Rami's Blog

Like the Yin-Yang, Eastern Martial Arts and Western medicine are two halves of a whole. My mission is to preserve the ancient mind-body tools and pass them on to you.

 

Mind-over-Matter: Rule of 80%

Whenever you are exercising for health, it is important to remember my Rule of 80%. Use 80% effort for each technique, no more, no less.

So, if you are doing wall push-ups, don't do them until you can't even raise your arms anymore. That's 100% effort. If you get to that point at, say, 30 push-ups, then you should only be doing 20-25 push-ups during your workout.

What if you are doing stretches? The same Rule of 80% applies. Don't bend over so far while doing Vitamin H that you think your legs might buckle. That's 100%. Get to a point where you feel the stretch, but don't feel any pain, and then support your head, arms, and neck with a chair or some yoga blocks.

In fact, this Rule of 80% even applies to meditations. It's better to cut your meditation off a few minutes early, before you lose your concentration, than to just let it fizzle out on its own. So, if you can sit still and quiet for 25 minutes at most, you should meditate each day for 15-20 minutes.

If, while following the Rule of 80%, you begin to feel like this level of effort is too easy, then congratulations! You've improved your strength, or flexibility, or mental focus, and now your old 80% level is your new 70%. That means you can push a little more and go for the next step.

In terms of weight loss, the Rule of 80% effort is especially important, because it helps us avoid injuries. Many people get into the habit of thinking that if they push themselves very hard during their workout, they will lose those few extra calories that make the difference. But this is dangerous, because pushing yourself like that could result in an injury, such as a torn muscle, or a sprained ankle. If that happens, those few dozen extra calories you burned aren't going to mean much if you are stuck on the couch in a sling for the next three weeks.

Mind-over-Matter isn't all at once. It's slow and steady.

Happy Stretching!

Top 5 Tips for Meditation

In the spirit of the current Mind-over-Matter meditation for weight loss plan, this week I decided to put together my top five tips for people who want to start meditating, or want to have an easier time meditating. So, let's dive right in!

  1. Find a place with gentle noise. Many people think that it is easiest to meditate when you are in complete silence. But think about it, where in the world can you find complete silence? Unless you are the lucky owner of a soundproof room, the next best thing is to put on white noise in the background. Youtube has countless 1, 2, and 3 hour long videos of rainforest sounds, babbling brooks, peaceful flute music, and so on. Having this in the background will help your mind tune-in to a rhythm and relax.
  2. Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth. I know I can't say it more than enough. But this is still one of my best tips. It closes an energetic circuit in your body, and helps you with the next tip as well.
  3. Breath only through your nose. Breathing through your nose is healthier. It filters and warms the air more than breathing through your mouth does. It also forces you to breath more slowly, since you can't inhale or exhale as much air as your can through your mouth. This lowers your heart rate, relaxes you, and helps you focus on the breath.
  4. Keep your eyes slightly open. When we are awake, it actually takes work to keep the eyes closed all the way. Let your eyelids relax to the point where they are comfortable. Some people find that closing their eyes causes them to daydream and stop meditating. Other finds that it makes them fall asleep. Do whatever allows you to keep yourself in a meditative state of mind.
  5. Sit however you like. This is a big one. So many people believe that meditation means sitting in the famous full lotus position, like those Buddha statues you see. This is not true at all. I tell most of my students to begin by sitting up on the edge of a chair (if you lean back, you might fall asleep!). Keep your back straight, and use your arms on your knees to support you, if you need it. If not, just rest them in your lap. Alternatively, you can sit on a pillow, or small block on the floor, perhaps with a wall to support your back. You can also sit on your knees, in seiza

And you know what? I'll throw in a bonus tip at the end: start with short meditations. Very very short. As short as you can do it, so that you are in that meditative focus for the entire time. Start with 1 minute, maybe 2. Then work your way up to 5 minutes. You shouldn't do more than 45 minutes at a time, because that can take a toll on the joints and blood flow in your legs. If you want to meditate longer than 45 minutes, make sure you take 15-20 minutes breaks in between sessions where you walk around and stretch.

Good luck!

Mind-over-Matter: Connecting the Three Forces

When trying to lose weight, a routine is very, very important. If you aren't keeping close to your dietary and exercise goals, then you won't see much change in your health. It requires dedication and discipline.

Some people help this process along with "cheat days," where they are allowed to eat whatever they want, or skip their exercises for the day, just so their mind can relax and they can enjoy some of life's luxuries once in a while.

This is okay, but there is an even better way of renewing yourself and giving your mind a rest. When I teach my students about Tai Chi and Qi Gong, I inevitably teach them about the three forces: heaven, human, and earth. One of the highest goals of mind-body practice is to connect these three forces, the yin of the earth, the yang of heaven, and the yin-yang mix of the human force. This can be achieved through a commitment to meditation, but it can also be done in little ways by simply going out and enjoying nature.

Take a walk in the woods. Watch the clouds go by. Look up at the stars on a clear night. Reconnect with friends. Do these things so that you can be re-energized by the forces around you. When we are in a routine, or a busy job, or a new lifestyle, we often get swept up by the focus that is required, and we lose our feeling of connectedness.

But that feeling of connection, to the earth, to the heavens, and to other people, is what keeps us feeling excited and alive. So the next time you are feeling exhausted, or you are saying to yourself, what's the point? Why not reconnect with your surroundings?

Happy Stretching!

Mind-over-Matter: How Mindfulness and Calories Interact

When you are hungry, and you see a cheeseburger, what goes through you mind?

"Yum." "I can't wait to eat." "I'm starving!"

But do you ever think about how many grams of carbs and fat, or how many calories, are in that burger? Do you ever slow down and consider what would be best for your health in that moment, or are you stuck on autopilot?

For most Americans, in fact for most people all over the world, eating is not an exercise in mindfulness, it is a habit. We practically do it unconsciously. In the same way that many people have to deal with anxious thoughts, or depressed feelings, even though they don't try to bring them up, we are also in danger of putting food into our body that isn't good for us, even though, deep down, we know better.

But in order to bring that better half of us to the surface when we are tempted by the likes of a burger, we have to practice being mindful by meditating. If you can sit down for a few minutes and practice letting go of those negative and automatic thoughts, you will see a difference in how you handle situations like food. There will be a little space that opens up, and in that space you'll have the chance to ask yourself, "Should I really be eating this?"

From that moment, you have the chance to change your mind. And when you begin changing your mind, you have the chance to change your body as well.

But to make sure you know whether the answer is "yes" or "no" when you are faced with a food choice, you need to do a little research. Use some online food calorie calculators and references so that you can tell whether a food or meal is within your calorie, fat, and carb limits for the day. You'd be surprised what "healthy" choices aren't all that healthy.

Choosing the caesar salad might sound like a healthy choice, and compared to a cheeseburger, it probably is. But with a few searches and calculations, we find that your standard caesar salad has about 160 calories and 10 grams of fat. Not too bad, but stop and think. Could we do better?

How about an Israeli salad (one of my personal favorites). Finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Add some mint and olive oil, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. That comes to roughly 138 calories, and 4 grams of fat. When you consider all the vitamins and antioxidants you're getting as well, it's pretty clear which one is the healthier choice. Personally, I think it tastes better too!

A little knowledge of what you eat goes a long way. Be mindful!


Speaking of food. If you haven't already, please check out the new website that Jeff Sirlin and I have launched called Cancer Wellness TV (www.cwellness.com). It has tons of free, research-driven information about nutrition, recipes, cancer-fighting foods, as well as mind-body and support therapies for fighting cancer and living after cancer. It's all free, and we want as many people as possible to be involved. Tell everyone you know, and Happy Stretching!

Meditation as a Weight Loss Strategy

You may be wondering how exactly this Yin half of my weight loss system is really going to help you achieve your weight goals. Sure, the Yang half, with its push-ups and sit-ups and such, makes sense, but if all you do is sit and move gently for the Yin half, how will that help you reach a healthy weight?

The answer is this: meditation is brain exercise. Many aspects of your mind, such as self-control and healthy thought patterns, become stronger the more you practice them. They are just like muscles, and if you don't give them a workout often, they may fail you when you really need them.

When there is junk food around the house, not having the self control to stop snacking makes your weight problem worse. When you are at a party with lots of treats and desserts, and you keep going back to the food area for "one more cookie," that's your mindfulness muscle already failing you. Those moments matter when it comes to our weight and our health.

A meditation routine can be a huge help when you are faced with moments like that. Meditation is often VERY difficult for people at first. It isn't painful, or dangerous. It's just frustrating. Sitting in place for five minutes without making a sound is an exercise is discipline. Your mind constantly bombards you with thoughts of everything and anything, and meditation's goal is to help you quiet that crazy "monkey mind," as it's called in Eastern philosophies, so that you can feel more emotionally balanced and in control.

When you can sit down quietly for five minutes without needing to check your phone, you'll find that you can also say "no thank you," the next time that dessert tray comes around. It's all willpower and self-control. 

Remember: discipline is a practice, not a place. This isn't foolproof. Everyone has moments of weakness (especially when those moments involve chocolate). But this Yin routine is meant to put you on a path toward more healthy eating, and less unhealthy eating.

Good luck!

Mind-over-Matter Weight Loss - Yang Routine

We've made it through the first half of my Mind-over-Matter weight loss series! To help everyone organize the exercises and how they should be done, I have put together this post which collects all of the Yang routine into one place, with some added comments for each exercise.

Happy Stretching!


Mind-over-Matter Weight Loss - Yang Routine

Walk like a Warrior: Warm up with this exercise. It integrates body, mind, and spirit. Even better, you can walk like a warrior anywhere: in your house, outside, in place facing the window, around a lake, etc. You can do it year-round. This video demonstrates the exercise at home, in place, near a window. When walking, keep the toes facing forward, and roll from the heal to the ball of the foot. 

Getting oxygen into the bloodstream is only one goal of this exercise. The second goal is to invoke the warrior spirit. A group of women in Dedham, age 75+, that I taught this exercise to, would use the 23rd Psalm as their mantra to invoke the warrior spirit.

Start with 1-3 minutes. Over time, increase the time you walk until you can do it four times a week for 20-40 minutes each. Beginners and limited individuals should walk slow and utilize their arms to coordinate with the leg movements. For more advanced individuals, or people who want a challenge, raise the knees higher, swing the arms harder, and go faster.

Up and Down: I go into great detail in this video about the many ways to do this exercise to get your heart pumping, build muscle, and burn fat. Be sure to start at the level that is appropriate for your ability, and work your way up.

Push-ups: Begin with 5-15 of each type (elbows-in and elbows-out), and work your way up to 30-50 of each, 3-5 times a week. Make sure you integrate deep breathing, emptying the mind, and evoking the spirit by putting the mind in the three forces: human, heaven, and earth.

Sit-ups: For people who are restricted and cannot do sit-ups from the floor, start from the chair. Slide to the edge of the chair with your butt, straighten your trunk, and hold it straight like a plank throughout the exercise. In the video, we show the three arm positions, as well as the three levels of difficulty on the floor. Again, choose what is challenging, but not painful for you, and work your way through each stage.

Counting Breath Cool Down: Finally, we cool down from all of the cardio and strength training with a simple method for slowing the breath and the mind. This facilitates relaxation and healing by bringing oxygen into the tired muscles and rebuilding them, regulating hormone production, and reducing stress.

On Tuesday, we will begin the Yin portion of the Mind-over-Matter Weight Loss system. I'm excited to show everyone what comes next!