2011 was a strange year. Not much really changed in my everyday life. I kept the same architectural design job I've had for 11 years, my husband stayed at the same motion graphics company, the kids shifted from junior high to high school, but activities and schedule remained pretty much consistent.

But within all the routine, there have been a few shifts that have had bigger effects on my life. I'm not a resolution-type person, but I think especially when things seem to be running fairly smoothly, it's important to step back and take a look at lessons learned to see how those can inform future decisions.

Things I learned in 2011:

• Taking care of yourself is hard. You would think focusing on yourself would be the easiest thing in the world, and for many other people, perhaps it is. But I'm not talking here about being self-absorbed, I'm looking at doing what's best for you. As a mom and wife as well as a small business owner and employee, my time is seriously divided into tiny pieces. Between the day job and running around for the kids, there is only a small chunk of time left for me. Last year I focused on diet and sleep, and was sometimes successful, often not. The diet side was much easier for me than ensuring a full night's sleep, so that's one thing I need to work on. There's not much you can do with conflicting schedules, but a little preparation and organization will certainly help, and making good sleep a priority should go a long way.

• I'm a blogger. Although I have had a blog for a few years now on a few different platforms, I have never been very consistent with it, and thus never considered myself a blogger. But I have been guest blogging for a couple of years now for papernstitch, and I love it. And it was pointed out to me by the lovely Linda Demers of à la mode that guest blogging makes me a blogger too. I like the writing process (once I can get myself to sit down and do it,) and I love curating images and ideas. I always enjoyed writing in school, and have only now come to the realization that it is one of those endeavors that I both enjoy and do well, an endeavor that definitely needs to be pursued.

• Paleo is the way to go. For me, at least. I changed my diet in April of 2011, and have never looked back. Focusing on whole, real food has made a difference both in my health and our household. I lost 60 pounds, became fitter and more focused. It was an easy transition for me, all except my Starbucks addiction. One of my daughters has made the journey along with me, and my mom has pretty much kicked Type 2 diabetes following the same plan. This also means that I'm cooking more at home, which is better for the whole family. Certainly better than the loads of fast food that we were eating, and I can get my girls to help with food prep and cooking as well. I'm definitely planning to stay on this track!

• I get sick easily when I don't eat well. Starbucks addiction aside, the two times near the end of the year that I didn't eat well, meaning WAY too much sugar, I got sick. I had been able to fend off all incoming colds and bugs up until that time, with perhaps a tickle in my throat that disappeared or getting a little tired. Add to that a small lack of sleep, and it's a recipe for disaster. Best to keep things on an even keel.

• Although my patience has increased, my need to use it has increased beyond my capabilities. Being a mom of twin freshman girls is a trial and tribulation that is beyond comprehension. As they are at once the most wonderful kids and the most horrible monsters, my improvements in the patience arena seem to always be eclipsed by their ability to try it. My assumption is that this will continue to be the norm, and I will suck it up for another 3 and a half years until they go off to college.

• I am that sports mom. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be the mom screaming from the sidelines at every game, but I am. Luckily, although the refs might disagree, I am not an angry mom, but love watching my kids perform to the best of their abilities. I'm the team mom, booster club board member, and proudly wear my shirt proclaiming my support for either high school or club teams. And I'm going to miss that when the kids go to college and I won't always be able to be there.

Where does that leave me for 2012? Pretty much doing the same thing I have been, but tweaking a little here and there (more sleep, more writing, less sugar) to enhance what is a pretty great life already.

Starting in mid-April, I switched over to the Paleo lifestyle (whole-foods, gluten-free plus a bit more) and have never felt better. Because of this, I went for a few months without my favorite hot drink, the Chai Tea Latte. After all, the chai latte is packed with sugar, and the milk proteins don't always agree with everyone's constitution, so I figured it was best to not have it. After a while, I went back to having a tall one every once in a while, both because I really like them, and I wasn't looking to lose any weight, so a little sugar really wasn't the end of the world. Mid-September, some beastie took me over and I wanted one of these every day. Even if I didn't get one, I wanted one, BAD. Luckily my blood sugar is pretty steady at this point from being Paleo, so I didn't have any major bad effects, no sugar lows, no weight gain. But having that craving really got to me. So for the entire month of November, I swore off Starbucks.

It took me about 2 weeks solid to kick that deep craving, and by that time, I only had a short time left until the month would end. Today is December 1, and yes, I did have my chai this morning (venti, whole milk, no water.) Did I enjoy it? Of course. Do I feel great after it? Not really. As a matter of fact, I have a tiny headache. Will that stop me from having another? Again no, but I'm not going to let it get crazy again. So I took a little time pondering what makes that Starbucks habit so darn strong. You'd think it was that sugar craving, but I think that's only a tiny part of it. Here's my rundown:

Reasons for the Starbucks habit: 

• Sugar: I would think this would be the main issue, but I really wasn't craving other sugary things. If this were the catalyst, I would assume that fruit and other such items would curb this a little. No such luck.
• Warm drink: Certainly on a cold morning, there is nothing better than a warm drink in your hand, and in your belly. It really warms you up from the inside out. But a cup of hot tea or bone broth takes care of this pretty easily. So although the warmth is nice, it's not the main factor either.
• Break in the day: It is certainly nice to stop in the midst of a regular schedule and just shift it up a bit. A pitstop on the way to work or on the way home is a nice break to a schedule that can be a bit monotonous. This is once again a small factor, but one that could be supplanted by other types of breaks: a short walk, some stretching or other movement, reading a book, anything out of the ordinary. After all, when this is a habit, it quickly becomes part of the schedule.
• Doing something for myself: Between work and the kids, I spend a lot of time doing things for others. I think a part of the Starbucks appeal is the same reason I enjoy going out to eat - it's nice to have someone wait on you for a change. I love going inside, ordering, and having my drink given to me just the way I like it (yes, I'm one of those with a modification list a mile long,) enjoying my drink and throwing away the cup afterwards (no dishes.) But again, this can be taken care of by doing other things for myself: scheduling quiet time, getting a manicure or massage, anything that is just for me.
• Habit: I think this is really the crux of the whole thing. All of those little things: sugar, warmth, a break, and 'me time' become the perfect storm to create a habit. And once you get in the habit, it takes some serious thought and decision-making to grind it to a halt.

Just as you can begin a good habit by linking a behavior to an existing routine, an undesireable habit happens the same way. A stop at Starbucks on the way between places, say work and picking up kids, or dropping them off and going to work can begin in an innocuous manner. But do it a few times in a row, and the thought creeps in there whenever those two events are linked. Anything that throws off either precipitating event seems to limit that craving/habit. 

So it took me 2 full weeks to get out of the habit. I'm going to be careful not to feed that beastie too often. Have you kicked a habit? And did yours develop in a similar way?

Last Sunday, I took part in an amazing event that coincided with the end of the first Ancestral Health Symposium that took place in LA. About 30 of us met at Venice Beach to participate in a MovNat workshop focused on natural movement - full body motion that translates to real-life movement, not gym-centered 'exercises.' MovNat is a system that focuses on basic principles of economy of motion, points of support, bodyweight transfer and relaxation while doing the following: climbing, walking, running, jumping, lifting, carrying, throwing, catching, balancing, and moving on all fours (defending and swimming are added in longer sessions.)

It was a fabulous day, and after a couple days of very stiff muscles, I am recovered and ready to go out to a local park and put together my own MovNat combos. I think the best thing about the system is that it really gets you in touch with your mind and your body. Although training (MovNatting, Clifton?) can be done indoors as well, there is something amazing about breathing fresh air and getting a little bit of sun on your skin that makes this type of movement training extra-special. You have to be focused, yet relaxed, to preform the majority of the movements. This is the way our kids move naturally until it is PE'd out of them - you've seen them, running around, jumping from sofa to chair to avoid the lava floor, crawling under tables and jumping over fences. This is how we were meant to move, and it's a hell of a lot more fun than spending time in a stuffy, sweaty gym.

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I learned all kinds of new (old) movements, but there are a bunch of over-arcing lessons that I gleaned from this 9-hour workshop:

1. I am stronger than I thought: Ok, I'm no spring chicken, and I don't work out. I walk and I carry piles of bags of groceries (and the occasional huge dog food bag) without much effort. I've never shied away from physically hard work, but I did something Sunday that I would never have guessed: I lifted and carried a grown man (he wasn't huge) in a fireman carry! Seriously! 

2. I am weaker than I thought: Although I was always Queen of the Monkey Bars in elementary school, I found that I was unable to swing my leg sideways from a hanging position and get my leg up on a bar. If I'm hanging with one had on each side of the bar and lifting straight forward, no problem, but obviously, those abdominal obliques need some work. So I am going to take Erwan's (founder of MovNat) suggestion and work up to it by practicing hanging and swinging, pulling my legs up until I can finally get that leg up to the bar. While I'm at it, some focus on the arms from that position would be great too.

3. Efficiency of effort is key: Most of the movements require that parts of your body are taut or working, while the rest of your body is relaxed. This leads to economy of motion, where you only expend as much energy as you need to perform a movement, no more. So often we push ourselves and stay at full tautness in our whole body, when that really isn't necessary. You've seen someone who seemed to move effortlessly: my mind turns to Bruce Lee - there is a relaxed quickness and efficiency to their motions that look so perfect.

4. Exercise can be fun: I find the repetitive nature of standard workouts to be REALLY boring. Makes it hard to get myself interested in getting to the gym. But natural movements can be done anywhere, anytime. Look around you and find what you can use: Is there a curb? Practice jumping onto it from further and further distances, all with good form. Is there a wall? Balance on it, or launch yourself over it. Is there an open space? Think up a scenario where you are pretending there are obstacles to your path, and move to get around them. There's really no excuse not to move, and if you have kids, get them involved as well! They can play follow the leader, or can be your obstacles, whichever seems to work at the time.

5. I need to teach myself to relax: I am not by nature a relaxed person. From the time I get up until I go to bed, I spend most of the day either working or running around from one place to another. Even when I get a manicure, the manicurist has to remind me to relax my hands. So trying to create that efficiency of effort requires that I learn how to relax. Although I don't have a problem with taking time out, as soon as I am going, I am in a state of mild agitation. One of our lessons involved tensing one arm while keeping the other one relaxed - I kept trying to help my partner by moving my 'relaxed' arm - clearly, I need some work.

6. Fear should not keep you from trying new things: Although I was really excited to take part in the workshop, I was also a little nervous. I'm not a CrossFitter, or a gym rat, or even a runner. So I knew that this day would not be easy for me. Luckily after signing up for the course, I had heard a podcast with Erwan talking to Jimmy Moore, and he discussed that movement was appropriate for everyone of all ages and fitness levels. And I'm so glad that I didn't let that nervousness stop me from taking part! 

7. The Ancestral Health (Paleo/Primal) crowd is a bunch of really cool, nice, helpful people: The majority of the other attendees had spent the last two days at the Ancestral Health Symposium, some as volunteers, some as attendees, and others as speakers. The others seemed to follow much the same vibe - most eat paleo/low-carb and quite a number of them were sporting Vibram Five FIngers and other minimalist shoes. These people were amazingly supportive of each other, lending words of encouragment, and offering suggestions for books (thank you Dr. Emily Deans,) and supplements (thank you Dr. BG!) Not to mention that this whole group of people is a good-looking crowd, fit and happy.

8. Moving naturally works the whole body instead of parts: Although I can tell the parts that I worked the most (probably because those were the weakest,) I can feel that the day's movements worked everywhere. There was not a part of the body that was forgotten, and surprisingly enough, there was also no pain or lingering twinges in any of my joints! All stresses were placed on the muscles themselves, which is a sustainable way of moving.

If you are at all interested in MovNat, please check out their website. They provide 1-day workshops all over the country and in other countries as well, and have intensive 5 and 7-day workshops in West Virginia and Thailand. What a great experience, and I heartily thank Erwan, Clifton, and the rest of the attendees for making it such a memorable one.