31/10/2025
**NEW FEATURE** - FOOD POSITIVITY FRIDAY!
No talk of what not to eat, or what to cut down on here. Just a food positive message to take into the weekend, every Friday at 5pm. This week:
The biggest health gains often come from the smallest changes.
Consistency is one of those words that’s easy to say, but difficult to do in practice. Most of us have had some success putting ourselves through a short term health kick. Whether it’s Dry January, Veganuary, Stoptober or No Ketamine November; all of which have their place, but in truth, it’s what we return to at the end of the month that’s the most important part.
Nothing wrong with a springboard of course, but ultimately, long term health improvements, particularly weight loss, come from smaller, consistent habits done over a much longer period of time.
This is why I’m a huge advocate of the evidence based practice of making one small change today that’s so easy, you’ll do it again tomorrow with the smallest of mental prompts. Before you know it, this then becomes a routine that expends less and less mental bandwidth, and maybe even feels good. NOW, and only now, change another small thing.
Some clever historians have recently worked out that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Habits also take a little bit longer than a day to neurologically cement into place, and we’ve all got a limited capacity for how many new habits we can hold on to at once.
Doing one thing at a time might seem counter intuitive when the "best me" I’m chasing from several Instagram profiles all at once seem so perfect and effortless on screen. Surely, if I change everything right now while I'm motivated, by this time next week I should be in business, or at least have something to show for it? Unfortunately, from personal experience, this strategy doesn't always work.
What DOES work is taking something I’m already doing quite well and improving it further. Or if I’m feeling brave, take something I’m currently doing quite badly and make a SLIGHT improvement that I won’t find too difficult. For example, I might have one fewer deep fried Mars Bars with lunch today, or one fewer beers with breakfast tomorrow, that sort of thing. I want to do something this week that will make me slightly healthier than last week and continue this process ad infinitum, as the Romans would say.
The Roman Empire, I believe was built in piecemeal fashion over a millenia or more, so it's possibly not the perfect analogy. Also, does anyone know if it ended well? I can’t remember what happened. Anyway, you get the idea.
Strive for better, not perfect.
