Triggers & Habits

Sorry for the silence. Things at work have been so hectic! The last thing I want to do when I wrap up for the day is to get back online. That said though, I thought that makes this an even more important time to open up and do my usual brand of over-sharing. After all, my sole purpose for writing this blog is to help you... on the off chance that any of this does in fact help you. I had a call today with a colleague. When I asked how she was, she replied "Busy, just like everyone else." Good point. Every one of us can say that... especially as we approach the Holidays. Busyness mixed with a just a pinch of seasonal depression... then sprinkle in a dose of Holiday comfort food and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.

So, let's talk about habits for a minute. We all have them. Good and bad. We've talked a lot about building good habits with exercise and routine. It's easy to talk about in the summertime when the days seem to go on forever. Not so much this time of year. At least not for me. These past couple of weeks, I've found it harder and harder to get my 40 minutes in. Even 30. My new habit is to do a 10 minute workout with the kids in front of the TV after dinner. I've been doing it almost every day. They think it's fun and like to join in. I don't even think about it anymore... it's just part of the day. Today, I added in another 10 in the middle of the day. If I can do 2 at least 6 days a week, I'll be thrilled.

That brings me to the idea of triggers. I'm a stress eater... so I have had to work really hard to identify and pinpoint my triggers. Boredom. Stress. Lack of sleep. Feeling like I failed in some way... like missing workouts. All of those are triggers for me that kick in old bad habits. I'm trying to use those same triggers to my benefit. Now that I've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that barre3 is my very next coping mechanism for stress, I'm trying to use it as a determining factor for when to do my mid-day workout. That moment when I feel frazzled... so much to do I don't know where to start... I'm stopping for 10 minutes, pressing play, and coming back at it a little more centered.

I'm going to build new habits associated with my triggers. One day at a time.

Body wisdom is a journey... and we're on it together!

Is the stress of season getting to you? I'd love to hear your best practices!

xo
Jenn