We win with ONE Tiny Step at a time – here’s how.
I was pondering my running routine and wondering why I fall short on the warmups. Why don’t I do these warmups? I know the consequence of not doing them is generally some pull or another minor injury. Sounds like a no brainer to do the warmup right? I thought about it the last time and ran and in my mind, the warmup takes too long. I just need to get out and run. Really? It takes from 5-10 minutes to warm up, so why does that create such a problem?
I looked once again at BJ Fogg’s work on Tiny Steps to help me establish my habits by starting small.
Special Note: BJ has a book coming out on December 31, 2019, titled Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything.
The tiny steps model for us geeks
B=MAP (adapted from BJ Foggs work)
“Behavior (B) happens when Motivation (M), Ability (A), and a Prompt (P) come together at the same moment.”
Getting to the prompt, or in my case, the warmup is the toughest part. I have the motivation and ability, but the prompt is tough.
Here’s how I would do it for my warmup.
After I (existing habit) _____________ ( put on my running shoes)
I Will (new tiny habit) ______________ (do one warmup segment, for me I will start with leg circles).
THEN I CELEBRATE! A warmup done, check! And now to fresh air and an injury-free run!
What habit do you want?
It may not be warming up before you run that floats your boat, but this approach can work for anything. I was listening to one of the meditation segments from 10 Percent this morning. The instructor for the segment is George Mumford. He was talking about how to get in the habit of meditating. He said the secret was to sit in one place at the same time every day and begin to pattern the physicality of being in one place and only then work on the meditation.
Where will your life be in a year from now if you continue doing what you’re doing today?
I love this quote from John Jantsch. It speaks to why we may want to make a change in our life. We can use this to get through the holidays or begin changes before the New Year. These changes may be exercise, dieting, reading, or warming up before a run. Start tiny to go big.
References
10% Happier APP
https://apps.apple.com › app › 10-happier-meditation
bjfogg.com
