Microworkouts
The most obvious way to apply the concept of “small changes every day” to health and fitness, is to try and employ the idea of the “microworkout.” This means that you will be exercising for just a couple of minutes each day to begin with. This then has numerous advantages: it makes the prospect of workout far less daunting, it means committing to a much smaller challenge while your energy levels are low, and it means forming a new habit. So let’s say that instead of going to the gym four times a week and eating 500 fewer calories a day, you instead commit to doing 20 press ups every morning and skipping your morning latte.
some benefit. At the very least, it will get your blood pumping, and it will tone your muscle slightly. What’s more, is that you will begin to form that new habit. FUN FACT: Many people believe it takes 30 days to form a new habit BUT actually takes closer to 66 days according to the most recent research. In one study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, researcher Philippa Lally looked at the habits of 96 people over 12 weeks. Each person chose one new habit to try for 12 weeks and reported each day on whether they successfully stuck to the new habit. After analyzing the data, it was concluded that it took 66 days for new successful habits to form – though this was greatly dependent on the individual. In some cases, it took between 18-254 days for the new habit to form. However long it takes, the idea is that once you’ve been partaking in a particular behavior for long enough – say 66 days – it’s then easier to build off of that. So you’re now someone who does 20 press ups in the morning. Much easier to go from that to someone who does 50 press ups, rather than to try for 50 right away. Likewise, once you’re used to living off of 50 calories less in your latte, it might become easier to start dropping other sources of calories from other areas of your life.