We are now just over a month and a half into the new year, and approximately a week ago we hit the date where research indicates that most people have dropped all pretense of chasing their weight loss or fitness goals. Why is it that we have no staying power? The sad reality is that we do not equip ourselves with the tools to stick with it when we find things getting difficult, This is not only the case as we deal with our fitness/weight loss goals but any goal you may have can face the same fate.
I want to begin to share with you a few tools that can be helpful in your quest for greater fitness, but also can be translated into many other areas of life.
1) Educate yourself about your goal. Think about why it is important for you to accomplish your goal, and visualize the outcome. Many high performers in sports and other areas use creative visualization as a technique to guide their performance. Beyond the visualization; by reading, watching, or listening to information about the particular goal you are chasing you will learn of the potential pitfalls others have faced and how they overcame the obstacles. Educating yourself can also provide you with new tools or techniques to reach your goal
2) Recognize that "Rome wasn't built in a day", and neither was the situation you are in now. It is going to take time to reach your goals. Have you set a realistic time frame to achieve your goal? It is my belief that most people set far too aggressive goals and this sets them up for failure and discouragement. Be realistic and set not only that ultimate goal that you can visualize but some intermediate steps as well.
3) Give yourself a break! Don't start out by trying to do everything 7 days a week and for maximum time frames. Small changes add up and even multiply your efforts over time. Perhaps you start out with a 15 minute time frame that is blocked off and then you "sneak in" other smaller chunks of time toward your desired end. This also applies to the changes in your diet or your workday planning, small changes applied consistently begin to multiply your results.
4) Keep a record. This serves multiple purposes in that it creates a personal accountability, establishes a positive visual stimulus, and points out trends that can either be positive or negative. There is a reason that the baseball cards of my youth had stats printed on the back. Those stats let us know how our favorite player was doing from year to year. This is also evident in business, it has been said that "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it." This again translates across fields and can work in a number of arenas.
5) Have an accountability group or partner. Being a part of something bigger than yourself helps us maintain focus, gain encouragement, and occasionally holds us to the line. This is one of the beautiful things about the church that was established by Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. God in his unlimited wisdom knew that we would need to be a part of something more than ourselves. It is also evident in many other areas of life, why have organizations like Weight Watchers flourished over the years? People need people so they may learn from one another, be encouraged or admonished appropriately.
I hope you will take a look at these tools and see how they may apply to your situation. Then put one or all of them to use. With this I bid you a wonderful week ahead to go out and Do Well!
No comments:
Post a Comment