Making the commitment to behavioural change in one area of your life often brings positive change in other areas of your life too.
I have recently committed to running again. In the past, running for me has been in fits and starts, something that I would do for a few months or weeks and then come up with a myriad of excuses for not continuing with it. For the last few years, I have also talked about entering a fun run but until recently it had been is talk.
Then a couple of weeks ago, I woke up with a sore back after spending a night on an ordinary mattress. So, to help alleviate the pain I went for a shuffle. This lit the fire in me to start running again. Two days later, I was out for another run and that afternoon I signed up to participate in the Mother’s Day Classic.
Having this fun run to work towards, has helped motivate me, giving me something to work towards. I have a training program, which I stick too and the biggest miracle that has come out of this is I am getting up before everyone else in my house to run. This is unheard of for me as I ain’t no early riser! But I am finding myself looking forward to running each morning which means no trouble getting out of bed early. Again in the past, running later in the day found me coming up with excuses why I couldn’t do it.
So what does the KNOCK ON EFFECT of Behavioural Change mean for me? By running each day, I have increased my daily water intake significantly, which means I go to the loo more often (a lot more often) during my workday, which means frequent postural breaks, which reduces the time I spend sitting, which of course has other positive health effects in the long term.
And then of course there is the improvement in my mood with exercise (despite getting up at 6.15am), which helps get my day off to a positive start, which means less grumpiness, which makes me a better mum. Win-win.
The KNOCK ON EFFECT of Behavioural Change – what does it mean for you?
Great Article Cath – easy to read and relate to. For me. I have started walking again after 2 years of rehabilitation to my back and hip. This has lead to the need for more stretching, which makes me feel more flexible and I then want to do more walking. I also want to eat better because I generally feel better with the increased activity.