How To Train Your Mind: Movement
“As we drove home, the exhaustion set in. I had never been so tired or thankful for a shower in my life. Here I was yet again smashing assumptions I had of myself. What got me there was a commitment to do them. I gave myself a target and made sure I hit the mark.”
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Foreword
I've intentionally made this title movement not working out because the idea of a workout conjures a specific image for most people. Pulling back and making this about movement allows for a lower watermark for people to approach this from whatever level they feel comfortable. Also, it should be noted that I do not have any credentials as a trainer. All my knowledge has been acquired by independent learning that I've applied to myself. I will share some of my training techniques that I broadly focus on, but better resources are available if you're looking for a specific movement program.
Introduction
In today's episode, we are back again with our How To Train Your Mind series covering movement or how to move well. This may seem counterintuitive to some. How does moving the body help people train their minds? As with many aspects of training the mind, being able to move well allows you to build awareness of the body and, by extension, the mind when you're not in a training environment. From my own experience, I've found that as a beginner, there is resistance when training. Your body is not accustomed to the movements. As you gain experience, the act of movement can become more internal in the sense of how nuanced the feeling of that movement is. A movement practice also becomes a place where you can push yourself to failure that is, for the most part, safe. For me, moving well allows me to become comfortable with failure at a personal level but still be able to try again.
Let's zoom out and examine how the movement has been disincentivized in our daily routines.
Much of our time in the developed world, we are stuck in stationary positions at work, sitting at our desks, in meetings, and our cars. The s-word has been reported as analogous to smoking in the plethora of adverse health impacts and has continued to increase.
By limiting exposure to a broader range of movement, we have lost an essential awareness of our bodies. "Get out of your head and into the body," is one quote that shows why movement is vital. In the modern world, being stationary allow our minds to wander and, at its worst, ruminate, but when you start moving, your mind has no choice but to be connected to where your body is. Movement is one of the best ways to pattern interrupt and even a gateway to other aspects of training the mind. From my journey, which we will be examining for the majority of this podcast, the movement has been a significant catalyst in allowing me to explore all areas regarding mindset.
Changing My Mindset Towards Movement
My fascination with moving the body has not been a lifelong endeavor. Instead, it is a relatively recent addition to my path but has facilitated much of the growth I've experienced.
But that comes later, for right now, let me back up.
My dad probably would have loved it if I had joined sports at a young age.
For whatever reason, it did not capture my interest at all. I was always much more enamored with video games and, eventually, technology and science. To long-time listeners, this is no surprise.
As I grew up, I tended to see my lack of physicality as a negative because when you spend time in your head, you can't share with others what you care about as quickly. So I would look at my peers and see them do things that I thought I would never be able to do.
This wasn't for not wanting to try, I would try to learn how to run a faster mile, but the way it seemed, some people had a gift for it. So I told myself I was not a person with that gift.
In High School, not much had changed in my perception of myself. The school year started, and a few of my friends had joined the football team, and for some unknown reason, they talked me into walking on to the team. The coach for the B team let me join as well, I had no idea how these events occurred, yet here I was, 5'2" and 110 lbs playing in High School football.
The first time I had ever played any sport and my first exposure to weightlifting. From this point forward, I still saw people I was never going to be like.
One thing did come alive in me by following through with this my sense of responsibility. I had committed to finishing the season and tried as hard as possible. The coaches saw something in me and put me in the weightlifting gym for my sophomore year, even though I did not want to continue my athletic career beyond that season. My ideas on movement would stagnate for the remainder of high school and my first few years of college.
Fast forward to the age of twenty-one. My friends had either gone off to college or joined the military. I had been working and paying my way through school. We all know that you have to be physically fit in the military, and I joined in on some PT before my friends left. But then something different happened, Jordan Criss came home for the Holidays. He had started weightlifting while in college and put on a lot of muscle. In an offhand comment, he says I should try it and would like it. At the moment, I made up an excuse about much I move a lot at work and that I don't have time for that, but all the same, it planted a seed.
I have a bend to be as well-rounded as possible if it's not apparent. At this point in my education, I was in an excellent position for my age. I had become a technician and was finishing my education in parallel. So I naturally started looking at my coworkers and seeing who they were and what they did. I saw what sitting behind a desk for a few years does to the body. They eat a few too many bagels, complain of back problems, and are tired all of the time. I began to wonder if this was thirty in store for me. I don't want to be like that.
I took it one step further. I thought that at twenty-one if I could figure out how to work out now when I'm "busy" with school and work, I would still be able to keep the habit once I finished. From there, I made a vision for myself that I wanted to have the ability to play with my kids one day. Not being too tired or having pain in places I shouldn't. I can only say reflecting on this period.
Becoming an Information Sponge and Applying It
In May of 2014, I woke up one day and decided today was the day to join a gym. The only other change I made considering diet was I stopped drinking pop (up to that point, I had been drinking around six cans a day.) While I was not obese, I wouldn't have considered myself healthy either. From that point forward, whenever I had a spare moment, you could find me shifting through Bodybuilding.com to understand how the science of building muscle through weightlifting worked.
I would read anything from lifting programs to what the muscle-to-tissue does when you feel sore. I devoured it all, and the best of it, I could go and apply it! Then, I would take it to the gym when I read something new or wanted to try a new exercise.
I want to emphasize that when you have any preconceived notions about a specific area, the best thing to do is to drop those assumptions. This is what allowed me to walk into the gym. Sure I remembered high school football and what I could do then. But that had been long ago, so I gave myself a clean slate. I started at ground zero and built up my knowledge base for myself. I did not base my opinion on what I could or could not do on what others were doing. The only time I would look at others was to learn if I was doing something with the correct form. Beyond that, I tried to keep my ego in check.
In short, what I did for movement (at this point, it was weightlifting in the form of bodybuilding) was allow myself to apply my interests in the science and idea of what it means to work out effectively. I didn't keep the assumption of the meathead Neanderthal as it is commonly characterized.
Training for Tough Mudder
About two months into my training, I had another realization. Since I had been doing bodybuilding-style workouts, there was a chance that I would get sucked into a futile chase to look a certain way. So I wanted a longer-term goal to keep focused on the functional aspects of working out. So I tried to work out to train myself to do things I had never been able to do before.
One of the first thoughts I had was to do a Tough Mudder. Tough Mudder would be about a ten-mile course with obstacles entirely unlike anything I have ever thought to attempt. I had never run more than a mile, and getting comfortable being dirty felt challenging. The other bonus was that it is built around teamwork, helping others get to the finish line.
The last piece of this was exactly one year from the day I started going to the gym. So this was the perfect goal for me to reach for, and the best part was that I had no clue if I could pull it off, but I was going to figure it out.
Over the fall and winter, I dove headfirst into learning as much as possible to get strong. Then, once the weather started to warm up, I focused on increasing my endurance and losing some of the bulk I had put on over the summer. I wasn't focusing too much on a diet yet. I gave myself a pass for the most part because I know that when creating any new habit, when you change too much too fast, you're more likely to fail early. So by spring, I had put on an extra 25 pounds that my body had not become used to carrying around. In the beginning, I weighed about 140 pounds and ended up 165 lbs when I began training for the endurance aspect of Tough Mudder.
There was one significant speed bump. I had never run more than a mile and had no idea what it was like to run more than one, let alone how I could manage at least ten—a daunting task. So before I could get outside and run, I started spending my time running a mile on the treadmill at least three times a week. Then in spring, I got an opportunity to see what multiple miles run felt like; I signed up for my first-ever 5K. The week before the run, I decided to do a three-mile run as a trial, the pace was slow, and the only thing that mattered was that I made the distance.
Distance running turns into mental exercise rather quickly. When your calves begin to burn, and you don't want to keep going, you dig deep and keep going. That's what I did; my legs were sorer for the next three than they had ever been. I didn't know how the 5k would go, but I knew I had prepared as much as possible. At least I was able to finish. Finally, the event took place, and something happened. Being put in an environment with other people around me allowed me to tap into another gear. I finished the 5k with astonishment. I had never thought of myself as a runner or athlete in any way, but I did it. I remember checking my pace and practically falling over. I had a mile time of 8:30. Until this point, I had never run a mile under about a 10-minute pace, and now I had run three miles with a minute and a half less per mile!
I could do a multiple-mile run! I had set that as my low watermark; if I could run at least three miles comfortably, I could make it the ten for tough Mudder even if I had to walk the end. So I knew that I could make it. But until then, I had two months to keep training, and I began to ramp up my training outdoors since tough Mudder is outside. One thing most people don't talk about it is that running on a treadmill is different than running outside. Your pace on the treadmill vs. the road is two very different things. So from this point forward, it was the final two-month push until going to Tough Mudder.
The First Tough Mudder
At this point, I had convinced a few of my friends to go with me. While I would have gone regardless of buying my ticket well in advance, this helped push me to get to the event and show up with my friends. Building a community has always been a strong idea for me, and sharing an event such as this with my friends was a high watermark. Now that I am reflecting on the experience, I remember more about my preparation for this first Tough Mudder than I do for the actual event.
At the event, it was much less stressful than I had envisioned; of course, there was nervous anticipation, but I felt ready. Waiting at the starting gate and having the pep talk, Tough Mudder is not about what your time is. Tough Mudder is about being your best and getting to the end. Tough Mudder is about helping others be their best too. I was right where I was meant to be.
With that, we were off and straight into the mud. It's funny how, in modern society, we spend much time being clean, and here we were, paying money to get covered head to toe. It is honestly a freeing experience. Although, as the event rounded the first stretch, it became clear that endurance would not be a huge issue, it was still hard to keep up with my group at times because I had not yet learned how to pace myself. But the obstacles act as small breaks to help keep energy levels going.
The hardest part about this first Tough Mudder was the weather. Our start time was about 11 am, and the middle of May, so when we started, it was still warm enough that you didn't need a jacket. But nearing the end, the temperature began to drop as our energy was drained. Not to mention being covered in mud leached even more body heat. To borrow from the military, all we could do to get to the end was embrace the suck. I crossed that finish line, and the finisher beer never felt so refreshing.
As we drove home, exhaustion set in. I had never been so tired or thankful for a shower. Here I was, yet again smashing assumptions I had of myself. What got me there was a commitment to do them. I gave myself a target and made sure I hit the mark.
Learning to Ebb and Flow With Motivation
Everything I've described training for Tough Mudder was only about a year's worth of my process in adding movement to my routine. After completing Tough Mudder, it could have been easy to say I've checked the box. Instead, I proved I could do it. There is never an end. If you had asked me how healthy I've felt since I started, my statement would be, "I've never felt any better than I do know." That's the point. It means I'm continuing to grow and learn how best to train.
The other part of this that I want to highlight is that motivation is not constant. At times, movement may have to take a back burner, but that's where the framework and shorter-term goals come in — allowing yourself to have a framework that removes the cognitive resistance to get movement in.
For instance, I had to complete my senior design project during my last school semester. As the project neared completion, I had to spend much more time getting it done while balancing my job. Taking the time to get movement was necessary for my well-being. One tool we can use here is called the Eisenhower Decision Matrix.
"What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
This quote and graphic can help prune things that eat up your time that have little impact on what you want to get done. When you say you don't have time for something, it's worth analyzing what you're saying yes to that's unimportant to you. Then, ask yourself how you can limit those activities. This will free up time to allow you to commit to what you value. The quadrant you should be looking to maximize is the Important But Not Urgent. It's not always fun or easy to get yourself to do something, even if you know it's good to do it. Attaching deeper meaning or even fulfillment allows you to circumvent instant gratification.
Back to movement, I've made movement important to my value system and at least my weekly routine. So, putting the time in at least 30 minutes four to five days a week keeps you on track. This doesn't mean I'm going in and training for a marathon. I'm training for longevity and fulfillment. I want my body to be well-honed as my mind. They are linked, and what affects one will affect the other. I want to keep the blade sharp on both edges as I age. This was a refined version of my vision when I was set down this path.
The Takeaway
Finally, we get to wrap this up and take it home. My story here isn't something that is supposed to be glamorous. What it should show is how mindset is everything. When you have a fixed mindset, you create barriers within yourself that are not truly there. Whatever preconceived notions you have about yourself, I challenge you to think deeply about them.
Why do you think that about yourself? Is there proof of this? If not, have you tried, and I mean apply yourself as my dad would tell me as a child?
Again whenever attempting anything new, give yourself two weeks as training wheels, and if you don't feel anything, then it's safe to say this is not for you.
As for movement, though, there is always a low watermark to hit, hence why I've called this movement rather than working out or training. So what I do now is train in movement.
Here's a good minimum:
2.5 Hours of Moderate Cardiovascular Exercise per week
2 Hours of Strength Training per week
(for information, learn more at Mayo Clinic)
My current routine is very much a hybrid program. I believe kettlebells are the most versatile workout tool we have available. It can target almost can muscle in both a static and dynamic load. The other part is that it provides a unique accessory for stability crucial for joints such as shoulders that generally have a hard being activated in regular strength routines. In a future blog, I'll explore deeper thoughts on how to use kettlebells effectively.
My general format for a week is dividing my strength routine into push, pull, and legs as the three main categories. I've also now incorporated yoga into my routine a few times a week as dynamic stretch and the counterpart to strength training, where strength training is about contracting and pushing. Yoga is about lengthening and releasing that tension that is built. All of these categories play into each other. As I was saying about keeping the mind and body sharp, their facets to movement as well if any of these piques interest or your curiosity becomes an information sponge! Watch videos on yoga poses and try them. Get a kettlebell and start swinging it (with good form)! If that is intense, take a walk around the neighborhood and put on a podcast! The opportunity to move is endless, and if you do anything at all, try to move for about fifteen minutes a day to get the blood moving doesn't matter what it is. Now it's time for me to stop talking and get moving!
