The Come Alive Project

Tag: senior fitness

  • Energy Bite 336 — Beyond Fitness: Fitness and Flow

    This week’s article is the first in a series on Beyond Fitness — Fitness & Flow. I will write it on a practical level and try and stay away from most of the esoteric aspects of FLOW — although some discussion of them may be necessary.

    The goal is to understand how Seniors can use aspects of the FLOW state to improve mental and physical performance in your daily lives. During this series of articles, you will learn:

    • Definitions and meanings of FLOW
    • Various elements and attributes of FLOW
    • How Fitness and Flow work together
    • What it means to you as a Senior
    • And more.

    By the end of this series, you may look at your Health and Fitness from a different and more positive perspective and apply some of the concepts you will learn. Most of you probably already have in some respects.

    What does flow mean? The definition given by Stephen Kotler, co-founder of The Flow Genome Project, an organization consisting of the top neuroscientists, performance psychologists, artists and athletes, to study, define and spread the message of FLOW around the globe, is: “An optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.”

    Another definition is: “An altered state of consciousness whereby an individual performing an activity is immersed in a feeling of energized hyperfocus, full involvement, and enjoyment of the activity.”

    Jamie Wheal, the other co-founder of The Flow Genome Project, says Flow “takes people beyond the limits of their experiences, and within the limits of their abilities.” I like that statement. It works well for Seniors.

    Flow is not a new experience. It goes back thousands of years. But it was rarely recognized nor applied practically until Mihaly Csikscentmihaly (pronounced: Mehi Chick sent me hi) wrote the definitive book on the subject, Flow, The Psychology of Optimal Experience where he coined the term “Flow” to describe the phenomenon in 1975.

    This series is limited mostly to the physical realm and how flow expands the field of fitness. It explains the exploits of people like Alex Honnald, who decided to climb the rock climber’s nightmare, the 3000 foot high vertical face of El Capitan — without the use of ropes or any other safety equipment. The exploit was filmed by some very adventurous people and was made into an Oscar winning documentary called Free Solo.

    It was Honnald’s abilty to reach “beyond fitness” into the Flow state that made that climb possible.

    With the State of FLOW added to the fitness equation, it becomes less “just exercise” and more a complete “Coming Alive” of your mind and body that can propel seniors into a longer, more fulfilling, and more independent life.

    Note: I’ll stay away from the technical and scientific aspects of FLOW other than when it may be revealing. I’ll leave that to the Neuro-chemists and the Scientists.

    I hope you enjoy the series. Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 335 – Back to the Ritual

    The gym reopened yesterday and I was first in line at 6 AM.  Once exercise is in your system it becomes a habit. When the means is interrupted, then the habit can disappear.

    I didn’t let it disappear. Yes, I made sure I continued some sort of exercise at home but it was not the same. No people. No equipment, even though I don’t use much equipment. Mostly no FLOW of energy at home.

    The problem was that I had changed my ritual. When the gym was open, I disciplined myself to  follow a specific morning ritual. That meant getting up early, writing for an hour, and then getting to the gym early.  I made sure I didn’t let the “Snooze Button” grab me and I got out of bed before I had a chance to say NO to myself. Once my feet were on the floor, it was easy to get up.

    And once I was in the car, the short drive to the gym was a given. Sometimes getting started could be a challenge, but the ritual demanded it.

    I had discovered the importance of a morning ritual a decade ago when I went on my “back to health” kick. It was simple once I got used to it. Like I said above, get up, fix coffee, write a thousand words of journaling and brainstorming . . . then straight to the gym. I had specific plans for after the gym too so that the morning had become an easy flow of activities.

    Once at the gym yesterday, I immediately got back into that flow state that only the energy from the gym provides. Yes, a good walk in nature can produce a flow state, but floor and core exercises and weights at home just aren’t the same. The gym had it’s rules for social distancing and wiping down the equipment and mats after use became its own ritual. There was a pretty good turnout for opening day.

    I find that the gym energizes me, particularly in the morning, in ways that are beyond just the fitness benefits. It sets up the day.

    I found it easy to get back into the flow of a morning ritual yesterday, even though it felt new again. That was day one. I’ll do the same thing tomorrow and for at least three or four days a week. The other days will be for that brisk walk in nature, or for rest and recovery.

    If you don’t belong to a gym or a health club, there are a lot of options. Take a look at a some of them and try a few of the free trials that they often offer. You might just find it fun. There are a lot of widely ranging choices of gyms at all price ranges and programs. Look around and give one a try. You might just find it energizes you for your day too.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 334 – Blue Zones Revisited

    I’ve written about the Blue Zones a number of times. Blues Zones are parts of the world where a substantial number of the population tend to live over the 100 year mark. Dan Buettner, a former National Geographic writer who explored these regions, gave them their name, popularized the term, and wrote several books on the reasons people live longer in these areas.

    I was reminded of this when I saw an article in this morning’s Washington Post, Health and Science Section, promoting a book about things other than exercise and nutrition as keys to longevity.  The book is called Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100, by Marta Zaraska.I haven’t read it, but from the description, it seems to echo those longevity factors pointed out by Dan Buettner years ago. 

    What stands out in Dan Buettner’s Blue Zones writings, as well as reiterated in the Washington Post article, is that while Physical Movement and Eating nutritionally are the major factors in keeping you young in body and at heart, there are other factors, common to Blue Zones, that are major contributors to longevity, too.

    What are they, you ask? Among those common to all the Blue Zones, are

    1. Live with Purpose. Have a reason for getting up in the morning. A purposeless life is a boring life.

    2. Shed the stress. Stress is one of the major contributors to aging and illness. Meditate. Become present. Take afternoon naps. All help reduce stress.

    3. Wine. Most Blue Zones locations, with the exception of Loma Linda, California, consider that a glass or two of wine or alcohol beverage, taken with friends, contributes to longevity. I’ll point out that this is not a recommendation from me.

    4. A sense of belonging to a community of supporters and friends. People from Blue Zones areas all seem to have a strong sense of small group community — a tight circle of friends with whom they socialize.

    5. A Positive Attitude. According to the Washington Post article, a recent study found that “optimistic men and women have 11 to 15 percent longer lifespans than their counterparts. They characterized optimism as ‘a psychological resource that promotes health and longevity.’ “  Hmm, that sounds sort of like a chicken and egg thing but the reality is that positive people seem to live longer according to numerous resources I have come across. Common sense would seem to apply, too.

    The point of all this is that there really are significant factors beyond Exercise and Good Food that contribute to our longevity. We should be aware of those factors and put them into practice in our own lives as we get older. Most likely, we will live longer and better if we do.

    Thank you for reading.