In setting our goals for the year ahead, “eat better” and “exercise more” are often at the top of the list. Such lifestyle changes are admirable and can help prevent and reverse chronic disease. However, broad goals like these can set us up for disappointment; since they are so expansive, it’s often difficult to assess progress. Lack of detailed goals can lead to failure, frustration and negative self-talk, and adversely impact future expectations and experiences. Although “relapse” is a well-documented step in the cycle of change,1 it can be discouraging and sway us from getting back on our path of
good intentions.

One way to prevent failure is to make smaller, more feasible changes that are easier to achieve and maintain for long-term success.2 When you sit down to a meal, you proceed by taking one bite at a time, chewing and swallowing each bite before proceeding to the next. Here, I’m suggesting that you detail your goal(s) into quantifiable measurements and then break those down further into smaller “bite size” pieces. This approach allows your body to “digest” (assimilate) each change before proceeding to the next step, thus supporting the likelihood of long-term success. Here are a couple of tangible examples of how to do this.

One aspect of health is optimizing water consumption. However small this may seem, it is a foundation of health and affects overall wellbeing including energy, detoxification, mood, and joint and fascia health.3 To achieve the general recommendation for healthy individuals of drinking half your body weight in ounces of water daily (140 lb person would drink 70oz/day), you can slowly increase your intake by 10oz a day for one week at a time until you eventually meet your goal. Maintain this for, say, 1-2 months before taking on your next goal. This also gives your body time to “digest” the change (adjusting to the increased water intake and decreasing
bathroom trips).

Movement is another foundation of health. A resolution to increase exercise requires choosing a goal you would feel comfortable with and realistically can sustain. Current CDC guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week. This is often broken down into 30 minutes of movement five days a week.4 If you are currently living a sedentary lifestyle or do not have a sustained movement routine, start with a smaller weekly goal that you continue for 3-4 weeks, then slowly work toward your end goal over time. This is also important for building stamina and preventing injury. Consider starting with one or two 5-minute walks (uninterrupted) daily. This seemingly small step equates to 35-70 minutes of movement a week!

If there is more than one component to your larger goal, I suggest layering them over time. Using the above examples, you could start by working toward your hydration goal, then add your exercise plan. Making changes one bite at a time will help prevent failure and improve the likelihood of long-term success.

Dr. Jainuddin is a naturopathic primary care doctor at One Life Naturopathic and can be reached at (442) 256.5963 or visit www.onelifenaturopathic.org.

References: 1) Desert Health, January/February 2022, Making Changes: What’s Your Narrative? Jainuddin, NMD, BCB; 2) Rolls BJ, Morris EL, Roe LS. Portion size of food affects energy intake in normal-weight and overweight men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;76:1207–1213. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/76.6.1207; 3) https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/water-healthy-drinks/index.html; 4) https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html