my practice is doing much better now that i have gotten past the holidays. i took time off in december to just BE. however, it was really hard to get motivated to work out. i mainly just listened to my body and it said, "please, just let me be right now...go snuggle with your husband, wrap xmas presents, call ALL of your family members and friends and reconnect." this was the best thing i could have done for myself. when i went home, i did go to the gym with mom several times.

since ive been back i have been going to the gym and practicing everyday. the scheduling can be a juggling act due to the nature of my job, but i just have to sit down and figure out how to make it work on a weekly basis.

Tuesday, Rob and I got up and went to the gym, on the elliptical and treadmill for a total of an hour. Wednesday, we got up and did yoga, and later that night I took a ballet class and a personal pilates lesson. Today, we got up (me barely) and went back to the gym, working out for 40 minutes (we were late) and then going into a 10 Minute killer abs class.

Three things really helped me get to the gym. The first two are nice, typical tricks. I put my cell phone on alarm to go off at 5:10am, but it was in the living room. It wasn't our regular alarm, and it was REALLY annoying. I also had laid out everything I could possibly need the night before. Clothing, ipod, shoes, socks, keys, card, etc.

The third thing was different, but perhaps the most effective. I spent significant time on Monday, visualizing myself going to the gym, working out, looking at the time, feeling great, looking good. I visualized all of it, and mentally pulled it into me. I also visualized eating to fullness, snacking and other things and visualized those things being pushed away from me. I got the idea from Creating Passionate Users at headrush.typepad.com/creatin...aff.html . With the mirror neurons thing, this takes it a little further into the idea that our bodies associate needs based on some of our physical reactions. So actually physically pushing something, or even an idea, away helps the brain change to accomodate that knowledge of "This is something I do not want." The same with good things - if we pull them to us, we can build GOOD habits by pulling the good things to us because our brain will feel the muscle doing the work, and associate it with something we want. I'm going to devise two meditations to help with this, where we actually move our arms out and in for bad and good habits, respectively. But the creative visualization really helped as well. It wasn't a question whether I wanted to go or not. I was going to go, because that is what I'd envisioned.

I also have to credit The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, thanks to Kristel's recommendation.

I think the two reasons this morning was harder was because I inadvertently went to bed too late and I hadn't done any visualization at all.

I'll be honest and say that I haven't danced at all yet this week or last week. I'm giving myself some time to just figure out how this schedule works. My goal is to dance for an hour every night, but we'll see what reality dishes me. Tonight might be an ideal time for a dance practice.