5 Benefits of Meditating after Workout

So you just worked out. You’re hot, sweaty, and feel that euphoric sense of exhaustion. Your endorphins have just released and you feel great. You’re ready to go get something to eat to fuel your body back to what it needs. But wait! Don’t go anywhere yet! Meditating after a workout can be one of the most wonderful things. Here’s why:

1. Working out can help clear your mind. You’re exhausted, but through that exhaustion and endorphin-release, you can now focus easier. You may not believe me, but meditation after a workout is something I strive for every day. I’m sure you’ve heard of how working out can improve the mind’s function. Well, here it is. You workout, your mind is working more sharply, allowing you to focus more easily and delve into meditation more deeply.

2. You can find happiness faster. Sounds like a strange phrase, but meditation often brings a sense of deep joy and happiness from finding peace. Because of those lovely endorphins that were released during your workout, your mind and body are already feeling great. Which then means in your meditation, you can find that happiness faster than normal. You will find yourself smiling as you meditate, really absorbing the joy that comes from the workout.

3. You are more in tune with your body. One way of meditating is doing an internal scan of your body—feeling what’s tight, loose, imbalanced. After doing a workout, which obviously uses your body, you are so much more in tune with your body. You can feel your heart beat strong, your muscles tingling, and your skin sweating. I know it sounds weird, but it’s a marvelous feeling to meditate after a workout just for that reason. You feel your body invigorated and alive and it’s wonderful to be able to tap into that.

4. It allows for reflection of your workout. Often we drive or walk home after a workout thinking, “Oh I could’ve gone deeper on those squats” or “that HIIT killed me, but I killed it too.” Imagine doing a meditation right after you’ve done these things. Diving into your mind and body for a true reflection, feeling your muscles and your mind connect as you think about these things. You can meditate on what to improve on or what you’re proud of. It’s truly one of the best times to reflect.

5. It allows for a deeper meditation. Because of all the reasons above, you are able to go deeper into meditation faster than normal. Due to your body’s work, that focus is highly-tuned so that you can concentrate better and focus on your breath. The normal annoying distractions fade away because of the supercharged feeling of your body. It’s so much easier to slip into meditation, and feel your breath coming in and out until you find peace.

Still not convinced? Just try it, I promise, you’ll find something amazing. Even if you are new to meditation, this could be the best place to start. Your body is alive with all of its functions which allows you to hone in on them more. It’s one of the most peaceful meditations you can attain and your body will feel stronger and refreshed coming out of it. Practice meditation after working out to stay hungry and fit!

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BONUS KITTY PIC

zzz

Nov072012

Congratulations, Obama!

Phew. Breathe out a sigh of relief. Not that we now have a financial genius in office, because he isn’t. But because progress and equality like gay marriage, women’s rights, and immigration will keep moving forward. Romney would’ve pushed all that back and severely hurt the progress we’ve made. Listen to Obama’s winning speech, how he includes everyone as a full citizen with all the rights that he has. It’s inspiring. We all know that in the future, everyone will be equal, it’s just how long will it take to get there?

I’m proud to have Barack Obama as my President, a man who stood up for gay rights when he didn’t have to. Who does the right thing. And has a kick-a$$ First Lady who isn’t afraid to be buff. I’m excited for these next few years.

Congrats.

(bonus kitty pic)

Oct022012

Happiness Starts in the Home

With our latest ‘painting’ bought (I use quotes because we got it from Ross, but it really is quite nice), our home is truly starting to feel like…well, home. I love each and every room. It may be small, but I like small, because I grew up in a beach bungalow. It fits the four of us very nicely, and we’ve even been able to squeeze in four guests (at once)!

Our new entertainment center which you read about last post. Movies are so much more epic now. We watched Part 2 of the Deathly Hallows today after work instead of being productive!

Here is our lovely fireplace, complete with ready-to-go pumpkins and a fireplace set Chris picked up from a garage sale. Cannot wait until the weather gets cold and we constantly have a fire to cozy up the apartment!

I always like to show our bookshelf of the gods (of sorts) and there happens to be a bowl of Halloween candy atop it. Which is the death of me.

Now Chris calls this my “Office.” You can see my computer set up, with both of our work schedules, payrolls, calendars, and so forth pinned up in front of it. You can also see our new painting–of New York!

Here’s our simple line of appliances. All of our cooking spices and goodies are in the lazy susan underneath. And Chris’ “office” is on the breakfast bar. In fact, you can see his computer there!

And I just had to put up a picture of our awesome changing-color bathroom nightlight with a ocean-scene on it. It’s great!

In the bedroom, we got a huge tapestry (my personal favorite color), a beautiful Japanese wall scroll straight from Japan, and a family mirror. If you look closely enough, you can see a new Olympic Barbell we bought from Salvation Army ($12.50–what a deal!) over the weekend.

Great new mugs!!

Beyond me posting random pictures of our beloved apartment, there is a little more to what I’m conveying. Before trying to settle being happy with your life as a whole, start with your home. Make it so when you walk in the door, you feel relaxed and comfortable–away from the dangers of the outside world and a place where you can feel at peace. Like the title says, happiness starts in the home. Make your space how you want it to be. Make it a place of love and harmony. Otherwise, you’re never going to want to be there. And nobody wants to feel unwelcome in their own home.

Cheers!

Aug302012

Do NOT Touch that Button!

Dread

Let’s admit it: in this day and age, most people have smartphones. Even if you don’t have one, this still applies to you. Most of our work is often connected to our email, which is often connected to our phone, which is often on our bodies at ALL TIMES. It can get incredibly stressful even when you’re not at work, to check your email and boop! a few work emails slide in, reminding about all the tasks you need to get done. It sucks. But it’s also addicting, wanting to know everything that’s being sent to you at all times, wanting to be on top of it all.

For example, I wake up in the morning and the very first thing I do is lean over (groggily) and press my email. A few seconds later, I hear the familiar short buzz, notifying me that there’s something (or multiple somethings) in my inbox. I see 18 New Emails, and my stomach does a turn, half out of excitement and half out of dread. I know there are some things that could be great potential offers, but also some that task more things on my to-do list. Is that the feeling I want to get right in the start of the morning? I’m starting to think not.

So, as my attempts to observe myself and my reactions towards things, I tried to listen to my stress patterns more. There are sometimes where I don’t mind checking over everything I have to do, getting bombarded with emails from “Stop Animal Cruelty!” to the latest work I need to complete that day, and such. But sometimes, I want to be happy in the moment and do whatever I’m doing whether it be cuddling with the kitties, doing some writing, or spending time with my loved ones.

Thus, in order to demonstrate my learned lesson of understanding myself, I tried to follow not always checking it. For example, we were in the gym yesterday, doing a cardio and leg workout. One of our better workouts since we actually had a facility. Not to say we aren’t out of shape, but hey we’re getting there again. Anyhow, I was enjoying the workout, getting into it, having fun and I felt this itch every time I was resting from a leg press or calf raise. What the heck is that? Oh yeah, it’s an itch to check my email, see if I need to get anything done, who’s contacting me, etc etc etc. But I didn’t press it once! I was pretty proud and I was also happy to be in the moment enjoying myself.