//Min : Wings of Freedom 3

[//Min]

Hello I’m //Min and this is my 3rd NF challenge. I am trying to improve my physical health in 2020 and doing well so far. For this challenge, I want to improve my focussing abilities and continue to improve my basics of exercise and diet.

 

CHALLENGE DIRECTIVES

1. Breathing: Breathing exercise for 15 mins a day at least 5x a week

Since I’m new to breathing exercises/meditation/focus exercises, I think understanding about this will be a learning trajectory. I want to use this to help cultivate a positive and never give up mindset. Also I think breathing is very important aspect of physical training. 

2. Exercise: HIIT exercise for 15 mins 1x a week

Time to add something that will push me harder. Currently undecided between adding 3 sets of 5 min Takata exercise across my daily workouts or a 15 min weekend stationary bicycle HIIT. How to choose...

3. Dietary: Snacking only on fruits or nuts at least 5x a week

I’ve already cleaned up the main meals, now is time to attack the in between. Not sure how I can refine this goal though.

 

I shall continue daily habits I built in the previous 2 challenges; morning exercise 30 mins + dog walk 20 mins, eat 6 servings of veg and fruit, foam roll 10 mins, facial regime twice. For flexibility, if I miss a day for whatever reason, I must continue the next day to keep forward momentum.

 

HOW I’LL UPDATE

Once a week progress report on challenge directives and occasional thoughts. There has been a step up in work and I won’t have time to make the graphics like I did in challenge 2 which is a shame. Back to text base I suppose.

 

I was really undecided if I should join the challenge this round, I still feel my goals and plan are not clear enough and that’s usually a sign that I’m likely to be waffly about it. Let’s see how it goes.

 

Please lend me your support! Thank you for reading!

[Salinger]

HEY Min! Glad you are back here, goals/plans dont need to be clear. We support each other, and you are a Ranger. we have your back

 

Its a good challenge. 

I meditate when i can,  any questions, you can ask ! xx

[//Min]

@Salinger Thank you Salinger, you're so sweet(^3^) - x

 

May I ask how and when you meditate and what do you achieve out of it?

 

I am really confused between wanting to learn to breath properly during exercising, maybe being able to hold my breath under water (lifeskill), wanting to breath to reduce stress, wanting to learn to focus vs be more positive through breathing etc. and unsure when and how to go about doing breathing exercises to achieve these, whether I should separate the breathing exercise with different objectives or they overlap, unsure of how I should go about doing the breathing (counts, or holding breath)... yea. I'm just lost at the moment and a little stuck. I was looking into Tummo breathing to see if it encapsulates all the above, it's confusing. 

[Salinger]

I generally meditate in the evening, usually after a bath/shower, when i feel relaxed and cosy. 

 

Usually i just do 15/20 minutes of guided meditation. Listening to someone (i use specific ones) talking calmly, telling me to breath in different ways, (4 seconds in, 6 seconds out etc) i just sit on my bed usually, legs crossed. 

 

It really helps my anxiety, which i have really bad. Makes me relaxed, makes me thoughtful, things slow down - which is important for me because feels like life goes a million miles an hour. 

 

xx

[Quirky Quinn]

Good luck Min!

 

I'm sure you'll keep going from strength to strength!

 

Looking forward to following along!

 

[//Min]

@Salinger

Thank you for sharing, guided meditation in the evening after a shower sounds like a good idea. mmm I'm going to see how I can work something into my evening routine. and yes, the world seems too much sometimes doesn't it?

 

Hugs, how I can help support you with anxiety? I'm not on the forum as much but I'll do the best I can. 

 

@Quirky Quinn

Thank you Quinn!! I hope I can grow stronger too!

[foxinthenorth]

Sounds like a good challenge, Min!

[//Min]

@foxinthenorth Thank you! Here's hoping I make it through!

 

////////////////////////////////////

 

THOUGHTS ON BREATHING

 

I realised how unrealistic it is to achieve all my desired outcomes with just one breathing exercise (I was hoping for efficiency damnit) so I’m dividing them up and ranking what I feel I need most at this stage in my life:

1. To achieve focussing abilities: 5 mins of Tummo breathing in the morning, afternoon and night to build awareness of my entire body by being still and present in the moment and having no thoughts. I like the idea of doing a practice that Tibetan monks do, plus it's developed around the concept of a female deity which is so cool. This will be in line with my challenge directive of breathing 15 mins a day. I will be challenged because I usually have a hard time not thinking bout other things and focussing.  
2. To achieve optimal physical performance: Pay attention and correctly breath during my morning exercises and dog walk.
3. To achieve a positive mindset: Recite a short mantra when I wake up and before I sleep.

I will also conduct tests of how long I can hold my breath as an indirect gauge of improvement in my breathing abilities. Okay, breathing plan sorted. RAWR. 

 

////////////////////////////////////

 

I'm not fully ready to start, I haven't fully sorted my concrete plan for Exercise and Dietary, but I'm sure the journey will present the answer. And because I love this graphic I made so much, reposting. ONWARDS TO YOUR GOALS!!!

 

[fearless 2.0]

On 6/18/2020 at 12:22 PM, Salinger said:

I generally meditate in the evening, usually after a bath/shower, when i feel relaxed and cosy. 

 

Usually i just do 15/20 minutes of guided meditation. Listening to someone (i use specific ones) talking calmly, telling me to breath in different ways, (4 seconds in, 6 seconds out etc) i just sit on my bed usually, legs crossed. 

 

It really helps my anxiety, which i have really bad. Makes me relaxed, makes me thoughtful, things slow down - which is important for me because feels like life goes a million miles an hour. 

 

xx

seconded! I use a meditation app which lets you choose whatever meditation you'd like from stress busting to sleeping well... "inside timer" ftw.

 

you don't need to believe anything or be a buddhist to learn how to breathe. Its less whoowhoo than most people think. Think of it as a wellness thing maybe?

 

[fearless 2.0]

1 hour ago, //Min said:

@foxinthenorth Thank you! Here's hoping I make it through!

 

////////////////////////////////////

 

THOUGHTS ON BREATHING

 

I realised how unrealistic it is to achieve all my desired outcomes with just one breathing exercise (I was hoping for efficiency damnit) so I’m dividing them up and ranking what I feel I need most at this stage in my life:

1. To achieve focussing abilities: 5 mins of Tummo breathing in the morning, afternoon and night to build awareness of my entire body by being still and present in the moment and having no thoughts. I like the idea of doing a practice that Tibetan monks do, plus it's developed around the concept of a female deity which is so cool. This will be in line with my challenge directive of breathing 15 mins a day. I will be challenged because I usually have a hard time not thinking bout other things and focussing.  
2. To achieve optimal physical performance: Pay attention and correctly breath during my morning exercises and dog walk.
3. To achieve a positive mindset: Recite a short mantra when I wake up and before I sleep.

I will also conduct tests of how long I can hold my breath as an indirect gauge of improvement in my breathing abilities. Okay, breathing plan sorted. RAWR. 

 

////////////////////////////////////

 

I'm not fully ready to start, I haven't fully sorted my concrete plan for Exercise and Dietary, but I'm sure the journey will present the answer. And because I love this graphic I made so much, reposting. ONWARDS TO YOUR GOALS!!!

 

saw this after posting. sounds great to me! good luck!

[fearless 2.0]

you don't have to stop thinking!!!! my teachers all told me to just let the thoughts come, recognize them and then let them go and not dig into them. Otherwise you will be so unhappy because humans always have thoughts. you just don't want to invite them for gin tonic and chips!!!!

[Salinger]

think of the thoughts like clouds, they come, then pass...you cant stop thinking but you can learn to not dwell on the thoughts xx

[//Min]

19 hours ago, fearless 2.0 said:

you don't have to stop thinking!!!! my teachers all told me to just let the thoughts come, recognize them and then let them go and not dig into them. Otherwise you will be so unhappy because humans always have thoughts. you just don't want to invite them for gin tonic and chips!!!!

 

mmmm gin tonic... chips... that cracked me up XD You had a meditation teacher?  I guess its not really no thought.. in Tummo you're suppose to think about the fire in your belly and you're suppose to feel more hot, no idea why I would want to raise the temperature of my body since I live in the tropics but its suppose to clear your mind! I will probably experiment with several ways!

 

19 hours ago, Salinger said:

think of the thoughts like clouds, they come, then pass...you cant stop thinking but you can learn to not dwell on the thoughts xx

 

I'm liking these imagery... clouds sounds very soothing... Maybe it's more a redirection of thoughts?

 

[//Min]

I was intending to update weekly but just based on day 1, I already have some interesting findings that I wanted to jot them down so I don’t forget. So far today: -

 

5 min Tabata exercise: Had to modify many of the exercises. Given that improvement comes from repetition, I’m likely to continue this for this week. I will also test out the 15 min HIIT at the end of the week on the stationary bicycle.

 

Tummo breathing: I did a trial run yesterday, to do 5 mins at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I started to get distracted around the 3 min mark and it felt alright. This morning, while I was breathing, as I imagined the fire beneath my belly, it went from red to white without intentional conscious direction, as if it had a life of its own. I only felt my attention wavering around the 4 min mark. After I finished, and probably as a result of trying the 5 min Tabata exercise too, my mind felt so crystal clear of the present in the moment, it was beautiful. All stressors I had, just shut down and disappeared. They are still there, but it’s still all at bay. I was stunned. I can’t even describe it properly. I can’t even remember the last time I felt this way mentally. I’m will not have any expectations though and if this is just a one time thing, its a good memory.

 

Breath holding test: 53 seconds

[fearless 2.0]

10 hours ago, //Min said:

I was intending to update weekly but just based on day 1, I already have some interesting findings that I wanted to jot them down so I don’t forget. So far today: -

 

5 min Tabata exercise: Had to modify many of the exercises. Given that improvement comes from repetition, I’m likely to continue this for this week. I will also test out the 15 min HIIT at the end of the week on the stationary bicycle.

 

Tummo breathing: I did a trial run yesterday, to do 5 mins at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I started to get distracted around the 3 min mark and it felt alright. This morning, while I was breathing, as I imagined the fire beneath my belly, it went from red to white without intentional conscious direction, as if it had a life of its own. I only felt my attention wavering around the 4 min mark. After I finished, and probably as a result of trying the 5 min Tabata exercise too, my mind felt so crystal clear of the present in the moment, it was beautiful. All stressors I had, just shut down and disappeared. They are still there, but it’s still all at bay. I was stunned. I can’t even describe it properly. I can’t even remember the last time I felt this way mentally. I’m will not have any expectations though and if this is just a one time thing, its a good memory.

 

Breath holding test: 53 seconds

you f*cking nailed it!!!!!!!! YASSSSS!!!!!!!

[//Min]

18 hours ago, fearless 2.0 said:

you f*cking nailed it!!!!!!!! YASSSSS!!!!!!!

 

haha! Thank you!! I realise meditation today on a full stomach is hard!!!

[Jarric]

On 6/20/2020 at 8:28 AM, //Min said:

I usually have a hard time not thinking bout other things and focussing

 

I'm not particularly good at this, but I saw @DarK_RaideR post a great video on this elsewhere a while ago:

 

 

 

On 6/21/2020 at 5:50 AM, //Min said:

After I finished, and probably as a result of trying the 5 min Tabata exercise too, my mind felt so crystal clear of the present in the moment, it was beautiful. All stressors I had, just shut down and disappeared. They are still there, but it’s still all at bay. I was stunned. I can’t even describe it properly. I can’t even remember the last time I felt this way mentally. I’m will not have any expectations though and if this is just a one time thing, its a good memory.

 

That sounds amazing! Well done.

[Salinger]

How are you Min?xx

[//Min]

On 6/23/2020 at 4:43 PM, Salinger said:

How are you Min?xx

 

ahhhh not been great, thank you for checking in... still got half a day to go but at the rate things are going I'll just post the update today haha!

 

/////////////////////////////////////////

 

WEEK 1 // 21 Jun - 27 Jun

 

  Breathing: Breathing exercise for 15 mins a day at least 5x a week

I did 10 mins 3x and 5 mins for 2x this week. I realise its hard to breath on a full stomach and I generally have a hard time starting in the afternoon and evening.. Monday's great breathing was probably due to a good exercise workout. I'll still keep at it though realistically I should start at maybe 10mins a day. 

 

 Exercise: HIIT exercise for 15 mins 1x a week

I did 5 mins of tabata 3 times this week but my body didn't like it as the changes were too fast and I wasn't getting proper form. I also had to modify many of the exercises so I couldn't even really push. I may have to stick to the bicycle but I'm having mental block on this one. 

 

  Dietary: Snacking only on fruits or nuts at least 5x a week

1x this week. a complete and utter disaster. Didn't help my family brought chips and chocolate cause they saw I was sad and thought snacks would cheer me up, bless them, despite me saying please don't buy snacks.

 

After a great Sunday and Monday, my week went to utter hell. I was so overwhelmed with work and family, I had a panic attack and blanked out. I started getting nightmares and snacking lots too. I realised the moment I didn't do my established morning (drink water, exercise, wash face) and evening routines (dog walk, journal, wash face, foam roll) it threw me even more out of whack mentally - I managed doing them 4x of the week but the missed days was enough to throw me even more out of a loop. My one day skip next day do rule worked with one exception I missed 2 days and felt awful. Maybe I need an afternoon routine too in case my mornings don't work out. 

 

I really think cause I still don't have exercise and dietary goals properly worked out in my head and have a strong belief in where it lies in my life that they are not working. Because rightfully even with the crappy times, they should stick. It's frustrating the progress is so slow but I seem to work best with baby steps. I'm going to change it to start even smaller and build up after: - 

• Breathing exercise: 5 mins morn and 5 min evening daily
• Dietary: Snack on fruits / nuts only on Tue and Thu
• Exercise: Sunday morning 15 mins bicycle HIIT

I will not give up. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Salinger]

You can do it Min !!!!! I believe in you xx

[fearless 2.0]

A lot of us seem to be in this situation at the moment, at least I can relate very well! Take good care of yourself and have a good new week!

[foxinthenorth]

Sorry you're having a tough time! You can do this! Sweet of your family to buy you snacks to cheer you up. I think it's good that your snack goal has room to snack on chips and chocolate a little bit. I hope you have some time to recover mentally this weekend!

[//Min]

@Salinger

Thank you （*＾3＾) - x

 

@fearless 2.0 Yea! I saw your posts on your thread! ahhh I haven't replied yikes big hugs hope you're doing ok too!

 

@foxinthenorth haha yea my family is really sweet, though they tend to push a lot of food on me (>_<) still love them though. 

 

[//Min]

WEEK 2 // 28 Jun - 4 Jul

 

 Breathing: 5 mins morn and 5 min evening daily

Smashed this goal with Tummo breathing in the morning and evening. Did some research on the types of meditation, there are six popular types of meditation practice and here's where I think I stand: - 

• mindfulness meditation - I'm not doing this yet but hope to try it in future to apply more positive thinking
• spiritual meditation - Not doing this
• focused meditation - What I'm currently doing with Tummo breathing by focussing on a single point (e.g. fire)
• movement meditation - What I'm currently doing with my morning exercises
• mantra meditation - Not doing this
• transcendental meditation - Not doing this

 Exercise: Sunday morning 15 mins bicycle HIIT

I did it last Sunday and added one 15 min session on Friday in the evening. I am thinking of shifting this to Fri evening so I have the weekend to recovery. Boy did I perspire loads.

 

Dietary: Snack on fruits / nuts only on Tue and Thu

This worked, I only snacked on fruits on Tue and Thu. I'm not really a fan of nuts, but wrote it in on the premise it's "healthy". Maybe I'll learn to like it one day.  A bonus on Wed too that I only snacked on fruits. 

 

Overall a much better week. Pushed myself to do my morning (drink water, exercise, breath, wash face - 45 mins total) and evening (dog walk, journal, foam roll, wash face, breath - 1 hr total) routines every day to really make it a stronger habit. As a result, I found that generally my days went better, even when it was a "bad" day I still manage to be somewhat productive. My average resting heart rate at night (61bpm) and heart rate variability (52ms) is still a little on the higher and lower side respectively from what it was before, which tells me my body or mind is still in a stressed state. I am still physically tired and haven't had much time to be on the forum and other things as I'm so focussed on work Still, it was better than last week so I'm calling it a good week. 

 

Going slow and staying positive +++ A new day awaits.

 

 

 

[fearless 2.0]

girl, keep doing what you're doing! sounds like you had a great week!!!!!