Inner Work Q.E.D.

From time to time I need to remind myself that the “I” in VOICE stands for “Inner Work.” Inner Work is the stuff that we do that generally others can’t see. Inner Work is usually hard work and in some sense we could perceive that the payoff is low. Rarely will you get a compliment from a co-worker saying that you seem in balance. Rather, they will compliment you on your outfit, hair style, or the fact that you appear to be losing weight. Yet, it is the Inner Work which must be done first. You can’t reverse the process and expect lasting results.

We see warnings and admonitions all around us that remind us of the importance of doing the Inner Work. When we take on an exercise regimen whether it is through joining a health club or purchasing a piece of exercise equipment we get the warning “always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.” That warning reminds us to check our Inner Work first before attempting to work on the outside.

I have observed that many people ignore such warnings. For them, achieving the outer results is more important than Inner Work. Watching guys in my local gym I see any number of men lifting weights for bulk, but failing to stretch for flexibility or run for a healthy heart. At the hair salon where my children get their haircut I watch the women on Saturday getting the incredible beauty treatments on the outside while discussing how they are “just not going to eat” in order to wear a particular outfit. In each case they are ignoring the Inner Work.

I don’t want to go too far here and appear that I have somehow mastered the Inner Work. In fact I even bring it up today as it remains a struggle for me to be consistent in my Inner Work. In this regard I can do better, and it is likely that you can too.

Like all other self improvement efforts we want to start small with Inner Work. My formula for starting small is what I call Inner Work Q.E.D. This stands for Quiet, Exercise, and Diet.

Quieting your mind is the first step in doing the Inner Work. I find that quieting our minds is an excellent place to start. I often speak with clients about the amount of noise we endure in the course of a typical day. Our lives are filled with buzzers, radios, televisions, beeps, dings, bells and even the occasional whistle. Taking some time away from these distractions is a great place to start.

There are enormous benefits to spending some period of time each day in silence. Perhaps for many of us that might mean just spending time not listening to anything and not talking. For others that might mean time spent in silent prayer or meditation. You can adjust this based upon your own preferences and beliefs. Yet, the key here is to find time every day to quiet your mind. Start by spending ten minutes each morning being intentionally still and quiet. I am not talking about driving without the radio playing. I mean sitting still and quietly for ten minutes. If the morning does not work for your schedule then do it at lunch or before going to bed at night but find the time to just get quiet. My hope is that you can get that time up to as much as thirty to sixty minutes each day but like all things you want to start with moderation.

Once you have developed a habit of quiet time you can begin to work on the next two key areas. The first is exercise and the second is diet. Here again the Inner Work is hard. Let’s talk about exercise.

Regular exercise is essential to our well being. However, many of us exercise for looks rather than doing the Inner Work. Exercise should include strength training, aerobic activity, and flexibility. You don’t need a gym membership to get all three. For strength training I do push-ups and abdominal work three times each week two sets each time. For aerobic activity I like to run three days each week and ride my bike two to three times a week. For flexibility, I do yoga every morning practicing a few simple poses and stretching. Today I have better balance and flexibility than I have had at any time in my life even though I am now well past 50. In fact I regret that I am more flexible than my nearly 13 year old sons.

Finally, we get to diet. With regard to diet I am not talking about dieting for the purpose of getting thinner. Rather, I am speaking of diet in terms of improving overall health.

I often quote Stephen Covey who says that we must learn to subordinate taste to nutrition. Those words have resonated with me for years. I use them to remind me of the things that I know serve me best nutritionally.

You can do the Inner Work of diet with a few simple changes. A great place to begin is with breakfast. Our lives have become so busy that we hardly have time to eat a healthy breakfast. I recommend starting the day with a simple yet nutritional and portable breakfast. For me that is a morning fruit smoothie. This can be made in a blender and takes less than ten minutes including clean up. Here are my ingredients:

One cup of plain or vanilla soy milk (I like WestSoy and Eden Soy as these seem to be highest in protein)

One banana or ½ banana and 5 strawberries

Six ice cubes

Two scoops of protein powder (soy protein is best here)

Mix all of these ingredients in a blender (putting the protein powder in last after the blender is moving) for about two minutes. These ingredients will make about 16 ounces.

My morning smoothie eliminates the temptation to eat any of the various fast foods we often eat on the run. You can carry your smoothie out the door by purchasing a tall plastic container with a top. You can drink this during your commute as long as you remember that the drink can leave a “milk mustache.” Now here is where we get to taste. While I like the taste of my smoothie, many people would not describe this as “good.” Yet, this is a high protein breakfast that will get you through to about 10:00 in the morning feeling energetic (and after your morning exercise you need the protein). I also plan a morning snack which I sometimes pack to take with me when I can or I can pick it up at most hotels when I am on the road. My morning snack is a bagel with peanut butter. Sometimes I toast the bagel, but here again, it is about the nutrition. My bagel will get me through to lunch.

As often as possible my lunch consists of a salad, and perhaps a piece of fish or chicken. As an afternoon snack I carry a protein bar, or an apple or banana and you will usually find almonds in my briefcase. Dinner is my final meal. I try to eat dinner as early as possible but rarely after 8:00. This sets up my digestive system to be switched off before I go to bed which assures me of a restful night’s sleep, with no interruptions due to going to the bathroom, or indigestion. With a good night’s sleep, I am ready early the next morning (work days as early as 4:30) for my quiet time and then on to exercise to begin my routine once again.

Give Inner work Q.E.D. a try for about a month. What I provide here is really just an overview but I would be happy to share more expanded information including sleeping tips, fasting tips and specific exercises if you write to me. The three steps to Inner Work Q.E.D. will bring your life more into balance. It will make you stronger physically, and improve your overall health. By the way, regular Inner Work does also improve what others see on the outside and let's be honest, we all want that too.