Spring is finally here! Sunny blue skies, birds singing, warm weather, and now is your chance to get out and enjoy this most beautiful time in Northwestern Oklahoma. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to take a walk, enjoy times with family and friends or maybe even head out to the yard for a little spring cleaning or gardening. Now that spring has sprung, it is a great time to starting thinking about making some small changes to your everyday routine to live a healthier lifestyle.
Small changes add up! By making small changes to your everyday routine, they will add up over time to a huge change in your overall health. This is called action planning and it works.
You can start action planning today, just by making one small change in your life that you can accomplish in 7 days. Ask yourself these questions:
What do I WANT to change?
This is the most important question you can ask yourself. Because guess what, if you don’t WANT to make the change it won’t change. Make sure you choose something that you want to change, if you are willing to make the change it’s more likely to happen.
How can I incorporate this small change into my daily life?
Now that you have decided what you want to change. Now it is time to consider how you will implement the change. For example, let’s say you want to start moving more. You don’t have to join a gym or carve out an hour of your day to start. Start with 10 minutes. Ask yourself, can I find 10 minutes a few times in the week to incorporate more activity? What time of day would be best? And then schedule that 10 minutes into your daily routine. Start small, you can always increase the time you spend as you get more comfortable.
How confident am I that I can accomplish this change?
You must have confidence that you can accomplish your small goal. If your plan is too big it will become difficult to accomplish. It is important to make sure that your goal is doable. Remember you can only climb a mountain one step at a time. What you want to do is plan those small changes or steps.
Here are some examples of small goals that can get you started on the path to a healthier lifestyle:
- Drink more water
- Take a 10-minute stroll around your neighborhood
- Take a trip to the Farmer’s Market for fruits and vegetables
- Take 10 minutes to call a friend
- Research different activity programs in your community
There are so many more ideas, but these few goals are a great start to get you thinking, get you moving and point you on the path toward success. The most important thing to remember is small changes make BIG impacts in your overall health. It just takes one small goal to get you started. So, ask yourself, what goal and I going to make for myself today?
If you have questions or want to learn more about action planning, you can always reach out to OHAI Northwest Center of Healthy Aging at (580) 297-5137 or you can email devon-murray@ouhsc.edu.
