Why 'Small Health Changes' Sometimes Fail

In this series of blogs, I've been sharing the process of Kaizen: the use of small and continuous change over a long period of time with the aim being to help us make larger and more impactful changes in the long-term. My 800 km journey on the Camino de Santiago started with the first step in St. Jean Pied de Port, France. Even the longest journey starts with a single step and if you can break down any big challenge into lots of smaller, more manageable chunks, then you will find that even the most unnerving challenge becomes much more doable.

This concept has caught on with the health-and-fitness industry and the self-improvement crowd in a big way. Now we are constantly being encouraged to make small changes in the pursuit of bigger overall health improvement. Do a few press ups here and there and you can develop the habit of exercising. Likewise, flossing just one tooth is better than flossing none at all and will help you to make a habit of flossing.

The Flaw in the Plan

Unfortunately though, these small changes aren't flawless either and sometimes they will fail just like the big ones. It's not common to hear people say they are going to floss a single tooth every day and then just… not.

How can you possibly fail on such a tiny task? How can flossing just one tooth a day possibly be a difficult challenge?

There are a couple of explanations but one of the biggest is the fact that flossing individual teeth still takes a certain amount of time… and feels pointless. If you can't be motivated to get the floss out to do all your teeth, are you really going to bother for just one when there's no benefit to that?

The other problem is that these incremental changes are so easy to forget. How easily can you forget to do something small like this? You might be set on it now but when you're in a hurry before bed tonight, will you remember then?

And then when you fail such a tiny task, the disappointment can feel even greater.

How to Make it Work

The problem is not with kaizen though, but with the application of kaizen. Two things can help make these small changes work:

• They should still be big enough to have an actual measurable benefit so that you can better motivate yourself. At the very least you should be able to get some measurable reward for your actions.
• You should use a trigger for things you're likely to forget or a set time. Having the goal to do one press up works much better if you say you'll do it each time you pass through a doorway or every day at 10 am (and you set an alarm).
• Now, just do it. Make a commitment to yourself and put yourself as the priority. Use a planner to record your progress.

I shared that I'm tracking water consumption right now, and I track my steps. I can add something new at different intervals to continue my progress.

What things can you do to make changes to benefit your overall health?

Until next time...

Cheers!

Lisa

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