My 2015 non-resolutions.

• procrastinate less

Oh the irony.  I’ve been trying to write this post for an entire month! In most other aspects of my life I have already made improvements in this area though.  I’m quicker to respond to texts and emails and find myself doing rather than avoiding those less appealing to-do list items.

• read more, watch less crappy t.v.

You might be surprised by what a t.v. junkie I am.  Rarely in my life have I had a “real t.v.”, with multiple channels and everything, but my Netflix and Hulu account get plenty of use.  I’m fine with this for the most part and really enjoy the mindless veg state but when I find myself watching crap just because I’m to lazy/addicted to be more creative with my time I start to feel lame.  I’ve also gotten way to into the habit of t.v. in bed on the iPad (like every night) and not only do I stay awake longer but I think all those studies are on to something; it screws with the quality of my sleep.

Time to break the habit and crack the spine on all those books on my shelf.

• exercise for 1,000 reasons but one

I love to move.  I am a dancer and in my own way an athlete.  Exercise makes me confident, calm, proud, strong, limber, energized, and clear headed.  It makes my appetite and my digestion work better and is consistently teaching me new and interesting things about myself and my body.

It doesn’t, however, help me lose weight.

I am proud to say that I dropped the “exercise for weight loss” mentality several years ago and in general these days I exercise for every reason except the weighty one.

Unfortunately I occasionally still get enticed by the misconception that exercise can help me lose weight and I feel myself starting to fall back into that old mindset.  I caught myself thinking in this way right after the holidays when I noticed a few extra pounds on the scale (literally a few, total vanity pounds, I honestly am surprised I’m even sharing this because it is ridiculous that I would notice 3 pounds and care but I also know that this is something almost everyone reading this can relate to on a small or large scale).

Exercise can absolutely support healthy and slow weight loss or weight maintenance however thinking that you can sweat away excessive calories on a regular basis to lose weight is a form of exercise bulimia and it is neither effective, satisfying, or holistically healthy.

• focus on education

I’ve been feeling a little stagnant in my teaching (dance, yoga, conditioning, Pilates) and have a strong desire for some more information/education.  I’ve been seeking this out by listening to TED talks on fitness/exercise science, browsing anatomy books (sometimes while watching t.v. to be honest, see first resolution…two birds?), attending more classes taught by other people, day dreaming about training’s and retreats, and taking on a few more classes, because my students are some of my best teachers.

 

I’ve definitely been questioning whether or not to even publish this post (and in the big picture, whether Gracefulfitness has run its course).  It seemed a little silly to post resolutions a full month after they are made but you know what?  Taking (lots of) time to write and publish this post has really given me time to think about these three things.  They have come into my head daily, probably much more than had I just hit “publish” on January 1st and not continued to come back and stare at the half written post a few times a week. And so I am sharing!  I’d love to hear how your (non) resolutions are holding up 29 days later.

Oh yeah, and HAPPY 2015!