Do you remember a few years ago when the UPS delivery service catchphrase was the power of brown? Now, the color brown ( if you have a filthy mind like me) could be mistaken for something else.
Yeah, I feel they didn’t think that one through, but anyway, let’s get back on track—the power of small sounds like an oxymoron. Power suggests something big and powerful, and small is well small. The phrase doesn’t seem to mesh well, especially in the land of the free, where the attitude that bigger is better is commonplace.
You only need to look at the size of trucks, shopping malls, and sporting stadiums to realize that things are not getting smaller. Bigger is better, baby. Let’s go.
Unfortunately, one thing that is getting bigger is the number on the scale. When people see this happening, they want drastic change, and they want it now. In other words, they go big. There is nothing wrong with going big, but going small will also help you win the change battle.
Let’s dive into the power of small so you can improve your health and fitness and anything else you put your mind to.
Small Or Big Change?
Bob looks down at his ever-increasing waistline, jumps on the scale, and is absolutely shocked by its number. Then he panics and goes into big change mode. He cuts carbs, starts waking up at 5 a.m. to workout three mornings a week, and weighs himself daily to track his weight loss.
Bob is on it, and the change is happening thick and fast. Despite being hungry, he is happy with his progress, and getting up at 5 a.m. is taking its toll. He comes home tired and has hardly any energy for his wife and kids, but the number on the scale is decreasing. That’s all that matters, right?
He’s the thing with Bob. He is walking a fine line, and if anything goes wrong, like injury, lack of motivation, or a plateau, this gain train may come to a halt. A significant change is fine and good, particularly at the beginning of your journey, but it is not sustainable long-term, and the long term is where the magic is.
Going small at the beginning and changing your habits and behaviors before getting to the big stuff works better in the long term, IMO.
But how do you do that? I’m getting to that.
Start Small With Forming Better Habits
A habit is a routine of behavior repeated regularly that tends to happen without you even thinking about it. You do it, like the Nike slogan. A habit is a settled tendency, and when ingrained in your brain, it is hard to give up nasty habits. Habits can usually be divided into three groups.
Group one is the habits we don’t notice because they have been part of our lives forever—like tying shoelaces or brushing our teeth.
The second group is healthy habits, ones you work hard on establishing—like exercising, eating well, or getting enough sleep.
Group three is I can’t help myself; bad habits—like smoking, procrastinating, or overspending—are the ones we try to eliminate, but they are hard, too. That’s why it is better to form good habits so the bad ones slowly disappear.
Here are small steps you can take to change your habits.
Start Small
Most people want to create significant change as quickly as possible, and that’s okay, but starting small helps, too. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight, drink a glass of water before each meal rather than cutting out a food group.
Get Hooked On It
It takes a little while to make it a new habit to stick. Don’t worry if you miss a day; don’t miss twice.
Celebrate Small Wins
Even if you walked for an extra 10 minutes or did an extra rep in the gym, pat yourself on the back.
Design Your Environment
Make it easier for the habit to stick. For instance, if you want to go to the gym, pack your bag the night before and make it one of the first things you see when you wake up and get moving.
Start With One
Making habit changes stick is difficult, especially if you’re trying to focus on more than one. Implementing more than one at a time can spread your focus; in the long run, you may fail at all of them.
Start Small, Think Big
Here’s some food for thought.
Is it easier to start big and keep going consistently or start small, making good habits sticky before making significant changes? I’m not against making big changes because sometimes they are necessary, but as a coach, I want the client to be consistent. Consistently is the secret sauce, but it’s not easy.
Especially if the client has bad habits that brought them to me in the first place, going all hard arse on their bad habits isn’t going to work. However, making small changes that will result in significant change will be more manageable.
Changing your habits and body is hard, but you can make it more manageable by instituting small changes and making them stick before going bigger. Here are a few examples.
Drinking a glass of water before each meal helps you eat less when fat loss is a goal.
Walking more. It doesn’t matter if you hardly do it; do it a little more each day.
Drink diet soda instead of regular soda. Going cold turkey on sugar hardly ever works in the long term. Combining these changes with other food changes and choosing the healthier option also works.
Show up to the gym or your home gym at least twice weekly. It doesn’t matter what you do when you get there; the key is the habit of showing up.
The power of one more rep. Keep track of your workouts and do one more rep than last time. One more minute on the cardio machine adds up over time.
Wrapping Up
Change can be difficult, but starting small can make it easier. Making your good habits stick before moving on to more significant changes will ensure better consistency and increased sexiness when you look into the mirror. Starting small bodes well for your health and fitness and any important endeavor you want to take on.
I once wrote for church newsletters, and now I have published over 400 blog posts and write for Muscle And Fitness. Never discount the power of the small baby. You can do it; I believe in you.
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