Trying to Cultivate a Good Habit

I've been trying to cultivate good habits in myself, well, for a lot of things. Unfortunately I'm never persistent enough to cultivate them as a long term habit. Now, I'm trying even harder.

Before my Chinese New Year home trip, I bought a book by Deepak Chopra at the airport, titled "Grow Younger Live Longer". Ya, who doesn't wanna look younger? I want, I admit! I'm stepping into 30 this year,  and I'm not going to deny it, 30 sounds kinda scary to me.

But reading this book is not about just how you look, is how your body feels. How to cultivate good habits in your life, some very simple habits, may just take 15 minutes of your daily life. It says, it takes 10 weeks of practice to have a habit cultivated! I'm in two weeks now. Eight more weeks to go!

What have I been trying:

1. Wake up earlier to practice sun salutations and short meditation. Before this, I wake up at 7.45am-ish, rushed to brush my teeth and shower. Change in a hurry and go to work. Results, sometimes I doze off in my shuttle bus, which results in even more tiredness at work in the morning. Now, I wake up earlier, 7.15am-ish for sun salutation and short meditation. If I'm early enough, I even get to eat a bowl of cereal before going to work. I'm more refreshed, I read on the train (when it's not too crowded) and I don't doze off in the bus anymore. In fact, I practice breathing on shuttle bus to office. Some day I wake up before the alarm. But confession here, I missed the routine for two Sundays! Once was when I was in KL with the Man. Second time was yesterday, I was wide awake up too engrossed with researching Amsterdam for my coming trip.

2. Yogurt facial. The books recommends go natural and organic for everything. As much as I like to follow this, I have to find a balance of what I can afford to go organic. Facial with yogurt, honey, and lemon is an easy way out for me. I've been doing this, alternate or once in 3 days. Face is less oily recently. But as indicated by the sharing on FB, about yogurt reducing blackheads, I have to tell you, it's not true. I still got blackheads when I peel with the Biore blackheads peeler.

3. Stretch before sleep and do massage on the reflection points that my sister taught me. Especially 三阴交for my period problem. It works for me, for two months now. Period comes more on time, and no more cramps. 

4. Eat more vegetables. Confession I have made on my photoblog, I didn't have enough intake on fibers. The book promotes take in all the six taste: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. I have to admit I don't follow all of them, but I commit to eat more vegetables!

• Sweet: Favor whole grains, breads, fruits, starchy vegetables, low-fat organic diary; Reduce: refined sugar, animal fat
• Sour: Favor citrus fruits, berries, tomatoes; Reduce: pickled and fermented food, alcohol
• Salty: Reduce highly salted food like chips, pretzels, processed tomato juice
• Pungent: Favor all spicy food in small amount-ginger, pepper, onions, peppermint, cinnamon
• Bitter: Favor all green and yellow vegetables
• Astringent: Favor: beans, peas, lentils, apples, berries, figs, green tea; Reduce: excessive coffee

These are what I commit to myself to cultivate in myself. Please remind me if you found I'm not doing any of them.