Small Daily Actions Can Help You Reach Bigger Health Goals

By Alicia Benjamin, Social Media Manager

Bigger isn’t always better. Particularly when it comes to the goals we make each New Year. Travel the world, lose weight, get out of debt -- these resolutions often set us up to fail, because they’re unrealistic, overwhelming and gigantic. They don’t have to be, though. Just as a journey starts with a single step, big goals are met through daily small actions.

It’s in the little actions and our daily intentions that we can achieve our aspirations. This year, we’re asking you to not make a resolution. Instead, choose a small action you can do every day, like pack your lunch (to save money or lose weight) or replace one bad-habit craving with a healthy snack or mini-meditation.

Little healthy actions like a packed lunch or snack swap can help each of us reach bigger goals, if we’re consistent. If it helps, keep track of your little daily actions and intentions on a calendar. Aim for 30, 100, or even 365 days of a small action that will help you achieve that bigger goal.

You don’t have to take our word for it. When we reached out a few blogger friends to let them know about our Anti-Resolution Revolution, they were happy to help spread the message that it’s the small things we do on a daily basis that matter to our success in reaching bigger goals.

Check out what healthy living bloggers Jan, Anne, Laura, Melissa, and Suzanne had to say about our opposition to making a New Year’s resolution: 

Jan -- “Whatever your weight, health, or fitness goal is... I know you can achieve it this coming year if you believe in yourself and go for your goal by making small, sustainable changes and setting realistic milestones.”

Anne -- “I believe much more in the power of small daily actions, or intentions. I find that setting smaller daily or weekly goals vs. broad resolutions really helps with making healthy living a lifestyle change vs. a quick fix – or a huge overwhelming goal that is never reached.”

Laura -- “ Making small, daily changes will help achieve any s.m.a.r.t. [specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely] goal. Take the steps to succeed and let the Anti-Resolutionists help you along the way.”

Melissa -- “I actually gave up on making resolutions several years ago because I realized that I rarely kept them because they weren’t specific enough and they had such a large scope that they become overwhelming. Having huge yet nebulous resolutions never seemed to serve me well.  These days, I prefer setting smaller more short-term goals.”

Suzanne -- “Making small daily changes to your routine will be the difference between success and failure. Forget ‘changing your life’ or resolving to do things differently on a certain date. Simply begin by taking one small action every day.”

Small daily actions can give your well-being a great boost and break bigger goals into actionable, attainable mini-celebrations you’ll be more likely to stick with. For more ideas on small actions that can make an impact, check out our behind-the-scenes MeYou Health video, and be sure to sign up for Daily Challenge to get a boost of well-being delivered to you daily.

What positive results have you seen by taking small steps to reach a goal?