“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. ”
– Colin Powell
New Year’s resolutions are back! Setting your goals are a fantastic way to re-motivate/ challenge yourself and set yourself up for success. It’s time to modify your lifestyle and change your life for the better. However, it is also important that your goals are achievable and realistic.
January shouldn’t be the time where you completely modify your lifestyle (food and exercise). Failure occurs due to poor planning and setting unachievable/unrealistic goals. Having long term goals are very important but setting shorter term goals and targets are great not only to help you achieve your resolution, but to keep at it. January should a time to make small, feasible changes to your lifestyle and build on these as the year progresses.
Your goals will only work if they are SMART (specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and time bound) goals (do your checklist):
Exercise (examples)
· Join XXX gym on a January 15th (specific: yes, Measurable: yes, Attainable: yes, Realistic: yes, Time bound: yes)
· Seeing a xxxx health professional on a certain date (doctor, exercise physiologist, nutritionist, psychologist, physio therapist, personal trainer) to receive an exercise program, meal plan, rehabilitation
· Plan days/times for exercise – by February 1, I want to be doing 2 yoga classes, 2 resistance training sessions, and 1 pump class per week
Food (examples)
· Eat green vegetables every night
· Control portions of carbohydrate to 1 serving per meal
· Eat smaller and more frequent meals – eat every 3 hours, 1 portion of protein and carbs
· Only eat chocolate (100grams) once per week
· Limit alcohol to max 1 glass per night
Lifestyle (examples)
· Fat loss – get a DEXA scan and find out how much to lose – I want to lose 5 kg of fat (3% body fat) by March 1
· Fat loss – I want to fit into a size 10 dress by March 1
The list goes on…
If you find you start drifting out of your new healthy regime, it’s time to re-evaluate and make plans to recommit to your goal. Go back to the small lifestyle changes, and start building again. You have to restore your desire and inspiration by modifying your strategy or approach.
If you are going strong with your new health approach, don’t slacken off. Make sure you don’t slip back to the old eating patterns, ensure your exercise regime increases in intensity or frequency, keep modifying the training to guarantee you enjoyment, keep away from the cigarettes, make sure you control your alcohol intake, get more sleep, find ways and time to relax.
Methods to ensure success:
· Set SMART (specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and time bound) goals
· There are always going to be temptations to lure you back to your old ways so make sure you have a plan to deal with these.
· Write you goals down somewhere you always look (bathroom mirror)
· Have rewards for positive behaviour and consequences for negative ones
· Focus on what you can control, not what is out of your control
· Invest in your goal
· Keep a check on your goal (re-evaluate every month or every 3 months)
· Use the help of friends and family to keep motivation levels high
· There is always room to improve so find a way to continue being challenged
· Circumstances change so plan ahead and allow for hurdles
LUKE MICHAEL
BAPPSC(EX. & SP.SC)
accredited exercise physiologist
