How to Use Small Wins to Motivate Healthy Behaviors

Building on small wins is key to creating permanent healthy behaviors. You can use the progress you’ve already made to motivate you toward your larger goal of living healthier.

Baby steps are at the heart of my programs because you don’t create success in one sudden overwhelming swoop unless you win the lottery. Winning at anything is about using each small success to motivate yourself to the larger goal.

How often do you hear the following:

“I’m so fat I should just give up.”

“It’s no use. I can’t change.”

“Why bother eating a salad for lunch when I ate Pop Tarts for breakfast.”

“I have so much to change. It’s impossible.”

I guarantee that every person who said these lines have had good moments. Every one of them has made healthy choices on some days. Every one of them is capable of making lasting changes that will make them feel and look better. Whether or not they took two steps back, they have all taken steps forward to living a healthier life. The key is to use the small victories to push toward the larger goal.

You don’t win a marathon by focusing on the finish line. You turn your attention toward the road in front of you and the runners you can see. You propel yourself forward by setting small goals that build momentum and motivate you to win because winners don’t actually think about winning; they think about performing in the moment.

Staying in the moment is a great life skill.

And it’s what small wins, or baby steps, are all about. So from a healthy living perspective, let’s take a look at your small wins and see how to use those to win the healthy lifestyle you want and deserve. Let’s break it down into three easy categories: Number Wins, Workout Wins, and Food Wins.

Celebrate Your Number Wins

When you are trying to lose weight, you have to face your numbers. There’s no way around it.  You either have to use a scale, a tape measure, or your clothing size but when it comes to reducing, you’ll need a means of measurement.

Every time you see your number drop, whether it’s a lot or a little, celebrate. You are making progress. You can buy yourself a new dress, tell a friend, take a victory lap, get a fitness tracker, or put a star on your calendar but celebrate. Because one pound, a quarter of an inch, or one less hole in your belt is a win.

Now, while you are still feeling the happy glow from that moment of self-congratulation, set your next goal. Keep it small and keep it easy. Every time you allow yourself to celebrate a small win, set a new goal, and keep moving forward, one step at a time. Use the joy of watching your numbers drop to keep you focused on the bigger goal which is your healthiest life.

Celebrate Your Movement Wins

Movement Wins operate the same way. You use the enthusiasm from one success to spur another. Be creative and make it fun.

For instance, put a star on the calendar for every three days in a row that you move or exercise for at least fifteen minutes. Once you’ve collected ten stars, buy yourself new workout clothes. Psychologists agree that it takes twenty-one days to establish a new habit. Once you’ve awarded yourself ten gold stars you’ve turned exercise into a habit.

If you increase your workout time, degree of difficulty, or frequency, that’s a win!  And you deserve to feel proud. Let that pride be the push you need to step up your game and to keep going.

Celebrate Your Food Wins

Eating healthy is really about creating new habits. You need to create a new pattern of making healthy food choices to replace the old habits that you want to change. And learning to eat healthier is best done in baby steps.

On your road to a better diet, there may be mornings when you feel derailed by a danish or when late-night pizza makes you feel like a failure. Set that judgment aside. On that same day, you may have chosen a grilled chicken salad for lunch or passed up the chips in favor of an apple. Focus on the wins. Then make a plan to start the next day with a healthy breakfast.

When you make a good choice take note of it. Think about how you feel after eating well. Personally, I feel amazing after about three days of clean eating. I feel leaner, lighter, stronger, and more in control.  I use those feelings to push myself to improve my diet over the long haul.

You can do that too. When you have a great eating moment, meal, or day, remember how you feel both physically and emotionally. Use those small wins to motivate healthier behaviors.

We all want to embrace a healthy lifestyle. We all want a better life for ourselves and our families. Most of us want to be fit and happy and that’s a great goal.

The trick is to identify the small wins you are already achieving and to use those wins to motivate yourself to keep going. Focus on the moment. When you take the time to celebrate your success you’re really taking a baby step toward living the happy, healthy life you deserve!