Baby Steps to Change

Let’s face it, no matter how positive we are or how well we take care of ourselves, all days are not created equally.

We have ups and we have downs.

Change takes energy.  On our up days, we have enough–we follow our plans–we behave (be have) in a way that supports our intentions.

But when we have low energy, we rely on habit.  And if our habits are not good for us, we know it on some level and judge ourselves harshly.  You know the routine–it’s a downward spiral that leads us in the wrong direction.  Self-punishment is a poor reaction but when you feel bad about your self, you will behave badly–see how it goes?

What I propose is that we allow ourselves to take baby steps, recognizing progress  as the goal and self-reward.

Ask your self this: “Did I do better today than yesterday?”  Let that be your measuring stick, if you need one.

Soon, I’m wagering, you will feel better about your self and so your choices become ones that serve you–they become the new norm, the habit that helps, rather than the one that you have to police your self against.

Baby steps example:

“I want to do more Yoga to become more limber and strong.”

If I stretch in a yoga-like manner, doing only 3 positions during the day, I allow myself to say, “I did yoga today.”  And it hasn’t cost me much to do them–I can whip out 3 positions as I walk between rooms, after all.  It’s not taking my energy like it seems to when I :  1) make a special time, 2) dress for it, 3) play relaxing mood music–all nice things but…they keep me from actually doing yoga!

So–after a few days of doing the 3 positions– I add another one… and get comfortable with how doable 4 exercises are.

Then, I’m feeling good about myself and my consistency, and I’m inclined to sit on the floor and stretch while watching TV, all the while, a part of me knows that I’m becoming even more flexible and strong–“oh what a good girl am I !”  I am accomplishing the goal of being better each day.

You see where this is going?

I lost weight this way too–so I know that it works.  Someday, I’ll blog about that journey.

 

 

 

I hate being cold!

I hate being cold.

I mean, I really hate it.

It deters me from personal improvement–and that’s a fragile commitment as it is.

Drafty floors and Yoga?  Not so much.

And daily moisturizing seems to be a warm-weather affair.  Cold lotion on my already chilled skin is like torture and I am loathe to do it.

Idea!   I will place the lotion bottle–(Neutragena Emulsifying Lotion–is my favorite of all time– and this was not a paid plug), under my electric blanket!  Genius!

Maybe I’ll just keep it there all Winter long.

You do what you gotta` do, sometimes, right?