Sunday, October 30, 2011

A B'klynHeart Mantra: Resolution. Evolution. Revolution.

  • Resolution a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something;  the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.;  the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

  • Evolution - any process of formation or growth; development; a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development.

  • Revolution - a sudden, complete or marked change in something; a procedure or course, as if in a circuit, back to a starting point; a single turn of this kind.

  • Game Face on.
    As of late, The Voice has gained influence in the mornings.


    (No, not that The Voice.*)


    I don't know if I've blogged about it before, but I do know that I've told many of The Voice, the thing in the back of my head that tells me the all of the important and fully valid reasons why I should not exercise.  These excuses include:


    You've worked a full day today and you're tired.  Surely exercise will only make you more tired!  (I know this is a falsehood, but "the voice" says it with such conviction...)


    Hey, it's pretty hot outside.  You hate exercising in the hot weather, and the gym is pretty far, you car won't even cool down by the time you get there!  (LIES, all of them, but they sound so true...)


    Hey, it's cold outside.  Your toes will freeze and it'll just be miserable and you'd give up anyway!  (More lies.  I sometimes like the cool better than the warm.  Also, after about 30 seconds of movement I'm ready to start taking off layers.... but The Voice does have a point about my toes, which freeze almost instantly, so...)


    And finally, the iron-clad, number one excuse my The Voice has given me to not exercise at any particular time I even have a vague thought to do so:


    Today's day name ends in the letter Y.  You really shouldn't exercise today.


    How do you even begin to argue that?


    About a year and change ago, I discovered a chink in the armor that is the voice, a way to get my fitness in and not allow the voice to interfere.  It was pretty simple:


    The Voice, much like The Husband, loves to sleep in.


    Hence, I started waking up super early to get in my run, step, Body Pump, gym, random On Demand workout videos... all while The Voice peacefully slept away.


    This worked for a very long time... 


    ... but lately (and perhaps it was bored with nothing to do, so it started going to bed earlier), I've started hearing The Voice in the morning.


    The message is clear and simple:


    You can always do that later.


    Well played, The Voice.  Well played.


    You see, with very little effort, all of the old excuses become stronger, and my intents weaker.  My clever plan no longer works, and later never comes.


    I'm finding this is leaving me a little irritated (mostly at myself), frustrated (mostly at myself) and completely miserable.  As of late, it is also finding me slipping back to old, bad habits.


    I've been trying to put on a brave and happy face... but I realize I haven't been actually done anything to change my circumstances.
    - - - - -
    Now, many things have sparked a vague motivation in the past couple of months that fizzled after two seconds (The Voice is good), but reading a blog entry on Oh She Glows has got me once again thinking I want to get started again, but this time with an outlined plan.


    To the voice, I will simply drown it out with my mantra:


    Resolution.  
    Evolution.
    Revolution.
    The idea came from yoga (when I tried to start that up again); the instructor taught us about the universal Soham mantra to help regain focus in the practice when our minds started to wander off to places, and I found it really helped and refocused my practice.

    During a run shortly thereafter, where all I wanted to do was stop and go home and simply not exercise (I really don't know why, the effort pays off and I feel great, yet I still never want to get started), my mind focused in on three words:


    Resolution.  
    Evolution.
    Revolution.
    It Evolved to include the other two words, which I found to sound very similar and be very applicable to my life.  I just listened to the words, and repeated them over and over in my head methodically, "feeling" the shape of their sounds. 
    It ended with a Resolution to finish my run... but wait, I already had.  
    Where does the time go? 
    So these are my new weapons to combat the voice and not only regain my fitness, but also other areas of my life as well. 

  • Have a plan.   
  • Remember my mantra and use it to combat The Voice.
  • Blog all about it.  Because I know the two of you who actually read my blog are totally interested, right?


  • That's that.  I'm now actually off to the gym, as was my resolution to blog before heading out.  I'll be checking in and letting you know my progress, as well as catch up on many fun adventures as of late, including our trip to Asheville NC, more vegan cooking, a little more detail about my mantra, and upcoming projects of all sorts.

    Let it be cold outside, and let The Voice try to stop me.  I'm getting back in the game!
    *Oddly enough, my "the voice" can sometimes achieve that particular Aguilera warble we all know well.

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