Day 4 of the Power of Baby Steps

We started the week thinking about all the little things we do every day and how those things make up our lives. It’s not the big events or sweeping changes. It’s those every day, in the moment choices we make and actions we take that are our lives. For the most part, the same can be said about our health. It’s not the big plans to suddenly overhaul our exercise habits or our resolve to never consume refined sugar or flour again that transforms us into fit, healthy, energetic people. It’s actually much easier and at the same time much harder to become a healthier, more fit, more energetic person. It’s easier because it’s about the little things we can easily do every day. It’s harder because those little daily choices and actions don’t seem all that significant in the moment but they are. So let’s talk about some little actions we can take, that over time will transform us -- slowly but probably faster than you might imagine. Start with one or two new habits at a time then add others over time.

Let’s first look at our food choices and how we make them. A simple and painless but effective dietary habit you can start today is meal planning. It doesn’t have to be complicated.  Just thinking about the foods we’re putting into our bodies makes us more likely to actually put healthier foods into them. Most of us already know what healthy food choices are. That knowledge is often ignored when we’ve waited till we’re ravenous and ready to grab the handiest and probably most processed food around. So what if every day we decided what we would enjoy that day -- prepared for it. We don’t have to become a person who schedules a month’s worth of meals in advance. Just think about the choices. Plan the night before. Just decide and maybe take something out of the freezer or make a plan to stop by the store for a missing ingredient. If you like to plan farther ahead – that’s great too.

It’s pretty widely accepted that most people need about 8 glasses of water per day but honestly most of us aren’t getting it. We can make it easier for ourselves by keeping a glass near or deciding to have a glass each time we do some repetitive task. When I was expecting my daughter, I wanted to make sure to drink all of my daily water. I did it by measuring and pouring water into a container every morning then filling my glass from that container and sipping it throughout the day making sure to finish all of it.

When we’re making choices about what we’ll consume, we want to think about what we’ll enjoy and enjoy. Rather than focusing on removing less healthy choices, focus on adding more healthy choices leaving less room in the day for the less healthy options. Make water more appealing by adding a few slices of something like orange, lemon, lime or even cucumber or strawberry.  

To increase our fitness levels we all know it’s necessary to increase movement so we want to think about making active choices. All those little daily choices probably won’t give us the body of a sports illustrated swimsuit model but they can help maintain or gain a better level of fitness. Everywhere and every time we can make an active choice, make it. Take the stairs. Take the distant parking space if it’s safe. If we only have a couple of bags of groceries and can safely carry them rather than push them in a cart, carry them.  We can pick a few activities and incorporate into our days and commit to do them. If we make a habit of doing a few stretches every morning as part of our routine, soon we’ll be more flexible.  If we decide to take a walk first thing every day when you get home from work, we’ll see a difference. We can treat it as a pleasant transition in the day -- enjoying the sights and unwinding. In a book I’ve mentioned many times, The Compound Effect, there is a comparison of two men.  One decides to take a daily walk and the other decides to have a few drinks every day.  For a long time no difference is noticed but those daily choices begin to show in the energy and weight loss of one and the sluggishness and weight gain of the other.  By the way, if you want to listen to Darren Hardy’s The Compound Effect, it’s available through our sponsor Audible. And as I’ve mentioned, Audible is offering a free audio book download to Rockin’ Life listeners. All you have to do is go to rockinbook.com and sign up for a trial membership.  If you like it great! I do. If you don’t want to continue your membership just be sure to cancel but keep your book.

 So Choose to add a little healthy active habit and choose it every day.

Choose a good night’s sleep over the background noise of a television show that might not be that good anyway. Enjoy those you enjoy and turn the others off. Choose to read. Choose to write. Choose to play a game with a family member or call a friend. Choose your life in the little healthy actions you take countless times every single day. Oh and if you make a less healthy choice, guess what, you’re human. Let it go and make a healthier one next time. Remember it’s not that one choice one time. It’s the everyday every moment choices that make us.

Thank you for making the choice to spend time with me today. Tomorrow we’re going to look at baby steps for successful careers and business.   When you join me tomorrow, please bring a friend along. Don’t forget to look for the Rockin’ Life Newsletter in your inbox tomorrow. If haven’t signed up to receive it, you still can at rockinlife.co. Look just under the big logo on the home page and the first of the three boxes there. The other boxes hold cool stuff too where you can visit our Facebook page or explore sharing your story of triumph on Rockin’ Life. Thanks again for being here. Have a wonderful day and we’ll talk again.