Cut The Fluff And Let's Go Grocery Shopping
How cleaning your environment can make a whole lot of difference to taking actions?
Hello friends,
Welcome to another post from The 3Min Club, where each week (or so), you’ll receive 3Ms (movement, mindfulness, mantra) from me to do in 3 minutes. No matter where we are right now, taking the right actions is the key to live better positive lives.
I am excited and eternally grateful to see how The3Min Club is growing very slowly and steadily like an embryo. I never thought that this little endeavor will turn into something where others will like to cross-promote The3Min Club.
(If you missed the last 2 shoutouts to other newsletters - check out Catalyst and BellaDonna)
When I first started this in mid-June, my only intention is to help people take actionable steps towards active aging. (Not to say that you are old.:P) And I have learned one of the powerful ways to achieve that is to design simple and easy frameworks INTO your lifestyle for you to act on.
To put it simply, as James Clear wrote in Atomic Habits, the 1st Law to creating a good habit is to make it obvious by designing your environment.
Try this experiment, when you go to a grocery store, notice how the store layout is. Where are the fresh foods? Where are the packaged foods? Where are the items on sale? Where are the chips, ice-creams, and pizzas?
How are the positions of these items influencing how you pick your purchases? Maybe for the first time, you are more aware and so you stick to your grocery list of healthy food choices. But let’s face it, how many times do we really bust our list and added more things than we should have?
For me, how the items are laid out in-store tells me a lot about the mindset and values behind the grocery store!
In my years growing from a sedentary fat kid, fighting social norms as a woman lifting weights, later beating the crap out of cancer at 23, thereafter became a personal trainer, pilates instructor, and health coach, I learned that perhaps 90% of our health and lifestyle-related issues is due to lack of movement, more specifically mindful movement.
Through the decades since Jane Fonda's times, we all know about eating well and moving more, yet somehow we continue to do the opposite. We choose sugary drinks over good ol’ water, processed food over fresh produce, and binge-watch hours of TV shows over following our home workout program.
Why do we do that, despite all the knowledge and tools we have?
It really comes down to the series of actions we take daily. More specifically, the environment that creates that routine of actions in enabling us to cross the obstacles.
Truthfully, that’s what has been happening in my life. I will be first to admit that there are days and weeks where I don’t feel like writing a post, especially when I look at the stats where it looks like hardly anyone reads or shares the post. It made me wonder if what I am doing is of any real value, even though the newsletter is free.
But I gave myself the opportunity to grow in tiny baby steps. It doesn’t matter if I can’t do a full split yet, or that I have yet to publish a program or a book. What matters is that I know, repeated small steps always lead to habits. Habits lead to actions. Actions lead to outcomes.
There’s a difference between being in motion and taking action. - James Clear
It is not the motion that leads to results but the simple act of taking action.
Motion involves planning and strategy, and some learning. It is not a bad thing but it tends to lead us to analysis paralysis. Actions are exhibited behavior, that kind that moves us towards a direction.
That kind of motion does not get us into shape, actions do. Planning and strategizing our program does not get us into shape, working out does. More so if, you are doing your workouts in small incremental steps.
So before we jump into our 3M in 3Min actions today, I like to cut the fluff and go straight to the point by getting you to do the following first.
SET ASIDE A TIME EVERY THURSDAY, JUST 3 MINUTES.
Get moving and enjoy today’s 3M in 3 minutes.
Yours,
Yan
For each M, set a timer for 1 minute each.
For the First Minute,
1) Movement - Hug Knees Open Chest with Shoulder Circles
This is a follow-up to last week’s move of Reverse Hip Bridge One Arm Sky. If you missed it, check out the post here with the movement.
For the next Second Minute
2) Mantra - “I SPEAK KINDNESS”
Start a timer for 1-minute. Repeat the above statement, either silently in your head or out loud.
Do this with slow and deep breaths or whatever feels comfortable for you. Repeat until 1 minute is up.
For the 3rd Minute
3) Mindfulness - LISTEN WITH INTENT EXERCISE
Today’s mindfulness practice focuses on one of the most important aspects of communication — LISTENING.
(Note: This is not connected to any spiritual or religious practice.)
Choose a podcast, song, talkshow.
(It can be a News update or The Tonight Show or a motivation speech)Set a timer for 1 minute. (We don’t want you to get super distracted. :))
Put away your phone and other social media websites.
Do not look at the screen if you are playing TV or YouTube.Now for the next 1 minute, when the podcast, song, or channel is playing, listen with intent what the person or people are saying.
With each sentence they say or sing, notice the following.
The choice of vocabulary used.
The accent of the words.
The manner in how they are speaking either to each other or to the audience.
Then notice how that’s affecting your energy and mood levels.
At the end of 1 minute, do 4 rounds of deep belly breathing with your eyes closed. Hear your own breath.
Open your eyes and give thanks for the gift of listening.
Other things I wrote for you:
How I Struggle Less and Float More: Wisdom from Hindu scripture (short read)
🔦 Community Love & Spotlight:
Newsletters, writers, artists, and other content relevant to the 3Ms. Because taking the right actions is the key to better positive living.
I have none this week. And I want to make your time worthwhile, instead of me forcing something out.
If you like to be featured or have an interesting valuable story to share, write to me. Let’s talk.
Appreciate your hearts and comments.
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Your thoughts are welcome too.
Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a great week ahead.
Yours,
Yan