I know every year we make New Year’s Resolutions and intend to keep them! Did you know only 8% will keep their resolutions? With 3 weeks of the New Year we give up! Not even 1 month! Why? Of course, there can be many reasons why. One of them is we don’t make SMART goals, so it is hard for us to see results and we just give up. Another reason is that we don’t make the goals known to other people, so we feel that we don’t have the support we need, or we know no one knows our goals, so we don’t hold ourselves accountable.
How can we change this? How can we all be successful and keep our New Year’s Resolutions this year? Here are some ways that we can all stick with it this year. I want you to succeed no matter what your goal may be! Let’s work together to change the statistics.
What exactly is a resolution? It is a formal expression of will or intent to do something. What is it you are expressing with intent that you want to do? Lose weight? Start a new exercise routine? Live a healthier life? Set an example for your kids? Stop smoking? Make better choices? Once you figure out what it is that your resolution will be, you need to break it down, plan for it! If you have no idea how to make it happen, then in 3 weeks you will give up! I would give up too! It is very overwhelming when you have no idea how to get from point A to point B. Let’s map it out, a map of success, if you will. If you have picked your goal(s) already, that’s great. If not, think about it and then go through the steps below and make 2012 a successful year!
I am going to pick my New Year’s Resolution to be weight loss (may make this easier for some of you).
I want to lose 25 pounds by March 1st! 8 weeks, 25 pounds—that does not seem like an attainable goal to me. You would have to lose a little over 3 pounds a week. So to make sure I can keep my resolution to lose weight I am going to use the SMART principles. What are the SMART principles?
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Let’s start with a Specific goal. Losing 25 pounds is specific, so that was easy.
Measurable is next. We know that losing 3 pounds a week is great, but is it possible for you? I would set a 6 month plan (timely) to lose 1 pound per week. This is not only measurable but it is also attainable. By changing a couple of things in your diet each week and working out 4 to 6 times a week you will easily lose 1 pound or more a week. This is also realistic! By slowly taking the weight off it will be easier to keep it off. You will also not give up when you see results every week, instead of dropping 8 pounds of water weight then hitting a wall the next week, causing you to become discouraged and giving up. By breaking down the specific goal into smaller steps, the goal becomes more realistic, more attainable, and you are more likely to achieve it.
What are some of the things you actually need to do to drop the pound or more a week? Start by planning your lifestyle change. The first thing and most important thing to look at is your food intake. Take 1 week and write down everything you eat, how much, and what time you are eating. Figure out what needs to change! If you need help, that is what I am here for. We can go over your one-week food list and figure out what needs to change. Once we have made the changes on paper, we need to plan how to make the weight loss happen. Planning out the week’s meals and snacks is what we will be doing together. You will be more likely to stay on track if it is “done for you”.
Second, schedule your workouts! If you know when and how you will get them in, you will! For me, early morning is the best; if I don’t get it in first thing I just won’t do it! So you need to figure out the best time for you and do it! Make sure you have strength training scheduled in no less than 2 days a week and just cardio days 2 or 3 days. Those of you who come to Kettlebell Boot Camp have the strength covered.
Example of a good schedule:
Monday - Kettlebell Boot Camp
Tuesday - your favorite cardio (elliptical, spin class, running)
Wednesday - KBBC
Thursday - favorite cardio again
Friday - KBBC
Saturday – yoga
Sunday - day of active rest
Once you have planned out how to get you to your goals, all you have to do is actually do it! Whatever your reason is for losing weight, it is an attainable goal! Make sure not only to check in with the scale; also have your body fat, measurements, and pictures taken at the start of your journey. Check in every 6 weeks to track your progress; it is not just the number on the scale, it is how you feel!
One last thing to think about if you have a resolution this year - tell someone what your goal is; seek out support to help you keep it. We are more likely to stick with it if we “put it out there”, so to speak. When you do you will find support and you won’t want to let anyone down, so PUT IT OUT THERE!!!!
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