Tiny Shifts, Big Results
✨ 1% Better Mondays: Micro-Challenge with Nature-Based Movement
You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.
— Glinda, The Wizard of Oz
Good morning, Monday!
We tend to think change has to be dramatic to be effective. But what if the secret to lasting transformation is simply this: getting 1% better each week?
That’s not a gimmick—it’s math. A small 1% improvement in your habits each week compounds to over 67% in a year.
This week’s tip is a plan for you to implement four things over 4 weeks:
Week 1: Drink an extra glass of water a day. You can set a daily reminder on your phone.
Week 2: Swap soda for green tea (or black or herbal tea). The idea is to replace sweetened, artificially flavored, high fructose, or other artificially sweetened soda with freshly brewed tea. (Matcha green tea will likely offer the most significant benefit, but you get the idea.)
Week 3: Take a 10-minute morning walk. A 10-minute walk may seem small, but it is huge if you make it a daily habit. In the summertime, maybe you can make that an after-dinner sunset walk. A study showed that a 10-minute walk can enhance cognitive performance, focus, and short-term memory.
Week 4: Go to bed 15 minutes earlier.
That’s it. Nothing earth-shattering. Just one small step at a time. But fast forward a few months, and you’ve got more energy, you’re a few pounds lighter, you get better sleep, and you have a sense of control over your health you didn’t have before.
The truth is, you’ve always had the power to control your health.
Spring is a perfect time to implement these changes. A moderately paced 10-minute walk is about 1/2 mile or approximately 1,200 steps. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but over a year, that’s about 180 miles.
These small changes work, whether intentional or not. My sister started babysitting her newest grandchild three days a week. She tells me she has already lost five pounds just by going up and down the stairs at her daughter’s two-story home while caring for the baby, now a beautiful 16-month-old toddler (my sister lives in a one-story home).
Why not start at the beginning of next week on June 8th? Add a new habit each subsequent week while maintaining the prior, and by the end of the month, you will have four simple new healthy habits. Maintain that, and in just six months, I guarantee you will notice a difference.
That’s the power of small, steady change.
☀️ Comment if you will try this, or like the ideas and share this tip with a friend.
Want more? My Thursday posts offer in-depth health and wellness strategies—upgrade to paid for the whole experience.
Have a great week — see you Thursday!
Mary Ann Rollano
Creator of Steeped Stories
Good ideas!
All good motivation!