Last week, I decided to do some internal spring cleaning. New Years resolutions aren’t for me, but when spring comes around, I totally want to remake over almost everything in my life.
I shared with you last week my intentions for improving my health and well-being. If you are like me, this kind of fundamental change is hard. Changing things in my life, like:
1. Exercising every single day;
2. Eating “clean” – more green, healthful foods.
3. Waking up an hour earlier to get a great, healthy jump to the day.
We all know how important healthy habits – like eating healthy and exercise – are for our bodies and fertility, and what’s great about it is that it is something in our lives that is completely under our control! As I have been telling myself lately – especially as the business really starts to demand more of my time and energy (a good thing) – there is no excuse for bad habits. Done.
So, what have I found out the past two weeks about developing new habits? Most importantly, get as concrete as possible, and tell ourselves over and over again what we want to accomplish, that anything is possible. And it’s very rewarding as well.
Not to say that I don’t have a lot of progress still to make. I still find waking up exactly at 6a.m. is difficult, although I am waking up between 30 – 45 minutes earlier than I used to. Hitting the snooze button is so damn easy!
I have to say, exercising every morning has been very rewarding. I have an elliptical machine in our basement, and every morning, I put on my exercise clothes, throw on my music and go to town for 20 minutes. I then do a bunch of squats, push-ups and sit-ups (rotating as I feel like it). I then stretch, and fit in a 5 minute meditation. The most important thing I have been doing, however, is logging my exercise. I am finding this to be such a great way to track my progress, to see – in a very concrete way – my accomplishment in working out. And shedding some extra winter pounds feels fabulous!
I am happy to share with you this exercise log (this link will automatically download a PDF for you). Just print it out and immediately after you do your exercise for the day, log it. I am convinced this will make all the difference as it has for me already.
I used to think of exercise as an optional thing. I would feel great while doing it, but then it was always a decision…always something I could postpone for something else. My brain has changed in this regard. I don’t feel as if it is optional any longer, and so therefore, I just do it. It’s becoming like brushing my teeth, or taking a shower. We don’t think of these daily chores as optional, right? This is how I now think about exercise. My body demands it, and my brain feels refreshed and ready for the day afterward.
What habits are you thinking about establishing in your life?
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