A Mindful Life Might Just Save Your Life
Well, it certainly saved mine.
Breaking that down in its simplest form, I once thought that going to the gym 6 days a week for 60 minutes to lift weights, followed by consuming as much food as I could throughout the day would result in ‘#gains’ – and this was all while running around multi-tasking (as much as men can). Added to that, I was also setting myself big goals and had a never-ending task list to reach my achievements.
So, as you may have already guessed, this didn’t have a positive effect on my health. Physically I was run down - always tired, new injuries every month, low energy levels and my sleep quality was rubbish. Mentally, I was exhausted and overwhelmed. My attention span was all over the place and I felt that I was in a constant brain fog. My vibe was down. I felt pretty broken, and in and out of a shadow of darkness. But I was one of the lucky ones. I had my ‘wake up’ after hitting a wall. With the help of my yoga teacher, Eoin Finn, and some incredible friends, it pulled me out of the haze I was in and I began to see life in a new mindful light. With that came more clarity about my purpose, an enlightened attitude and healthier approach to productivity.
What did I change:
I prioritised rest, repair and recovery around my training by adding in regular mobility focused sessions between the gym. Yoga and my mobilisation focused movement practice gave my body time to heal, strengthen and unlock a new level of my performance I’d not found before. This improved my range of movement and flexibility. I also used breathwork to control the tempo and boost endurance across all my disciplines (yep, this was a game changer!).
The best part - I went from having to do hours of ‘working out’ each week to committing to just 20 minutes in the morning and then fitting in another session around the rest of my day. Whether that was by getting outside or simply rolling out my mat to practice some breathing and play around with some free flow bodyweight movement, listening to what my body needed in that moment and being gentle with myself. This not only improved the way my body felt and looked, I also began to sleep better, feel more in tune with myself and have more energy during the day.
Fast forward a few years and these changes have become my ‘Richuals’ that I now live by. I regularly break it down for my tribe to follow along at their own pace so you can all find your own flow with it. AXA PPP healthcare has been supporting this mindful way of life by creating the Headstrong campaign and the recent #MyFlyingStart project in alignment with National Fitness Day.
You can find the short practices via the AXA PPP healthcare site by clicking here.
https://www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/headstrong/
https://www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/private-health-insurance/content/flyingstart/
I also worked with AXA PPP healthcare to create a series of exclusive videos to help you practice how to take better care of your body and mind.
Have an awesome day legends.