By Dominique Kohlenberger
I have massive respect for someone bold enough to claim to bring sexy back since I can’t recall a time when sexy ever went out of style. The hard part is remembering that when it comes to long-term health goals, sexy isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind.
For many years I was pulled in by the siren song of every new diet. The crazier and more dramatic the plan, the more I was sure this one was “IT.” Bootcamps, Keto, and Intermittent fasting are seductive because they promise dramatic results in a short period of time. The problem is these sexy do not last because they are “willpower” based and not “habit” based and therefore not sustainable.
Working on building habits is profoundly unsexy as the results may not be rapid and dramatic but over time they are life-changing. Small steps are OK, as long as they are consistent and continue to grow. In the end, the results are even more dramatic than the quick fix, since they can last a lifetime. They sneak up on you so gradually that you hardly notice (like brushing your teeth daily) and this is a good thing.
The little, unsexy things that seem insignificant like eating breakfast, walking 10K steps per day, and cooking healthy meals at home aren’t nearly as alluring as the dramatic acts of bootcamp or fasting.
But the unsexy road to health is far less painful and it actually works. By far the hardest part of getting healthy is getting started. To build healthy habits you first need to rid yourself of the illusion that small, unsexy actions are meaningless and that only dramatic actions bring dramatic results.
In fact, the opposite is true. It was slow, incremental steps that got you out of shape in the first place and it will only be slow, incremental steps that put you back on track. Habits only grow from things you can actually do consistently, not things you force yourself to do occasionally. Similarly, doing something small is infinitely more meaningful than doing nothing at all.
Please submit any questions to dkohlenberger@me.com.
Dominique Kohlenberger has a master’s degree in Physical Therapy; she is a certified Health Coach and owner of Healthy Longevity.
