Change is a process

Yesterday morning I was reading my oldest daughter's blog. Rachael lives in the same city I do and we talk regularly, in person and on Twitter.

She was lamenting this week about how she fell off the wagon recently of healthy living including food and exercise.

She is a very determined gal. She can be hard core when it comes to being disciplined, but the opposite is also true.

Rachael is a lot like all of us. The majority of New Years Resolutions are broken within 10 days.

And it's because we go for broke.

The All or Nothing mindset.

The story of the tortoise and the hare come to mind, the lesson being that slow and steady win the race.

So, here's the advice I left in the comments section of her blog:

Okay my dear, Here's a more realistic plan for you, me, any of us and all of us.

Don't even try the all or nothing approach. It sucks and for most folks = fail.

Pick one thing to eliminate, one thing to add and one thing to do differently.

That's it.

3 things at a time.
Eliminate something that is bad for you. Add something that is good for you that will be a reward that you like. Those two will balance each other out and the habit will help you with your routine.

Do these 3 things for 21 days.
Mark it on a calendar.
Experts say 21 days are needed to transform routines into habits.

After the first 21 days, you will have adjusted and you can add 3 more things like you did before.

Keep this pattern up and you'll turn into a healthy tortoise instead of frustrated hare.