Get Moving

I've been doing a lot of talking about exercise lately. I'm going to start exercising, someday, probably, well maybe. I'll start tomorrow; no, I'm busy tomorrow, this weekend - oops, lots of plans for this weekend...how about next Monday?
I've tried a few gimmicks like self-hypnosis. That helps to an extent, but still...
Yesterday I got some good advice that I think will help:
     Instead of this full-blown, "I will exercise" that is really very vague, I need to tell myself specifics. So, today I will start moving more by parking further away from the door, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, getting up at least once an hour at work and walk around, etc... Then build on that for tomorrow...tomorrow I will get on the elliptical at 6:30, then I will dig out my "Sweatin' to the Oldies" VHS tape for Monday morning, etc. The idea is that I Get Moving. It could be stretching while I do housework, squats while I brush my teeth, whatever it is, make specific statements for what I plan to accomplish every day as it relates to "exercise". I don't need to plan time to read because I do that whenever I have spare time, and it's something I love to do so I'm not going to procrastinate. But this "exercising" stuff is something I never seem to have time for, so I need to make it a part of my daily routine. I need to think of it as moving instead of exercising because anything I do that isn't sitting at my computer is an exercise-type accomplishment (especially since I love being on the computer).
So what are you waiting for? Get moving!

Do It

One of my two New Years Themes is "Do It"

Long before Nike started using the motto “Just Do It”, my boss was using the phrase at work.  He didn’t (and still doesn’t) like too many questions.  So, if I was working on a project and had a decision to make, plus a question or two, his response would be “Just do it.  I’ll check the whole thing when you’re done.”  To me this seemed like a total waste of time.  What if I made the wrong decisions?  What if I did the whole project wrong?  Why not just answer my questions, so I can do it right the first time?

In his mind, it was easier to check it as a whole project than to answer individual aspects of it; making decisions about each little thing when he wasn’t directly working on the project.  Even if I missed the mark on it, most of what I had done would still be salvageable.

Over time, I began to see this as a useful way to address most things in life.  Before using this as a type of "life philosophy," I’d think something to death before acting on it, and that still didn’t ensure a correct decision; it just delayed the decision, and left me questioning what I was doing.  Sometimes, overthinking caused me to be overwhelmed, and so I just did nothing.

Now that I’ve conscientiously put it into practice, it’s worked out great for me:
I wanted to go to Europe.  So, at ages 49 and 50, I went to Europe.
I wanted to get my Bachelor’s Degree.  So, at age 52, I got my Bachelor’s degree.
I wanted to write a book.  So, at age 52, I wrote a book (unpublished).

There are so many things in this life that I still want to do.  I need to get off my butt, and just

 do it!

How I spent New Year's Eve

I spent New Year's Eve this year with my husband (a rare opportunity, because he usually works all day and then wants to go to bed early), playing Wii Sports, drinking chocolate wine, and sneezing.  I have a cold, and it seems to be getting worse instead of better.

However, I didn't want to miss posting my philosophical approach to 2016...
I see New Years as a chance for a new beginning.  My sins of the past are dead and buried, my hopes for the future are just within my grasp.  Like the old saying goes, “today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

Technically, I gave up on New Year’s Resolutions many years ago, but I can’t quite help but think about what they would be, if I were to list them.  One of my old blog posts was somehow, magically, emailed to me this morning, and I thought, “that sounds pretty good.  I’ll do that.”  So, I’m making a New Year’s “Theme” (actually, 2):

  “Do It” and “Be Myself”.  

Both parts of these themes have a history to them, which I might go into later.
From my 2013 blogpost:

"Rules to Live By"

(in no particular order)

Only eat if I'm hungry.

Stop eating when I'm full.

The couch and laptop are not bodily parts, 

so make an effort to break away from them once in a while.

Go for a walk.

Take care of tasks as they come up instead of adding to the never-ending "to do" list.

Just "be"; live in the moment.  Quit reliving the past and worrying about/planning the future.

Forgive.  Let go.

Try new things.

Do what makes me happy.

Say what I feel.

Relax.  Meditate and pray.

Learn.

Be kind.

Help others.

Listen.

Appreciate.

Count my blessings.

For the full post, click here

What did you do for New Year's Eve?  What are your themes, resolutions, or goals for the new year?

A New Year's Revolution

It's a "revolution" because it's time to change the status quo.  It's time to take a firm stance that I'm going to improve.  I learned that some of the problems with New Year's resolutions are that they need motivation in order to work.  We can only motivate ourselves for so long and often times, its not long enough to turn a new way of life into a habit.  You need at least 6 weeks for that, and even then, its easy to slip back into our old ways.  We have this mental block towards New Year's resolutions.  They are usually a big departure from our normal way of living, and we give ourselves a lot of slack to fail, because, they're "just" New Year's resolutions; not to be taken seriously.  Knowing this and being somewhat of a hopeless optimist (sometimes), I'm trying a little bit of a different approach, and starting a bit later too, to avoid the rush at the gym.  So, my New Year's resolution is to devise a list of:

"Rules to Live By"
(in no particular order)

Only eat if I'm hungry.
Stop eating when I'm full.
The couch and laptop are not bodily parts, so make an effort to break away from them once in a while.
Go for a walk.
Take care of tasks as they come up instead of adding to the never-ending "to do" list.
Just "be"; live in the moment.  Quit reliving the past and worrying about/planning the future.

Forgive.  Let go.
Try new things.
Do what makes me happy.
Say what I feel.
Relax.  Meditate and pray.
Learn.
Be kind.
Help others.
Listen.
Appreciate.
Count my blessings.