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Whilst I love New Year's Resolutions, most resolutions fail by the end of January. It seems rough, we are still in party mode seeing friends and family, enjoying BBQs, sport and a cheeky beverage or two. How is the clock meant to tick over to 1 January and we give up all that we love about summer holidays in Brisbane?
We are all human. No one is perfect. Remember that good is better than perfection - as perfect will rarely, if ever, happen. One of my clients reminded me of this last year and I keep coming back to this simple mantra.
This year I want to take a moment to reset at the start of each month. What have I been doing well? What can I improve on?
For me, February is about increasing my movement. January was a lot of sitting (and I don't mean rest, which is another topic I might post on sometime). I mean mindless scrolling of social media, watching hours of tv, lots of computer work. I get that when it comes to daily routine, some of this is work related and unavoidable. But surely with all the hours in a week, I can make a small change that could provide a big impact.
British scientists published a study in late 2023 that found going for a walk for just 22 minutes a day may be enough to offset the negative effects of sitting too much. The study looked at sedentary lifestyles and it being the leading causes of ill health worldwide.* Let's say that again - sitting too much is killing us.
There are 29 days in February - what would it mean if I moved my body for 29 minutes for 29 days? (because 29 for 29 has a nice ring to it!) What would this mean for my week?
Everyone should be worried when a former lawyer gets a calculator to do maths (I really should have asked one of my four clients who are accountants to check this) But let's give it a crack.**
There are 1440 minutes in a day.
This means there are 41,760 minutes in the month of February this year.
29 minutes movement a day in February is 840 minutes for the month.
So it's only 2% of my time - every day. That doesn't seem like a huge amount of work to improve my health and mental wellbeing.
If you think it sounds like a lot, check out how many hours a day you are on your phone...
To quote James Clear, who wrote Atomic Habits:
…Meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it is actually big.
Who wants to join me? Can you commit to 29 days of 29 minutes movement? A Pilates session is 50 minutes so that's covered at least one or two days, of your week already. Add in a walk with a friend, a swim at the pool, some weights training - whatever it is that you love or you can manage to work in with your week.
You can make your movement-
Social - grab a buddy and make this your weekly catch up. I do this every week and it bring me so much joy to see a friend and move my body.
Incidental - forgot the groceries? Need to post a letter? Leave the car at home and do that task by foot. I love this as I feel like my walk has a purpose.
Mindful - the hardest challenge for me. Walking without Airpods this year. Some of my clients have said this is what they do so I'm giving it a go. Taking time to slow my mind and observe the world around me. Mindfulness is an ongoing challenge for me and a focus for 2024.
I'm going to try to add more walks, Pilates, PT and aqua aerobics to my schedule for February. Let's see how I go!
I'd love some Wellspringers to join me on the journey! Let me know if you are keen and we can keep each other accountable.
See you in the studio, Wellspringers
Love Holly
xx
*If you are a details person, here is the study online Device-measured physical activity, sedentary time, and risk of all-cause mortality: an individual participant data analysis of four prospective cohort studies | British Journal of Sports Medicine (bmj.com)
** The first three times I did that, my calculations were wrong! But I'm pretty sure I got it right the 4th time ;)
Love this!! Can’t wait to hear about aqua aerobics!!! ❤️