You’ve made a decision to lose weight, gain muscle or get fit this year. You desire change but are you willing to commit & make those changes happen? In order for your plans not to back fire, setting goals is what is needed. Included in your goals should be how you’re going to manage the barriers.
You need to start with SMART goals.
Specific
Measureable
Achievable
Realistic
Time Orientated
Specific Goals: goals that have purpose. Why do I want to reach this goal? How am I going to reach this goal? A general goal might be I’m going to get in shape. The specific goal would be to exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 times a week. Even more specific would be to have a program planned, knowing which exercises you are going to execute during each session. A general goal might be I’m going to lose 10 pounds, a more specific goal might be to eat healthy/whole foods at least 80% of the time. Even more specific might be how many servings of veggies, fruit, protein, fats & carbs etc. you’re going to consume each meal or each day.
Measureable Goals: goals that are noticeable; goals that can be measured.
Your measureable goals to get in shape might be to run/walk longer or faster than you did the last time, or you may want to increase the amount of weight you can lift every other session or so. To lose 10 pounds, you might measure your progress by weighing yourself weekly or measuring your waistline weekly to see if there has been noticeable change. You may literally measure your food or count calories etc. To get stronger, you journal what you do in each session & try to increase the weight every week or so.
Achievable: to make a goal that is possible to accomplish.
To get in shape, you’re not going to set a goal of swimming across the lake when you haven’t yet learned how to swim. Your short term goal would be to learn to swim, your long term goal would be to swim across the lake. Losing 10 pounds isn’t achievable if you aren’t willing to eat healthy/whole foods at least 80% of the time. Start with adding one more veggie to each meal.
Realistic: this must be something sensible & practical, it can be tied in with achievable.
You’re not going to be able to deadlift your body weight if you haven’t yet learned to deadlift. You’re not going to lose the 10 pounds if you don’t know how to change your eating habits. Or if you think you have to change everything at once & then set yourself up for failure. Baby steps :)
Time: a deadline should be in place.
I might get in shape one day, when I’m ready. That day never comes. I will lose 10 pounds eventually, that day never comes either.
A barrier may be that you’re always hungry around 3:00. To get around this barrier, you probably need to change what you are eating at lunch. You might need to add more protein. You can also have healthy snacks prepared so you can grab them & enjoy. Healthy snacks are veggies, fruit & maybe nuts. Healthy snacks are NOT granola bars & the like.
A barrier to getting your set amount of exercise may be that you know you won’t exercise once you get home from work. To work through this barrier, you will need to get to bed earlier, turn off the tv as it is a total waste of time. Set your alarm to get up at least 1/2 hour earlier. To make that goal attainable, begin setting your alarm 5 minutes earlier for a day or two & gradually increase the time until you are getting up early enough in the morning. Do your exercising in the morning & then it is done! Though don’t spend the rest of the day sitting! You will still want to move regularly throughout the day.
All the above are examples of how to set some goals. I am not a fan of measuring food, counting calories, macros etc. or weighing myself. Unless you are obese & following a plan from a nutritionist I personally don’t recommend it. Who cares what the scale says? Too many people! Are we going to base our happiness or self worth on a number? NOT! So when I use suggestions, they are not necessarily what I agree with. We all need to do our own investigative work & make our own decisions. Don’t do something just because so & so is doing it. Do it because you want to & you know you can make it work.
Every time you make a decision during the day, ask yourself, “Does it take me closer to, or further from my goal.” If the answer is “closer to,” then you’ve made the right decision. If the answer is “further from,” well, you know what to do. Making SMART goals, you can be successful.
Are you ready?
Practice makes Permanent.
Move more to feel better.
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