Mindfulness has become a buzzword, but what does it really mean? And why should you, Mr. Liftheavyshit, care about it? Well, for one thing, it can help you get ripped.
Mindfulness is the act of paying attention to what you're doing, whatever you're doing, and nothing else. It's the opposite of ADD. "Don't just sit there, do nothing" is an old saying about mindfulness. The hokey definition is "...awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally."
Mindfulness chills you out. It also helps you get "in the zone." So whether you want to relax at night or maximize your workout by engaging the power of your nervous system, mindfulness helps. Mindfulness has also been shown to lower blood pressure, decrease stress and is now being studied as a way to lower blood sugar.
A recent study wanted to see if Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) could lower blood glucose in overweight women. Eighty-six overweight women were divided in to two groups:
The MBSR group not only had significant reductions in stress levels, but also lowered their fasting glucose by an average of 8.9 mg/dL at 8 weeks and 9.3 mg/dL at 16 weeks.
To put that in perspective, healthy fasting glucose should be between 70-99 mg/dL. With the above kind of reductions, this could mean the difference between having impaired levels of fasting glucose vs. healthy levels. Fasting glucose is one of the most important biomarkers for overall health and long-term leanness.
You don't have to sit on a lotus flower and say "Om" to practice mindfulness. One easy technique is mindful listening.
It's that simple, but also that hard. Make mindfulness part of your daily routine. You'll feel less stressed and improve your overall health.
Ask Me Anything I receive great questions in my T Nation Community Coaching Lab. If…
Ask Me Anything I get a lot of great questions in my T Nation Community…
An Exaggerated Warm-Up Isn't Helpful I don't know when the lengthy warm-up became a thing,…
Training and Your Metabolic State When I think "workout," I think of speeds. Your metabolic…