Setting Goals, Part 2

Short-term and Long-term Goals
Once you've determined the starting point for improving fitness,
specifying what you want to accomplish is the next step. To continue
with the GPS analogy, now that you've entered the point of origin,
it's time to enter the point of destination. It's equally important
to note though, that just like the GPS, you will have a series of
points along the map to successfully reach before the destination can
be achieved. Also like a good GPS, if you deviate from the steps
along the way, you will need to recalculate your route.
Most of us start out with a destination in mind. Using the same
method you chose to assess the starting point for your body size, form
a positive statement about the goal you want to ultimately achieve.
Next, based on the distance between where you are now and where you
want to be, set a reasonable timeline for achievement.
Personally, I think reaching my goal at the rate of one pound a week
is reasonable. While I can in fact lose 2 pounds in a week without
going to extremes, I know that I will also have weeks in which
maintaining is all I can do and other weeks in which I will gain back
a pound or two. So using one pound a week as an average, I set the
timeline for achieving my ultimate goal.
The "Train Your Brain for Fitness" approach to getting fit is not
really intended for quick weight loss. While it's possible to apply
some of these techniques for starting a power weight loss and fitness
program, I don't think this is actually the best way to affect
long-term change that will stay with you. I have too often done the
quick power routine only to be right back where I started or even
worse a few months later. Learning what we need to know to lead a
lifestyle that supports fitness and making it habitual is what this
approach is designed to accomplish.
Using body weight as an example, here's how I'd suggest that you set your goals.
1. Look back at where you recorded your current body weight.
2. Write down the body weight you want to ultimately achieve.
3. Determine the difference between the two numbers by subtracting
your goal weight from your current weight.
4. Turn this number into number of weeks (e.g., 40 pounds = 40 weeks).
5. Using a calendar, count out that number of weeks from the current
date. I advise adding in a few more weeks as it is really not
practical to assume that you will drop a pound every single week.
Remember that you will have holidays and vacations and other occasions
for distraction along the way that will make steady progress
difficult. 40 weeks can easily be made into 45 or even 52 weeks.
6. Write your ultimate goal statement as though you have achieved it
such as "I weigh 140 pounds by 06/01/11."
Next, take your ultimate goal and break it down into periodic
milestones. If your ultimate goal is one year out, then breaking it
into evenly spaced, quarterly goals is a good way to do this. Using
the example above of reaching a goal 40 pounds away in a year, the
milestones will be 10 pounds a quarter.
1. I weigh 140 pounds by 06/01/11.
2. I weigh 150 pounds by 03/01/11.
3. I weigh 160 pounds by 01/01/11.
4. I weigh 170 pounds by 10/01/10.
In this example you are working from the macro to the micro. You may
find it more useful to reverse this list once you've set all of your
goals, but starting with the ultimate and working your way back
through the stages through which this will be accomplished is a good
way to set the goals in the beginning.
It's important to remember that body weight is only a measuring tool.
The real goal is to be fit through good nutrition and exercise.
Achieving the goal body weight is just one way you will know that you
have met your fitness goals. Therefore, let's write goal statements
about how you want to achieve this new body weight.
Once you've established the goals based on body size, do the same for
your food intake. Working from your established eating norm, set
goals for food intake that will achieve your body size goal. Examples
of goal statements are:
1. I make smart choices about what I eat.
2. I eat 1600 (or fill in the appropriate caloric intake for yourself)
calories or less a day.
3. I choose foods rich in protein to build muscle.
4. I eat carbs that are complex and beneficial.
5. I check nutrition facts about new foods before I eat them.
The point here is to write your goal statements about eating so that
they promote the behavior you want to achieve. Making them positive
statements of achievement makes it possible for your subconscious to
use them as triggers for daily activity.
Finally, go through the same process to set goals for exercise. Look
at your established level of daily activity and decide how you will
increase it. Then form positive statements about these goals.
1. I exercise 5 times a week – 3 with weights and 2 cardio.
2. I take the stairs to and from my office each day.
3. I walk for 30 minutes every morning.
4. I attend yoga classes twice each week.
5. I play basketball with my colleagues every Saturday morning.
Once you've established your goal statements, write them out in a way
that makes sense to you. Mine look like this:
1. I make smart choices about what I eat.
2. I eat 1600 calories a day or less.
3. I exercise 5 times a week – 3 weights and 2 cardio.
4. I feel good and am getting fit through better nutrition and exercise.
5. I achieve my goals at a rate of one pound a week.
6. I feel good and weigh 166 by 07/08/10.
7. I feel good and am making real progress and weigh 153 by 10/08/10.
8. I am fit and toned, feel awesome and weigh 140 pounds by 01/08/11.
9. I maintain fitness through smart eating and regular exercise and
perhaps set new goals, 2011-2015.
You can see that I start with the immediate and then work my way up
through a year and end with a projection for keeping this going for
the next 5 years. This list spells out "life change" for me
specifically, and your list should do the same for you.
This is a living, breathing work in progress. I write out my goals,
all of them as above each week when I measure my success. The list
changes a little each week depending on what is going on in my life.
If I'm taking a cruise next week, then I don't say that I'm going to
stick to 1600 calories each day, or that I'm going to exercise 5
times. I decide what I want to achieve while on my cruise and then I
write it out accordingly. When I return home and am back to a regular
routine, then my list looks like it does above. Choosing achievable
goals and setting them out in a way that fits into your life so that
they can become a part of your life, is the only way I know to make
this long-term change to a healthier lifestyle.
I want to once again acknowledge that I have pulled liberally from Tom
Venuto's book "The Body Fat Solution." I strongly urge you to get a
copy of this very inspirational book and add it to your reading list.
It provides a wealth of information!