Consistency…Like Bread Pudding?
People talk about consistency all the time. My Cubs – they’re a bit inconsistent, as wins go.
My checking account? Also not so consistent.
My workout routine? Please. It’s like lumpy pudding – all promising on the outside, yummy upon further review, but not always so good for you.
So when I started up as a leader for this Weight Watchers Walk It challenge, I thought “hey, this is good!” The program is designed to get you walking (or running) for five days a week – for 8 weeks. Talk about habit forming – even for me, this is quite a commitment.
Don’t get me wrong – I definitely keep myself active. I run at least twice a week – and I’ve been swimming at least once a week lately. Add in a couple of circuit runs (where I beat myself up with lunges, squats, pushups, step ups, etc. while running or walking) and I’m definitely moving 5 days a week.
But now, I’m following this program, and it actually requires me to move – to walk, five days a week, for the next 8 weeks. And you know what? I’m absolutely looking forward to it.
Why? Well, for starters, there’s just something reassuring about having a schedule you HAVE to follow. My schedule says Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, I walk. Period. The time varies, but I walk 5 days a week, for the next 8 weeks. My handy-dandy schedule is also VERY easy to get started – the first week, it’s only 15 minutes per day. What’s not to love about that? Who CAN’T find 15 minutes a day? Even my mother, whom I love dearly, has committed to doing the program.
Today’s conversation with mom went something like this.
Mom: ”Well, I had a really long day, and I’m thinking I might just go downstairs and get on the Gazelle.”
Me: (Laughing, as “hard day” still means it’s only 6:00 there, and I know darned good and well she’s going to be up for 3 more hours…) “You are not getting on the gazelle. Put on your shoes, go outside, and walk for 7.5 minutes away from your house. Turn around and come home. You can do it!”
Mom: “Well, you know, it’s not so easy – I walked out there yesterday, and those sidewalks are VERY uneven. You really have to look down. And you know me, I want to stare at people and gape a little. I don’t want to look down – then I miss everything.”
Me: “Okay, so go to someone’s neighborhood, where you can walk in the street, and you can stare at all the people you don’t know. Just don’t get hit by a car.”
Mom: “I think the line is breaking up. I have to go now. Call me this weekend!”
Right. So the point here is this: My mom is totally right – it’s a whole new world out there. The streets may be uneven. You might have to wear the same pants two nights in a row! Your hair may not be done, and you most DEFINITELY might forget to check the time and walk too far one night. But you know what? It’s not going to matter – because pretty soon, you’re going to pick your feet up automatically, and you’re not going to worry about tripping on the uneven sidewalk. And you’re going to realize that your pants can go for two days without being freshly washed. And you might even forget a watch ENTIRELY one day.
And you’ll be fine. Because you’ll just be in the habit – the one you’re setting out to form.
Watch out – it’s going to happen – I promise.
