life is but a moment: don’t blink

Just do it

Courtesy from Mean Rat

Some moments last forever and some seem to just fly by, especially the good ones – there are never enough of these. And life is all but a chain of these moments, like the one right now in your very present, perhaps holding an opportunity in itself or a valuable memory, you blink and it’s gone. The chance you didn’t take and the one you didn’t seize. Inaction isn’t something neutral – enough inaction leads into regret and then an entire collection of them. Something you didn’t do and something you didn’t feel when you could.

You blinked.

There is never the right time to live, there are always small problems and more important things to do, survival for one, work and chores and paying the bills and putting food on the table. Yet, these things are the obstacles, they are not life, they are problems you solve to get to life. And some of us never do because it overwhelms them so, they never seize the moments they actually battle so hard for. We work and we struggle so we can have a life, have these moments to fulfill dreams and create memories. Take your eyes off the ground and look at the horizon for a change. 

It’ll never get easier and there will always be people and events that will take away most of what you have… but what you have left is yours. The precious moments that are yours to spend – don’t give them up however tired you are and however impossible it feels. What is the point of struggling so much if you don’t get to live at all?

Every moment has a value, some have more and other have less and at the end of the day your life will only have as much worth as these moments you cultivated. It’s like going for a long run and counting the distance, every step and every breath during that run mattered – it’s like that in life, at the end of it you get to stop, have that final glance behind your shoulder and look at how far you have come – will it be with regret or satisfaction? 

It can be this moment in here and now that will make a difference or the one you are going to have tomorrow. If you don’t take chances, don’t try to get out of your routine or challenge yourself how is this moment any different from the thousands of the ones you already had? They all count: none of them goes by unnoticed by the Universe, by your inner self. 

There are memorable, valuable moments all around you, not somewhere down the line during an expensive holiday, but here and now. There is beauty in the world ready for you to notice it, in everything around you – you need but look. Simple things, like looking up in the sky that extra time or holding a hand of a loved one without any particular reason but to enjoy it. We look at the world but never really see we are so used to it, being there and us in it… when there are so many wonders one lifetime just isn’t enough time to perceive it all, to take it all in. 

Life is but a moment, yet, that moment may just be enough… if you don’t blink. 

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Love RSAnimation :)

 

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Make Good Bargains

Life is full of tradeoffs between benefits and costs.

Sometimes, the benefits are worth the costs. For example, the rewards of going for a run -- getting out in fresh air, improving health, etc. -- are, for me at least, worth the costs of losing half an hour of work time while gaining a pair of achy legs. Similarly, it could well be that getting a raise is worth the awkwardness of asking for one, teaching a child good lessons is worth the stress of correcting her, and deepening intimacy is worth the vulnerability of saying "I love you."

But other times, the benefits are not worth the costs. For example, it might feel good to yell at someone who makes you mad -- but at a big price, including making you look bad and triggering others to act even worse. There are indeed rewards in that third beer or third cookie -- but also significant costs, including how you'll feel about yourself the next day.

We make a thousand choices a day, each one a bargain in which the brain weighs expected benefits against expected costs. Therefore, it's important to make good bargains, good choices, in which the real benefits are greater than the real costs.

Unfortunately, your brain lies to you all day long. (And to me and to everyone else.)

Here's why:

• The reward centers of the brain's limbic system evolved several hundred million years ago. Their relatively primitive processing pursues short-term gratification and basic sensual pleasures, and inflates apparent rewards -- all to get the inner bunny chasing the carrot. As a result, the brain routinely overestimates the benefits of things that are not that good for you, such as consuming sugar, carbohydrates, and intoxicants; playing video games; buying more consumer goods; looking for love in all the wrong places; pounding home one's point; or being one-up in a relationship.

• Even more ancient fear centers see shadows under every bush, hyper-focus on apparent threats, and over-generalize from past uncomfortable experiences -- all to get the inner iguana running from the stick. Consequently, your brain routinely overestimates the costs of things that are good for you, such as exercise, taking the time for well-being practices like meditation or prayer, going back to school, setting aside your own position to really understand someone else's, or exposing the soft underbelly of your deeper feelings.

Meanwhile, modern culture bombards us with the promise of inflated rewards -- thicker hair! thinner thighs! -- and the threat of exaggerated alarms: radioactive clouds coming this way! threat level orange!

So, let's stand up for the truth -- and make better bargains.

How?

(To be sure, we can also make mistakes in the opposite direction, such as underestimating the benefits of getting more skillful at being a mate, or the long-term costs of global warming. But in this limited space, let's focus on the brain's bias toward overestimating the benefits of things that are bad -- broadly defined -- and the costs of things that are good.)

Try to be more aware of the little choices you make about what you will and will not do. Slow things down in your mind and unpack these bargains to be more aware of the anticipated benefits and costs that drive them.

Know your usual suspects -- the "carrots" you chase to a fault, and the "sticks" you needlessly run from.

Pick a desire that's been an issue for you (e.g., food, drink, pulling for approval), and ask yourself: Are the expected benefits really that good? Try to imagine them in your body. How intense would they be, how long would they last? What price will you pay later? Are there better ways to get these benefits? Are there better benefits to be found pursuing other aims?

Also pick something that's been a block for you (e.g., public speaking, asserting yourself in love or work, pursuing a lifelong dream), and ask yourself: Are the expected costs really that bad? Truly, how uncomfortable would you actually be, how long would it really last -- and how could you cope? Would you survive the experience? How would you feel about yourself, finally pushing through this fear? What other rewards would come to you?

Now, take two calculated risks -- and see what happens: Stop chasing some hollow and costly carrot, plus take some positive action you've over-feared, no longer fleeing a paper tiger. Notice that these are much better bargains! Open to and really feel the positive experiences you have earned. Link these good feelings to the specific steps you've taken, and to the general practice of being more conscious and realistic about benefits and costs.

And feel free to keep going -- making better bargains.

For more by Rick Hanson, Ph.D., click here.

For more on emotional wellness, click here.

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High Intensity Interval Training (Hiit) - Is It Right For You?

Hmmmmm, worth a try if you wana save time!

Thanks Tribesports!

Posted by Joe Bauer of All Around Joe under General, Fitness & Training on 14 Jun at 7:00 AM

When you want to get in shape, it can sometimes be difficult to choose the right training program. An excellent workout program is HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training. 

What is HIIT? It’s simple – you are alternating between short intense anaerobic exercises with less-intense recovery periods. HIIT is excellent if you need to get your workout done in a shorter amount of time. HIIT has been proven to improve athletic capacity, conditioning, glucose metabolism and fat burning. 

Studies indicate that that even a short program of two and a half hours a week can result in the same improvement as if you were spending nearly ten hours a week at the gym with traditional “less intense” training! 

This high intensity workout routine teaches your body how to metabolize fat, sugars and increase those processes faster. HIIT also significantly reduces insulin resistance and allows for skeletal muscle adaptations that will result in a better muscle fat oxidation and improved glucose function.

HIIT works by training and conditioning both anaerobic and aerobic exercise levels. By pushing your body beyond what it is used to at the upper end of what you generally receive through steady state exercise (i.e. thirty minutes on an elliptical, bike or running), these all-out efforts help increase the total amount of overall calories you burn during your training session. 

HIIT Challenge 1: Basic run/walk

One of the best benefits of HIIT is what’s known as EPOC – excess post oxygen consumption, which essentially means that you are still burning fat up to 24 hours after your HIIT session. So, even without doing anything at home, after a good HIIT session, your body will still be acting as if you are at the gym working hard. If you are serious about fat burning first, HIIT may be the program right for you.

As you progress with your HIIT sessions, you will soon see other added benefits to it. For instance, your muscles are able to increase their oxygen consumption as your overall aerobic ability is increased through your training. You’ll also see an increased lactate threshold meaning those burning thighs won’t bother you as early in your workout as they used to. These HIIT sessions are also helping you increase the effects of anabolic exercise, so if you use the interval training along with a diet that allows you to eat more calories than you burn (keep in mind that doesn’t mean trips to McDonalds, but rather larger portions of lean meats, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and fruits) can help build muscle as you train.

HIIT Challenge 2: Tabata style squatting 

As a beginner taking on HIIT, you shouldn’t try to climb the mountain all at once just yet. Check with your doctor before beginning any exercise regimen, but, if you can do a sixty minute session at the gym doing a standard workout, you should be all right to try and work at 60-70% for your first HIIT session. 

A good rule is the 2-1 rule for interval training. That is to say, you want to work out as hard as you can for sixty seconds, and then spend one hundred and twenty seconds doing a “normal” workout speed. You can also flip flop this for shorter time periods.  So twenty seconds of high intensity work with ten seconds of rest (or slow movement).  

Five to six cycles of this is great for beginners, but as you train up and are feeling more confident with your workouts, then begin increasing the amount of these cycles. HIIT means high intensity, so don’t hold back when you’re in that working period. The more you put into it during these high intensity sessions, the more you will get out of it in the end. 

HIIT Challenge 3: Full body workout in 16 minutes

You can do HIIT training with almost any exercise.  It’s a great option if you don’t have much equipment (or no equipment).  What matters is the amount of effort you are putting into the high intensity sections of your workout, and increasing the amount of cycles you do when you are doing your sessions. 

High intensity interval training is not for everyone – but it is a great idea for those with busy schedules, or those who think they don’t have the time or energy to workout. You can achieve better results, quicker with a HIIT session of a fifteen-minute jog than you would otherwise if you were just jogging normally. As you increase your ability and have more fun, you will soon find that if you miss a HIIT session your body will be disappointed and want that exercise. Given the busy professional lifestyle that many of us live, High Intensity Interval Training can help those who believe they can never lose weight get the bodies they want and deserve! 

HIIT Challenge 4: Sprints

• Unencourage

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Imperfection Is Lovable: Let Yourself Be

Thanks Tiny Buddha!

By Denise Dare

“You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” ~Brene Brown

We are all perfectly imperfect just as we are.

Yes, it’s true. Sometimes hard to believe, but always the truth. Believe me.

I’ve always recognized that I am a perfectionist.

I was the little girl who wanted to know how to play the piano at my first lesson, how to roller blade the first time I tried, how to do the splits at my first gymnastics class.

I’ve always wanted to do it right the first time.

On the one hand, I appreciate my intention to do and be my best at whatever I do, but on the other hand, I see how this mentality has often paralyzed my efforts and prevented me from daring and learning to be brilliant.

The one practice I’ve committed to in my life, where I’ve been willing to be less than perfect, and continue to embrace each day, is yoga.

The meditative quality, the healing breath, the invigorating movement all resonate with me and remind me to just be where and who I am, in each moment.

It’s been fifteen years now since I began my yoga practice in an effort to release the tension in my neck that was triggering chronic headaches during my first year studying at UCLA.

I felt transformed after my very first yoga class and just knew that I would grow and expand with my practice. 

In the beginning, most of my transformation was physical—feeling more relaxed, open, energized, and flexible. In recent years, my practice has guided me to expand my perspective, and I find myself open to understanding life anew.

I’m discovering new ways of being and of seeing the world.

Just two months ago I had a revelation.

I was communicating with a life coach who is an incredible listener, endeavoring to understand why I was constantly feeling challenged in my relationship with my husband. Together, we realized that I was creating the same expectations of perfection for him as I had carried for myself since childhood.

A memory surfaced: me, around twelve years old, sharing my report card with my father.

“Why are they not all As?” he questioned unapologetically.

I glanced at my grades, noticing that I’d earned six As and one B+, and said, “I did my best.”

“I expect all As next time,” he firmly instructed.

“I’ll do better,” I submissively acquiesced.

And this stuck. The need to do better than my best. The desire to be better than myself. I wanted my father’s approval. I wanted my father’s love. I wanted my father’s attention. And so, I worked even harder and earned a 4.0 GPA each semester.

But you know what? It was never enough.

I never felt enough. I never could earn the love and attention that I desperately craved from him. 

I needed to look within myself.

Now, some twenty years later, I’m still struggling with my tendency toward perfectionism.

This insight is life changing: A chance to understand myself better. A reflection of how and why I choose to think and act the way I do. An opportunity to acknowledge that I’ve associated being perfect with being lovable.

Now, without judgment or criticism for myself or my father, I have the choice to change.

I can choose to shift my perspective and tell a new story. I choose to embrace a new truth…

Imperfection is lovable.

With this knowledge, I see my relationship with myself and with my husband, my children, my family, my friends—with life itself—in a new light.

We are perfecting.

And who wants to be perfect anyway? How boring that would be!

The most fun is in the growing, in the expansion, in the learning and becoming ever more who we are.

I release the compulsion to be perfect, to constantly achieve, do more, handle every task on my to do list immediately.

I allow myself to be more present, to be in the moment, to remember what matters most: love.

I can let go of always doing and instead let myself be. I can stop rushing around handling tasks, and allow myself to stop and smell the roses with my daughters, kiss my husband, call a friend, stare in wonder at the beauty of our universe.

I am worthy of love, I know I belong, I recognize my life has meaning, and I give myself permission to take it easy and just be me.

I embrace this truth:

I am good enough. I do enough. I have enough. I work enough. I love enough. I am beautiful enough. I am smart enough.

I am enough.

Can you say this to yourself and really mean it? Practice. Notice how it feels.

With this new perspective, everything blossoms.

I allow myself to make mistakes without being judgmental.

I give others space to be imperfect without being critical.

I allow myself to be me.

I allow myself to love me just as I am.

I allow myself to love others just as they are.

Whenever I begin to lose focus of this reassuring truth, when I start to feel overwhelmed by all the “shoulds” and judgments in my mind, I sit in stillness in my meditation space.

I read the words I’ve etched on my chalkboard wall:

I am enough. Surrender. Live and Let Live. Imperfection is lovable. Be human.

Immersed in the sensation of my breath, I choose to focus my mind on these powerful truths. Soon, I relax into the comfort of knowing that all is well. And I begin again the journey of self-love and acceptance.

I am grateful for being where I am, for all the wisdom and love so many gracious and kind people have shared, and for the powerful practice of yoga that encourages self-awareness and growth.

I am grateful for the opportunity to recognize the perfection in our imperfection and to use this wisdom to infinitely improve my interactions with the people I love the most.

Our minds are powerful. Our thoughts are powerful. Our love is powerful.

Let us choose to focus on the good, appreciate who we are, share our love unconditionally.

Let us remember that we are enough.

Let us embrace our value and know we belong.

Let us always remember that our imperfections are lovable.

Can you practice loving yourself and others unconditionally today?

Every beautiful journey and inspiring transformation begins with an intention and moving in the direction of where you hope to be.

Wishing you ease in loving and freedom to be just who you are.

Be human. Be perfectly imperfect. Be you. Just be.

Photo by Bùi Linh Ngân

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