The Life Ledger

Fitness is a way of life.

It’s that time of year again - time for reflection on the year past and planning for improvements during the year ahead. Or month ahead, at least. Last year, I put together a list of resolutions I wanted to follow. This year, I’m making one resolution:

Control My Consumption

One resolution. One hefty, multi-faceted resolution. Particularly in the face of my weight - I’ve slipped some on the past couple of months as emotions have been high for one reason or another. Ironically, I’ve noticed as my weight creeps up, so does my desire to make impulse purchases. Fortunately, I’ve tasted the sweet success that comes with beating consumption, and that is tantalizing above any short-term satisfaction I get from buying a DVD or CD. Unfortunately, impulse eating is harder to combat.

Of course, I also recognize “consumption” means much more than what I buy or what I eat, and as I’m battling my return to consumption, I’m finding other inter-related habits forming as well. So, for the next year, here’s the consumption I will strive to control:

• Drink more water.
  I’ve noticed I’m drinking much less water recently - where I used to drink 64oz a day, I’m now lucky if I drink two glasses. I used to enjoy drinking water - I was less hungry, my moods were more balanced, my sleep cycle was much more regular, and my productivity didn’t suffer swings as coffee buzzes waxed and waned. It’s all a matter of availability - I will add to my morning ritual filling a Nalgene bottle with water and keeping it at my desk.
• Control portion sizes.
  I’ve noticed my appetite has grown again - where once I portioned food according to calorie content, I am again worrying if a plate full of food will be enough to quell my hunger. It is time to retrain my appetite, to control my portion size instead of letting my appetite dictate my intake - particularly since my “hunger” is often emotion-based, not a true indication of my body’s need for fuel. Going forward, I will once again treat my body as a bank, allowing a daily caloric intake and controlling food choice and portion size accordingly.
• Exercise daily.
  This is pretty obvious. I will not be one of those statistic exercisers that fill the gym from the months of Jan to March. I’ll be the one breathing the sigh of relief as my exercise equipment of choice becomes available more often. It’s time to re-establish exercise as a priority when planning my day, and allocate time accordingly.
• Exercise fiscal responsibility.
  This is where I fared the best over the last year. Even with my recent slipping, I’ve resisted the returning desires for impulse purchases. Going forward, I’m ready to take the next steps - where before I simply remained aware of my account balances monthly, I will now create a debt reduction plan and monthly budget. Last year, I worked on not overspending; this year, I’ll work on saving.
• Exercise my brain.
  I used to be a voracious reader; until recently, I am embarrassed to admit my reading is almost completely relegated to magazines and blogs. Tonight, I finished a trilogy and am halfway through a Sudoku book - and feel once again exhilaration as I flex mental muscles. I will continue to make time to read and work logic problems.
• Control my information intake.
  My morning ritual begins at 5:30am, when I pour a cup of coffee and sift through RSS feeds and email while cycling on a stationary bike. Lately, I often suffer frustration as I have an overwhelming amount of information to sift through and not nearly enough time to do so. In Bloglines, I have 506 feeds - way too many! Even in an attempt to winnow the list down to a more manageable size by creating a “Daily” playlist comprised only of those feeds I think are important to read on a daily basis, I’m still left with 193 feeds. As I’m driven, almost compelled, to completely review the list, I realize my information owns me - by labeling an insurmountable amount of information as “important,” I have surrendered control, and my productivity suffers. Going forward, I will make notes of which feeds I actually find daily value in, and drop the rest. Information should uplift, not bankrupt.
• Consume peace, not anger.
  Emotions are like a self-hosted banquet where I serve as both host and guest, both choosing and consuming the fare. When I choose an angry emotional reaction to someone cutting me off in traffic, I consume my own anger, which feeds and inspires further anger and seething. Unintentionally, soon I’m not only consuming my own bitter angst, I’m also serving it to others around me, spreading my bad mood. In the new year, I will be more mindful of my emotional reactions, choosing the most peaceful reaction possible in every situation.

Control consumption. This year, my resolution will be my motto.

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