Yet Another Chance to Get it Right...Motivation Makeover (Round 2)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! You know that optimistic feeling you get at the start of EVERY new year...hopeful, inspired, invincible...feeling like NOTHING or NO ONE can STOP YOU!  At the start of a EVERY new year  I decide this year I will not only MEET, but exceed my fitness and weight loss goals.  But then somewhere along the way life happens,  I  lose that pep in my step and my motivation slowly but surely wanes into oblivion. AND THEN, I  find myself in a weight loss and fitness rut.  

So, in efforts to put that PEP back in my STEP it seems only befitting to revisit  a post I wrote at the start of 2010. In short, I need to practice what I preach!

Published January 3, 2010...

So a friend of mine texted me this morning looking for some weight loss help. I gave her a little a starter advice, and she suggested that I write a post about our conversation. So here goes:

I basically told her to start small by setting a couple of realistic, manageable goals. AND, it just so happens, last Saturday's WW meeting discussed goal setting. The leader suggested that goals should be:

• Positive: Phrase your goal in positive terms (e.g. Each week I will plan my meals.).
  
• Specific: Make your goals straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do.
  
• Within your control: You must be able to complete the goal without assistance from anyone.
  
• Good fit with your life: Whatever you plan to change must be something you can maintain for the rest of your life (e.g. eating breakfast, cooking more and eating out less).

When setting your goals, think about the benefits. For me the benefits include:

• motivation
• direction
• measure for evaluation

Just as important, make sure you reflect on the pitfalls of goal setting. 

• unrealistic expectations: be careful not to set yourself up for failure. I made the mistake of trying to workout 6 days a week. 6 days works for some but not me. I learned the hard way, by body needs time to recuperate from tough workouts. 

• overwhelming yourself: Set small 5 pound goals instead of worrying about the BIG number.

So...what's your goal? Get a picture in your mind. What do you want to accomplish? Okay, now write it down.

Well, like everyone else, I set a few goals for myself: Although I set these goals at the onset of the new year, I still need to focus on the same issues:

• Complete a 5K (Double booking myself ruined last year's attempt.) DONE! Since writing this post in January I am proud to announce I ran my first 5K last May!
• Track my food intake...If I write it, I bite it (So far so good)!
• Drink the daily required amount of water (and then some) EVERY DAY!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• PLAN, PLAN, PLAN, PLAN, PLAN and then plan some more! This week, I created a menu. With my menu in mind, I wrote my grocery list and only purchased foods on the list. To save money, I  based my menu on foods already stored in my pantry, freezer and fridge. I created this Turkey Taco Soup, pictured below with food on hand. In addition, I froze a few bowls of the soup to be used later as back-up meals during times of laziness.

Also on the menu, this black bean omelet for breakfast in the morning.

As far as my long term goals:

I picked this card up at one of the Saturday meetings, drove home, and stuck it on my fridge.

My ultimate long term goal is to be a Weight Watchers leader. I hope to one day share my weight loss trials and tribulations with others struggling to lose weight like myself.

And of course no motivational post is complete without a motivational photo:

Me at my goal weight...just kidding!

The real motivational picture...trying to hide behind my digital camera's instructions manual.

Revisiting this and other post written in that "start of the new year frame of mind" helped to put things into perspective. Sometimes I lose my way (more often than I'd like), but I refuse to go back THERE (see photo), and live my life on the sidelines while watching everybody else play! GAME ON!