Friday, January 16, 2015

New Year's Habits

Welcome to 2015! I hope everyone's New Year has been treating them well so far.  Let's talk about resolutions, no, habits.  I have decided this year that instead of making all of my resolutions at once, I'm going to slowly build on good habits.  I'm borrowing a bit from the Zen Habits Sea Change Program, where he adds a habit a month, with some adjustments.  This doesn't mean I don't have major goals for the year though. Let's start with those:

1. Get married! I don't know if I can reasonably call this a goal, per se, but I'm counting it here.  We've got the date set for August 8, and planning is in full swing.
2. Check off something from my fitness bucket list: I want to do something major that I haven't done before this year.  I'm thinking a sprint triathlon, but right now I'm in search mode for the perfect event.
3. Transition at work: I'll be moving from the litigation pool to a specific department in the spring so most of my work habits this year will be either preparing for or adjusting to that transition.

Next: habits.  This January, I've been working on doing some meditation every day in the morning.  Just two minutes, focusing on my breathing, as recommended by the Sea Change program.  It is difficult for me to focus, even for a small amount of time, but the key is to recognize the distracting thoughts and return focus back to breathing.  I have succeeded in doing it at least five out of seven days the first two weeks of January.

Second, I bought an unlimited pass at a nearby yoga studio.  I have really been enjoying the Hatha Yoga classes there.  These are gentle, stretching classes, as opposed to the power or hot yoga classes I was taking previously.  It is nice to have a workout but feel relaxed instead of in complete pain after.

Finally, I am searching for the perfect workout app.  For some reason, I find it easier to remember to workout if the step by step instructions are on my phone, particularly if the app provides a timer and everything.  I have been trying the app from the people that made the "You Are Your Own Gym" workout routine (YAYOG).  It isn't perfect: I prefer a full body workout and they do arm/leg days, and I find the title a little misleading (two of the workouts on arm day require some equipment to pull on.  They suggest a table and a door for those, but when I workout at my fiancee's apartment, there isn't either of those so I have to work around that).  I am going to keep using it as much as I can to see if I am going to stick to that or find a new one.

Do you guys make resolutions, goals, or habits? What are they for 2015? Do you have any workout app suggestions? I'd love to hear it in the comments.

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