5 insights on what to start this spring

Goodbye winter, welcome spring!

Okay, I admit we all become sluggish and lazy in winter, and even the promise of having a body like Apollo/Venus can’t make us leave our coaches for the gym or even cinema. But I have good news (in case you’re still hibernating and missed it): the spring has come! Perhaps, some of you have a well-though-out “to-do list (or “to-Not-do list”) for spring, yet others are still clueless about how to add some color to their lives this spring. In both cases, replace your favorite “I’ll start it in spring” with “I’ll do it today” and consider one of these options:

1. Gym/ pool/yoga/capoeira classes

Don’t be panic-stricken by the thought that summer is 3 months away and you’re still far from Adriana Lima (and, in general, don’t panic, “This too shall pass”:)). Instead of obsessing over your imperfections as an imminent result of winter pig-outs, just stick to healthy lifestyle: balanced eating, “green day” – meaning only vegetables and fruit- once a week,+ physical activity minimum twice a week. If you top the list of the laziest geeks, then at least do this short 10-minute workout in front of your favorite soap opera.

2. Cultural events

Spring is time to not only physical but also spiritual and mental “workout”. Check out your local events and pick one closer to your heart. Or, rather, try something new – like a museum or gallery if you’re more of a music fan, or ballet if you have never seen it live. Sometimes, changing such small patterns gravitates fundamental changes in life.

3. Reconnect with “the lost” friend

All of us have that friend who is always on our mind but we’re always too busy/exhausted/ annoyed/ in love to squeeze time for him/her. You chat occasionally on Facebook recalling the fun you had together and still…fail to put her/him on your priority list. As you regained physical and mental shape (if you follow the above-mentioned tips, of courseJ), it’s time to make the move and schedule an offline meeting with that pleasant but interrupted connection.

4. Plan ahead your summer fun

It’s a life-tested technique: whenever you feel bogged down or listless, plan (or at least, imagine) your next (summer mostly, and autumn- in some cases) destination. It’s my only remedy against apathy, to be honest: I go to BBC Travel, read a travel blog or watch a video about faraway countries,  and then visualize myself in one destination at a time. Even the thought of upcoming travel propels me to tackle the routine more effectively, and I’m sure it will work for you, too.

5. And finally, plan to be more spontaneous. This may sound a paradox, but arrange to leave some room for spontaneity that may come your way. I should confess I’m a control freak most of time and I get overly annoyed if something pops out of my agenda. But then I remind myself that all the wonderful things that happened to me when I least expected them. So I sometimes I cancel a class, make an impromptu call to a friend or dig in the nearest bookstore in search an insightful book, or just stroll aimlessly observing the city life and passers-by.

P.S. The beauty of life is in inventing ”variations” on main ” theme” of your routine. Fill it with more music, more spontaneity and action, do not  follow these insights if you have something more exciting in your mind- just savor the promising warmth of spring and all year round!

Want to burn 500 calories an hour? Go to capoeira!

Adriana Lima doing capoeira.

Think about what Vincent Cassel and Adriana Lima have in common besides their near-perfect bodies and EU citizenship. Don’t dig too deeply, the answer is – capoeira- the Brazilian martial art which they practice to keep in shape and keep conquering hearts of millions.

When I took my first steps in capoeira, I didn’t even know (and care) what celebrities have passion for it. I just wanted to grow stronger, more flexible and most of all, compensate my sedentary lifestyle with an intensive physical exercise. After a few weeks of training, however, I figured out this fascinating piece of Brazilian culture has many other benefits.

1. It doesn’t require any previous training

Once I started recommending my new pursuit to my friends, the most popular answer was: “It’s not for us. You’re already well-trained, and we are far from sporty”. It’s a misconception. Even if you’re a geeky type and the only exercise in your life was the one with Rubik’s Cube, you can do “a bridge” and handstand in a few months. All you need is the desire to get yourself off the “computer zone” (which is even worse than a “comfort zone”) and exercise regularly.

2. It helps you overcome your fears

Handstand has always been one of the greatest fears in my life. Honestly, I joined the class to prove myself that “I can hold everything in my hands, even my own weight”J My first attempts were horrifying. I was choking out of fear. But as my hands gained strength (after a myriad of failure, of course), I suddenly found myself standing on them by the wall. I’m proud of this victory over the paralyzing fear. But that’s only the beginning. Capoeira has many other challenging tricks to throw your way.

3. It’s social and positive

 Despite being a non-contact martial art,  capoeira implies attacks, defenses and …failures to stop the kicks. Rarely is it dangerous; mostly it is funny. In fact, you often laugh at your and others’ failures (light-heartedly, no offense) which makes the whole class a very positive experience. Besides, jogo– the “game” of capoeira accompanied with songs and national music- is a tricky way to reveal people’s overt and covert traits. You should try to beat them with your flexibility and strategy rather than strength (though honestly, my fellow capoeiristas claim I often shift to an aggressive-mode during the jogo. Not a thing to be proud of:)).

Capoeira Armenia group

4. 1 hour of capoeira=500calories

If you’re anything like me you will find an hour at gym boring. Spinning,  running and pushing up for an hour is not for me. I like variety of action, communication, dances and music. In this sense, capoeira is a perfect solution. But there is another irrefutable benefit. It’s proven that 1 hour of capoeira burns 500 calories. It equals to 1.5 hours of spin class, but instead, you won’t have a sore butt at the end of the class.

So, now it’s perhaps clear for you why the above-mentioned celebrities are capoeiristas. If you’re still skeptical about it, just re-watch Vincent Cassel’s capoeira episode at Ocean’s 12, and you are sure to feel like trying capoeira at least once.

How I read away my sadness

Read away your sadness while reading fiction

I have signed up for a therapy recently. After a series of personal disappointments and failed enterprises over the last 6 months, I needed the help from outside. Honestly, I hate myself sound depressed and drained to my dear ones- family and friends- partially because I want to always meet their expectations of seeing me upbeat. I secretly fear that they will be bored/furious/exhausted if I surrender myself to whining for a long time. But something had to be done. The situation seemed worrying- even physical exercises and capoeira didn’t work!

A couple of months ago I read an article on BBC Culture, about how fiction, not only the so-called “self-help” literature, can boost our mood and well-being. This is when I plunged into the “therapy”. The bibliotherapy.

“Your dream and almost 4-month- efforts were squashed. No pot of gold at the end of the rainbow”. (Surprisingly, no heartbreaking thoughts of being single on a Valentine DayJ) These heavy speculations were swirling in my mind while my feet involuntarily made their way to the nearest bookstore.

Soon enough did I shift from depressive- into curiously-seeking-mode. Here they were – my antidepressants- shelved in accurate rows.  Classics and contemporaries, fiction and non-fiction- a whole myriad of therapeutic choices. Strolling around the shelves and leafing through random books, I already felt at ease. But I had to find my ”medication” for longer-term results.

My “pill” was hidden among the English fiction books: “Committed” by Elizabeth Gilbert, sequel to her bestselling autobiography “Eat, Pray, Love” (the movie of the same name starred by my favorite Julia Roberts and Chavier Bardem). Suddenly I had a fling – like the ones I feel running into an appealing guy. My gut feel said: “Grab it and swallow”.

It’s already a week since my first bibliotherapy class, and the ”pill’ tastes sweetJ. I’m happy to blend it with sports and friend-therapy as now I’m not afraid of tears suddenly bursting while working out or chatting with a friend in the middle of the working day. I just repeat to myself Gilbert’s words from Eat, Pray, Love: “I was full of a hot, powerful sadness and would have loved to burst into the comfort of tears, but tried hard not to, remembering something my Guru once said — that you should never give yourself a chance to fall apart because, when you do, it becomes a tendency and it happens over and over again. You must practice staying strong, instead.” And I am back to practicing it, and I’m in the middle of fundamental changes.

If you think reading an outdated and boring pursuit, it’s time to redesign your mindset. Next time you feel bogged down, go to a bookstore or get a library subscription to read away the depressive thoughts.

P.S. This post is dedicated to the Book Day in Armenia which is annually marked on February 19, the birthday of famous Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanyan.

To-do or to-NOT-do list?

Conventional wisdom says: “If you want to be productive, create a to-do list and stick to it”.

However, ”monitoring” the effectiveness of my to-do list at one point in my life, I found out it doesn’t work against daily distractions. I thought: OK, I know what to do, but is it enough to channel my energy to achieving my goals? This is when I shifted to an alternative approach – the to-NOT-do list- suggested by my favorite author, Elizabeth Gilbert.

Inspired with her insight, I outlined my to-NOT-do list. Honestly, I haven’t reached 100%-performance milestone yet (sometimes I can’t resist commenting on a provoking Facebook post or admiring a photo of a cute kitten :)). But I believe sticking to this approach is a way to enhance productivity. So, here’s my updated to-NOT-do list:

1. Do not check e-mail or social media accounts constantly. I pick 3 times a day – morning, lunchtime and around 6- for  responding to emails and chatting or commenting on Facebook. If you still can’t resist the temptation, try Google Chrome’s Stay Focused extension which will automatically curb your time spent on social networks.

2. Do not lavish your time on contacts with manipulative or high maintenance people. Want it or not, you can’t make everyone happy, especially these tough types. Unfollow them on Facebook as well as in real life. (I’ve already written on how to avoid and protect yourself against such emotional vampires in my previous post).
3. A girlish one. Do not overuse mirror during the day. Do your best to look your best in the morning and then relax. That new microscopic wrinkle on your forehead will not disappear, but the thought of it will swirl in your mind and distract from your big goal. Light-heartedness is sexier than perfect features or professional makeup.

4. Do not read tabloid or overly negative content, especially in the morning. You’ll not be able to prevent another ISIS terrorist attack or save quake victims but instead will have your mood ruined for the rest of the day. What I do is just skim BBC or CNN headlines in the afternoon without going into details.

5. Finally, the abstract and hardest to-NOT-do. Do not expect immediate results. Either from using these tips or pursuing your goals in general. This is the first thing I remind myself while working on my goals (patience is not my strongest feature, I confess). I repeat Jim Rohn’s words whenever I rush to get results : “How long should you try? Until”.

While reading this entry, you perhaps thought of your own to-NOT-do list. Do some soul-searching and unveil those time and energy-killers. Write them down on a to-NOT-do list and remove them from your life:) Good luck, and stay committed to your goals.

 

 

Myth debunker: How to fight Monday-phobia

To most of us, Mondays are miserable, scary, frustrating (complete the list on your own). It turns out there is even “blue Monday” – the last Monday of January- which is the worst day of the year, and some counsellors offer ”Blue Monday” help! (NB: I had a productive morning and almost Friday-night-out- evening on January 26, the last Monday of 2015).

It’s ridiculous. A cultural myth permeating the offices and infecting workers with sluggishness, anxiety and series of yawns. A stereotype that has already been dispelled by statistics. According to US surveys,  around 340,000 people claimed to feel no worse on Mondays than other working days, except for Friday mentioning that sweet ”Friday feeling”.

So, what makes Monday so unjustly dubbed as “miserable”? The answer is obvious. It is the contrast in mood from Sunday to Monday that made Monday so loathed by the employed people. (Here’s the first thing to ponder over. Even though you hate Monday, it’s still better than never-ending week-end of the out-of-work). So, to smooth the contrast, you should start as early as Sunday evening.

Plan ahead something exciting for Monday evening – a rock/classical/jazz concert, sushi with friends, massage, SPA or intensive workout- whatever empowers you and creates an anticipation-mood.

A rule of thumb: to fight Monday-phobia, as any other phobia, you should face it and turn it into something more enjoyable and less scary in your mind. Manipulate your mind the way you treat Monday as any other weekday. Imagine it’s the promising Thursday and even liberating Friday! Feeling more at ease, aren’t you?

P.S. I admit I often find myself surrendering to the mainstream ”Monday blues” at the office or Facebook. But the thought that I’ll be jogo-ing at the capoeira class brings me back to the Friday-zoneJ