Pause to Move Forward in the Right Direction

Does there seem to be some distance between what you feel, deep in your heart, is truly important to you and the activities that fill your day?

For most of us, the momentum of obligations, work, family and just keeping up with household tasks can be overwhelming. What often suffers is the time we spend cultivating a healthful daily life.

If you consider exercise and healthful eating part of that equation, you probably realize that it takes some planning to execute. Scheduling workouts, planning shopping trips and choosing your destination and dish, if you’re eating out, are all part of that process.

But when are you supposed to do all that?

Many people feel there’s just not enough time in the day to do everything. But let’s look at that concept a little more closely. We all have 24 hours each day. We all choose how to use that time, and, to some degree, have to accept responsibility for those choices. Don’t see your kids as much as you’d like? Can’t seem to catch up on all the chores that need to be done around the house? Never have time to just stop and be grateful for your blessings?

It sounds like you need to pause for a moment.

There is a better way. Buried under all the stress and burden of our endless stream of e-mails, bills, kids sports and lessons, there’s a small, bright hope to get back to what’s really important.

A couple of years ago, I worked with a wonderful woman and her husband, training them at their home in Alamo. Krizia Irish and I would touch base periodically after our training ended. She sent me information one day on an item a friend of hers, Cindy Graham, and she have developed.

It’s a bracelet that generates a gentle vibration for one second every 90 minutes. It’s called the “Meaning to Pause” bracelet. Since I got mine, I’ve rarely been without it.

It has a number of purposes for me. I use it primarily to remind myself throughout the day to remember who I want to be, in terms of patience, understanding, forgiveness and compassion. Life presents a limitless array of opportunities to practice and develop these qualities, and I know I miss many.

The MTP bracelet gives me a subtle but persistent nudge several times a day to stop and consider if I’m using these learning opportunities wisely.

But I also use the bracelet for more practical purposes. Here are a few:

• Remember to eat a meal or snack.
• Drink water or tea.
• Schedule workouts for the week.
• Remember to get up from my computer, stretch and breathe deeply.
• Call or e-mail a friend or family member just to say hello or tell them how important they are to me.
• Text my wife pictures of our kids.
• Plan the specific exercise sequence for my training that day.
• Meditate.
• Remember my many blessings.

It’s funny how something so small and simple can make such a big difference in your life. But that’s what I’ve found to be the case with this funny little bracelet.

You might find the same thing, too.

Check the MTP website for other great ideas on how to use the pauses throughout the day to make your life richer.

Dan Taylor is a 20-year resident of Pleasanton and a nationally certified fitness trainer and educator. He can be reached at TriValleyWellness.com.