By Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Welcome to the positive corner of wellness. Here’s a daily digest designed to make you healthier in less than 5 minutes. If you were forwarded this message, you can get the free daily email here.
Today’s Health Upgrade
- Arnold’s Machine Challenge
- Questions from Instagram
Rise Against the Machines
Last Friday, we challenged you to stay off of social media the first and last hours of your day. Yesterday we talked about our monthly book recommendation, Stolen Focus.
Today I want to add to the theme of unplugging from your machines and challenge you again, just a little bit. I have told you guys before that I was lucky to grow up in Thal, with absolutely no distractions. My house had no phone and no television. Hell, we didn’t even have running water. I had my first shower when I was 15, and it was freezing cold at the gym and I loved it.
Some people today might hear that and think it sounds like hell. But for my imagination, it was heaven. I had all the time in the world to think and daydream, and I believe that is why I became so good at seeing my vision in front of me. I don’t just mean thinking, “I’m going to be a bodybuilding champion.” In my imagination, I heard the crowd, I felt the pedestal under my feet and the trophy in my hands. It was real. I don’t know if I had devices around all the time to keep me focused on external things instead of going inside my mind to daydream that I would have developed such strong visions.
Of course, there’s no way for anyone to live like I did in Thal 60 years ago. But most of you who are over 30 probably remember a time before we all ran around with computers to look at anytime we got bored. Think back to that time, because we are going to try to capture it.
Now, I realize even a full day without your phone might get some of you fired. So let’s start smaller. 10 minutes. Put your phone in another room where you can’t hear it and just sit and think – even if you miss a call, nothing bad is going to happen in 10 minutes. No tv, no books. Just you and your brain. See what happens. Maybe you’ll just think about your latest problems at work. Maybe you’ll get a little stressed. Just remember, this is all natural. You are supposed to be able to sit with your thoughts. Big Tech might want you to forget that, but it’s true.
Even today, now that I have my own machine, an iPad, that I use for work emails and FaceTimes and chess games with my friends, I do my best thinking at night when I sit in the jacuzzi with nothing but my thoughts, and in the morning on my bike ride to the gym.
I think if you make this a habit, you’re going to start loving it. And then you can turn that 10 minutes into 30, and then an hour. Let me know how it goes on Twitter and Instagram once you get back on your phone.
And no matter what you do, don’t use your phone in the gym for anything but tracking your workout or playing music….”
Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
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