Small Daily Improvements are the Key to Staggering Long-term Results

Time to talk about New Year’s resolutions.

Blek.

No really. I don’t honestly make them. I pretend I do. What I actually do is make small tiny incremental changes and hope they become a habit.

My fascial stretch therapist told me that by doing fifteen minutes of something that we don’t want to do EVERYDAY, eventually the task will be completed. Of course he was relating this to stretching because I was having a hard time getting into a routine, but I latched onto this idea. It has been brewing in my brain for months.

Then I heard the quote, small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results.

Ding ding!

Behold my new mantra.

Over the past few years I have struggled with health issues. Who doesn’t? My muscles weakened to the point that digging a hole in my garden was earth-shatteringly impossible. Opening lids that my husband screwed on too tight was impossible. I was generally fatigued and my muscles were Jell-O.

After a really intensive diet, in which I lost 20 pounds in two months, with no exercising, I knew I had to get my muscles back to go with my slimmer body.

And so it started.

One exercise at a time.

I started with pushups on my knees. Regular squats. Resistance exercises I could only do with my body. In the beginning I only managed 3 kneeling pushups. 6 weeks later I can now do 2 full ones and 13 more on my knees.

I added one new exercise every day. I added one rep to every old exercise every day. I still can’t exercise for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. But when I started I was doing 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there. I now do 15 minutes twice a day. I am getting stronger!

Today I added cardio. 2-3 minutes of intense cardio. It was hard.

Mantras rock. I’m hanging this one where I can see it every day.

Now if only I can translate this into my scripture study, I’m good to go.