Cultivating Good Habits …..Sometimes Easier Said Than Done!

Cultivating Good Habits …..Sometimes Easier Said Than Done!

I know, I know…I am not a lover of resolutions because well, because they are either unreachable or I am just plain lazy.

But let me tell you what I have started doing.

Taking baby steps.  I really don’t want a goal that will set me up for failure, so I have made a list of good habits that I hope to make work this year.

I have decided that I really need to take advantage of my early rising.

Sometimes I have been known to lazily get out of bed and look out at the darkness of the early morning hours and just do nothing until I look at the clock and am shocked to see it is 8 a.m. and I have not a lot to show for my early morning.  

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I do rise at zero dark thirty and I do make and drink my cup of hot green tea and I do have my daily devotions but then…I sort of flounder and by that I mean doing something of nothing. I am sure you can relate.

So, I have developed a few do-able things in the early morning hours which have proven beneficial for me during the day.

#1…After rising early, (an old habit from work days) I take the time to take any prescribed meds by drinking the room temperature water that sits on my night stand. And if there is not much in the glass, I add to it to make it a nice full glass of water. Two glasses are even better.

#2…I make my bed. I have touched on this before…it just makes one feel organized. Can’t explain it, it just is a discipline that makes one feel the routine is beneficial to accomplishing other tasks during the day.

#3…I make my hot cuppa tea and I have my daily devotions.  There is something comforting about this time of study that prepares me for the day ahead.

#4….Eat Breakfast! This is the most important meal of the day and I love, love love a huge breakfast, but I try to either drink a protein drink or eat a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. And save the large breakfast for perhaps a week-end.

#5…Getting dressed from head to toe.  I know how easy it is to lounge around in jammies, but I find if I dress, my mental outlook is so much better…Plus it prepares me for my next step which is exercise. 

#6… My next habit is to exercise. This gets your metabolism revved up for the day.  I have all kinds of exercise equipment and there is always that walk around the block in the early morning hours…I love hearing the birds sing as the sun peeks over the horizon. The length of the exercise is individual preference.  Just get up and move.

#5… Shower.  I have always loved a slow leisurely bath tub soak in the late evening before going to bed.  However, studies have shown that it is better for your skin if one showers in the morning. Our skin releases toxins while we sleep and it is best to shower them off in the morning. There are times that I still enjoy a bath in the evening…so relaxing, but the morning shower is a must.

#6…Lastly, I find if I look at my calendar schedule, I don’t miss any appointments and I can better plan my day. Whether it is going to lunch with a friend or washing all the bedding or working on my Blog. Again it is structure that seems to get us to get it all together. No matter what your habits are, and hopefully they are good habits.

So there you have it.  Simple, easy to accomplish and healthy and beneficial to our well being.

I would be the last one to tell you how to plan your day.  We are all different and what works for me may not work for you. I am just telling you what I have found that works for me.

Perhaps one day I will add more minutes to my exercise routine or I will take the time in the evening to plan out an hour by hour schedule for the next day.

Or maybe I will just leave it as it is, and feel good about cultivating the good habits I have in place. 🙂

I would love to hear about your habits to organizing your days.

Have a blessed and wonderful day.