Running on - Discipline...
I've been told on more than one occasion that I am incredibly disciplined. From walking the dog every night no matter the temperatures (tonight will be a chilly one - note: we don't do rain), to keeping my morning pages. From diligently prepping healthy snacks on Sunday so we don't reach for the junk, to making shopping lists and sticking with them. When people point this strength out to me, I am surprised. I don't see it.
But, I guess it's true. I do keep some very good habits only because if I didn't consciously work on them, I'd be at loose ends. My dog would be an orangutan without her daily exercise (my couch would be in jeopardy), my weight would be 30 pounds more than it is, my life would feel chaotic. And I've worked hard over the past year (previous challenge #365) to cultivate other good habits I've always wanted to have (green tea consumption, moisturizing more than once a month...year..., drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day).
So, the question arose as to why I've never applied that self-discipline to my running? Good question, Janet (yeah, I asked it of myself ;), and one that has me looking at this challenge (C2FM) in a whole different light than previous attempts to follow a plan. As mentioned before, I tend to fall of the wagon.
One of my 'aha' moments from #365 was understanding that a habit is more likely to stick if I can tie it in with something. For example, I wanted to eat something small first thing in the morning (I tended to just have coffee), so my 'trigger' was getting up. No coffee poured until I had a banana and either a spoonful of PB or a PB and Pumpkin Energy Ball. Get out of the shower, moisturize. Prep veggies right after bringing home the groceries on Sunday. Kettle on to make green tea as soon as my lunch was over. You get the picture - I needed a trigger in order to remember the habit I wanted to form.
My running/strength training/swim program for C2FM is also based on a trigger - but the trigger is time. I've designated 11:30 as my exercise time. No, I'm not that rigid that I stop everything at 11:30 and workout - but as I sit at the computer for the day job, the clock reminds me of my time-frame. The other tie-in is that I don't want to eat lunch before I work out. Eat lunch and my workout time gets pushed back (and possibly put off). So, when my stomach starts to growl, there's another trigger to step away from the desk and get my workout done.
Head games also help - and for this program, I simply tell myself that it's a small portion of my day. It's not all day - a blip in the 15 or so hours I am awake. Of course, I've already written about my use of bribery ;)
J
But, I guess it's true. I do keep some very good habits only because if I didn't consciously work on them, I'd be at loose ends. My dog would be an orangutan without her daily exercise (my couch would be in jeopardy), my weight would be 30 pounds more than it is, my life would feel chaotic. And I've worked hard over the past year (previous challenge #365) to cultivate other good habits I've always wanted to have (green tea consumption, moisturizing more than once a month...year..., drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day).
So, the question arose as to why I've never applied that self-discipline to my running? Good question, Janet (yeah, I asked it of myself ;), and one that has me looking at this challenge (C2FM) in a whole different light than previous attempts to follow a plan. As mentioned before, I tend to fall of the wagon.
One of my 'aha' moments from #365 was understanding that a habit is more likely to stick if I can tie it in with something. For example, I wanted to eat something small first thing in the morning (I tended to just have coffee), so my 'trigger' was getting up. No coffee poured until I had a banana and either a spoonful of PB or a PB and Pumpkin Energy Ball. Get out of the shower, moisturize. Prep veggies right after bringing home the groceries on Sunday. Kettle on to make green tea as soon as my lunch was over. You get the picture - I needed a trigger in order to remember the habit I wanted to form.
My running/strength training/swim program for C2FM is also based on a trigger - but the trigger is time. I've designated 11:30 as my exercise time. No, I'm not that rigid that I stop everything at 11:30 and workout - but as I sit at the computer for the day job, the clock reminds me of my time-frame. The other tie-in is that I don't want to eat lunch before I work out. Eat lunch and my workout time gets pushed back (and possibly put off). So, when my stomach starts to growl, there's another trigger to step away from the desk and get my workout done.
Head games also help - and for this program, I simply tell myself that it's a small portion of my day. It's not all day - a blip in the 15 or so hours I am awake. Of course, I've already written about my use of bribery ;)
J
Comments
Post a Comment