Unless it’s the first Monday of January.
Then don’t.
Don’t do it.
Do not go to the gym.
Unless you are thoroughly prepared…..
….Prepared to wait in line for the bikes, the no-brainier starting place for those of us who rushed to the gym with no plan of action, hoping to formulate a workout regime in the 10min warm up session.
…Prepared to fight for your sliver of space in the weights section squashed between Bob who, on his first ever visit to the gym, has grabbed the 24kg weights and is nursing them tentatively while checking his phone for what do with them, and Nigel, who was clever enough to get there early and have his allocated 20min max on the treadmill, which was still enough time to make him sweat like a guy who just got home, empty handed, on his wedding anniversary, and who has now created a sweat puddle exactly where you wanted to place your mat. Well that is to say if you even managed to get a mat or a stretchy band. Foam rollers? Ja right, are a myth at this stage.
…Prepared to deal with the water aerobics gals. Omg. The water aerobics gals! They arrive in what surely must be 2 cars per person based on the lack of parking spaces, the same goes for locker allocations. They come armed with their hand cream, foot cream, face cream, body cream, lotions and potions, and don’t forget the powder. (Talc not the meal supplement kind). They lay it all out and meticulously apply them in a specific routine taking over most of the changing room. No, there will be no quick shower and change at the gym this Monday.
The floor staff will probably be brand new or temps, hungover or pissed off for having to work on a public holiday.
And let’s be honest, anyone you meet there, today on this first Monday of a New Year, you are not likely to see again until this time next year.
If you are serious about your fitness, go on Tuesday. By Thursday it will be hundred times better and by the weekend you will have your pick of machines.
So what is it about Mondays? Or New Year’s for that matter, when it comes to resolutions?
For those of us with OCD tendencies, this New Years Day is particularly important. Is a Monday. It is the 1st of the month of THE 1st Month. It’s all lining up to be a spectacular commencement of 2018. A fresh start. A new leaf. A clean page. ….
… for all those New Year’s Resolutions. (A firm decision to do or no to something)
Yesterday I was sleeping in, eating carbs and didn’t even know how to spell meditation, but now that it is a New Year, I am going to run the Comrades, create a LCHF cookbook, while meditating at 4am each morning. I am no psychic, but I can tel you now its not going to happen. It never works because we still bring ourselves and all our flaws into the New Year, the same people we were 24 hours ago.
I read a great article by Mark Manson the other day about New Years Resolutions that explained so well, my thoughts on the topic. If you have a spare 30min, I highly recommend you read this article, Your Goals are Overrated. We fail because our goals are too big and our commitment too small. We don’t need new resolutions. We need new habits. And to pick the right habits. And compounding habits are the holy grail. (refer to Mark’s article). Habits will get you to your goals, it’s the only way. One step, one meal, one conscious choice, one 5min meditation session at a time.
I am not going to make New Year’s Resolutions, instead my 2018 Game Plan is to work on the 6 fundamental daily habits
For those that don’t have time to read Mark’s article, here is the cheat sheet.
Below are the 6 most important compounding habits that will be the most effective use of our precious resources namely; time, energy and discipline. They are the also the habits that are most likely to help you form more good habits (hence the reference to compounding).
#1 Exercise
#2 Cooking (Diet)
#3 Meditation
#4 Reading
#5 Writing
#6 Socialising
I spent the last few days of 2017 desperately trying to clean everything that was dirty, sort everything that was in chaos, fix everything that was broken. Why?
I didn’t want to start a New Year with things not perfect. My relationship with perfectionism is a love-hate one. Some days it brings me joy, like when I have organised my wardrobe by style and then colour. It creates exceptionally high standards for me to achieve. Think of that pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. It is also my crutch, or my ball and chain would be more accurate. It often holds me back. It stops me from living life at times. I know it is something I need to work on, consistently.
By mid-morning on the 31st December I had to wave the white flag of defeat and realise this just ain’t gonna happen. I gave up, climbed onto a lilo in the pool and relaxed. Yip, true story. Next thing, I had a house full of family and friends having an awesome time, saying goodbye to 2017, completely impromptu. We managed to find some snacks, some drinks, some lunch even… the weather was awesome. It was a fabulous, completely unplanned day. Lesson learnt right there Bron.
To all those who live with perfectionism. OCD, ADD, AHDH, lack of willpower, or whatever your own personal hurdles may be, I hope that 2018 can be the start of your journey to create effective meaningful habits that lay the groundwork for you achieving your goals. Your dreams can be achieved, one habit at a time.
2018! Perfectly Sorted
WIP* Bron (who did not go to the gym today)
*Work In Progress
Perfectly Sorted 
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