WELCOME TO HEROES TRAINING

Sometimes a large belly can be a sign of excess body fat. The best way to get rid of this body fat is to adapt to a fitness lifestyle of proper nutrition and exercise.  To burn of this fat, you must burn more calories than you are taking in. This doesn’t mean that you should starve yourself. Self starvation can lead to stress which can cause belly fat to be stored in the mid section. (for more on how stress can lead to belly fat check out this post: http://heroestraining.com/?p=417 Starvation can also lead to a lowered metabolism and an inability to burn fat. (for more on how to raise your metabolism, check out this post: http://heroestraining.com/?p=172

The best way to lose fat is to commit to a long term plan where you burn no more than two pounds a week (so your body does not starve) This means you have to burn more or eat around 300-600 calories less than you normally would in one day.  For more on calculating your caloric intake, check out this post: http://pediatrics.about.com/od/obesity/a/06_calpound_fat.htm

People often ask me why the fat is coming off every other part of their body except their belly. Genetics is one factor. Where we lose fat first is different for every individual. For example: I know that when I lose weight, I lose it in my feet first, then my face, then my arms, then my boobs, then my butt, then my thighs, then my belly. If you still have fat in your belly but you have lost weight everywhere else, you simply have to lose a bit more for the weight to come off your belly.

The other factors might be stress or bloating. Stress can ‘cause the body to hold excess fat specifically in the mid-section. To understand how this works check out my post on How Bloating Can Lead to a Large Belly: http://heroestraining.com/?p=421

If you are abusing your digestive organs with stress or improper nutrition, you might have bloated digestive organs and this can cause a protrusion in your midsection. For more on this, check out my post on How Bloating Can Lead to a Large Belly: http://heroestraining.com/?p=421

Can strengthening exercises help flatten the midsection? It can up to a certain point. If you have fat surrounding your muscles, the muscle will not make the fat disappear. However, if you lack the muscles that wrap around your waste like a corset in order to hold your internal organs in, toning the core will help you gain a more streamlined appearance.

A weak abdominal region will cause bad posture that will make your back arch and your belly protrude forward. A weak back will cause your spine to hunch, making you look tired, old or insecure.

Movements that help strengthen the core include: Planking, mountain climbers, leg lifts, dead lifts, crunches, sit ups, back extensions, pilates and balancing.

On top of having wash board abs, having a strong core will build beautiful posture. It will also help to prevent injuries and help you move more efficiently in any athletic endeavor.

The human gastrointestinal tract is over 30 feet long. When it is not functioning properly, along with your digestive organs, this can lead to swelling and bloating in the abdominal region.

Swelling can be caused by overeating, stress, food sensitivities or allergies, poor nutrition, gastrointestinal disorders; or eating too much salt, sugar or msg.

On overeating: When you gorge yourself with food, you are taking in more than your body has time to digest. This can throw your digestive system out of whack and lead to bloating. Remember to eat slowly, as it takes time for the body to realize when it is full. Once you are full, stop eating. Eating too fast can also cause air to build in the digestive organs which can lead to excess gas.

On Stress: As I mentioned in my earlier blog, “How Stress Leads to Belly Fat”  (http://heroestraining.com/?p=417)  when we are under stress, we release certain hormones in our body to help us cope. One of these hormones is ephinephrine which relaxes your digestive organs so blood can go to other parts of the body in case you need to run or fight. If there is food in your body, it stops digesting and throws off your system. This can lead to bloating and other problems. So stress can lead to bloating as well as belly fat? That’s one round midsection! Also, the visceral fat that is stored in the belly section due to stress can slow down the digestive process, leading to more bloating.

Poor nutrition: This is the number one cause of belly bloating and belly fat. How do you know if you have poor nutrition? Check out the new USDA food plate here:  http://heroestraining.com/?p=385

Notice that fruits and vegetables take up half of an entire plate. This means that half of the food that you eat should be whole fruits and vegetables. These foods contain fiber, enzymes, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals that are necessary to aid in digestion. Without these nutrients, your body will have a very hard time digesting. Lack of proper nutrition can lead to very serious gastrointestinal problems over time. Do you keep processed or white bread or rice in your home? Switch to whole grain. Processed grains have been stripped of fiber, vitamins and nutrients necessary for proper digestion. This is why people who eat an excess of processed foods tend towards bloating. Make sure you are drinking enough water. Water is a vital nutrient for health. It also plays a huge role in digestion. Dehydration can lead to water retention and even more bloating. Try to eat from all food groups in the right proportions as we need the nutrients from every group for a well functioning system.

On Gastrointestinal Disorders: Gastrointestinal disorders, usually a result of improper nutrition can include heartburn, reflux, and constipation. These can also be signs of more serious diseases such as crohn’s disease or cancer in the digestive organs, to name a few. The side effect of these diseases is bloating and swelling of the abdominal region.

Salt, sugar and MSG are solvents: Their molecular structure absorbs water. This leads to dehydration and more bloating. Avoid these chemicals in excess. Too much coffee can also lead to dehydration and contribute to irritable bowel syndrome, bloating and other GI disorders.

Food sensitivities such as lactose or gluten intolerance can lead to bloating: These sensitivities come from the body’s inability to digest components of a certain food such as the lactose in milk or the gluten in certain grains. You can usually tell if you are sensitive to these foods if eating them leads to bloating, constipation or diarrhea. Food allergies can also lead to bloating. If you suspect you might have this problem, but you are not sure which food ‘causes it, you can check with your doctor and get yourself tested.

Exercise can help relieve bloating: Take light walks after a meal to help stimulate the immune system and help the body circulate. Yoga poses, deep breathing and other movements help to massage the internal and digestive organs. This helps with detoxification and better functioning.

For more on how to prevent belly fat and exercises for a smooth midsection, check out this post: http://heroestraining.com/?p=428

By Rhea Morales

This is how having too many stress hormones can lead to belly fat:

When under pressure, we release stress hormones from our adrenal glands. These hormones help the body work into overdrive in order to cope with hardship, fear, lack of rest or overtraining. Norepinephrine is first released, stopping your body from producing insulin. This is an example of how stress can lead to diabetes. Ephinephrine relaxes your digestive organs so blood can go to other parts of the body in case you need to run or fight. Then cortisol is released which tells these hormones to stop working so you can go back to a neutral state and start digesting food again.

When the body senses that there is lots of cortisol being released, it thinks it is going through many hardships. The natural assumption is that it is going to starve. It starts to store fat. It takes the fat away from healthier areas such as the hips, and moves it to the abdominal region where the cortisol receptors are located. This fat is stored deep, right around the organs where your stomach is located. This creates inflammation and insulin resistance in the body. The enzymes in this belly fat releases more cortisol, creating even more belly fat. The cycle repeats itself.

How do we keep stress below unhealthy levels? Understand that the body has basic needs in order to keep itself healthy. These needs are exercise, sleep, proper nutrition, healthy relationships and rest. If you are lacking any of these things, you are under stress and the body will overcompensate by releasing stress hormones. If you don’t have time to exercise, make the time. It could cost you your health. Even light movements such as walking for thirty minutes a day is better than nothing. Find the time to get enough sleep. If you can’t sleep, that is also a sign of stress. Stay away from foods that are high in sugar and caffeine. These foods throw your body out of balance. Make sure you are getting enough protein, carbs and vegatables; but not too much. Make sure you are drinking enough water. If you are in an emotionally draining situation, you owe it to yourself to deal with it. Don’t ignore the situation, allowing stress to build. Get counseling, read books, open the lines of communication, or leave the situation. Sometimes our own attitudes can lead to stress. Do you see everything as a threat, thereby causing your body to release fear and stress hormones? Remember that too much or too little of anything can cause stress. For more on how to handle stress, check out Ellie Miraftabi’s post on how to turn stress into strength here: http://heroestraining.com/?p=256

For more on belly bulge, check out part II of this series, How Bloating Can Lead to a Large Belly: http://heroestraining.com/?p=421

You can check out part III of this series, Belly Fat and Muscle: http://heroestraining.com/?p=428

By: Rhea Morales

Recently people have been asking me how they can tone their buns and “fill their pants.” In order to bring shape to that problem area, you need to wake up those gluteus muscles. Lunges are one of the best ways to fire up your buns. Also, you can isolate this area by using resistance bands and movements that target the glutes. This video demonstrates some floor exercises you can do using resistance bands that work out every angle of the gluteus muscles. Make sure you really squeeze your buns while you do these moves:

For the video, click here: How To Fill Your Pants

Besides its obvious aesthetic appeal, strong glutes protect the lower back and knees.

I love exercise bands. They are inexpensive, portable and effective. Plus, you can get them at most retailers. You can use them at home and while on vacation. If you like this video, I will post more uses for exercise bands. You can work out every single body part with them. Beginners can do this move without the band. Advanced practitioners can move up to thicker, more challenging bands.

The food pyramid has been updated and has been turned into a plate!  This is will be so much easier for people to understand as you can see clearly how to portion your meals.  Keep in mind that grains and starches are no longer the largest food group, vegetables are. Each food group contains important nutrients that are responsible for keeping you healthy so make sure you maintain a well rounded diet.

During my transition from being a personal trainer to becoming a group fitness instructor, I observed that there were a handful of students who weren’t getting better.  Some wanted to lose weight but couldn’t.  Others just weren’t getting stronger or more energetic.  They came to class looking exhausted and it was difficult for them to do movements they had been learning for weeks.

Although most of my students were seeing results, I always felt bad that I couldn’t spend one on one time with those who weren’t.  Throughout my years of teaching, I have spoken to many students of group fitness.  Unfortunately, many people who can’t afford personal training are held back by a lack of proper knowledge of how to eat and how to plan out their routines.

I started this website as a means to educate all of my group fitness students on lifestyle choices that will help them get results outside of the aerobic room.

In today’s post, I would like to address important lifestyle components that could make the difference between making our goals, and never getting there.  These components are: Diet, recovery and consistency.

– On Diet:  I don’t see people overlook their diet so much as I see a lack proper nutritional education.  Most people have the mentality that they have to deprive or starve themselves in order to get results.  However, depriving the body can lead to health deprivation.  This mentality contradicts one of health gain results.  Calories are not bad.  Eating more calories than you burn is bad.  Food is crucial to a successful fitness regimen.  Only eating only an apple to fuel a boot camp class that requires well fueled muscles, and that burns up to a thousand calories an hour will only leave you depleted and weakened.

Remember that your muscles need slow burning carbs that come from whole grains and root vegetables such as sweet potatoes in order to fuel an intense workout.  Your body also needs protein from lean meats or nuts, seeds or beans eaten in the right proportions in order to keep your muscles strong.  The  food pyramid and food groups were created because each food group provides some vitamins, minerals or nutrients that other food groups do not.  Cutting out an entire group will lead to vitamin and energy deficiencies.

–On Recovery: Muscles and bones get stronger by adding stress to them. However, if we do not take time to recover or rest them, they will not  heal and grow stronger.  The strengthening process works by combining a cycle of stress and rest.  While training, our muscles break down. During the recovery period, they heal and get stronger.  Many people skip the recovery period.  I chalk this up to another dangerous mentality; the belief that if we torture ourselves without resting, we will get results faster.  This approach can lead to injuries and a depletion of bone and muscle.  If you do not give your muscles a chance to rest, they will break down and you will burn out.  This will lead to health problems or injuries that can put an end to your workout routine.

Remember to always take a day of rest.  When you train a muscle to failure, do not train the sore and broken down muscle the next day.  Give your muscles their recovery time.  Remember that your heart is also a muscle and that too much cardiovascular training with no rest can lead to heart damage or a lack of cardiovascular fitness gains.  Listen to your body and the pain signals it gives you.  If your joints are in acute pain, do not continue to damage them with over-training.  Rest them so they can heal.

Organize your days so you get enough sleep.  Remember that your body heals and regenerates while you sleep and this is a crucial component of recovery.

Proper diet is a part of recovery.  Remember to eat right after an intense workout to provide nutrients to your muscles and cells for regeneration.

While this sounds like common sense,  it is easier said than done.  We are so emotional about our routines and we fear failure so much that the thought of rest seems counterproductive somehow.  When your emotions get the better of you, remember how much you will fall back in your training if your injuries put you completely out of commission.

–On Consistency:  Consistency is the key to all successful programs.  If we do not give up on ourselves, we will succeed.  However, we need to educate ourselves on what will help us maintain our fitness regimens.  Obviously, if we take a week off every other week, we will not see results. We need to exercise and eat right on a regular basis. Remember that if you stop working out for a long period, your muscles will atrophy. While recovery is important, you don’t want to take so much time off that you regress in your practice.

We have to plan our training days, our recovery days and how we feed ourselves. Once we make an effort to plan out the changes that will lead to a healthier and fitter body, they will become our new habits and we can stay fit for life.

When planning for consistency, take your nutrition intake and recovery into account.  If you like to exercise every day, plan to cross train so you are training a different muscle in a different way each day and you are not causing overuse injuries in your joints.  Plan to take that one day off a week.

Remember to fuel your workouts with proper meals.  A restorative yoga class may  not require you to eat much but a class that involves weight lifting or intense cardio bursts will require extra nutrition in order to make it through.

Stop filling your shelves and refrigerator with junk food.  Don’t go grocery shopping when you are hungry.  Make a list of healthy foods from all food groups.  Tell yourself that water is the elixir of heaven and that fresh foods rich in nutrients are the greatest treat you can give yourself because they will bring you clear skin, a balanced mental state and real energy.  Start looking at junk food for what it is, junk, a waste of calories and a waste of money.  It takes some time to shift our mentality and our habits from one of an unhealthy lifestyle to one of a healthy lifestyle but when we succeed in doing this, the rewards are endless.

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work, second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” –Thomas Edison

By Rhea Morales

If you’d like to subscribe to my fitness newsletter, or if you have any additional questions, feel free to email me at:    rhea.morales@gmail.com

“Fatigue… muscle aches and pains, sighing and yawning, poor concentration, headaches, insomnia, chest pain, dizziness, feelings of panic or loss of control, gastric reflux, pins of needles, bad breath, bloating, anxiety etc.  If you look at these things, think of the drugs that are being sold for those symptoms on a daily basis.  It’s in the millions and millions and millions, potentially billions of dollars potentially a day just due to the symptoms of faulty breathing.  Remember breathing is chi cultivation and breathing is the most primal form of movement there is so learning to breath is the first step of learning to move.”—Paul Chek

When I was a young girl and I played my Jane Fonda aerobics tape, I would laugh whenever she said the words, “don’t forget to breath.”  It seemed like such a simple and automatic thing.  After working in the fitness industry, I have learned why she always says this.  People hold their breath all the time and this can lead to hyperventilation.  The worst thing we can do is starve our body for oxygen.  How we breathe determines how much energy we get and therefore, how much energy we have.

Studies have shown that only 50% of people use their full lung capacity.  When the body is starved for oxygen, it goes straight into flight and fight mode, otherwise known as stress.  When we are too tense to breath deep or when we are gasping for air during a workout, studies have shown that free radicals enter the body.  These toxins speed up the aging process.  This is counterproductive.

Below are some reasons why most of the population does not breathe properly:

--Improper posture: Our spine moves with our breath and our posture determines how much oxygen we intake.

–Tense muscles around the back and lungs: When our ribs, abdominals and shoulders are tight, air becomes unable to fill in our lungs.  Our muscles and organs are designed to move flexibly and expand as air enters our body.  Muscle imbalances from bad posture or strengthening some muscles more than others can cause this.

–Stress: Stress causes us to panic and start breathing through our mouths, making our breath quick and panicky.  This causes the breath to become shallow so it doesn’t reach the deeper receptors in our lungs.  Most amateurs breathe through the mouth when they try to run fast or workout hard.  However, if you watch the fastest athletes in the world, you’ll see that their breath is controlled and smooth, allowing them to intake more oxygen so they can move efficiently.

For some of us, it is difficult to think of how to breathe while moving.  For these types, taking extra time to understand the breath is crucial. Just understanding how to inhale and exhale while lifting weights means the difference between having enough oxygen and energy to fuel our workouts and not having the energy to make massive improvements.

By learning how to breathe properly, we can cure ourselves of anxiety, stress and fatigue.  On a higher level, by learning breath control, we can use the breath to control the subconscious mechanisms of our body such as heart rate, blood pressure, and the autonomous nervous system.  This can bring us incredible power and self-healing and athletic abilities.

Try these exercises at home to test your breathing capacity:

Lie down on your back and relax.  Let go of any need to control your breath.  Just rest your hands right below your belly button and feel how naturally the breath rises and falls in your belly.  If your belly does not rise and the breath is in your chest, you are a shallow or reverse breather.  Most people will have the breath rising in their bellies.  Now stand up and put your hands on your belly and see if the breath still rises in the same area.  At this point, many people stop breathing in their bellies because they are not as relaxed while standing.  The key is to ease unnecessary tension in your body.  You might have to do some exercises or yoga poses to help relieve this tension.  You can also try deepening your belly breath while lying on your back and then imitating the feeling while standing.

Some people are reverse breathers.  This is a dangerous disorder that is caused by sucking in your abdominals while you breathe in.  The abdomen should expand as you breathe in so the air has room to enter.  If you are a reverse breather you may have to learn some exercises to free the energy blockages in your body so you can breathe naturally.

This second exercise helped me tremendously in regards to applying proper breathing to cardiovascular exercise.  Many people deal with poor breathing during intense exercise due to nervousness or unnecessary tension while working out the heart.  To help cultivate your breath while active try this:  While you walk, count how many steps you take while inhaling and exhaling through the nose.  Try to increase the number of steps per one complete breath.  If you can take one full breath over 18 steps, you have great repertory fitness.

This month, I will be holding a workshop on mastering the breath.  Click the “events” section above for more information

By Rhea Morales

In all my classes, one of the the most frequently asked questions is what to do after an injury.  Today I am addressing this question with 3 basic steps:

Step 1: RICE:  When an injury has first occurred, the protocol we are all taught to use is R.I.C.E.  This stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation.

Step 2: Restore Mobility:  When swelling subsides and most of the tissue has healed, we start to move that area again in order to retrain the damaged tissue.

Step 3: Restore strength, stability and flexibility to the area and scar tissue.

On step 1: Often a person might over do it. They hurt their muscle and want to fix it right away.  They wonder if they stretch it, would it get better?  If you had a torn rubber band and you stretch it, would that heal the tear?  The best thing to do when you feel you might have torn a muscle is absolutely nothing.  Movement can aggravate an injury and we must give the body a chance to heal.  This is why REST is the first step.  We ICE the area for no longer than twenty minutes on and off to reduce swelling.  Sometimes we COMPRESS the area by providing a brace or wrap to prevent the area from moving and aggravating the injury.  ELEVATE the area if you can to restrict blood flow and swelling.  For example, if you sprained an ankle, put your feet up.  The first stage can last from one day to many months depending on the severity of the injury.

On step 2: The next step is to restore mobility.  Understand that the body is made to heal.  However we need to help it along.  When a muscle is injured, often the neurons that send messages to the brain become damaged.  We need to move that area to restore our reflexes.  Also, movement brings blood flow and energy back to the area which will assist in healing.  In general, if the movement hurts, don’t do it.  You may still be damaged and you do not want to aggravate an injury.

On step 3: During the final step, take some time out of our week to restore strength, mobility, stability and flexibility to the area.  If we do not do this, our damaged tissues may have healed but they will stay weak.  Because they are weak, they will be more likely to get re-injured.  Also, babying one area of the body may cause muscle imbalances as we over compensate by making our healthy muscles and bones work harder.  This too, can lead to more injuries.  A good physical therapist should work with you and provide you with proper exercises to bring strength and mobility back to your injured area.  This may include massage (to soften inflexible scar tissue), weights (to bring strength back to weakened areas), balance poses (to restore stability and balance and to help protect joints), static stretches (to restore length to muscles and tendons), and movements (to restore mobility).

If injuries do not get better, the cause could be one of four reasons:

Reason 1:  The injury ‘caused major damage such as bulging discs that pinch on nerves, a muscle that tore completely off or  a dislocation that needs to be corrected.  This may require the attention of a medical specialist or surgery.  It is always smart to get testing done such as x-rays or an MRI right away so that you know exactly what is wrong.  If you know what is wrong, you and your doctor will have a more solid idea of what to do about it.

Reason 2:  Not giving the injury a chance to fully recover or coming back too strong.  Some injuries take longer to heal than others.  Returning to a fitness routine too quickly will not give the body a chance to heal.  Overuse injuries are caused by never giving your body enough rest.

Reason 3:  Improper alignment.  Doing an exercise improperly, such as squatting and lunging while letting the knees bend over the toes, can exasperate a condition.  Talk to an expert and make sure you are doing all of your movements correctly.

Reason 4: Failure to effectively warm up and cool down.  warm ups lubricate the joints and send blood to the area you will be exercising.  Some warm ups are necessary to recruit more muscle fibers.  Cool downs gradually take blood out of the area to avoid cramping, swelling and stress to the muscles and heart.  Starting and ending an intense work out too suddenly can be dangerous.

By Rhea Morales

You can subscribe to my newsletter by emailing me at rhea.morales@gmail.com.

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With her permission, Ellie Miraftabi, MFT. Ph.D. has been gracious enough to allow me to post her article on my website.  Ellie is a licensed psychotherapist and coach.  Thanks for contributing, Ellie!

Turning stress into Strength

By: Ellie Miraftabi, MFT. Ph.D.

Today I want to discuss self-care and turning stress into Strength. More psychologists recognize that self-care helps them be better caregivers.

There are self-care basis –eating right, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly – and more luxurious ones. Using them all

If you do just one thing, make it exercise.   Psychologist’s research and clinical experience show the critical importance of weaving exercise into your life. Research on the topic overwhelmingly points to its physical and mental benefits: Not only does regular exercise improve physical problems such as diabetes and high cholesterol, but it has distinct mood and cognitive advantages as well, including ability to combat depression and anxiety. Treat yourself to a massage and /or learn to massage your neck, shoulders, and feet.

Do any one of your favorite sports, especially one that involves a pretty setting such as skiing, sailing, or horseback riding on scenic trails. As you engage in the physical activity, pay special attention to the sensory experiences that are involved. Be conscious of every sense –sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.

Cultivate your mind, bodies and spirits through exercise, meditation, a balanced diet and self directed thinking, instead of reacting to outward pressures to advance professionally. This approach comes from various aspects of Buddhism, including:

1. Nonjudging. Get beyond thinking of people and situations as good or bad. Achieve a more neutral, observant state, often with the help of meditation.
2. Patience. Set a steady pace. Think before acting, Avoid quick or automatic reactions.
3. A beginner’s mind. Open your mind. Listen to and learn from others.
4. Trust. Start by trusting people. Only distrust them when you have valid reason to.
5. Acceptance. Recognize that some people and things will be as they are.
6. Letting go. Know when to rest, to withdraw or to stop, and allow yourself to do. Nonstriving. Focus less on the future and more on the present moment and the job at hand.

Here is a collection of simple, common-sense strategies for transforming mental and physical tension in energy that is creatively and efficiently expressed.

1. • Take time to be alone on a regular basis to prioritize your activities, reevaluate your goals, check your intentions, and listen to your heart.
   • Take a deep slow breath often, especially while on the phone, in the car, or waiting for something or someone. Use these moments to relax and revitalize yourself.
   • Do something each day that brings you joy, something that you love to do and that leaves you refreshed.
   • When you’re concerned about something, talk it over with someone you trust, or write down.
   • Say no when asked to do something you really don’t want to do.
   • Appreciate how everything changes from moment to moment. Welcome changes as an opportunity and challenge to learn and grow.
   • Take yourself to a beautiful natural setting such as a park, the beach, a lake, a river, or mountains. Focuse your eyes on the beauty around you. Pay attention to the array of colors in nature.
   • Visit a public garden. Let your eyes roam over the flowers and exotic plants. Go up very close to the flowers and examine the petals and leaves. Look for the intricacy of design which is the hallmark of natures’ work.
   • Go to a movie or rent a video that has been praised for its cinematography. Pay particular attention to the scenery, the costumes, and the technical mastery of the film.
   • Go to a concert of your favorite music. Close your eyes and marvel at the blending of sounds and rhythms.
   • Learn a variety of relaxation techniques and practice at least one regularly.
   • Become more aware of the demand you place on yourself, your environment, and others to be different than they (you) are at any moment. Demands are a tremendous source of stress.
   • If your schedule is busy, prioritize your activities and do the most important ones first.
   • When you read your mail, act on it immediately (e.g., files it, send it back, toss it, etc.)
   • Create and maintain a personal support system –people you trust and feel as ease with.
   • Take a soothing bath by candlelight. Bring a portable radio or tape player and play your favorite music softly. Perfume the bathwater with warm, scented bath oil or bubble bath. As you immerse yourself, focus on the pleasurable sensations you are experiencing
   • When sleeping, keep the room as dark as possible.

You don’t need to wait until you are in the mood to do these activities. Stimulate your sensory path ways precisely when you are not necessarily in the mood –when you are feeling down. By putting the behavior first, your mind and your mood will follow.

Get psychotherapy if you need or want it.

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I’d like to address a common misperception I have heard from the public in their attitude towards meditation or people who meditate. This misperception is that practitioners of meditation are escapists. They meditate in order to escape reality. They escape to the mountains or to retreats in order to get away from things because they cannot handle life. This misperception is contradictory to the true meaning of meditation. To Quote Psychologist and Mindfulness Expert, Larry Cammarata, “meditation is not an escape from reality but a running into reality.”

Meditation is not worrying about what we said or what other people said in the past nor is it thinking so much about the future that you ignore what is happening in the here and now. It is not escaping reality by becoming addicted to a substance, cause, person or mindset. It is a running into reality. Meditation is focusing on one thing with utmost clarity. It is being aware of the present experience with acceptance.

Why is this important? Have you ever had a hard time focusing on one thing? Practitioners of meditation call this “suffering.” Often, we dwell on matters we have no power over. We dwell on our anger and insecurities. We can’t stop thinking about what this or that person said. We worry about our future and what needs to get done when we should be doing what needs to get done here and now. As a result, nothing gets done. Because of this, we feel guilty. This leads to more suffering. Meditation helps us end this suffering.

All meditation is, is focusing on the present moment without judgment. It is important that we do not judge ourselves or others because our “ego” can lead to suffering. In yoga class, if we take the focus away from our bodies or breath and focus on how the lady next to us has a much prettier pose than we do, we will suffer. This suffering will diminish if we focus only on our own breath and feel the workings of our own body. Putting extra focus on our yoga practice and not on our egos will lead to a more fulfilling practice and a sounder mind.

If we take some time out of the day to focus on something as simple as our breath, the mind will clear itself from other worries that cause us suffering. Studies have shown that sixty percent of our population does not breathe properly. Shallow breath can lead to many diseases such as high blood pressure, anxiety, and other stress related disorders. Holistic healer Paul Chek once said that it is amazing how many drugs are used to treat illnesses that can be healed by learning proper breathing. By focusing our mind on something as simple as our breath, this can calm our physical anxiety. Our minds will also find stillness as we have taken our focus away from our worries.

If you have a problem that just keeps bothering you, meditate on that. It is amazing how running into reality can help us solve the root cause of the dilemmas that cause us so much suffering. During my yoga teacher’s training, we had an assignment to write about several meditations. Some of us meditated specifically on a problem that bothered us. Those of us who meditated on a problem either found the solution to the problem right away or learned that we never had a problem to begin with. Taking a few minutes out of the day to run into reality, saved us countless hours of worrying and suffering.

Another benefit of meditation is cortical thickening in the brain and growth of neurons. This shows that meditation strengthens the activity of the brain, creating mental hardiness. In terms of physical meditation, focusing on the present moment leads to physical hardiness. A great athlete is focused on nothing but the moment when he is scoring that winning goal. Future success is a byproduct of his ability to focus on the moment.

The best advice I have received on how to balance motherhood with my career was to focus on the present always. When you are with your family, put all your focus on them. When you are at work, put all your focus on your work. When you are relaxing, focus on relaxing. Organize your time so you know exactly when and what you should be focusing on. This philosophy worked for the successful woman who told me this and it has been working for me. Worrying about your job when you should be spending quality time with your kids is futile. Worry about your job when you are doing it. This is the key of living a fulfilling and stress free life.

As far as escaping reality goes, if you need to take time to yourself to sort things out, I can see nothing wrong with this. Sometimes our environment can be toxic and removing ourselves from it in order to find clarity can be an intelligent step to take. I have done this in my past and the experience has changed my life as it has helped me to know my true purpose.

So if you are brain fried from clutter, take one thing — anything, and focus on it. Try it and let me know how it goes.

By Rhea Morales