If you’re like most of us, you’re trying to take steps to improve your health. It may be changing your diet, losing weight, exercising more or a combination of all three. Many people struggle to reach their health goals because they set them too high. Now, there’s nothing wrong with setting large goals. The problem comes when the goal feels overwhelming. It’s like setting out on a 5000 mile drive without planning where you’re going to stop along the way.
CrossFitters, people who participate in the sport of CrossFit, have a term for seemingly overwhelming workouts. They call them “Chippers.” This type of workout is overwhelming and difficult to conceive. Yet, when you break the workout down into small, manageable, sets it becomes do-able. This same concept can be applied to setting your health goals.
Keep in mind that your health impacts your romance writing. The happier, more relaxed, and better you feel, the more productive your writing will be. Your imagination will be excited, you’ll have the mental and physical energy to write and you will be able to better manage the stress of building a career as a writer. However, as you and I both know all too well, it’s darn difficult to find time to work on your own health when you’re so busy managing your busy life and trying to find time to write. Let me tell you from personal experience that your health matters and that you don’t have to make huge changes to reap some profound benefits.
A Personal Story
After giving birth to my second child, I was about 50 pounds overweight. I hadn’t exercised in about 4 years – unless raking the leaves or carrying a toddler around the mall is exercise, and really it should be. But it wasn’t enough to help me lose weight. After the birth of my second kid the idea of losing 50 pounds seemed impossible. I tried and failed many times. Until I decided to shift my focus.
Instead of worrying about losing weight, I decided to focus on exercising for just a few minutes each day. I started with 5 minutes. Really, it seemed like a big enough goal at the time. For two weeks I made sure that I exercised for five minutes a day. I felt not only accomplished but like I could tackle something larger. I doubled it (wow, crazy I know a whole 10 minutes!) I did that for a week and gradually added a few minutes each week until I was exercising 45 minutes a day. Keep in mind that this gradual change allowed my family to slowly change too.
The more I exercised, the more weight came off. It was then easier to make other changes to my diet and health. Granted, it’s taken almost 20 years of gradual changes but I feel like Im’ in a great place now. Now, if I could only learn to meditate…
Eventually, Amanda worked her way toward a full hour a day and the pounds began to come off. Motivated by her gradual and consistent success, she took a look at her diet. In six months Amanda lost 60 pounds. As you may know, those last 20 pounds take extra commitment. Amanda was able to adapt her goals so that after a year she’d lost those 80 pounds.
The Takeaways…
- Take small steps that feel manageable in you busy life. – Small steps and goals help you “chip” away at your large goal.
- Small goals help you stay motivated because you KNOW they’re attainable.
- Small goals create a pattern of success. You stay positive and focused.
- Small successes boost your confidence. You feel empowered to accomplish whatever you set your mind to.
You are in control here.
You can set any goal you want. For example, you may decide you want to lose three pounds a week by cutting out soda and walking every day. Do what feels right and manageable for you. Change is difficult and it can take time. Give yourself the time and power to succeed by setting small and manageable goals that support you to chip away at your big weight loss goal.
Each small improvement that you make to your health impacts your overall wellbeing and ultimately it makes you feel more energetic, happy, and productive. Your health matters to you as a writer.