I was reading my Daily Dad book by Ryan Holiday last night and my daughter asked me to read out loud. She asked what it was about and I told her that particular passage was about being present with your children. How they know when you’re distracted versus when you are actively listening and being with them. Being present is something I have told her I am working on.
She then asked me what “being present” meant. We took to her iPad and did a Google search for “what does it mean to be present?”
Our result: “On the most basic level, being present means being focused on one thing – a conversation, a project, a task in hand – without distraction, without wanting to be somewhere else, without being in your head and lost in thought.”
She asked for examples so we continued our search.
Being present also means to be alive in the moment. One list included:
- Noticing your surroundings.
- Focusing on one thing at a time.
- Being grateful for what you have.
- Showing acceptance.
- Practicing mindfulness and meditation.
- Finding positive social support.
- Being mindful in everything you do.
- Practicing breathing exercises.
- Journaling.
- Detaching from your phone and social media.
- Scheduling creative time.
- Engaging your senses.
- Savoring your food.
What caught me off guard, despite being aware and recognizing all of the ways I and a lot of our gym’s members discuss the practice of being present (successfully and unsuccessfully) was how many of these will positively impact your health, fitness and wellness.
If you go to a gym like ELEVATE Strength & Performance, you can check a lot of this list off in a 1-hour session.
You’re in a positive environment, focusing on how your body moves and feels when you enter the space.
You’re greeted by name in a space that’s accepting and inclusive where there is an abundance of positive social support.
You get to put your phone away and disconnect from social media for an hour.
You practice and put intent behind each rep – through the warm up, strength and conditioning work. It’s scheduled creative movement time that engages your senses.
When you’re done, you cool down and focus on your breath, reacquainting yourself with your surroundings and training partners.
You leave the gym feeling energized and grateful for the space and what you’re capable of doing.
You go home or to work and will likely savor your post-workout meal.
If you’ve struggled with the practice of being present, consider a gym as your environment of opportunity to fulfill a lot of what you’re trying to achieve.
If you haven’t found that place yet, please reach out. Let’s talk to see if we can help.