If you don't remember, Airplane was the spoof movie to begin all spoof movies. Throughout the show, as tough guy Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges) helps to talk an impaired pilot through a landing, he continues to mutter sentences that begin with the phrase "Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop....." Apparently in one week McCroskey gave up smoking, drinking, popping amphetamines and sniffing glue. No wonder he was so crabby. I don't have as many vices as poor old McCroskey, but I can understand his dilemma. Giving up vices is really hard. Some people, like McCroskey, prefer the band aid method. You just give one good yank and you're done with it. But for me, I've found that going cold turkey is less effective than a gradual weaning.
It's been busy around our burg for the past few weeks. The camping disaster on Friday kept Ken and I up most of the night. On Saturday night I didn't sleep well and it didn't help when Emily (4) wandered into our room at three a.m. because she was scared. On Monday morning, I forced myself out of bed to run before the sun was up. On Tuesday, I was up at 4:45 to work out.
That's why this afternoon I found myself muttering "Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sleeping."
One of my biggest vices is sleeping late in the morning. Given the option, I'd be in bed until ten a.m. every day. But I've learned that sleeping late into the morning is bad for my employment. And it ticks off the cats. Plus, with three little children at home, I've come to realize that my most opportune time for exercise is first thing in the morning.
The "getting up early in the morning" thing has been something I have been working on for over a year. It use to be that I would hit the snooze five or six times before finally rushing out of bed at seven o'clock. In less than an hour I would shower, dress, wake the kids, serve breakfast and get to work. That was stressful for everyone.
Last August I decided to change that. But I didn't go all out. I started slow. The first morning I woke up 5 minutes earlier than usual. Then 10. Then 15. I kept pushing my alarm back until I was consistently getting up at 6:00.
Now, a year later, I am out of bed most mornings by six. Often, I am out of bed even earlier than that. Generally, I feel better starting the day off earlier and getting a bit of exercise before the daily chaos breaks loose in our house. Making this change gradually, over time, has enabled me to keep at it. I think if I had gone all out and jumped from a 7:00 a.m. to a 5:00 a.m. wake up in one step, I would have quit after a couple of weeks. By taking it slow, I was able to make the change a part of my life.
I used the same philosophy with exercise. I started with a few gradual, small steps and slowly worked my way up to more rigorous programs. What I've learned is that small steps often lead to more lasting success. At least that was the case for me.
The next vice I need to conquer is chocolate. And I can assure you, it is ALWAYS the wrong week to give up eating chocolate.
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