My flings with Routine

Everyone has to have at least 1 thriving relationship with a routine in their lives. I was pondering on my routines and I discovered that I have different types of relationships with my routines.

There are the short flings with some routines, longer flings with some luckier ones, off-and-on flings with some others, continuing relationships with some and lasting relationships with others.

I have on-and-off short flings with my exercise routine. Oh, I would love for our relationship to go through the ranks and progress to a lasting one, you know like the kind of relationship I have with food, but somehow it doesn't just get there. I think that I need to go into more details so that I can be helped by a relationship therapist.
You see, I notice the routine first, maybe on TV ( there is a Govt. funded advert on being active), or on the phone when my friends tell me about their boxersice class in Gym. This makes me start to think, hmmm, I think this routine ought to be in my lifestyle.
Then this progresses to research. You know how you find out stuff about someone you think you might want to date? Well, that's what I do about this particular routine. I hop online and check about what kinds of exercises would help me get rid of my post-pregnancy tummy, or help me get back to size 10.
Oooh, I start getting excited about now and I tell my husband as he innocently passes by the study, "Baby, I've decided that I'm going to start exercising...again..." and he normally responds with, "Yes, you need to."
By now, I'm all fired up and ready to ask my routine on our first date! I look around the house for weights, and if i don't find any and dont want to ask hubby to buy some (he thinks i'm impulsive), I fill up some water bottles and use them instead.
Next step would be to create a 'gym music' playlist on my ipod and the very next morning I'm off on my first date. I crank up my 'gym music' and try to remember the moves we used to do when last I was in a gym. (oh, you should see the expressions on my little daughter's face as she watches me!)
The next day, I discover some muscles I never knew I had because I'm ACHING all over. But NO!, nothing can deter me from my new found love, so by 10.00am, I'm fired up, although not as aggressive as the day before.
By the third day, my infatuation has waned, but I'm still a faithful lover, so I go for a walk with the pram instead. When I get back, I re-view the Ad on TV and note that it says to exercise for around 30mins at least 3 times a week, so i feel that I am now entitled for a rest.
Next week, I exercise for 2 non-consecutive days of the week. The next week, I skip exercise because ....................... maybe I'm sure I'll do it the following week.
Needless to say, by the end of the month, my fling with exercise is sadly over and I'm back to my 'unhealthy' ways of not exercising :(

I must say that I have seemed to be able to retain some relationships with some other routines. The ones that I have lasting relationships with are those that I can't imagine living without- like brushing my teeth...you know...I have never left my teeth un-brushed for a week, maybe a day, but not even up to two days. Brushing seems to be a kind of routine that you've never experienced what it feels like not to do it for a week, yet you're scared stiff of the repercussions so you don't want to try. Maybe its a control thing, or maybe its the way our parents drummed it into our young heads, or maybe its only a fear of the unknown.
Other similar relationships I have are with my daily showers, feeding, sleeping, and facebooking.

Some new routines that I have managed to hang on to are sterilising my daughter's feeding bottles...I figured out how to have a daily date with this routine by doing it immediately after doing the dishes. Did I mention that the only reason I do the dishes is because there's no one else to do them? I mean, who loved doing dishes when they were young? Not me-I remember forcing my brother to wash the spoon that was left over from his batch!

Still, I am expecting my mother-in-law to arrive soon, and I know she'll offer to do the dishes sometimes. I intend to take her up on the offer and I hope I'll find a way to maintain my sterilising relationship with Izabelle's bottles...I have to! Maybe, I can ask Mom-in-law to do them along with the dishes! Woohooo

Till then, I am left with the uphill task of figuring out a way to make my short and intense flings with exercise a long and lasting one.

Please drop me a line of suggestions and I promise to try every single one...unless its unreasonable (i.e. involves waking up before the godly hour of 6.00am).