We discussed last week about the steps and processes toward “perfection”.
I want to take a side street off of that and talk about where we should begin, or really, how we can make a plan to make real change.
This answer is going to differ greatly from person to person but the premise can stay the same. The main thing we can do before starting anything else is to sit down and make a plan for ourselves, map out what we are going to do before doing any physical work.
That plan will determine what we need to do as time goes on. I do want to take a deeper look into this plan and lay out a few things along the way.
First Step:
What are you looking to accomplish and why have you been unsuccessful getting there so far?
Take a deep dive and be completely honest with yourself.
We need to know why you are making changes, what direction we are heading, and what things might get in our way.
Step Two:
From there, let’s lay out the things we KNOW we can do that will help along the way. Maybe walking and nutrition come easy for you, great let’s start there and really dial those things in.
Make It a habit and do everything you can to stay consistent. If it’s already great, make it better, but make it consistently better.
After a few months it’s now a part of your routine. That’s when it’s time to add the next thing (sleep, water, activity, mobility) whatever It may be.
I would say starting with 2-3 things we are confident we are able to achieve with little pushback is a good place to begin. Now once those things are in place, we can move into some things that might not be so easy.
Step Three:
Now we look at the things we know are going to be hard for us. These are the things that derail our progress and in many cases will stop us from continuing.
So what do we do? Take It SLOW.
Pick anything from your list and start with the smallest progression first.
For example, if you cannot stay to a consistent workout schedule, start with 1 day per week and don’t miss a workout for a month.
If you pass that, add another day, and achieve another perfect month. You can keep that going until you have as many days as you ideally want in your routine.
Now, we will do the same thing we did in step 2, add the next progression. The workouts are now just a part of our routine and we are ready to step It up. But we do It the same way, start VERY SLOW, and work our way up until things are a habit.
These things take time and we always want to dive head first into our fitness journey but that is the best way to fall off track fast. Take It slow, worry more about being consistent with your changes and less about how much weight you are losing.
Step by step, that’s the name of the game.
In good health,
Jeff
