Lately I’ve been feeling as though I am losing some of my cardio conditioning. And I probably am! I’ve dropped metcon workouts, and my health has steadily improved since. But I’ve also been pretty sedentary, other than weightlifting workouts, if I’m being honest. Something about all the heavy squats makes laying around very appealing. And it’s been hot. I’m not a summer person. My favorite season is fall. I like milder weather.

So, when I noticed getting more winded when walking up steep hills, it was tempting to mentally examine where in my schedule I could fit some metcons in. And then I realized I was jumping from two to one hundred in one fell swoop.

Why not try an in-between step? A month or so ago I added a healthy habit goal to my list that involved going for walks. If I was having trouble motivating myself to go for walks, which I actually enjoy, what made me think adding metcons would be any more successful? So, I’m choosing to focus more on the walking habit. As they say….”you have to learn to walk before you can learn to run.” Or something like that.

Anyway, I took a trail walk with my kiddo the other day, and walked him to the babysitter’s house yesterday instead of driving. Both times I really enjoyed the walk and the bonding experience. I was tired yesterday, but I felt better after the walk than I did before. That should tell me something.

How else can one apply this principle? I hear friends talk about overhauling their diets all. the. time. And then getting down on themselves when they can’t maintain the restrictions for more than a few hours/days/weeks/months. Why not change one meal at a time? Set a goal to eat (protein for, veggies for, fruit for, or just plain eat) breakfast? Or to eat enough at lunchtime so you aren’t starving at night? One goal at a time. Walk before you run.

Have you used this principle to make any habit changes in your life? I’d love to hear about some other examples!