DrLeePhD

Howdy fellow druids, DrLee here - hardcore meditator, and, uh, totally stagnant otherwise. I'm getting started on my 6-week challenge, which is to get moving again by walking at least 3 days per week. I tend to drop weight quickly once I start moving, and from past experience I know that it's reasonable for me to lose 10 pounds in this time period. So let's do this! I'll post weekly updates here to stay accountable. Thanks for the support!

If it helps, I've been a Buddhist mindfulness meditation practitioner for about 5 years now. It sounds trite to say, but it totally gets easier the more you stick with it. I think the biggest initial hurdle is expecting something to happen. It's not about clearing your mind, or achieving a certain feeling. It's absolutely about being present with whatever you're thinking or feeling in the present moment, whether that's feeling tranquil or ready to jump out of your skin with worry or anxiety. Just focus on your breathing and when you're ready, just start paying attention to the stream of thoughts going by. If you find your mind wandering too much, just breathe and return your attention to your breath; it's going to be your constant anchor for your attention. The ultimate point here is just to be fully present with your emotions, bodily sensations, and thoughts without chasing them or identifying with them. I'm an extremely anxious guy by nature, but mindfulness has helped me make the huge transition from "Oh my god, I'm completely freaking out" to something more like, "I notice that I'm breathing a little faster…now I'm noticing that my jaw is clenched…and now I'm noticing that I'm imagining something bad happening." Keeping grounded in the present moment helps you label your thoughts as thoughts and not truths about yourself as a person. Hope that makes some sense. Keep at it, and don't worry if it doesn't feel like something is happening. Showing up for what's happening right now is hard, but you can always return to it with the next breath. Good luck!

Thanks for the encouragement! Finished my first day of rookie workout A and am feeling good. We'll see how those legs feel tomorrow…

Howdy, y'all. My name's Lee – professional loafer, geek, closet metalhead, and IRL mental health professional. I've been up and down with too many dabbling attempts to manage my weight and get healthier; it's time to make a more serious commitment. Right now i'm 42, 6' 0", and 237 lbs. My goals for right now are to build up some consistency with working out, and to get more consistent with recording my food intake (My Fitness Pal rocks!). My biggest enemy in the past has been biting off more than I can chew, pun partially intended, and then not being able to follow through with my lofty goals. Consistency seems like the perfect goal for now. I like the whole RPG angle! Because I'm Buddhist and meditate regularly, I'm going to go with Druid for my race. I suppose working in mental health makes my profession…what, healer? Sure, I'll go with healer. I'd love to hear what y'all do to help with consistency – what helps you roll out of bed instead of hittin' the snooze bar. Thanks, and I look forward to talking with all of you in the weeks to come. Lee