8 steps to reaching YOUR personal health and fitness goals
By MIKE EYERS
“Self Discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.”
Source-Brian Tracey. Arcamax
Starting a new weight loss regime can be quite daunting, but fuelled with a few tips to help and Self discipline, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!!!
Many goals are the completion of one thought or one vision. Others can be the result of years of being bullied or picked on resulting in low self-esteem. It could simply be that you want to achieve something meaningful or to beat someone else. Whatever your reason, by adopting a few simple strategies and taking on a new lifestyle, you will feel energised and be looking your best in no time!
1 What is it that you truly want?
No one can answer this question better than you. Society dictates a lot of what we think is ideal and for many of us this is just not realistic. To think that you can get back to that size you were when you finished school is probably out of the question also. Be realistic in a way that the goal you set yourself can be reached. Once you get there you can always re-evaluate your aim. It may be to lose 10-20% of your overall weight.
2 Write it down
This will give you a black and white image of where you want to go and how to get there, a bit like a road map. Writing this down will turn your vision into a plan. Print it out in big bold type and put it somewhere that you can see it every day. I’m sure you look at yourself in the mirror more than once per day so this would be an ideal place.
3 Set a Deadline
Set a deadline that gives you enough time to reach your goal and don’t worry that it might be too long as you can always break it down into more manageable timeframes. But make sure you set one as the most important thing is you get there. There are no prizes for being the quickest loser! You will have more success in maintaining slow weight loss than trying to lose heaps of weight in a hurry.
4 Make a list and prioritise
The list should comprise everything you are going to have to do to achieve your goal. Exercise is imperative for weight loss and does not cost any money if you set out to do it on your own or with a friend. You may however need a new pair of trainers. Do you need help such as a workout buddy, Group sessions or a Personal Trainer? (Go to www.endurofitness.com) Get a sports watch or timing device so you can log your workout times and set a mini goal to beat that time tomorrow. Prioritise the list into what is most important to you reaching your goals, right down to what you might be able to do without. If it is your first time on the serious weight loss mission, you probably won’t have all of the answers and may need to assess your needs as you go. The content of your refrigerator is a great guide to how healthy you are and will need a good cleanout and restocking with fresh foods. This will be a priority. 70-80% of your current weight is dictated by what you are consuming daily. A food diary helps you to keep track of what you are eating.
5 Just Do It!
Start today! You have been putting it off for long enough so what better time to start than before the ink dries on your action list. Put your trainers on. Just putting them on is bound to burn calories and once the laces are tied, you will be more inclined to get outside and into some exercise. If you cannot go it alone, find help with motivation by joining an outdoor Group Training session or try some Kickboxing (go to www.endurofitness.com). The added responsibility of not wanting to let anyone else down will keep you motivated. My experience has taught me that people that are over weight, have more excuses for not exercising. Healthy people just do it!
6 Add variety
Whilst walking is a great way to start the ball rolling, your body will soon adjust to this regime and find a comfort zone. Your body will generally get used to a particular exercise within 3 weeks and a change in stimulus is then required to keep on improving on a similar line. This may mean adding hills or stairs in your current walk. Taking a different route or walking faster are simpler options. This is where the stop watch is important. Constantly trying to better your time around the same route is an easy way to tell if you are still improving or if you have hit that plateau. Cross-training is a great option as your body is constantly being challenged to do a different exercise (go to www.endurofitness.com Enduro Challenge Groups). Keep the body guessing!
7 Stay Focussed
The difference between Millionaires and Billionaires is that Billionaires assess their goals 3 times a day as opposed to Millionaires who only visit them once a day! To have your goal in your face and the forefront of your every action is the most effective way to stay focussed. If you have set yourself a goal of losing 20 kilograms in 1 year, break this down into monthly targets and suddenly your goal becomes 1.66 kilograms per month! Personal Trainers are great at keeping you on track as then you have a professional to answer to. The thought of having to do 100 push ups as a result of confessing to eating badly, is enough to make you want to eat well. They will also weigh you in on a regular basis to see if you are heading in the right direction or if your program needs adjusting, remember that the scales don’t lie! A 30 to 60 minute session once a week keeps you stay on track and helps you through the hard times when you lose sight of your goal.
8 Reward yourself!
The added energy and vitality that you receive from exercise can be reward in itself, but sometimes people need more motivation. Those Sass and Bides that you desperately want to fit in to can be the perfect reward for achieving the weight loss goal that you set. If chocolate is your thing then why not devise a reward system which involves eating a square of chocolate for every ½ hour of exercise that you complete. It doesn’t sound like much but at the end of the week it could add up to 14 squares. Now you’re talking!!! I have heard of instances of people being rewarded for weight loss with cash from relatives and spouses. This is shown to work the interim but after the cash is handed over, what else is there to achieve? The problem with this is you are working hard to satisfy someone else, not yourself.
The key to goal setting and achieving, is to remember what you set out to achieve, and why this is so important to you. At the end of the day, happiness is the key to all good looking people, large or small.
For Personal Training, Group Training and Kickboxing options see www.endurofitness.com