It's That Time Again...

That's right, with 2015 drawing to a close this week, it's time again to discuss New Year's resolutions. 

Last year my mantra was "more of the same" with a pledge to keep up some good habits I had already started -- mainly writing and eliminating procrastination. But I also wanted to get my U.K. driving license. 

I didn't accomplish the last part, but hey, I at least passed the theory test, so I'm getting there. 

And I think I get a "not bad" for the other two, with finishing the first draft of my first book. I definitely had to squash the ugly head of procrastination to get that done. 

This year I'm going back to brass tacks. My New Year's resolution concerns exercise. 

I was having lunch with a friend a while ago and I admitted to her that I wasn't exercising much and didn't really want to at the moment. 

"But you'll have to get back to it, at some point, of course," she said, with authority.

For some reason this made me even more defiant in not wanting to get back into a regular exercise routine. I think what's been bugging me is our culture's obsession with exercise linked to weight loss and thinness and the way that some people view it as a necessarily evil or a punishment. I want to exercise for the right reasons -- to feel better and live a healthier life. I want it to be a routine that I like and and can manage with full-time work and the other things I love in life, including all the time I've recently carved out for my non-work-related writing. 

I hate to admit it, but the truth is that I've actually been happier (and have weirdly lost weight) not trying to force myself into some sort of exercise routine that I think I should be doing. So I guess on some level, I'm afraid that exercising will make me less happy, not more

For the record, I do walk about 20 minutes a day (to the train station and back) and once a week do some basic core exercises my physio taught me, so it's not like I'm doing nothing. But ideally I'd like to be a little stronger, and a little fitter. And I daresay the Hub could benefit to by having a wife with slightly better moods at times. 

My challenge then is to find an exercise routine for 2016 that fits into my life and helps me cope, not something that will be a chore or take away from the other things in life that I want -- or love -- to do. I have a few ideas brewing, so I'll keep you posted on how it's all going. 

Have you made any New Year's resolutions for 2016? Do tell.

Photo credit: tft-0344 via photopin (license)

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