Small Steps

Step 1 – Walking
The Running Granny’s first small step was to walk.
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Step 2 – I ate less fried food
Among the early small steps I took was making changes to what I ate. Rather than embark on some rigid and restrictive ‘diet’ …
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Step 3 – Alcohol-Free Days
It is so easy to get home after a long day at work knowing there are still jobs you’ll be doing through the …
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Step 4 – Rebuilding My Social Network
For a whole host of reasons I had lost touch with many people in the preceding years. Work took most of my time, …
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Step 5 – I ate more fruit
As part of the change I made to what I was eating, I wanted to stop eating biscuits and replace with a healthier …
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Step 6 – I drank alcohol from a smaller glass
As I continued to reduce the amount of alcohol I drank, I started using a smaller glass. A half-filled smaller glass would help …
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Step 7 – I joined a gym
As I started to lose weight, I felt I would like to do something as well as the walking to get into better …
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Step 8 – I took an evening class
Right at the start of my small steps I didn’t have a plan of what I was going to do other than make …
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Step 9 – I drank more water
This small step ought to be really simple but, for me, it wasn’t and I still don’t always get it right. Recommendations are …
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Step 10 – I changed my shopping habits
I never had a set time to go food shopping and would fit it in going home after work. This meant I never …
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Step 11 – I went walking with a dog
This small step was really life enhancing. I was enjoying my walking and decided to get a dog. Having had dogs when I …
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Step 12 – I check up on older neighbours and friends
Have you noticed how a spell of really bad weather in winter gets people chatting when they never would do so at other …
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Step 13 – I volunteered
An opportunity arose in the shape of an advert from my local Age UK. At work, despite putting in more and more hours, …
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Step 14 – I found easy ways to eat more vegetables
Working long days and lacking enthusiasm or imagination for cooking at the end of the day, it was all too easy to eat …
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Step 15 – I challenged myself by supporting a friend
An older, inspirational friend who aged 66 years was working towards an ambitious goal, to attempt the Joss Naylor Lakeland mountain running challenge. …
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Step 16 – I planned a walk in the countryside and did it!!!
As I walking regularly, I thought it would be nice to walk somewhere new. I already knew where I’d like to go but …
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Step 17 – I went camping
I went camping and spent a night under the stars. This was a really adventurous small step for me. There was a place …
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Step 18 – I read a book
I felt the need for a bit of escapism and thought I would try and read a book. I chose the Philosopher’s Stone, …
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Step 19 – I got up early to watch a sun rise
I got up early to see the sunrise. In those days when I was overworking and highly stressed, I didn’t sleep well at …
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Step 20 – I visited a museum
My small steps are about making time and energy available to invest in me. As well as steps to adopt healthy lifestyle choices …
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Step 21 – I went cycling
I had an old bike in the shed, which I’d rarely used. Lots of people cycled past me when I was out walking, …
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Step 22 – I found more ways to eat more vegetables
This was another step to improving my eating habits. The plate in the picture I used to encourage me to make sure that …
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Step 23 – I did something creative
Working full time and looking after a family didn’t leave me a lot of time for anything else including getting around to doing …
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Step 24 – I joined a cycling group
I heard about a new cycling club that had started up in my town and, having found out a bit more about it, …
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Step 25 – I tried something new
There was an ‘exploring different activities’ day held at my local leisure centre and I went along. They had different taster classes you …
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Step 26 – I went swimming
I swam as a child and also used to take my children swimming. A friend encouraged me to swim again. I’ve never quite …
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Step 27 – I would offer to be the driver on nights out
Here are another couple of small steps in my quest to reduce my alcohol consumption. I would offer to be the driver when …
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Step 28 – I swapped caffeine drinks for decaf and herb tea
Another small step in my attempts to increase my fluid intake/water intake was to swap caffeinated tea and coffee for decaf or herb …
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Step 29 – I went to parkrun
Walking had made a big difference and, alongside my many other small steps contributed to transforming my life. I’d heard about Parkrun and …
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Step 30 – I make time for different things
It’s important for your mental health and to give some balance to your life to have a bit of time out doing something …
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