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.)
I just discovered Naomi Teeter's blog and her inspiring story. She weighed 300 pounds when she decided to change her life. Now she weighs under 180 and is a life coach for others!
Here are some of her "Before and After" pics:
I love that she's not ultra-skinny -- just a healthy weight and shape for her, that still includes some curves! I also love that she doesn't emphasize it being all about looks or fashion, but more about having freedom to live a life that you love.
She says, "I weighed around 275-300 pounds between the ages of 20-25. ...I also suffered with painful acid reflux that kept me awake at night, water on both of my knees, painful joints, extremely dry skin, acne, and always running out of breath. I tried to lose weight many times. I would succeed at dropping 20-40 pounds, but then gain it all right back after giving up on myself again. It wasn’t until the age of 26 that I hit another fork in the road and made the firm decision that I needed to get the weight off for good. There were many times that... it felt like it was impossible, but I kept doing it and didn’t give up on myself this time. Over a year’s time, I liberated an astonishing 150 pounds from my body. Over the course of 5 1/2 years, I’ve maintained a stable 125 pound weight loss."
Hope this inspires you to start where you are -- today!
And when I say, super-easy, I mean all you have to do is watch the screen -- well, okay, and do the exercises! But there's minimal thinking involved! Once you click "START", there's a visual depiction of each exercise, and a counter that ticks down the seconds you have left.
This is just an image. The link to the video is at the bottom of the post.
And as for quick? Who doesn't have seven minutes?! And each set is only 30 seconds. And this isn't even seven minutes of solid exercise; there are 10-second rests in between!
A tip: I put my laptop on the fourth step of my stairway, and use the first two steps when the instructions call for using a chair. This is more stable, and it also lets me use a higher or lower stair to accommodate my fitness level.
For someone in moderate shape, most of the exercises will be doable. But if you're in beginner shape, or some of the moves are too hard, you can still adapt the moves as needed. Here are a few ways:
- When the instructions call for a chair, use the first step on a stairway. After a few workouts, try the second step, or alternate between the first and second.
- Instead of jumping up and down for the jumping jacks, just step out to the side as you raise your arms, and step back as you lower them. Switch sides at 15 seconds. When that gets easier, add in a jumping jack or two between each easier rep.
- Adjust the plank and push-up to your capability; start with doing them on your knees or the lowest stair, rather than your toes on the floor.
- Instead of high-knee running in place, do marching in place. As you get more fit, add more running in.
The last two exercises are the most difficult. For either or both of them, substitute an easier exercise of your choice. Here's one I like to use.
Want a harder workout? Do it two or three times through.
Here's the link: Seven-minute workout. Just click the big blue button that says, "START."
Need an even easier workout? That's okay! Check out these seated workouts.
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.
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!
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!)
Arthur Boorman was a 47-year-old Veteran. He weighed almost 300 pounds. He couldn't walk unassisted, and for 15 years, doctors had told him that would never change. And he believed them.
But he gave one last effort, with the help of a patient yoga coach, and... well, just watch this.
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!
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.
