That's why I decided to make my comeback post on New Year's day. The way I went into writing this blog is exactly the same way many of us go into our New Year's resolutions. We think BIG!!!
I'm going to lose _____ (usually a big number) by February!!!
I'm going to work out for an hour EVERY DAY!!!
I'm NEVER going to eat sugar again!!!
I'm going to post in this blog EVERY DAY!!!
I'm going to post in this blog EVERY DAY!!!
WRONG!!!
That is so not the way to go about it. I'm going to give you some tips to make those resolutions become a reality.
First of all, instead of the word resolution--use the word promise. Changes things a bit doesn't it? You wouldn't want to break your promise would you? The promises you make to yourself need to be SMART--Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timebound.
A non-specific promise or goal is one like this: "I'm going to lose weight" or "I'm going to work out more." These goals just aren't specific enough. It does need to be more like "I'm going to lose ____ pounds", or "I'm going to work out ______ days per week".
The goals also need to be measurable--pounds, inches, minutes, hours, days....they need to be measurable.
I think the next three points are the most important to follow when making these promises or setting any type of goal. First, it's okay to think big, but you need to make these promises attainable and realistic, and you need to give yourself the right amount of time to achieve them. They need to be broken down. For example, instead of setting the goal to lose all that weight by February (unattainable and unrealistic) give yourself a realistic time frame (timebound). This will depend on how much weight you need/want to lose. Break it down into smaller goals--I'm going to lose ___ pounds per month until I reach my goal of ____ total. Even this may need to be tweaked as you lose weight. As you get smaller, the weight won't come off as easily.
My real preference to a weight loss goal is a size goal. I will explain why I prefer this in a future blog post. "I want to be a size ____ (specific and measurable) by ___________ (a realistic time frame). Again, here is where you add in your shorter term goals that are truly attainable and realistic. For example, if you need to lose 5 inches off your waist to get into your ideal size, then you can break it down something like this: "I will lose 1 inch off my waist by _____ (reasonable and realistic time)," and continue on from there. If you have a good deal of inches to lose, the pounds will come off as well.
Now along with a goal like this, you need a game plan. How are you going to achieve this goal? What obstacles might get in your way? Again, short term goals are the key here. "I'm going to exercise ______ minutes per day, or days per week" (whatever is attainable and realistic for you), or "I'm going to eat ______ calories" (realistic/attainable), or "I will only eat one helping" (only if that is something that you can truly do). Do not set yourself up for failure, set yourself up for success. I'll say that again:
DO NOT SET YOURSELF UP FOR FAILURE, SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS!!!
Don't say that you are going to do something that you know you won't. Make all your promises in a positive way. Instead of I won't do.....state I will do.... Make sure none of your promises use the words NEVER or ALWAYS. Use words like instead, at least, mostly, less and more.
Start small. Here's what I want you to do:
I want you to make 9 small promises this week and I want them to be promises that you can absolutely keep. The first three promises need to pertain to your eating habits. It has to be something that you are not already doing. Here's a few examples: " I will eat a healthy breakfast at least ____ times a week," or "I will drink water instead of pop _____ times a week," or "I will eat one or more servings of green vegetables (preferably more than one) per day. Again, make sure these are SMART promises that you can keep.
The second three promises need to pertain to your body/exercise. Again, something that you aren't already doing. A few examples of these would be: "I will park farther from the entrance wherever I go," or "I will put my workouts on the calendar and keep those appointments," or "I will exercise during the commercials."
The last three promises need to pertain to your mind/spirit. Some examples of these are: "I will look at myself in the mirror everyday and say that I'm worth it," or promise to say "I will" instead of "I won't" or "I can" instead of "I can't," or "I will stop eating out of boredom."
Now I want you write down these promises 3 times and put them in places that you will see throughout your day. Next, tell someone what you are doing and ask that person for their support-- you can even post them in the comments here or on my facebook page or email them to me--you will definitely have my support. By writing them down and telling someone about them, you are more likely to keep them. Then, identify the ways you can keep these promises, being aware of anything that might get in your way. Find ways to measure your progress and finally, write down your daily progress.
At the end of a week, look back at your promises. Did you keep them? If you did, then reward yourself in some small way--with something other than food. If you didn't fulfill a promise, don't be hard on yourself, just keep working on it until you achieve it. Once you fulfill a promise, make another one in that category and just keep going! All those little promises will add up to achieving your bigger, long term goals.
In the weeks ahead, I will post more strategies and ideas for new promises that will help to make your long-term goals and promises a reality.
My promise? To post in this blog at least every other week. It may be more often than that at times, but I'm not going to put that demand on myself. If I slip up, I expect you to call me out.
Follow me on facebook--there's a link at the top of this page. I will share things there as well.
Don't say that you are going to do something that you know you won't. Make all your promises in a positive way. Instead of I won't do.....state I will do.... Make sure none of your promises use the words NEVER or ALWAYS. Use words like instead, at least, mostly, less and more.
Start small. Here's what I want you to do:
I want you to make 9 small promises this week and I want them to be promises that you can absolutely keep. The first three promises need to pertain to your eating habits. It has to be something that you are not already doing. Here's a few examples: " I will eat a healthy breakfast at least ____ times a week," or "I will drink water instead of pop _____ times a week," or "I will eat one or more servings of green vegetables (preferably more than one) per day. Again, make sure these are SMART promises that you can keep.
The second three promises need to pertain to your body/exercise. Again, something that you aren't already doing. A few examples of these would be: "I will park farther from the entrance wherever I go," or "I will put my workouts on the calendar and keep those appointments," or "I will exercise during the commercials."
The last three promises need to pertain to your mind/spirit. Some examples of these are: "I will look at myself in the mirror everyday and say that I'm worth it," or promise to say "I will" instead of "I won't" or "I can" instead of "I can't," or "I will stop eating out of boredom."
Now I want you write down these promises 3 times and put them in places that you will see throughout your day. Next, tell someone what you are doing and ask that person for their support-- you can even post them in the comments here or on my facebook page or email them to me--you will definitely have my support. By writing them down and telling someone about them, you are more likely to keep them. Then, identify the ways you can keep these promises, being aware of anything that might get in your way. Find ways to measure your progress and finally, write down your daily progress.
At the end of a week, look back at your promises. Did you keep them? If you did, then reward yourself in some small way--with something other than food. If you didn't fulfill a promise, don't be hard on yourself, just keep working on it until you achieve it. Once you fulfill a promise, make another one in that category and just keep going! All those little promises will add up to achieving your bigger, long term goals.
In the weeks ahead, I will post more strategies and ideas for new promises that will help to make your long-term goals and promises a reality.
My promise? To post in this blog at least every other week. It may be more often than that at times, but I'm not going to put that demand on myself. If I slip up, I expect you to call me out.
Follow me on facebook--there's a link at the top of this page. I will share things there as well.
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