READY, SET - GOAL!

The first thing to remember about goal setting, is that it's personal.  Everyone has their own idea of personal best.

Depending on where you live, your motivation may be harder to drum up.  If you live in sunny California or Florida where everyone is sun tanned and roller blading or riding their bikes, motivation is going to be inbred.  If you live in a town of 800 where Sonic is fine dining, uh, not so much.  You might have to dig a little deeper.

We talked Wednesday about motivating factors.  Let's take a look.  These will be the foundation from which your goals will be set.  When setting your goal, BE SPECIFIC.  If you want to be able to keep up with small children, you will probably want to have more cardiovascular endurance.  So goals will be more in range with walking, jogging, 5K, marathon etc.  I have some jogging plans if you need guidance.  Or perhaps classes are more suited to your temperament, lifestyle.  Try a Zoomba Class, or one of my Zoomba Boot Camps as soon as I get it started!  If you have health issues, depending on what they are, your program will be geared towards that.  If you want to see yourself aging more gracefully in the pictures of your album, well, that is going to take a little more harumph.

When setting goals, you want to be realistic, but you also want to perhaps aim a little higher than you would on your own from the couch.  This makes the achievement all the more sweet.  And if it is harder to achieve, just think about all you achieved just trying to get there!

BE SPECIFIC.  Don't just say "I want to lose weight", how much weight?  Your goals should be measurable.  Step on the scale, take measurements, calculate endurance, track time.  Whatever is necessary depending on your goal.

If your goals seems unattainable when you look at the long range, then set short range goals.  For example, if you are pretty clear that you need to lose 60 pounds or more, that will seems pretty far into the distance.  Break it down into 10 pound increments.  Chart a six week course and focus only on those 6 weeks.

Take a look at your calendar.  There is never really going to be a good time to start.  Life twists and turns and there will be times when something is going to come up and it will feel as though it is the devil himself keeping you from your coveted prize.  Times to delay would be 2 days before a cruise you have been planning for 2 years, surgery, or some other obvious gapping hole.  That doesn't mean go whole hog.  There are things you can do during those times to at least not get yourself farther from your goal.  Smaller perceived sidetracks will need to be overcome.  That is usually negative self talk.  There is no way around it, but through it.  Because those things will always be there.  But they become less and less of a nuisance, the farther you get into your commitment.  You may even find yourself avoiding them altogether for the sake of the bigger picture.

Be prepared, and I mean mentally, physically and emotionally, for set backs.  Just go ahead and put in on the calendar because stuff happens.  It is not the end of the world.  Count each day as a new start.  Get over it before it even happens.  Log it and move on.

If you have a goal in mind or have achieved a goal, we would love to help or hear it!!!