Small Steps Add Up
Just do one and see where it takes you...
Small Steps Add Up
There are many reasons to want to move more. We all need to improve our health, but it can feel overwhelming and unrealistic to try to fit one more thing into the list of “ten thousand things I need to do today.”
What if it weren’t an hour long and you could actually begin to feel results while tucking it into things you are already doing?
Here are some ideas:
10 squats while brushing your teeth
Push-ups using the kitchen table or counter while waiting for your coffee
10 bent leg lifts during commercials
Marching in place while scrolling on your phone
Calf raises while sitting at your desk
1 minute dance party with your kids
How do these make a difference?
Squats use the biggest muscles in the body that affect our ability to walk and balance. Push-ups strengthen back and chest muscles that improve posture and breathing. Bent leg lifts work the hip flexors and help hips and low back. Marching in place increases heart rate, lowering blood glucose, and improving circulation. Calf raises help return veinous blood back to the heart and improve circulation throughout the body. Dance party increases circulation, increases dopamine (feel good hormones) and is just fun, not to mention improve mood with upbeat music.
In my last post I offered that the only way we are going to get healthier is to take accountability for our own health. This means eating better and moving more. This also sounds like a lot of work and like I mentioned above, just one more thing to add to an already busy lifestyle.
Small steps add up and the more you do it, the more you’ll want to. Pick one thing on the list or make up your own.
You’ve heard of HIIT, (High Intensity Interval Training) and maybe Tabata workouts. These are two great strategies for improving fitness but are not for everyone and should be approached cautiously by anyone with serious health concerns.
However, almost anyone can do 10 of something, even if it is a 10 minute walk after meals. Which keeps blood glucose levels low and improves digestion.
Start small, do one thing today and then give yourself a big pat on the back or thumbs up for doing more than most people.
Here are a couple of books I recommend for more info on doing small things to improve your health:
“The 4-Hour Body”, by Tim Ferriss
Very in-depth discussion of the impact of less is more and how science backs that up. Good photos and descriptions of exercises.
“The One Minute Workout”, by Martin Gibala, Ph.D.
Professor and chair of the Kinesiology Department at McMaster University. Shows the science behind the theories and lists several effective workouts. Includes some interval workouts that are 1 minute.
“Tiny Habits”, by B.J. Fogg, Ph.D.
Founder of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University. He shows how to successfully make changes in your life using small tweaks. Really good read.
If you find it hard to start, just do one. You might find that your brain realizes how easy that was and wants to do more. When I was trying to start a regular stretching program, I just made myself lay on the floor, in the extra room I set up for workouts. Once I was laying there, I figured I might as well start with something and just doing the first thing got me to finish the complete program I wanted to do. Now it is just what I do as soon as I wake up and there is no question of whether or not I’ll do it.
One step will add up to more.