
I have been working to get back into an exercise routine. I learned long ago that I am not an early morning gym attendee so I exercise later in the afternoon or at night. I feel better, I sleep better, everything just seems to ‘do’ better, but boy is being consistent a tough goal. As I get older I am reminded more and more that getting old is not for sissies.
One day of exercise feels great, day two is okay as you still feel a bit of momentum, day five is a hurdle and day eight can feel like you’re almost there but it can still feel like a long road. I was doing much better in August and September then we went on vacation and my routine was blown to bits.
Starting something new is fun and exciting, getting back into a wanted routine can feel good but not as exciting as it was the first time. So there is the need to rally the troops – all your emotions and all your energy – to get back into line with what you want to accomplish. Be it school, exercise, stopping a bad habit, starting a new job, moving to a new house, anything that is a change can feel daunting until you get it down to a habit.
Habits take twenty-one days to develop. It takes that long for your mind and body to see it as a routine and part of regular life, something that just happens everyday. When you stop the habit even for one day, you start those twenty-one days all over again. So patience and consistency helps. Take the thing you want to do and do it today. Don’t worry about tomorrow, tackle it one day at a time. The road is along and life is a marathon not a sprint. So do the thing you want to do today and celebrate today’s accomplishment; it can feel like a long road so celebrate your win and go to sleep. As Scarlet O’Hara said in Gone With the Wind, ‘Tomorrow is another day.”
I’m listening to an audiobook about habits right now. Very informative! Good luck on keeping yours going !
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