By MAMAMIA TEAM
When it comes to our health, we tend to make changes in the form of grand gestures. The motivation to exercise kicks in sporadically and we think, “Tomorrow I’m going to start doing yoga EVERY DAY” or “Every day from tomorrow I’m going to run before dinner”?
Those are some very grand statements.
Problem is, tomorrow rolls around and putting those big gestures into practice isn’t quite so easy. Work runs late. The kids need to be fed. Your girlfriends are meeting up for dinner. Motivation to exercise goes out the window and the wine has come straight back in.
Then you feel bad about yourself and think, “Well, I’ve already ruined this week. Might as well start again on Monday.”
Cue the same thing happening all over again on Monday.
Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Blackmores. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.
So how do you make your life a little more active without resorting to the kinds of massive changes that are almost impossible to stick to?
Just commit to doing one thing a little less, and one thing a little more.
That sounds much more doable, doesn’t it?
It is.
Here in the Mamamia office, we recently took part in the Blackmores “A Little Less, A Little More” challenge. The whole idea was to remind people that you only have to make small changes in your life to become more active on a daily basis.
Deputy Ed Lucy Ormonde went for “A little less vino, a little more walking.” Rogue editor Rosie Waterland decided to do “A little less catching the bus and a little more riding my bike.” Health and Fitness blogger Natalia Hawk just aimed for the simple “A little less indoors, a little more outdoors.”
And they weren’t the only ones. Blackmores asked everybody to make a commitment of what they’d like to do a little less and a little more of – and they got a whopping 6040 responses.
Looks like the idea of making small changes is really appealing.
Some of the “A little less” commitments included coffee, emailing, fried food, late nights, Facebook, texting, partying and sleeping in. Some of the “A little more” commitments included cardio, dancing, laughter, sleep, and yoga.
But of the 6040 responses, there were five commitments in each category that seemed to pop up over and over again.
The five most popular “A little less” commitments were:
- Alcohol
- Excuses
- Procrastinating
- Over thinking
- Laziness
The five most popular “A little more” commitments were:
- Exercise
- Sex
- Walking
- Running
- Workouts
So, if you include sex as exercise (and who doesn’t), the top five things women want to do a little more of were all about getting healthier by being a bit more active.
And when you decide to make a small commitment that fits into your life, getting the motivation to exercise is actually quite easy. Here at the office, Rosie has been riding her bike to work most days, Lucy has been walking more than usual and Nat has been spending way more time outside.
All because they decided to make little changes, rather than try to commit to grand gestures.
So, if along with 6040 others, you took part in the Blackmores “A little less, A little more” challenge, we’d to congratulate you for getting on board. It’s always good to get out there and be a bit more active, so if we can find a way of doing that (that we can actually stick to…), then that’s always a good thing.
And it’s also never to late. Haven’t made a little commitment yet? Do it today. Because when you keep it manageable, it actually works.
Despite our best intentions, particularly in the colder months, staying active and healthy isn’t easy. We aim to give up chocolate, abandon alcohol and promise to visit the gym four times a week, only to fail. A Little Less, A Little More reminding people that making small commitments is a much more achievable and sustainable way of living a balanced lifestyle. What will you do? Make a commitment here, challenge your friends, upload your pics and follow us at #littlelesslittlemore on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.