Somewhere between all or nothing

You've probably heard that working out is good for your mental health, but working out can be daunting at times. If it's hard for you to be active, start small. Don't feel like you have to be doing consistent workouts to benefit from moving your body.

Try going for a walk around the block or follow along with a stretching or yoga video online. If you find yourself laying down a lot, stretching for a few minutes each day is a positive small step. If you rarely leave the house, walking down the street is a positive small step. If you don't want anyone to see you, putting on a song you like and dancing around your room is a positive small step. Commit to something small when you feel you have the capacity. Then you can work up to being more consistent or spending a little extra time doing those activities.

With all of the new year health advertising coming at you, remember that you don't have to start working out 5 days a week at the gym and eat only healthy and drink a ton of water to make progress with your health and wellness. If making healthy choices is overwhelming, start small and build from there. Once you become more consistent with one activity, you can start working on adding another.

You will have setbacks, but the important thing is that you don't give up completely. If you didn't do your "small positive step" for a whole week, that's okay. Start with that one step just one day again, even if it's not for as long as you were doing it before. You can also try journaling before and after your activity, nothing long or time consuming, just how you felt physically and mentally before and after the activity as something to look back on as a reminder of its benefits.

Start small toward your overwhelming goals in 2024. "A little progress each day adds up to big results."