Week 4 – Meeting the Mentor

Hero Moments

Luke meets Yoda on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back. Daniel is saved from the bullies by Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid. Wong Fei-hung meets Su Hua-chi in Drunken Master. Neo meets Morpheus and is promised the truth in The Matrix.

The Hero meets the Mentor. One of my favourite moments. The protagonist is introduced to the individual or group that will provide the powers, skills, and knowledge that will be required to prevail in the Journey. Usually given a taste of the mentor’s abilities, the Hero is eager to learn more. Unless you are fortunate enough to have a Yoda or Merlin in your life, you are your own mentor, with resources such as this program to help you along.

Training

Training is a way to transform yourself and become more than you are. Most Hong Kong kung-fu movies from the past few decades have a great Meeting the Mentor scene that leads to the training sequence. This is where the Hero learns and grows and begins to develop a mastery of the skills that the mentor is providing.

Often physical in nature (but can be mental and spiritual as well), training is the activity that will prepare you for what lies ahead. Diet, exercise, meditation, the martial arts, even the way you sleep can be approached as training for the Hero’s Journey.

Diet

If there is one thing that improved the quality of my life dramatically, it was getting a handle on the way I eat. I get grumpy when I don’t eat well. Really grumpy. It may be hypoglycaemia, insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, or whatever, but the fact remains that I get irritated when I haven’t had enough of the right kinds of food. You’d think that I’d have gotten a grip on this when I was younger, but you’d be wrong. However, after spending some effort learning about nutrition and diet, I’ve found some basic concepts that make a world of difference.

In a very real sense, food is medicine. A healthy diet will help to prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and even cancer. Although I don’t have diabetes, by treating myself like I have a medical condition I’ve managed to improve my mood, my energy level, and my health. Even with occasional lapses (which are surprisingly good for you), I’ve found this eating plan to be relatively easy to maintain. The following points are the basics of this plan:

• Eat six meals a day. Instead of three large meals, eat three smaller meals and three snacks. For a number of months, I actually put these mealtimes into my PDA, but I’ve found they’ve become automatic. This routine keeps your energy level up, controls your appetite, and keeps you from eating a lot of food at a single sitting because you’re never really starving. The times that worked for me were:
• 7:00 AM Breakfast
• 10:00 AM Snack
• 12:00 PM Lunch
• 3:00 PM Snack
• 5:00 PM Dinner
• 8:00 PM Snack
• However, be sure to create a schedule that fits your life. It’s eating frequently (or grazing) that is important, not the timing details.
• Plan your eating for the next day the night before. By spending a few minutes thinking about your next day’s meals, you’ll avoid eating whatever is available or going without food for long periods. You’ll probably save money as well since you’ll start to bring healthy food with you instead of eating out.
• The food you eat should have a balance of protein, carbohydrates, fibre, and healthy fats (mono and polyunsaturated). Eat nuts, beans, lean meat and fish, eggs, low-fat yogurt and cheese, whole grain foods, olive oil, and lots of fruit and vegetables.
• Don’t obsess over calories or food types, just use your intuition. Everyone knows when they’re eating something unhealthy. It’s obvious. It’s fried or processed or filled with sugar, fat, and/or salt. If in doubt, check the nutrition label on the package. By making a healthy substitute like an apple and a handful of almonds instead of a bag of chips you’ll make a huge difference in your health (see Week 3 – replace instead of eliminate).
• Reduce or avoid:
• Fried foods
• Saturated and trans fats (partially hydrogenated oil)
• Sugar-filled snacks and drinks
• Lots of salt (sodium)
• Starchy stuff (white bread, white rice)
• Caffeine (coffee, colas)
• Alcohol and drugs
• Drink low-fat milk, juice, green tea, and lots of water. Not much else.
• Bring lunch to work. As mentioned before, you’ll save money and your health.
• Have a weekly splurge day and eat whatever you want (cheeseburgers, nachos, etc.)

As you know, entire books have been written on each of these points. However, eating well is not rocket science. Listen to your body, eat regularly and with common sense, and substitute instead of eliminate (to give your willpower a break). The guidelines above may take a little longer to show results than the latest miracle diet but they are healthy, sustainable, and enjoyable. Check The Abs Diet by David Zinczenko (editor-in-chief of Men’s Health magazine) for more ideas about this type of approach.

Exercise

Caution: If you have any health issues or haven’t exercised for a long time, check with your doctor before starting an exercise plan.

Exercise is the other piece of the puzzle for living a healthy life. The benefits of eating well will be multiplied by a regular exercise routine. You’ll have more energy and power, look better, feel better, and your brain will function more effectively. Exercise increases happiness, improves confidence, enhances immune function, combats depression, and reduces anxiety. You’ll sleep better, too.

If you’re already exercising regularly, great. Continue. If not, start walking. That’s right. You heard me. Get going. Walking is a great way to get in shape, it’s safe and low-impact, and a twenty minute walk every day will start to build good health. You can build other kinds of exercise into your day as well. Ride a bike to work, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and park your car a few blocks away from your destination and walk the rest of the way. Find some sports that you really enjoy (surfing, rock-climbing, biking, skiing, etc.) It’s really good for you to break a sweat whenever you can. Once you feel ready, you can move on to the workout outlined below.

If you’re already relatively fit, I’ve got a plan for you:

Cardio Workout:[1] On three non-consecutive days (e.g. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) do some sort of aerobic activity (biking, rowing, stair-climbing, elliptical machine, etc.) for 20-25 minutes. During this workout, do a short warm up and four ramped intervals. At the peak of the first three ramped intervals make sure you’re pushing yourself. During the peak of the fourth and last ramped interval, you should be pushing yourself hard enough that you feel you can’t continue when you finish the peak. This last push will provide significant benefits. This is a Moment of Maximum Effort and can be one of the most valuable moments of your day. The Moment of Maximum Effort is a principle that can be applied to a number of different areas, including the Strength Training Workout below, and will make you feel great. It’s a moment where you give your all and your efforts are rewarded many times over.

Do a warm down after the four intervals and then stretch your warmed up muscles (this will prevent injuries during stretching). If you don’t have a stretching routine you can find an excellent one here. (Keep in mind this stretching routine is appropriate for both genders.)

This cardio workout will maximize your cardiovascular training in a short time frame. Here’s a Recumbent Stationary Bike Cardio Workout example (my workout):

Strength Training Workout: On three non-consecutive days (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday – not your cardio workout days) do strength training workouts focusing on different body parts. For example:

Then repeat this pattern on an ongoing basis. This will allow your muscles to grow and recover at an optimal rate and make the most of your time. You can combine exercises as you see fit in a circuit training program. Circuit training is when you do one set[2] each of a series of different exercises in a rapid fashion and then repeat the whole series one or more times. Rest for 30 seconds between sets. Use your first series as a warm-up by using lighter weights, and during your final series adjust your weights or repetitions so your last repetition of the last set of each exercise in the series has you reaching a Moment of Maximum Effort. Make sure you breathe out during the most difficult part of the exercise. If you want to gain muscle, do fewer, heavier repetitions, and if you want to tone your body, do more, lighter reps. Be sure to stretch at the end of your strength training workout (see the Cardio Workout above for information on stretching).

If you don’t have access to weights or a gym, use body weight exercises like pushups, squats, and crunches or get an inexpensive set of dumbbells. Because I don’t have time[3] to access a gym, I’ve used body weight and dumbbell exercises exclusively for the past two years. Here are the details for my current strength training workouts:

Workout 1 is a full body workout while Workout 2 focuses on abdominal exercises. Make sure you rest (no workouts) one day out of seven.

The Cardio and Strength Training workouts combined together will keep you fit with a minimum of effort. You are exercising six days out of seven but the workouts are short (<30 Minutes) and they’re optimizing your time. Keep in mind that this is a suggested workout. Be sure to customize your program so it fits your body type, access to equipment, and personal resources, and change your workout periodically to avoid plateaus. Also, make sure your workouts are activities you enjoy.

Note: If the workout plan in this section seems too easy, you’re at a high fitness level and are probably exercising frequently. Maintain your current program and continue to receive the benefits of regular exercise.

Core Practice: Martial Arts

The philosophy and teaching stories of the martial arts have been a passion for me for as long as I can remember. There is so much to learn from the martial arts about living (and dying) like a Hero. There are also a great many stories about Meeting the Mentor. Here is a selection:

A prospective student asks a Mentor how long to master the martial arts. “10 years” says the Mentor.

“What if I train all day long?”

“20 years.”

“What if I work day and night?”

“30 years.”

“What’s up with that?” asks the student.

The Mentor replies “If you have one eye on the goal, you have only one eye for the path.”

A Mentor refuses to teach a prospective student the martial arts and instead has him do manual labour. While the student is working, the Mentor sneaks up from behind and hits the student on the head with a stick. This continues for years until the student is able to anticipate the Mentor’s attack before it happens and avoid it. At that point, the Mentor says “Your training is complete.”

A King asks a Mentor what Heaven and Hell are. The Mentor calls the King a fool. The King draws his sword to kill him and the Mentor says “That is Hell!” The King stops, amazed. The Mentor says “That is Heaven!”

A prospective student meets a Mentor and tells him all about how much he has learned already. The Mentor pours the student a cup of tea and keeps pouring until the tea overflows. The student asks the Mentor what the hell he’s doing. The Mentor replies “Like this cup, you’re overflowing with knowledge. To learn more, you must empty your cup.”

Developing a martial arts practice is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself. The benefits are many:

• Improved health
• Flexibility (both physical and mental)
• Increased confidence
• Self-discipline
• Improved focus and concentration
• Reduced stress
• Self-defence ability
• Spiritual growth

I’ve been more of a jack of all trades than a master with the martial arts. I started in Judo, moved to Jujutsu for a spell, then practiced Aikido and Tae Kwon Do. I’ve also tried Karate, Capoeira, and Wushu. Currently I’m learning stick-fighting with the Bo and Tai Chi. Even though I’m somewhat of a generalist with the martial arts, my practice has brought a lot to my life. It’s made me calmer and more peaceful. It’s brought me a lot of fun and good memories. It’s improved my confidence, helped me to learn how to manage my emotions, and although I never look for a fight, I’m not afraid of one either.

The best way to get involved with the martial arts is to choose a style that suits you. Here are some examples:

• Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing are known as hard styles because they use the arms and legs for punching, kicking, and blocking. They are linear styles that focus on strength, speed, and power.
• Aikido, Judo, and Tai Chi are soft styles that focus on resolving conflict by redirecting your opponent’s energy. These systems have fluid, circular motions, utilize throws, and emphasize peace and non-violence. For an entertaining take on Tai Chi, watch Jet Li’s The Tai Chi Master.
• Wushu is a spectacular style that evolved from traditional Chinese martial arts. It uses jumps, spinning techniques, and weapons to create an energetic, performance-oriented style.
• Capoeira is a combination of music and martial arts that incorporates flips, handstands, and acrobatics. Developed in Brazil by slaves who kept their practice secret by disguising it as a dance, it is a beautiful, flowing style.
• Jujutsu, MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), and Krav Maga are known for their self-defence applications. Practical and functional, these styles focus on sparring and realistic combat. Also look into Jeet Kune Do, a martial art developed by Bruce Lee that encouraged the practitioner to take the most effective techniques from other styles and adapt them to suit their capabilities.[4]

Find a martial arts class in which you feel comfortable and start a new phase of the Journey. If you’d like to read more martial arts stories, my favourite book on martial arts philosophy is Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams.

Week 4 Exercises and Resources

1. Continue your weekly meditations. Once a day this week, listen to Week 4 - Meeting the Mentor. Continue meditating for the rest of this course and beyond.
2. Eat well. Evaluate your current diet and make substitutions based on the points in the Diet section above. Note the difference in your mood, energy level, and general well-being.
3. Create an exercise plan using the concepts outlined above and schedule it in your time management tool. Then just do it.
4. Research the various types of martial arts and find a style that appeals to you. Locate a school nearby that teaches this or a similar style and go take a class. Most schools will allow you to take a class for free to try it out.

Movies/TV

Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
The Karate Kid
Drunken Master
The Matrix
The Tai Chi Master

Books

The Abs Diet by David Zinczenko
Body for Life by Bill Phillips
Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams

Week 5

Contents