Have you ever heard of the story of the professor teaching students about time management with the use of a jar, rocks, pebbles & sand? If not, I highly suggest watching this video first.

Now that you have the original reference in mind… let’s take this analogy and apply it to healthy habit change.

Healthy Habit Change with big rocks, small rocks & sand

These graphics really do tell the whole story here of how to apply the analogy to a health journey with habit change. And the same things pull over really well… The big rocks are the things that matter the most. The small rocks are things that can refine, support, or add to the big rocks. The sand is the extra. They are things that are probably more tailored to you than anything else but also can be things that you let go of doing when your time and energy is stretched thin.

But really, it depends…

I have heard many times that someone knows exactly what they need to do but they just have issues doing it. And I can relate. I know that my entire week is much easier when I make sure that I meal prep on Sunday and Wednesday. And I know that I feel much better when I focus on meal frequency and timing that aligns with my schedule and how my day today goes. But when time gets very tight and it feels a little hard to breathe… These are also the first things to go. But they are also the things that I think about and have guilt over, not doing in the moment. And I do this, and talk about this with other people. Us coaches… do the same thing.

BIG ROCKS

By focusing here on the big rocks, we can manage to always make progress. We are always in constant forward motion with these focuses.

What does this mean?

It means that whenever we are conscious of these different factors, we are caring for ourselves. How we directly do that may change throughout each season. In one season, our daily activity may look like being able to go for a 3-mile walk every day outside in the fresh air and strength training four days a week. And in the very next season, our daily activity may look like a 20-minute treadmill walk in the morning and only getting to a group fitness class at the gym once a week. And in the very next season, it might look like doing 10 squats a night to mentally know that you were able to do something for yourself.

And we never have to take on all of these at the same time! We can work on one as we go. It means that we are still here. Caring for ourselves in some manner.

SMALL ROCKS

These are the actions that change when we need to give more or pull back. They are simply means to the end. They fill the space around the big rocks. They are more important than the sand but are not necessary for everyone to implement like the big rocks.

I gave a lot of examples here for small habits to support the big rocks. I encourage you to test these out and see how you feel about them. If they don’t feel like they’re helping, let them go and move on to another.

SANDY ADD-INS

These actions are the ones that we pick and choose to best support our lifestyles. They are unique to us and our personal journeys. On their own, they may not equate to large changes.

For instance, only focusing on a fruit and veggie gram goal is wonderful for improving your micronutrient intake, but if it is the sole focus, you may not get an adequate amount of protein to support your bodily functions.

Consuming 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day may help with managing your hunger but without eating these mindfully and knowing when your body has had enough, you may be overconsuming. Also, if these are not balanced with lean proteins, fruits, and veggies, you may not be getting adequate nutrients for managing your energy well.

Supplements for hydration and electrolytes do not trump consuming an adequate amount of water. Supplements for weight loss do not trump daily activity and adequate nutrients for fat loss. Supplements for stress do not trump building up stress coping mechanisms.

I could go on and on here, but I think that you understand the point that I am making. On their own, these things can help but not without the big rocks and small rocks being implemented first in that area of your journey.

Final Thoughts…

It’s always your choice. And I have mentioned it before but with our choices, there are only three things that ever happen… or change… the goal, the processes, or the timeline.

We can choose specific goals and set processes, but a timeline to accomplish that goal will never be a guarantee.

We can choose specific goals and set a timeline, but our processes may change the entire way through, in order to make the timeline.

We can choose specific processes and a timeline. In this scenario, the outcome is not important. We’re not setting it in place. We are letting other things dictate where we end up.

The point to this is that there are no guarantees, except for one… The only way that we don’t get somewhere else is by quitting.

Additional Reads:

• https://bryankrahn.com/7-big-rocks-of-fat-loss/
• https://justinthomasmiller.com/search-dumbos-feather/
• https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-big-rocks-that-make-a-difference-for-weight-loss/
• https://www.builtlean.com/john-berardi/
• https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/blog/articles/a-new-diet-isnt-the-solution/