1% Rule: Ditching Noise for Real Results

How free, micro-habits keep me grounded as a business owner and mum of two

There can be a lot of noise, unhelpful at times, around self-care because it can just add to that feeling of overwhelm, something else “you’ve just got to do”. One thing we can all do is to make small incremental changes, 1% everyday, can lead to big positive change over a long period.

So I wanted to share somethings that help me on a daily basis, which are completely accessible and free, that I fit into a busy daily life, as a mum of two running my own business.

Stepping it out

One of my favourites is walking. Most days after I drop my youngest at school, I’ll take 30 mins to just do a loop around the lake that I am lucky to live near.

With busy lives it can be hard to get in movement opportunities, I can remember doing a step challenge when I worked for this large corporate company and I was surprised at how few steps other people had done, some even just one thousand a day.

Even though I had the same job as others, often working long hours, I managed to fit in most days at least 12,000 steps, and the reason for that is I just added in extra steps wherever I could:

• I used to get off the bus a little bit early, both to and from work.

• I never used the lift, even though I was on, I think, the seventh floor in the office (people thought I was bonkers). I can remember my mum saying to me as a child “why ride when you can walk” and this has always stuck with me.

• Where I could in my lunch break, I would go for a quick walk.

• If I had a call where I could be mobile I would walk around the office doing it.

These small changes had massive positive impact on my day, both physically and mentally.

Being in the present moment

Walking also connects us to nature, even a small patch of grass or a single tree can have positive impact, helping us to get in touch with “being in the here and now”, to drain out all those thoughts and things that might be worrying us.

I remember visiting our Canal & River Trust Family Wellbeing Trail in Walsall and I took a teen girl, who was on work experience with us and she just couldn’t believe the change in scenery from the hub of the city to being deep in nature, in just a few minutes.

Look (far) into the distance

One of the other thing you can do is to just look far in to the distance, I often do this when I’m cleaning my teeth out my bathroom window but also it’s great if you’re out and about. It stretches your eyes, we spend so much time now on devices and looking at things that are up close. It’s great to do this for yourself, but also for kids too.

Why it works: When we look at phones or laptops, the ciliary muscles in our eyes constantly contract to focus up close. Looking into the distance allows these muscles to completely relax, preventing digital eye strain and reducing headaches for both adults and kids.

Hydrating

Drinking water, it sounds basic but it can be a game changer (especially for kids). I know that if I haven’t had enough water, I lose focus and I can’t concentrate.

Did you know thirst is one of the biggest causes for kids having meltdowns and often actually when kids (and us too) they they’re hungry, they’re actually thirsty. So if you can get them into good practices of regularly drinking water it can be game changing.

The science bit: Even mild dehydration (a fluid loss of just 1–2%) significantly impairs cognitive functions like concentration, alertness, and short-term memory.

Breathing (mindfully)

So obviously we all breathe, but it’s taking time to do mindful breathing, to really kind of slow down and take a moment for yourself. Lots of the kids, teachers and parents that we’ve worked mindful beathing can be really impactful, and it’s one of the fastest ways to get you to access calm when you need it.

So if you can get yourself outside, walk a bit more, drink water, take time to breathe and look into the distance, these small changes can have big positive impact… what small things have big positive impact for you?