Happy New Year!!! I wanted to kick off the new year with a recent change that has had a dramatic (for the better!!!) result in my health. Just think of this post as a check in with those who read this blog. Over the course of the last year, Kayla and I have been riding our bicycles alot--alot. In addition, our commute has added many benefits to our mental as well as physical health. This feeling is backed up by data from a report that was published last year in June titled "Mood and Mode: does how we travel affect how we feel?" The journal is 'Transportation' and the article can be accessed by clicking here! A good read! Although, that is not the changes that I wanted to discuss in this blog post. I wanted to talk about a small change in my day-to-day routine that resulted in a great health benefit by reducing my anxiety. I would hope that the reader can find his/her own change (small change) which might elicit the same benefit as I have found. Let me explain what exactly the change was and the benefit that I noticed as a result of that change.
Like I mentioned above, throughout the year (last year) we have been using a blended commuting method (bike + train) which has been wonderful and does not need to be expanded upon here. To read about some of those changes read a past blog about various riding activities that we have engaged in over the prior year along with our bicycle advocacy. Recently, I have made a small change to my routine. Over the last few years, I have been using the 'snooze' button on my alarm clock. When I first changed my routine to incorporate a bicycle commute into my schedule, I had no difficulty waking up in the morning. Over time of course, bad habits start to creep up upon us again. This is the reason why being mindful of these small changes (lapses in routine) are extremely important. So important, I was not aware of the stress that I had incurred upon myself until I made a change.
I would wake up and rush to get ready to leave and hop on my bicycle riding off to the station each morning. Over the last month, I have started getting up earlier (15 minutes earlier) and preparing by reading a newspaper (which I love to do). That addition has been beneficial to say the least. What surprised me though was when I decided to leave just '5 minutes earlier' for the train on my bicycle. Normally I would leave at the last minute and spend most of my ride down to the station expecting to miss the train--which would put me on the next train (25 minutes later). I would stress about this everyday during the week. This was having a negative impact (large) on my life and I was not even aware of it.
I started leaving just 5 minutes earlier and arriving early to the train station. Sitting at a train station is not ideal except if you choose to meditate or relax (if that is possible). I am not sure why I thought that arriving at a station 5 minutes earlier would be such an issue. Further, leaving the house 5 minutes earlier seems like leaving hours earlier--I do not understand why--but when I do I will write about it. 5 minutes made a world of a difference for me. I found that riding down to the station, I experienced no anxiety or little compared to when I left with the clock ticking down to the minute. My whole day has changed as a result. WOW--Who would have known?
I wanted to share this change since I have noticed such a beneficial change as a result of such a small change. Mindset is the key--changing habit with the act of mindfulness motivating the change. I encourage each of the readers to be more mindful and find a change that has a positive and beneficial effect in their life. Each of us knows how to make such a change and what needs to be changed. We just need to look within ourselves. Have a great day.