Small Changes Yield Big Returns by Justin James

If you’ve followed any of my stuff before, you know one of my biggest “themes” is advocating for small, positive steps and changes. Basically, do small changes for better health. From my experience, people who go big right off the bat usually don’t last.

Can it be done? Sure. Does it work for the majority of people? Absolutely not.

We’ve all heard stories about people quitting bad habits cold turkey, others who never ate another carb again after being motivated by some life-altering event, or the guy who lost 150 pounds by only eating one meal a day.

Intermittent fasting, high-intensity exercise, low-carbohydrate diets, and a number of other diet, fitness, and nutritional tools can all be valuable, and they all have their place. However, for the MAJORITY of people, it’s much healthier to start with small steps.

Sorry for the clichés here, but you eat an elephant one bite at a time (I never really understood why you would want to eat an elephant), and Rome wasn’t built in a day. With diet and exercise, slow and steady wins the race.

You see, I usually deal with real people—people who eat too many sweets too late at night, people who tend to skip a few workouts, people who enjoy having a few cocktails, and people who don’t particularly enjoy vomiting during a workout.

I can’t stress this enough: The way you make big changes over time is one decision at a time and often one substitution at a time. Fitness is a LIFESTYLE. You’ve got to be comfortable with your routine, your changes, and your habits. Your plan can’t be artificial, because artificial doesn’t last.

I’m not going to ask you to give up your sweet tooth, because you probably can’t! I’m not going to ask you to join a CrossFit gym, because most of you probably don’t want to! I’m not going to ask you to go on an all-meat, or veggie, or fruit, or bread diet either, because you would be miserable!

I’m simply going to suggest that you consider making some better choices that give you a better chance at a healthier lifestyle and at feeling your best.

Instead of sitting and reading, how about listening to an audio book and going for a long walk, jog, or hike? Instead of snacking until bedtime, how about a healthy and filling meal around 6pm? Instead of a soda, how about a flavored water? How about multigrain bread instead of white bread?

What you’ll find is that, over time, your decisions get healthier and wiser. But you’ve got to start somewhere! I can’t stress the importance to do small changes for better health. For those of you with a sweet tooth (myself included), check out Performance Inspired’s replacement cookies. They are sweet and filling enough to kill any craving!