The Plates Are Stacking Up... Literally

Studies show that it takes twenty-one days to form a habit. I will accept that theory with the additional tagline of "only if it is something I really want to do."  

There are so many good habits that I would like to incorporate into my life, yet I can't seem to keep them off the back burner all at one time. It is like being impressed while watching a performer who can keep two plates spinning at once but, at some point, I start wondering when the remaining eight plates stacked up on the table beside him are going to get added.  After a while, the two plate trick seems kind of pathetic.  

Here is the list of lifestyle choices (or spinning plates) I have managed to regularly maintain for more than two years:

1. Exercise - Prior to my first gym membership in 2002, I had never made a regular attempt to be active, or any attempt for that matter. Ever. As I have mentioned, my favorite activities are completely sedentary and do not involve sweat and/or the outdoors.  I would prefer to do nothing. However, I have proven that a 5'1" frame does not do well on a daily regiment of "eat what you want and sit on the couch." 
• Thanks to Rachel, my fabulous accountability partner since 2008, my introduction to workout pants (I do not do shorts) that don't chafe my thighs and the realization that being an active adult is not like middle school gym class (talk about post traumatic stress) I have maintained, on average, a three day/week workout for almost 10 years now.
2. Reading My People Magazine - Ok, so it may not seem like an impressive feat to some but,  especially for anyone who has stacks of unread magazines, it can be difficult to keep up with a weekly subscription. I have been a loyal subscriber since 2005 and, I would argue, am a better person for it. First of all, People is not all celebrity gossip like some magazines (although I have to admit that I am often entertained in the grocery line by those as well) and it keeps me in the loop in most social situations. My career has been built around my ability to interact socially. So, from television, movie, music, and book reviews, to travel, current news headlines, and politics, People keeps me in the loop beyond the water cooler (this may be an extinct reference now that budget cuts have taken water coolers out of almost all employee break rooms).  
• Also, I am able to keep up with, and  am usually tasked with explaining, Granny's favorite reality shows (i.e. the Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars) that I don't watch but read about weekly thanks to People.  I always have coupons for specials if you are now convinced that you, too, need a subscription.  It really is the best!

Now, here is a list of things I wish I did regularly but only get added in when I am motivated.  

Disclaimer:  My mother would be horrified if she thought I made it sound as though I was raised in a household in which cleanliness and nutrition were not priorities.  She is, in fact, the original Domesticate and has been dubbed, along with Granny, "The Merry Maids" based on their tendencies of such things like traveling with lysol and bleach-infused products, cleaning the bathroom before using it (whether it is a hotel or visiting relatives), and for "doing baseboards" before 7am.  She has been a full-time working mother since I was 8 years old and can be called on any given week night when she will, without a doubt, be dusting, mopping, and/or sanitizing something.  If she says her house is "dirty," she's lying or at least it isn't visible to the naked eye.  Needless to say, the clean gene was muddied quite a bit when my cards were dealt. 

1. Vitamins - Several years ago, I convinced my husband that we should be taking a multivitamin around the same time that I started taking folic acid based on me being at "child bearing age."  Six years later and now on the other side of the "child bearing age" hill, he continues to take his Men's One-a-Day regularly while I bought my first refill last year. The folic acid, vitamin C, and Omega-3 pills also make random appearances in my pill counter during weeks when I am really on top of it. 
2. Eating - I would call this a reverse "falling off the wagon" in that I have no issues staying on it as long as it is full of food.  I imagine that I would feel better if I only ate fresh and healthy things.  I just don't like to discriminate. Therefore, I will literally eat anything.
3. Cooking - Speaking of eating, I always imagine that if I had a personal chef to cook us healthy meals, I wouldn't struggle so much with my eating habits. The truth of the matter is that my husband and I both work full-time jobs with extensive commutes in opposite directions.  That means that even if I work an eight-hour day (which is rare), I am usually out of the house by 5:30am, working out at 6:00, in the locker room by 7:00, to work by 8:30, leaving around 5:00pm, and, due to the insanity of rush hour traffic which is an entirely different blog in itself, home around 6:30 at night.  The very last thing I want to do is spend my evening in the kitchen before I have to start packing my clothes again for the next morning.  
• "Cook on the weekends" you say?  Great idea and I have done it.  And, although it is nice to have something to reach for when we get home from work, I usually like to spend my weekends doing something I actually enjoy. Surely two hours in the car everyday affords me that much, no? I just haven't figured out how to do healthy eating with minimal prep time.
4. Sleeping - I made an appointment with a sleep clinic a few months ago.  Although it felt silly to be seeking advice on something I have often thought about adding to my resume under "skills and talents," after having visited every other type of professional, I didn't know where else to go regarding my constant state of sleepiness.  As it turns out, I was sleep deprived.  Apparently I was "comatose" which is why I was such a sound sleeper. The doctor said that she is typically "concerned about anyone" who scores a 10-12 on their sleepiness rating and that I had scored a 19!  I will admit that I do tend to "burn the candle at both ends but it isn't as glamorous as it sounds considering my candle is based on my doing better with morning workouts and the fact that there is just too much good television and reading at night to want to go to bed early.  Knowledge is power, but I still struggle to get a decent  amount of rest even after I found out that I am an "eight hour sleeper."  
• FYI, the sleep center doctor was brilliant and I was so pleased to find out that there was a simple cure for my lack of energy, memory recall, and unexplained weight gain (although my white knuckled grip on that delicious food wagon could also be to blame).  It was much better than the brain tumor with which I had diagnosed myself.
5. Cleaning - Don't get me wrong, I love having a clean house.  Refer to numbers 3 & 4 for "candle burning" and "lack of energy." I just have no qualms with the large pile of clean clothes that often (and currently) overflows on our couch.  Our Dachshund also has no issues with it, as he often likes to climb up and lie on the top of the pile, which we refer to as "Mount St. Murphy."  

For now, these things are just that. A list of "things" I wish I would improve upon.  I am just glad that Murphy doesn't judge me on my inability to spin more than two plates at once.  

pile of clean clothes + dog = my horrified mother