Setting a goal when it comes to your health and fitness often starts out inspiring and then gets frustrating when you realise that it can take time to see results. That is why having a plan in place and sticking to it is key to helping you stay on track to achieve the results you are after.
For example some people will find that if they only have a few kilos to lose, they don’t see much in the first month or two of their program but then all of a sudden the results appear. On the flip side if you have more weight to lose, you will often see results faster, hit a plateau and then that is the time you need to use your motivation to keep you going.
Here are my top tips to achieving your health and wellness goals.
Define your exact goal and create a plan
No matter what your goal is, be it to save money, lose weight, improve your strength, get a new job, you need to define the goal and make a plan to achieve it.
For example, if your goal is to lose 5kg, how are you going to do it? Are you going to clean up your diet mid week, reduce your alcohol intake, workout 4-5 days a week, aim for 10K steps? Think about what is realistic for you to do, write down the plan, put your workouts in your diary and keep it as you would any other appointment.
I always advise my clients to follow the S.M.A.R.T principals. They are
S: Be specific
M: Have a measurable goal in mind
A: Make sure it is achievable
R: Make sure it is relevant
T: Add a time frame to it
When it comes to making your goal achievable, that is not just speaking to the goal itself. For example, if you have joined a gym that is hard for your to get to, you may be better off finding a studio that is closer to your home, work, or even signing up to an online program. If the gym you have joined has class times that don’t suit your schedule, then that is a sign that another gym may be a better option. These are all things to be mindful of when setting your plan.
Measure it
There are so many apps available now to help you measure your results as often the measurement will be the first sign that you are improving. There is a cool 3D body scanning app by the company mPort which uses infrared technology to take your measurements. They record you in their system as an avatar (so they don’t keep any photos stored) and they will show you the comparisons between the avatars each time you scan.
There are also some great apps for tracking your nutrition such as My Diet Dietary, your steps, such as Social Steps or the apple health app etc. Being able to measure your progress is a great way to keep you on track
Set some boundaries
Depending on what your goal is, its good to identify what may stop you from achieving that goal and put some boundaries around it for a period of time. For example, if you know that when you drink wine you also eat double the food that you normally would, try swapping to a different drink or limiting your alcohol intake while you are on your health kick (or for longer).
If you know that certain venues will make it hard for you to stick to your goal, go there less until you feel ready to take it on. If certain things in your life are causing you anxiety when it comes to sticking to your task at hand, there is no harm in taking a break from them.
Make it fun
A wellness goal does not need to be rigid and boring. Get a friend to join you, join a challenge at your local gym so that you can be part of their community, sign up to some entertaining activities that serve the purchase such as a fun run or obstacle race. Being “healthier” doesn’t need to be a chore, it can be fun if you do it well.
Article by Ben Lucas, Director of Flow Athletic