You need more than fitness. This is one of the first things I tell my personal training clients. It is also why we take an integrated, whole lifestyle approach. Lack of working out is obviously part of the solution and we solve that with personal training. But what about the other things that made us gain weight and/or get out of shape? What we are talking about is changing your overall lifestyle, which…is completely overwhelming. Telling someone to change their whole life doesn’t end up being great advice in practice. You have to start small. Make one small change for your health, and you’ll build a little momentum. It doesn’t matter how small the wins are, once you start stacking them you’ll find it easier and easier to make better decisions in more circumstances. What are some of the easiest changes you could make that have the biggest pay off? I have a little list of micro habits for you to consider. The term “micro habits” is just a fun way to say these aren’t massive earth shattering endeavors so they are perfect ways to get started moving things in the right direction. Take a multivitamin and a fish oil pill. This takes 30 seconds and costs about 80 cents a day. A multivitamin is “nutrients without calories”. It’s the perfect way to ensure anyone’s proper nutrition and it is great for those trying to lose weight. When you’re in a calorie deficit, that multivitamin will fill in any gaps that might have existed without it. The fish oil pill is the most efficient way to reduce overall inflammation by increasing your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids. If you are eating fatty, cold water fish 4-6 times per week, you don’t need to take a fish oil pill. Eating that amount of fish for most is unrealistic or unaffordable compared to the fish oil pill. Take both and change nothing else and you will still notice a difference in how you feel. Drink 8oz of water as soon as you wake up. When you first wake up, you are dehydrated. It’s because you’ve been exhaling water vapor all night. Chronic dehydration causes fatigue, brain fog, food cravings, and other health issues. Have you ever noticed that days where you barely drank any water you were never thirsty? It’s because you can be dehydrated enough to not even know you are. Drink 8oz of water as soon as you wake up and you will start the day doing something for you, rehydrate from the previous night, and you’ll be more likely drink water steadily the rest of the day. You’ll improve almost every aspect of your health with this little habit. Schedule your workouts on your calendar. You now know you can’t overcommit to other things because it’s right in your calendar. You want to treat these little blocks on your calendar like important appointments you can’t miss, because they are. Each workout is an appointment with the healthier you that won’t die 25 years too early of preventable ailments. Simply scheduling the workout is the first baby step to making your health and fitness a priority. Big changes start with small ones. Start with one of these easy micro habits and build your momentum from there into bigger and bigger changes. We help people over 40 finally get in shape, feel confident, and have all-day energy even if getting everything done is a constant struggle. Fill out the form at the bottom and top of this page if you are ready to chat one on one with a personal trainer about your goals.
