Tuesday, September 11, 2012

How and Where to Start!

It has been two years of being healthy and working out and the two most common question I get today are "Joe how did you do it?" and "How do you keep going?" and my answers is always the same.   I take it one day at a time!

This prompted a very interesting conversation while at Tough Mudder last weekend (another blog post soon on that one).   The conversation started while talking about how to lose weight, how to be healthy, and the habits that people form in doing so.  

We started to talk about how people succeed, fail, and the goals each person sets.   Goals are extremely important and should be set!   How do you set them?  How do you measure success?   What is the definition of a goal?  All of these things are topics to think about before you start your journey as well as something to think about after you've been doing it for a while.  So this goes back to my statement earlier "I take it one day at a time".   This phrase holds more power than most people realize.   It is the catalyst to everything after it.

When starting out this to me was the reason for my success.   If you set your goals to far out than you are setting yourself up for major failure.   You cannot expect to plan 3 months out and hit a goal.  Some people might and it's a very small percentage but most of us will fail.   So where do you begin?   The day you decide to begin is your first goal and that goal is to get through that day!  Concentrate on not drinking the extra soda, eating the treats at work, waking up early for your first workout, etc.   This day should be all of your focus and energy!   After your first day your next goal is to get through the next day and the day after that.   After a while you can increase your goals and start worrying about each week, then each month, then 6 months until you get to the point where you can set a goals 90-180 days out and know that your are in the right mindset to accomplish that goal.

It doesn't have to be a drastic change either.   You are not going to go from unhealthy to healthy overnight.  Why put yourself in the mindset that you are going to change overnight and all of a sudden be a health machine?   Set the goals for each day.   This could be as simple as you are going to track what you eat for breakfast and not eat sweets.    These two things are big accomplishments and are worthy of success.   The next day maybe it is the same goal but now you are going to track breakfast, lunch and not eat sweets.   You can see where I am going but all of these small changes will create instant gratification which will then create habits for long term success.

All in all the key is a day at at time!   Don't set unrealistic goals for yourself.  Find what works for you and take it one day at a time until you're where you want to be.    Right now I am "coaching" a handful of people to keep them motivated.   On in particular has been doing this exact thing.   we started off with a day and we are up to three weeks at at time for both work outs and eating.   She has been tracking her food and it is becoming second nature to her.    It has taken 5-6 weeks so far to really start to see changes but the short term goals and planning have helped her drop 15lbs so far.   Now that these goals are there and she is taking it a day at time the habit has been formed.  Working out and realizing what she eats is isn't task it's part of the daily routine.   This isn't a massive secret but a lot of people just don't know where to start.  You sometimes just need a little nudge in the right directions to get you going.



Here are some other tips to help with success and keeping you on the right track.

1. Take pictures before you start and keep taking pictures either weekly, monthly or what ever interval you want.   This can be a great check to see how you are doing and what you want to change.

2. Track everything you eat for a while.   This will truly show you what you are putting into your body and for most people this is a huge eye opener!

3. The scale isn't your your end all!  It's a tool and it isn't the end all of tools.   Use things like doctors visits for blood pressure, cholesterol etc.   How do your pants fit, how do your clothes fit, can you start to see your abs, maybe you think your arms are getting bigger.   all of these thing are indication of change not just a number between your feet.

4.  Drink tons of water!   Your body is made up of it so make sure you are putting it in there.   It is also a great way to flush your system of your cravings from sugar and caffeine.

5.  Keep a journal or a blog.   that way you can look back and see how you've done

6.  Tell your story.  People like to here how you did it.   Inspiring others can be a huge motivator and it is for me.

7.  Don't diet or take short cuts.  losing weight isn't something you do overnight.  healthy weight loss for long term success isn't a quick program it is a slow, steady and some times frustrating process.   Stick to it and you will look back and be happy.

8.  Find a food and learn about one food a day.  Maybe it is the difference of a complex carbs vs. simple carbs, different protein types, how vitamins and supplements help or hurt you.   These things can help you understand what you need to make your body work and perform the way you want it too!

Again thank you for reading and good luck.  Feel free to contact me if you like.

email - mrjag79@gmail.com
follow me on twitter @mrjag79
Facebook - Joe Grady







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