fitness

Training as Meditation

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in fitness, Health, meditation 4 Comments
I train physically. I love it.

I’ve done all kinds of physical training outdoors and indoors….running, mountain biking, open water swimming, body building protocols, circus arts, parkour, crossfit, obstacle racing, strong lifts 5×5, barstarzz, surfing, and gymnastic bodies (GSB).

Each had it’s effect.

  • Running and mountain biking were great lung builders and meditative
  • Swimming in open water was an effort of the mind and completely emptied me
  • Body building built confidence
  • Circus arts was just fun
  • Parkour was explosive but full of injury
  • Crossfit was a magnificent emptier but fried me
  • Obstacle racing was OK but race courses were usually more running than obstacles
  • Strong lifts got me a lot stronger than I’d ever been 
  • The paddle out at Ocean Beach in SF is HARD, but on the other side it’s just surf bliss
  • Barstarzz was fun with flow but also a source of injury
  • GSB developed strength and mobility in a way you didn’t notice until you progressed

It was all work though. Tough and demanding work of the body and the mind.

Each one has a different kind of meditation to it’s process. A lot of it is a kind of work where I have to push myself mentally or physically. Working at a startup with a commute and raising twin girls, I need to unwork and not push anymore.

For me, after work, I ride in the most beautiful place I think one could ride. It’s the greatest feeling of flow I have ever felt physically. The undulating trails covered in pine needles give feelings of just pure flow. Here’s a view of one particularly magnificent ride I frequent. It’s exercise but I don’t really notice it. Just flow. When I’m done, I feel like I’ve been gone. Tired but recharged. Just perfect.

Kill the long cardio before it kills you!

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in fitness
Did you know that you can get a much better cardiovascular benefit in 8 minutes than you could ever get on treadmill trudging along for 30-60 minutes?  Don’t think so?  I dare you to try this.

  1. Warm yourself up with some movements like 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 squats 3 times.
  2. Set a timer in front of you for 8 minutes. 
  3. For the first 20 seconds, do the most squats you can. Rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this for 8 cycles.
  4. For the next 8 cycles, do the most pushups you can in 20 seconds. Rest 10 seconds. 

You’ll be completely out of gas, and likely want to know who the hell devised such a thing. It’s called Tabata. Once you’ve done that, ask yourself if you’ve every felt that blasted from a treadmill.  Chances are no unless you do sprints on a treadmill. If you do that, don’t! Holy cow! That’s dangerous!  Imagine the fall if you stepped off the belt.

Easy snacks that help you lose weight

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in diet, fitness, Health, low carb

Skip sweets and bread-based snacks if you want to lose weight. Help your body switch over to utilizing fat as fuel with these low carb (except for the banana) snacks that help you feel less hungry.  If you are allergic to nuts, you’ll need to substitute. If you are a vegetarian, you probably won’t like my posts on food.  We can still be friends though. My daughter is “veg”. Sigh.
For portions, you don’t need many nuts, perhaps a handful or so. For fruit, just have one apple or one banana. 
  1. Nuts or seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds 
  2. Apple and peanut butter
  3. Nuts and small amount of dark chocolate
  4. Fruit and jerky 
  5. Applesauce with walnuts
  6. Any nut and fruit combo
  7. Tuna salad (tuna+mayo or yogurt+pickle or HOWEVER) on lettuce leaf
  8. Food replacement meal bar (very sparingly! Only use in a pinch.)
  9. Smoked salmon and capers or pickles
  10. Prosciutto and cheese
  11. Turkey and dried figs
  12. Peanut butter and banana
  13. Celery and peanut butter
  14. Carrots (two or so) and almond butter
Mix and match as you like!