Still Not Losing Weight? Consider this… (part 3)
Hey all, today we’ll wrap up our “Still Not Losing Weight” series. Here are parts 1 and 2 (provide link) to get caught up.
8 ) Don’t Just Set a Goal, Set an Emotional Attachment To Your Goal!
These next 3 are probably the most important of all. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen trainers ask their clients what they’re goals are, but not hear them talk anything about what that goal MEANS to them, or WHY its important. Are you trying to lose weight because….
– You felt the best about yourself when you were in high school; this was also when you felt the best about your body and you want to get back to that weight?
– You want to get down to the weight you were at when you got married to your spouse because of the pride you felt when he/she asked you to marry them?
– You want to get those big guns to impress your co-worker that sits a few cubicles away from you?
-You want to lose weight because your current weight isn’t allowing you to enjoy life the way you want and deserve to?
Here’s the Truth:
A goal without a plan is just a dream, and a goal without an emotional attachment is like ghost-riding a whip; there’s no driver behind it all!
Take-Home Point: You MUST determine what your driving focus is to reach your goal. Without it, you’re just dreamin’.
9) Be Consistent!
I hear you: you have 50 bazillion different things going on, and your personal fitness somehow always takes a back seat. You had the intentions of working out 5 times a week, but you made that goal back in January. Its May now… your job’s getting busier, your kid’s after school activities have you running all over the place, you’re too tired, you don’t have time, you put it off til tomorrow…then the next day…then the next day…
People who accomplish goals don’t let things happen. They aren’t passengers in their life journey. They are in the drivers seat, establishing priorities, coming up with strategies, and carving out time to make things happen.
Did you know that you can fit in an absolutely solid workout in just 15 minutes that will keep you burning fat after the workout is done? It takes time and dedication, but even the busiest people can still get results by finding windows of time throughout their day to challenge themselves to get it in.
How discouraged have you been for the last umpteen months, years, (insert time period here)? How much of that discouragement is now affecting other aspects of your life? Are you getting upset because your significant other doesn’t look at you the same way he/she used to? You can do something about it. Are you frustrated because you’re getting winded after going up 2 flights of stairs? Are you upset that you cannot keep up with your friends during physical endeavors because you’re out of shape? You can do something about it.
How willing are you to actually do something about it?
Find a way to make it happen, consistently. Start putting clean foods in your diet, watch your portion sizes, get rigorous activity in several times a week, follow principles of progressive overload, listen to your body, and make it a lifestyle change.
10) Find a Source of Accountability
It’s important to link an emotional attachment to your goal. It’s also important to stay consistent with your training or weight loss program. Let’s put it all together now…WHAT is going to keep you accountable for your goals? WHO is going to keep you accountable for your goals? HOW are you going to keep accountable for your goals?
Accountability is having an obligation to report, explain, or justify something by being responsible or answerable for a set of actions. I’ll give you a couple of examples. For all my clients, I offer accountability for what they put into their body through food journal record keeping. While I am not a dietician, I offer suggestions and ideas they can think about implementing that have been proven effective in nutrition journals and with others I’ve worked with in the past.
Keep a food journal. Log workouts. Find a workout buddy that will motivate you. Hire a trainer or dietician. If your goals are important to you, DO something progressive about it to ensure that you can make it happen!
adios!
MG