Do Something Right Now

I am spending a lot more time standing in my yard lately, as a result of getting a fantastic fence and not fully trusting my dogs out there alone. With all the ice and wind we've had, there are millions of sticks littering my huge yard. Today, I found myself standing out there frowning in dismay at the thought of tackling the huge job of picking up all the sticks. I was picturing rallying the family and scheduling a huge chunk of time out of our weekend when we would all sweat and toil together to get this big job done--complete with whining and complaining (mostly by me, but a little from the kids) and sore backs and grumpy husbands.

Then, as if struck by lightening, I was inspired with an incredibly fantastic and creative idea!  It turns out, I can start picking up the sticks IMMEDIATELY. Every time I am out in the yard with the dogs, I can take 5 minutes and pick up some sticks. Then, the job will be done, and I no longer have to frown in dismay when I'm standing in my awesome yard.

If you haven't picked up on it by now, the moral of the story is: there is no time like the present. We don't have to wait for some huge inspiration or a mega-dose of motivation to get started on our goals. Particularly when it comes to health and weight loss, waiting for motivation or the perfect circumstances to get started is setting yourself up for failure.

You will definitely be more successful in creating long-lasting positive habits by just starting on little details. The huge well of motivation we feel when starting a new diet or embarking on a New Year's resolution inevitably fades, and you need a backup system. Small, easy, reliable habits keep you on track when your motivation hits the highway.

The key to success is establishing easy to follow habits that don't feel like a strain or interrupt your life. Do one small thing to improve yourself several times a day, and it will eventually add up to be a whole new you. And get started right away.

What can you do right now? Here are some ideas:

-Drink a glass of water.

-Take a 10 minute walk around the parking lot at work.

-Go grab an apple from the fruit bowl.

-Do 20 sit ups, or jumping jacks.

-Do a 60-second plank (believe me, it's harder than it sounds!).

-Take some vitamins.

-Close your eyes and tell yourself that you are beautiful and successful 10 times.

-Lie down on the floor and stretch out your back.

In an hour or two, think about another healthy thing you can do...and continue throughout the day. You may find that it's fun to think of new things, and you look forward to each new little challenge.

Success has a snowball effect. Maybe that one apple or 10-minute walk will motivate you to eat a little healthier dinner, or skip dessert. The better you feel, the more motivated you will be to continue the little healthy changes. Before you know it, you will have established a new habit--you take a walk during your lunch break every day, or swap out your afternoon snack for a piece of fruit, and you don't even have to think about it.

This is how to make long-term changes and really transform your life, rather than committing to some super restrictive, extreme diet or lifestyle change that will inevitably fail.

So, go do something good for yourself! (And feel free to stop by and pick up some sticks in my yard :-)

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