Making Small Changes

Entering the world of fitness doesn't have to mean that you give up eating and hit the gym for 3 hours a day.  Small changes can make all the difference in the world.  Some people can handle a radical change, many can't.  If you do too much, too fast, you might end getting off the track and end up right back where you were or worse.  If you make small, incremental changes, they can be easier to handle and to become a permanent part of your life.

Small Changes with Fitness

When I decided that I was too fat and needed to make a change, I knew I needed to exercise.  I knew I wasn't going to get a gym membership; I didn't have time and I didn't have the money.  What I did have at home was my Wii.  I resolved to spend a half hour a day doing Wii Fit.  I'm not going to say that it was hard, but I was moving a little, which was a big step.  I eventually graducated to bigger and better things, but it all started with a small change and dedication to a routine.

Small Changes with Nutrition

One of the changes I have had to make in Body Beast was first to increase my calories up to more than I had eaten in months.  Then, in the last month I had to decrease the calories lower than I had been.  Going from 3200 calories a day to 2200 calories seemed insurmountable, even though a mere 8 weeks earlier, I was eating 2400 calories.  I knew I was going to have to minimize snacks, but what else could I do.  Here's an example of a minor change that I made.
Before
Mixed greens salad with chicken, croutons, bleu cheese, a hard boiled egg and french dressing.  437 calories.
After
Mixed greens salad with chicken, croutons, a hard boiled egg, and light balsamic dressing.  270 calories.

I dropped the cheese and switched to light dressing and saved 160 calories.  I'm eating the same basic amount of food and saving a third of the calories.

Making a number of small changes can add up to big gains, or rather losses, and be easier to make a permanent life change.