Small but mighty habits

Wellness without overwhelm:
how to design a healthy routine that actually fits into your life.

Article by Elise Stewart, Nutrition Coach and Anni Expert.

I’m sure you can relate to this. You’ve fallen off track with your healthy goals. You said you’d get to the gym four times this week and now it’s Thursday and somehow you haven’t even made it in once. You said you were going to prep all your lunches for the week so you didn’t eat out, but you ran out of time Sunday and now you’re on day three of eating sad sandwiches that just aren’t bringing joy to your day.

So what do you do? You say next week will be different.

I’ll go to the gym three times and pilates three times, prep that super healthy lunch I saw Deliciously Ella make, do mindfulness for ten minutes every morning and write a gratitude list every night.

Whoa. Let’s take a breath.

I totally understand and respect the desire to take better care of yourself. And I know you’re trying.

But this cycle of all or nothing is burning you out and adding to your mental load more than if you did nothing in the first place.

When we sit down and create these perfect routines, we don’t actually think about our lived experience of life each day. We don’t plan for the chaos, the unknown, the reality of our busy lives. So when things inevitably do get busy, we can’t keep up with the perfect plans and we judge ourselves.

So what if instead we let go of this cycling between all or nothing, and created a small but mighty set of habits we could do even on our busiest days? Habits that fill your cup, support your health, and don’t add a thousand complicated things to your list.

Small actions done consistently are where we get results. Micro moments sprinkled throughout the day that build strong foundations. Then, when you have the time and energy, you can layer on more. But you don’t make “more” your baseline.

Picture this.

It’s Monday, you didn’t prep for the week and you’ve woken up late. Normally you chuck a coffee down, grab toast or a muesli bar and run out the door.

All or nothing says:
I missed my gym alarm, I didn’t meditate, I didn’t eat the balanced breakfast I was supposed to. I’ve failed.

Small but mighty habits say:
I’ll spread nut butter on my toast quickly so I get some protein and fats in, I’ll do 20 squats before I leave the house, and I’ll take three deep breaths in the car.

These become your morning anchors. Add some protein. A little movement. A moment to reset.

When you get home at the end of the day?

All or nothing says:
I should go to the gym for an hour to make up for skipping it this morning but I’m too tired so I’ll just go home crash on the sofa and watch true crime doc on netflix till I fall asleep.

Small but mighty habits say:
I’ll walk around the block for ten minutes without my phone, then rest in child’s pose for five minutes before starting to make dinner.

These become your evening anchors. Headspace with a walk. Down-regulating your nervous system with a restorative pose. A little digital detox.

Suddenly? Healthy feels lighter.

You get home, do your mini evening anchors and maybe think, actually, I’ve got the headspace to prep a nourishing breakfast for tomorrow. Maybe you feel relaxed enough to go to bed half an hour earlier so you’re more likely to get up for your gym alarm.

Small daily habits have a powerful ripple effect.

Sometimes they’re all you have time for, and that’s ok, you’re still filling your cup. Sometimes they give you the lift to do more, and that’s great too. We keep these small anchors as our baseline. They create strong foundations for our health and well-being no matter how busy life gets.

All or nothing thinking gives you a momentary boost of motivation when you create the plan, followed by the inevitable crash when it gets derailed by a busy day.

It’s about consistency over intensity. Progress over perfection. Something over nothing. A good, strong, healthy routine adapts with your life; it’s not so rigid or complicated that it falls apart the minute things get busy.

And if you’re wanting guidance on what small habits and changes are going to have the biggest impact for you, that’s what Anni is for.

A simple and accessible way to get advice from experts who can take out the guesswork and give you a clear path forward so you can actually get the results you want.

This article was written by Elise Stewart, Nutrition Coach and Anni Expert and originally appeared here.

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About Elise Stewart - Nutrition Coach (NASM & Precision Nutrition). Advanced Health & Fitness Coach (New Zealand Institute Of Sport). Personal Trainer (Train Fitness). Currently Studying Stress & Recovery Coaching.

Elise helps people break free from burnout and the “tired but wired” cycle, guiding them toward real, healthy energy that lasts. Her approach is simple, realistic, and deeply holistic, helping clients nourish both mind and body so they can stop running on caffeine and stress, and start moving through their days with greater ease, clarity, and flow.

Through collaborative coaching, Elise explores how lifestyle habits may be supporting or draining energy, and works with clients to make sustainable tweaks that restore balance. Because energy is never influenced by just one thing, her process looks at nutrition, movement, and nervous system regulation together, creating a personalised toolkit for lasting vitality and calm.

Elise’s coaching style is flexible and supportive, meeting each person exactly where they are in their health and wellness journey, and helping them build the best path forward for their unique lifestyle.

Elise runs her own practice, Nourish & Wild, Health & Wellness for Solopreneurs.

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