Rodents and household appliances aside, you may know this phenomenon simply as "stress." You have a million things to do and a billion things to worry about. We all do. It's the curse of the modern age.
Unfortunately, most of us look to pursuits to take the edge off; they may seem to help, but actually compound the problem. There's nothing wrong with the occasional cocktail, or a little mindless television from time to time, but activities like this don't solve anything. They just cover up your issues and make your thought process all the more unruly.
If you're looking for a serious solution, meditation is a far more effective way to cut through the cerebral clutter—and unlike a booze bender or a reality TV marathon, it only takes 5 to 10 minutes a day
The Benefits of Meditation
People tend to associate meditation with Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, but Judeo-Christian fans may be surprised to learn that there are references to meditation in the Old Testament. And, in Islam, meditation is an important part of Sufism. Although there are certainly connections to religion, meditation, in the modern sense, can be completely secular. No blue deities, no transcending this earthly form, no incense (unless you dig that, then it's, like, totally cool)—just an opportunity to organize your thoughts and take back your brain from the laundry list of external forces pulling you in a million directions.
The science on the benefits of meditation is super strong, especially when it comes to stress reduction. Research appearing in the Journal of Biomedical Research shows that meditation does this by increasing parasympathetic activity. Your nervous system is divided into two parts—sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system controls your "fight or flight" reactions. It's the predominant nervous system when you're under the gun. The parasympathetic nervous system controls your "rest and digest" functions. In other words, when things are mellow, the parasympathetic takes charge—and meditation makes that happen more often.1
But that's just part of the story. A consistent meditation practice has been scientifically linked to improved cardiovascular health, focus, and information processing.2 In fact, if you pick a malady at random, odds are that there's a reasonably credible study showing that meditation either improves symptoms or acts as an effective way to manage symptoms. There's really no reason not to do it.
How to Meditate
Many people mistakenly think the goal of all meditation is to "turn off your brain." This is one technique (sort of), but in truth the definition of meditation shifts depending on whom you ask. In some circles, it's a matter of reading a philosophical/religious text and contemplating the key passages (suggestions: the Bible, the Tao Te Ching, or Winnie the Pooh). Tony Horton often refers to yoga as "moving meditation." When I'm cycling alone, I often focus so intently on my breathing and the cadence of my peddling that it becomes a form of meditation. Some people consider sitting on a favorite park bench and breathing deeply for five minutes to be meditative.
However you do it, the key to any good meditation practice is to quiet the noise in your brain—not drown it out or dope it up, but actively calm it down.
All those options aside, if you're looking for something more specific, there are a few meditation techniques that have been shown to be especially effective.
First, it's important to find a quiet place with minimal distractions. Here in Los Angeles, lots of people prefer the beach. Frankly, I find the waves, the birds, and the beauty of it all just too distracting. My favorite place to meditate is the middle of my living room, at about 6 AM before my daughter and my dog wake up demanding waffles and kibble (in that order).
Next, sit comfortably, but up straight. You want to be comfy because, once you master it, you'll be there for a while. You want to be upright for a couple reasons. Many experts claim it's necessary because a straight spine allows energy to flow better. Personally, I think sitting up straight is a good way to avoid accidentally falling asleep. If you have back issues, do what you need to do. I elevate my rump by sitting cross-legged on a yoga bolster. I also support my spine by sitting with my back against a wall.
Finally, start with five minutes a day and increase gradually as it becomes easier. Odds are, your thoughts are going to be all over the map the first few times you do it. That's cool. Even if your practice felt like a complete mess, it benefited you given it took you one step closer to learning how to calm your brain. You'll get there. Just try again tomorrow.
From here, there are a number of practices to experiment with. You might want to try a variation of Transcendental Meditation (TM), developed by Maharashi Mahesh Yogi, who you might remember as that yogi guy who hung out with the Beatles. In this practice, you pick a mantra to focus on—a word that has meaning to you and feels right, such as "love" or "heal" or "beer." (It could happen.) Armed with your mantra, sit quietly and repeat it silently to yourself. When your mind wanders—which it will—simply steer it back to your mantra.
Another technique is mindfulness meditation. Like the TM variation above, start with a focal point—typically your breath. That'll hold your attention for a little while, but soon thoughts or sensations will try to take over. Don't try steering away from these things. Instead, accept them without judgment and let them pass by, like waves on a beach or clouds in the sky. If it helps, you can also assign "tags" to help you observe thoughts passively. For example, let's say you're in the middle of meditating and suddenly you remember how one of your coworkers stole your lunch out of the fridge yesterday. Instead of following that path and letting your anger consume you, assign it a tag that describes how you feel, like "anger." Now, just repeat "anger" in your head, distancing yourself from both the thought and the emotion. It should soon pass.
I've found this technique to be an incredibly powerful tool for managing my emotions. It can also be used for pain management, by isolating and passively accepting pain instead of letting it consume you—which can be a massive benefit when Shaun T's got your legs searing in the middle of an INSANITY® workout.
If you're looking for a more in-depth look into mindfulness meditation, I strongly recommend Meditation for Beginners by Jack Kornfield.
The modern world is a stressful place. Sometimes, there's nothing you can do about the barrage of stressors that make up daily life. You can, however, change how you—and your body—react to them, so take a deep breath and take back your life.
Have you ever tried meditation? Has it helped you? Where have you struggled? Tell me at Bruce@BrucetheCoach.com.
Sources:- Wu, S.-D., & Lo, P.-C. (2008). Inward-attention meditation increases parasympathetic activity: a study based on heart rate variability. Biomedical research Tokyo Japan, 29(5), 245-250. J-STAGE. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18997439
- 4 Scientific Studies on How Meditation Can Affect Your Brain and Creativity
Emotional
strains are unavoidable, and can serve a purpose if you're able to
control them. "Stress gives us purpose and challenge," Dr. Masley says.
"But if you don't manage stress, your cortisol goes up; and with
prolonged stress you will get sick more often."
Whether
you're pulling an all-nighter at work or you're pulling an all-nighter
with an attractive coworker, depriving yourself of sleep means you're
cutting back on your body's ability to repair itself. This includes
undermining the way your immune system fights viruses. 
"Can't
you just tell me exactly what I'm supposed to eat?" is a question I'm
often asked. Today, we'll look at the answer that, incidentally, is
"no." It's a good thing that there isn't one perfect diet because we
don't all like the same foods. The world would be a pretty boring place
if we did. It also means that you have many choices when it comes to
eating healthy, so why is it so hard?
Humans
are all different, even if it's only slightly. So when it comes to diet
we cannot expect that foods will all work exactly the same for us. This
is in contrast to what the myriad of diet books you can choose from
will tell you. Most of those want us to think that there's only one
way—theirs, incidentally—to transform and keep your body healthy. Of
course, if this were true there'd only be one book to buy. So, just the
fact that there have been hundreds of best-selling diet books is the
best argument that there are many different healthy ways to eat.
You've
probably heard this before, especially if you're a longtime Beachbody
member. Similar to not putting gas in your car when it isn't going
anywhere, your body doesn't have the same nutrient requirements when
you're sitting as when you're moving. Since it's simple to understand
that you burn more calories attempting an Ironman than watching Oprah, it shouldn't be a stretch to understand that you have different nutrient requirements on different days.
Soda. 
Alcohol. 
Or
even close to it. In fact, there are times when you should relax and
let yourself eat whatever you want. I can even come up with a scenario
where junk food is what you want to be eating. But we'll get to that
later.
Your
diet should consist of as much whole food as you can fit into it. This
means vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and meats that have been
processed as little as possible. If your diet consists mainly of these
foods then you're on the right track. Whole foods are also more
regulating than processed foods. Eating them causes your body to respond
in a natural way. It's pretty much exactly the opposite of what happens
with soda and candy.
What's Good:
"Chicken skewers made with low-fat, high-protein chicken breast can be a
healthy and filling appetizer," Aratounians says. "If the chicken
pieces are layered with superfood veggies such as peppers and zucchini,
it makes it even better."
What's Good: "Raw nuts can be a nutritious appetizer that provides heart-healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals," Aratounians says. 
What's Bad:
"Packaged appetizers are often highly processed and loaded with
calories, sodium, unhealthy fats, refined carbohydrates, additives, and
preservatives," says Aratounians. "This makes them one of the
unhealthiest choices with hardly any nutritional benefits." 
"If
you always put a limit on everything you do, physical or anything else,
it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits.
There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond
them." —Bruce Lee
Lee's devotion to what would eventually be known as circuit training started when he read a series of articles in Ironman
magazine by bodybuilder Bob Gajda about The Peripheral Heart Action
(PHA) System. Like Tony Horton does in his Power 90® routines, the
system moves from body group to body group instead of focusing a long
time on one particular group. The benefit of this is that blood flow
continually flows from muscle group to muscle group, thus increasing
muscular endurance and delaying fatigue. It also works the
cardiovascular system. Lee loved the multiple benefits of this
technique.
The
man had amazing abs, but he had to work hard to get them. His five
basic stomach exercises were sit-ups, leg raises, twists, frog kicks,
and side bends. He also understood that while you could do crunches
until you were blue in the face, it wouldn't matter unless you ate
completely clean, avoiding sugar, starches, and excess fats. Yes, there
are people to whom a six-pack comes naturally but, according to his
journals, Bruce Lee, owner of one of the most amazing six-packs in
history, was not one of these people. So next time you're pushing
through Slim & 6-Pack, thinking about that grandé mocha latte you
skipped this morning, just remember that Bruce Lee made the same sort of
sacrifices.
While
he believed in stretching every day for at least 15 minutes, his
regimen was basically to limber up at every available opportunity. He'd
do it watching television, reading, even in the sound studio while
dubbing his films. While few of us are in the movie business, that
doesn't mean we can't work a few thigh stretches into our coffee breaks,
or work those shoulders and neck while watching American Idol.
In
much the same way he stretched whenever possible, Lee felt it important
to shove exercise into his day as much as he could. Here are some of
the tips he'd offer his students:
What vegetable burns more calories than it contains?
What common bagel topping can show up as an opiate in drug tests?
Which U.S. state eats more ice cream per capita than any other?
What do the letters in the canned meat product SPAM stand for?
Eating carrots improves night vision. This rumor apparently was started by the British during World War II, after a new British radar device began greatly assisting in the shooting down of German bombers at night. Not wanting to alert the Germans of the new technology, the government spread a disinformation campaign that the British pilots' love of carrots was the cause of their keen night vision. It spread like wildfire and it has become a staple in parents' arsenals for getting kids to eat their veggies. Carrots are generally good for your eyes, though, as studies are beginning to show a link between increased beta-carotene (carrots are loaded with it) consumption and a decrease in macular degeneration.
Turkey makes you sleepy. It's true that turkey contains tryptophan, the amino acid credited for the poultry's alleged soporific effects, but beef, chicken, meat, milk, and beans also contain tryptophan and they don't seem to make you pass out on the couch after dinner. Turkey's bad rap probably comes from the famous post-Thanksgiving food coma, which was probably not induced by trace amounts of an amino acid, but more likely by consuming vast quantities of carbohydrates like potatoes and stuffing, washed down with a couple of glasses of wine.
Caesar salad was created by or for Julius Caesar. Actually, despite what they might tell you at the Olive Garden, the Caesar salad is not Italian food. It was created by Caesar Cardini, a restaurant owner in Tijuana, Mexico less than a hundred years ago, not in ancient Rome. The recipe includes romaine lettuce, olive oil, garlic, coddled eggs, and Parmesan cheese, among other ingredients, but the original recipe does not contain anchovies—another myth debunked.
Mentos and Coca-Cola, combined, will explode your stomach. As any YouTube connoisseur can attest, dropping a Mentos candy into a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke can create an effect that will give the fountains at the Bellagio a run for their money. However, despite rumors of Brazilian youths dying of burst abdomens, this myth seems to be another of the endless variations on Mikey and the Pop Rocks. There seems to be little evidence that eating any combination of anything generally considered edible will make you explode. (Although that Chinese food I had for dinner came pretty close around midnight.)
Beware of flesh-eating bananas! There was an email forwarded by many well-intentioned people not too long ago that asserted that the FDA was covering up the fact that several thousand bananas covered in germs causing necrotizing fasciitis (the flesh-eating disease) had entered the country. This turned out not to be true. A reverse rumor, that humans were killing bananas, also has circulated. This one says that due to varying explanations, such as climate change or genetic modification, bananas will be extinct in less than a decade. This also is false. So, eat your bananas. They're full of potassium, won't make your skin fall off, and there are plenty more where they came from.
McDonald's uses kangaroo meat in their burgers. This is one that's been around since I was a kid. Common sense can answer this one. While we wouldn't put it past the Golden Arches to put anything in their food, kangaroo meat seems an unlikely beef substitute as it costs much more per pound than actual beef. Although adventurous eaters might consider adding 'roo meat to their diet, as it has more protein and about half the fat of beef.
Chocolate milk is tainted with cow's blood. This is a popular playground myth that milk too contaminated with blood to sell as plain white milk is colored brown, flavored, and sold as chocolate milk. Chocolate milk and all dairy products go through the same rigorous FDA testing process that regular moo juice does. However, the added sugar isn't doing you any favors.
Canola oil is toxic. It's been rumored that canola oil contains the same toxins found in mustard gas. Canola oil is made from oil pressed from the seeds of the rape plant, a member of the mustard family. There is actually no such plant as the canola, but it's easy to see the marketing problems that would result in calling it "rape oil." This may have been one of the reasons scurrilous rumors have circulated about this noble oil, which is perfectly safe and rich in monounsaturated fat, the best fat, also found in olive oil and avocados. As for the mustard gas claim, while it is true canola oil is made from mustard plants, mustard gas is not. It's called that because of its acrid smell, not its ingredient list.
Red Bull causes brain tumors. As a favorite beverage of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, it's easy to make a case based on anecdotal evidence, but there actually is nothing in Red Bull that has been linked to brain tumors. It has been banned in some European countries because of its high caffeine content (a can has about as much as a cup of coffee), but aside from the typical health concerns regarding any sugary, caffeinated beverage, Red Bull appears safe. Claims that it will give you wings seem unfounded, however, and when mixed with vodka, it has been rumored to make underpants disappear.
When
aren't we going on and on about how you need to eat more vegetables?
They're full of fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and low in calories and
fat. And one of the best ways to eat them? Raw. So you're trying to be a
good camper, with your bowl of broccoli and cauliflower florets, baby
carrots, and celery sticks, crunching your way to a leaner (and probably
gassier) you. You know what would really make these veggies sing? Some
dip! French onion dip. . . or guacamole . . . or hummus . . . or nacho
cheese. Ha! Guess again! Nothing can make your healthy vegetable snack
descend the rungs of Michi's Ladder faster than a few dunks in a bowl of
fatty, salty, delicious dip. But we're not completely heartless. Here
are some variations on some old favorites that are actually pretty good
for you!
Hummus. 
Guacamole. 
French onion dip. 
Spinach dip. 
Onions, garlic, and leeks—the bane of the romantic evening, but the balm for so much else. These aromatic and pungent stars of the vegetable world are all members of the allium family and have a myriad of health benefits, both real and purported, not the least of which is all those germs you'll avoid when nobody will kiss you after you've eaten them. So, let's take a moment to salute these beautiful, bountiful bulbs which are delicious and nutritious, with a smell that's slightly vicious.
The onion (Allium cepa) has been a culinary staple for thousands of years. Many civilizations even worshipped them as symbols of eternity, because of their concentric rings. Ancient Greek Olympic athletes consumed onions before exercise, as it was believed they cleansed the blood. They were also taken along on long sea voyages by many cultures, as their high levels of vitamin C helped prevent scurvy. Onions have also been applied topically as home remedies to relieve congestion, fever, gout, and arthritis, as well as to speed healing of scars and burns.
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a spicy relative of the onion. Unlike the onion which is a discrete bulb, a head of garlic is a clump of bulbs, each clove an individual bulb. It has also been harvested for thousands of years for its flavor and also is one of the earliest known plants to be cultivated for medicinal reasons. It was thought by ancient cultures to be a great purifier, i.e., anything that smelled that bad had to kill whatever bad was inside you. And garlic is a frequent component in folk remedies throughout the ages, purported to cure impotence, madness, and tuberculosis. And anecdotal evidence that it wards off vampires and werewolves is very persuasive.
Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum) are also members of the onion family. Usually they are eaten for their white and light-green base, and some are cultivated for their bulbs, which are marketed as "elephant garlic." Leeks have enjoyed a long history, especially in Europe. In Wales, the leek is the national emblem, a symbol of courage and independence. They require much more care in their cultivation, as they are a biennial plant, like asparagus, and are therefore a little more expensive than their bulbous cousins.
Your
body resists change, even when it's good for you. This irritating
little survival trait has led to a passel of colloquial words that we
use when referring to how to deal with it. These include survival mode,
starvation mode, periodizational training, plateau-ing, and set point.
Today we'll tackle the latter, which is a term we use to explain why our
bodies impede our results whenever we get close to our target weight.
Step 1: Change whatever you are currently doing. If you don't believe that your set point can change, try Morgan Spurlock's experiment, the film Super Size Me,
and super-size all of your meals at McDonald's for the next month. Most
of you can visualize this pretty well. If you overeat like crazy, you
will gain weight. By just understanding this one thing we've myth-busted
the legend of the set point. You can gain weight and, therefore, you
don't really have a set point as defined.
