I recently read a book by James Clear called "Atomic Habits."
At first, I thought this was another rah-rah book about changing habits instantly and with explosive power. But I had it all wrong.
The "Atomic" in the title actually refers to something small, maybe the size of an atom. And to boil the book down, it refers to making small incremental changes each day.
Instead of quitting smoking cold turkey, for example, a smoker may quit with much less pain and effort by smoking one less cigarette each day. Within 20 days a pack a day smoker would be down to one cigarette a day.
Same way with losing weight. Instead of quitting eating altogether and exercising like crazy, maybe the dieter first cuts out drinking soda, then once he/she is used to that maybe cut out eating deserts one, two, or three days a week. Following this pattern before long, one finds themselves eating healthy all the time while shedding pounds in the process.
Same goes with exercise. Instead of working out for an hour with intensity, start slow for maybe ten or fifteen minutes, something that's within the range of most anyone. That way you won't get sore and give up within a week or two.
The key message about change is to start out with something you can manage. Before you know it you'll you'll be keeping your New Years resolutions without a lot of pain.
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