Real Wednesday totally worked. I followed my plan almost exactly (I just left out the yogurt), and I kept it up for Thursday too. I feel pretty good right now. I ran my 15 minutes this morning, and walked 15 more. I did 130 crunches, 24 push-ups, some pilates, and some stretching.
The most important part of changing your life permanently is to do it gradually. You will be much more likely to maintain your changes if they are small and few. If you want to lose weight, it will be so much easier to do it slowly.
So today is Start Small day. You don't have to wait until Monday to begin a new habit. Start today, with something small that you would like to change. If you are beginning a daily habit of exercise, start today with a walk. Some people will benefit from starting with 5 minutes. If that is too easy for you, try 10.
Your eventual goal should be to get 30 minutes of exercise every day, but most people should not just jump in and do 30 their first day. So right now, it is a goal to work toward. For the next week or so, go for a walk for about 5 minutes. You could do this a few times a day and it will add up.
If you are beginning a diet change, choose one aspect of your diet that you will focus on. Maybe you have a snacking problem, like me. I am going to focus on getting enough to eat at meal time, and then having a break from eating. I will not graze between breakfast and lunch. I will have a snack around 3:00 in the afternoon, and stop there. When I get stronger in this area, I will move on to a new goal.
With a small beginning, you will be able to accomplish your goals. Then, when you have reached it, a new goal will also be small.
Set yourself a time limit. As in: I will walk for 5 minutes every day for 7 days.
Choose a time of day that will work for you. I will walk at the beginning of lunch hour. I will walk before breakfast, after breakfast, etc. Make sure it is a time when you will not be in a hurry to do something else.
Leave your goals here and I will keep them safe for you.
Tomorrow: Why do you want to change?
About Me
- sarah k.
- I'm a stay at home parent with three wild animals to feed, clothe, and entertain. When I'm not chasing, feeding, or entertaining, chances are I'm reading, knitting, cooking, or complaining.
2 comments:
Good point, start small! The doc made me promise that I will do NOTHING for seven days, and then go back at 50% till i kick this lung bit... but I could STRETCH! HA! Five minutes of stretching.
Back when I taught karate, one of the things I frequently ran into was students wanting to do every single technique perfect, right away, and getting disappointed, and quitting, because it doesn't work that way.
I so understand the mindset of wanting to "do it perfectly or not at all" but it has to be the single biggest mental obstacle preventing people from getting fit and staying in shape.
Anyway: I really like your start small philosophy. It's such a hard thing to remember sometimes, so thanks for the reminder!
Post a Comment