This last week has had a common theme with a lot of my clients and athletes so I figured I would go with the direction that each week seems to point my thoughts. When you think about accomplishing a large task, do you think about doing it all at once or in little actions that chip away at it? We need to start a task with the end in mind, but, have you also heard the saying, "How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time!"

Same thing with our lives. We don't accomplish any of our goals in just one huge bite. We just chip away at it with daily focus and discipline. Whether you are looking to lose weight, get stronger, complete a 5k, finish your first triathlon or compete in an Ironman, the approach is all the same!

You need to identify your goal and then take the daily actions required to successfully move yourself towards that goal. Let's say you are looking to lose weight. Perhaps you want to lose 10 pounds of fat in the next 10 weeks. Are your actions contributing to your ability to accomplish your goal? When you wake up in the morning, are you eating the foods necessary to give your body the tools it needs to burn fat and improve metabolic efficiency? Are you waking up and moving your body with focus and intensity to enable it to burn excess fat and build muscle to improve your metabolism? Are you staying focused on your goal with positive thoughts and a belief that you can accomplish what you are striving for? Do you realize that EVERYTHING you eat is going to be moving you towards or away from your goal? EVERY DAY matters.  It is the SMALL stuff that adds up and makes the difference in whether you succeed or fail to reach your goal. You are not going to be an overnight success at losing weight (or being healthy, or finishing a 5k or completing a triathlon). It takes consistent, purposeful and dedicated focus to become what you want to become. 

It sounds hard, huh? But, what is the alternative? Your alternative is to feel crappy and unhealthy and unhappy in the ONLY body you will EVER get! Is it really too much work to make MORE healthy choices in your life to give your body a fighting chance to be healthy, energetic, powerful, and capable of doing amazing things that make your WHOLE life SO MUCH BETTER? Of course it is worth it! Just focus on those LITTLE things that make such a BIG difference! How about WATER instead of SODA? How about waking up an HOUR earlier and exercising instead of sleeping in and then using the lame excuse that you just don't have enough time to exercise?! How about CHOOSING to eat a serving of vegetables instead of mindlessly eating whatever is most convenient from a vending machine. Make a conscious decision that you are going to TAKE CHARGE of what goes in your mouth by  doing the following: spend just 10 minutes first thing in the morning packing healthy foods and then eat them throughout the day. That would be a good way to ensure those LITTLE things make a BIG difference towards a positive outcome. Don't be a victim of life.  Don't use excuses that you can't take care of your body.  You make time to take care of your car, your house, your business, your family; those are all important. But, if you have beat up and neglected your body and your health, I promise you are not going to be able to continue to take care of all those other (very important) parts of your life like your family, people you love, your home, your business, etc. It is worth it to focus on those LITTLE things that can make a BIG difference in your health, because then you will have the ability to take care of those BIG things in your life that really matter!

Your challenge this week:
Identify ONE LITTLE thing that you know you can improve on and focus on making that a positive part of your healthy lifestyle. If you know that you are drinking too much soda, then you are going to focus on getting rid of soda and replacing it with water. If you know that you are eating too much sugar, then you are going to spend this week getting rid of the sugar! If you know that you need to move your body more and improve your strength and cardiovascular fitness, then you are going to focus on that this week. How about eating more vegetables?  Perhaps setting a goal that you are going to eat SEVEN servings of veggies EVERY DAY this week is a good goal for you. Or perhaps you aren't getting enough sleep to help your body recover and repair itself (and aid in weight loss).  Your goal would be 7+ hours of sleep every night this week. Don't be complacent! Self analyze and pick something that you know you can be doing better and then DO IT! You will be happier and healthier and proud of yourself for making the effort towards your improving yourself and your life!

SO...
GET TO IT AND MAKE THOSE SMALL THINGS A POSITIVE PART OF YOUR HEALTHY LIFE!

Coach Keena is a regular contributor at TriEdge and has 15 years experience coaching and training hundreds of individuals. She is a USA Triathlon Certified Coach and holds additional certifications from the National association of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the American Council of Exercise (ACE) as a certified personal trainer. If you would like to contact Coach Keena go to: www.coachkeena.com