Starting Small: The Key to Positive Behavior Change
Overcoming inertia, building habits, and embracing incremental progress
The cool thing about improving our lives is that much of it is up to us.
Sure, this isn’t always the case.
We will always face circumstances beyond our control.
However, there’s generally more than enough within our control that we can change.
Most of these things pertain to our habits and behaviors.
The problem is behavior change can be really hard—especially getting started.
It’s taking that first step that trips up most of us.
Whether it’s fear, ambivalence, or plain old inertia, many of us want to change but just can’t get started.
I’ve been there.
Today, I’ll share with you a long break I recently took from working out, my struggle to get back into a regular workout routine, and how I overcame that struggle.
Time Off from Training to Recover from Surgery
In late July of this year, my doctor identified a basal cell carcinoma (a relatively common, harmless skin cancer) behind my right shoulder.
They referred me to a surgeon to have it removed.
The surgeon instructed me to take a couple of weeks off from strenuous physical activity after the procedure.
At the time, I’d been doing three bodyweight strength workouts every week, along with walking, stretching, and mobility work every day.
These bodyweight workouts weren’t anything intense or time-consuming.
They simply helped me maintain a bit of strength with a minimal time commitment.
I also love physical activity—particularly strength training.
Alas, they would still need to be put on the back burner for a bit to recover.
It had probably been over ten years since I’d taken more than a few days off from training.
I’d nearly always maintained a routine of daily light movement and something more challenging a few times a week.
Taking time off from any of that would be new to me, and I knew it might take some getting used to.
After the surgery, though, I did as I was told.
I kept up my walking, stretching, and mobility, but I put the strength training on hold.
Truth be told, I wasn’t feeling up to training afterward anyway.
With the soreness and sensitivity of the wound and the restrictive nature of the sutures and bandages, I wouldn’t have been able to do much if I’d tried.
Even the stretching and limited mobility had to be dialed down.
The stitches were taken out in early August, two weeks after the procedure.
They sent me on my way with no further care instructions—no daily cleaning…no bandaging…nothing.
I was free to do as I pleased.
If I’d started working out immediately, the break from training wouldn’t have ended up being too long.
By that time, however, I was only a few weeks away from a potentially indefinite trip to Asia.
A Brief Taste of Life at a Monastery
For months leading up to the surgery, I’d been planning a trip to visit seven Buddhist monasteries.
One was in Malaysia, two were in Thailand, and four were in Sri Lanka.
The plan was to spend four weeks at each one, then return to one to pursue ordination as a monk.
I’d made arrangements with the monasteries, booked flights and hotels, and had a few health checks.
In fact, it was during one of the health checks that I learned the spot on my shoulder was cancerous.
We’ll cover more about this trip and what led up to it in a future post.
For now, we’ll focus only on details relevant to my break from training.
With the trip coming up so soon, I chose not to resume working out after the stitches were removed.
It didn’t seem worth it since I’d be stopping again shortly (and potentially forever).
I flew out for Malaysia on August 31st.
After four weeks at the first monastery, I was loving monastic life.
However, I wasn’t loving the idea of dedicating myself to a single spiritual practice as fully as would be required of me.
Furthermore, there were aspects of Buddhism specifically that didn’t quite jibe with me.
Understanding this after the first visit, I canceled the rest of the visits I’d planned.
Fortunately, the remaining monasteries were very understanding.
A few even expressed their appreciation for my honesty and wished me luck.
After heading to South America for a few weeks to clear my head, I returned to the States.
I landed in Virginia on October 21st.
Why I Decided to Start Strength Training Again
While at the first monastery, I kept up some walking, stretching, and mobility work.
I’d walk with the monks to a local village each morning for alms (food) and do some stretching and mobility work between meditation sessions.
However, I’d not been doing any structured exercise—certainly nothing resembling strength training.
From the time of the surgery to my return to the States, it had been around three months.
Three months might not sound like a long time to some, but to me, it was an eternity.
I could tell I’d lost a little bit of weight and a lot of strength.
To be clear, I didn’t have much of either to spare when I left.
Thus, I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate strength training back into my life.
I’d always enjoyed strength training.
Moreover, I understood the health benefits of being stronger.
I knew the value of being stronger in terms of not only muscles but also bones and other connective tissue.
Getting back into working out, however, proved to be a more difficult endeavor than I’d anticipated.
The Difficulties of Getting Back Into a Training Routine
I’d always heard about people struggling to get back into training after extended time off.
I’d never faced that struggle myself.
Training had always been something I simply did, regardless of whether I wanted to or not.
Even at times when I couldn’t do much, I nearly always did something.
I’d show up and do the work as planned, even when I didn’t feel like it.
Not this time.
I didn’t have any work planned to “show up and do.”
Strength training—or any kind of formal exercise—was no longer a habit.
Making matters worse, I had no idea where I wanted to start.
I’d followed countless programs across several modalities over the years, and so many of them seemed appealing.
Would I lift?
Would I do calisthenics?
Would I train at home or at a gym?
Questions such as these led to something I had certainly faced in the past—analysis paralysis.
There were too many options to choose one easily.
That paralysis, along with the lack of a habit or routine, drove my procrastination.
Even after I signed up at a local gym, the most I did with any of the weights was look at them.
I just couldn’t bring myself to get in there for anything other than walking on the treadmill when it was cold outside.
I thought back to my days as a personal trainer and nutrition coach.
How might I help a client in my shoes?
I also reflected on what the coaches I’d worked with as a client might say to me.
After about another week or so of putzing around, putting off getting started, the answer became clear.
I’d make things easier for myself by starting small.
The Benefits of Starting Small When Creating a New Habit
Two Thursdays ago, I decided to do a set of air squats and push-ups before dinner.
This might not sound like much—it didn’t to me, frankly—but it’s more than nothing.
It’s also exactly what I needed.
Air squats and push-ups require relatively minimal time, effort, and planning.
They don’t require any equipment, and I can do them anywhere (i.e., I don’t have to go to a gym).
There’s no need to change clothes or spend a ton of time warming up.
Finally, pairing my target habit change with an existing habit made it more likely to stick.
I knew that if I started with this to establish a routine, scaling things up from there would be easier.
Small, frequent workouts such as these are often called “movement snacks.”
Think about the difference between a meal and a snack.
Movement snacking is breaking up what might account for a full workout when done at once into smaller chunks to be completed throughout the day.
It’s intended to allow more flexibility in one’s routine.
It minimizes the need to make time for a dedicated workout.
One can then more easily integrate physical activity into one’s life.
When skill is involved (as with resistance training), small, frequent workouts are sometimes called “greasing the groove.”
“Greasing the groove” is a phrase often credited to strength coach Pavel Tsatsouline.
It describes consistently practicing a specific strength skill (e.g., chin-ups) over the course of each day.
Starting small isn’t only applicable to establishing new training habits.
It can apply to nearly any area of life.
For example, a couple of years ago, a dental hygienist of mine instructed me to floss one tooth each night before bed—nothing more.
Still, I found myself flossing my entire mouth right off the bat.
Setting a low bar for getting started made the effort much more manageable.
Had she asked me to start flossing my entire mouth immediately, I might have continued putting it off.
Enough about snacks, grease, and dental care, though.
Let’s get back to how my plan worked.
The Changes I’ve Seen Since Getting Started
I did that first set of air squats and push-ups and felt wonderful afterward.
It was so nice to feel physically challenged again.
I also patted myself on the back for getting started.
That said, this first set was also humbling.
I wasn’t pleased with how much mental and emotional energy it took to do something so seemingly small.
Also, the extent of how much strength I’d lost became clearer.
In particular, the push-ups were way tougher than before the break.
None of this mattered.
I was on my way, and that was all I wanted.
Nearly immediately, I began building on my routine.
The next day, I decided to do squats and push-ups not only before dinner but also before lunch.
Then, the morning after that, I decided I’d do a set before breakfast, too.
I was now doing this short workout before every meal.
Within a few days, the movements were getting noticeably easier.
I’ve stuck to this routine for just under two weeks and intend to continue.
Oh, and I’ve started adding reps to each set.
I’m still taking things slowly.
Having a history of going too hard too soon and stalling or getting injured, I want to be cautious not to overdo it.
Soon enough, I expect to be back in the gym, moving some external weight.
I’m in no rush, though, as I’m still making progress with what I’m currently doing.
For now, I’m just going to enjoy that progress.
What’s perhaps most satisfying is I’ve been looking forward to every one of these movement snacks.
Had I not chosen to start small, I might still be deliberating over what to do and where.
While this has been a humbling experience, it’s worked like a charm.
I’m on my way to re-establishing a regular training habit.
The Path Forward
If you’re struggling to start a new behavior or make a change in your life, you’re not alone.
Getting started can be a daunting task for any of us.
We’re not powerless, though.
You’re not powerless.
First, take some pressure off yourself.
Whatever it is that you want to do but are putting off, what if you started small?
You don’t have to change everything all at once.
How might you make things easier on yourself?
Minimizing resistance to change might make it less intimidating.
What small step could you take today?
Think of something easy—laughably easy, too easy.
Then, do it.
Do something.
No matter how small, it might be just what you need to get started.
After that, you can dial things up or down based on your progress.
If you’re moving toward your goal, keep it up.
If not, try something else.
Be kind to yourself if you still struggle.
Wherever you want to head from there, you’ll be on your way.
That’s enough, and you’re enough.