Fundamentals: Baby Steps

Everyone’s body and life is different.  So, what works for me won’t necessarily translate into your ideal road to health.  But still, there are some fundamental ideas that helped me out last time that I think may apply to most people. They are just general tips rather than specific techniques, so I’ll write about them as I apply them.  Let me know what you think about them.

The first is the concept of Baby Steps.  Actually, I didn’t call them Baby Steps when I first used them a couple of years ago.  That term is borrowed from Fly Lady – so I have to give her credit. She works with cleaning and personal organization – but it’s really all about slowly changing habits. And that applies just as much to those of us trying to adopt exercise and eating habits that work for us.

The NOW Generation

Like most of us, I want everything NOW!  I want to lose 20 pounds NOW.  I want to fit into my skinny jeans NOW.  I want to get off sugar, caffeine, fat, carbs, diet soda, etc. NOW!

But while I could do any of those things quickly in the short term, they are very hard to make “stick” for the long term.  And when I put a lot of effort into a personal project like that and fail, I am discouraged and unlikely to try again for a while.

Beginner Baby Steps

The key to changing habits long term is to take things slowly.  Break the big goal down into small, easy to accomplish pieces. Each mini-accomplishment builds confidence to take the next step.  So instead of one big victory, you celebrate lots of small victories. 

Goals

I implement Baby Steps by setting achievable goals for each week.  If sweets are a problem, then maybe I make a goal of allowing one sweet thing a day.  Rather than try to cut sugar out entirely, start by reducing.  For exercise, maybe I commit to exercise for a half an hour three times a week.  Not every day – you want a goal that you can achieve and be proud of.  You can eventually get to a goal of exercising every day – but give yourself several weeks to get there.

The power of doing goals in Baby Steps comes from:

• You are empowered by your accomplishments.  This is crucial to rebuilding self-confidence if you have gone through a period of “failure”.
• Even if you went no farther than making your first beginner baby step a daily habit, you would still be 300% better off than where you are now.  Really!  If I went from no exercise to exercising three times a week regularly for years I would be much healthier down the road.  Even small steps make a big difference when you carry them out over the long term.
• You can double the effect of the Baby Steps, if you pick goals that begin to turn around your biggest issues.  For example, if you have a close, personal relationship with the snack vending machine at work or school – just deciding to bring in your own healthier snacks from home could be a breakthrough.  So start with a small goal that begins to tackle a big problem.

This all comes down to the fact that the real goal for me in this journey isn’t losing weight or looking better in my clothes.  Those are byproducts. The goal is to change life habits.  And that can only happen one Baby Step at a time!