What this essentially means is that I’m trying to consciously prevent myself from overdoing things. And that’s something I’m always in danger of.
This morning was one such example. I decided to sleep in and skip exercise. The day resulted to be slightly lower in energy as compared to the first 3 days this week but I see that as essential in sustaining the exercise habit. Setting up simple container systems are helping. For example, I have negative consequences on my daily points system (minor, but still..) if I miss 2 days of exercise in a row. However, I’m also trying to make sure I don’t do 3 days of exercise in a row. I’m building slack into the system, intentionally.
And this is a big evolution in my thinking. Previously, I used to go where my energy took me. So, if this was the week of exercise, I would do it 7 days a week, if necessary and often at the expense of something else. And if the energy stars are not aligned next week, too bad.
Essentially, I was doing great starting things but the follow up was questionable. Over time, the realization that it’s not a battle, but a war began to sink in. And, as a result, I’m trying to be conscious of when to take breaks – even if things seem to be coasting in a particular week. Some weeks are, of course, better than others. But, taking my foot off the gas occasionally seems to keep the bar higher on average while continuing to allow for the spikes.
A Learning a Day 