Appetizer
In order to reach your health & wellness goals, you’re going to have to get serious about what you’re doing:
You need to commit to eating no less than 6 meals a day consisting of exactly 200 calories each, and you are no longer allowed to ever have chocolate, juice or anything with sugar.
You should be waking up at 2am every night to drink an 8oz. low-carb, low-calorie, low-fat protein shake in order to jump-start your metabolism (you can go back to sleep afterwards).
In addition, you need to workout at least twice a day…an hour of cardio in the morning before work and 45 minutes of weights in the evening before dinner.
If you make a good schedule and really stay on top of things, you should still have time for your job, your family & friends, church and running errands.
Is this a plan that you are willing to commit to for the rest of your life?
Obviously not. So, stop making plans like this in the name of creating a new healthy lifestyle. There is no way in the world you will be able to make all of these drastic changes, and planning to do so is a recipe for failure.
Set MORE realistic goals.
Main Course
It’s been said that people who set goals tend to be more successful in life, and I believe this to be true. Long-term goals help you map out where you’re going, and short-term ones keep you motivated while you’re getting there.
The most important thing to remember when setting a healthy lifestyle goal is that you make your goal SPECIFIC. Instead of thinking “I want to lose weight,” think “I want to join a gym and workout 3 times per week in order to fit into my favorite size 12 jeans by the end of October.” Creating a detailed and precise goal helps direct the steps you take to reach it.
Important questions to ask yourself when setting a goal:
What do you want to do?
You may want to increase stamina so that you can keep up with your kids, lose weight to make shopping for clothes easier, or lower your cholesterol to help reduce health risks.
Who do you need to help you?
Depending on your goal, you may need your spouse to watch the kids while you head to gym, or maybe it would help immensely if your roommate would stop buying Edy’s Slow Churn Butter Pecan ice cream every weekend.
What do you need to be successful?
Decide up front if your goal requires any kind of paraphernalia – gym membership, cookbook with healthy recipes, blood glucose monitor, etc.
When are you going to do it?
Your goal needs to have a finite date. If you plan on making a lifestyle change (i.e. drink more water), break it up into a smaller goal in order to periodically measure your success (i.e. drink @ least 64oz. of water a day for 3 months).
Why do you want to do it?
It will be much more difficult for you to reach your healthy living goal if you’re doing it for someone else. You need to make sure that this is something that YOU want, and articulate why you want it.
And don’t forget…BE REALISTIC!
If you need help setting your goal, or if you want somebody to help you evaluate what you’ve already written, just let me know. I’d love to help.
Dessert
My Goal:
In order to reduce the number of extra calories I consume, I will stop overeating by making sure I put at least 1/3 of my meal in a doggie bag every time I go out to eat this summer.
What? Reduce intake of unnecessary calories
Who? I need the waiter/waitress to bring me a to-go box, but other than that, I don’t need anyone else to help me.
Needs? I need to make sure that I eat regularly throughout the day so that I’m not completely starving (and therefore greedy) when I get to the restaurant.
Why? I want to do it because I get frustrated that all of my hard work in the gym is not creating the results that I want because I eat too many calories at each meal.
REALITY CHECK: My goal is realistic because I am willing and able to do what’s necessary for me to achieve this goal. Normally, I’m full about halfway through my meal or so anyway – I just keep eating because it tastes good & I’m a greedy little bugger.
About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.
