Do you remember the Shel Silverstien poem about the girl who
ate the whale – or the joke about how you eat a whale? "One Bite at a Time"
Have you heard of tiny Melinda Mae,
Who ate a monstrous whale?
She thought she could,
She said she would,
So she started in right at the tail.
And everyone said,”You’re much too small,”
But that didn't bother Melinda at all,
She took little bites and she chewed very slow,
Just like a good girl should…
…and in eighty-nine years she ate that whale
Because she said she would!
I will confess, I am addicted to self-help. I love the books,
blogs, videos and programs. I certainly don’t have any of them mastered, but I
am a very firm believer in every / any little bit helps.
Here is a motivational quote from one of my email lists -
"If
you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark
with a mosquito." Betty Reese
Think of this in terms of your get healthy efforts - every little change you make: food choice, temptation resistance, exercise, getting more sleep - no matter how small it may seem at the time or how long it may take to see results it all affects and benefits the change you're seeking and will show results in the end. Stay with it! Every little bit counts!
Think of this in terms of your get healthy efforts - every little change you make: food choice, temptation resistance, exercise, getting more sleep - no matter how small it may seem at the time or how long it may take to see results it all affects and benefits the change you're seeking and will show results in the end. Stay with it! Every little bit counts!
The basket of laundry that you did today, it may be one of
many; it makes a difference in the lives of your family. The walk around the block,
may not be training for a marathon or even a 5k, but you got your body moving
and you were breathing in the fresh air and you felt the sunshine.
So often, we are discouraged because there is just too much
to accomplish, there is too much information out there to learn, or too many
changes to be made, and we are overwhelmed and give up before we begin. But
really that is the best change to make – To Begin!
When I decided that I wanted my family to eat better, I was
so overwhelmed. I didn't know anything about nutrition and I didn't have a ton
of money to spend and I hardly knew where to begin. I knew I wasn't going to
have the kids cheering me on to throw away their giant bags of sugar cereal and
I was very intimidated by all the cooking that I was going to need to do.
But I decided to just take one step a week, I would choose
one habit a week that I would “better”. Whether that meant giving something up,
or adding something it depended on the change. And we aren’t a poster family
healthy living, but I am making changes because I love my family and I want the
best for them.
And so I began - -
Week 1 – No more “sugar” cereal. It had to be whole grain and less than 10
grams of sugar per serving (This led to lots more people wanting oatmeal for
breakfast)
Week 2 – Buy Whole Grain bread with no more than 5
ingredients on the label. (I was lucky
enough that my local grocery bakes their own bread daily – and it is cheaper
than any of the national brands!)
Week 3 – Add a green salad with every dinner.
Week 4 – Add a piece of fruit to every breakfast
Week 5 – No one sits during commercials – you exercise or do
a chore.
This was over a year ago that we started these changes, and I
am happy to report that I am still taking small bites into this giant whale and
by golly darn it, I am going to eat it!
I hope I finish before I am 89, but if I don’t well then I will know in
my heart that eat of those bites made this life more worth my living.
