I have proudly dubbed myself as the Routine Queen.

I love a good routine!

Perhaps I crave routine because I lack a conventional 9-5 job and having such a varied schedule requires me to find balance via establishing routines. Or maybe it’s because I’m a control freak.

Most likely the latter.

Regardless of when my workday or first obligation begins, I like to wake up around the same time every day. I prefer to kick off my mornings with a big glass of water, some type of movement, and an overly fussy coffee. A glitch in the routine often causes my whole day to feel off.

The older I get the more I get stuck in my ways. Although challenging, I’m doing my best to accept spontaneity and acknowledge that not everyone or everything is keyed into my personal routines. Again, I’m doing my best.

Recently I was traveling. Also known as My Routine Was Disrupted. Then, upon returning home from my travels, I tested positive for COVID. Also known as My Routine Was Disrupted Beyond Belief.

Once recovered from COVID I was so eager to hop back into my routine. Unfortunately, the lingering fatigue prevented me from going into routine-mode at full force. For about three weeks I felt ungrounded.

Now, after fully recovered from COVID, I’m back at it. I’m running and lifting weights and it feels great! I might have my routines back and my days of no routine may have lit a little spark in me. The routine-free three weeks inspired me to maybe shake things up a bit. Sure, I may have felt a bit off without my routine, but it provided me with a lesson on being adaptable. I figured maybe this was a time for me to embrace something new.

If you have been around me for a while, you might know I am not always a fan of new. I like what I like and I find comfort in what I know. I seriously own the same sweater in three different colors. Again, Routine Queen. But I know this isn’t always the greatest characteristic in a human. I don’t want to be the crabby old lady who refuses to try new things simply because I’m stubborn and stuck in my ways. All the comforts in my life were once new and my willingness to try them allowed for me to love them!

So, here I am, trying new things and embracing novelty. Or at least I’m trying a few new things.

The following weren’t all magicially added to my life after I recovered from COVID, but they might give you an idea of the power of novelty and give you (probably too deep of) a look at my inner workings:

Novelty #1: Lifting a Barbell

Now this new thing is relatively new. Earlier this year my husband and I added a barbell and squat rack to our home gym. I spent the first couple of months just staring at the thing and cursing how much space it took up in our basement.

Historically, I’ve really only lifted dumbbells and kettlebells. They are my weightlifting comfort items. The barbell felt intimidating and awkward.

Why does it have to be so long and challenging to balance?

Why does the bar alone have to be 45 pounds?

After embracing the new gym equipment and experimenting a bit with familiar movement patterns, I realized I actually love the barbell! It is now my absolute favorite piece of gym equipment and I get so excited every time I hit a new personal record on my back squat.

Take that, fear of trying new things!

Novelty #2: Being a Personal Trainer

Some might think being a personal trainer is just like a being a yoga teacher. Sure, that is kind of correct. Both professions require the professional to support people through movement patterns. However, teaching a group yoga class is very, very different from working with private personal training clients.

Although I was excited to take on this new role as a personal trainer earlier this summer, I was very nervous about creating programs that were specific to one client and catered to their goals. It’s one thing to teach a room full of people where to place their feet in Warrior II. It’s a completely different thing to help educate one person on the optimal weight and body positioning for their one rep max deadlift.

When teaching a group class it’s pretty easy to almost hide and disappear in the crowd even when you’re the one guiding the class. Private sessions require me to fully see the one client in front of me and speak specifically to what I see in that one person. Now I do have a fair amount of experience teaching private yoga sessions, but guiding a person through complex, loaded movements is a brand new and sometimes uncomfortable experience.

Luckily, it’s an experience I am very much enjoying. I am loving the journey of supporting folks through resistance training. And better yet, I feel as though my experience as a personal trainer has made me an even better yoga teacher.

Novelty #3: Trail Running

Routine might cause me to get in my own way, but it has seemed to pay off in my running. Especially when training for a race, I am very regimented in when I run, how far I run, how often I’m lifting to support my running, and how often I’m resting and doing my recovery practices. Getting a personal record in my last half marathon definitely drilled me deeper into my “routines are everything!” mentality.

The challenge with routine, especially when it comes to something like running, is that it can cause one (ME!) to become incredibly competitive with oneself. I would have been devastated if I hadn’t gotten a personal record at my half marathon in June. I was working my butt off and my stats were all pointing to that race being my fastest yet. Once I finished the race I, of course, instantly thought, “Next year I have to go faster.” Sure, I want to better myself with each race. Inevitably one of these years I won’t go faster than the previous year. How will I manage that? I’m actually a little nervous to find out.

Here’s where trail running makes its appearance.

For years a lot of my yoga students have been encouraging me to try trail running. I clearly enjoy running. I clearly enjoy exploring the woods and local parks. Why not put the two together?

Because I was getting a little too competitive with myself in my running, I decided to need to switch things up a bit. Look at me nudging myself to try something new!

I got some new trail running shoes (new, fun gear is often a good way to entice me to embrace something new) and I scoped out some trails via the All Trails app and away I went. And let me tell you, I have not had that much fun running in a long time!

I slipped and fell within the first five minutes of my first trail run and got a sweet souvenir in the form of a bruise on my arm and a big scratch on my back. I saw countless deer and birds. Plus, I got to gallop through a beautiful field full of tall wildflowers.

And here’s perhaps the best part: Not once was I concerned with my time. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to jog up some of the hills so I slowed down and walked. Historically slowing down and walking is not something I do when I’m running on the road or on my treadmill. Plus, I didn’t exactly know where I was going so I let the trails guide me. I was never exactly lost, but I never had an exact route that I was trying to follow. It was great! This new running environment allowed me to set aside all my expectations and just enjoy my surroundings.

I’m excited to take this newfound mentality into my road running and other movement endeavors.

Moral of the Story

In an incredibly long-winded way, I invited you to celebrate novelty.

Try a different meal at your favorite restaurant where you’ve ordered the same thing for the last decade.

Take a yoga class from a teacher you’ve never met before.

Explore a different route on your walk or run this week.

Invite someone you just met to a have coffee or join your book club.

New things will most likely never feel comfortable right away. Keep in mind that the comfortable things in your life were all once new to you.

And, perhaps the best part, you will always have your routine and all your favorite familiar items and experiences to rest on when you need them.