Even if they keep a promise of “10 pounds in 21 days,” they don’t tell you what to do on day 22 or beyond, and don’t actually promise you’ll keep the weight off long-term.

I’ve been working with clients for over 10 years, and I’ve never met anyone who wants to just get healthy and happy for a little while.

But I have met plenty of people who want long term health and happiness. They want to have more energy, enjoy time with family, travel, and be active for the rest of their lives. They want to BE healthy and happy people.

Diets, DVD plans, and other quick fixes can’t deliver this, and frankly, don’t even try to.

When I first began working with clients it wasn’t as a Small Steps coach. I was a nutritionist and trained to do what nutritionists do: find out what a client’s health goals are (weight loss, decrease inflammation, increased energy etc.), what supplements and medications they were taking, and then…make recommendations. What to eat and when.

But, a not-so-funny thing happened. Most of my clients weren’t sticking to my recommendations past about a month or two tops. I didn’t like that outcome at all.

What I quickly realized was that I was essentially handling them a diet.

I was giving them awesome information, but NOT teaching them how to effectively implement the information long-term.

And what good is useful information if you don’t use it?

In other words, what good is knowing that meditation, breath work and journaling are great for stress reduction and physical health if you don’t meditate, take deep breaths or journal?!?

And for that matter, what good is knowing how to write, play an instrument, dance, or sing if you don’t write, play guitar, dance or sing?

I believe health and happiness are in the long-term doing. NOT in the doing for a short amount of time and then quitting.

I HAD to figure out a way to help my clients establish an actual healthy eating habit.

And that’s when I fashioned my Small Steps approach.

I began working with clients in a completely different way. Before handing them my nutrition/diet recommendations, I taught them a way to use the information. I taught them a way to control how much 'healthy eating’ they took on and when.

To avoid burnout and overwhelm. But also to avoid feeling like they weren’t doing enough.

They became aware of those times they were feeling too much and too little stress, and then had tools to make adjustments as needed to keep them in what’s called “adaptive stress.”

Adaptive stress is what I call the “Goldilocks of Stress.” Just enough stress to allow and inspire your mind and body to adapt, grow, and strengthen.

Too much stress and your body and mind do just what’s necessary to simply get through it.

Too little stress and your body and mind stagnate.

Adaptive stress is the sweet spot.

And then something incredible hit me…

My Small Steps approach wasn’t just about food. It could be applied to virtually any and every area of life. Anytime someone thought “I think if I [insert new activity here] I would be healthier and happier” they could start doing it immediately and stay with it until it became a habit.

ABHC is the core strategy of my Small Steppers course and enables members to achieve health and happiness by incorporating and earning real-life healthy habits and behaviors.

Awareness Based Habit Change is about two things:

1. Creating a healthy habit (eating better, exercising, creating, breathing)
   
2. Infusing more awareness into your life
   

Let’s face it, nobody really wants to be a healthy eater per se.

We want to BE healthy people.

You can get that done by being more aware of your own life. No more phoning it in, being ruled by routine, or watching days, weeks, months, and years go by as you tell yourself “I’ll start [insert healthy or creative action here] that tomorrow.”

All this not only inspired me to write my three books: Approaching the Natural: A Health Manifesto and Raising Healthy Parents: Small Steps, Less Stress, and a Thriving Family, and Six Truths: Live by these truths and be happy. Don't and you won't, but...

Inspired me to offer this incredibly effective (and fun) twelve-week Small Step Intensive.

Today people all over the world are utilizing my approach to take control of their lives and make long-lasting improvements.

No more jumping into a quick fix only to inevitably quit. Only action and accomplishment – and the health, happiness, self-confidence, and self-esteem that comes from them.

A diet

A fitness plan

A weight-loss system

A self-help book

A philosophy of living

A system you can apply to any area of your life you want to improve (including your relationships!)