Stoptober Start

September was supposed to be the start. When plans are made and followed through and it somehow just happens and all falls into place and by October you're sitting smugly in the knowledge that you succeeded at September with its fresh routines and promise of a better beginning.

Well, somehow, September flashed by in a blink of an eye. It's now October and we are nine twelfths of the way through the year, or three quarters, put simply. Seventy-five percent. I could do it as days but that would be a messy fraction and I like neatness, even if it is sometimes not strictly correct. Having said that, this is coming from the girl who once worked out her half-birthday to the hour (somewhere near 10th November, give or take half a day, should you wish to send me a card to mark the occasion).

So now, it's October. Stoptober, for the smokers. Sober October, for the fundraisers. Both of these campaigns have got me thinking about what I should or would or could stop for October. Or at least, start to stop in October with the view to making it a permanent change. It takes six weeks to change a habit, or about forty days, which translates to around half a dozen years for those of you that fail at willpower, excel in procrastination and are masters at art of giving in to temptation. 

I have many habits I should perhaps try to change, behaviours I need to modify but try to change too much at once and you get nowhere. I am just going to try to follow the three simple steps for a healthy living: eat less, move more, sleep well. This essentially translates to:

Stop snacking in-between meals

Stop sitting down for long times

Stop staying up for late nights

Of course, these are vague and largely immeasurable, which is not ideal when making resolutions. They should always been strictly defined and make it easy to mark the achievement and enable you to feel like you have made progress. Whoops. To be honest, I don't really think I'll follow the food one; I prefer grazing throughout the day. It's mainly because I like alliteration and it fits. As for sitting down, that's condemning the generally sedentary lifestyle of mine. I sit at a desk all day and then I sit some more in the evening. I should get up more often...perhaps to go and get a snack? Apart from, of course, when it is sleeping time. Then I shall stop screen-staring so much (another stop to focus on, one which is ludicrously difficult in this era; even my book is a screen) and go to bed at a sensible hour and therefore wake well-rested and ready for a day of not too much sitting and not too much screen-staring. 

So there you have it, some stops to start off. Any other suitable suggestions? I do have a few others but it's best not get into those right now, as it is almost midnight in Azerbaijan and I should be switching off. 

Flitterbox: Ellie Goulding - Anything Could Happen
Flitterbook: Please Ignore Vera Dietz - A.S. King