by Gabrielle Reece
Sometimes life just feels like one big Groundhog Day. All right, already with the grocery store, making the beds, going to work, hitting deadlines, cooking, finding time to have and enjoy sex, always trying to get time in to exercise, and getting “ready for the Holidays.” Some times I feel like I want to say STOP…can we get to the point?? The true essence of life? The moral of the story. The punchline:
We all feel like this.
That’s when we have to make an effort to zoom in and out of our lives. There are times for micro-inspection, and then there is a time to get really wide with your vision. See the whole picture.
My husband hates the routine of day-to-day living. He tries to mix it up as much as he can from one day or week to the next. Repetition is like a prison for him. Unfortunately, life does require a certain amount of repetition to live, eat, get the kids to soccer, pay the bills, to get it all done.
Between the natural repetition of life, TV, crappy food, no exercise, high stress, and no breathing, we are all getting rocked to sleep.
That zombie state is the only way to really deal with the monotony at times. This is where the in-and-out focus comes into play.
Let’s all wake up. Let’s live this life. Live it to the fullest of each repetitive day. When you are doing something you “have to,” then get wide. Just see its place in the scope of your life and don’t let it get you down. It’s just got to get done. When you’re having little moments during the day that are what life is really about (smelling your kids hair when they give you a hug), then get super-zoom micro. For if we stay too wide, then we’re missing the point. I know there are days I’m on automatic pilot and I’m just going through the motions, including with my family and my workouts. There are even times I’m not tasting my food because I’m already on to the next thing.
Everything isn’t grey, and we should be practicing how to recognize the colors. Those moments make up our rainbow of life that can shine bright in our hearts and minds. That gives us purpose and meaning. Otherwise, we’re just like that hamster going round and round.
Let’s talk about you. Taking care of you. Don’t make exercise and eating a long focus. Get in there with the zoom. When you have time to work out, be present. Feel your body moving. Notice which muscles work with which exercises. Connect your mind to the physical motions. If you think about it, it’s easy to just spin and spin and spin. The gym has three machines I can think of that people go on and just spin. Read the paper, watch TV, and spin. No wonder they hate it.
When you are eating, don’t just scarf it down, but ask yourself, “What am I putting into my mouth?” Notice how the food makes you feel. Do you feel good? Or did it taste great and then make you feel like crap 20 minutes later? Food is meant to nourish you. Give you power and sustenance.
Remember food and exercise don’t just effect the size of your butt, but your state of mind. If you’re trying to fight the humdrums, use exercise and food to help you in that crusade.
I need all the help I can get to battle Groundhog Day.
If you are in shape and eating well, you have an easier time shifting gears through out the day. Hey, who wants to miss the good stuff that gets squeezed in between all the “have tos” in life? Maybe the “have to” is the classroom that is testing and teaching us. Don’t miss out on enjoying recess.
