3 Great Keys to a Satisfying Workout!

Tedium vs. Mulling Time

You need “mulling time.” Mulling is a special process that our brains require. It’s that time when you have nothing else to think about except something that’s been eating on you, such as whether to buy an Eskimo husky or a cockatoo … or maybe a pet rock.

Walking or running on a treadmill can provide you with a lot of mulling time. Just tune out, quit looking at the clock and ponder that important dilemma: How can we achieve world peace? Did Jesus die for Martians, too, if there are any? Are there infinitely many real quadratic number fields with unique factorization?

Swimming laps in a pool is also great mulling time. So is running laps in a gym, training for a marathon or rowing. And if you enjoy long-distance bicycling – or indoor stationary pedaling – mulling works for miles and miles.

Carpe Praesenti

You may remember actor Robin Williams proclaiming “Carpe diem!” in the classic movie Dead Poets Society – Latin for Seize the day! It means to make the best of every day. Well, let’s take it a step farther: Carpe praesenti or “Seize the moment!”

That means savor every minute of your life – and that certainly includes your workout! Enjoy! Yes, doing repetitions on the weight machine is boring and you suspect the bodybuilders are snickering. Well, grin at them like you have some crazy secret as you enjoy the “burn” in your arms as you hoist 30 pounds. Your secret? It’ll be 35 pounds next week, 75 pounds in six months and 185 pounds this time next year. Oh, you are going to look and feel great!

Now Enjoy!

Rather than rushing into a work out and then spending most of the time diverting your attention from the activity by watching TV on your treadmill, listening to music as you pump iron or reading War and Peace as you ride the stationary bicycle, Riege suggests making the exercise itself the focus of your pleasure.

How?

Start your work out by wakening the body with a simple breathing exercise. Sit on a chair or the floor with your spine straight. Close your eyes and rest your left hand on your lap. Place the index and middle fingers from your right hand between your eyebrows. Close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril four counts. Then close your left nostril with the last two fingers and hold both nostrils closed for 16 counts. Release your thumb to open your right nostril and exhale to the count of eight. Inhale through the right nostril four counts. Once again, close both nostrils and hold your breath for 16 counts. Finally, open the left nostril and exhale for eight. Repeat twice more.

Does Your Posture Matter?

Is there such a thing as good or bad posture? Read next feature >