I started running.
Yup.
I’m a runner.
A short-distance, short-time runner.
For almost a month, I have been running for 15 minutes every day except for Shabbat.
That’s it. 15 minutes.
And it works. I finally found an exercise regimen that works.
For now.
Maybe it’s not enough for everyone, but it’s enough for me.
For now.
I’ve also committed to writing more.
Tiny tidbits here and there.
A blog or the start of a new short story or a poem for fun spurred by a random writing prompt.
I find, the more I write, the more I write.
And the better I feel.
So between the running and the writing, my physical and emotional health seems to be on the up and up.
I know because my hormones say so.
They say so by being quiet when they are normally loud.
Quiet hormones. Quiet head.
Ahh….
But I think I could add a third element to my personalized workout:
Gratitude.
Gratitude, as we know, is such an energy boost. It’s a life lifter.
When we feel gratitude — the day after a violent stomach bug, or the minute after you avoided a tragedy or danger, or simple moments of love between you and your spouse or your child or your cat — we love life.
In the very moment we feel gratitude, we love life.
And loving life is all any of us ever want. It’s why we exercise. It’s why we write.
It’s why we exist at all — to love life.
So, I’m going to try to add 15 minutes of gratitude to my daily workout regimen.
If it’s that easy to love life, why wouldn’t I?
Want to join me?
Yes, please! Gratitude is so easy – and also so easy to forget. Thank you for the reminder.
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Great idea, Jen. I’ll join you on the fifteen minutes of gratitude.
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Great! I started this morning by thanking out loud my immediate family members. A friend of mine told me that gratitude is proven more effective when practiced out loud.
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Yes, I think I need a partner these days!
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I started my gratitude regimen today by saying out loud to each of my kids something I am grateful for (about them)
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You always show an amazing get up and go quality. Even if you falter you try and try again. Admirable
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