One of the reasons we do things gradually, is that we’re more apt to keep with something.  People are always saying that it takes a month to build a habit, but when you’ve started that new workout program you bought, you may not stick with it for a month because it’s just too difficult.  The idea is to gradually add “some” exercise into your daily routine, and OVER TIME, increase it.

There is a big craze nowadays with Personal Fitness Trackers that people wear.  Don’t get me wrong, I totally want one, but I have to get my thoughts about fitness straight first.  When it comes to things like counting steps, I can get a bit obsessive.  My phone currently has that capacity built into it, so my OCD is “making” me carry the phone with me EVERYWHERE!  Even when I take a shower, I’m SURE I’m missing out on at least 40 steps, all because my phone isn’t waterproof!  Everything in me WANTS to get to those 10,000 steps that everyone says I need everyday. This is a link to some good info on the “10,000 step” fad.

The unhealthy part comes in when I don’t hit that goal and I get depressed.  A lot of negative talk goes through my head, about how big of a loser I am, etc. After a while, I realized I don’t HAVE to focus on that particular number, in fact, in the article above, it says just walking more is a goal we all should have.  Now, I can focus on just walking a bit more than the day before!  Baby steps.  No, I won’t hit 10,000 every day, and that’s okay.  As long as I’m striving to be more active, I’m a winner!  So, for me and my obsessiveness, the Personal Fitness Tracker won’t become a negative reminder of what I’m NOT, but show me the baby steps I’m taking forward to where I want to go.

There’s no reason we can’t celebrate those baby steps!  After all, when a baby takes its first steps, everyone around claps and has a grand time.  Why can’t we do that?  WE CAN!  No, you don’t need to reward yourself with a Snickers bar when you hit a goal, 😉 but you CAN buy a wall calendar and some stickers.  Heck, buy some gold star stickers like we received in grade school for a job well done.  For every baby step forward you take, put a sticker on that day.  An example would be, if you walked a couple more steps today than you did yesterday.  Give yourself a gold star!  When you ate an apple instead of that cookie, give yourself a star!  Then, when you start to feel sorry for yourself on those bad days (face it, we ALL have them), you can look at the calendar and be proud of all the steps you’ve taken.  It’s a great visual reminder of your progress.  Some folks journal their progress, and if you’re a writer, go for it.  If not, you can always take 3 seconds to put a star on your calendar.  Try it, and let me know how you’re doing!  Better yet, post a picture of your calendar!  More Baby Steps to follow!  Stay tuned!