Tiny Habits: How to make big change

I love this concept! It makes hard things seem really, really doable! Researcher/professor BJ Fogg explains the power of the "Tiny Habit" -- and demonstrates the Tiny Celebration!

Watch the video below -- and maybe get inspired to start your own big change with a tiny habit.

(Note: Hang in there through the cryptic chart with "Blue Path," etc. You don't really need to understand it.)

Start now: A few simple steps to better health

The single best thing you can do to improve your health is to stop putting it off! The biggest mistake most people make is starting off with some crazy-big effort that can't be sustained for more than a few weeks -- or days.

Don't despise small beginnings. Start now, start where you are today, with tiny, doable steps. Baby steps, really. So small, it takes more effort to defend why you're not doing than to just shut up and do them!

And don't bite off all eight at once! Start now, with one - or, at the most, two. Then keep that up for a week before you add another.

Here are some to choose from:

1. Enlist help. Ask an upbeat friend or family member to call, email, or text you every few days to encourage you in your journey.

2. Read an inspiring health-related book. Or watch an inspiring video.

3. Walk for 10 minutes a day, preferably in sunshine. If you can't walk for 10 minutes, walk as long as you can, sit till you catch your breath, and continue until you've walked a total of 10 minutes. Even if it takes you an hour. You started! Yay, you!

4. Try one of these beginner-level, seated workouts.

5.Write an encouraging note to yourself about this journey. Re-read it while you eat breakfast every day, and/or before you go to bed every night.

6. Write an encouraging or challenging verse or phrase on a card and put it on your mirror. And your computer. And your dashboard.

7. Set aside 30 minutes on the weekend to prep and pack healthy snacks and/or lunches for the week.

8. Start to develop the habit of marching in place or doing the twist as you brush your teeth. (Feel silly? Do it anyway! Laugh at yourself; laughter is healthy, too!)

Okay, pick one - now! 

12 ways to sneak healthier habits into your snacks

It's often the little things that make or break a healthy eating plan. Like snacks. 

Don't avoid snacks, and don't pretend like you're not gonna have 'em! Plan for them. Stock your pantry, your desk, or your vehicle with some handy but satisfying alternatives.

Here are 12 ways to sneak healthier habits into your snacks:

1. Want something crunchy and salty? Replace crackers and chips with nuts. Keep a variety of your favorites on hand. Yes, they have fat, but it's mostly the good kind (especially walnuts and almonds), and fat satisfies sooner than carbs, so you may eat less.

2. Want something salty and sweet? Try an apple and sugar-free nut butter, or apple with cheese. Pears with cheese are tasty, too. I especially like red pears with smoked Swiss.

3. Want something creamy and sweet? Stir together some frozen berries, greek yogurt, vanilla and sweetener of your choice. (Find out which ones are lower in fructose.)

4. Replace sugar- or sweetener-laden soda with soda water. Flavor it with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Add sweetener if you must, but you get to control what kind of sweetener and how much goes in.

5. Dip raw carrot or jicama chips in caesar, ranch or blue cheese dressing. Watch out for sugar and corn syrup in store-bought dressings, though. Better to make your own. (Here are recipes for seven simple salad dressings.)

6. Serving dip at a party? Take hearts of romaine: tear or cut away everything but the strong central rib. Save the leafy part for salads, and use the ribs for dippers, instead of chips or crackers.



7. Make your own garlic herb cheese dip.

8. Got the munchies? It might just be thirst and/or boredom. Have a glass of ice water and go do something interesting or relaxing for 10 minutes.

9. Mix cottage cheese, salsa and guacamole; dip it with celery stalks or romaine ribs.

10. When you would normally go to potato or corn chips, go with 100% whole-grain crackers (such as Triscuits), and spread them with something that brings some protein and/or fat to the mix: cheese, ricotta, sugar-free nut butter, or hummus.

11. I love this idea! Take your own healthy snacks to the movie theater.

12. Do a little research and find out what healthy options are available where you tend to stop for snacks. At QuikTrip, walk right past the chip aisle and look for the healthy options, including fresh fruit and cheese sticks.

3 beginner level workouts you can do without getting out of your chair

Here are three workouts you can do if you have limited mobility, limited cardio capability, or just need a very beginner level workout.

Choose one workout. Go at a pace that makes you a little out of breath, but if you need to stop and rest, just hit pause, rest for a minute or two, then hit play when you're ready to go again.

Hey - there's nothing wrong with being a beginner. Start where you are today!

11-minute beginner-level cardio routine

Do you sit at a desk all day? Are you confined to a chair? Do you struggle with mobility issues? Then this workout is for you! This short and simple cardio workout will elevate your heart rate, which is good for your body and your brain.

• Length: 11 minutes
• Equipment: An armless chair
• Type of Workout: Cardio (aerobic) & flexibility
• Fitness Level: Beginner to Intermediate
• Impact: Zero-impact
• See the workout

8-minute beginner-level upper body strengthening routine 

A series of seated exercises that will help you tone your entire core, improve your posture, and increase your spinal mobility and flexibility.

• Length: 8 minutes
• Equipment: An armless chair; light hand weights. If you don't have weights, grab a couple cans of soup or veggies.
• Type of Workout: Strength training (toning) & flexibility
• Muscles Worked: Abs, obliques and lower back
• Fitness Level: Beginner to intermediate
• Impact: No-impact
• See the workout

12-minute beginner-level core workout

A series of seated exercises that will help you tone your entire core, improve your posture, and increase your spinal mobility and flexibility.

• Length: 12 minutes
• Equipment: An armless chair
• Type of Workout: Strength training (toning) & flexibility
• Muscles Worked: Abs, obliques and lower back
• Fitness Level: Beginner to intermediate
• Impact: No-impact
• See the workout