I’m here in St. George at the Huntsman Senior Games supporting my man in his quest to be the fastest biker over 50 competing against top cyclists in the state of Utah and from around the country. He’s pretty darn fast! How does he do it?
Single minded focus and great determination. He has what I call self-discipline (see definition of self-discipline in my recent article).
I’ve watched him go from middle of the pack back in February 2012 to a top contender 6-8 months later. He has practiced over and over and put in the hours and hours, miles and miles of biking that it takes to become GREAT at what he is passionate about.
It got me thinking about what I am disciplined in and why I do (or don’t do) the things that enhance my life.
I came up with my top 5 life-affirming practices. I’d like to hear from you…Did your top practices make the list?
- Meditate Daily – On your mark, GET SET, GO! I love to start my day setting an intention. It’s like I’m participating in the creation of the day and I get to paint a picture of what I want to have happen. This is a very powerful practice for me! I set aside at least 15 minutes a day devote to prayer and meditation.
- Eat food that is energetic. Well that’s a no brainer but often hard to do every day. I like the 50/80 rule. I choose 50 – 80% of my food (depends on the season) from FRESH, LIVE, FRUITS AND VEGGIES. The other 20-50% is cooked veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts (raw & sprouted), small amounts of meat, and an occasional sweet. A time saver for me is to take a good suppliment, green smoothie, or protein shake in the morning for breakfast or with my breakfast. This increases the likelihood that I will have sustained energy throughout the day. It’s also a great matabolism booster. I like to throw in some dark chocolate once in a while to satisfy sweet tooth cravings.
Photo: Karimian on Flickr
- Random Acts of Kindness. I call it my RAK list. It’s all about making another person’s day… doing something for someone else that they can not or would not do for themselves. Often it may just be as simple as sending blessings and love their way and in my mind picturing them receiving what they most need and being happy. This works really well for family members.
- Practice Yoga. This one keeps my mind and body supple. Often I can work out my frustration or solve a problem by letting go and just being in my body. For the same reason I love to take walks, go on hikes, mountain bike, run, or just be in nature. The practice of being “united” in body, mind, and spirit is limitless and certainly goes beyond my yoga mat. (For the record, no, my husband Rick rarely participates in formal yoga classes…even though I’m certain it would be good for him :)…everyone has their own unique path.)
- Change yourself and let the rest be. In other words…Don’t sweat the small stuff. All the things that worry and frustrate are usually beyond my control or can be eliminated when I take action to change my attitude about it.
What are your life-affirming practices?