Make big changes with one little step at a time

Hello everyone,

As a Wellness educator I often run into people who want to make healthy changes in their life but in reality do not want to do anything different than what they are doing now. A wise man once stated “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome”.

The number one reason why most people never get past the thinking stage of change is that they become overwhelmed by the thought of making to large a change at once. Thinking big can make our goals seem unobtainable and daunting which in turn promotes procrastination.

There is a concept in the behavioral science field called shaping. This is where you break up a large task or behavioral change into small pieces, attacking only one small piece at a time. We have all heard the statements: A tower nine stories high starts with one brick. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This also holds true for losing 20 pounds, starting an exercise program or trying to cut down on junk food.

My number one suggestion is to pick one small change per week that you will work on and do not think about any other changes. Focus on removing one bad behavior that you want to get rid of or adding one good behavior. Over the course of many weeks these small changes will accumulate and add up to a major lifestyle improvement. Example 1; typically you circle the parking lot at work or at a store you are visiting looking for the closest parking spot to the door, instead intentionally park toward the back of the parking lot and briskly walk into the front door. Example 2; you can substitute one unhealthy snack with a healthy one. If you typically snack on a candy bar, bag of potato chips, or a few scoops of B&J you should substitute this with an apple, banana or orange.

Regards,

Stuart