How can goal-setting help steer you to successful weight loss and improved health and fitness?
The saying ‘you are what you eat’ can seem all too true. But eating is only half of the energy balance equation, the other being physical activity. Good health is all about the sum of your behaviours.
‘Your behaviours build your body’ is an alternative phrase we'd like to use. No matter what outcome you want, you will only achieve it by changing some of the behaviours that have delivered your current health.
More goals, greater success
One of the surest ways to fall short in your attempts to get fit or lose weight is to set no goals at all, or to set goals that are too distant in time or some other objective, such as body weight.
Committing to improved fitness or weight loss is too open a goal. Even committing to losing 20 kilograms or any other figure does not give you enough guidance.
Short-term goals
The first two months are always the toughest. Survive these and you’ll be well on your way to a successful outcome.
Giving yourself a number of opportunities to succeed will help to create a positive attitude towards more prolonged success. Set goals for a range of short-term periods; a week, a fortnight, a month, two months. And set some goals that are behaviour-focussed and others that are outcome-focussed. For example:
- Walk 15 minutes a day, three times a week for one month (behaviour)
- Walk two kilometres in 15 minutes by the end of one month (outcome)
- Take two pieces of fruit to work every day - and eat them (behaviour)
- Lose one centimetre from my waist circumference each week for a month (outcome)
Long-term goals
Set yourself goals three to six months ahead. Choose a goal that really motivates you; something that is important and gives you a strong desire to persevere. It might be:
- Fit into a size 12 within 3 months
- Cut my waist measurement by 12 cm in 4 months
Complete a 10km fun run in 6 months
Celebrate your success
When you achieve a goal, make sure you have decided how to celebrate it and then do it. It is important that this decision be made beforehand - when you can be objective about how to celebrate.
Like the goals, the celebration must be relevant to you. Perhaps as part of your health campaign you are cutting back on chocolate. A meaningful reward might be to treat yourself to a few squares of your favourite block.
You need to know your limitations. If the rest of the block is just too tempting and you can’t stop at a few squares, don’t start. Find another reward.
Back-up goals
You always need a Plan B. Say you want to lose 15 kilograms in six months. Your back-up goal could be walking five kilometres in an hour within the same six months.
Achieving your walking goal but falling a little short on the weight loss is still a successful outcome. Reset the weight loss target and, with your new-found fitness, there’s a great chance that you’ll still get there before too long.
Final tips
Share your goals with people who will both support you and help keep you focused; family, work-mates or friends. Let them support you along the way.
Finally, don’t give up. If you don’t achieve your goals the first time around, look at why. Were the goals too tough or did you need more help to overcome some challenges?
Remember, your behaviours build your body. Build new behaviours and the healthy body you want will follow.
Share your success story. What fitness and weight loss goals have you achieved? Add your comments below.
