One thing.

I once had a trainer who gave me good advice: change one thing at a time if you want to see change, be consistent and over time, you'll get results.

But what happens when life gets in the way? Do you say f-it and throw it all to the wind? Do you slowly hop back on the wagon and give yourself a pep talk? Do you have good support around you - friends and partners that will offer the kind of advice you might want to hear, but that always serves you well?

In the spirit of throwing the all or nothing approach to the wind, especially during such a busy time of year, here are a few tips for making small changes that might give you a little momentum in a positive direction. They just involve changing one thing ---- while staying true to your goals and yourself:

1. Trying to stick to your fitness goals and routine? If you miss a workout, don't beat yourself up. Go for a long walk instead. Use it as an excuse to check out a new restaurant and get in your exercise en route. (I really like this idea by the way. I heard about a group of women in LA a while back who was training for a marathon and would use running as an excuse to check out new brunch and lunch spots all over the city. What a fun way to check out new places and get in miles along the way!) PS: 98% of all of the fat burning happens while you are asleep, not during your workout.

2. Watching your diet and trying to eat healthier but those holiday parties seem like they are taking you way off course? Take a meal off. If you have holiday plans and go overboard, it's cool, just give your belly a break at breakfast or dinner time. Blend up a quick soup or 'break the fast' at breakfast with a smoothie or fresh juice. Keep the sugars low, add some good quality protein powder and let your body do some deep cleaning from the night before.

3. Feeling frazzled but meditation seems pretty far-fetched? Just turn off your cell phone. Just for a night - see what inspiration bubbles up or what else gets done. You'll be amazed what free time you have - no really, you have more time than you think.

4. Low-carb, keto, zone, Paleo? Don't know what advice to follow? OIY, I feel ya. The easiest rule of thumb is to add more vegetables and reduce the white stuff. Instead of pasta, try zoodles! Ok, seriously though - I was cautiously optimistic about the zucchini spiral noodle hype and while I mean, come on --- let's be honest, they are no swap for pasta -- I subbed them in last night, added garlic, some sauce I had and voila, a 5-minute low carb dinner. 

5. Bullet Journal? Mindfulness Journal? Covey's planning methods? Don't know what to use? Instead of writing a to-do list for the next day, spend 5 minutes writing a gratitude list from today. List the peaks and do more of that the next day. 

Bonus tip: you probably have some majorly unused sick and personal days that go away at the end of the year. Now is the time to use them. Take a day off! #mentalhealthday. I promise I won't tell! :)