I’m staring at the ceiling at 8 am in the morning thinking to myself – I need to get back into meditation, hmm, did I work out yesterday? – and the questions go on for trying to maintain the perfect ecosystem within me.
Given COVID-19 and the increased number of hours we spend indoors, we tend to either ignore our health or overburden ourselves with trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Whether it’s working out or meditating or eating clean and avoiding processed foods, this can all feel overwhelming.
But, then I found that it’s not about quantity rather quality. It’s not about how long I sit and meditate but it’s about that I remain consistent and meditate even if it’s for 10 minutes. So, what if we break things down to simpler ways and focus on one goal at a time and that’s why I’d like to share with you a concept…
“The Rule of 30 Sums Up”
Ok, let me explain, basically we can continuously develop our internal ecosystem by staying committed to any of the activities to 30 seconds, minutes, or days…I’ll share below some of the different ways:
30 seconds:
Well, you could wonder what 30 seconds could do but trust me, these are all building blocks that add up and we could use 30 seconds to:
1) Breathe consciously — Take a moment away from your laptop, phone, etc. and focus on inhaling and exhaling deeply and forget about everything and refresh your mind 🙂
2) Eat consciously — Instead of half chewing your food. By genuinely staying mindful while chewing your food, you avoid bloating and truly experience the flavours of your food!
3) Walk around – As you’re working, every hour or so, get up and walk around for 30 seconds to freshen yourself up.
If you do this 10 times a day — by the end of the day, you got 5 minutes where you committed to going inwards and listening to your body!
30 minutes:
We all go about our days and honestly, sometimes, we feel like we can’t even find 5 minutes to spare. But, if we think, of all the time we waste scrolling through Instagram (follow me on @mindflow_6) or just watching another episode of Friends on Netflix. We can actually do a lot with those 30 minutes like:
1) A meditation session to tune in inwards and clear your mind from everything you accumulate every day
2) Making a nice homemade meal or prepping it for the next day!
3) Exercise: Whether it’s a quick run or walk or yoga or just a quick HIIT workout (check out Nike Training Club for so many free workouts), 30 minutes makes a huge difference. One tip I heard when using Nike Run Club guided runs was…
“If you run once every week, that would be 52 runs a year! That’s 52 runs of improving yourself!”
30 days:
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, well what about challenging yourself every month to a new healthy habit and see what you enjoy and make it part of your life! Some challenges could include:
1) Intermittent Fasting: I’ve been following intermittent fasting for 3 years now and my body responded to it quite positively, so what about trying it for a month and see how you feel? Our bodies don’t have a strict manual, especially when it comes to tuning its internal ecosystem. Experiment and see what works for you!
2) Exercise: How about running or doing yoga even for 10 minutes every day? I have a friend who committed himself to do yoga every day for continuous 3 months!! Most importantly, his mindset focused on showing up to the yoga mat no matter what — even if it’s for 5 or 10 minutes.
3) Hydrate: Hydration can come in many forms. It’s the simple act of making sure you don’t feel like a shrivelled prune by the end of the day. This can be by reducing the amount of coffee consumed and replacing it with matcha tea or maybe just herbal tea. It can also be through the mere commitment of drinking at least 2 litres of water a day for 30 days!
Here you go! This is the power of the Rule of 30! It all comes together and builds a strong foundation for yourself.
As humans, it’s always easier for us to round up to the number 30! We wait for half a minute or have a quick call for half an hour or wait to see how our body responds to a diet in 30 days! It’s just easier for us to comprehend.
Hope this can help to get you started!