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Goal Setting for Weight Loss...Tis the Season!
Why is goal setting for weight loss so important...especially around this time of year? Inevitably, weight loss ia always in the top 10 for New Years's Resolutions amoung Americans. Even more,every year New Year’s Day brings hopes of starting fresh, accomplishing tasks that were not manageable the year before, or just a new opportunity to work on self-improvement. It’s always so exciting in the beginning, but where does the motivation go? Why do so many New Year’s Resolutions fail? Goal setting is simple, I just write down what I want to accomplish… right? Easy mistakes to make:
It might seem silly, but there are actually guidelines to goal setting called SMART Goals. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Once you learn how to set SMART goals you will be working efficiently and effectively ALL year long! Specific & Measurable: When goal setting for weight loss, your goals need to be specific and measurable, allowing you to look back over a week or months time and say “yes, I accomplished my goals” or “no, I did not accomplish my goals”. Example:
If you set a goal of walking more in the New Year, how can you measure what “more” means? Would it count if you went to the mall and pushed the stroller around? Does more mean join a stroller fit class and walk on the treadmill daily? It’s important to be specific and measurable because checking off your accomplishments might be your best tool to stay motivated! Attainable & Realistic: I cannot emphasize this enough… make your goals ATTAINABLE and REALISTIC!!!! If you haven’t seen the inside of a gym in the last year, setting a goal of five gym workouts a week is a bit ridiculous! Try starting slow and working your way up to larger goals. I would rather your goals seem too easy, yet you’re accomplishing them weekly, rather than huge goals that are never being met. You do not want your weeks to feel like constant failures, this is a one way pass to falling off your New Year’s Resolutions! Realistic goals are goals that you may actually enjoy doing! If you never went to the gym last year, there was probably good reason. You might think gyms are intimidating and uncomfortable with a lot of fit individuals in minimal clothes… who wants to be walking on a treadmill next to the twig sprinting 10 miles! A more realistic goal might be investing in a pedometer that will measure your daily steps. You know you love to walk and tracking your steps might be the motivation you need to increase your movement. Examples:
Timely: When goal setting for weight loss, you should have a time frame so that you can reward yourself as you continue to accomplish specific and attainable goals! It is always a good idea to set some short term and long term goals. The short term goals can be simple and provide instant gratification, while long term goals can be complicated and it may take months to years to accomplish.
Your homework is to develop three SMART goals a week and find a friend, professional, or family member to help hold you accountable. GOOD LUCK and enjoy your accomplishments!
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