Time to state your goal as we enter the new year. Are you over the hype? Maybe you have set the wrong goals in the past. Or with the wrong intention. I recently read an article by Annie Thorisdottir and she said that often people set goals without addressing the underlining motivation. If you want to lose weight because you think you should be a smaller size, well that will not get you in a smaller size pants. If you want to get healthy because someone said you should, that might not work for you.
You all know that I am a huge Gretchen Rubin fan, and she is so great when it comes to setting goals. You need to first recognize if you are internally or externally motivated to reach goals. I am internally motivated, so I don’t do well with goals that others set for me. If you are externally motivated, find someone to help hold you accountable to your goals.
So much has been done and said around goals being SMART. I think that more important than the end date and measurablity is the action step to reach your goal. Many of the people I work with want to lose weight. Yet saying, my goal is to lose 25 pounds has never set anyone up for success. You need to determine why you want to lose the weight. You want to keep up with kids/grandkids, you hate having no energy, you want to give back to the world but you need to be a smaller size to handle the physical demands. I like when people say, I will lose 10 pounds. I will eat veggies at every meal. I will drink at least 80 ounces of water a day. And I will exercise 5 days a week. Now those are some steps that will lead to weight loss on a scale. And if you meet all those steps and don’t lose weight, first you are still healthier than a couch potato. Second, I encourage you to have some blood work ran to see where your body is not working efficiently.
If you don’t like resolutions because everyone sets new years resolutions, and no one meets them. Well, it is no longer the first of the month. I challenge you to set some now, and be the person who actually reaches them. Prove your own theory wrong by reaching some goals.
I’ve been talking a lot recently about when I lost all of my weight. I was in my 20s, was a single mom, and was working multiple jobs. I didn’t realize what I was doing then, but I understand now. I thrive on structure and routine. (Those of you who really know me know just how true that is. I have been teased for scheduling my shower time). I created a routine for my eating and exercise that was so strict, it set me up for success. I ate this, I abstained from that, all because I decided it would be good for me. I gave myself 12 weeks to be strict, and then I was going to re-evaluate. After just 11 weeks, I was down 33 pounds. I started to skip an occasional workout, I indulged in a drink, and I would go out to eat with friends. I knew my eating could not return to what it had been, but I didn’t need to maintain the high expectations I had set for myself.
Most people do better with small steps, but if you have been taking small steps and haven’t seen the overhaul you’d like, try to be drastic. If you have tried every fad diet out there, try to just make one small healthy choice every day. If you set goals to lose weight and the scale doesn’t budge, set some action steps you will take and see how that makes you feel instead. If you need some inspiration on creating healthy habits, read this post from last January.
If you are ready to take the next step in accountability, reach out and see how I can help you with both the Pocket Trainer virtual program and my Weight loss and fitness journal. Just trying to meet you when you are ready!