Freakin' Fitness > Power Nap

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On those afternoons when the fog really rolls in over my gray matter and my concentration begins to wane and my energy starts to flow out my toes, I take a break in the action in the form of a “power nap.” No, I don’t require my favorite blanket or suck my thumb…anymore!

It’s sad that the joy and benefit of napping seems to be something that only kids and seniors can embrace with a clear conscience. These days, to nap during business hours may appear to be a sign of weakness, indulgence, or even retreat. But how wrong you are! The midday power nap gives you strength, and allows you to attack the rest of your day with clarity, confidence, and renewed energy.

And the beauty of it is, the power nap can take many forms, while performing one very important function – recuperation. Seriously, I don’t need a bed, blankets, and a fluffy pillow to power nap. And I don’t need to clear my schedule for an hour in order to catch my fill of afternoon Zzzzs. All I need is to make a quick deposit into my energy bank, and I’m good to go straight through the evening.

I know I’m not the only one. While filming the TV show American Inventor for ABC-TV I would be captivated, not only by the multitude of people with wild ideas and inventions, but with my fellow panel judge Heavyweight Champ George Foreman. During prolonged breaks in the action, Big George would close his eyes, rest his hands on his knees, and shut out the world right there in his judging chair.

I wish I had that gift. My power nap requires me turn off the lights, lie down directly on the carpeted floor, and then I put my peepers out to pasture. I straighten out my legs and allow my hands to rest across my ribcage as if I were preparing for my final resting place. I resemble Frankenstein resting in a coffin!

Lying there, I clear my mind by concentrating on breathing deeply and slowly—in through the nose and out through the mouth—literally feeling the air circulate down my nostrils, through my trachea, and into my lungs as my stomach rises, continuing to concentrate on the reverse process as the air exits up and out through my mouth. I open my eyes after about five minutes and instantly feel a tremendous sense of energy in my mind and body. It’s the perfect period of timeout to meditate, recuperate, and resuscitate my system.

And if I’m lucky, my clothes aren’t wrinkled! -- PC