Wrong side of the bed?!

Last night I slept on the other side of the bed and it felt very "wrong".  It wasn't right or wrong obviously, but it felt awkward.  So I've been pondering why it felt "awkward".   If I sleep in a hotel bed or at my mother's house or somewhere else and I'm on the other side of the bed, it doesn't feel awkward.  So I've come to the conclusion that it is simply that we are creatures of habit and breaking outside of our habits feels awkward.   And in some cases it can be downright hard.

Take eating and exercising habits for instance.  We get into patterns - whether good or bad - and then it's awkward to break the cycle.  This is a good thing with the good habits, but when we have bad habits that we are trying to break it can be very difficult.  Although sometimes uncontrollable forces have a very definite impact on our habits and can throw them off kilter before we realize it has become a problem.

The change in seasons has done that to me.  I was really enjoying my exercising and running outside through the spring and summer.  Now the weather has turned rainy (cold isn't so bad...but it just seems like it's raining all the time) and I'm finding myself not exercising nearly as much as I used to.   And suddenly it feels awkward - and I don't like it.

I'm going to have to weigh the options and decide a new course of action.  Last year I used my elliptical almost daily.  It was convenient and I really enjoyed it.  This year it doesn't sound quite as appealing, and I'm not sure why, but I think it has to do with the social aspect that I've come to enjoy when I run or bike with friends.  My initial thoughts are to join the YMCA, another gym, or to use the work out room where I live.  In the past I've been quick to join but then find that I don't use the membership and the $$ goes to waste, so I don't want to just jump into that course of action without a strong commitment that I'll go and use it.

I think half the battle is REALIZING that a habit is heading in a "not so good" direction so that corrective action can be taken before a new "bad" habit has been created and accepted.

I'll let you know what I decide.  In the meantime I'm going to go put on my workout clothes, get on my elliptical and contemplate which side of the bed to sleep on tonight.