GOALS!!!!!!!

Welcome to February 1st!  If you are a regular gym-goer maybe you are starting to see some of those "resolutioners" starting to fade already.  They hung in for a few weeks, gave it the "old college try" but are not seeing results, so they are hanging up the gym membership already.  They won't cancel their membership, because that would be admitting defeat.  People will find countless excuses for their perceived failure....time, kids, work, other commitments.

It's easy to place blame rather than to accept that change takes TIME!  Think of it this way; if you are looking to drop 20 pounds, did you suddenly gain weight in 1 night?  If you have high blood pressure, did you wake up with it this morning but it was normal last night?  Maybe your nutritional habits are horrible, did you eat healthy and suddenly give-up eating well in 1 day?  Most likely these things happened over the course of time, so reversing these issues, is going to take time as well.  And that's actually a GOOD thing!

Setting goals and working towards them will make you appreciate the view from the top that much more when you arrive...it's about the JOURNEY!  Yes it will be frustrating, time consuming, exhausting and at times (ok maybe a lot of time) you will want to throw in the towel.   It's not easy, you need to earn success, it's not given to you at the drive-through window or in pill you buy from a random commercial on TV.  Here's the secret.....You are not limited in your potential, you just need to tap into it!  The best way to do that is to set a goal and and hunt it down like prey!

First start with a plan, and consider that your compass to success.  A plan is important because it keeps you on track to get from point A to point B.  Think of it this way, if you wanted to drive from San Francisco to LA and took 101 North, reaching LA is not going to be in your foresee-able future.  Be honest in your goals and start small and set easy goals....things that you will have no problem achieving.  

If your goal is to drop 20 pounds (long term goal), your mini goal might be to lose 1 pound this week.  Think of it in terms of losing 5 pounds at a time rather than all 20 in 1 workout.  Examine your activity and nutritional choices.  Most people know the things they should change in their eating habits and habits can be hard to break. Thank you Chicago ;)
   
SIDE NOTE:  I will try to avoid the term "diet" for a few reasons.....1) the first 3 letters spell "die, there is    no fun in that! 2) Diet conjures up thoughts of "I will have to live on rabbit food" 3) there are tons of diet books on the market today yet America's obesity rate is through the roof...obviously we don't need another "Diet" we need to make a life-long change in our eating habits.

Let me take a step down from my soap-box...and get back to changing your habits.  If soda is your pitfall, set a daily goal of drinking 1 less can than yesterday.  Keep track of that, write it down!  Give yourself a gold star when you achieve this!  Drink a glass of water rather than having that extra can of soda.  You can do it, think small at first because the little things DO MATTER!  Setting mini-goals on a daily basis is fun!  We all want to feel a sense of accomplishment, checking off something every day on your "to do" list is license to pat yourself on the back when no one else will.  Or post your goals here and I WILL PAT YOU ON THE BACK, well virtually anyway :)

Think of your goals everyday, the mini-ones and the long term.  I personally visualize my goals in bed every morning and refer back to them throughout the day to keep me focused.  I also have them written down as my black and white reminder.  Maybe getting into your smaller jeans is your goal.  Look at them every day and when you don't feel like getting your workout in, picture yourself in those jeans and hopefully you will head out to the gym.  Maybe that will be the kick in the butt you need to stay motivated. 

Enjoy the day, set a goal and GO GET IT!  STAY INSPIRED.......YOU ARE POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE!!