I wrote this blog post as part of a movement by Weight Watchers to encourage people to remember that loving yourself starts with taking care of your health everyday. Though I was compensated for my time and commitment, all views, positive and negative, are my own.
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| Walking is a heart-healthy activity that’s great for your body, mind and spirit. Nature walks a fun family activity and the perfect opportunity to bring the pets along, too! |
Okay, while I can hardly compare my efforts towards a healthier me to a monumental step for mankind on the moon, there’s still something to be said about the potential of the analogy. I mean, can you imagine how many steps went into planning and pulling off one of the most triumphant moments in history?
Certainly, when someone said “hey, let’s fly to the moon,” there was no one who said, “okay, let’s schedule that for tomorrow.” Yet, oddly, we often feel that’s how things should be with our health. We want instant fixes, diets that drop a decade’s worth of pounds in a week and solutions to what ails us to work over-night.
What it really takes, is one small step. Then another. And another, And so on…
Suddenly, those little steps add up to one big improvement to our health and well-being.
After all, it was the little steps of unhealthy behavior that originally forced us into the yo-yo diet predicament, right? The extra cheeseburger we didn’t say “no” to, the couch we made indentations in, the half hour we spent driving around the parking lot to find the spot closest to the door.
All of this we intrinsically know, but often we need a little push to remember to take those steps and to realize the accumulative benefit down the road.
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| Looking for something sweet? Stock up on fruits to turn to, instead of candy or baked goods. |
Recently, for me, the much-needed push came from the Weight Watchers Simple Start Program. On February 14 – the perfect date to show a little love for myself and my health – I was challenged to make a promise to do one simple thing for my health each day.
The activities, suggested by Weight Watchers, that I chose to try this past week included:
- Parking the car at the end of the parking lot whenever I ran errands
- Taking 15 minutes of “Me Time” to read a book, take a bubble bath, meditate, and so on.
- Get a workout in – even on day I couldn’t get out of the house
- Get a full 8 hours of sleep
- Get active as a family by taking a walk
- Have healthy treats handy such as raw peeled and washed carrots, grapes, or a banana to avoid the lure of easy-to-grab sweets and chips.
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| Sneak extra steps into your day by picking the furthest parking spot from the door. |
I’ve had great success with parking at the end of the lot (quite easy to find a space- ha ha!) and managed to get in three workouts, a family walk and swap out healthy treats in place of my less healthy snack crutches all week.
The steps I struggled the most with were getting a full 8 hours of sleep (only succeeded once) and taking 15 minutes for me (had good intentions, but didn’t happen.)
All-in-all, though, a very successful week of steps towards a more healthy me!
It’s only been a week, so of course the scale hasn’t budged much, nor am I super-charged with a sudden burst of perfect health… but I am a whole lot happier, really proud of my accomplishments, and beginning to recognize my real trouble spots (aka sleep and stress.)
To make up for the 15 minutes of “me time” I neglected to take and to reward myself for “steps well taken,” I’m heading to the movies this weekend with the kids – which is “we time” but also a true indulgence for me that I rarely carve out time for. I truly love the movie theater experience and spending time with the kids just zoning out for a bit and watching a really fun film.
What small steps will you take to create a healthier you this week? Have you recently incorporated positive habits into your weekly routine? I’d love to hear about it!
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| I truly wish I could figure out a way to sleep like my darling grand daughter does! Adequate sleep boosts your mood, improves your memory, aids with weight loss efforts and helps keep our immune system strong. I’ll be working hard over the next week to get my 8 hours of rest in each night! |
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I had a breaking point earlier this week when someone asked if I was pregnant and when my baby was due. I’m not pregnant!! I am 14 pounds over my target weight, but that rude comment made me realize that I need get healthier… I’m working to fit healthier steps into my day like this.
All it takes is that one step to move forward. You are doing great!! I just need to remember to work out (Although we do walk a lot and wrestle -I have two boys).
I started working out again this week with my kids and they love the kickboxing. Then, I got sick! GRRR…I’ll get back to it!
I really needed to see this post today! I just started exercising again, literally this morning!
Yep, one step at a time is what it takes. Just one small change at a time can make a huge difference not only in your life but in the lives of those around you. I lost half my body weight (130 lbs) taking it one day at a time and one step at a time.
What a cutie she is. I need to get back on track too. I am so off track with diet and exercise lately!
These are great ideas. I am working on getting healthier myself and encouraging the kids to too.
Yes, great point. We all want instant gratification. Really you need small steps towards changing your life — not just dieting. What a beautiful dog, too!!!
I love all your goals for the week. I want to make them mine. Especially the sleep one.
I am trying to make similar choices. I need to learn to eat healthier.
These are some great tips. Getting eight hours of sleep is something that I have trouble with, but I know that this is something that I need to do. Thank you for the reminder about simple things that we can do to improve our health.
That’s great, sounds like wonderful steps in the right direction! Congrats to you!
These are great tips. I need to get more sleep. 🙂
I just made plans tonight to exercise for 30 minutes each day with a friend who quit smoking. My addiciton is work so we both need to find a little balance and support each other 🙂 Good for you for making all these changes! I have been looking at weight watchers lately and they have a lot of great programs and support.
Great tips…we always park far back to get in some more steps! 🙂
Great post and such a big step into the right direction…my husband loves weight watchers and has helped him… BUT then he decided he wouldn’t need it anymore and was back to him old self.. it does work you have to be dedicated and it’s an awesome program… can’t wait to keep up with your journey
we park far away too. any little bit helps. I’ve been exercising regularly and watching what I eat– i’m SLOWLY almost starting to feel like I am making healthier choices without thinking too much about it
Small steps do add up to big ones, don’t they? It is also those small steps that get us into the routine of habit needed to establish a discipline like this. Loved your tips and glad you rewarded yourself and kids to the movies.
I am eating more fruits and vegetables. Looking back, it’s amazing how few I actually was eating.
I love your dog! I agree…small steps lead to big changes!