Health Gurus have it Wrong!
Small Steps to Big Changes: Physical Health
Most of the time, we think about all the things we aren't doing right. We hear the voices of health gurus in our heads, on television, and see it in print; "drink eight glasses of water every day," "exercise at least three times a week for an hour," "cut down on fat (or sugar or meat or...)" and other directives. I don't know about you, but when I think about making these huge changes I feel like I am set up to fail, and I don't like to fail.
The first thing we need to do is change our attitude or focus. We have to love ourselves enough to say, "I take care of myself and I am get better and better at it every day." We each already do things that are good for us. Perhaps you already do deep breathing when you feel stressed. Maybe you have stopped eating in fast food restaurants as frequently. Take a moment right now and think about something you do that is good for you - even if it does not meet the guru standard.
Next, pick one small step to take and do that for several months. For example, if you drink no water, start drinking just one glass of water per day. Forget about the eight, just start with one. Don't have time to exercise? Perhaps your goal could be to park 500 feet further from where you work so you have to walk an extra 1000 feet per day. Make sure it is something you will find fairly easy to succeed at.
About a month ago, I started using the website www.myfitnesspal.com to count calories. I will do this for at least another month before I choose another healthy change goal. I have found that I am doing other small things to do to improve my health, but I don't set it as a goal - my focus is just totally on counting calories right now and it is working for me.
One of the non-goal changes I made was to create a standing-optional desk at work. You can buy desks like this for close to $2,000, but I wasn't willing to spend that much. I bought a set of bed risers for under $20 and got a piece of plywood to set on top of them. My computer keyboard can be on this platform when I feel like standing and I can set it back down on the desk when I want to sit. It works great and I love not having to sit in my chair all day long.
Ready to start? Tell yourself what you do well and then pick one small change you can make to become an even healthier you. Let me know what you decided to do and how it works out for you. Take one step today and you will see your health improve greatly as you continue to take better and better care of yourself.
