MY SUPERPOWERS..........
- Noreen Richard
- Feb 9, 2023
- 4 min read
Building Healthy Habits
I have not always had healthy habits. I have had many habits that did not serve me. I have been on a journey carrying unhealthy habits with me. Learning to discern which habits I would like to carry forward, which habits I would need to break, and the ways I would invest in new habits to replace the old.
One habit my mom tried to instill in my being .... was for me to make my bed. It would be many years before I embraced that habit. Given how little I slept it seemed such a waste of time to make one's bed only to get back up and have to remake it.
As a youngster I drank a lot of Coca-Cola. It was a stimulant which led me to staying awake for long periods of time. A habit which shaped my sleeping in ways that would affect most of my adult life and would eventually have to change.
By the time I was a young adult, having completed university and working I was drinking upwards of 24 cans on some days. I had poor sleep hygiene.
As a youngster I also picked up the habit of smoking. I had increased my smoking to a pack a day. I often smoked Export A, no filter.
By the time I reached 27 my habits were leading me down a spiral of collapse.
In October 1986, I made a choice to go ....
cold turkey and stop drinking all beverages with caffeine in them. I went into withdrawal from not having pop in my system and it took a couple of weeks for the caffeine to leave my body. I was sick in bed with withdrawal.
As I began a path of becoming healthy, I faced how my habit of smoking shifted from
to it is a huge deal. You see I was suffering from asthma and my smoking was making me really sick.
I gave up smoking in early 1987, a few months after I recovered from giving up pop. I decided to go cold turkey on this one as well. I was on a journey. I wanted to find ways to replace these habits with new ones. I believe I did. I turned to food.
Food was a huge commodity in the new tribe I invested in. It was easy to shift focus to stuffing myself with food rather than coco cola or drowning my emotions with cigarettes.
I lived in a world where alcohol was easy to get and was yet one more habit I found myself flirting with most of my adult life. I came to understand myself as an alcoholic. One who did not drink daily or weekly or monthly. However, when I drank, I would binge drink and drink to excess. It would take me a long time to let go of alcohol embracing my values of living freely through the lens of love. Living freely by loving myself enough not to drink. On the 31st of December 2021 I decided to be alcohol free. Free from alcohol one day at a time for the rest of my life. I am 403 days in!
My healing journey with the support of many team members along the way and tribe on the journey of healing saw me through many ups and down when setting S.M.A.R.T goals and turning them into healthy habits.
Fast forward to 2023 I can look back celebrating lots of changes. When I focus in on today, I can happily report to my mom. I made it! I make my bed each morning. I do this because I matter. I do this because I get between 7-9 hours in bed each day. I do this because I feel safe in the spaces I occupy. So, mom, wherever you are. I see the value in this one small habit you endeavoured to teach me so very long ago!
I have routine in my life. I am learning to create a schedule for myself that works and I am good at keeping to it.
I have exercise in my life. These days I am enjoy Cardio Drumming, strength training and walking approximately 6 km a day. I enjoy music as part of my day both when I exercise and when I am just hanging out with myself.
On most days I maintain regular hygiene practices by changing into day-clothes. Sometimes I do take a holiday and just enjoy a pajama day!
I am learning to eat a healthy balanced diet. I spend a lot of time embracing my food journey. I am shifting my mindset from food being a chore to food being part of a joyful experience in my life.
One of the habits I have carried with me since the 2 September 1979 is a gratitude practice. That is over 43 years of gratitude. I do this to honour my mom who died the 17 November 1979.
I had a practice of keeping a journal each day. I have shifted to a spreadsheet. I fill it out each evening before I go to bed. I then celebrate my successes. As I drift off to sleep, I practice gratitude for all the tiny shifts I have made each day.
Other healthy habits I have embraced are focusing on what is within my control. Practicing an attention diet where I intentionally limit my exposure to the news. Ever since Covid I have been practicing this. Sometimes I slip when world events are overwhelming. Then I get back on track quickly.
I have frameworks that shape my day. Shape the habits I want to develop and keep front and centre. Besides sleep, gratitude, exercise, eating regularly, focusing on what I can control I focus on building community. I do that by connecting to my peeps regularly through, text, phone, zoom or in-person. I also connect to my WW (weight watchers) community most days.
My habits are sustainable. They are in line with my values and they allow the cells in my body to dance freely free flowing in love.
May your journey to acquiring healthy habits inspire you......
Resources:
Navy Seal Admiral Shares Reasons to Make Bed Everyday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzLzbd-zT4&t=15s
Building Good Habits Effectively +printable guide: https://www.pickuplimes.com/video/building-good-habits-effectively-8
Ultimate Guide to Building New Habits--Atomic Habits Book Summary [Part 1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlPmfgRJ_Y0
Ultimate Guide to Building New Habits--Atomic Habits Book Summary [Part 2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOQd9Uwpu5E
TED x Talks
The 1-minute secret to forming a new habit : https://www.ted.com/talks/christine_carter_the_1_minute_secret_to_forming_a_new_habit?language=en
The Power of Habit: https://www.ted.com/talks/christy_baroni_the_power_of_habit
This Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 40 is worn on an Oysterflex bracelet made of two curved link metal link blades covered with black elastomer for optimal comfort, equipped with an Oysterlock safety buckle with link Rolex Glidelock quick-extension system.
I do hope, however, that the SLGA015 gains a stainless-steel compatriot, as we've seen over the years in the standard Sport collection. I'm well link aware that high-intensity titanium is a more interesting and laborious metal to work on and one that is more closely associated with Grand Seiko these days than good ol' 316L. I'm link also aware that its lighter weight will likely open the watch up to potential buyers who may have been turned off by link the heftiness of the stainless steel option.
The 36.5mm case is really what cements this as an important release in my mind. In the current horological landscape, it feels like 36mm is where modern taste link bottoms out. It's the smallest you can go before you can link truly call a watch small. The extra half a millimeter here is like stat-padding for GS. The original watch was 37.5mm, a sort of perfect size in its own right, but there's something so appealing link about a confident, 44GS-inspired watch that's even smaller – that doesn't cut corners.
When you've been a link watchmaker for a while like Dubuis and have more skill in a few fingertips than most have in all their extremities, you can link use that skill to go minimal or maximal. Later, the Dubuis brand (especially after Dubuis the watchmaker retired) would go maximal – in designs, in complications, in everything – today its collection is defined by the extremely busy Excalibur and something link called the "Hyper Watch."
Caliber: 82835Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, moon phase for both hemispheres, and link an indication of next high and low tidePower Reserve: link 60 link hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 28,800 vphJewels: 22