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Setting Goals
Most of us would like to change some aspect of our lives or strive to reach some goal whether it is with health, work or personal. The most important thing to do is to set some kind of goal so that you know what the finish line is. Without making a plan it would be very difficult to stay on track or to realize what progress you have made. It can also be overwhelming. Setting goals is easy enough, ‘I want to lose 20 lbs. by summer’, but it’s figuring out how to reach that goal that gets confusing and overwhelming. Here are some important tips on how to set goals:
Break Down Your
Ultimate Goal Into Mini Goals:
Instead of telling yourself every day that you are going to
lose 20 pounds by summer, instead tell yourself every day that you are
going to lose 2 pounds this week. This makes the goal seem more
reachable; and when an idea seems easy it’s far more likely to motivate
you to reach it.
Be Realistic
1. If weight loss is your goal then you have to respect the fact that if you have been gaining weight for years, bit by bit, then your body has adjusted itself; it has become proficient in storing excess fat from years of practice. You need to retrain your body to stop being that way, and that takes time and effort. Also, weight gain is often a sign of starvation; not from lack of calories, but rather a lack of nutrients. Your body’s natural preservation is to be very conservative in times of starvation and will not allow any extra use of calories until it is satisfied that the ‘starvation’ period is over. When you make changes, most likely the weight loss will not happen right away; it may even take several months of dedication in nutrition and fitness from you before changes start to happen.
2. Do some research on what are normal or ‘healthy’ guidelines. If your goal is weight loss than understand that permanent weight loss is 1 – 2 pounds per week, not 5 –10 pounds that some ‘diet’ advertisements promise. So when setting your goals, make sure that you allow yourself enough time to reach your ultimate goal in a ‘healthy’ way. If you have 20 pounds to lose you will need at the very least 10 weeks to reach that goal. And also be realistic in that sometimes life just gets in the way and you may not quite reach your goal every week. On the other hand you may even surpass your ‘mini’ goals some weeks. Be practical and don’t set yourself up for failure by setting your expectations too high.
Reward Yourself
Have something to look forward to every couple weeks for your
dedication. It makes it a lot more fun when there are rewards along the
way. This is especially true when your goal is going to take some time
to get to. Don’t deprive yourself for too long.
Do a Before and
After Photo and Measurements
Record your stats at the beginning so that you know exactly
where you started. Measurements around the shoulders, chest, upper
arms, waist, hips and thighs should be recorded. Take a photo on your
first day to remind yourself where you started from. DO NOT put weight
down as a significant indicator of your progress. I strongly suggest
that you only get on the scale once a month. Weight is rarely ever a
good indicator of your progress, especially when weight bearing
exercises are part of your program. Remember that muscles are heavier
than fat and often you may be losing inches but not much weight. Get
off the scales; instead pick a pair of pants and a fitted shirt, the
outfit in your first photo, and try them on every couple weeks to see if
they fit differently. This is a much better indicator that changes are
happening.
Keep a Diary
Keeping a diary, especially right at the beginning, can help
you work through triggers that keep you on track or entice you to fall
off. Mood is often our sabotager. Our moods are what make us grab that
bucket of ice cream or give us strength to resist. Keeping track of
your moods each day can bring awareness of patterns that you can then
learn to control a bit better. Create a scale of 1 – 5 for your moods
and what cravings or dietary struggles you had that day. Look for
patterns and learn from them. Learn about yourself. Learn what you
need to avoid and what you should do more of to keep you on track.
Plan Ahead
Any time you want to make changes in your regular routine you
need to plan ahead. You need to be prepared and know how your new
routine is going to fit in with your regular day; we are after all
creatures of habit. Starting a new routine takes time to adjust to, so
give yourself that extra time. When dietary habits need to change then
do some research on your work or school environment. Figure out what
you need to avoid, like the work/school cafeteria. Also find new places
to enjoy, like packing a healthy lunch and eating at the local park -
away from temptations. Or, find a local grocer or restaurant that has a
salad bar or other healthy choices. Know how your day is going to go
before you leave for work or school so that there are no moments in your
day that you were not prepared for.
Why is 1 – 2
pounds per week always recommended for ‘healthy’ weight loss?
Without getting too technical, here is my very simple
explanation: If you are losing much more than 1 – 2 pounds per week,
then you are likely living a lifestyle that is impossible to continue
forever. Our expectations have been inflated from the flood of promises
made by ‘diet’ advertisements to lose 5 – 10 pounds per week. But this
usually involves either supplements or some extreme eating program that
manipulates your metabolism. Once you have lost the weight, what do you
do then? You can’t stay on a program like that forever. Most people
gain it right back because they did not develop any new healthy habits
along the way and basically end up right back in the same routine that
set them up for dieting in the first place. We tend to become more
focused on the weight loss rather than the health aspect of our
efforts. 1 – 2 pounds per week is an indicator that you are doing all
the right things to improve your health.
As the saying goes: ‘slow and steady wins the race’.