Goal Setting:
If you are thinking about writing some new years resolutions then well done you! The question is how do you stick to them?
I always find that achievable short term targets can be a great way of edging towards a long term goal. I like to set my goals out into different areas of my life to make sure I am staying in balance. Not always an easy thing to do in our very busy lives but very important nevertheless. For example you may have 4 areas you want to focus on and within these can be monthly goals you set yourself.
1) Family and Social:
To have a date night with my partner, to play more with my kids, to have a beer with my best mate.
2) Work:
Whatever your work ambitions are, these obviously vary but it is a good idea to break them down into a monthly format and not let the year slip by.
3) Personal:
To read 10-20 minutes a day, to smile and be courteous to all whom I meet (cheesy but just an example!)
4) Health and Fitness:
Now this is the one I’m really interested in as how many times do people start the year with good intentions only to see them fade away 6-8 weeks in.
Break it up!
What do you need to achieve?
Is it weight loss?
Ok then, how much weight do you need to lose? what is your BMI and Body fat?
It is a good idea to find these things out and then we can set some realistic goals of how you are going to achieve this.
Say you need to lose a stone or 6.5kg in weight. Your body fat is 5% over your threshold and your BMI is 27.5. You know it is not a disaster but if you don’t do something about it soon this time next year it could be a whole lot worse and you will be a year older! No need to panic but be smart and play the long game. You didn’t get into this place overnight so it is safe to assume you will not get back into a healthier shape in a flash. Some changes need to be made in key areas.
1) Activity:
You need to try to be as active as you can everyday! Going to the gym, playing your sport, attending a class, cycling or running is great but doing this once or twice a week just won’t cut it if you are sitting around doing nothing the rest of the time.
Could you walk to work? take the stairs instead of the lift? stand instead of sit? Are you monitoring how many steps a day you are walking? Believe me if you are as active as you can be it will make a massive difference to your health and make it a lot easier to lose weight if that’s what you are trying to do and keep it from coming back on.
2) What are you eating?
Try not to overcomplicate things and change things gradually. Then change is more likely to be sustainable and permanent if you need to. Keep a food diary, be honest with yourself and try to replace the bad things in your diet with healthier options as opposed to cutting things out completely. Be aware of your portion sizes, drink 2 litres of water a day and have a look to see if you think you may be drinking too much alcohol. That is probably more than enough to cope with for January.
3) Mindset
Be positive and remind yourself of your goals regularly. If you are finding things difficult, do not be too hard on yourself. It is a journey and I just want you to start having a health conscience. Keep sowing seeds and setting achievable targets. Remarkable changes can occur over time, I have seen it happen many times. Mindset is key though.
So then, for January some nice short term health and fitness goals may be:
gym twice a week, yoga once a week, 8-12000 steps a day, 2 litres of water a day, be aware of my portion sizes, plenty of vegetables in my meals, lose between 3-5lbs in weight and keep a positive mindset with my goals, they can be achieved.
Obviously all goals are bespoke to the individual concerned and their personal circumstances but this is a basic framework to long term sustainable health and fitness. If you review your goals every month it makes you take ownership of them, especially the ones you are perhaps not crossing the line with.
I hope this helps and I really hope you stay active and move your bodies!
Jamie Lea – Personal Trainer – West London Fitness
Please email contact@westlondonfitness.co.uk for your free consultation with one of our Personal Trainers to see how we can help you achieve your goals.
West London Fitness Personal Training Studio at Trailfinders Sports Club
Ealing
West Ealing
Pitshanger
Hanwell
Greenford
Acton