A preface to today’s post - it’s a bit more theoretical than what we typically write about, but something that we talk about with clients over and over again, and felt compelled to share with you too! 

Today we’re talking about choosing consistent, small changes vs. the big life overhauls that seem, well, more effective  - bear with us, it’s a really worthwhile topic and promise there are some takeaway tips and tools at the end!

Why overcommitting fails us

It’s human nature to gravitate towards extreme approaches to change. We think that cutting out sugar (...or carbs!... or gluten!), committing to an intense new exercise regime, or declaring we’re going to meditate first thing every day without looking at our phones for an entire year (recently guilty of this one) is going to help us become who we want to be. But, trust us when we say - these grand declarations will (almost always) fail you. It’s just nearly impossible to maintain any of these over time, and when we veer off course because we’re a) human and b) living our lives, we think we’re incapable of change so we give up. Sound familiar? 

Yep, us too…but bottom line, these extreme overhauls, in theory, can sound like the quickest or most surefire way to get somewhere, but in our experience, they’re too hard to stick with, and usually end up leaving us disappointed and discouraged. 

Instead…

Find something sustainable - and repeat it!

What we’ve found in our practice and personal lives, over and over again, is that finding something sustainable = the key to you achieving your goals for the long haul.  Usually this is more middle ground than extreme, and seemingly those small little shifts that we can’t imagine will make a difference in the scheme of our lives (but somehow they do!). It’s not sexy or exciting or appealing at all to think of it this way because most of us want results FAST, but more often than not these smaller, less intense changes, repeated over time are exactly how we get to where we want to be.

We really do become what we repeat, so if we want change, we need to find something that we can actually repeat and that will stand the test of time. Whether it's how you eat, exercise, start your mornings or wind down - we want to move away from the things that are “all or nothing” and instead, find the things that hit your "OH I CAN DO THIS DAILY button.”

Small changes that add up

So what does this look like? Well that depends on your exact goals, but here are some examples of how you can reframe extremes into smaller shifts that will likely serve you much better:

• Instead of holding yourself to an extreme revamped exercise routine…try committing to something more doable (whether it’s 5 or 15 minutes of dedicated daily movement). Eventually, it becomes easier to stretch into longer workouts from there (and if not, you moved your body that day and that’s a win!) 

• Instead of cutting out sweets entirely… try setting a boundary of 1 mindful sweet per day, with 1-2 more indulgent desserts per week within a reasonable portion size.

• Instead of swearing off takeout entirely…hold yourself to cooking at home 1-2 times a week. You can always add from there!

• Instead of committing to starting your morning with 15 minutes of meditation before looking at your phone…try committing to 3 minutes, any time that works each day. .

Bottom line & some inspiration

Bottom line: when the urge to go full throttle or try something extreme hits, take a step back and slow it down. Start small and we promise you will build that small thing with time into something big and worthwhile. 

We’re not alone in our theory, and have been influenced by some amazing thought leaders who study the art of habits and change. So to cap off today’s post, we want to leave you with a handful of inspiring quotes that we love and have resonated with our clients: 

“Sometimes all you need for exceptional results is average effort repeated for an above-average amount of time” - James Clear

The difference between not doing anything at all and doing 10 minutes a few times a week is absolute” - Oliver Burkeman

“Something I like to keep in mind is that a few minutes a couple times a week of something is better than not doing anything at all. It’s the consistency that brings the transformation, not the amount of time you spend each day.” 

“Just because improvements aren’t visible doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. You’re not going to see the number change each time you step on the scale. You’re not going to finish a chapter each time you sit down to write. Early wins come easy. Lasting wins require a lifestyle.” — James Clear

A few more things

Where we share all the things we’re loving, reading, listening to, cooking, discussing and purchasing as of late.

1. LMNT electrolyte powder. You’ve probably seen this product across your social feed one too many times, but for good reason. It’s a great product, and we’re big fans. A high quality, sugar-free electrolyte powder with optimal levels of the key electrolytes that we tend to be low in and/or lose when we’re sweating a lot (making it ideal for summer and/or days you’re doing a sweaty workout). A great boost and big pro = we find it really helps us get in our daily 2-3L of water goal. Note: they’re super salty (sodium = essential electrolyte) so we like to split the packet into 2 servings (½ for 1L and ½ for another).

2. Ink & Volt today organizer pad. Even with our recent reframe on productivity (see this post’s AFMT), we rely on a few key hacks to keep us as organized and accountable as possible and this daily notepad has been our go-to for years. We love to use this as our daily planner because the left hand column lets us map our day, and the right hand column helps us focus on the most important tasks at hand each day (limits you to 7, with 3 spill overs for the following day). For a weekly view, we love our google calendar, but have also been eyeing these desk pads from Dogwood hill, which make a strong case for a switch to analog.

3. Have been making this summer berry crumble on repeat! Perfect for low-fuss summer entertaining, but also love making a full batch to have for dessert throughout the week. 

4. [Lauren]: Kara Duval Pilates / Range. I’ve held back on sharing this one because it’s hard to find the words to capture how I feel about Kara and her platform. Range, and Kara in particular, have completely shifted the way I think about movement and I will forever be grateful for what she’s created. Range is an online movement platform created by Kara Duval - it’s rooted in traditional stott pilates, but has a wide variety of offerings that range from traditional mat pilates style classes, to functional movement, to higher intensity plyometrics, to weight training with heavier weights and more. It’s hard to describe what Kara does - but it all feels GOOD. She has the unique ability to create movement that is both supportive yet challenging. There is meditative movement and movement that is more structured, there are shorter workouts and longer classes. She steps out of the narrative that we need to exhaust/deplete/kill ourselves for movement to be considered movement, which requires immense trust in the process for those that are used to this type of approach. Her classes have been referred to as movement medicine and I couldn't agree more. If this sounds like a love letter it’s because it is - I can’t recommend more highly! 

5. When we posted about Julia Turshen’s Small Victories cookbook last issue, a few of you asked for our other go to cookbooks. We both collect cookbooks and it was hard to narrow down, but these three are the ones we reach for over and over again! Dinner: Changing the Game (Melissa Clark) / Kitchen Matters (Pamela Salzman) / Quicker than Quick (Pamela Salzman)