Another double on Saturday but this time it was a hot pilates class followed by wheel conditioning.
The hot Pilates was upbeat and such fun. Thankfully I found it much easier than last time. On Monday I did the same class and had aching tummy muscles all week as a result. The discomfort had only just subsided by Saturday so I figured I’d be in pain after this class too, but I seem to have escaped it despite working just as hard.
So in the space of a week I have had a positive improvement, which is awesome.
The wheel class was in stark contract; very calming, restorative and another opportunity to get deep into my back bends which seems to be what my body is craving.
I was going to be spending the rest of the weekend at my friend’s house and would be out of London. As these were classes 28 & 29 I was pretty keen to get back into London for the 5pm class on Sunday to hit number 30. Completing 30 classes in 27 days would be pretty nice, and then I would be able to continue in Serbia on the retreat.
I enjoyed the weekend, good food, a couple of drinks, but not many; in fact Saturday saw my first sip of alcohol in 14 days. I enjoyed myself but not to excess and this is definitely the sort of self-discipline I want to work on.
I’ve been listening to a good podcast for a few weeks called ‘The Life Coach School’ by Brooke Castillo. As I have been minding my alcohol consumption I listened to a 3 part series she has to help listeners to stop over-drinking. It’s not about quitting, just how to reign it in.
She makes the distinction between deciding with your pre-frontal cortex that you will drink, so, planning it, deciding what you’ll have and how much, versus reactive drinking where you are driven by your impulsions. The arrangement you make with yourself around drink needs to be at least 24 hours in advance. You can’t just come home and pour a glass of wine because you feel stressed, or have an impromptu drink with your friends because the sun is shining.
She also invites you to question what does alcohol change within the situation and what opportunity for growth are you missing because of it. For example, if you have a drink when you are in a social situation because you need confidence to speak to people, then alcohol is a crutch that you use for confidence. But, relying on that crutch doesn’t change your confidence or how that situation feel, it just masks it. For growth you have to identify what it is you are using alcohol to mask, and then take the opportunity to work on that problem to allow growth.
I’m digging this concept.
I knew I would drink on Saturday and Sunday but I chose to limit myself to a half bottle of prosecco on Saturday night and a single glass on Sunday. I made that choice in advance, with my pre-frontal cortex and I stuck to it. No impulse drinking. Having control felt good and came from a positive place.
At the end of the day, I need to identify what isn’t serving me and let it go.
my happy life project 