What do weeds and exercise have in common?<\/p>\n
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Lately my husband and I have been reading some of Eliot Coleman’s <\/a>books, and this was from\u00a0“Four Season Harvest”<\/a>:<\/p>\n Weeds probably discourage more potential gardeners than any<\/p>\n other single problem. “Oh, the garden was overgrown<\/p>\n with weeds and we finally gave up” is so common a statement that it<\/p>\n is almost considered a normal reaction. It\u00a0doesn’t need to be that<\/p>\n way. Have you ever heard anyone say, “Oh, the living room finally<\/p>\n got so dirty that we just\u00a0stopped using it”? \u00a0We don’t stop<\/p>\n enjoying\u00a0the living room because of dust. We simply vacuum or<\/p>\n sweep every\u00a0so often\u00a0to keep the room clean. The same applies<\/p>\n in the garden. \u00a0Furthermore, just as dirt in the living room can<\/p>\n be minimized \u00a0by placing a mat outside the front door or asking<\/p>\n the people to\u00a0remove their shoes before entering the house,<\/p>\n weeds\u00a0in the garden can be prevented in a number of ways. All of<\/p>\n them\u00a0make less work for the gardener.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n How many times have you “let exercise go” or “let the new eating plan go” because you messed up or life happened?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was part of a small challenge among some friends. \u00a0We’re all on an e-mail list together, homeschooling mamas who’ve known each other a long time. \u00a0 Most of us had major things come up last month that kept us from “finishing” as well as we had hoped. \u00a0One had a major move and all that entailed. \u00a0Another had an unplanned surgery. \u00a0Yet another has major stress with what her husband is going through in his job right now. \u00a0I felt my adrenals weren’t quite up to snuff the second half of the month, so I had to back off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should we just throw in the towel and quit? \u00a0Let the “weeds” take over?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NO!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I think the biggest area we have to really watch those weeds is in our thoughts!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When life hits, don’t<\/em> say “Well, I blew it again! \u00a0Might as well wait until next week\/month to start!”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The way to overcome and make “lemonade” when life throws lemons at you is to say, “This month isn’t going as I planned, but I can do something! <\/em> I can at least do 3 moves throughout the day and brush.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Or “I might not get a whole workout in 3 days a week, but if I can get one<\/em> in plus a few moves on the other days, I’ve accomplished something!”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the old adage goes, “Something is better than nothing!”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s often good to have a back-up plan. \u00a0The past few weeks I got a modified PBS in (MORE style) and Organs in Place (OIP) some nights before bed. \u00a0 Although I would have liked to do more moves on the days I didn’t teach classes, that was all I could handle. \u00a0 As I’ve shared before, in preparing for my trainer certifications, I will mentally go through a move as if I’m teaching it, and I also have been reading Fit and Fabulous in Fifteen Minutes<\/a> one move at a time, so I am still “working on it” even if I can’t actually do a move every day!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As in the “battle of the weeds”, nipping things early \u00a0helps. \u00a0Or Eliot Coleman’s example of a mat at the front door to help with dirt in the living room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We can do the same with our mindset about T-Tapp: \u00a0what can you do to nip the “negative thoughts” in the bud? \u00a0 What can you do to defray the temptation to just give in and do nothing because you couldn’t do everything you had planned?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before I started training to be a trainer, MORE was my “go-to” workout. When I was in a funk and couldn’t decide–it was already decided for me! \u00a0If I was still balking due to a late night the night before, or because the day was getting away from me, I would tell myself, “You can do MORE Chair. \u00a0It’s only 10 minutes!”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At least I did something!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Think through your “contingency plan” and what are the bare bones basics you will do no matter what.<\/em> For me it’s brushing (I take Sundays off), PBS in the morning and OIP before bed. \u00a0 I also try to get in the Mitten Chop Box, but I don’t stress about it. \u00a0PBS is easy to remember because it helps me wake up and stretch out the nighttime kinks. \u00a0OIP is fairly easy to do before bed without too much thought–although there have been nights I was so dog-tired I just fell into bed! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n <\/p>\n