Happy, happy Monday! I’ve been listening to the book Atomic Habits on Audible and this morning on my run I realized that I was putting the principles of the book in action. I slept hard last night and when I woke up this morning I felt tired and thought to myself, “there is no way that I’m going to run before class today. I’ll just try to fit it in later.” Well, once I got up, made breakfast for Finn, drank my coffee, made a smoothie and went upstairs to get myself and Finn dressed, I found myself putting on my running clothes. It’s become such a part of my Monday morning routine that once I started putting my routine in action, I started feeling the urge to run.
HABIT STACKING
I ended up enjoying four gorgeous 62 degree miles that reminded me why Monday morning runs are the best way to start the week. In the book Atomic Habits this would fall into the realm of “habit stacking.” Author James Clear describes habit stacking this way, “When it comes to building new habits, you can use the connectedness of behavior to your advantage. One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. This is called habit stacking.”
Obviously, running isn’t a new habit for me but it did take some effort to make it a part of my Monday morning routine. I’m now at a place with my Monday morning runs where it feels like I’m really missing out if I don’t get them in.
Here’s the habit stacking formula as written on James Clear’s website:
“After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].
For example:
- After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute.
- After I take off my work shoes, I will immediately change into my workout clothes.
- After I sit down to dinner, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened today.
- After I get into bed at night, I will give my partner a kiss.
- After I put on my running shoes, I will text a friend or family member where I am running and how long it will take.
Again, the reason habit stacking works so well is that your current habits are already built into your brain. You have patterns and behaviors that have been strengthened over years. By linking your new habits to a cycle that is already built into your brain, you make it more likely that you’ll stick to the new behavior.”
You can read the full post about habit stacking here and I do recommend reading the book Atomic Habits. I think the word habit tends to have a mostly negative connotation but there are so many positive habits and routines that we can create for ourselves to really support our happiness, health and success!
I thought that would be a fun little motivator to share on a Monday. And now, let’s backtrack to the weekend.
WEEKEND IN WINSTON-SALEM
Finn and I had a fun weekend trip to Winston-Salem to visit the special someone that I mentioned in my Charleston recap. I am hesitant to share a lot of details about my dating life online for a few reasons but happy to let you guys know that I am happy and to write about things at a high level for now. 🙂
Friday afternoon looked like fun in the pool. We swam for a couple of hours and Finn had a blast.
He literally fell asleep on me all wet around 3:30p when we were sitting outside by the pool and ended up sleeping until I woke him up at 5!
We did a cookout on Friday night. I made chopped salads, sautéed onions and mushrooms, corn and tots. I decided to have my burger on top of my salad because we didn’t have buns and it was delicious. As were the tots…I can’t even believe how many of these things Finn can put away.
On Saturday morning Finn and I took an outing to the park. This park has a huge three-story play structure that Finn LOVES. I was pretty shocked when he wanted to climb up this ladder thing to the second level. I only had to help him one time and he had it down. It was probably around 8 feet tall.
There were tons of kids and parents there and we both had a great time hanging out and socializing!
Finn took another long nap when we got home from the park so I squeezed in a run while he slept.
Back at home I had a special cake decorating mission to complete. I picked up a chocolate cake from Villani’s on my way out of Charlotte on Friday and decorated it for a Saturday night birthday celebration. We went out with a small group of friends on Saturday for a birthday dinner for said special someone.
On Sunday morning we all headed to another local park for a walk. The cherry trees were in bloom and so beautiful.
Sunday was a pretty day so we spent a couple of hours by the pool before heading back to Charlotte. Can we appreciate Finn holding three cars to jump in the water here? He’s so car obsessed!
That smile. He loves the water.
I borrowed this life jacket from Finn’s dad and he really likes it. It gives him a lot of freedom in the water. I was so pleased to see him putting some of the things he’s learned in swim class into practice like putting his face down and front floating to get to where he wants to go. He also knows to identify where the steps to the pool are and how to get out when he first gets in the water.
Finn likes to wear my sunglasses when it’s bright out but thinks it’s super cool to wear them on top of his head and not over his eyes, haha. He kept telling me, “no, like this mommy.”
Let me tell you, swimming wears Finn like nothing else! He ate his snack in a horizontal position after we got out of the pool and I had to work all my tricks to make sure he didn’t take a second nap in the car on the drive home.
Overall, we had a great weekend. Thanks for letting me share a little bit of it here! I hope y’all have the best week ahead!
QUESTIONS
What are some positive habits that you’d like to implement in your life? What are some you already have? What about negative habits you’d like to kick to the curb?
Do you have a standing run/workout class/etc that you look forward to on a certain day of the week?
How was your weekend!? What did you do?
Thank you for sharing your update even at a high-level about your special someone! Looks and sounds like it was a fantastic weekend, and for us long-time readers, I know we are all THRILLED for you! 🙂 How fun all the playtime that Finn got, looks like he had a total blast, too. YAY JEN!
What are some positive habits that you’d like to implement in your life? What are some you already have? What about negative habits you’d like to kick to the curb?
I’d like to implement regular cardio and some yoga/stretching into my life. I already lift weights, but cardiovascular health is also important. I’ve been doing some Peloton classes on my Schwinn IC4. Some positive habits I already have: sleeping 8 hours every night, lifting weights regularly, and having a good handle on nutrition. I only have one negative habit I’d like to kick to the curb, and that’s drinking. I think it’s ok every so often but I definitely indulge in wine too much.
Do you have a standing run/workout class/etc that you look forward to on a certain day of the week?
I get together with my neighbor each Saturday and we do a 40-60 mile bike ride in Minneapolis.
How was your weekend!? What did you do?
The weekend was fairly boring. I travel for work so my fun is usually during the week. I was in Boston on Monday and went to an amazing Italian restaurant. Tuesday I left Boston to head to Connecticut and then to Brooklyn. I ate at an amazing restaurant called The River Cafe in Brooklyn. Definitely one of my favorite cities!
my mind is kind of blown by habit stacking! It makes perfect sense – thank you for sharing. I need to think about how I can best incorporate the practice in my life 🙂
Jen, I am so happy to read that you are HAPPY!!!! You look happy as does Finn! As for my habit stacking I always brush my teeth, wash my face, get dressed in the exact same order every.single.time. My meditation/yoga practice varies day to day due to schedule but it does get done?now if I could “stack” my walk on top of that I would feel very accomplished! Thanks for this post
Thank you so much Pam. <3 Love love that you have created such a positive daily habit with your meditation and yoga.
I’m so happy that YOU are happy, Jen! And I love how happy Finn looks in all these pictures, too! ?
The weather has been so perfect for running lately and I’ve also found myself wanting to run more and more! Do you still try to fit in strength training or do you just go with what you’re feeling and mostly running right now?
Also, totally random, but where are your running sunglasses from?! I love them!
Hi Megan! Thank you so much for your kind words and yes! Totally makes it so much sweeter that Finn is happy too! 🙂
I have been running more than anything lately. I always strength train at least once a week because I teach a strength class that I do with them. I occasionally get a second day in. This summer when it gets hot and I want to run less, I plan to dial up the strength to 3x/week!
My running sunglasses are Goodr and they are the best! So comfortable and lightweight and come in tons of fun colors!
Love that you’re happy so, so much. Mostly because you just SO completely deserve it. But also because it gives me hope at finding a second chance at love in my 30s.
Thanks for sharing these slices of your life with us, Jen.
Oh, thank you Maeve. You’ve always been such an incredible cheerleader and know that it goes both ways. I know this has been (and continues to be) such a difficult for you and everyone in Canada. Layering in dating on top of that is a lot. You are so beautiful and have incredible gifts to offer a partner. I pray that you’ll find your person. I know how hard/frustrating/hopeless it can feel to date in your 30s (and really at any age…it’s just hard these days). Always always here for you!
I love that you’ve found a special someone who makes you happy! I also love to hear you blog about Winston because I live here. 🙂 and my kids love that playground, too! Xo
Hey Leslie! Thank you so much. I hope to run into you sometime around WS! Please say hi if you happen to see us out and about! I’d love to meet some people locally. 🙂
I’m so happy that you have found a special someone that clearly makes you happy! It was great seeing Finn so happy in all those photos too and I’m glad that you’ve found someone that Finn is happy around too. I wish you the best in this relationship as you truly deserve it!
Hi Marie – thank you so much for your kindness and encouragement. Navigating a relationship as a single mom to a young child is a whole new ballgame but we are making it work!
Echoing others to say how thrilled I am that you are happy, and that Finn is so welcome to join in your time with your special someone. You deserve all the happiness in the world – thank you for sharing your light and life with us.
Hi Anne – thank you so much for your kindness and support.