“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao Tzu
When I start working with a new client I sometimes start them on a “small” routine. Why? Because small works. Small can be rescheduled, reorganized and easily resumed when and if you fall off the wagon. Small builds early success and momentum. Something as small as fitting in a 15 minute burst of physical activity can burn calories that would have turned into fat had you just sat there those 15 minutes.
Here’s a quote from one of my clients: “Many times I’ve tried programs or read books on self help, only to find I was trying to see how I fit their program, not the program fitting me.”
Not only should your fitness regime fit you, it should work into the lifestyle you are dealing with at the time. Yes, your lifestyle is going to change as you work on your fitness program. But healthy change starts in bits and pieces – “small!” Light spring rains are life giving and nourishing. Take that same rain and put it in hurricane form and it becomes lethal and destructive. As in fitness, too much too soon can do more harm than good.
To avoid the hurricane, try to start finding little ways to fit new healthy habits into your existing lifestyle. Your life is what it is. Ideal or not, that’s your starting point. You will be a lot happier, a lot healthier and a lot more fit if you work with your existing lifestyle instead of against it. Ignoring realities of your daily life just invites failure and frustration.
A frog dumped into a pot of boiling water will jump out. But place that frog in cool water and put it on heat to boil, the frog will stay put. The point being is that small changes are not even noticed. Every single day, whether you realize it or not, you are faced with small opportunities to make healthy choices, to make changes that you may not even notice. In front of the tv, talking on the phone, or even driving in traffic – the opportunities are there. You have the chance now to get good at recognizing those small windows of opportunity.
You’ll learn more as you work out with me, either via my blog or in person. But here are some basics that you can start practicing now.
- Smart ideas. While you are watching tv, place a stability ball in your living room and work on your core while watching tv. Or do crunches in bed before you get up in the mornings and before you go to bed at night. Give yourself a check mark in a notebook everytime you do 50 of them and note how quickly you are succeeding.
- Support group. It is a proven fact that accountability is a huge incentive to sticking to a fitness program. See if there is someone who can join you for a walk or make a healthy dinner together. Group training – it is highly effective to keep you on track! Hire a personal trainer. Try working as a group and splitting the cost of the trainer to save money.
- Think 10-15 minutes. We are all faced with small blocks of time throughout the day that we could put to better use. See how many you can put to better use. You can work your abs while driving in traffic. Make it a habit to hold your abs in tight (remember nice posture too) while at every red light.
- Plan Ahead. Every program can benefit from a little forethought. Think of things that would inspire you to hit the gym or do that exercise program you have been wanting to begin. Could it be packing your gym bag in the evening for the next day? Placing the stability ball in the living room so you will exercise while watching tv? Or packing your healthy lunch the night before so you will eat the healthy lunch instead of stopping in for the quick bite of high calorie foods on the run?
Starting small creates momentum. Be sure to add strength training to your exercise program and include at least 20 minutes of fat burning cardio activity 3-4 times per week. It is important to remember that something is better than nothing. Once a week is better than nothing at all! Most programs I design for clients start small so I can guarantee success because small steps do create gigantic change!
Let’s go for it in 2010! Kathie
