Listen to what your body has to say

So, let's say for a second that you are sold on wanting to add more movement into your life, to start eating clean, and to communicate better with others. What are your road blocks? Besides yourself, your biggest road block will be people that you are close to who don't want to change. Remember, you have to be the one to stand up for how you want to live. You cannot live in someone else's shadow or let someone else dictate what you do with your life.  Just remember: if you are confident in your change to better yourself, it will be infectious. So, my challenge to you is to open up to someone about a recent health change. For example: you decided to start parking as far away as possible when you go shopping. So, when you are riding in someone else's car share this new change with them and see if they are willing to try it.

Our bodies are meant to move. Unfortunately, we are conditioned to think that comfort triumphs movement. By this I mean, people think it's better for your body to be comfortable than for it to be moving. So, we try everything to avoid moving. This, in turn, makes what we do to our bodies a sort of slow death. But, let's look at a different culture for a moment. The Tarahumara in Mexico, as described by Christopher McDougall in the book Born to Run, are a people who progress physically as they age rather than declining physically. In fact, their elderly members are actually faster runners than their young adults. But, why? Because they never stop moving or running. So, let's try to avoid being more comfortable and start moving more. My challenge for you this week is to try and move more than you ever have before. Try to park as far away from the grocery store as you can. Try to not use a car when you could walk or run to your destination.  See if the experience doesn't

Have you ever had food poisoning? One meal that made you deathly ill, where you would rather do anything than feel that way? It seems that it is only through extreme reactions that we realize how much something can affect us. Now, imagine if there were one thing that could have the exact opposite effect:  an extreme sense of euphoria. That feeling could be achieved rather simply, but it requires us to step outside of our comfort zones. The more uncomfortable you are on a regular basis, the more you can appreciate true comfort. I know this seems almost backwards, but recall how good you felt after you recovered from food poisoning. You probably felt like a whole new person. That intense awareness of health only came from being juxtaposed with the former feeling of misery. So, my challenge to you this week is to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Then, savor the feeling of comfort afterward. - Being Uncomfortable with people, nature, and movement can be the stepping stone f

First, let me start by saying that movement feeds more movement. The more regular movement you are exposed to, the more your body will crave it and the more mobile your body will become. Do you ever get the urge to roll in the grass, climb up on something, or just sit in a squat? Our society has experienced a unique shift in what people think is unusual or weird due to the loss of movement in our culture. Imagine if you were to do some of the things I just mentioned. Would you get weird looks from people? Well, being willing to do the things that other people won't do is one of the reasons you will be able to do things that people can't do later in life. Have you been wanting to make a change in your life and become more active? Explore your G-d given right to move. Here is your chance: this week, in a public place, try crawling, climbing, or jumping. Take those weird looks as a compliment to you being able to do what most people can't, because they are unwilling to get fun

When some think of wanting to be mobile at an older age or right now, most people believe that losing weight is the ultimate goal. They assume that with weight-loss, more mobility will naturally be achieved. Unfortunately, this isn't true. I know lots of people who are trim and still have very limited mobility. You are probably wondering, "Well if you look good, what does it matter how mobile you are?" You would be right, if we didn't need basic mobility to fully experience life. Everything from sitting on the ground to play with your kids to being able to open and close your hand once your older, is part of mobility and getting the most out of life. Mobility involves exploring movement and moving as often as possible. So, my challenge to you is to stand up and think of every joint in your body. Try going through a check-list and moving every single one at least once. If you do this regularly, you will keep from injury and could build lots of incredible movement patte

Do you ever wonder how someone goes from being unable to do much athletically to becoming an incredible athlete? It doesn't just happen. They must learn movement patterns. Take something basic like crawling. If you do it properly, it will build movement patterns that influence other movements. If you are good at crawling, you will inevitably be good at climbing because they are very similar movements. There is always a way to scale-down or scale-up on any given exercise according to your skill-level. Just remember that any movement is better than no movement. My challenge to you this week is to find someone who is really good at a particular movement and try to learn from them. Remember: Who is wise? One who learns from all. - The Talmud

What is your primary motivation for living a healthy life? Before you answer, let's consider most people's reasons for any kind of health-conscious living. Many people believe that if you look a certain way you are automatically healthy. Well, the basis for almost every diet and/or workout routine is to change your physique, in turn giving you the appearance of health. I propose that a better approach to health is to remove vanity from the equation altogether. Instead, look at health from the standpoint of eating closer to nature and exploring nature through movement. Then, you will find more self-assurance than you ever have before and experience a new spiritual awakening. So, my challenge to you is to take a full week and try to ignore how you will look from your diet and/or fitness routine. Don't even consider it. Instead, focus on how you can apply your movement in nature, experiment with exotic fruits, or try a new raw ingredient, and simply enjoy the earth.

Radical honesty with ourselves can open a new doorway in our connection with other people. For example: if you are scared of caves, you should be honest with the people around you on a hike about your fear. Rather than masking your insecurities, expose them so that those around you can help you to overcome them. By being radically honest with yourself, you are able to share your experiences with others in ways you may have thought weren't possible. This is a huge step in growing as a person. These experiences will give you a new level of appreciation for the uncomfortable situations in life. So, my challenge to you this week is to open up to someone about a fear and try to get them to help you overcome it. Allow yourself to be a little uncomfortable because only through being uncomfortable can you learn to be comfortable with yourself.

         Growing up I think we all enjoyed rolling in the grass, climbing trees, and racing each other to see who could run the fastest. So, at what point in our lives did we stop calling it "play" and start calling it "exercise"? Vanity dictates how our culture views physical exercise. We see movement strictly by what we can get out of it, instead of just enjoying it because it's fun. What if we tried to not think about how many calories we are burning or which muscles we are building, and just enjoyed what our bodies are capable of? My challenge for this week is to take time to play with a relative that's younger than you and see what games they come up with (preferably outside). I guarantee it will be not only fun, but very beneficial for your body in many ways (and possibly harder than you think). Let's try to enjoy experiencing movement instead of just making it about how we look.

People think that fear keeps them safe, but does it? Sure, perhaps a fear of snakes may keep us from going outside as much and therefore reduce our chance of getting bit.  But, I have an important question to ask: as human beings, what truly makes us happy? I believe happiness comes from new and original experiences. If the fear of stepping into the uncomfortable is not conquered, we will be at a greater risk of mediocrity or even depression (which is essentially a slow death). So, let's try to get comfortable in the uncomfortable. Go out and seek an original experience, particularly something that you have always been scared of. If you have a crippling fear of snakes, go take a nature hike with a friend. Conquering your fears can give you new sources of joy and a sense of accomplishment. I promise you, it will be worth it.

       Do you ever wonder how some people make it through life? How they got a job? How they are able to drive and vote. Perhaps we are looking at it the wrong way. What do those simple-minded people have that we don't? They have the ability to live in the present and truly get everything out of life. You could say that by being simple-minded you can truly focus on what matters. You don't spend a lot of time focusing on things that you can't change. So, my challenge to you for this week is to go to the lake barefoot and jump in. Be mindful of every sensation your body feels. Focus on the experience: what it sounds like when you hit the water, how your skin feels, what it smells like. Live in the now and you'll truly start living.

    I think it has become the norm in our society to talk negatively about ourselves as a way to escape from who we are. We are much more than what we think of ourselves or what society says we should be. In fact, we have an influence over every person we meet. We are here for a purpose and I think much of that purpose is to connect with other humans and with our G-d-given ability to move. So, my challenge to you is to try for one week (hopefully for much longer) to refrain from negative self-talk. This is something I hear too often at the gym: people thinking that they're not as good as someone else because they don't look a certain way or can't do a particular movement. Just remember that everyone needs to be challenged. So transform that negativity into motivation.

         It should be clear by now that I strongly believe that one positive change in your life will lead to more and more. I'd like you to consider a new perspective on movement. As human beings, we move everyday. We continue to move despite living in a society that is progressively limiting movement with everything from chairs to escalators. For some reason, our culture wants to get away from moving. It is an incredible, G-d given skill to be able to stand, walk, sit, crawl, and climb. So, make use of it because one day you may not be able to. My challenge for you this week is to give yourself an opportunity to move. It could be as simple as crawling on the floor with your kids or parking further from the grocery store. Enjoy what your body is capable of.

So, let me start by taking you back to one of your own memories. I want you to remember a time, maybe on a vacation, where you were able to sit back and truly soak in nature to its fullest. It might be an amazing sunset, it might be the feeling of sand between your toes, or it may even be the breathtaking sight of a mountain against the horizon. I want you to focus closely on how that experience made you feel. Now, allow me to take you to an average day in your life. It is probably filled with a lot of enclosures, stress, and deadlines. But, what if I told you that you can have the incredible feeling you experienced on vacation every day? I believe that particular feeling is the acceptance of nature and everything it has to offer. It is all around you, waiting to be engaged. This is my challenge to you: simply go outside barefoot and feel the grass between your toes or take the opportunity to stand in the rain. Truly accept nature. This is an incredible step in the human-domino effect

So, I want to open your mind to a new idea of how to get more out of life. I believe in what I call the human domino effect in which one positive change can envelope your life and allow you to grow and experience new things. This is one of those dominos: "Human Connection." I think that we have closed our minds to experiences we could possibly have with other people because we are not willing to be radically honest with ourselves and with others. Such radical honesty could open lots of true connection with other humans and break us from the monotony of just asking,"How's the weather?"We might really begin to connect with other people. My challenge to you (if you're willing) is to try and honestly connect with someone this week. It may even be someone you see all the time and don't even know their name. Please post what you learn or get out of it, so we can all grow from our shared experiences.

Hey Guys, So, I just want to introduce myself: my name is Seth Budai. I am a personal trainer by profession, but I am also a huge advocate for getting everything I can out of life physically, mentally, and spiritually. So, I want to engage you in an honest, heart-felt discussion about how we (and the people we connect with) can get the  most out of our relationships, our bodies, and our minds. Feel free to send me comments and questions about anything I talk about.