December 2002 Newsletter
ZEN STORY - The Successor
The old Zen master's health was fading. Knowing his death was near,
he announced to all the monks that he soon would be passing down his
robe and rice bowl to appoint the next master of the monastery. His
choice, he said, would be based on a contest. Anyone seeking the
appointment was required to demonstrate his spiritual wisdom by
submitting a poem. The head monk, the most obvious successor, presented
a poem that was well composed and insightful. All the monks anticipated
his selection as their new leader. However, the next morning another
poem appeared on the wall in the hallway, apparently written during the
dark hours of the night. It stunned everyone with its elegance and
profundity but no one knew who the author was. Determined to find this
person, the old master began questioning all the monks. To his surprise,
the investigation led to the rather quiet kitchen worker who pounded
rice for the meals. Upon hearing the news, the jealous head monk and his
comrades plotted to kill their rival. In secret, the old master passed
down his robe and bowl to the rice pounder, who quickly fled from the
monastery, later to become a widely renowned Zen teacher.
People of great importance often fail to realize that everyone is
equal.
"YOUR INNER EYE"
If you can see it, you can be it.
What is the difference in the psychology of a winner and a loser; of one
who is stressed and one who is relaxed; of one who is angry and one who
is calm; of one who is worried and one who is confident? Although it may
not be possible to account for every variable, a large portion of the
difference is attributed to how one views situations and what one says
internally. Many outcomes are predetermined by our beliefs, which are
influenced by our visions and self talk.
Creative Visualization and Simulation
When examining NASA astronauts who had the "right stuff,"
world class athletes and the most accomplished people in many fields,
researchers have found many common traits. It seems that many of these
individuals were prepared mentally for any challenge. The performance in
the face of these challenges often seems effortless. The reason it
appears effortless is that these individuals have practiced their skills
physically and in their mind hundreds of times. They have seen
themselves perform flawlessly. Winners say, 'Of course. I can do it!
I've practiced it mentally a thousand times. High level performers
practice physically and visually repeatedly again. It was Thomas
Jefferson who said, "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the
harder I work, the more I have of it."
Visualization for relaxation works best when individuals can create
their own relaxing scenes. Not everyone is relaxed by floating on waves
or in the clouds. To use visualization for relaxation, imagine being in
the most relaxing environment. Real or imagined recreate that special
place as vividly as possible. The power of visualization is so strong
that is has been found to influence our physiology at a microbiological
level. Cancer patients taught to practice visualization of tumors
shrinking and cancer cells dying as an adjunct to chemotherapy, got well
at a significantly higher rate than a control group receiving only
chemotherapy.
Below are some guidelines and suggestions for the use of
visualization and affirmations.
Phrase affirmations using the first person singular. Take ownership of
the statement. You cannot control others. For example, "I am . . .
," "I can . . . " Phrase affirmations in the present
tense when possible. You cannot change the past. The future is too
unpredictable to control. Phrase affirmations in the most positive way
possible. Avoid the use of words like "no," "don't,"
and "not" in your affirmations. This is very important because
your brain is not capable of visualizing a negative action. The right
side of your brain is predominately visual, the left side is logical and
literal. In many ways they do not communicate very well. While
practicing this self-hypnosis all suggestions should be positive. To
illustrate this ask someone to do exactly as you say, then tell them to
close their eyes and not think about what their hands are doing. If you
ask them, they will tell you that when you asked them not to think of
their hands, they thought o their hands. Your visual brain cannot
understand the word not. It's like when you are riding a bike and you
tell yourself not to hit a rock in the road. You will inevitably run
right over the rock because that is the picture you have created for
your brain and your brain controls your muscles.
THE BRAIN CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT IS REAL OR
IMAGINARY.
Sport psychologist have understood this for some time and there are many
examples. If you are taking an exam, or preparing to give a speech, or
going for job interview, or asking someone for a date, if you say,
"don't get stressed out," you are creating a picture of
someone who is stressed out. If you say, "I feel calm and relaxed,
I am confident and alert" then you are creating an image of someone
who is relaxed and confident. The implications of this can be profound.
Make affirmations short, simple and clear. Long complex statements are
more difficult to internalize.
Use as many senses as possible in affirmations and visualizations.
Verbalize statements out loud after writing them. Better yet watch
yourself and listen to yourself say these statements while standing in
front of a mirror. When you visualize your performance, recreate as much
of the scene as possible to create an accurate simulation. Imagine what
it sounds like, what it feels like, smells like, etc . . . SUCCESS IS A
REPEATED, POSITIVE, IMAGE AWAY.
NUTRITION & EXERCISE - 5Pillars.com
Many exercisers are continually on the lookout for the right combination
of foods to enhance their performance, and want to know when and how
much they should be eating. This can be difficult because dietary needs
vary from day to day and from person to person, and depend on individual
activity levels. For instance, bodybuilders want to gain muscle mass
while losing body fat and train anaerobically. Marathon runners train
aerobically, seeking to stay very lean without added muscle to weigh
them down. Each of these groups require different combinations of
nutrients to perform at peak capacity. It is important to have an
understanding of nutrition and supplementation so that you can achieve
maximum results in your fitness program. Some questions regarding diet
and exercise follow:
Is it better to eat before or after working out?
There are different schools of thought on this subject. One says that
in order to burn optimal amounts of body fat, you should not eat before
exercise. The rational is that if your carbohydrate stores are near
depletion, you will force your body to burn abundant amounts of fat for
fuel. However, exercising on an empty stomach puts needless strain on
your body. The truth is, your body requires the energy that food
provides to fuel your muscles through your workouts. Any time you go for
long periods of time without some sort of carbohydrate intake your body
begins to break down, converting protein, including muscle, to the sugar
needed to fuel the brain. This process sets you up for conserving any
calories eaten afterwards and storing them as fat. The amount of food
you eat always depends on the amount of activity you will be doing. The
greater the predicted energy expenditure, the greater the caloric
intake. For example, if you plan on exercising in the morning, have a
good breakfast comprised mainly of complex carbohydrates about an hour
and a half or so before heading out. After your workout, you should also
eat, reducing food intake to match your reduced energy requirements. The
idea is to take in the calories, then burn them off.
How many times a day should I eat?
It is very important to eat frequently. You should re-fuel as many as
4 to 6 times a day, or every 3 to 4 hours. Frequent healthy meals
comprised primarily of complex carbohydrates keep blood sugar levels
even, giving you sustained energy. Studies have shown that those who
skip meals are more likely to binge on junk food, and also perform less
efficiently at work. People who skip breakfast have 10-15% lower
metabolism than those who eat a high complex carbohydrate, moderate
protein, low fat breakfast. Regardless of your athletic abilities, be
sure to start off your day with a healthy breakfast. Between breakfast
and lunch, have a piece of fruit or veggies, and for lunch try to
consume complex carbs, protein, and a small amount of fat to prevent
afternoon fatigue. Have another snack between lunch and dinner. Some
foods for dinner might include leans meats such as chicken, fish, or
turkey, vegetables, beans, brown rice, or pasta in moderation. In
addition, be sure to include high fiber foods in your diet, namely
fruits and vegetables, lentils, legumes, and whole grains. These foods
are filling, give you sustained energy and are great for keeping blood
sugar even.
CARBOHYDRATES (carbs) are your body's most efficient and readily
available energy source, and strongly affect your workout performance.
Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose (blood sugar), which feeds
your brain, organ and muscle tissues. There are different types of
carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates include refined sugars like table
sugar and white flour products, as well as naturally occurring sugars
found in fruit and milk. The body cannot distinguish between
naturally-occurring and added sugars and digests both the same way.
Simple carbs cause your blood sugar to spike and then fall quickly,
making them a poor choice before a workout. Complex carbs are a much
better choice for fueling yourself through training sessions. They
provide you with a slow, even flow of energy which is ideal for
exercise. These include foods such as whole-grain breads and cereals,
nuts, dry beans and peas, vegetables, and pasta. Your diet should
contain approximately 55-65 percent carbohydrates. Some of the best
carbs for exercisers are sweet potatoes, brown or wild rice, whole
wheat, rye, buckwheat or barley, and rolled oats.
FATS have gotten a bad rap over the years, not all fats are bad for
you. It is true that fats contribute to obesity and health problems such
as heart disease and cancer, but they also insulate the body, protect
organs and nerve pathways, and provide the necessary vehicle for
vitamins A,D,E, and K. Fats are a secondary source of energy during your
workouts. There are different types of fats. Saturated fats come from
animal sources such as meat, milk and butter, and also from coconut and
palm oils. These fats pack together tightly and squeeze into small
spaces, such as arteries, causing blockages. Unsaturated fats come from
vegetable, nut, seed, and fish sources, and include safflower, olive,
peanut, and corn oils. They do not pack as easily, making them less
likely to clog arteries than saturated fat. Fat is broken down by
combining with glucose and oxygen to yield energy. Since you always burn
a combination of carbohydrates and fats, forget trying to deplete all of
your carb stores to optimize fat burning. It is also a myth that
exercising at very high intensities is the best way to burn fat. If you
are gasping for breath when you exercise, your body is not getting the
oxygen it needs to efficiently break down fat. Lower intensity, long
duration activity is best. The best way to lose body fat is to simply
burn more calories than you are taking in.
PROTEINS are essential for the growth and repair of all body tissues.
They are classified as either complete (containing all the essential
amino acids), or incomplete (lacking essential amino acids) . Amino
acids are broken down and redistributed wherever your body needs them.
Unlike carbohydrate and fat, protein is not an efficient source of
energy. People who engage in regular endurance or strength training
should consume more protein (approximately 20-25 percent of their diet)
than less active individuals. Estimating individual daily protein
requirements is done using a formula based on lean body weight, as well
as exercise intensity and frequency. The best sources of complete
protein are eggs, meat, milk and fish.
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