The Journal #22
Mindful. AM. Arena. Hanger.
01. WELLBEING - Joe Gaunt
Reframing ‘Mindfullness’
When we think of the word ‘mindfulness’ it can conjure up people with pray hands and ‘omming’ all over the place (not that there’s anything wrong with this if it works for you!).
However continually speaking to people about health, goals, habits and generally behaviour change failures I hear things like ‘yeah but I was away (holiday or work) so my nutrition (or training) is all over the place or ‘I haven’t got time for (insert helpful health habit)’.
Even more impactful is that many parents don’t ‘have’ or make time for their children, citing work. Of course, sometimes working or working more than normal is unavoidable. However, evidence shows time together (or not) can have a huge impact on both the parent and the child.
So what does it mean to be ‘mindful’? To me it really is about taking ownership and control of any of the aforementioned situations. Planning ahead. No excuses. Making the most of it.
Be mindful of that time away working or on holiday away from your routine. Where are the risks? What can you do? How can you balance things? At the least, how can you mitigate the impact? An example of this as a small business owner myself when working away;
Try choose a hotel with (even a crappy) gym or stay near somewhere you can get a guest pass.
No gym? Stay somewhere you can easily get out for an evening or morning walk/jog/ run.
Choose to stay somewhere with either a healthy menu or a walk away from healthy food options.
If drinking/ socialising with work, can you choose zero alcohol, less calorific options, have 1 or 2 drinks and wrap up or mix it up from that point.
Try to replicate your home sleeping patterns and conditions, dark room (see this weeks’ tip below), the right temperature.
This goes for the typical week too. What are my goals? Where are the risks to achieve these goals? How can I mindfully mitigate this risk, take control and have a good week overall no matter what. Busy days at work? When can I make time for family. Too busy to eat anything other than convenience food? Plan ahead for next week and bring food to match your goals. Can’t train today? Which days can you train? So make those ones count.
It's not about perfect days or getting it right 100% of the time (see co-founder Jonny’s posts on the 80-20 rule) but we can make such a huge impact on our goals by mindfully controlling our time and priorities.
A popular saying that always stuck with me ‘ Excuses or results? You can't have both.’
02. HEALTH - Jonny Grayshon
My top 4 morning habits to improve your state and boost productivity
1 - Sunlight as early as possible in the am
The earlier and brighter the light exposure is, the more serotonin we will produce.
Serotonin is our ‘feel good’ hormone and is proven to help combat mental health issues along with improving bone health, mood, sex drive and digestion.
Serotonin is a precursor to melatonin, the hormone which helps us sleep.
More serotonin early on = more melatonin later on.
We don’t get much chance of early morning bright light, here in the UK, so make the most of these summer mornings!
2 - Hydrate upon waking
First thing in the morning we are dehydrated from losing fluids during the night, especially in these hot summer months.
When we take in electrolytes, this loads our cells with salts, which increases the absorption of water.
So start the day with an electrolyte tablet or a product like HMN24 Rise to maximise hydration potential.
3 - Cold shower first thing
Cold water therapy was a big fad which seems to have died off.
Those who understand the reasons behind cold water therapy know, by activating the vagus nerve, the largest component of the parasympathetic nervous system, via cold water submersion of the upper body and neck, this results in a relaxation response.
Cold water helps by resetting of the abdominal organs to a resting state, and promotes feelings of well-being.
This helps us arrive at work / start our day feeling calm and focussed.
4 - Cuddle monster
Everyone loves a good cuddle.. unless you’re a psychopath.
Cuddling releases a hormone called oxytocin which increases a feeling of trust, bond and love all of which helps boost our mood.
A 20 second hug, even with your 4 legged friend, will do the job!
03. MINDSET - Mike Bates
Arena
Last week I wrote about one of the many lessons Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has taught me - check out issue #21.
See, the thing about Jiu Jitsu, or any challenging activity, or indeed navigating life itself, is that it places us outside of our comfort zone and inside the arena.
The arena is the hard stuff. The modern day colosseum. The place most humans avoid for fear of failure, pain, defeat or humiliation (thankfully not a Gladiatorial death).
But you’re not most humans…are you?
Do you step outside relative safety and into the arena often?
Change career? Start a business? Start a family? A physical test or competition? Sacrificing something you enjoy for a period of time like caffeine, sugar or alcohol? Repairing a broken relationship?
These are just some of the challenges we face when living the game of life.
For the most part however we avoid these challenges preferring to choose the easier, less daunting path of least resistance and to continue with the Status Quo - see #issue 14 for more on how not to do this.
We have learned that choosing to avoid short term pain most often leads to long term pain.
The pain of living is unavoidable, it is a matter of when and not if.
One of the greatest articulations of what it means to be in the arena is the well known ‘Citizenship in a Republic’ speech made by Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne, Paris on April 23rd 1910 (I’ve included the most famous excerpt from this speech in the quote below).
I first learned of it 15 years ago when an S.A.S colleague returned to Hereford following a secondment to my team at the MOD and presented us with the speech framed so that we could hang it in the office.
Roosevelt wisely notes that it is not the winning that counts but simply being inside the arena.
Choosing the challenging path over the easy one.
Accepting that Victory AND defeat will both happen.
But winning or losing isn’t the point as Roosevelt taught us.
The point is to be in the arena regardless and to see what you really are made of.
To strive valiantly, to err, to come up short again and again but to keep going.
So, what arena is calling you right now?
Not answering that calling which pulls you forward into the arena of life is not living in my book.
Personally I’d rather be dead.
Would you? - if you answer no then you already are.
Be the man in the arena.
‘What a man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him’ - Viktor Frankl.
04. QUOTE
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt - 26th President of the United States - 1901-1909
05. TIP
When it comes to traveling for business or pleasure, a good night's sleep can make all the difference.
We all love those stunning views from our hotel room, but not so much when the morning sun sneaks in and wakes us up early. Here's a game-changing hack to ensure you get uninterrupted sleep:
Tip: Keep the Curtains Closed with a Hanger
You don't need fancy gadgets to keep the light out. If your hotel curtains won’t stay shut, simply use a hanger with clips to hold them together. Here’s how:
Grab a Trouser Hanger: Most hotel wardrobes come with these. If not, ask the front desk.
Clip the Curtains Together: Use the two clips on the hanger to nail the curtains shut.
Enjoy a Darker Room: Say goodbye to that pesky sliver of sunshine and hello to better sleep.
This simple and effective tip will keep your room dark and help you sleep better, so you can wake up refreshed and ready to take on your day.
We’ve released 10 new Z Bed glamping tickets to The Hundred 2024….get one before they’re all gone!
The Journal by NXT45
