Little Steps Go The Longest Way.

To begin, first you must understand, acknowledge and be at one with your goals. Then start small and build up to greatness.

"True balance isn't something you find, it's something you create."

So, this subject came about as I was leading a Restorative Yoga session this morning. My mind briefly wandered to how much you need to be able to focus your whole body and mind on whatever fitness goal you're trying to achieve and how vast a subject that truly feels. To be fully accepting and at peace with the life you are aiming for and not to overwhelm yourself with the decisions you need to make to accomplish any feat of health or lifestyle improvement. It is habitual change, which is scary, and it is not as easy as it sounds. I, for one, really struggled when I first started to switch my life around.

Choosing to laze and procrastinate. Using my fluffy menace as an excuse.

It started with a major health scare for me, and when I began to recover from this, I knew that something in my lifestyle had to change, or I would find myself spiraling back into the deep stages of escapism and denial that I had found myself in before.

In my mind, though, I never had the time, or the energy, the right plan, people to go with, easy options for travel or food... the list goes on. In reality, I just hadn't fully accepted what it was I wanted to do and achieve, and how I wanted to achieve it. Don't get me wrong, there will always be a need to find time for yourself and to relax, but not at the risk of depriving your mind and body of its wants, needs, and desire to be all they could be.

What I wanted was to feel healthy, strong, and confident in myself, but my mind raced off and took that to mean the embodiment of perfection itself. From this, unrealistic ideologies were set, and it became too much like hard work to be able to focus on. I cut out drinking, smoking, and sugar; I moved house (and country), changed career, started a new fitness routine, and tried to do more social things all in the space of a month! It completely drained me to the point that I began to hate my fitness and all the good changes that I had made in my life. Even trying to do half of that would have drained me because my whole being just wasn't used to everything that I was putting onto it and everything that I was taking away. How I lasted so long is beyond me.

My reality for a long time.

This battle inside me of being on track for a few days and then becoming completely exhausted to the point of constant procrastination and guilt continued for months. I missed out on so many fantastic opportunities because of this continuous drain on my soul. It was only when I took a complete step back, upheaved my whole life again, and picked it apart bit by bit, that I finally understood what I was doing wrong: I was trying to do too much at once.

So, I set my goals. I wrote down my long-term goals at first, then I worked my way back to the short-term ones that would help lead up to that, and then I put why. Why did I want to become healthier? To improve my lifestyle and increase my energy for adventures. Why did I want to become stronger? To be able to go faster, harder, and push myself to higher limits. Why did I want to become more confident in myself? To live for me, achieve more for me, to focus on the real me, and believe in myself every step of the way. Separating them into smaller goals made them achievable, and putting down the why made it real.

Focus on the real me...

The first thing I did was go for a short walk every morning, and by short, I literally mean 5 minutes outside, no matter the weather. I'd listen to one song and then come back inside, but it set me up for the rest of the day because I had achieved something, and so, of course, I could achieve more. That then increased to 10 minutes, and I made sure I drank enough water to feel hydrated all day. Then, after a few more weeks, I finally got myself to do a small home workout, which consisted of just 10 minutes of ungraceful bodyweight exercises with 2 minutes to stretch afterward. This led to a short run instead of a walk in the morning, and so on.

Now, a couple of years later, I hit an average of 10K steps a day, I train strength 4 times a week, do yoga and meditation daily, my food consumption matches my energy requirements, and I never feel dehydrated. I have accomplished a personal best in the Edinburgh Half Marathon, got my regular 5K time to under 28 minutes, completed one Tough Mudder with plans for more, and can almost do a single pull-up (which is getting there for sure!). I also take days off when I need to rest, I miss work-outs if I am busy with life, and I ensure to recuperate my strength and energy if I begin to feel off within myself. Most importantly though, I am confident in these choices and myself, I love who I have become and have always been, and I am so grateful for my health and well-being. I am perfectly not perfect, and it feels fantastic.

I am happy. I am powerful. I am free.

Hop in the right direction...

Now, I know, this isn't going to be the same for everyone. We all have different ideologies, wants, and needs, and we all have initial steps that will work better for us than they may for others. However, you are not alone in this by far, and if taking that first step feels more like a leap, make it smaller, ask for help. A nice little hop in the right direction can seem much easier with support around you.

At times, the road to improving your health and fitness may seem too long to try, but it isn't, and no matter how many turns or hills are along that path, I am here to help guide and navigate them in a more manageable approach, as I have done with my own health and fitness.

Subscribe now for more stories and "how-to's" in the future. Have a look at what services I offer that can help you step into your next, or first, fitness goal and feel free to drop me a message through the contact sheet and I will get back to you as quick as I can.

Enjoy a beautiful life and I wish you good health and fitness.