong, my crusade is not to tell you how many hours you must sleep every night. You are the sole determinant of that. Actually, there is no magic number when it comes to getting enough sleep.

As you shall see in this article, many great guys function better by sleeping on different schedules in varying hours.

My job is merely to debunk the myth that sleep is a waste of time and good sleepers are synonymous with lazybones. That is, in today's frenetic society people who sleep minimally are the only ambitious ones—the models for others to follow.

Before I outline the sleep patterns of many famous greats, allow me to present the words of Rebecca Johnston, the Hockey Gold Medalist in 2010 Olympics games, to out rightly debunk the myth. 

I find her words too compelling not to share, for the purpose of this article. 

Here they are:

"When in competition or heavy training, sleep is the most important factor in achieving my optimal athletic performance. I need at least 8 hours of sleep a night for me to feel fully recovered and energized to play my absolute best. If I don't meet my sleep requirement, my legs feel heavy, my reaction time is slower and my ability to think and act quickly is negatively affected."

Now peruse the personalities stated below to have a glimpse of the common thread in their way of sleeping:

Benjamin Franklin, the great American statesman used to sleep 7 hours, a day, from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

Tim Cook, the chief executive officer at Apple sleeps 7 hours, a day, from 9:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. 

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon sleeps 7 hours, a day, from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

Elon Musk, the CEO and product architect of Tesla Motors. The chairman of SolarCity sleeps 6 hours, a day, from 1:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Richard Brandson, the founder of Virgin Group sleeps 6 hours, a day, from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m.

The above numerous data provide enough examples from men of incredible drive to prove the fact that sleep is an important everyday “thing” for anyone to make the most of his/her energy at work and in life. 

These examples are enough to serve majority of the population for different ranges of model.

However, US President, Donald Trump credits sleeping for three or four hours, a day, as one of its competitive advantages, while Albert Einstein claimed he needed ten hours of sleep to function well.

These extremes also provide another set of examples for a sub-set of human population. Since there is no magic number, only you can best know what the optimal sleeping period is for you. I am merely reminding you, the need to accurately know and fulfill this important natural requirement.

Dr. Vicky Seelall, the director of the Sleep Health Center at Beth Israel Medical Center also confirms that there is no magic number, when it comes to duration of good sleep for everyone, when he said:

"There are some people who need very little [sleep], and there are some people that need more than the average," explains Dr. Vicky Seelall.

What is the common thread noticeable in all of the above examples?

The common factor in the way all the greats sleep….. is this: 

They all follow a fixed daily pattern on their approach to sleep.

A CERTAIN (CONSCIOUS) WAY TO SLEEP

“I get up at four a.m. and work for five to six hours…... I go to bed at nine p.m. I keep to this routine every day without variation. “-Haruki Murakami

The premise of this article is that adequate sleep is a necessity for everyone and not a luxury for anyone. And that the best way to maximize the experience is to design it according to what your body needs, not just what you want.

Everyone needs to sleep. Though the quantity and the timing may vary, we all need good, quality sleep for the power to be our best, all day long. 

Certain way to sleep is about consciously building an optimal sleeping habit that can work well for us to perform best at work and to remain healthy and sound throughout life.

Just as the words of the award winning writer illustrates, it is helpful to build a good sleeping habit on a fixed daily routine for maximum sleep experience.

The key elements of “this way” which Dr. James B. Maas calls “the golden rules of sleep,” are:

1. Get an adequate amount of sleep every night.

2. Establish a regular sleep schedule.

Simple enough though, but it requires solid discipline to maintain, especially for the highly ambitious types.

For them, it is often harder to stop working and go to bed at night than majority of the people find difficult to wake up for the day. That discipline, is what the truly great men have all learned to cultivate.

Sleeping consciously; a regular way to recharge is the best way I think we can make the most of our days, in terms of alertness, focus and energy.

The nutrition and health expert, Tom Rath, also concurs with Dr. James on the idea of having a fixed sleeping schedule, as the optimal sleeping pattern not only for ourselves but also, for the members of our family—particularly our children:

“Today, researchers have identified a strong link between children’s sleep patterns and their performance in the classroom. They found simply having a specific bedtime rule makes a profound difference. Children with higher sleep quality are more active and eat healthier foods. All of this research suggests we need to rethink sleep as a core family value.”

The nimble Japanese writer quoted above, Haruki Murakami, is no doubt, a wonderful personality. An international best-selling author, with his works being translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside his native country.

Steven Poole of The Guardian eulogized Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his achievements.

Clearly, one of his secrets and strategies is embedded in the last sentence of his statements:

   “I keep to this routine every day without variation.”

If you give that sufficient thought, then you will understand the ample power of sleeping consciously; a fixed pattern to recharge and renew everyday.

Immediacy Mindset: the Habit of Doing It Now

          

“Beginning today, I will create a new future by creating a new me.  No longer will I dwell in a pit of despair, moaning over squandered time and lost opportunity.  I can do nothing about the past.  My future is immediate.  I will grasp it in both hands and carry it with running feet.  When I am faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing something, I will always choose to act!  I seize this moment.I choose now.” ~ Andy Andrews

While contemplating on what to write this week, I came across the words quoted above by Andy Andrews, the author of the international best selling book,The Traveler’s Gift. And it perfectly captures the thoughts in my mind about seizing the day, moment by moment. 

In this article, we will examine a single idea on how we can make that excellent quality, a life-long habit.

Meanwhile, let’s explore the meaning of immediacy and its direct opposite first.

To fully understand a concept, one may need to know what the opposite means. So, if immediacy means doing something—or making something happen—at first, at once, without delay. Then, the opposite of immediacy is procrastination, which means to put something off or wait until later before doing something. 

Procrastination is the prevalent trait among majority of people. It has even become a way of life for many of us. After reading this, I hope we can understand the concept of moving fast to making things happen, and as a result, exclude ourselves from the herd of the majority.

Imagine how great our lives will be if we can prompt ourselves to do the things that are important to us now, rather than making excuses to put them off until tomorrow. 

This happens often because it makes us feel good in the moment. We enjoy a temporary relief from discomfort; herein hides the main problem. We are likely to repeat the behaviour one more time. And When we repeat a particular behaviour long enough, it becomes a habit, which can take control of the rest of our lives.

Behavioural scientists say that all our behaviours are learned. So, I believe we can unlearn the ones that are obstructing us and learn new ones that will empower us ahead of the future.

One day, I had an awesome day because I had a lot to do and I did them all. Consequently, I felt a tremendous sense of fulfillment at the end of that day.

This is must be true for everyone I thought. Then I came across a quote that confirms the truth of my hypothesis with the words of Margaret Thatcher, the former Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,when she said:

“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It is not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s when you had everything to do and you’ve done it.”

After my experience that day, I asked myself, “What if?”

That is,….

“What if I make every day like this day?”

“What if I make this ‘sense of urgency to do things’ a habit?”

“What if I change my thinking about work forever?”

The outcome of those questions has been quite effective for me. And that is why I am writing this article in the hope that others (in need of a change) may be inspired to change the way they think about their work—any kind of work. 

And this is the change anyone seeking progress should make, both at home and at work. 

The superstars like the rest of us sometimes find it difficult to get the right things done but they are invariably able to prompt themselves to fruitful behaviour, on such instances because they have a ‘way’ that makes it easier for them to choose doing something over doing nothing, even when they don’t feel like doing it.

The key question they ask, is, this:

“Is the task important?”

 

And if the answer is yes, they dive in immediately.

Now, I am going to share one simple tactic to getting important things done, on time, every single time.

Dutifully assimilate the concept describe below into your own life and see the effect of its power in everything you do.

REPLACEMENT: ONE SMALL STEP 

This is the strategy I learned from the book, The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play, by Neil A. Fiore.

The idea is:

“Replace ‘This project (task) is so big and important’ with “I can take one small step.”

This may appear simple. And it is. But make no mistake about its effectiveness. Simple can be powerful.

It is powerful not just because it can make you start doing the right things, right away but it can easily make you do the same tomorrow, and the next. 

In short, it can set you off for a brand new life, making you develop the remarkable mindset of immediacy—the habit of doing it now. 

Lets see some examples of ‘one small step’ in day to day practical applications:

STUDY 

Instead of, ’this book is too big and how long will I take to finish it?’ say, I can read just one page now.

LAUNDRY 

Instead of, ‘these laundries are too many and I will need a whole day to clean them all,’ say, I can handle pint-size now.

DEBT

Instead of, ‘this debt is too huge and can I ever be free of it?’ say, I can pay N1, 000 now.

RELATIONSHIP

Instead of, ‘our relationship is irreparably damaged and it’s of no use trying,’ say, I can call and offer one apology today.

This principle can be applied to almost any aspect of our lives. And if, we choose to change from our default mode of leaving important things until later, to consciously taking the bull by the horns in this seemingly small ways. The eventual results in our lives and the multiplier effects in the lives of everyone around us will be nothing but magical.

I hope that as you are reading this, you are ready to begin doing the things you have been putting off for some time now, one small step at a time.

I am closing this article with the words of Bradley Whitford for all of us to understand the importance and the urgency of now in bringing to life all the changes we have merely thought and talked about. 

Thus, they remain a mirage simply because of one inescapable fact; our habitual hesitation to doing something now.

"Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now."

Control What You Eat

     

What we eat — and how we eat  — affects so many aspects of our lives. What we eat affects not just how we look but how we feel and how we act. Our food alone is sufficient to make our day, one of brilliant accomplishment or one of productive mess. 

If you eat too much of the wrong stuff, you will consequently feel tired, less agile in your movement and less productive in your craft. One the other hand, if you eat right — nutritious but simple moderately sized meal — you will feel fine, energetic and strong. You are likely to be more productive in your business, all day long.

Since habit–good habit formation and bad habit correction — is the focus of this blog, together, we will examine some refine thoughts on what it means to eat right —  and to eat wrong. And also, explore some strategies on how we can make new choices to build better habits with regards whatever tarries in our stomach.

Some eating behaviours are harmful and wrong because the purpose of food is not to harm but to benefit the body, physically and mentally. Though, I am not here to explore in depth, the  different types of wrongful eating, I feel the need to briefly point out the most common and dangerous patterns of eating in this short article.

BULIMIA NERVOSA

Bulimia nervosa is the term for a eating a huge quantity of food in one sitting. This is called bingeing. Some people can take it to the very extreme of eating to sickness. That is, immediately falling sick as a result of eating too much at once. This definitely should not become a habit because of the serious consequences that can emerge.

ANOREXIA NERVOSA

However, the exact opposite of Bulimia is Anorexia Nervosa. It is deliberate refusal to eat moderately sufficient food for the needed energy and nutrition to stay physically healthy. This means eating too little in terms of reasonable quantity and nutritious quality. This too is unhealthy as it will result in weakness and lack of strength for important daily activities.

BINGE EATING DISORDER

Binge Eating Disorder is the third in the category. It is an extended version of Bulimia Nervosa. It is otherwise known as compulsive eating or food addiction. It is the result of an overwhelming feeling of always wanting to eat. And since the size of the stomach is very small, this is probably the worst eating habit of all — It can lead to breathlessness.  Anyone with this form of behaviour absolutely needs to change and such change can only happen with deliberate choice and persistent effort.

PRACTICAL STEPS TO EATING RIGHT

Even if we have not been very careful with regards to food and eating, the following steps can serve as simple guides for us to start making better choices which will lead to good eating behaviours and eventually, the permanent habit of eating right all through life.

DELAY GRATIFICATION

To explain this, I will use the statement of Jack LaLanee, the American fitness, exercise, and nutrition expert who is sometimes referred to as the "Godfather of Fitness" and the "First Fitness Superhero." He said:

“I eat three meals a day but NEVER between meals.”

The point I want to stress here is waiting. Wait until you are hungry or, at least until your meal time before you gratify your taste buds. Some days, the most important choice you make might be your refusal of the temptation to grab the candy, chocolate or ice cream. This is true because a perfectly productive day can take a sudden U-turn simply due to lack of self control to delay gratification for anything in between your meals.

EAT  LESS

“Studies over the years, on many different species of animals, have confirmed that those animals that were fed less lived longest. In fact, allowing an animal to eat as much food as it desires can reduce its life span by as much as one-half.”― Joel Fuhrman

Joel Fuhrman, MD, is the author of the popular book, Eat To Live and through is work many people are learning the correct ways to eat and live. Eating less is obviously beneficial to human health. And the above facts from different studies demonstrate some of the benefits. When you eat less, your digestive system works efficiently and you have more energy as a result. The digestive system consumes a lot of energy to process the food we eat. So, the more food we eat, the more energy is consumed by the digestive system, leaving us with less energy to work with.

EAT WELL

“When you eat mostly high-nutrient foods, the body ages slower and is armed to prevent and reverse many common illnesses. The natural self-healing and self-repairing ability that is hibernating in your body wakes up and takes over, and diseases disappear. A nutrient-rich menu of green vegetables, berries, beans, mushrooms, onions, seeds, and other natural foods is the key to achieving optimal weight and health.”― Joel Fuhrman

This is perhaps the best part of all because it singularly summarizes the entire concept of eating right. To eat right is to eat well. And it basically means to eat balanced diet and to eat natural food items as opposed to junk food, most of the time. 

In order for us to be free of disease, strong and healthy, both biologically and psychologically, we must continuously try to eat good amount of healthy natural foods.

If we can exercise the discipline to delay gratification, learn the manners of eating less than our stomach can handle, and understand the importance of eating only what is best for our precious body, then the three ills of eating earlier mentioned will never be an issue of concern for us. Consequently, we can enjoy the rich rewards of sound health, not just of the body but also, of the mind.

Finally, researchers have estimated that majority of us could live well beyond 80 years of age with some simple lifestyle choices, among which, eating right is a critical component. With this in mind, gaining complete mastery over our appetite for food may well mean, gaining mastery over all other parts of our lives. Therefore, good eating habit is a cornerstone for fruitful and eventful life.