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Mindfulness off the Mat list)
It always strikes me as odd that the two times of the year that are most
heavily touted as requisite for fitness and other such pursuits are January
(New Years) and May (Bathing Suit Season). Why odd? Because neither one of
these times of the year is necessarily optimal in initiating genuine change.
January is a double-whammy; it falls right after every guilty pleasure of
the holiday season has been indulged, and just at the onset of the Winter
Doldrums….can you think of a worse time to conjure up enthusiasm for
Stairmaster and salt-free pretzels? And while May in itself may not be a bad
time to tackle such challenges—quite the contrary, the warmer summer months
can be refreshingly supportive to increased activity and a lighter appetite,
using a get-fit-quick scheme with such a last-minute motivation is no way to
find long-term fitness success. Instead, I propose that autumn should be the
most logical time of the year to begin or re-tool a fitness program. The
weather and season can stir feelings of change; the colorful landscape
stokes the imagination; there is no immediate urgency to, say, fit into a
bikini; and the stress of the holidays has not yet hit. Best yet: by the
time January rolls around, and everyone is lamenting the onset of Diet
Season, you can feel the pleasure of having received a jump-start. Autumnal
Resolution….I think I like it! Õ
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