Mindful Meditation: Talk To Yourself With Love

 You talk to yourself more than anyone else in this world. Every single day you have an on going conversation with yourself - and you had better be saying the right things. It's all too common place, for many people, to be extremely hard on themselves in their everyday thoughts. In fact, most people are harder on themselves then they ever would be on someone they love. 

 But shouldn't you love yourself? If you wouldn't talk to a loved one the way you talk to yourself in your own head - why do it yourself? 

 Many people suffer from some form of anxiety, depression, or general high stress levels - they're just afraid to speak up about it. We're constantly, every single minute of the day, bombarded my images, media, news, social media, work, travel, family obligations, social events, and more. We're always connected to each other through our various forms of media, we never really get a break - yet a growing number of people (even with all this "connectivity") are feeling more, and more ... alone. 

 We're almost genetically the same as our primitive ancestors, and other forms of primates, yet we live in a highly advanced and complicated technological world. Our stressors are not the same as our primitive ancestors - yet we still have the same hardware. We're trying to operate in a strange new world using primitive "monkey brains". 

 This sort of thing leads to various forms of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression lead to a lack of motivation, poor thoughts, a lack of activity, and can severely impact your well being and zest for normal life. 

This may sound a lot like you, or you may know someone who this describes exactly, and if it does - there is a way to help cope with these feelings ... Mindful Meditation. 

It's Just As Important To Take Care Of Mind, As It Is Your Body

Most people know by now how important it is to take care of your body. If you read my blog then I'm sure you're already taking part in some form of physical fitness routine and watching what food you put into your body. 

But, what you might not be doing is taking care of your mind - training your mental fitness. 

The mind and body go together, they're a team, and they both need to be taken care of equally. In order to train the mind to run well, and in turn allow the body to perform at it's highest level, you must meditate. 

I know meditation sounds boring, especially if you an "always on the go" kind of guy/gal, but the busier you are - the more you most likely need to meditate. We need time to alone, time to reconnect with our inner self, time to learn how to be here in the present, and learn how to not be fearful of the future or regretful of the past - mindful meditation helps train you to do just that. 

Mindful meditation also helps with negative thoughts, depression, anxiety, stress, mental clarity, sleep patterns, and more. It's like a daily tune up and check in with your body and mind - it's the maintenance. 

Feeling depressed? Meditate. 

Feeling anxious? Meditate.

Feeling tired? Meditate.

Feeling sad? Meditate. 

Stressed the fuck out? Meditate. 

How To Start Meditating

It's not difficult to get started, you don't need a fancy place to do it, you just need yourself and a little time each day. Follow these steps to get started ... 

1.) Sit in a comfortable chair, upright but not stiff. You can also lay down if sitting isn't comfortable. 

2.) Gaze off into the near distance, but don't focus on anything in particular 

3.) Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth and allow your belly to expand as you breath

4.) After a few breaths, gently close your eyes while you continue to breath 

5.) Slowly, as your breathing, scan your body and take note of any tension in the body, how your feet feel on the floor, how your hands feel in your lap, and where you feel your body is resting most of its weight. 

6.) Begin to take note of any sounds happening around you, don't seek them out, allow the sounds to come to you and recognize them - be sure that you're still breathing. 

7.) Allow your attention to return to your breath and begin to count your breaths (1 *inhale, 2* exhale ...) all the way to a count of 10 breaths. Then repeat from 1 through 10. 

8.) Don't worry if your mind wanders off, it might happen, if it does you'll return your attention to your breathing and continue counting where you left off. 

9.) Repeat this for as many minutes as you like. 

10.) When you're almost ready to finish up, allow your mind to run free and do whatever it likes for 1 minute. Don't fight it, if it wants to think - let it think. 

11.) Open your eyes gently and take note of how you feel, relax for a few seconds or minutes. 

I guarantee you'll feel much better after a quick session (5-10 mins) than you did before you started. 

Taking It Beyond Mindful Mediation 

My ebook "The Ronin Method" teaches you a form of moving mediation through the workout program I designed for the book. It also goes into detail on mindful mediation, and how to combine it with this unique form of moving mediation I like to call "The Ronin Workout". 

If you're living a busy life, and need a way to train your body and mind for longevity, sustainability, and over all well being - "The Ronin Method" might be the answer for you. 

- Tim 

"The Ronin Method" Ebook 

Free yourself from the shackles of needing a gym

with an essential, sustainable, minimalist approach 

to fitness. 

4 Benefits Of Cold Exposure Therapy

 In the coming months and years, trust me, you'll be hearing a lot more about cold exposure and it's benefits on your health. It's already picking up steam on most forms of social media - with people posting photos and videos of them taking ice baths or doing cryotherapy. 

Cold exposure as a form of therapy, or being used as a "health tonic", is nothing new - it's been around for centuries. Yet, it's only now that it's becoming mainstream. It can be done in a few different ways, but most people get their cold exposure therapy one of two ways ... 

Two Common Forms Of Cold Exposure 

1.) Cryotherapy: 

Cryotherapy involves the use of standing in a chamber where the air is cooled down, using liquid nitrogen, to around -93 to -115 degrees celsius (-200 to -240f) for around 30 seconds - 1min. This must be performed under the guidance of a technician, and never alone. There is, without a doubt, a price tag attached to this service.

2.) Cold Showers/Ice Baths: 

 The classic, and FREE, option for cold exposure therapy is to take a cold shower or ice bath. Depending on your experience with cold exposure will depend on the duration of time that you'll be exposed to the cold water, usually ranging anywhere from 30 sec, all the way up to 8 mins. 

But What The Hell Is The Benefit Of Being Cold?

 I'm sure you're not fully down with the idea of getting cold on purpose. I get it, who the hell wants to be cold - it sucks. But if you understand the benefits of cold exposure therapy, in the right dose, you'll be much more likely to want to add it to your training routine. 

1.) Fat Burning Effect 

 We have two types of fat in our bodies, white fat (the kind of body fat you're all familiar with) and brown fat. When we regularly expose ourselves to the cold, we increase the amount of "brown fat" in our bodies. Brown fat is fat that is rich in mitochondria, giving it a brown appearance. Brown fat burns calories for energy in order to keep us warm. In fact, brown fat creates more than 300x more heat than any other tissue in the body. Cold exposure therapy helps increase the amount of brown fat we have in our bodies, which in turn helps us burn more calories during the day and at rest, and improves your lean body mass - even without exercise!  

2.) Increases Blood Flow 

 When you expose yourself to the cold, your blood vessels constrict and blood is forced towards the organs of the body. When this happens, your body works harder to circulate the blood and forces the arteries to become more efficient and moving blood. When you're no longer exposed to the cold, and your body returns to its normal temperature, it will be more effective at moving blood around the body. 

3.) Increased Recovery From Training 

 Training is a stress on the body, a good stress, and you need to recover from training. Cold exposure therapy helps speed up the process of recovery, after hard bouts of exercise, by reducing inflammation and increasing circulation. However, it's best to not expose yourself to the cold for at least 1 hour after your training. 

 You need the stress response from your training, in order for your body to change and adapt. Cold exposure therapy, performed right after training, reduces the  good stress response from your training and reduces the adaptation to the hard session you put it through. If you wait 1 hour after training before performing cold exposure therapy, you'll allow your body to get the benefit from the "good stress" imposed on it during your training session, and recover faster from the anti-inflammatory effect of cold therapy. 

4.) Reduces Depression 

 In recent studies, cold exposure therapy has been shown to induce and anti-depressive effect. Depression may be linked to inflammation, cold exposure therapy helps reduce inflation - therefor it helps improve the negative effects of depression. 

 Cold exposure therapy also sends a truck load of electrical impulses to the peripheral nerve endings in the brain, through the nerve endings all over your skin, and produces a natural "high" or "pick-me-up". 

How To Implement Cold Exposure Therapy

1.) Take a warm shower, for however long is needed

2.) Finish with a cold shower for 30 seconds 

3.) Every week, increase your time in the cold shower by 30 seconds, continue on this way until you're at 5mins 

- Tim


www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

The Ronin Method Ebook 

Free yourself from the shackles of a gym

with an essential, sustainable, and minimalist approach

to training your body and mind. 

3 Huge Fitness Problems "The Ronin Method" Solves

 My upcoming ebook, The Ronin Method, well be available this Saturday, Nov 12th. It's all about essential, sustainable, minimalist fitness for the everyday person. But how does it differ from my other ebooks or other books on the market? What problems does it solve for you? Well, here are 3 huge fitness problems that I feel "The Ronin Method" solves, better than any other book on the market.


1.) Removes the need for a gym, reduces excuses, and allows you to train anywhere at anytime

 The most common excuses I hear about not following a fitness plan go something like this ...

" I can't afford a gym membership"
"I was traveling and the hotel gym sucked"
"I'm at home all the time with my kids I can't get to the gym"
"I don't like working out in a gym"
"I'm busy, all the time, and I find it hard to make time to go to the gym"

The minimalist approach taken in  "The Ronin Method" eliminates these excuses; and more. When you grab a copy of "The Ronin Method" you'll learn how to use your own bodyweight, and (if you choose) some light portable equipment, in order to get a bad ass workout - anytime, anywhere. You'll never be in need of a gym or weights ever again.

 "The Ronin Method" will also teach you how to find your own "outdoor gym" by using normal everyday objects and locations to enrich your training. You'll learn how to implement sticks and stones, park benches, trees, soccer nets, jungle gyms, picnic tables, and more as your very own FREE gym.

 You'll also learn how to develop your own "Ronin Bag", your own personal, compact, and light gym in a bag that you can take anywhere. Your "Ronin Bag" will be filled with essential, minimalist, fitness equipment that will allow you to get a world class workout, along with your bodyweight based training.

 By learning how to make use of a minimalist approach to fitness, you'll be capable of training in endless locations. This means you'll be able to train in parks, hotels, living rooms, basements, beaches, playgrounds, sports fields, and more. This makes it perfect if you're low on cash, hate working out in a gym setting, or (the big one) short on time.

 If you're short on time, the workout found in "The Ronin Method" provides you with a sensible, no nonsense, time efficient workout that can be done in under 20 minutes - right where you're standing!

Oh, and there are exercises and approaches detailed in the ebook on how to make a workout for you - regardless of your fitness level, experience,  or age. Anyone can use the workout found in "The Ronin Method".


2.) I'm stressed out all the time, working out is just another stress I can't handle 

I get it. When work, social life, relationships, or family stuff is stressing you out - working out might not be the first thing on your list. Hell, it might not even be on your list. But - stress is a bitch, one that can kill.

 While training is a physical stress on the body, it can actually help reduce mental stress - when performed in a stress conscious manner.

 "The Ronin Method" removes the need for a gym - taking away the stress associated with making the trip to the gym, parking, changing,  training, and driving back home; having even less time to do the things you love . The workout and minimalist approach to training that "The Ronin Method" utilizes allows you to train anywhere, in a very short amount of time, and delivers outstanding results. This way you get in a highly efficient, and effective, workout in hardly any time without the need for a gym.

 You'll also find a detailed guide on how to meditate, for only a few short minutes at a time, in order to improve your stress levels, mental alertness, productivity, and over all sense of well being. Mediation is a powerful tool that will help you not only feel amazing, but perform at a high level in your daily life.

 Oh, and the mediation is not just sitting there and staring off into the distance - "The Ronin Method" is designed with a workout that is actually a form of moving mediation! It will train not only your body, but also your mind; you'll get stronger inside and out through the "Ronin Workout".


3.) The Ronin Method provides you with a way to train forever

Too many training programs are designed for athletes, movie stars, or bodybuilders - but what about the everyday regular person? What about the training programs for people like you, people like me, people like your neighbour, and people like your family?

"The Ronin Method" is based around essential movements, the bare minimum I call "The 5 Elements". They're the movements you need to train, at minimum, in order to remain strong throughout your entire life - not just now in the short term. These "5 Elements" are also arranged in order of difficulty, meaning if you're strong, athletic, and young - there are movements for you. Also, if you need to get stronger, new to working out, and older - there are movements for you too.

 "The Ronin Workout" found in the ebook is also low stress, due to it being a form of moving mediation, and it's also easy on your joints. "The Ronin Workout" is designed to be challenging, improve your strength, and be very safe on your joints. If you're young and have healthy joints at the moment - you'll want to keep them that way, and "The Ronin Workout" is the way. If you're aging and you're joints aren't in the best shape - "The Ronin Workout" is one of the best training options for not aggravating them further.

 "The Ronin Method" provides a training method and workout that is suitable for anyone - period.



 I have worked very hard, and long, on "The Ronin Method". It's a product I'll stand behind, because it's the sum of years of work; that I know produces results. It's a workout method and training approach for real people. I hope you grab a copy this Saturday Nov 12, remove the shackles of needing a gym, train forever, and not just look great - but also BE great. I hope you can become a "Fitness Ronin".

- Tim


www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

Online Training With Timothy Bell 

Get the body and life you deserve, with minimalist training 

and Tim as your coach - anywhere in the world.