Making change one tiny step at a time is the foundation of success (and the end of yo-yo-ing), but when it comes to getting in shape, getting toned, getting fit, getting healthy, or however you refer to your health and wellness goals, what do those tiny changes look like? The answer will be different for everybody, but by popular request I have put together the closest thing I can to what a typical change made via tiny steps looks like.
Week 1: Show up for your scheduled personal training session.
That’s it! That is a tiny change, and that is all that is needed for your first week. It takes more than just the hour(s) of your workout(s) to show up for those workouts – you have to find time in your schedule, choose a trainer or studio, get your workout clothes together, and maybe even dig out a water bottle or workout towel.
Week 2: Track your food.
If you are my client, and you are looking to change your body composition in any way, we are going to start off by tracking food for at least your first two weeks so that I can get a sense of your starting point and make helpful recommendations that fit your actual life. You do not necessarily need to change anything about your food during this week, just begin tracking it.
We are tracking in addition to showing up to your workouts, not instead of working out. The tiny changes from each week should build on each other, which is why they are tiny! Don’t move onto the next change until the change you are working on feels like a normal, natural part of your life.
Week 3: Make sure you are getting in your cardio.
If you are my client, I ask you to include at least 90 minutes of cardio in your life each week. Anything like:
- walking at a pace that makes you break a sweat and makes it a little bit difficult to talk
- taking a Zumba or spin class
- jumping on a trampoline
- kickboxing with your cat (make sure your heart rate is up!)
…can count toward your cardio. I am happy to help you find a solution, but the most important part is that you find an activity that is fun for you.
(And, of course, you’re still tracking your food and showing up to your personal training session(s) – or independent strength training session(s) if you’re not my client.)
Week 4: Implement the recommended change to your food.
By now, I will probably have recommended the first tiny change to make to your food. Maybe you need to eat a bigger breakfast, or start eating breakfast at all, or find an afternoon snack, or get more protein, or get more fat, or whatever we determine is the first step of change for your specific life and goals.
Look at you now, working out with a trainer, tracking your food, getting your cardio in, and now chipping away at that iceberg called nutrition. In just one month, you have laid the groundwork for the habits that will sustain you for the rest of your life!
“Week 5” and on: Keep improving one tiny thing each “week”.
After the first four weeks, everybody takes off in different directions. Some of the next tiny steps we often end up covering, in some order or another, include eating at restaurants and parties while still working towards goals, interval training as appropriate for your goals, sleep and stress management, hydration, and recognizing success.
Some people struggle more with getting cardio in or getting the intensity of cardio that they need for their goals, while others really hit a wall on nutrition.
Some find that they have the hardest time making it to their personal training appointments.
Sometimes it takes more than one week for these tiny changes to be incorporated effectively, but we don’t really move on until the new step feels like it is a natural, normal part of life.
If we try adding string cheese as a snack and that doesn’t work, we don’t just move onto fix lunch – we finish fixing that snack before we worry about anything else.
It’s not like I will sit you down and say hey, Jane, it’s week 12 so we really need to talk about your hydration. For all I know, Jane drinks her water like a champion, but she can’t break her habit of stepping on the scale every morning and then deciding to skip breakfast and lunch because she feels like she’s not working hard enough to reach her goals (even though skipping those meals will mean that it is even harder for her to make the changes she wants). Meanwhile, Barbara already threw her scale in the trashcan, but when she goes out eat she feels like it’s her only chance to enjoy food, even though she goes out to eat 3 to 4 times a week, and she is not sure what to change so that she can keep making progress towards her goals.
In other words, everyone is beautifully and purposefully different and will need help with different changes in a different order from anyone else. I know I will be able to help my clients tackle everything that comes their way as long as they stay strong and keep fighting, but I can’t predict what will happen when for the population at large.
If tiny changes aren’t working for you…
Make your changes smaller! And don’t try to make more than one at once. If the change seems too small, great! That means it will be easy for you this week…and hopefully for all the weeks to come.
Ready to make tiny changes with me? Let’s go!
