More Things of Which I Can Do 10

I started this blog by making the small step commitment of doing 10 pushups a day. With the exception of when I had the flu, and more recently a cold, I’ve kept that commitment and seem to be getting some results.

I’ve been thinking about other small steps I can take to improve my health. Since increasing my activity feels manageable to me (as compared to tackling my eating habits), I’ve thought of some other small steps I can take. I can do 10 squats and 10 crunches. I’m adding this to my daily 10 pushups.

This commitment still amounts to less than a minute of exercise a day. The idea is that I am, and you are, more likely to stick to a very small change, and those changes, expanded and added to, consciously and unconsciously, over time, will bring about big results.

Progress Report

At the beginning of the year, I committed to take one small step to improve my health. My small step was to do 10 pushups a day. I’ve done this every day except for a week when I had the flu.

Part of making successful change is not getting too wrapped up in results. That I’ve done what I committed to do and will continue it is a success. The bigger successes are built on these little ones. I already think the practice of the pushups is changing the way I think about exercise and eating.

Since this blog is called small steps BIG CHANGES, I do feel some obligation to address the changes. In January, I lost 4 pounds and 0.25 inch of my waist. At that rate, I’ll need 2 years to reach my ideal weight. Even so, I’d rather make incremental changes that last than quick changes that don’t. I’ve updated the chart from my first post to show my progress.

One Slice of Tomato at a Time

I’m committing to eat the tomato that comes on my sandwich or salad. When I was a kid, I didn’t like tomatoes. I picked them off anything that had them. I kept up the habit long after my palette had matured. Now I’m committing to eat them. I can handle a few extra ounces of vegetable matter.