How Mental Fitness can save us and the planet | Mark Luckey | TEDxPune

Now, as a sensei, I know that gets the kids attention, as do punishment exercises if they disrupt class. And if you've got no idea what I just said, that's fine because I'll fill you in at the end. But to make sure I keep your attention, if I hear anyone's phone, we're all doing 100 push ups. It's amazing to be part of today and to unbox with you how we can save ourselves and the planet through mental fitness. And think of mental fitness as a resilient mind that thrives in the chaos of life, supporting focus, purpose and emotional balance. And if a mental fitness practice was a gymnasium for the mind, it'd be open 247 hosting group boot camps where we sweat together whilst exercising mindfulness, good nutrition, resistance training and recovery. But you might ask, why do we need saving? Well, well, it's human nature to strive for productivity through convenience. And so we live in this contactless, AI driven world of unlimited tasty food options that we hunt with our thumbs and gather in plastic and deliver by diesel. And we feed these ultra processed, high calorie, low nutrition meals to our kids who aren't outside playing, but socialise on the same devices that brought us dinner. And it's lifestyle choices just like these that's made nearly a third of Australians obese, with India not far behind. And obesity amplifies a host of diseases that degrade our bodies and our brains and turn us into a burden on society and the planet. But it's all fixable if we consume less, have a lighter footprint and develop mental fitness. But this mental fitness doesn't come from reading self help books any more than a black belt comes from playing Mortal Kombat online. Our belt of life blackens through a consistent deliberate practice of wanting to be better. But unless we change our actions, we're going to leave behind a terrible legacy. But this change, change doesn't come from just information, inspiration or shaming. Sustainable change is aligned to personal values which inspire us. And our inspiration follows our own actions, which is often caused by discomfort. And that's what drives us to improve. It would be far more convenient to avoid the discomfort of confrontation and allow my teenage daughter to take her phone into her room at night. But the research says that not only will it cost her valuable sleep, but over time significantly increase her chance of developing mental illness. To make sure I've still got the gentleman's attention, other uncomfortable research says that regular bad sleep shrinks our testicles. We have to trust the robust science and apply it to Our lives. So Today, during my 29th trip to Puna, we unbox a lifestyle choice for the hybrid world to reimagine the workday as a mental fitness boot camp that not only makes the boss happier, but enables us to do more, to be more and to be worth more, to decrease the burdens of aging and the burden that we place on the planet. And it can be done because I've done it. So I'll share a little bit of my story with you. At the end of January 2020, I was Sensei Mark, the veteran national karate champion, training in Sydney with the Australian team, preparing to fight at the World Masters Games in Tokyo. And from Sydney, I was flying to Puna, where I was CIO of a booming multinational travel company. But by April, I was washing down junk food with scotch, watching the world shut down, watching on a pathway to becoming a depressed alcoholic. These lifestyle choices were bringing about toxic repercussions incredibly fast and I needed to save myself. So in lockdown one, I took the time and I began my practice. And ever since, I've recorded its evolution on my watch and in my journals and I've studied and I've applied that knowledge and I've learned that scientists and philosophers across the seas and the ages have all come to many of the same conclusions. And that the easiest way to summarise thousands of hours of personal research and experimentation is to unbox with you what goes into the perfect mental fitness day. Well, it starts at 4:45am by cursing Robin Sharma for riding the 5am Club out the door for a five kilometer stumble that turns into a run meditating box, breathing my affirmations out loud to a rising sun. Some studying, some journaling, and at 6am a 30 second cold shower, no fossil fuels needed to heat that tiny amount of water. Wide awake, consuming one less coffee for the day and regarded as an effective treatment against depression. Get some work done and then at 7 o', clock, make the family breakfast. And food for us. And the planet is simple. Avoid it if it's made in a plant, but if it's made from plants, eat plenty with other people. Mindless eating in front of screens leads to the consumption of more calories. Now back to that mental morning routine. It turns us on. It tunes our internal orchestra. The rising sun, regulating our circadian cycle helps setting good sleep patterns. A process called hormesis protects us against the cold water by supercharging our metabolism and our immune system and helping recycle damaged cells to make new ones. They were right when they said what doesn't kill us actually makes us stronger. But when we work in hybrid, we we sit a lot. And that increases cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal issues, and can negatively impact our mood. All of which is fixable by a magic pill called exercise. So to work, follow your version of the Pomodoro method. 25 minute bursts of work tracked on a timer. And when it rings, six minutes of push ups, sit ups, burpees and squats FL followed by two minutes of mindful box breathing. It boosts brain function, it decreases our reliance on coffee and sugar, and it helps negate the effects of sitting. Get back to the desk and Repeat that for eight to 10 cycles. And for this guy down here on WhatsApp, that's how you'll be able to manage your 100 push ups. And with the workday done, meticulously plan for tomorrow. Go for a walk, nurture a hobby, put down the screens, and practice good sleep hygiene. When we sleep well, we shift from fight or flight to repair and recovery. Our brains are cleaned, which helps prevent Alzheimer's, and hormones regulate our hunger. Good sleep is central if you want to prosper now. Perfect days like this are few and far between, because every day life happens. And that's okay, because having perfect days isn't as important as continually striving for them. Because it's through a consistent, deliberate practice that is the bridge between us today and a better version of ourselves tomorrow. Some days, practice gets crazy, especially if you had 300 days of lockdowns in Melbourne to practice with. So by lockdown two, my Zoom calls were done standing up with 50 squats and bicep curls. Falling increases as a cause of death as we age, and strong muscles keep us upright for longer. And it turns out activating those muscles helps increase the elasticity of our skin, making us look younger. Or you can rub in chemicals made in a factory delivered by Diesel. And I turned my scheduled work calls into hands free walks through the park to the grocer. And when I got home, I'd combine those ingredients with lettuce, tomato and chili from the garden to make a whole food mega salad for the family, packed with micronutrients that support a healthy brain and gut lining. By lockdown three, I discovered stacking habits. So I filmed a daily motivational YouTube philosophy video while standing under a cold shower. And I learned cold showers don't kill us. And neither does fasting for 20 hours and then running 20 kilometers. And if I got home and jump in an ice bath, not only would I decrease Inflammation supercharge my recovery. But I would benefit through stress transferral. Ancient warrior creeds say he who sweats more in training bleeds less in war. If we deliberately bear discomfort in one part of our life, the resilience we build benefits all parts of our life. So I managed my emotional and workload stress of the pandemic through fasting, exercising more and taking cold showers. And with great pride. Through 2020 I was the CIO servant leader mental fitness coach to an amazing IT team isolated across 17 lounge rooms and hallways in four continents as together we successfully lifted our travel business to the digital cloud. Time passed, exercise loads grew. I threw in daily saunas with the ice baths and whilst being a dad and helping with the homework and building a new company and completing my accreditation to become a mental fitness coach. In 2023 at age 49, I qualified to represent Australia as a long distance Spartan racer. Thank you. But the peak crazy in my practice came from my version of the Okugake, an ancient Buddhist practice to gain spiritual enlightenment through extreme physical challenge. So on 25 May 2021, I ran to a beach and I saw the sun rise over crashing surface. I walked into driving rain through which the sun painted rainbows against a stormy sky. And by 5pm I'd covered 32 kilometres along sand and coastal paths, fasting and in isolation, but never feeling more connected. And the art to creating a practice like this is reintroducing enough discomfort back into your life to stimulate and allow your body and your mind to thrive once again in a way that lightens your footprint. So imagine what might happen for you if you built some deliberate discomfort into your day and developed your mental fitness on a journey to being a better version of yourself. It is a tough and arduous journey that needs vision and inspiration. But I guarantee you it's guaranteed to bring you roi. My inspiration, My vision is to be Sensei Grandad Lucky, presenting karate belts to my grandchildren and to plant a tree with them under which they will shade with their children. To Shu Ha Ri Hybrid warriors of TEDx Puna 2023. Find what inspires you and chase it. The exercise will do you and the planet a world of good. I thank you for your patience and for your attention. Take your ready position. Hyaku Renji Toku for training a lot will become your treasure. Shu Ha Ri Learn, grow and transcend. An acknowledgement to push and to endure. And with enormous gratitude to everyone who made today happen. I hope that the light in me has shined to the light in all of you. Namaste.