Creating New Habits

Some quick updates here... I've been knitting and sewing a bit (more on that later), started the new job, bought a crockpot!, and sold. my. car. Well almost. 2001 VW Cabrio for sale! anybody?

I read a really interesting article today about habits. How are habits formed, and how can we create new ones that we actually want?

Researchers "have found what they call three zones of existence: comfort, stretch and stress. Comfort is the realm of existing habit. Stress occurs when a challenge is so far beyond current experience as to be overwhelming. It’s that stretch zone in the middle — activities that feel a bit awkward and unfamiliar — where true change occurs."

And then it even says... "Continuously stretching ourselves will even help us lose weight, according to one study. Researchers who asked folks to do something different every day — listen to a new radio station, for instance — found that they lost and kept off weight."

That sounds promising.

So as I sit here and bite my nails, wondering when I'll get to the gym again, I'm thinking about what habits I want. They say to not even try reversing habits, but creating parallel ones. And I like the whole stretch idea. I have this idea that mornings could be way more productive. I could actually walk my dog instead of just taking her to the tree in front. I could make coffee and sit and drink it instead of pouring it into a travel mug that I forget and leave on the counter anyway. I could (gasp!) actually sit and meditate for 10 minutes to start my day. Doesn't that sound wonderful?? So I think I'll start by getting up 10 minutes earlier. It's certainly not the whole 45mins or an hour that I'd like, but it's a stretch.

What habits would you want, and how do you think you can stretch your current comfort zone to get them?