Weezy Wednesday: Whole30: Day 23

Three weeks in…..how are you feeling?   Are you feeling the energy?  Sleeping more deeply? 

This is the second time around for me.  I had to pull my journal from before to remember what was happening to me at this point in the 30 days.  It is not really a fair comparison.  October is less hectic work wise for me than January.  But on day 19, I was feeling the energy!  I was getting things done, checking them off the list.  This time, not so much, and that makes me sad!  

I have some sleep issues going on, and a nagging headache that haunts me especially in the mornings.  I am working on increasing my water intake as dehydration, even minor dehydration can trigger a headache.  I try to drink at least 8 cups a day (not counting any coffee or tea).  But if I am in the zone of work, I can forget all about water.  At times, I can arrive at bedtime having only consumed 4-5 cups.  I would not advise trying to suck down the remainder right before bed; it will most definitely disrupt your sleep!  So, now, I down a cup when I wake, a cup with my fish oil, and a cup on my drive to work.  If I start the day with water, I will want to drink it all day.  If I don’t, I’ll forget about it.  It’s habit.

But darn, habits are hard to make!

'Nuff said

For a number of years now, I have been plagued with back and hip pain.  Stretching is indeed helpful to keep what flexibility I have, but it is hard!   I wanted a routine that would not take too long.  I really wanted to do it in the morning, to stretch and warm up my muscles and joints after sleep, and also in the evening after sitting in front of a computer all day.

When she was home at Christmas, CQK very graciously worked up a yoga routine for me to do.  10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening, perfect!  She walked me through each pose, giving me modifications when necessary. She showed me how to ease into the stretch and to stop if there was any pain. 

I have done the routine twice. Don’t want to overdo it!  

Seriously, why is it so difficult to do this?  I know it will (eventually) make me feel better, give me more flexibility and ease some of the discomfort in the back and hips. But when I open my eyes at 6:15, I am not thinking stretch, I am thinking coffee.  

I’m sure you have heard it takes 21 days to develop a habit.  I actually think I need longer than that, but that’s just me.  Instilling habit also takes motivation, a reason to perform the habit, a goal.  In my case, this would be LESS PAIN.  If this was attainable after one set of yoga poses, this would be easy.  Alas, it is not. It takes time and work so the goal has to be significant. Less pain is very significant.

Next, you need a trigger, an action the habit can link to. Since I want to do the yoga in the mornings, I need to chose an event that occurs every morning and, at this point, consciously perform the yoga routine after that event. Again, in my case, getting out of bed would be my trigger.  

And last, a reward, YES!  (Not chocolate). Oh, ok.  This is not like the motivation. This is an immediate reward for performing the habit.  In the morning, coffee will definitely be my reward.

                                                                                   Finally!

With my trigger, motivation, and reward in place, the final piece is to just get up and do it.My bed is oh so warm, and my taste buds yawn in anticipation of a steaming cup of caffeine, but my hip is begging for mobility. So I'll fumble out of bed and pamper that hip. I'll  just do it.

Take a minute to write down a trigger, motivation, and reward if your struggling to make something a habit, Whole30 related or not. Then resolve to do it. We'll be here to cheer you on!

Weezy