Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

I found another good little story in that book I found at a estate sale last month:

Habits influence the character, as air currents influence an airplane, and whether the habits speed us on the way of our wishes or retard our progress, their effect is not the less important because they sometimes are imperceptible.

It’s a little wordy. I prefer:

Habits affect you just like air currents affect an airplane.

They can speed you up or slow you down, even though they’re nearly invisible.

It’s true. The difference between a “naturally” skinny person and an overweight person are tiny, almost imperceptible habits that are in place. Fidgeting when nervous or thinking is one such habit. Or perhaps chewing gum instead of mindlessly eating. Maybe it’s going for a run when things get really bad as opposed to going to bed. They are things that are almost invisible, yet they make the difference between a thin body and a fat one.

What small habit can you add today that would make you thinner? Here are a few to choose from:

• Get out of your chair every hour and walk around.
• Exercise first thing in the morning
• Set your fork down between bites
• Choose fruit or veggies at snack time
• Eat protein with every meal
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night
• Plan your meals
• Sip water between each bite of food
• Always have a healthy snack on hand
• Plan your exercise every day
• Eat all your meals without distractions
• Carry walking shoes with you so you can take a walk whenever
• Stand up instead of sitting down
• Chew gum when you’re upset
• Always be on the lookout for fun physical activities
• Read healthy cookbooks for new food ideas
• Moving around when playing video games, watching TV or reading

What is ONE small habit that you could incorporate into your life? Choose one and work on it for a month. Then next month add another one. Keep doing that until you have a host of wonderful habits that speed you up instead of bad habits that slow you down.