If there’s one positive thing this coronavirus pandemic has given us, it’s the time to explore a whole new world of weird and wonderful hobbies.
Pick any street in Australia and you’ll find plenty of new sourdough starters bubbling away, or a gelatinous kombucha SCOBY growing in a jar, or people blowing the dust off musical instruments, easels and knitting needles.
But few new hobbies come stranger than the one picked up by Turia Pitt, with the author and mindset coach’s neighbours sure to have heard some strange bangs and cracks coming from her backyard these past few weeks.
“Okay, confession time. I bought myself a stockwhip online and I’ve been attempting to crack it in my backyard,” she tells Health Hacker.
“But I also did dome more normal stuff. I’ve spent more time outdoors, more time bushwalking, way more time with my family and, with a new baby in tow, I’ve found some light in this very strange year of 2020.
“But given I had my second baby in February, I think my goal over the past few months have more been aimed at surviving, as opposed to staying physically and mentally fit.”
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Turia is the author of the new book Happy (and other ridiculous aspirations), which makes her the perfect person to help us map out a path to happiness for the rest of the year.
And her biggest secret? Start small.
“You decide you want to get healthier and happier, so you make a plan to do an alcohol-free month as a motivating challenge,” she says.
“But then you start thinking you should really capitalise on this challenge and do yoga every day, too. And drink two litres of water. And start every morning with a green juice. And by Thursday afternoon you’re halfway through a bottle of wine and a bag of chips.
“Don’t over-complicate things for yourself. Pick one thing and stick with it.”
HACKING HAPPINESS…
WITH TURIA PITT
1. Get moving
“Try and find a single exercise you like,” Turia says.
“Maybe you like doing weights, maybe you like running, maybe you like putting on a pair of roller-skates and whizzing through the streets. It’s so much easier to get out of bed if it’s something you love.”
2. Consistency trumps motivation
“Change your focus and start focusing on being consistent,” Turia says.
“Consistency trumps motivation every single time. If you have a goal of running 10km, how will you break that down? What’s your plan to achieve that? What do your daily runs look like to get there?”
3. Find an attitude of gratitude
“Every morning, I’ll think of three things I’m genuinely grateful for – whether that’s my sons rough-housing on the carpet, my mate for dropping off her famous muffins, or even my cup of coffee,” Turia says.
“By focusing on gratitude, focusing on what we have going for us in our lives, we are getting into the habit of focusing on the positives.”
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