Mindfulness Mode

Zach Tucker has a passion for helping people define and meet their wellness goals. He thinks that every person is different and there is no one size fits all solution for someone’s wellness. He is on a mission to share his story and some of the tools that helped him on his own wellness journey. Zach is certified to teach yoga and Insanity® Live. Jeremy Grater is a married father of two young girls and lives in rural British Columbia. He’s been in the broadcasting and podcasting business for about two decades. Jeremy is a certified REBT Mindset Life Coach.

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Contact Info

• Website: thefitmess.com
• Blog: The Fit Mess Blog
• Podcast: The Fit Mess Podcast

Most Influential Person

• Jeremy: His Therapist
• Zach: His Yoga Instructor

Effect on Emotions

• As someone who battles depression, it is an ongoing struggle. I have so much empathy for people that also battle it and don't have the tools that I have. Even today, I'm going through some conflicts at home and some relationship issues. I am trying to make space for the feelings I'm having. Those feelings are not me; they are thoughts I'm having about myself and my role in my family and my work life.
• I can't listen to the stories that I'm telling myself right now because they're toxic and terrible. They're going to perpetuate more stagnation, so I'm trying hard today to create that space and allow for a separation between who I am and what I'm experiencing because they are very different, no matter how much the story I'm telling myself is that they are one and the same.

Thoughts on Breathing

• I actually breathe in a very specific pattern before and after meetings. If I just have an anxious moment, I do something called Box Breathing. You inhale to a count of five, four, or five; you hold it at the top for four or five; you exhale for four or five; hold it at the bottom for four or five and repeat that.
• All it takes is maybe even just a minute and a half of doing that. But ideally, you want to do it for about five minutes. That actually activates your vagus nerve and starts to reduce or start to activate your calming across your entire body. It's one of the most amazing things that I've ever discovered. And it's free, and it's built-in already.

Suggested Resources

• Book: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment By Eckhart Tolle
• App: Calm 

Bullying Story

• In seventh grade, one of my friends, Eric went around pantsing everybody all the time That was his thing; he would run up and just drop someone's pants to humiliate them. Everyone would laugh. One day, I decided I was gonna get him back for everybody that he had done in the past. The guy was devastated, and he went to the principal to tattle on me, so I got detention. I laughed the whole time because I was like, you get what you get, you know. But in retrospect, that wasn't the right thing to do. You know, I humiliated somebody. No matter how much pain he brought to others, I should have had more compassion. But I was a seventh grader. I was a dope.
• I actually had an interesting experience one year where all of my friends turned against me. I'd find random things in my locker that should not have been there. It was very weird, but it all disappeared the next year.
• Looking back, I guess I was bullied for the year. And then I went and worked with my dad, who was a house painter. And if anyone has ever painted a room, you know, there's nothing more monotonous than painting a room. You need to be present, and you need to know where the brush is going. He was an old-school house painter. And I don't think I realized then that I spent the whole summer being mindful.
• When school started again, I just didn't care. I walked in and was like; I'm okay; life is life. And everyone saw that what they were doing to me wasn't bothering me anymore. And then everything just kind of turned around.