Ep 26: Looking for Easy Wins w/ Mitch Harb

In this episode, Mitch Harb joins us to talk about his “easy wins” approach to creating sustainable behavior change.

Mitch is a personal trainer and nutrition coach. He is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and is the co-owner (with Zach Smith) of Hidef Seattle, a fitness studio and physical therapy practice that offers both in-person and virtual training and coaching.

Find Mitch:

Easy Wins Mitch on Instagram

The Easy Wins podcast

HIDEF Performance podcast (with Zach Smith)

Monica’s appearance on the Easy Wins podcast

Website: hidefseattle.com

Take Aways:

  • Small interventions can also be big wins. And those interventions don’t all have to be “one hundreds,” they just can’t be “zeros. “
  • How you define success can keep you motivated, and often process-oriented successes (like being consistent) can be more effective than goal-oriented successes.
  • Figuring out how an individual goal supports or reflects your other life priorities can be a powerful motivator.
  • The easy wins approach can be used for much more than just health or fitness.
  • Keeping momentum is easier than starting up again and again.

Lab Experiment:  

Choose one area of your life that you’d like to make a change in (eating habits, sleep, exercise, or any other area).

  1. Spend this week collecting some data on your current habits and patterns.  For example, keep track of what time you’re going to bed, getting up, and how rested you feel each day.
  2. Notice what happens when you break from your normal patterns. Do you feel better or worse?  For example, does running after work or on a trail feel easier or harder than running around the neighborhood before breakfast? 
  3. Use the information you’ve gathered in Step 1 and 2 to identify an easy win that you can incorporate into your daily routine.  For example, adding one extra serving of vegetables into your meals every day.