Healthy Habits

I was busy today with life, but mostly decorating, I was spray painting lots and making fall decorations.  So, it's time to get ready for bed, so while the kids were having a snack of rolls and milk before bedtime I did a quick 10 minute workout - repeat the following circuit set 10 times:

• 50 mountain climbers
• 10 deadlifts (I held two 30 lb dumbbells)

It took me about a minute to do a set, so took me 10 minutes.  500 mountain climbers and 100 deadlifts total.  Quick workout, but I did it. 

I agree with Zuzka who said once that exercising is a hygiene like brushing your teeth, you just gotta do it and I don't feel complete if I don't do it.  It's an important habit to establish.  And speaking of habits, here's a good quote I heard at church on Sunday from the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg:

Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. Left to its own devices, the brain will try to make almost any routine into a habit, because habits allow our minds to ramp down more often.

Habits aren’t destiny. Habits can be ignored, changed, or replaced. But the reason the discovery of the habit loop is so important is that it reveals a basic truth: When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision making. It stops working so hard, or diverts focus to other tasks. So unless you deliberately fight a habit— unless you find new routines— the pattern will unfold automatically.

Anyone can use this basic formula to create habits of her or his own. Want to exercise more? Choose a cue, such as going to the gym as soon as you wake up, and a reward, such as a smoothie after each workout. Then think about that smoothie, or about the endorphin rush you’ll feel. Allow yourself to anticipate the reward. Eventually, that craving will make it easier to push through the gym doors every day.

So, go make a plan, establish a new habit, and you'll feel great cause you'll also be helping your brain relax.