November 26, 2005 – It’s January 1, 2006, the morning after much celebrating and sealing your New Year’s resolution. Yes, this year you will lose the spare tire, the saddlebags and the J-Lo attribute! You run like crazy to the computer and search for “lose weight super fast,” you run to the bookstore to read all the books in the diet and fitness section, and you explore the aisles of nutritional supplement stores. You join a swarm of people at jogging trails, gyms, pools, and fitness classes in an effort to stick to New Year’s weight loss resolutions. But average resolutionists don’t realize that it’s actually an exercise in futility. In the end, the effort is not unlike a puppy chasing his own tail. The top three reasons are that the goals are vague and unrealistic, there is a lack of accountability, and most people don’t allow room for error, so they give up at the first slip. Let me give you a guide to set your resolution.
goals
The most important aspect of achieving your resolution is setting a specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic (SMART) time-oriented goal. Then your goal should be broken down into achievable goals. In addition, your goals must first be able to satisfy a personal inner desire; should really mean something to you. You need to create a long-lasting fire to drive you into action, to break through obstacles and barriers, and most importantly, keep a smile on your face. Here are the steps to writing your weight loss goal:
1. Identify why this goal is important to you.
One of my clients, I’ll call her Julia, told me that she wanted to lose ten pounds before a trip to Italy that was taking place in three months. About two weeks into this “lose ten pounds before a trip to Italy” plan, she began losing and canceling sessions. She had to cancel and not show up for our training sessions for about two weeks when I finally got her on the phone. During our conversation I found out that she was doing nothing more than putting off a very vague and not so meaningful goal. In essence, there was a huge disconnect between the end results of losing weight and why it was important to her. After further conversations, she mentioned that she would go with her sister in memory of her father and that she would visit her father’s hometown in southern Italy. Her father had died young of cardiac arrest, was overweight, and had never realized her dream of taking his children to visit his hometown. In addition, she was close to the age of her father when he passed away and this trip had made her reflect on the state of her health. Her goal now was to “reduce her weight by ten pounds and lower her cholesterol to normal levels so that she would be alive and healthy to take her children on a trip to her grandfather’s hometown before they went to University”. At this point, she had a deeply significant goal of continuing to work as her children grew up.
2. Be SMART about your goal and create goals.
SMART goal setting means you’re being specific about the end result, providing a way to measure it, making sure you have an achievable and realistic result, as well as a due date. That means Julia’s goal to “lose ten pounds before her trip to Italy” only met one of the five criteria. A more effective way of writing her goal would be to write something like the following:
Today, December 31, 2005, I plan to lose 10 pounds before I leave for Italy on April 1, 2006. I will have my annual physical in March and my cholesterol levels will be normal. After my trip, I will maintain my results by exercising three times a week and maintaining healthy eating habits to take my children to Italy in five years.
Next, you need to set your goals. Your objectives are smaller goals that will lead you to your goal.
To achieve this goal, I will lose 1-2 pounds per week by:
1. Complete a one-hour cardio workout on the treadmill on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before breakfast.
2. Complete a 30 minute full body weight training workout on Thursday and Saturday.
3. I will eliminate all sodas and sugary snacks.
4. I will make sure to eat only single servings at each meal.
Her goal is now specific and measurable “lose ten pounds, lower cholesterol to normal levels,” achievable and realistic since we know it is possible to lose one or two pounds a week, and she has a timeline that includes weekly actions that lead to it. . Trip departure in April.
Responsibility
What are you going to do to hold yourself accountable for your goal? At work, you have a boss that you are too responsive to when you miss deadlines. I’m sure he keeps you on the “straight and narrow”. For a weight loss goal, who do you have to keep you on track? Also, do you have a way to track your progress? The key is to find multiple sources to keep your inner fire burning.
So let me tell you about a simple way to do this.
1. Get a trainer!
The support should be twofold, one to provide you with expert information to help you achieve your goals effectively and efficiently, and two, a support group to share your experience and help each other move forward. One way is to use a physical trainer. I don’t mean just a trainer to guide you through a workout, but a professional dedicated to helping you reach your goal. My online fitness training service is perfect for those looking for this type of support.
2. Join an online support group.
An online support group will allow you to share your experience, learn from others, and encourage each other. My online support group myfitnesscoach-for-weightloss is a safe way to get involved with others who have similar goals. Plus, you’ll end up making lifelong friendships from across the country or even the world.
3. Tell someone significant in your life. Let the important and significant person in your life know that they will do wonders for you. For one thing, you’ll end with an applause section composed by someone who knows you well. Second, they’ll be a personal source of accountability, making sure you stick to healthy options on a restaurant menu, helping you choose a power ride over sundae on Sunday, and picking you up when you slip up. .
Learn from slip ups
My first lesson as a trainer was to let clients know that sudden bingeing, the occasional shake, or social eating is normal. The most important thing is that you learn to handle these slips and move towards your goal. It is said that Thomas Edison had ten thousand failed experiments in his search for a light bulb. That’s a lot of persistence! If he slips up, recapitulate that moment and decide what his plan of action will be the next time he slips up. After the recap, you immediately return to acting in accordance with your goal.
The second lesson I learned as a novice trainer is that you have to be flexible with your plan. For example, if Julia discovers that she suddenly has a heavy workload and has to miss her evening workouts because she stays late at the office, she must find an alternative way to get aerobic exercise and eat. healthy. He could take two or three fifteen-minute breaks, cross-cross his sneakers, and walk up and down the stairs or take a brisk walk. For meals, she might pack healthy snacks, a salad, yogurt, and fruit so she won’t be tempted to raid the vending machines. Of course, each case will be different, but you will have to be creative and flexible to adjust your plan.
The secret is to keep moving through realistic and achievable fitness goals on your way to your goal. Author Stephen Covey says to “begin with the end in mind.” Write a vision of your end goal. Then set realistic and achievable goals that last around 6 weeks each. Seek success in each goal and keep moving forward until you reach your final vision. Six weeks will bring you about six to twelve pounds closer to your goal.
My personal desire as a coach is to see you succeed. I hope I have been able to provide you with a guide to taking your first step towards a fit and healthy 2006.
Visit my site for more information on how to achieve your fitness goals at myonline-fitness-coach.com [http://www.myonline-fitness-coach.com].