A Walk In The Sunlight
It’s 8am, I’m alone in the office. I’m frustrated by my inability to finish this homework. I’m lonely, upset over the hole in my life. My body feels strained by the lack of workouts last week. All of this leads to anger, rage, sadness, frustration and a whole host of other negative emotions. What do I do? I put on the iPod and head outside. Sunlight and music, my new found friends.
They’re there when I’m sad and they’re there when I’m tired. They wake me from my stupor and cheer me up from my depression. The warm sunlight feels so great on my face and the wonderful sounds of powerful music emanate from the headphones and keep me company as I walk. It’s like an escape from all that is bothering me. I take the first step down the path, listen to the first song and I’m lost in wonder. My thoughts race every which way as I lose myself in dreams, hopes and aspirations. The problems I face seem smaller somehow when I’m faced with the grandeur of the outdoors and my energy level perks up with the music. The emptiness inside is filled with warmth and the solutions to my issues dance in front of me.
I arrive back feeling refreshed and renewed. My problems are still there but I feel more ready to face them now. The walk gave me a break which my body and mind sorely needed. I don’t feel tired now. I feel full of energy, ready to face anything which might come my way. All the ideas I had during the walk flutter about me, waiting for me to write them down and start working. Even better, my body feels good now that it’s had a chance to stretch out and get some sunlight. I no longer feel cramped and alone.
And the cycle is broken. The emotions get better as I work on my problems. The urge to do something stupid fades away as I focus my new found energy on implementing my ideas. The need to drown my sorrows in caffeine and sugar fades away.
Banishing Darkness From The Light
There’s an old Israeli song, typically sung on Hanukkah which was a favorite of mine when I was a small child. The chorus involves all the singer stamping their feet to the repeated singing of “go away darkness, go away before the light”. That always made me feel better as a small boy, especially since I was afraid of the dark.
There’s a part of me that remembers that song now and understands it as that little boy did not. There’s something scary about that darkness, about not knowing what’s in front of you and we tend to want to fill that darkness with familiar and comfortable things. And so we eat “comfort” foods. Things like ice cream and chocolate and fried dishes. Food that makes us feel loved and appreciated, perhaps because it reminds us of better days or perhaps because it stimulates our bodies in ways that mimic happiness. Whatever the reason, there’s a better way.
Sunlight and music, combined with walking. A magical combination that’s better than any amount of fried foods and ice cream. This is just one way which I’ve found to cope with stress. Just one way which doesn’t involve overeating or doing something destructive. There are many others. I’ve also found that conversation is a far better coping technique than binge eating. Find a good friend and talk. Trust me on that one.
There’s More
I look at this post and compare it to the one from last week and I can see how much I’ve changed over the past few years. I’m encouraged. The problems are still there, some old and some new. Some issues have been resolved and some new ones have emerged. Overall though, I cope with my issues in a healthier and less damaging way.
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For those who are curious, I highly recommend the music of Rob Dougan for times like these. Great sounds perfect to sooth your mind and body.
Weekend Roundup - Change Is Here Edition
I’ll be making a few changes to 60 in 3 over the next few weeks, mostly in terms of content. There will be an announcement later today of what I intend to do. Hope you enjoy it.
In the meantime, here are a few interesting articles I thought you might enjoy:
Every once in a while, you have to move away from the big blogs / newspapers and all their advice, and focus on the little blogs, the one with the personal success stories and the inspirational ideas. Here’s one from Mark Olson about how he changed his lifestyle to the better.
@Mark Olson
From Strong Lifts, here’s an article about how many calories you need to eat per day. Good information here although a lot of their calculations seem to come out a little high to me.
@Strong Lifts
From the Chicago Tribune, here’s an article on the growing suspicion of sodas. I like the comparison to cigarettes. As someone who has tried to quit caffeine filled sodas for several months, I can tell you it’s a pretty hard habit to break.
@Chicago Tribune
And finally, from the SF Examiner, here’s an interesting article about swapping out unhealthy food for healthier choices. Some good ideas here.
@The Examiner
I Am A Failure…
Oh, those deadly words, I have failed. My goals lie shattered at my feet and my dreams are ruined. Everything is gone, hope are dead and lost. What happened you ask to bring about such dire consequences? What horrible thing could have occurred that would ruin my future and demolish my best laid plans? The answer is simple, I went back to diet coke.
Yes, that sweet sweet taste of caffeine laden chemical water lured me into its warm embrace one more time and today I found myself buying not one but TWO bottles of Coke Zero while waiting for my flight out of Austin airport. I am a failure and the shiny black and red bottles are evidence to that failure. Surely my life is done.
But Wait!
What about my other carefully laid out goals? What about my incestuous love affair with chocolate? Has that too returned into my life? what about my old habits of consuming two medium domino’s pizzas for dinner? Am I back to the chicken kickers? And if not, isn’t my failure to kick the Coke habit a signal of my complete lack of willpower? Should I not give in now while I can still do so gracefully and kick back with a bag of Lindt Truffles and a bucket of KFC?
Not So Fast…
Yes, the Coke is back, however, not as bad as it was before. While I did drink some around lunch time, I no longer consume it all day long. Also, while I may still imbibe my addictive chemical water, I did in fact kick the sugar habit. I’m chocolate free now and plan on staying that way. What about my exercise habits? Still going strong! What about my increased consumption of vegetables? Yep, still good. What about my decreased consumption of processed junk food? Not a bucket of KFC or a carton of Domino’s in sight! So am I really a failure?
Of Course Not!
A good baseball player has a batting average in the 300’s. That means they get on base around 30% of the time. A good basketball player has a free throw average in the high 60’s. Barack Obama lost quite a few of the early primary contests and even some of the later ones. Napoleon won most but not all battles. Spielberg puts out amazing movies but he also puts out the occasional piece of dreck. So why am I a failure because I had a bit of coke?
Why should I give up on everything when it’s just one thing that’s not working. This is madness and in times past I bought into this mindset hook, line and sinker. I failed at one little thing and I saw it as a reason to stop trying everything. I had a bit of chocolate and used that as an excuse to order five big macs. After all, if they day is already ruined due to that chocolate, might as well ruin it all the way!
Time and again I see people make the same mistakes I used to, which is part of the reason I started writing 60 in 3. I see them take on an ambitious program of weightloss and fitness. I see them set goals and divise master plans with a dozen different projects. Then I see them fail and the chain reaction starts. One little failure causes a bigger, which causes a bigger which causes abandonment of the whole plan. Is this smart? Of course not, but it is human.
Focus On The Successes
It’s time to stop focusing on the failures. Yes, you’re going to fail. Accept that now and move on. If you’re not occasionally failing, you’re not really trying. Your goals should be something you can only barely achieve and sometimes you’re going to fail. That’s fine. Accept the failure, learn from it and move on to try again. More importantly, don’t use one failure as an excuse to abandon all hope. Don’t use one setback as a reason to turn your back on all the things that are working.
Yes, I had a coke. I gave in to my need for caffeine and bought a coke zero. I’m not proud of that, but I also know that I did NOT buy that bag of M&M’s, I did NOT buy that bag of potato chips, I DID work out yesterday even though I was pressed for time, I DID have a healthy breakfast today, I DID order the salad yesterday even though I was in a Texas bar. All of these things are a success. All of them are reasons to celebrate and one, or two, little coke bottles shouldn’t change that.
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If you’re reading this, take a few seconds and let us know about your successes. Use the comments and write down something you’ve accomplished today. It doesn’t even have to be health or fitness related. just write down something you feel was a success. I’ll start…
Speed Workout
Like many of you, I often find myself with little time, space or gear for a real workout. I’m stuck in a hotel room or at home. It’s night and I don’t want to go out plus it may be cold or raining and I have no desire to go to the gym. Still, you want to work out, you want to feel like you moved your body. You want a good resistance workout plus something that will get your heart racing like a set of sprints. Still, No weights? No treadmill? No problem! Here’s my speed workout for those interested in maximizing their use of time and space.
The Disclaimer
Note - All of these exercises are done as fast as possible. We’re talking pushing yourself to the max here, no rest in between and no slowing down between sets. Also, most of these sets (unless a number is specified) are done to break point. That means you keep doing them until you can’t do a single more rep.
If you have any kind of medical problems, this may not be the workout for you so please consult with a doctor before you try something strenuous like this.
The Workout
- Pushups - Do as many as you can as fast as you can.
- Lunges - Again, as many as you can and fast. Be careful on this to maintain good form but keep going as fast as possible.
- Sit ups - There are a variety you can do here. My favorites are the standard ab curls but feel free to substitute your favorite here.
30 second break
- 50 jumping jacks
- 20 dead lifts
60 second break
START OVER!
You’ve just done one “circuit”. Guess what, now you do another! Keep doing circuits, each time doing the push ups, lunges and sit ups to the point of failure. Keep going and don’t let up on the speed. Each of these circuits will likely take you around 4 to 7 minutes depending on how many reps you can do. Try to do 5 circuits of the whole thing. That means 20 to 35 minutes of all out exercise which will get your heart pounding and your muscles aching. That’s it, that’s all there is to this speed workout.
Details Details
If you look at the exercises, you’ll see that they work out all the major muscle groups from legs to chest and everything in between. Since you’re doing all these to failure, you’re going to give your muscles a good workout. At the same time, you’re going to get a kickass cardio workout because you’re going fast. By the end of the second circuit (or even the first), your heart will be pounding! Again, don’t over do things and hurt yourself. I don’t want any 60 in 3 readers getting heart attacks as they workout :) Know your own limits and stay below them. However, done right, this workout is a great little combo of resistance and sprints which will leave you exhausted in a good way.
Self Medicating With Food - AKA, Emotional Eating
It’s 8pm, I’m alone in the office. I’m frustrated by my inability to get our software product to do what it should. I’m lonely, upset over a recent breakup. I’m tired, suffering from lack of sleep due to a cold. All of this leads to anger, rage, sadness, frustration and a whole host of other negative emotions. What do I do? I reach for the candy and caffeine. The two things I am trying most to avoid are my friends when I’m in need.
They’re there when I’m sad and they’re there when I’m tired. They wake me from my stupor and cheer me up from my depression. The cold Coke Zero feels so wonderful on my tongue and the sweet sensation of the chocolate is like an escape from all that is bothering me. I chow down on the first piece of chocolate and then the second and the third, each one giving me a brief moment of joy followed by the return of the feelings of loss. I drink one can of coke and feel uplifted, energetic. I drink another and feel even happier. With the coke, the buzz lasts longer but even there it fails and on the ride back home I’m more depressed and alone than I ever was.
Worse, now I’m guilty over binge eating. I beat myself up for giving up on my goals. I question my will power and my resolve and this all feeds into my depression and feelings of anger and frustration. Of course I failed at work, of course I’m sick, of course she broke up with me. Look at me, I can’t even control my own hunger. Who would love such a man? How can such a man be successful at work? How can such a man be healthy?
And the cycle repeats. The emotions get worse. The urge to eat gets stronger. The need to feel better, if only for a second, if only for a minute more while I eat that candy or while I fly high on that caffeine. I need it now more than ever, because I know that for a brief second, a brief glorious second, it will all go away and I’ll feel good. I’ll feel cheerful and happy while the sugar and caffeine course through my veins and trigger hormonal responses. I know I’ll crash again but that’s in the future. I need my fix and I need it now.
Addiction
If that sounds like the account of an addict, that’s because it is. Emotional eating is in many ways similar to a drug addiction. It is the consumption of stimulants (usually sugar and / or caffeine) to trigger chemical changes in the body which simulate although are not quite the same as happiness. We’re sad and therefore we eat. We don’t deal with the issues that make us sad and we may in fact be making them worse, but the food allows us to feel happy for just that brief second, that wonderful moment when all else disappears.
I suppose that on a small enough scale, emotional eating isn’t a bad thing. If once a year you break down on the anniversary of a loved ones’ death and eat a favorite dish, that’s one thing and no one will ever begrudge you that. Unfortunately, many of us, myself included, use emotional eating as a crutch for every day life.
- Feel tired in the morning? Grab a muffin and a coffee.
- Falling asleep at work in the afternoon? Grab a coke or some cereal.
- Tired and frustrated by your social life? Go for that gallon tub of Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food.
- Annoyed by your coworkers? Walk to the kitchen and grab some of that free cereal.
- Want to avoid work you hate? Go out for a snack.
We all do it and some of us do it quite a bit. I used to do this all the time, quite literally. Since there was a period of my life when life essentially “sucked”, or so it seemed like to me, I would eat junk food all the time. I’ve improved quite a bit since then but there are occasions when I still find myself self medicating my depression away. Except that, in terms of medication, emotional eating is a very poor one. It doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, it usually makes it worse.
A Better Option
What worked for me? A few things, and keep in mind that I still have issues with emotional eating sometimes, so any suggestions would help.
- Keep temptation away - Can’t emotionally eat that bucket of ice cream if it’s not at home and, if you’re tired and depressed, you’re unlikely to go out and buy one. Make sure junk food is not conveniently located.
- Solve your problems - There are a million and one ways to solve most problems, even the big ones. Instead of eating, focus on those things that make you unhappy and come up with ways to resolve them.
- Find a new outlet - For me, this was walking. When I feel annoyed and frustrated, I try to take a walk. I usually come back feeling much better and I’m less likely to eat.
- Keep a reminder of the good things near - For me, it’s a picture of my puppy. The same one you can see in this post. Looking at her makes me smile. It makes me happier and that eliminates some of the need to emotionally eat.
- Talk to a therapist - Yah, I know, therapist?!?! What, am I crazy or something? There’s nothing wrong with me! I mean, sure, I’m depressed and so I eat which makes me even more depressed so clearly I’m doing self destructive things but there’s NOTHING wrong with me. Well, maybe there isn’t, in which case you’ll waste a few bucks. Then again, who knows, maybe it can help.
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The best solution to emotional eating is to solve the problem that’s causing the bad emotions. I’m no expert at this but I have been making progress with my own issues. Sometimes it’s as easy as writing them down and then writing down what, if anything you can do about them. Try it and see if it works. At the very least this little exercise will keep you from reaching for the chocolate 
Weekend Roundup - Busy Week Edition
This week is amazingly busy, so you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t write as much. I did however find a few interesting articles last week and wanted to share those with you.
From Consumer Reports, here’s a review of “light ice cream”. If you have a subscription for CR (something I personally recommend) you’ll be able to read more but even the overview is worth it for this gem of information: “The lighter Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s we tried actually have more calories and sugars than the regular Edy’s and Breyers”.
@Consumer Reports
From Contemplative Fitness, read about Roy’s love affair with dead lifts. Roy seems absolutely infatuated with them and who can blame him? Luckily, he also includes a great guide for how to perform this great exercise.
@Contemplative Fitness
From the Diet Blog, are crash diets healthy? My answer, absolutely not!
@Diet Blog
And from Mark’s Daily Apple, what could be more primal than tasty internal organs! mm… yummy kidneys!!! Think I’m kidding? Read the article
@Mark’s Daily Apple
Reader Q&A - How Often Should I Work Out?
This question came from someone who wished to remain unnamed, but it’s definitely an interesting one. How often should you work out?
The answer depends on your lifestyle. Are you an active person by nature? Do you go out to play soccer every Friday afternoon like a good friend of mine? Do you hike every Sunday morning? Do you bike to work every day? All of these things count as physical activity which you are trying to replicate when you work out.
In general, I would recommend that you get a serious resistance workout 3 to 4 times a week. A resistance workout is something that challenges your muscles. It could be rock climbing or it could be lifting weights, but it needs to really strain you to the point where your muscles ache and you feel tired, but not out of breath.
I would also recommend a good two or three sessions a week where you challenge your whole body and especially your cardiovascular system. In other words, exercise which gets you out of breath. This could be soccer, sprints, fast paced dancing, uphill hiking or anything else that gets your heart rate pumping.
Otherwise, just maintain an active lifestyle with plenty of walking and moving around.
