Grooooooooooooooooooooooan!

What’s that sound? That’s me trying to get out of bed this morning to work out. It’s been a while since I’ve been exercising each day. Once upon a time, I used to get up early and run several miles each morning. After some knee problems, I started lifting weights and doing other exercises to keep in shape. Over time, though, life got in the way, and I stopped working out entirely.

Does this sound familiar to you? I’ll bet this happens to a lot of people reading this. Why is it so much easier to drop out of good habits than bad habits? First you skip a day, then another, then another, and soon the habit is only a memory.

The topic of maintaining those good habits indefinitely is one for another post. For now, I’d like to talk about getting back into good habits or starting new ones. I’ve found that the key that works for me is to start small.

Many times I’ve heard of people starting a new diet or exercise regimen and quitting after the first day because it was too hard. Sometimes, it’s necessary and effective to affect a total lifestyle change overnight, but most of the time it’s just too much of a shock. That’s why starting small is such a great technique to begin a new habit.

Here’s an example from my own life. I’ve been through many cycles of regular exercise programs that have been interrupted and then gone by the wayside as my priorities shifted. After a long time of beating my head against a wall while trying to pick up where I left off, I discovered that it was much easier to start with a very small step.

When I first started running regularly, I hadn’t been running for years. In fact, I hated running with a passion. It was my least favorite exercise activity. Running was something that I continued for a short while after getting out of military training and then gave up because it was difficult to fit in between work, school, and social life. Also, I was just plain lazy!

I tried to get back into it years later because I could feel how out of shape I was getting. I was alarmed by how winded I would get by climbing the stairs at work. I was a young guy, slim and in decent shape even though I wasn’t working out, right? Actually, being still young and slim doesn’t mean you’re in good shape! So, I tried to jump right in and do the things that I had been doing a few years before. Bad idea!

Going from huffing and puffing up a few flights of stairs to running a couple miles each morning was too much for me. After a couple of abortive attempts, I gave up. It was just too hard.

Fast forward a few more years. This time, I was fully cognizant of how I would react to biting off more than I could chew. I knew I wouldn’t be able to maintain the motivation if I got my butt kicked right off the bat. I had to start small. Baby steps.

To begin with, I started stretching every day for a week. This was something that provided some immediate positive benefits. I didn’t feel as stiff each morning and it helped to get my muscles and tendons warmed up and flexible again. After a week of this I started something a little more aggressive. I began to run again.

The running could hardly be called that. I was going from no exercise at all into a pretty strenuous activity, so I started with just a short jog at a pathetically slow pace. I think I ran much less than a mile for the first week or two. I was able to increase this incrementally every couple of weeks, though, until it was four or five miles each day.

The difference in how I felt before beginning the exercise program and after doing it for a while was night and day. It’s impossible for me to overstate the benefits of a regular exercise routine on your physical, mental, and spiritual health. If you’ve been through this before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Getting started is the worst part, though.

The important thing is to pace yourself. I found that in this particular activity, I needed to give myself two weeks at each level before pushing myself harder. This meant that I didn’t have to worry about doing any better at all each day. I could just get used to a slightly more intense or longer workout for two whole weaks before having to think about upping my running pace or lengthening the time spent running.

This provides an important mental advantage. By doing something easy at first, it helps to convince your subconscious that it’s no big deal. You know right away that you can do it without too much trouble.

It’s crucial to remember not to judge your own progress by anyone else’s standard, though. Each person is different. It may only take three days at a particular level before you feel you can move on to the next or it may take three months. Set a schedule that you’re comfortable with and then forget it. Don’t worry about things. Making your new habit something stressful can kill it before it even gets started.

The idea of starting small can be applied to any number of activities in your life. If you’re looking at making a change, consider beginning with baby steps. Oftentimes even the smallest of changes can provide great benefits. Relax. It’s OK to start tomorrow. But, DO start!