Productivity Tuesday: Maintain Good Habits By Making It Easy On Yourself

In today's episode of Productivity Tuesday, let's talk about habits. We all recognize that we have "good" and "bad" habits. I think many of us might agree that journaling is a good habit. Many of us might also agree that drinking until you puke every Friday and Saturday night is a bad habit (It might be fun every once in a great while, but it takes its toll on our bodies, spirits, emotions, and productivity in a big, bad way). We could list a variety of habits and judge their merit, but the theme that binds them all together is that we tend to do them without giving them conscious thought.

Sure, when you are four, your parent has to remind you to brush your teeth. By the time you are an adult, you've like got that habit down. If you don't do it after every meal and before bed, you at least likely brush those pearly whites when you wake up.

Many studies have shown that repetition builds habitual action. In other words, if you want to make a behavior habitual, repeat that behavior for some time et voila, it will ingrain itself into your routine and before you know it a habit is born.

That works great if nothing in your life changes, and you can develop and maintain a consistent routine. But what happens when life blasts you a curve ball? You have to roll with it and try to maintain equilibrium in the face unexpected change. Heck, even if you knew the change was coming, a disruption to your routine can make all your good intentions go the way of the do-do.

So, what do we do? How do we ride those changes and keep our good habits on deck? We do it by making it as easy as possible to continue our habits regardless of our situations. We facilitate a pattern of behavior by creating an atmosphere where that pattern can continue unimpeded regardless of outside circumstances.

Here is an example. I have a rule that I've mentioned before. Regardless of anything else going on in my life, I am required to at least step on my yoga mat, every, single day. In my world, at my house, that is easy. I know where the mat lives. I know how much time my yoga practice will take. I know how long I can go before the dog requires his morning constitutional. So, I can practice yoga and move on with the rest of my day.

But, what happens when I have to travel like I do this coming weekend? Suddenly, the routine flies out the window. I'm in a different space, different city, and with a different schedule. And on top of that, depending on where and how I am traveling, I might not be able to bring my yoga mat with me. So, I have to plan ahead and make things easy on myself.

I figure out my morning schedule. Will I have early meetings? Great! Then, I set my alarm 30 minutes early to make room for yoga. Will I need to walk my dog because he traveled with us? No? Then, that 30 minutes is bought and paid for because I can now place yoga into that time slot. If I plan it ahead of time, my routine doesn't have to change much at all.

But what happens if I can't take my mat with me? Well, some people buy Yoga Toes. I've tried them, and they don't work for me because my feet slip out of them too easily. Instead, I created my own version of a yoga travel mat. Someday, I might even make these for sale. But for now, this is what my yoga travel mat looks like. Instead of the big, long rolled up tube, I have just a few small strips to carry with me.

It does take a little extra prep time, but that conscious planning ahead of time helps me remain true to my good habits. I look at this planning as an investment in ourselves and in our future. If we keep ourselves accountable to our inner planner, we can maintain positive habits for all the days of our lives. Remember, the habit is an ingrained unconscious behavior. But the prep time to keep that habit going? That's something we can plan and implement. And that's how we thrive!

Yoga, freedom, and forgiving ourselves

I've been using an app called Yoga Studio to create customized classes. The app has a vast number of asana that you can add, mix, match, and play with to create your own classes that address where you are in your yoga.

Playing with the app makes me feel creative and that is fun on its own. I love that I can create a class that will give me all the benefit of working and finding balance, strength, and flexibility at my level of practice for today. And what's even better, I can relax into doing the exact yoga practice I want to do for today without needing to maintain the plan, if you see what I mean. I've already made the plan and programmed it into the app. So, while I'm doing the yoga, I get to breathe, and practice. That allows me to be present in my yoga, my body, and my thoughts in way that would be much harder if I had to stop and think of what asana to do next.

I believe that our yoga experience changes day-to-day just as our ability to do yoga changes day-to-day. There are days when I feel strong and capable and practice advanced asana with little trouble. And there are days that I step on that mat and I can barely do a downward dog (and this from someone who has practiced pretty much every day for twenty years). I bet this sort of variability in ability happens to everyone. We all go through high and low times in our practices, and heck in our lives. They key when this happens is not to judge ourselves. Where we are to day is where we are today.

My deal with myself is that I am required to step on the mat every, single day. If I then do a 45-minute practice, that is excellent. If all I can do is stand on the mat and take one deep breath, I am then allowed to step off the mat, roll it up, and move on with my day.

The key? I have no judgement about what I have done because it was what I could do today.

What an amazing thought! What revolutionary change occurs inside us when we don't judge ourselves harshly for not doing something we think we *should or are supposed to * do? I would love to measure how much energy we save when we stop berating ourselves for our choices? And if we save that worrying energy, where else might we use it? Could we use it to create? Could we use it to show a kindness to someone else since we have already been kind to ourselves? Could we free ourselves to think greater thoughts for that same amount of time we might have used to worry or fret? That potential for presence and truth is just there waiting to be utilized. To me, that means for that little while, the possibilities are limitless.

I have never just stood on the mat, breathed, and walked off it, but it feels great to know that I could. It allows me to feel my freedom in the larger scope of my life that I believe is vital to living in truth, honesty, and joy.

Farewell Caffeine I have loved you well...

Dear Caffeine. Has it come to this? Have we finally reached the stage in our relationship where we must part? No! No, I say. I cry. I scream it to the heavens. I can not part from my lifelong love, my succor, the wind beneath my wings. But alas, it looks like dire circumstances have brought us to this place. My destiny lies along a different path than yours. It is one that no longer includes daily stomach cramps from having drunk you first thing.

Alack, alack, alack. I've done all the experimenting I can do (no more commercial soda for months now. I've drunk coffee hot, coffee cold, tea hot, tea cold, tea tepid, each one quickly, each one slowly, with food, without food etc etc etc), and the results are startling and unequivocal. If I drink caffeine, I will suffer the slings and arrows of belly cramps. If I don't (as in, I drink herbal stuff, hot, cold, tepid, etc.), I am fine. I have no cramps. I feel no pain, and I go about my day. The big question now is, how do I get my morning oomph? I will need to do more Chi Kung to build Chi and incorporate a bunch more warming yoga asana into my daily practice.

My mission is clear. Farewell, Caffeine. You served me well for decades, but now we part as friends. Your loyalty will be rewarded in song and story. I will hold you in my heart (just not in my mouth) forever.

Yoga Asana to Build Energy

Sun Salutation (http://www.yogaforeternalbliss.com/yoga_asanas/images/surya%20namaskar%20A.gif):

Yoga For Energy: 10 Uplifting Poses To Fight Fatigue (PHOTOS)
http://www.huffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/07/yoga-energy-fatigue_n_3536173.htmlingtonpost.com/2013/07/07/yoga-energy-fatigue_n_3536173.html

Chi King Postures To Build Energy http://qigong15.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/chi-kung-pattern.jpg

How Often Do I Move? An Experiment to Learn My Patterns

So, I'm running a wee experiment on myself. It occurs to me that I have become a bit too sedentary. Certainly, when I'm on the go, I'm out and running. But, when I'm at home, I'm noticing my tendency to sit (pretty still) and work and get stiff and hurt. It got me to thinking about how much physical activity I'm doing in any given day. I want to figure out how much and what kind.

So, here's what I'm going to do. I've set up an alarm system that will ring a bell every twenty minutes for twelve hours. During that time, every time the bell rings, I will need to do something physical. If I am already doing something physical (yoga, hiking, etc.) then I will need to up my game and do it faster or deeper depending on what is appropriate. If I am not doing something physical, if I am instead practicing music, or writing, or watching a movie, I'll be required to get up and do something like yoga, Tai Chi, stretching, jumping jacks, kickboxing, etc., for a period of at least one minute. Then, I'll go back to my previous activity.

I have a number of reasons for this.

First, I recognize that if I don't move and move pretty often, I get horribly sore. So, I need to move more and this experiment will accomplish this goal.

Second, I'd like to know exactly how I'm spending my time. Am I wasting a lot of it on tv or movies or games (not terribly, I don't think, but I'd like to know regardless).

Third, I think once I know exactly how I'm spending my time, I'll know what, if anything, I want to change to help myself be more efficient when I'm working, more productive when I'm practicing or writing, and more physical regardless of what I'm doing.

I'm going to chart my progress and likely put up little pie charts here to see what happens.

Today, I'm just setting practicing how I need to set up my metrics (what activities I generally do and how they will be entered into my database), and I'm also making sure that I do indeed get up and move when the alarm goes off.

There will be times, like when I am with a client, that I will not be able to complete my motion requirements (clients tend to frown on you getting up and doing jumping jacks while you're supposed to be reading for them or energy work on them). And I will need to see what sort of consequences I will make myself face when I do not engage in a physical activity when the alarm rings. I think it will likely be something like extra motion for longer as soon as I *can* do something, but I am not sure.

If you want to track my progress, I'll be updating everything here. I'm going to try and run this for a week and see how it goes.

Looking forward to this.

Begin at the beginning, or the middle, or the end, but begin.

Today's cards: Ace of Cups, Ace of Pentacles, Page of Pentacles. Well, then today is about beginnings. It's the first day of the rest of your life. If not now, when? Be here, now. Let's see, are there any others? Yeah, likely, but for the moment, these will do.

The Aces really speak about turning a page, in our hearts and our bodies. Begin to forgive. Begin to exercise (daily). Begin to eat healthfully. Begin to love. Begin to trust. Begin to stabilize. Begin to truly look for a job. The opportunities for a blank slate are endless, particularly if you are about  to begin a new chapter in health, wellness, and well-being.

Be the person who does these things, not because you feel guilty, by the way, but because it's time. It's time to make some changes, both sweeping and small. One tiny change in perspective, habit, action, etc., can create a ripple effect that will revolutionize our lives. Do that. That's what the page is all about. The Page is the person who takes on the task in a practical and studied manner. The Page makes revolutionary changes, one tiny step at a time.

Good luck. Oh and my change? I promise myself three things. One: I will drink water, first thing, when I wake up in the morning. No matter what. Two: I will make some sort of music, daily, whether it's singing in the car, playing recorder, guitar, or violin, or writing songs that I hum in the shower. Three: I will do yoga every single day, no matter what. Even if it's just five minutes of stretching and breathing, in bed, right before I drop off to sleep, I will do it. The yoga and music have been happening since April first. The water is new today, but all three will happen until something else either needs to be incorporated or released.

Last, but most certainly not least, if you are trying to get pregnant, today is an excellent day to go have sex with wild abandon. The moon is just past full. The Page represents the young person. And the Aces? Well, they're all about beginnings in body and heart.

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Change, sacrifice, and what I eat

Rich informed me last night that Thanksgiving is the official National Day of Overeating and that he plans on doing just that. I have not known this fact. And in fact, I don't plan to overeat. Why? There are a few reasons. First, as I get older, I can't brush off overindulging as easily as I used to. There were days (and some of you who've known me a long time will attest to this) where I overdid to extremes. And slowly, over time, my body has told me that those days are over. I can't eat like crazy anymore. I can't stay up all night (unless it's a *very* special occasion and then I pay for my indulgence later). I can't drink until I see that blurry haze, like a misty rain that covers everything.

I spent time in that world and I can't anymore. Nowadays, my desserts tend to be fruit. My drink of choice is herbal tea or my own homemade ginger ale. My mood-lifters are yoga, swimming, or hiking with Hatha. I've changed, and I am grateful for the awareness that has led me to this place. It's actually pretty instant feedback. If I overeat (especially the wrong things) my body lets me know in no uncertain terms. When I am overly full, I have some trouble taking in a full deep breath. A yoga breath or a prep breath for singing become impossible while the food is working itself through my system. And you know what? I *like* taking those deep, healing, cleansing, relaxing breaths. So, I don't overeat to keep that ability. In the end, I'd rather sing and breathe.

The sugar: I gave up sugar as a sacrifice. It was a deal I made with the universe back in April when Kimba was missing for five days. Some may think it's ludicrous to make these kinds of sacrifices in a prayerful effort to make things better. To me, it's a profound "put my money where my mouth is" opportunity. If I want things to be better, I have to do something to make them better, universally better.

It doesn't matter to me whether or not the things I do are in the exact same topical arena as what I am trying to achieve. If I add to the good in the world, and I'm doing it holistically, then the net "good" in the world is higher and that works for me. Here's my rather circuitous logic about the sugar. I work regularly to help kids learn how to save the Earth through environmental literacy and education. It takes just about every bit of energy out of me to do it (and being hypothyroid, I don't have that much energy to begin with). So, I need to do everything in my power to maintain my energy levels to do the work. Sugar, especially processed sugar, is a drug to me. Once I start eating it, I have an awful time stopping. And it saps my energy. I know it does. I can feel the sugar high/crash cycle every single time I pop some delicious sugared/processed bite of food into my mouth.

The same goes for bread. About 20 minutes after I eat bread, I become soporific. And, I don't just mean a bit tired. I mean I have trouble keeping my eyes open. I sit and I don't move and my brain shuts down. This lasts anywhere from an hour to three hours depending on what else I've eaten. So, if I want to maintain any kind of energy level, I need to stay away from bread. But, get this: I love bread. I don't just like it. I LOVE it. Like potatoes, I could eat it at any time, day or night. Toasted with a good cheese or some butter or better yet with some Nutella is my favorite way to eat it (and now that I've gone vegan, those aren't options anymore, either). And yet, I've given it up. It's not wheat that I have to give up. It's, somehow, bread. Maybe it's the yeast. I don't know. What I do know is that tortilla wraps, especially whole grain ones, don't sap me the way bread does. Other grains: quinoa, brown rice, etc. don't sap me either. It's bread that's the culprit, and bread had to go in order for me to have the energy to do my work.

The same goes for french fries. Notice, I didn't say potatoes. I said french fries. They are probably my biggest bane. I can eat potatoes at every meal and be content. I can eat hash brown for breakfast, fries at lunch and a baked potato at dinner and be perfectly happy. But, while potatoes that aren't fried add to my energy level, fries sap me also. So, I've given them up, too.

All of this stuff was given up in sacrifice so Kimba would come home and so I could do my work. I made the deal with the universe. "I'll keep myself as healthy as possible to keep being able to do the work of helping kids to care about the Earth if you'll help me find my lost kitty." Giving these things up is a hardship, believe me, but it is way more than worth it, even if there is no causality in the "real world." I don't care about rationality here. I care about the outcome. The outcome? We found Kimba. I'm eating better. I have more energy to do the outreach that is so close to my heart, and I feel better and healthier (when I get enough sleep).

There is an additional side benefit to eating the way I am eating. And don't get me wrong. This isn't a small side benefit. It's a big one and it's one I've struggled with since I was nine years old. Those of you, who know me in real life, know that I am shaped rather like a mushroom (as opposed to some who are pear shaped or apple shaped, etc.). I have small hips, and large shoulders and very large breasts. It's taken me many years to come to terms with the way I am shaped and it has provided many challenges: everything from not being able to run easily, to back issues, to having all sorts of trouble finding clothes that fit.

Yesterday, I discovered I now fit into a smaller size shirt. No way am I buckin' that trend. ;) Thing is, I haven't particularly been dieting. I've given up some bad-for-me food (processed sugar, fries, bread) and I've gone vegan, but other than that, I eat what I want, when I want. Interestingly, my body feels more like it's changing shape than that it's getting smaller. Things are moving. Muscles are building in certain areas and fat cells are shrinking in others. I have no idea how much I weigh since I haven't stepped on a scale in forever. But, I can see that my body is changing. And it's in a good way.

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to run more than a third of a mile before things start killing me, but I used to not be able to run more than a block, so I guess that's progress. The back issues? Well, they are easing up as my body changes and as I do more and more yoga. So I've set myself another challenge for the next year. My challenge for the next year? Yoga. Every single day. No matter what. I like these challenges. They help me compete with my self. I'm never going to be one of those non-competitive types who does something just because it's the right thing. I need a reason, a goal. If I don't have something to strive for or push against, I tend to lose interest. I need to motivate myself and these challenges do that.

The yoga will help in my next two steps. They are: stress reduction and more sleep. Once I achieve these two, I'll be even better prepared to do the work that calls me. If I want to write more books, create more music, teach more kids about ancient civilizations, ancient music, and saving the Earth, perform more, play more, sing more, travel more, and love more, well then, I need to be at my best and that means giving up the things that stand as obstacles.

So, I guess, in the end, I am not truly sacrificing anything. I am making an investment in my next book or song or experiment or class or hike or new place visited, or new connection forged. To me, that's what it's all about.

Thoughts on progress

Today, while doing yoga, it came to me that a pose that was well nigh impossible for me when I started yoga comes easily to me now. And in fact, many do. The spark today was what some call wheel pose and others call upward bow or more simply, a back bend.

When I was a kid, I did gymnastics. Walkovers, cartwheels, back bends, splits - they all came easily. In fact, some of you with whom I went to middle school might remember that I was a basketball cheerleader. So, I did that stuff all the time. Then, came many years of relative inactivity. Sure, I exercised and worked out but I didn't work on my flexibility or balance very much and true to form, I lost both. Then, about eleven years ago, I started doing yoga with a book and then later DVDs.

I was stiff and sore and unable to do many of the poses that required flexibility, balance, and upper body strength. Slowly, ever so slowly, I built those up. For years, nothing moved. My body refused to remember the days when I could bend into a back walkover with ease and every victory was hard won.

I recall the day I first tried the first part of Marichi III (a twisting pose). One variation of it necessitates that you bend one leg so that your foot is under you and then the other leg over your bent leg and put your foot flat on the floor. Well, I got the first leg under me, but the second leg barely made it over and I couldn't even put my foot on the floor. I was somewhat distraught, but I kept trying. For years, when I did this particular pose, my foot did not touch the floor but still pretty much every day, I did the pose. Then, about four years ago, I suddenly realized that the outside of my foot not only touched but sat comfortably. Today, as I moved into the pose effortlessly and as my whole foot rested on the floor easily, I smiled at the me from eleven years ago and at all her struggles, because here I was doing the pose and enjoying it.

It came home even more as I moved into upward bow (back bend). As I pushed my body up onto hands and feet and as I arched my back and breathed into relaxation of the pose, I paid tribute to the twelve-year-old me who did the same pose but for fun or to cheer on her team. Upward bow was easy when I was twelve, a physical impossibility at thirty two, and is now back to being relatively easy. It's almost as if this is regression rather than a progression, and I look forward to progressing to the point that the twelve-year-old me comes full circle.

There are some who say yoga should be done for its own sake and that progress happens and can be noted but shouldn't be sought specifically. I think differently. I believe we as a species love to categorize and make hierarchies. We like seeing progress and in this case yoga provides it beautifully and consistently. Then again, we need to approach the practice of it the same way, beautifully and consistently. Then, we will progress and a certain peace comes on those days when something sparks us to look back and see our journey.

I love to teach and I particularly love to teach yoga to those who think they can't do it. Modifications to the poses are key both to learning the poses and to building the confidence to try them consistently. I always tell my students that they will want to be consistent - that this is a process of the every day not the someday. Too much is left to chance when the practice is sporadic and the best way to gauge it is both a long- and short-term awareness of our bodies, and their strength, balance and flexibility.