Small Changes

Some of you know that I am a big fan of podcasts. A podcast is a digital audio file available on the internet that you can download to an MP3 player like you would any music file. The most common podcasts are downloadable radio programs such as those available on National Public Radio (NPR). But the podcast universe has and continues to expand in recent years and now includes magazine articles, all kinds of interviews, and even university lectures. If you are familiar with audio books, podcasts are similar – only usually shorter (most of my favorites are around an hour or less). There are some great podcast web sites which I won’t get into now, but if you are interested let me know and I will list some of them in a future blog post.

Since I spend a lot of time walking and running and since radio reception here in the Black Hills is often spotty at best, I have come to rely on podcasts as a way to keep up with my favorite radio programs and also to learn new things. One of the podcasts I listen to regularly is called “The Health Show”. It is a nationally syndicated public radio program produced by the National Productions unit at Northeast Public Radio. A recent show featured an interview with Dr. Kelly Traver, an adjunct clinical assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University. She recently wrote a book called The Program: The Brain-Smart Approach to the Healthiest You.  In it she discusses how the latest in neuroscience research shows that our behavioral instincts have evolved to resist change. She writes: “When it comes to making permanent, positive lifestyle changes, your brain can be uncooperative at first. It will resist you, at least in the beginning. It feels comfortable and safe as long as you keep doing everything the way you always have. Tell your brain you want to make a change -- say, give up smoking -- and it gets nervous, starts to stress, and says, ‘Not so fast, pal.’ There are, however, effective ways of coaxing your brain into becoming a better partner. . .” Her research has led her to believe that it takes 12 weeks to retrain your brain to develop new habits. If you focus on small changes and goals during each of those 12 weeks you can convince your brain that change is not only acceptable but even desirable.

This is not a new concept, but one worth revisiting.  I belong to an organization of fitness industry professionals called IDEA. Interestingly a recent issue of the IDEA Fitness Journal featured an article on the effectiveness of small changes as a strategy to improve diet and increase physical activity. I frequently hear comments like “I’ll start exercising as soon as ____________ (fill in the blank with whatever excuse rings true for you)”. Somehow that elusive time never happens. Something to keep in mind: now is as “right” a time as any. There is no better time than the moment you are in right now. It may also help to remember that increasing your physical activity does not mean you have to run a marathon. Any activity is a good activity as long as you do it regularly and consistently. Consistency is the key to creating a habit. But habits don’t form instantly. And the simplest habit consists of more than one step. In fact, it is important to realize that even a marathon is just a series of steps.

Years ago I read an article by a reporter who covered the infamous “Marathon de Sables”, an endurance foot race of 151 miles that takes place in the Sahara Desert. The incredulous reporter dutifully trotted behind the various runners performing this seemingly impossible feat and at one point asked a runner “What do you think about when you’re out there for all of those hours?” The runner responded, “I think about the next step”. That quote has stayed with me all these years. You never think of running 100+ miles – or even 26 or 5 or 1/2 mile. What you think about is the next step. One step at a time. Any task becomes manageable if you break it down into its component parts and tackle them one at a time.

So combine these two concepts: small steps/goals executed and achieved one at a time and built up slowly over a period of 12 weeks to become a permanent change.

Here are a few ideas:

Sample goal:   incorporate into your routine some form of regular physical activity for 30 minutes a day, 4 or 5 days per week.

• First step: Get a pedometer. These are inexpensive, easy to find and will allow you to actually see and measure your progress. Adding 2,000 steps per day is sufficient to burn 100 extra calories.

• Second step: 2,000 steps sounds like a lot so break it down. Wear your pedometer all day for one day and just follow your normal routine. This will give you a baseline starting point.  Then aim to add 100 steps per day each day for 20 days until you reach the goal of adding 2,000 steps per day. You may have to get up a few minutes earlier each day to get the steps in, or maybe you can do it after lunch or during a break or when you finish your work day. Once you see that it really doesn’t take very long, you will begin to find ways to incorporate the time into your day. Everyone has down time during their day. Use that time to add steps.

• Once you’ve gotten the extra 2,000 steps into your daily routine, challenge yourself to keep at it for a total of 12 weeks. Reward yourself each day that you reach your goal. Examples of rewards can be getting a massage, watching your favorite movie on DVD, a new pair of earrings, sleeping a bit later on your day off, 10-30 minutes of uninterrupted time for an activity you enjoy, etc.  I'm sure you can all think of meaningful ways to reward yourself.

• If your goal is to loose weight, try reducing your caloric intake by 100 calories each day for 5 days each week. That is the equivalent of a one pound reduction over the course of a week. This can be as simple as eating half a bagel instead of a whole one, substituting a low-fat yogurt for a higher fat variety, drinking a small specialty coffee instead of large one, having an “open-face” sandwich with one slice of bread instead of two, keeping fruit and veggies handy for snacking instead of crackers or chips. You get the picture. Little things with cumulatively large impacts.

I’m sure you can all come up with ideas for small changes that have worked for you. If you would like to share them, please post a comment on this blog. We all know the old saying “Rome was not built in a day”. The same can be said for changes you want to make in your life. It is hard to make a permanent change in a day. But it can be done in small incremental steps over a series of days put together back to back. Before you know it, you will feel so much better that you will wonder why you waited so long. The hard part is getting started, but remember it takes only one step to start.

Good luck!