Appreciation – “The Secret Sauce”

This morning I awoke from a crazy busy(and fun) Christmas day to a beautiful, sunny, cool and very snowy boxing day. I knew I wanted to get an easy workout in as yesterday I was so busy I didn’t have a chance to get any exercise in other than shoveling snow from the Christmas snowstorm we had.

After hours of eating, drinking and socializing with family on Christmas day, I thought it looked like an amazing day to go for a run outside in order to “Reset” the system. So after helping Barb do some cleanup around the house from Christmas, I laced up my shoes, put on my winter gear and went for a run. I needed an easy run, so I went for a long(1.5 hour) very easy Z2 run. Z2 simply means a Zone 2 run which is well below threshold or Anerobic and is just a nice relaxing slow pace.

While out for my run, I went through my typical running Mantra. For those that are not familiar with my running Mantra, it is simply a thought process I go through when I run or workout that puts me in an amazing state of mind. For more on my Mantra, you can refer to my previous blog on Thoughts that can change your mood daily here:http://kevinbradyhealth.ca/thoughts-that-change-your-mood/ ‎

To summarize my Mantra, here are the key components:

1.Being in the Present Moment– this is where I focus on everything in the present while running. This could be thinking about my breath, the amazing views around me, nature, the sound of birds, the sound of my feet hitting the pavement, the sky, the sun etc.

2.Appreciation – This is where I acknowldege and think of all I am grateful for in life and everyone and everything I appreciate(more on this later).

3.Love – This is where I think of all the people(current and deceased) that I love in my life.

4.Future – This is where I focus on the future and the fact that the future is bright and all I have to look forward to and also trust in the future.

Since I wrote about my Mantra in previous blogs,  I thought I would share my thoughts this morning around Appreciation. I find that appreciation’/gratitude is one of the best remedies for feeling happy and well. I refer to gratitude as “my secret sauce” to emotional happiness and well being. We have so so much to be grateful for each and every day and I believe we don’t spend enough time thinking about all we have to be grateful for.

Here are a few of the things that I thought of today while out for my long sunny winter run:

-being outiside and enjoying this amazing day

-the nice crisp cold air in my lungs

-the gorgeos sun reflecting on the snow filled white fields

-me being able to run and enjoy the day

-being able to run which allows me to enjoy the world

-grateful for my family – Barb, Tim, Matt, Lauren and Wilson

-grateful for my health

-grateful for being alive

-grafeful for my Mom(Joanie) and my Dad(Howie) who are no longer with us

-grateful for my family

-grateful for Barb’s family and in particular Grandma Marge

-grateful for the amazing book that Marge published for me for Christmas.It is called Kev’s way and is a publication that she produced in California and is a summary of all the Blogs I have written up until this past fall. This was a very thoughtful amazing gift

-grateful for all of our great friends

-grateful for great employees/friends that I have had the privilage of working with

-grateful for everything around us in this world

-grateful for all the good things as well as the bad things/obstacles  that have happened in my life. Quite often those percieved “bad events seem terrible at the time however when we look back years later we realize the good that actually came out of those bad events.

When I finished my run an hour and a half later, I had this tremendous feeling of gratitude and peace not to mention the great endorphins I had flowing through my system due to the great outdoor excercise.

Lastly, as most of you know, I  will finish off my day today as I do every day, by thinking about 3 great things that I am grateful for that happened that day. I know when my head hits the pillow tonight, one of the things that I will be grateful for is my amazing run to start the day and reset the system.

I encourage you to use the practice of gratitude each and every day as it will change your outlook and your life.

Wishing you all the best in Health and gratitude, Kev