January 1, that first day of the New Year full of hope and potential, is almost here. Although I’ve never really been a Resolution sort of person, I’ve decided to try something this year. I’ll call it January Intentions.
According to Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies framework, I’m a Questioner. This means I’m more likely to follow through with something if I believe it isn’t arbitrary and has good reasoning behind it. Making a resolution on January 1st just for the sake of tradition doesn’t really cut it.
On the other hand, I’ve been thinking about a few habits I’d like to be better at — for good reason.
- There is ample evidence that the regular intake of nuts, seeds and legumes (a la Mediterranean diet) is excellent for your long term health but it is something I do in fits and spurts.
- Exercise. I have a decent amount of incidental activity in my day given that I walk to and from work twice most days. But it isn’t enough and since I don’t like the gym, it can be a mental effort to work more in. And I want to. I feel better when I do.
- I promote relaxation techniques regularly. And I have found ones that work for me, but much like nuts, seeds and legumes, it can come in fits and spurts.
So I’ve made a daily checklist. And I’m sharing with you that this is my plan (inspired by the Observer Effect).
Feel free to ask me how it’s going when you see me next.
Alex Verge, ND
