Small Step – Listen Up!

I just finished reading the book “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy. It was an easy read and most of it wasn't new to me as I've been studying the topic of achievement and goal setting for awhile. The biggest takeaway I got from the book was that small changes can have huge effects when applied consistently over time. This is good when we have good habits, but terrible when we have destructive habits.

One extra 150 calorie cookie a day doesn't seem like much, but in a year that means 54,750 calories added to your diet! I struggle with this myself and know that if I want to be the best physical version of myself I should stop cheating on hard workout days. It’s a work in progress. That is part of why I am doing my best to share an easy wellness tip each Sunday – over time these small steps will add up to big changes!

This week’s tip is to start listening to motivational/inspirational podcasts or radio shows or CDs at least once a day. You can sneak them in while you exercise, drive to and from work, while you run errands, in the shower, on your lunch break, while you cook, etc. (I knew the knee jerk reaction would be that there’s no time – busted!). This is a great way to constantly be learning or motivating yourself without taking extra time in your day. Over time, a half hour of Spanish a day might get you speaking like a native!

It doesn't have to be motivational/inspirational in the traditional sense. If you are trying to learn a language, listen to a language learning option. If you are trying to write, listen to a conversation with an author. Here are my top picks for podcasts in several areas.

No Meat Athlete – this one is great for anyone plant based or that’s a runner or both!

Rich Roll – Rich Roll is a plant based ultra endurance athlete. I've listened to all his podcasts and he has some amazing guests – mostly athletes, plant based experts, and people in the wellness community.

Runner Academy – I've only listened to a few of these but they are short and sweet with great running tips.

5AM Miracle – The premise of this podcast is that you can be very productive in the morning and that will trickle to the rest of your life. The host is a plant based athlete but his podcast covers a plethora of topics.

School of Greatness – This one is hosted by a former NFL player who dubs himself a “lifestyle entrepreneur”. His guests are all doing inspirational things in some way, and each one is asked to define greatness at the end of the episode.

NPR’s Ted Radio Hour – I like this one because it identifies a theme and then combines clips from various TED talks with interviews with the original speakers.

On Being – I can’t describe this one adequately in my own words so here is the description from their website “On Being is a spacious conversation — and an evolving media space — about the big questions at the center of human life, from the boldest new science of the human brain to the most ancient traditions of the human spirit.”

Good Job Brain – Trivia nerds unite! This show is four friends who play pub trivia and created a show that includes quizzes and trivia on all sorts of subjects. I laugh out loud at least once per episode so it’s good stress relief too!

Podcasting while I stretch!