Ironwil
New member
There's a lot written about setting goals, and it really is important. Before you get started on a new diet or exercise program, decide what you're trying to accomplish. It doesn't matter how fast you run if you don't know which way you're going.
1. The goal(s) should be specific. You want to lose weight? Tone up? What the heck does that mean? Be more specific. Decide what weight you want to be at. Get a picture that shows a person in the kind of 'tone' you want your body to have. Of course, no two bodies are exactly the same, but you get what I mean.
2. Set realistic goals. If you think that you're 60 pounds overweight, trying to lose all that in three months probably isn't going to happen. Even if you could, you probably shouldn't. Changes that happen that fast are traumatic to the body and aren't likely to last long term.
3. Set long term and short term goals. You should have a long term goal that represents the end of your change, or the stopping point at which you think you'll be happy, but you should have short term goals as well. Why? How many New Years goals do people ever keep? When you have an entire year it's easy to put things off and get distracted. Having several short term goals is good for keeping on track and keeping motivated. It's easy to become discouraged when there's a lot more left to go through than you've already accomplished. When you have smaller 'milestone' goals it is easier to stay on track.
4. Make adjustments as they're needed. Maybe you decided you needed to lose 60 pounds, but after six months you've lost 30 pounds and you realize that another 15 or 20 will be plenty to make you happy. This is just fine. I'm 37, and I couldn't and wouldn't want to have the form I did in high school. I was 140 pounds at graduation, and after decades of weights and life I'm 180, and much happier with it. You may decide that your original goal(s) need to be modified. That's just fine.
5. Keep a journal of some kind. This helps you keep a record of thoughts, specific measurements, etc. that you can use to adjust your diet and/or exercise program as you go. I'm trying to lose fat right now, and I type up a few thoughts and such down every few days at least. Your short term goals will help you see if you're keeping on track, but your journal might help figure out why you haven't made as much progress as you thought or why you made more. Basically, it helps to find the bugs in the system so they can be fixed. It also serves as a place to vent. Changing your diet and exercising more aren't easy. Sometimes you'll feel irritated or downright angry because you've got a fridge full of soda and snacks that everyone in the house can eat... except for you. Sometimes I feel like I could chase down the neighborhood kids for their soda, and I write that down to get it out. Feel free to vent to your friends, but when you've seriously contemplated mugging someone for their can of soda, you might want to keep that in your journal instead. Not that I ever seriously considered it...
1. The goal(s) should be specific. You want to lose weight? Tone up? What the heck does that mean? Be more specific. Decide what weight you want to be at. Get a picture that shows a person in the kind of 'tone' you want your body to have. Of course, no two bodies are exactly the same, but you get what I mean.
2. Set realistic goals. If you think that you're 60 pounds overweight, trying to lose all that in three months probably isn't going to happen. Even if you could, you probably shouldn't. Changes that happen that fast are traumatic to the body and aren't likely to last long term.
3. Set long term and short term goals. You should have a long term goal that represents the end of your change, or the stopping point at which you think you'll be happy, but you should have short term goals as well. Why? How many New Years goals do people ever keep? When you have an entire year it's easy to put things off and get distracted. Having several short term goals is good for keeping on track and keeping motivated. It's easy to become discouraged when there's a lot more left to go through than you've already accomplished. When you have smaller 'milestone' goals it is easier to stay on track.
4. Make adjustments as they're needed. Maybe you decided you needed to lose 60 pounds, but after six months you've lost 30 pounds and you realize that another 15 or 20 will be plenty to make you happy. This is just fine. I'm 37, and I couldn't and wouldn't want to have the form I did in high school. I was 140 pounds at graduation, and after decades of weights and life I'm 180, and much happier with it. You may decide that your original goal(s) need to be modified. That's just fine.
5. Keep a journal of some kind. This helps you keep a record of thoughts, specific measurements, etc. that you can use to adjust your diet and/or exercise program as you go. I'm trying to lose fat right now, and I type up a few thoughts and such down every few days at least. Your short term goals will help you see if you're keeping on track, but your journal might help figure out why you haven't made as much progress as you thought or why you made more. Basically, it helps to find the bugs in the system so they can be fixed. It also serves as a place to vent. Changing your diet and exercising more aren't easy. Sometimes you'll feel irritated or downright angry because you've got a fridge full of soda and snacks that everyone in the house can eat... except for you. Sometimes I feel like I could chase down the neighborhood kids for their soda, and I write that down to get it out. Feel free to vent to your friends, but when you've seriously contemplated mugging someone for their can of soda, you might want to keep that in your journal instead. Not that I ever seriously considered it...
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