Spring Celebration 2012 continues, but not in your office, studio or pod. It’s Travel Time! Now, I already hear you backing out: you say you can’t afford the time off or can’t afford the expense. The truth is that you can’t afford NOT to break out of your tired routine for some rest and reflection. Give yourself the long-deserved break you’ve been needing, and activate the principles of positivity for fun and profit. Springtime is the perfect time for a Positivity Vacation.
Seriously: what if you blew your travel money before Easter? You can still break your routines over a long weekend and feel like you’ve taken a vacation. Springtime is time to focus your attention on something new—time to travel out of your comfort zone and shift your focus from the same ol’ routine. Since all you can control is where you focus your attention, focus it on something you don’t experience every day. You may only afford a long weekend, but your body and brain will thank you for the break. The RIGHT changes in your daily patterns can help you change your perspective for the better.
Here’s why: muscle has memory, so your body and brain function from the repetitive choices you make every moment of every day. Your body is accustomed to the subtle cues that signal “I’m moving at my morning pace so that I’m at work on time” or “I’m pushing the accelerator ‘cause that meeting starts in 20 minutes.” Those signals tell your muscles from your nose to your knees to tense and your head to thrust forward over your body in Aggressive Human Pose.
Ever heard the expression “You have to be on your toes”? Your body responds to appointments and deadlines from head to toe, and Spring Break pushes the Relax Button and lets your body and brain re-set. Science tells us that healthy routines help people live longer and maintain an optimal quality of life—regular bedtimes and waking times, regular meal times for steady nourishment—and your body functions better because of healthy muscle memory. Use your Spring Break to change the negative habits that don’t add to your health and happiness.
Here’s how: You don’t really need a list of negative habits and better choices. Turn off the TV and cell phone and iPod and think about what you eat. Do you opt for fast or processed food when a fresh salad, fruit and granola makes you feel and look healthier? Change your negative eating habits beginning now and use your down time to shop healthier and prepare wholesome food. Or turn off everything that beeps and buzzes and think about how you move. Do you tweet and post and play e-games when a brisk, 20-minute walk every day makes you feel and look healthier? Change your Couch Potato ways beginning now, and use your “Spring Break” to get up and move!
Some people feel pinched these days because the economy’s building back slowly. Some people feel pinched because they blew their whole vacation budget for the year on a week in Cabo in March. Whatever your pinch, take the weekend off and enjoy a different sort of Spring Break. Use this vacation or stay-cation time to set sail for a new horizon and shake up your tired patterns. Your body, brain and booty will thank you.
Your Friendly Change Coach,
Dr Mell
