Related Posts
Resolutions: How To Stay on Track
It’s that time of year again where everyone feels the guilt, or better yet, the weight of the added pounds gained during the holiday season. You told yourself you were not going to overindulge in the delicious holiday treats and festive beverages, but you did. You told yourself you were going to workout extra to make up for your overindulgence, but you didn’t. Whatever the case may be, you are not happy with the way you look or the way you feel as the year winds down and you’re ready to make the change this New Year. Now I’m not a big fan of fitness New Year’s resolutions simply because most people set a huge, unattainable, unrealistic goal to begin with. Then they get tunnel vision, focusing on the big goal; overwork themselves in the beginning at a pace that can’t be maintained. They do make progress, but eventually hit a brick wall wearing themselves into the ground. They have over trained and may have even hurt themselves. A month or two later they are physically and mentally done. Game over. Try again next year.
If this describes you, let’s break things down to help you set specific, more realistic goals, and ways to stay on track:
Get Specific
Simply stating “I want to lose weight” is not a goal that will keep you motivated throughout the year. Establish the “big” goal first and make it specific. I don’t like goals that just simply state losing pounds because there are so many factors that go into one’s weight. One’s weight in pounds does not distinguish between lean body mass (muscle and bones) and fat mass. Saying you want to lose a certain percentage of body fat or you want to increase your lean body mass by “x” pounds and decrease your fat mass by “x” pounds is getting more specific. Note: when making a body fat percentage goal, you want a qualified fitness professional to get your measurements by an approved, accurate method. I would recommend having the same trainer take your body fat measurement with the same method each time to avoid skewed results. With an accurate body fat measurement, the trainer should easily be able to tell you your lean body mass and fat mass. Other examples of specific goals: I want to break 20 minutes for a 5k, I want to finish a half marathon, I want to gain 50 pounds on my bench press and 100 pounds on my squat, I want to lose 4 dress sizes, I want to lose 3 inches in my waist. With your yearly specific goal stated you then want to set a timeline with small goals to help you achieve the big goal. The frequency of the smaller goals is up to you. Keep in mind that dropping weight or fat may come easily in the beginning, but losing that last little bit might take longer than losing the majority. Or dropping your 5k goal time may come in big strides to begin with, but dropping the last 30 seconds may be the toughest. This is why you need to be flexible with your goals. Even though you set specific goals you may find that through your shorter goals you need to make amends to your future goals. An all-or-nothing goal is not the way to go. You may simply find that you are making faster gains on your goals and need to make them more aggressive. Or, you may find that you’re a little slower in achieving your goals and so you adjust accordingly. That’s ok. Even having a small relapse is not a deal breaker. You will always have curveballs thrown at you in life. Remember to get back on track as soon as feasible. Just remember, make specific goals with specific deadlines with the capability of being adjusted.
What are you willing to sacrifice?
Making a change usually means giving up on some things. With fitness goals it usually means sacrificing some of our favorite foods or drinks. I’m not a fan of completely eliminating something you enjoy from your diet because it’s not exactly figure friendly. If you enjoy it, don’t deprive yourself completely. Moderation is the answer. Instead of having a delicious bakery dessert every night, limit it to once a week on the weekends as a reward for your hard work during the week. If you crave sweets try to substitute healthier and lower calorie desserts such as fresh fruit with low fat yogurt or frozen fruit bars. If you typically have a soft drink with lunch and dinner cut back to just lunch. Then cut back from having one every day. Then try to try to substitute soft drinks with low calorie water mix-ins. You may need to sacrifice going out to eat as much. Make an effort to bring your lunch to work which helps you plan your meals better and keeps your portions under control. Going out to eat when you are starving is a recipe for disaster when making food decisions. What you need to do is pinpoint your nutritional weaknesses and write down a few small sacrifices or substitutes you can make.
Take Action
Allow your actions to become habit. Schedule time for you to go to the gym. Write it down in your calendar. Make it a priority. I recommend getting it done in the morning before the stress and business of the day allow you to miss your workout. Go to the store weekly when you are not hungry and buy fresh fruits and vegetables for the week. Plan out your meals for the week. Cook extra food with dinner to allow leftovers for lunch the next day. Also, plan for a midmorning or midafternoon craving by bringing a small healthy snack to work with you such as nuts, a piece of fruit, or an energy bar. Write down the specific actions you will take everyday that will help you achieve your goals such as “I will do cardio in the mornings from 6-7am Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I will swim, do a fitness class, or do weights on my own. Each weekend I will find at least one sport to play for at least two hours.”
This is the year for you! Take ownership of your health and fitness by following these goal making steps. Set specific, realistic goals with a realistic timeframe. Knowing your nutritional weaknesses write down ways you can eliminate overindulgence in with your favorite foods and drinks. Finally, no goals are worth anything without putting them to action. Stay focused and realistic in the beginning to avoid quitting. Allow these changes to become habit. This will take work, time, and preparedness. Remember, you are making lifestyle changes so prepare for the marathon, not the sprint. Following through will lead to achievement and achievement will lead to fulfillment.
By: Matt Yost
From Joe Gibbs:
For most of my life I considered myself healthy as a horse. The joke was “eat like a horse, work like a horse, look like a horse”.
I’ve always struggled a bit with my weight, but I was a driven man, so I was going, going, going all the time. I worked out a lot, including running on a treadmill, so I didn’t worry too much about my health. I think a lot of men have no idea how stress affects them. During an NFL season, a coach and his staff will spend several nights a week working until well after midnight. But we enjoy that. It’s a challenge, it’s fun, and it’s necessary.
Shortcut the planning process and you’ll get beat by teams whose coaches are outworking you. Our research for Game Plan for Life indicates that the topic of health was one of the top three of importance to men. I really wanted to make sure we got the right guy to share with you, and we found him in Dr. Walt Larimore. Until I met Walt, I hadn’t looked at my health through the four key areas he outlines: physical, mental/emotional, relational, and spiritual. Read more from Walt Larimore in my book Game Plan for Life, Chapter 11.
Recent Comments