Be 1% Better (To Yourself) 😉

Whether you like this incremental improvement concept or not, the reality is, that regardless of the success area, most big successes are achieved in small, even tiny steps. We are often told that we can achieve anything by sticking to this 1% improvement rule. Here lies a logical error – just because some great things were done step by step, it does not mean you can accomplish anything this way. At some point you reach a certain “standard” that no longer can be improved on – your own personal genetic makeup may be a limit!

Yet, when it comes to losing weight, many people still believe that everybody can achieve the current thin and fit ideal. It just takes proper motivation and determination and, of course, slow incremental increases in exercise coupled with decreases in food intake. The famous calories-in / calories-out fallacy. Even though most dieticians and nutritionists agree that the energy balance is not a simple calculation, they still insist that you can change your weight by focusing on cutting out certain macros, increasing food quality or adding other healthy behaviours like increased movement and sleep.

In my other blog posts, I have already mentioned the weight set point, which is largely regulated and controlled by various automatic processes in our body, just like a thermostat may be regulating the temperature in your house. To some extent, your weight set point can move up or down during your lifespan, depending on your behaviours of course. Too much stress at work and not enough sleep will likely increase it a bit, while more movement because you got a new job where you are more physically active will decrease it. Unfortunately, the range of changes is limited, because your body’s “famine” protection systems will kick-in to protect your base weight set point before the system gets “out-of-balance”. This weight-regulation system, sadly, prefers to stay on “the higher weight and more fat tissue” setting so it does not react as readily to weight increases.

Can we then achieve our ideal or even so-called healthy body weight by making tiny incremental changes to our “lifestyle”? This is how the weight-loss is marketed today because the diet industry understands that we already know that miracle diets don’t work. One percent change in what you eat or how much you move does not sound that bad. You may be asking: Why not try it, if it may help you achieve your weight goal? I would like to ask you instead: How many people do you personally know who have substantially reduced their weight (by incremental lifestyle changes) and have kept it off for more than 2 years? I have met not a one single person, who accomplished such a feat through “healthy” lifestyle changes – without a surgery, disordered eating, or other malnutrition.

Let’s go back to our 1% better topic – this time looking at another area of our lives, where we are often not “good-enough”: self-care. This is the area where our holistic well-being can be considered – where we can care for our physical body, emotional and mental state, social and even spiritual fulfilment. Since there are so many areas we can get better at, even tiny improvements are more likely to bring substantial gains.  Therefore, I implore you: Yes! Be 1% better – to yourself!

Whatever our other goals in life may be – and they are likely worthy of our pursuit too – let’s take a tiny bit out of our busy schedules to take care for ourselves. This will look different depending on our personal preferences and values. Finding what works for us can take time so trying out various options to improve is probably the best advice I can give. Importantly, let’s remember that it’s also OK not to improve all the time! Give yourself permission to do things poorly. Give yourself permission to be imperfect.

In that imperfection, perhaps find a way to be just 1% better to yourself. That can be as small as looking through a window while you are enjoying that cup of beverage during your work break. It can mean simply taking some deep breaths and paying attention to your environment as you take a walk. Playing with your pet. Listening to favourite song – you may even go for a little dance if that’s what you feel like! Any small and simple way to make yourself feel 1% better will do. This short podcast episode inspired me to write about this topic today – so, if you need more convincing that 1% better is good enough, you might want to go and listen.

I hope that you will join me in making yourself 1% more comfortable as you sit down to mediate or to read a book. You might also take an extra look at the beauty of the nature on your next commute. Make your mid-week dinner extra special by lighting a candle or using those pretty plates you have hidden for “special” occasions only. Don’t make this yet another goal on your list – add that 1% better mindfully and whenever you think remember. Keep also in mind, that “everything worth doing is worth doing poorly” * and taking better care of yourself is definitely worth doing!

* Quote from Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg | Goodreads