At eight o’clock this morning I was taking a
Zen walk along the beach. I was in a trance-like
state, focusing on my breath, the number of steps
I’ve taken, and so on. Then lo – me animalistic mind
spots a couple nubile young ladies laying out with
skimpy bikinis.
Funny. That alone almost brought me out of my trance.
But no. It wasn’t until, via the corner of my eye, I saw
them sit up to watch the odd creature, me, walking in
an odd way. They smiled to each other.
“What are you doing walking like that?” the platinum
blonde asked.
“Like what?” I said in a low tone.
“Like … so slow like. Like you’re doing like right now.”
“I see,” I said. “But first tell me why you’re laying outside
at 8 a.m. when there’s no sun out yet.”
“Well, we like just wanted to get a head start on the day. We
figure it’ll like come out sooner or later. Okay .. we told you
our story, now tell us why you walk so slow.”
“Because it feels good. It energizes me.”
“How does it like make you feel good?” said the strawberry blonde.
“Have you ever had a slow dance?” I said – (admittedly, I had a Cheshire
cat grin going when I asked this.)
“Ahhhh … YEAH.”
“Okay, was the slow dance pleasureable? Did it energize you
and make you feel good?
“Uh (giggles), YEAH.”
“Okay, then now you have an idea about what I’m doing. It’s sort of
LIKE a slow dance with myself. When I’m done, it’s like I practiced
tai chi for a couple hours. I’m in a euphoric state for the rest of the
day.”
What I didn’t tell these ladies was that there is a time for fast and
there’s a time for slow. Sometimes you dance at a hard pace to
break a sweat. At other times you slow it way down in order to
really FEEL what you’re doing.
Now, you might wonder, will slow walking help improve your fitness?
Good question. The answer is yes.
How?
A few ways:
1. When you do things slowly you allow your mind and body to relax at
a deeper level. One of modern man’s biggest challenges is his seeming
inability to relax. Slow training brings out your ability to relax – then
amplifies it and helps you learn to savor life itself.
2. When you train slowly you bring muscles into play that are often
barely used at a deep level. Take the acrobats in Cirque du Soleil, for
example. You see them doing feats of strength in slow motion, with
a partner. Talk about STRENGTH. Absolutely amazing, they are.
3. When you train slowly you are challenged to really focus your
mind on what it is you WANT. If it’s a better body; lean waistline;
stronger muscles; more flexible spine, and so on – it’s much easier
to picture that result in your mind when you do things slowly and
with great feeling.
No, I am not saying that you should train slowly all the time. I am
saying it is a good and healthful idea to include it as part of your
routine.
NOTE: Members of the Matt Furey Inner Circle know that on my monthly
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Best,