Eleven Days and Counting

I'm not entirely sure I trust the research that states a habit is formed in about 21 days because I feel it's a bit of a one-size-fits-all concept, but being ten days away from that magic number makes me feel somewhat confident that my New Year's resolutions of daily meditation and removing my sweat-soaked workout clothes from the bathtub once they're finished drying are actually sustainable goals.

To keep track of meditations, I have an app on my phone called "Calm" that I highly recommend. Each day, there is a 10-minute meditation that focuses on a positive message in addition to a ton of guided meditations that target whatever you feel you need to focus on at any given moment. One of my favorite features is a section called "Sleep Stories", which is a collection of bedtime stories that lull you to sleep. Yes, you read that correctly. I know it sounds weird, but it actually works really well for me. I've mentioned before that I'm a terrible sleeper, and I have noticed a significant difference in my ability to both fall and stay asleep when I listen to them.

I am so incredibly zen. Look at that, y'all!

My two resolutions were so simple that I inadvertently added a third one without giving it much thought: writing down my daily exercise. I prefer to get some form of exercise seven days a week, and a bare minimum exercise week for me involves five days of some form of deliberate activity - running, walking, yoga, strengthening, and dance - but I have never been very good about keeping track of it. Using my Runner's World Training Log, I decided to jot down notes about my workout every day, which I actually found extremely motivating during last week's illness.

Admit it. You're jealous of my desktop zen
garden featuring miniature Gnomie McZen.

While I was too sick to run my usual distances, I still managed to log over 15 miles between easy runs and walking. Normally, I would feel disappointed in such low mileage, but I'm rather proud of myself for taking it easy and substituting the running with walking and gentle PT exercises that were completely doable. Writing it all down helped me stay reasonable with my activity choices and still helped me feel accomplished.

If you haven't added a resolution or two to help you get the New Year going but you would like to try adding a positive habit to your life, I really do recommend giving the exercise log and/or daily meditation a try. Like I said before, I'm not a huge fan of resolutions, but I am really enjoying these two small changes to my life.

As for the pile of workout clothes... I still hate doing laundry, but at least my bathroom looks neat and tidy.