Over the Thanksgiving long weekend, you find yourself wanting ‘juuuuuuust a little bit’ of ice cream with your pumpkin pie, or ‘juuuuuust a little more wine’?
Don’t worry, that was TOTALLY me too last long weekend, so the purpose of this article isn’t to criticize anyone.
However, this sign caught my eye while stocking up for the long weekend and got me thinking about the ‘little’ stuff and how we can use it to either progress our health goals for the long term, or as an excuse to indulge in the things we know are not going to bring us closer to our goals.
On the one hand, having ‘just a little’ can be a slippery slope for a lot of people. For example, no matter how much I try, it is nearly impossible for me to have ‘just a little’ chocolate, without subsequently devouring the entire block within about 20 minutes…everybody has a vice, whether it’s chocolate, soda, pizza, whatever. And we all have rationalizations for indulging at the time – ‘I’ve been really good this week’, or ‘I’ve had a hard week’.
But ultimately the result is the same – the pleasure/satisfaction of giving in to that craving is only ever temporary, and in the process, you haven’t just set yourself back in your health goals, you’ve set yourself back to zero.
On the other hand, we can use this principal to reinforce good health choices too!
Small hinges swing big doors.
We know already that the most significant personal changes and breakthroughs come about as a result of continued, small daily improvements carried out over an extended period of time.
How many people do you know who feel totally overwhelmed by the thought of changing their health and their life? (this was totally me 2 years ago). The prospect of changing your life can be really daunting, especially if there are a lot of changes that need to be made.
Rather than considering all of those things at once, I try to look for smaller daily ‘rituals’ that will have a larger cumulative positive effect for my health.
For example, doing Move By Design Joint to Joint Mobility first thing in the morning, or drinking a glass of lemon water before eating anything. If you think of achieving your health goals as a journey rather than an event, these simple steps are the equivalent of just putting one foot in front of the other, again and again.
By implementing small changes to our routine on a daily basis, we can lay the foundation for big gains in our health and life goals. After all, your future is the subtotal of your daily choices. Make healthy choices for a healthy future.
Dr. David Hawkes is a wellness expert and martial arts enthusiast. Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Dr Hawkes’ passion for health and wellness has led him here to Kanata, literally halfway around the world. After graduating from Murdoch University, Dr. Hawkes ran a successful practice in Perth’s western suburbs before moving to Ottawa.Dr. Hawkes has a special interest in family wellness, as well as Peak Performance. He is passionate about helping individuals and families lead their extraordinary lives.
