You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again, when it comes to your health journey, don’t be afraid to start small! Even the tiniest of first steps towards a healthy lifestyle is a great first step to take.
But why is that the common trend when it comes to health and wellness?
We’ll give you a hint. Small steps aren’t recommended because you have short legs. It’s not because you can’t do big things. And it’s not because you can’t handle big challenges.
When it comes to health and wellness, starting small is all about helping you learn to enjoy the journey. It allows you to gradually a build up a lifestyle you’re comfortable with and in which you thrive. It’s about taking steps that are best for you in the long run.
Tricking Your Brain
In any situation, your mind is not necessarily comfortable with change. By nature, we’re creatures of habit. You brain wants things to remain the same as long as they can.
On your health journey, your brain can be either your biggest enemy or your strongest ally. Starting with small, baby steps helps you turn your brain into an ally. It helps you trick your brain into thinking you’re on the same page.
That’s because small changes don’t seem that different on a subconscious level. They’re not intimidating. Your brain will meet those small changes with much less resistance than larger changes—even if you know your small changes are building up towards a larger lifestyle change.
Conditioning Yourself
Taking small steps towards a healthy lifestyle also allows you more opportunities to train yourself and to celebrate the accomplishments you’ve made along the way. Each small step is essentially a way to prepare yourself for the next steps to come. You’re physically getting better at whatever it is you’re trying to do.
Each step also ends with a sense of accomplishment. You can relish in the pride of a job well done. Celebration feels good, yes. But it’s also one way to positively reinforce the journey you’re on. As you celebrate how far you’ve come, you’ll want more celebrations—and you’ll want to do what it takes to earn those celebrations.
Overcoming Burnout
As cliché as it sounds, your healthy journey is really about a lifestyle change. It’s about developing healthy habits that fit effortlessly into your lifestyle. That type of change requires a consistent choice to think about your health and wellbeing.
Starting small aids in making that choice seem more natural. It helps you to build up a strong foundation behind the more difficult healthy choices. And it helps you to avoid feeling burned out by a whole new healthy lifestyle choice made “cold turkey.”
The gradual build up and avoidance of burn out means you really can build a sustainable healthy lifestyle. You can fit health into a life you enjoy. You can thrive. And small first steps will help you get there.
Ultimately, it’s important to remember that starting small isn’t a lack of faith in the things you can do. It’s a preventative measure to help you build a healthy journey that’s effective and enjoyable! That’s true for you and your health journey, and it’s true for your employees and theirs’.
What small steps have you taken towards a health goal? Is that a goal you’ve been able to achieve?
