Improve Your Energy and Health by Stacking Small Wins

Do you ever feel like you don’t have the energy to deal with your teenager?

Lack of energy or being tired is a common issue for today’s parents. There are two aspects to your physical energy. First, there is the impact of your mental state. Stress and negative emotions consume energy, while feeling empowered and at peace provide a boost in energy. The second area of concern is your physical health. Poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and lack of movement/exercise all negatively impact your physical health, which leads to a lack of energy.

Let’s connect the dots here. In order to empower your teenager to be their absolute best, you will need the energy to not only support your teenager but to also support your own personal development. One of the key factors to improving your energy is your physical health. So, logically, your physical health is fundamental to your goal of empowering your teenager to be their absolute best.

While most of us want to be healthier, we struggle to let go of our bad habits and put into practice the strategies necessary for better health. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you were able to unlock this mystery as part of your personal growth as a parent?

Supporting your physical health is a fundamental component of our family hero community. In this post I would like to introduce the idea of stacking small “wins” as a way of building momentum. I first learned of the power of “stacking” and momentum from Tony Robbins. It is kind of like making a giant snowball. You start with a small amount of snow packed into a ball the size of your hand. You place the small ball in the snow and start to roll it. In this example, you are rolling it down a slight hill. As you roll the small snowball, new snow is “stacked” onto the ball and it grows. Furthermore, with each full turn, the ball gains momentum. Before you know it, the ball is rolling by itself and with each turn it grows bigger. I am suggesting that this same process will happen with your health, as you “stack” new habits and actions. Before you know it, you will begin to feel momentum within your journey to better health.

So start with one new practice in support of your better health. Here are a few ideas:

•  If you normally get 6 hours of sleep, start going to bed 30 minutes earlier.
•  Instead of a donut as a mid-morning snack, have some yogurt.
•  Intentionally park your car farther out in any parking lot so you have to walk a little more.
•  Get up 10 minutes earlier each day and go for a walk around the neighborhood.
•  In one meal each day, replace an unhealthy item with a healthy option.

After a week, add a second new habit or build on the first one. Here are some ideas for building on the ideas above:

•  Go from 6 ½ hours of sleep to 7 hours.
•  Replace your afternoon snack with a healthy option as well.
•  Start taking the stairs.
•  Get up 20 minutes earlier each day and go for a walk around the neighborhood.
•  In two meals each day, replace an unhealthy item with a healthy option.

With this approach, after four or five weeks, you will be feeling momentum toward your health and wellness goals, as well as a noticeable energy boost.

Who knows—your teenager might take notice and decide to follow your lead.

Love is always the answer—especially showing love to yourself so you can then give it to others.