Concentration and Meditation

I just finished reading a short op-ed piece written by David Brooks on Malcolm Gladwell's new book, “Outliers". What struck me about the op-ed piece, since I haven't read the book yet was David Brooks' very Mindful awareness of the following regarding successful people: "Most successful people begin with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so. They were often showered by good fortune, but relied at crucial moments upon achievements of individual will."

Brooks goes on to say that many successful people also have a phenomenal ability to consciously focus their attention or concentrate. For example, experiments with subjects as diverse as obsessive-compulsive disorder sufferers and Buddhist monks show that people who can self-consciously focus attention have the power to rewire their brains.

Brooks continues to reflect on the positive aspects of concentration by noting the following:

• It leads to resilience, the ability to persevere with an idea even when all the influences in the world say it can’t be done. A common story among entrepreneurs is that people told them they were too stupid to do something, and they set out to prove the jerks wrong.

• It leads to creativity. Individuals who can focus attention have the ability to hold a subject or problem in their mind long enough to see it anew.

In the practice of Mindfulness meditation, awareness and concentration are part of a continuum. Each has its place and time. Awareness to me seems more natural, unforced. While concentration is more forceful and focused. It would be interesting to explore how can we use the services of each to help us choose a healthier lifestyle around food and exercise.

Mindful Eating For Biking

I just read a great article written by Kelly Bastone in the Jan/Feb 2009 edition of Bicycling on "Eat Smarter - 6 Bad Habits You Didn't Know You Had - And How to Change Them". I am not a fan of the phrase "bad habits" which implies a negative judgment on one self. I rather use the terms "unskillful" or "unaware" which is a more positive Mindfulness word and avoids self judgment. The article is based on the work of Suzanne Girard Eberle, a sports dietitian and author of Endurance Sports Nutrition and identifies the following "unskillful" ways which can impact the benefits of riding:

• SKIPPING BREAKFAST - Under-eating in the morning usually leads to increased calorie consumption later. Eating breakfast replenishes your liver glycogen levels which drop overnight. If time is a problem, stock up on healthy instant oatmeal or whip up a quick smoothie (see my smoothie recipe on my web site: www.mindfoodfitness.com
• EXPERIMENTING AT THE WRONG TIME - Don't try new foods and drinks prior to a race. Try them during short training rides or designate one day a week as a "new foods day".
• UNDERFUELING DURING LONG RIDES: Eberle says cyclists fail to take in enough energy to realize their potential during long rides or intensive workouts. Fill one of your water bottles with a healthy sports beverage and sip every 15 minutes. She suggests making a game out of eating all your snacks you've stashed in your jersey. End the ride with uneaten food, and you lose.
• MISSING THE RECOVERY WINDOW: This is one area that I found is so important to be aware of. Eat within 30 to 60 minutes of ending your workout, since your body fast-tracks those nutrients to muscle repair and glycogen replacement. I typically pack in a small cooler bag a turkey sandwich with mustard (protein, fat and carbohydrates) and some carrots and celery which I eat within 15 minutes of completing a +2 hour weekend ride. It has made a huge difference in my recovery - much less soreness and fatigue later on in the day and the next day.
• NOT DRINKING AFTER RIDES: Too often, cyclists stop drining after a ride. Typically cyclists lose more fluids during a ride than what they take in. Refill your bottle after your ride and down the contents within an hour.
• IGNORING SEASON CHANGES: Winter usually curtails our time on the bike, even in Northern California where I live. Trim calories accordingly and eat according to your activity level. For example, on an "off day" where I might only walk a 1/2 hour, I probably reduce my caloric intake by 10% and try to avoid an evening snack after dinner.

Hope this helps and keep up the riding.

Meat Consumption and CO2 Emissions

If you are interested in learning more about CO2 emissions from livestock, read the recent article below which appeared in Thursday's SF Chronicle, written by Elisabeth Rosenthal of the NYT. What I found interesting was the following data:

• Farm animals from around the world generate 18% of the emissions that are raising global temperatures.
  
• Producing a pound of beef creates 11 times as much greenhouse gas emission as a pound of chicken and 100 times more that a carrot - Moral: EAT Less Meat.
• Developing countries such as China, India and Brazil has seen their red meat consumption rise by 33% over the last 10 years.
  
• Although in the US agricultural accounts for only 7.4% of greenhouse gas emissions, the pecentage is skewed downward due to the extraordinarily high levels of emissions in other areas, like transportation and landfills compared with other nations.

We need to be more Mindful of what we are eating and the effects it is having on our environment. Small changes in our eating habits such as eating more plant-based foods can make a big difference on the global scale.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/04/MNKP14H1NC.DTL&hw=meat+farm+emissions&sn=001&sc=1000

Mindful Holiday Eating

As we move into the busy and stressful holiday season, it is important to use Mindfulness practice to help us promote healthy eating and exercise habits. I came across an article in a recent edition of the Vitamin Shoppe's newsletter, the Herbal Pharmacist which provides several simple tips to help promote healthy holiday eating. They include:

• Eating off smaller plates
• If you need a sweet, try a piece, not the whole thing
• Eat more salad before the entree or have a small salad before leaving for a holiday party
• Avoid alchohol
• Just say no

The key is to combine the tips above with your Mindfulness practice which includes being aware of craving, body breathing, eating slowly, patience and self-forgiveness. Remember, that even a simple and quick exercise like walking can help support your efforts to achieve a healthier and more natural lifestyle.

I will be offering a complimentary 1/2 hour consultation on Mindfulness, Food and Fitness from 10-4 pm on Saturday, December 20th at the Vitamin Shoppe on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. This is a brand new store and the manager of the store, Greg Lagomarsino has been really open to bringing in speakers on a variety of health issues. A 10% discount on all Vitamin Shoppe products will be available to participants.

Book Review: "The 5-Factor Diet"

Book Review: The 5-Factor Diet

I recently finished reading, the "5 Factor Diet", by Harley Pasternak that I wanted to share with you. As the Director of MindFoodFitness (www.mindfoodfitness.com/), a program integrating mindfulness practice with food and fitness, I was very impressed with both the simplicity and thoughtfulness that went into writing this book. The fact that the book sees clearly into the abyss and limitations of fad dieting complements a mindfulness approach to this subject.

What I like about his approach to nutrition and exercise is that he developed a program based on research and real people’s lifestyle. The book analyzes a variety of fad diets such as blood type, cabbage soup, Atkins, Zone and South Beach and outlines their shortcomings over time. For example, a high protein, low-carb diet may in the short run drop off pounds but over time cause you to lose water, muscle, nutrients and fiber, and your health The book provides specific examples of the short and long term consequences of the more common restricted diets.

The 5-Factor Diet is practical and enlightening. The key features include: 5 meals a day, 5 components to each meal, 5 short workouts a week, 5-minute meal prep and 5-core ingredients in each recipe. Probably the single most important element of the diet is the 5-factor meal. Each meal combines the 5 right types of foods – protein, carbohydrates, fiber, healthy fats and beverages. Within the 5 core components to each meal there are 25 foods which help keep your body feel satisfied and in balance. Examples include: egg whites, poultry, seafood, dairy, vegetables, low glycemic grains, beans and fruit.

As the author states, the 5-Factor Diet is “a program that’s nutritionally sound and easy to use for the rest of your life”. This statement is really important to creating a healthy and sustainable food and exercise program for my clients. I typically don’t like the word diet because it symbolizes an easy, short-term fix. If we can think in broader and more holistic terms, diet is a way to eat over the long term. The practice of mindfulness enables us to develop a healthier and sustainable approach to food and exercise by enabling us to be more: present, aware of our body and our senses, focused, and patient.

I hope you find this book helpful in your search to learn more about different dieting and exercise options. Please let me know what you think.