BE HERE
Now
ISSUE 48 | TRAILRUNMAG.COM
Flow
TO CREATE
There is a real shift towards mindfulness in the health and wellness sector. Everyone is talking about being ‘present’. Most wellness publications have a piece on mindfulness with a different perspective. Sometimes the mindfulness message gets complicated, getting lost in new age hippie translation, however practising mindfulness will help in all aspects of our lives including dominating running moments on the trail! I wanted to break it down so mindfulness can be applied right away in your day. Being present on your task at hand will allow you to move towards the best you can be in life and in running – plus our world will benefit. Most of us have several different roles that we must flux between – sometimes on a moment-to-moment basis. Living and being grounded in the now is the best way to work on your mindfulness practice in an authentic way. Society will have us believe that multi-tasking is the answer to our busyness crisis. The most asked question these days ‘How are you?; with the stock standard answer being ‘busy’. This fragmented way of living with our thoughts forever in a game of chasing your tail is only useful for breeding a disease within your system. If your mind and body (thoughts and actions) are not in sync then it creates an anxiety on the border of your consciousness that elevates your stress response. Living in this way will contribute to chronic fatigue. I believe not being present and having that disconnect between body and mind is a massive component to poor eating routines. Mindful eating (slowing down, appreciating food, sitting with others, saying grace, not watching a screen) helps us differentiate between eating for nourishment and just a habit. Staying focused on your role now and doing it to the best of your ability allows your mind and body to align aiding the state of flow and clarity. Flow is when there is little resistance to actions, not needing to overthink the task. This doesn’t mean the task is easy, it might in fact be very challenging – but just like trying to catch of bar of slippery soap you will have a better chance of catching it if you use soft relaxed hands rather that grabbing at it with intense effort. To work towards this type of effortless in-the-moment living we need to understand our role in the present, and once you have given your best at that role in your day then there is less resistance
IN LIFE AND TRAILS
or ‘sticking’ when transitioning to the next role.
One method to help prevent sticking or resistance of moving from task-to-task is to self-acknowledge how you can improve next time, then let it go. A negative coping strategy that increases sticking is shifting the blame to others for our poor behaviour and not accepting responsibility. Owning a mistake is far more empowering than faking perfection or placing the entire blame on someone else. Here are some tips to help be more mindful or present: •
Organise your day to allow smooth transition from role to role. This may require better communication with the family to ensure there is no confusion over roles the following day, sending a reminder text, or ensuring your favourite running shorts are ready to go for the morning’s scheduled run.
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Get a standing desk. Sitting for any more than 3 hrs a day contributes not only to a host of disease states, but it creates a ‘shut down’ mode in the body. Sitting deadens the gluts and shortens our hip flexors, therefore ruining our running stride!
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Schedule meditation. Think of sitting and focusing on your breath as the ultimate training for body and mind alignment. Start with 5min and work it up. It’s a great way to get to know yourself and be less affected with surrounding negativity.
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Schedule in joy daily. Don’t just exist for the weekend or bi-annual holiday. Have moments in your every day life to look forward to. Putting joy in your day is not selfish because it benefits you and your loved ones.
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Take a deep breath. If you feel like you’re unable to focus on the task at hand, taking a deep breath in the nose allowing the stomach to expand and then release will help centre and calm yourself.
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Control your phone, don’t let it control you. Turn off notifications from social media platforms and have your phone face down when engaging in tasks so you are not distracted. Face-to-face communication is slowly being eroded – cherish it. It’s where the true magic happens.
INSIDER KNOWLEDGE: Brad Dixon is a sports physio, coach and wellness evangelist at EVERFIT Physio & Coaching. He’s written a book titled Holistic Human, and believes the power is in our daily habits. Find him at everfit.co.nz or through his socials @ everfitcoach.
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