Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz have taken a very interesting approach to engagement that we have found very useful with our clients. They assert that without the right quantity, quality, focus, and force of energy we are compromised in our activities.
And to be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interest. One step toward managing energy, not time for weight loss and metabolism is to be fully engaged.
Once we made the decision to develop this course online, Butch laid out a timeline to have it ready in three months. The entire process took longer then he had anticipated. He was working from first thing in the morning to some point late in the afternoon when he would reach a point where he could only stare the screen.
As modules were being recorded, he started working on the course delivery software and realized that the original format we wanted would not be available. This change in format also meant the entire course structure would have to change.
And to top it off. Our main computer crashed.
Almost everything was recovered but all progress ceased for several days. And you want to know why? Because an event that happens only about once every three years occurred. Butch got sick.
Even though we have used these concepts for years, like anyone else in todays busy world we can get overwhelmed by events and feel the same stress as everyone else. But, we also have the tools to recognize where the problem is and make repairs.
Throughout the course we give several examples of the interdependence of psychology and physiology. The brain and body are very much the same thing, but in our society they are sometimes viewed as independent elements.
The four dynamics of energy are also inter-related and interdependent. Physical energy is measured by high energy or low energy. Emotional capacity is a quality assessment such as positive or negative. Mental endurance is a time measure of how long we can stay focused. And spiritual strength is our ability to keep our actions consistent with our values, even if it involves personal sacrifice.
Thinking he could ignore these for a short period of time to keep his rigorous schedule was the mistake Butch made. He lasted about ten weeks before needing a reset.
Lets start with a diagram of physical energy and emotional capacity.
This diagram yields the following quadrants: high negative, high positive, low negative, low positive.
Examples of each condition are listed in the box. Lets say you are in an airplane landing in a storm, which box would you want your pilot to be in?
These quadrants are our starting point. How long we are able to maintain these conditions are the result of our mental endurance and spiritual strength.
Like a muscle our energy capacity diminishes with both overuse or underuse. So, to best maintain our capacity for energy we need to flex it. And just like a muscle we get the best response from bursts of energy rather then long and drawn out events.
We also build our emotional, mental and spiritual capacity in the same way. We push them to the edge of our limits, then back off and recover.
We do this by establishing rituals to replenish each of our four energy reserves.
Lets use an example of two women each just finishing a big project at work and it is time for lunch.
Person A sits at her desk with a bland lunch she packed because she is on a diet. As she’s eating she starts going through her email. Half-way through her meal the phone rings and she answers. Fifteen minutes later she gets back to her lunch. Ten more minutes and lunch is over and she is ready to get back to work.
Person B leaves her office for lunch. She takes a short but brisk walk to a nearby atrium where she can see people in the park. She puts on her headphones and listens to a new artist’s she recently discovered. She has a sensible but tasty lunch. When she is done eating she still has twenty minutes before she has to be back at her desk so she decides to read this great book she started on the train this morning.
Now, which person do you think is likely to have a more productive afternoon?
This is an excerpt of the RESOLUTE online weight loss and metabolic repair course inspired by the work of Dr. Ray Peat, Dr. Broda Barnes, Dr. Brene Brown, Dr. James Prochaska, Dr. Martha Beck, Dr. Judith Beck, and Dr. Hans Selye.
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Looking for an online course to help lose weight by repairing your metabolism and lowering your stress? Try RESOLUTE The Step-By-Step Program for People Who Want To Repair Their Metabolism.